Where Have I Put......Everything!!!!

I havent disappeared of the face of the earth but I have been engulfed by the empowering abyss of................RENOVATING!!!

Last November, I had a small idea to make changes to our kitchen. It is just a modest little house and as our family grows, it seems to get smaller. So at the beginning of the year, plans were made, plans grew, plans got shelved, plans got made again and then life sent us a reality check.............life is short, theres no guarentee there IS a tomorrow!!! And thats when plans really grew!!!!

Ive spent the last 6-8 weeks working with the wonderful people at the Launceston Kitchen Centre, plus builders (thnx Georgie and Shane), plumbers, electricians and stonemasons to come up with a perfect new kitchen design and to get this new kitchen it has meant that basically HALF the house is now being renovated!!!

Its been so much fun and as things start to slowly happen......all very exciting!!! But to reap the rewards, you have to live in chaos!!

Im trying to keep a path in my studio to get to the sewing machine but its getting smaller and smaller!!! I have a heap of stitcheries to set into projects and I have a few quilts to baste......
......but these may have to wait a little longer, unless I can persuade the builders to set me up a sewing and basting table lol!!

Gift of Giving!

Motivation and creativity have taken a back seat these last 3 months since losing Les's mum, replaced with the sad task of settling probate, clearing out the family home, choosing a real estate agent and then as of last week, finding a buyer!!

Admist all the processes and emotions you have to go through, I received a lovely email a few weeks back from Kelly of Ginger Quilts! She had been clearing out her sewing supplies and wondered if I would like to use some stitching supplies she had!

Of course I was thrilled that she thought of me and a few days later this parcel of goodies arrived on my doorstep!! (and I didnt notice until I uploaded this pic but one of the stitchery cottons has rolled to the top left hand corner duh!!). Some beautiful linen, pellon, stabiliser and those gorgeous cottons, plus a notebook which Kelly has written a lovely letter in!!! Thank you so much Kelly, I truly appreciate your generosity and have been itching to use it!!

I also want to share something that Maddi is hoping to do next year:

She has a great interest in the "Projects Abroad" program and in 2012, her college will be sending 10 students to..........

........Cambodia (and Vietnam). Their main aim is to offer assistance in the orphanages in Cambodia. She has already expressed her interest to the co-ordinator and has joined the fund raising committee. I have decided to offer a few new designs where my wholesale proceeds will be donated to the committee, more on that soon!!! Should be fun and hopefully successful as it will be a fantastic experience for the kids and one that Im sure Maddi will continue to do throughout her life (these programs are amazing!!!)

Time to hit the studio!! And Kelly, for my first fundraising design, I will be using your generous gift so its a gift that just keeps giving :)

Cubs Badge

Cohen's BF Justin needed to learn a new craft to achieve his Silver Medallion for Cubs so he and his mum asked me to teach him how to stitch. Choosing a design was easy, it had to be Ben 10 right??? (so over Ben 10 myself lol)
This is Justins favorite character Xceler8 and it was a good choice because there are some fiddly bits but mostly large areas for him to practice on.
He did a really great job, especially since he has never sewn before and seemed to be enjoying it, all except the pink hoop lol......sorry mate, didnt have any boy coloured ones to lend you!!

Hes chosen some lovely Ben 10 fabric to use as borders and it looks as if we might frame the end result.........great part is, he will earn his badge, have learnt a new skill and have something to admire for years to come!!

More pictures when its completed!!!

Mothers Day

I hadnt intended to be away from my blog for so long but life is unpredictable. Sadly on Easter Sunday my mother-in-law passed away.......a wonderful mum, best friend and treasured "Nanny Blue" to us all:

Evelyn Caroline Johnston

8/5/1924 - 24-4-2011

She touched the hearts of so many and will be very sadly missed. Yesterday was Mothers Day and it also would have been her 87th birthday. Although our day was very low key, it was wonderful to spend that precious time with Les and the kids, which is really what life is all about!

To all the mums, hope your day was special!

Hope to be back soon with some quilty news!

Greatest Gift!

I have a project in the current issue of Creating Country Threads, the framed applique/stitchery on the cover!!!! Always a thrill to see your work in print!!!!

It is called "Greatest Gift" and heres a shot of the project page:

The wording reads: "The seeds we plant in life bloom forever in the hearts of others". I designed this not long after my grandparents died last year so they are quite poignant!! Love the way the magazines present the projects!

In light of the recent natural diasters, we participated in "Earth Hour" last night (even though the boys werent as keen as they would miss an hour of football lol).

We lit a few candles around the kitchen, grabbed a pack of cards and enjoyed our hour without using electricity!!! Hopefully we gave Mother Nature a much needed break and helped just a little bit!! Another great gift!!

Puppy Love!!

Cohens best friend Justin has gone away for a few days to Adelaide with his family, so we get to do some puppy sitting!!!!
This is Scruffy and hes a 4 month old Shitzu/Maltese cross!!! Isnt that face the most adorable??? and I swear hes the biggest timewaster!!!!

Long Weekend

We had a very much needed 3 day weekend, this weekend and while I would have loved to lay back and relax like some:

I had a very busy weekend quilting (which really is my favorite part):

Lots and lots of stippling, great fun!!! But every time you close your eyes thats all you see lol!!

Our thoughts are with all those in Japan! The devastion is heartbreaking.....what is happening to our world??