I love monday,,

Well this monday at least. I had a day off work and Hubby and I went out for lunch to celebrate our 24th Wedding anniversary. I can't believe I am getting that old!
We had a beautiful lunch, I am still dreaming of the magnificent creme brulee that I had for sweets....yummmmm
In this house I am considered the grinch, scrooge, the terrible mother that doesn't like Christmas, etc etc. Well I want them all to eat their words. When we got home I got out my little Santa collection and put them out on display, I even got out my Christmas quilt that I made last year and have hung it up. Just the christmas tree to go. Maybe this weekend.
I don't enjoy Christmas very much. Too much pressure to enjoy it, to spend too much money and to spend time with people you may not like to. Gee I do sound like a grinch! Anyway I am determined to get some Christmas spirit, by hook or by crook. Keep those positive, festive thoughts going around my head and I may actually pull it off.
Here is a picture of my music box santa. I dabbled in ceramics years ago and it was finally finished around 6 years ago- when I found someone else to finish it off.
On the craft front.
My christmas swap goodies are winging their way to the UK to Lorraine . All finished in time and hopefully posted in time to miss any hold ups.
Here is my finished block 3 of the Summer nostalgia bom. I am quite happy with it. I love Dorothy's drawings. Now that it's finished I may pull out block two and trace that one up as well.

Next post I will show some more of my santas.....
I have one that has been banned from the loungeroom. There have been attempted abductions of him, My husband even offered to take him to the range for some target practice. No wonder I have such negative Christmas feelings...
I love this Santa but unfortunately I am the only one. But he will appear this Christmas!
Back to work tomorrow....
cheers
Marina

when they were babies........

Just wanted to share some baby pics of my four legged babies. I was clearing some files on my computer and I just love these. I think baby animals (and children) are so cute so that they survive. You just couldn't not love them! This is how small maisie was when we brought her home. She was a little bit of a runt.
And just to prove that miss princess doesn't sleep all the time, and that she does leave the palace....Here is one of her in the garden, when it was green and water restrictions weren't so strict.Here is my baby coffee at around three months...
And here is Monty at around 8 weeks.....
Who could be without pets. I would be lost. That unconditional love. The way you are always the most interesting thing in their universe. Of course this doesn't apply to the cat. She is happy to accept that she is the most important thing in our universe.
That is the difference between dogs and cats!
The weekend is just around the corner and the countdown for Christmas is on....
Have a good one.
Marina

some craft catch up...

Here is one of the first raspberries on No 1 sons raspberry bush. He has discovered a green thumb. Last season he didn't get one fruit but this time around it has heaps. Well done.

Last night I finally started block three of Dorothy's summer nostalgia designs. I was so looking forward to starting. I took a little artistic license by adding a nest for the bird and changing him a little to resemble a cardinal bird. They look so elegant. I hope you don't mind Dorothy?

Here is my November basket block. I think this block is so cute I couldn't wait to do it. I have appliqued but am having issues with the handle. I had stitched it but it puckered too much so I had to undo it all. I was quite annoyed. I will need to redo it.

Here is last months block with the applique completed.

Have completed my Handmade Christmas swap too! I was feeling a little stressed about that I can tell you. Deadlines! Will send it off this week to Lorraine in the UK, so keep a look out for that postie Lorraine.
I will post a pic once it has reached its destination.
Have a lovely week.
Only four weeks to go till Christmas holidays!! Woo hoo.
cheers
Marina

Life is beautiful give away

Helen Stubbings is having a great giveaway for her new pattern 'Life is Beautiful'.
It looks divine and I would love a new project to work on. It includes the most beautiful stitcheries. If you click on the photo it should zip you over to the post on Helen's blog about it.
There is also a blog just to do with this bom.
All you have to do is
1.leave a comment with a quote on Helen's blog.
2.put up your own blog post with your quote, a photo of the quilt and a link to Helen's post.
3.stop for 5 minutes and think…

My quote is

A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.

A good friend gave me a card with this quote on it and I really love it. I think of her when I read it. Memory failing is a sensitive issue for me.

I haven't been able to post what little I have been stitching as it is for my christmas swap gift. I have traced Dorothy's new block for Summer nostalgia and am itching to start it but I am stressing about meeting the swap deadline so that is priority project for now.
cheers for now
Marina

I'll have a day of my own, that no one else can share.....

All our sorrows, we'll leave, far behind us there.....

Sorry just having a Seekers moment (you can click on Seekers to hear the song) . I was listening to their record the other day. If you like Judith Durham's voice you have to watch this .
It was filmed this year I think, and her voice is still just so amazing.
On Sunday I had the most laziest, non productive (as far as housework goes) day that I could ever have dreamed of! DH spent the whole day out and the children were allowed to fend for themselves.
I had a mission to tackle my Heart and Home block 1. Block 2 is due out any day and I needed all my concentrating skills to cut and piece this block. I was so careful when cutting but I still found I made mistakes. Talk about stressful. Luckily the fabric sent is generous and the errors needed trimming not recutting.
And here is the result
From this

To this......

I am so happy with it and I still managed to add a little personal touch. Instead of using the printed fabric for the flowers at the base of the house I chanelled some Leanne Beasley flowers and embroidered those instead. I love her flowers and had plenty of practice from doing Leanne's House and a Quilter's journey quilts.

