Saturday 28 March 2009

a bit of a treat

This morning was taken up with tennis which was on the outskirts of the city. From the courts we could hear the fuel guzzlers racing around the gran Prix track. I could hardly believe it.
Let no. 2 son play chaffeur he is on his L plates and we haven't driven together for ages. I thought it would be good for him to have some really awkward traffic experience and seeing as we were within a short distance of one of my favourite fabric shops I figure it was a win-win situation.

Picked up some $2. fat quarters and some dmc threads that I needed. I just love to wander and check out the fabrics.

THe top selection I want to use as Christmas fabrics and the others are food for thought at the moment.

I have finished my current bom of Girls day out and am waiting for the next one which will come in the next week or so. Can't wait only a few months to go! Tisket-Tasket bom should be out next week too!
Have found the heart to finish block 3 of the unmentionable project.

Have sent off a package to a lost stitching angel who didn't receive anything from her swap partner. I made up a few things to send Monike in Norway will post a pic once she gets it.

happy saturday...

Marina


the world is a small place but the internet even smaller... found another curly person who likes patchwork, she pointed out that we also are members of the same curly yahoo group. great hey

Thursday 26 March 2009

meet the boys





The boys in my blog title are my four legged boys Coffee and Monty.
they are both Curly coated retrievers. Coffee is a 2 yo liver curly and Monty a 7 1/2 yo Black curly. They are wonderful dogs originally bred for hunting and retrieving from the water. Natural born swimmers they love the water.
We got our first Curly 23 years ago and have alway had at least one.
With each I have done obedience training and have trialled with three of them.
Now it is Coffee's turn. He is quite a laid back well behaved young dog but I am sure his head hurts if he has to think too much!
Monty has slowed down a bit and I usually like to take him to the fun days where he loves the agility and casual stuff.
The pics are of Monty and his good trialling buddy Maddie the beagle taken in 2007 when they both got their CCD titles, and the next two are before and after shots of Coffee with Princess Maisy, it is hard to believe he was her size! She still doesn't take anything from him though-she rules the roost.
Coffee was the spoilt younger child as a pup and was allowed to have a cuddle on the bed but he just would crash. He was so cute. Now that he weighs over 35 kilos it is out of the question.
will post some crafty stuff on the weekend.......
cheers
Marina

Friday 20 March 2009

been busy?







Well it's been a bit of a hectic week and haven't had a chance to post.

Last weekend had quite a productive one as far as craft goes. Couldn't concentrate on the things I have on the go so thought I would start something small that could be finished in one hit.
Last Christmas I tried to make some Christmassy things as gifts but ran out of time so I thought that it would be good to make things through the year and so by the end of the year I will have hand made goodies for craft group and the girls at work. That's the theory and I am going ok at the moment. I have redworked some little ornaments and they just need to be stuffed now and I also made some 'penny pockets' in Christmas fabrics. I saw them on a few websites and kept the link to the free pattern page.
They are quick and easy. I also made each a yo'yo to stitch on the prairie point but I haven't sewed them on yet. I think they are cute.
The lovely Harvest home charm pack is one I won on our local patchwork shop's new blog. How exciting! I have had a few queen size quilts quilted by Shirley and Veronica and they turned out great.
that's it for now.....
cheers
marina





Saturday 14 March 2009

RAIN GLORIOUS RAIN








Tennis was a wash out! and this is what our yard looked like while it was flooding... I could barely see outside the windscreen.
The bag at the top is what I made this week with the beautiful dutch fabric that Els sent me from the Netherlands. We were 'stitchers angels' swap partners last year. The braid was from my grandmother's house and it just suits the colours of the fabrics so well. I love it.
loving the rain, hope it lasts...
Marina




Friday 13 March 2009

friday!







Well it is Friday once again.....

Craft show yesterday wasn't too hot. Didn't enjoy it very much and there wasn't much to get my interest. There weren't many stalls with patchwork fabric which we were mainly interested in.
I did see the Ric Rac stall, http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/ -a blog that I visit often and got to see the selvedge upholstered chair. You won't believe what you can do with selvedges. I was saving some to send to Jodie but DH and son found them on the table and threw them out. "well they are rubbish, aren't they?" was the response when I realised what they had done.
I found a lovely hand printed fabric stall by Kristen Doran (http://www.kristendoran.com/) and mum shouted me a piece of her fabric with beautiful Matroyshka dolls printed on it that can be made up into little dolls. She also had fabric with robots or tin soldiers that were also gorgeous. I can't decide whether to keep them to applique or make up the dolls..... The pictures above show the background fabric as well. See if you can spot the peacocks..
That was about it.
roll on the weekend.
Have to find a new project for the In the pink fabrics now that I won't be finishing the 'project that shall not be named'.
bye for now
Marina



Thursday 12 March 2009

craft show

Am off to the craft show this afternoon should be good.
It has been raining this morning too.

Sadly I have deleted most of my pics of blocks that I had done as I will not be doing any more of the project. Have had some unpleasant commenting and will not be continuing with it or purchasing the publication that produced it. I have deleted the comments too as I feel it is my prerogative to do so, it is my blog, isn't it?
Hopefully happier blog next time.........

Monday 9 March 2009





Today has been a fantastic day had my sister in law and some of her family over for a super roast lunch. It was better than Christmas lunch! We all enjoyed eating outside under the verandah. Perfect weather- not too hot, not too cold! But this is Melbourne wait a minute and it can change......It was a lovely Labour day holiday!

No crafting done but there are still a few hours left .....

cheers for now

Saturday 7 March 2009

something blue



Blue is my favourite colour as people who know me will attest to. I have an over abundance of blue-if that is possible.
Here are some of my blue things......



Friday 6 March 2009

internet down

Well it's the end of the week again....a lovely long weekend with Labour day holiday on Monday!
Our internet is down and has been for four days now, there are some unhappy chappies in this house. I have been allowed to use No 1 sons laptop and nextdoor's wireless broadband to check emails and have taken over today as I have some blog withdrawal. So I have visited my fav. blogs so now I can clean the house in peace.
I got a parcel with my super 'In the pink II fabrics' from Ericas.com in the States. Talk about efficient- the fabrics got here in a week! I usually like to buy my own fabrics for boms but I just love this range of pinks and choc. brown and they go with the other fabrics I have already bought for this quilt so no wastage!
Also received March's 'Girls day out' BOM so have been cutting and tracing that too! I will have to download Bunny Hill's March block too so I can keep up to date with that. I am sure I will find time on the long weekend-as long as the internet access comes back (boo hoo).
So no pics for now but I will post the pics once I can upload from the big computer and not have to use the laptop.
Happy long weekend..
Marina
ps we have had two days of drizzle and rain-it's just magnificent! Took the boys for a walk last night and they just ran around like maniacs. We love to walk in the rain and it's good for 'curling' the dogs' coats.

Time is flying....

 Seems like my blog has become a little neglected again, this doesn't mean a lack of crafting though. Progress has been achieved on most...