I can now look forward to this weeks mail and there will also be the new Tisket Tasket block and before I know it the Summer Nostalgia block will be out too....
cheers
Marina

We're having a heat wave.... A tropical heat wave...

Well the hot weather has arrived and we are so soft we are cooking. The temps have reached thirty two today. I want my winter back! It has hit Maisie hard she has just been flaked out all day (though I don't know if that is different to any other day..) She hasn't moved from our bed and my Girl's day out quilt. come to think of it, it is the same as every other day!
God help us once the real heat arrives in February!
Last night no 1 son came home from a dinner out with friends and they were sitting around listening to my and DH vinyl records. I thought most youngies didn't even know what records were! Poor no 1 son has been tortured by our music records and is aware. But they were all loving listening to our records. I thought the player was broken so I was rapt to find out it wasn't so today we have the air conditioner on and the record player going. I have tried to replace most of my favourites with cds so that I can still listen to them easily.
Not much crafting happening- I have been lost in books. I read Jane Eyre and now have borrowed Villette by Charlotte Bronte also, and the second book in 'the last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant' by Stephen Donaldson. I read the first, second and third chronicles of TC about 20 years ago and really loved them so am enjoying revisiting 'The Land' in this book.
The first book of the last chronicles came out a few years ago and I didn't bother to look out for the next one.

Here is something I am making.....while I wait for my next bom patterns to come out.
I love milk jug doilies. I usually keep one of each pattern that I make so that if I lose the paper pattern I can copy the actually doily. I also like to drape them around the kitchen and dresser.
Have a lovley weekend.
Tuesday is Melbourne cup day so it will be a lovely short week. Got to love Public holidays!
cheers
Marina

what a surprise!!!!

Here are my absolutely magnificent gifts that I have received from the wonderful Bev. my stitchers swap angel.
I adore all of them and they have made me over the moon!

Here is a close up of the mug hug ( I wanted to enter the mug hug swap but had a few too many things on so am so lucky to have one.
A cute card- I don't know which one I am?
A close up of the beautiful felted wool applique rose. I didn't make this one for my swap partner as I didn't think I could do it justice so I am so chuffed to have the needle keeper and the pin cushion. The big green ric rac is gorgeous and all the fabrics in the gifts are so wonderful!
Check this gorgeous pin out! Does it look like it would suit my tastes- well it is blue , It is a teapot......
And she also included a fat quarter of blue fabric.
Thanks so much Bev.
I love them all.
A big thanks to Helen Stubbing for organising this swap again this year and for all the wonderful designers that designed the beautiful gifts for us to make for each other.
It is so great to be able to get to know a total stranger and put all your effort and talents into making something for them.

What a happy day!

Marina

little dog

Here we are completely finished and I did leave the little dog till last........

.......this is why. It reminds me of my fox terrier, Peggy that I lost a few years ago. She was, let us say a unique dog. I loved her to bits but she sure did try to rule the roost. I lost her suddenly and it just broke my heart as it was totally out of the blue.

Here she is with our older boy Jack (the liver) and a much younger Monty, who will be 8 this year. She was just such a gutsy dog. The little dog in the stitchery has a red collar just like Pegs.

let there be cake!

This morning I hosted our craft group get together. We all enjoy having a nice morning tea so I decided to make an orange and poppy seed syrup cake, as I haven't quite tamed my new oven it came out a little overcooked on the outer edges so I also made my fail safe coconut syrup cake in case. They both tasted yum so it was a bonus. There was heaps left over so we will be having a cake fest this weekend.
Today I received my swap partner for a Christmas swap that I have signed up for. My partner is in the UK and her blog is at www.thebalancingkiwi.blogspot.com
Look forward to getting to know her and making her something christmassy.



Not much crafting been happening-have just been flat out this week andI have only managed a little work on my Summer nostalgia block. Block two has already come out. I don't know where that month has gone! Need to get a little hurry on I think.


Well to eat cake or not to eat cake, that is the question.


have a lovely weekend.
cheers
Marina

Saturday crafting....

Here is block ten of the Tisket Tasket block of the month all ready to applique. The original block had a halloween theme but as we don't celebrate Halloween in Australia I thought I would alter it a little to include a ginger cat. If they had tortoiseshell fabric it would have been so, but Maisie will have to be happy with this! she was quite put out after the last block had a dog on it so only fair one should have a cat.
While at tennis this morning I managed to make a good start on my stitching of the Dorothy Baker bom called Summer Nostalgia. I just can't wait to stitch the little dog but I want to leave him till last. I am toying whether to fill in the leaves or not. I did one and am not convinced as yet -will sit on it and see what happens (not literally lol).

I also got this in the mail yesterday- Block one of my heart and home bom. Aren't these fabrics just gorgeous. I just love them.
I read the pattern and am hoping I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. This pattern will have to have all my concentration so that I don't muck it up. I will leave it till I have a whole day to potter. There should be one of them before next months block comes, shouldn't there.
Off to a trivia night tonight with my good friend and her hubbie and kids. We love a challenge, shame there is no buzzer! only joking..
Happy weekend
Marina
ps parcel no 2 has arrived in the US, only one more to go! Apparently Kymberly hasn't received swap packages for the last two swaps she entered so she is very happy to have received my goodies.