Ooopps!!!! Fail!!!!

 I have failed in my goal to make regular blog posts this year.  Never mind ... only 2 weeks and a new year starts and I can make it a goal for next year  :)

The reason for my apparent laxity is the fact that I am very involved in my genealogy and have recently been spending a lot of my free time in researching my family tree.  It is very absorbing as I have contact with a cousin in the UK and between the two of us we have found lots of exciting information as, for example, my great-grandfather co-wrote a book with a famous cyclist and a Pre-Raphaelite artist painted a portrait of my great-grandmother which she donated to The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery 2 years before she died, among a lot of other equally fascinating, to me at least, stuff, which will be of no interest to you unless you are related to me. :P

Anyway, I'm here now and it appears I have a bit of time to catch up with, so I'd better get started. I won't bore you with lots of words, I will just put up a few pics of things I have been doing.  I will probably do a few posts over a few days so I can totally catch up with this year before it ends.

This is a table runner I made for my daughter-in-law ... front and back. These are her favourite colours.  I also made her a Bag-bag in the same colours.

The following are a couple of a number of peg bags I have made.  The left one was for a friend and the one on the right for a different daughter-in-law, whose favourite colours are also red and black.  (Doesn't allow a mother-in-law much in the variety stakes when sewing for them :( 

A single male friend, who lives in a unit and uses a communal washing line, (and loves fishing), saw them and wanted one for his pegs, so I made him a nice masculine one.

Living in a small place leaves me wanting for storage, so I am thinking of making different ones of these to store things in different rooms/cupboards around the house.   I want to redesign them slightly so they close in the front.  When I have got to them I will put up some pics.

For those of you who don't know, my next door neighbour and I rescued 8, 5 day old orphan kittens last Friday and are hand-rearing them. They are progressing wonderfully and are now 11 days old.  Here are some pics I took over the last couple of days.

That was a month, that was!!!!!

Hello all my faithful and patient followers. I am feeling a little guilty that I tell you at the end of May that I will be updating soon and it is July before I get around to it. However I have a reasonable excuse and I know that I will not forget June 2011 in hurry.
To bring you all up to date, as many of you will not know, I had to fly off to the UK in a rush as my mother died rather unexpectedly, on June 2.  I had not seen my mother or been back to England for 13 years, so the whole trip was quite emotional on a number of levels. However, the beauty of England never ceases to amaze me and at that level was most inspiring. My family comes from the heart of Sussex and lives on a hundred acre farm which consists of  about 60 acres of working grain farm and 40 acres of woodland, which, in spring, comes alive with bluebells and primroses. The area teams with wildlife of course, and within the first couple of days I had seen squirrels, a family of pheasant, (daddy, mummy and 2 babies), a couple of foxes, a young deer frolicking through the oats ... .well you get the idea.  Unfortunately I didn't get many landscape photos, but I will pop 2 on here that I took of a couple of fields.

Overlooking a field of young corn to the woods on one side:

and looking over a field of young oats on the other

with a footpath between the 2 that leads through the farm to the village.  It is wonderful being able to go back 'home' and stay in such beautiful tranquil surroundings, listening to the sounds of the English songbirds.  It makes one not want to come back to the noise and bustle of the city.
My mother is buried in the village churchyard surrounded by trees, with birds singing and overlooking a field with grazing sheep.  It is such a beautiful, peaceful spot and I know if she had picked where she wanted to buried, she would have picked it for herself.

 ____________________________________________________

Moving on.  I arrived home to a sick daughter, who, incidently, turned 18 while I was away, and decided to develop a raging temperature withing 24 hours of me getting home ... thank you sweetpea for saving your sickness for mum .... and passed it on to me, though I didn't get whatever-it-was as badly as she did, though combined with jetlag did make me feel pretty grotty.

Then to top it off, I find that Google, in their wisdom (or is that stupidity) had messed around with one of their accounts, of which I, in this instance, am unfortunate to have as it had never supported blogger before. It was set up in a different account but using the same email address, which Google now decided to separate. To cut a long story short so I don't bore you to tears, they requested that I update and move my blog so that I can use it with my account. Does it work? No!!! Everytime I log in it tells me that I am not the author of any blogs and would I like to create one. Huh!!! So I then have to set up a new email address so I can access my blog.  I am telling you all this incase there is anything different about my blog that you notice, (maybe the email or blog address?), and wonder why.  However, now that I am able to access my account again, I will try and update a little more consistently as I know I have been rather remiss recently.

Apologies for absenteeism!!!!

I would like to apologise to you all for not updating my blog for about 6 weeks ... it is not that I haven't done anything, rather that I have been doing so much I have barely had time to keep up with my emails ... or housework ... and certainly very little crafty stuff, though I do have a few bits and pieces to show you, once I upload the photos to my laptop.
However, it appears that things may begin to quieten down over the next week or so and therefore, hopefully, I will soon be able to resume normal activities and get some serious craft happening ;)
So, to all my dear friends and followers, please don't give up on me yet .... I will be back soon.

Giveaways

There are some lovely giveaways online at the moment and I particularly love this one from Raggedy Station ... a gorgeous bundle of Black and White fat quarters and a beautiful lace button.

Mug Wraps and Coasters

Thought it was about time for a post so I thought I would show you the swap I did recently with a friend from the forum.

The swap was a mug wrap and coaster set and I had never made one of these before, so it was a bit of trial and error from a novice.  However, I finally got it together and was reasonably happy with the results.  I used insulbrite as the wadding to give a bit more insulation for the wrap, though I don't know what my excuse is for using it in the coaster ...... just brain-deadness I suspect.  ;D

Here are some pics of the beautiful set I received from Leanne.

 

 

Here is the set I made for Leanne.  It is reversible.

And the winners are .........

Well, it's still Monday. Just. As promised I have consulted Ms Random Generator and she picked out 2 winners for me.

The first winner is:

Quilt kitty

Tracee, would you like to choose which gift you would like
and your fabric choices and let me know.

The second winner is kimba4.

You will receive whatever Tracee doesn't choose, Kim,
but of course you will still get the fabric of your choice.

I look forward to hearing from you ladies and being able to send your gifts to you.

Hugs Terri  :) x

Nearly time for the draw.

Just thought I would remind everyone that my giveaway will be drawn tomorrow.

Here are some pics of what you could win, but to see full details and to comment, read my blog post: 'Giveaway' and/or 'Panic'

(1)Gorgeous Spice Market 

coupled with Metro Mirage from Marcus Fabrics

(2) Beautiful pink Loralie Paris Hats with pink Flutter

 (3)Some fun sewing-themed fabric

Hugs Terri :)

Panic!!!

Oh no!!! What to do!!! I promised myself that I would have a giveaway when I reached 50 followers.  Guess what??? here we are, in the middle of a giveaway and I got home from work today and there it was.

50 followers  :D

Thinking! thinking! Okay, I've thought! 
Here's what we'll do.  

I will draw 2 winners from the giveaway and then the first name drawn can choose between the pattern + fabric OR 4 fat quarters in the fabric of their choice from the 6 shown in the giveaway, and winner 2 can have have what winner one doesn't choose.  Does that make sense? Is that fair?

So, keep commenting everyone ....... oh yes, one more thing. In view of this unexpected happening, I will extend the giveaway and it will be drawn on Monday March 21st ... the day of the equinox and the
official first day of Autumn (in the Southern hemisphere)

Giveaway

Good morning all :D

Well, my blog appears to be running properly again. I will be making some changes to it over the coming days weeks, but for now it is fine, thanks to my lovely son.

So, on to the giveaway.

I have a lovely pattern, which I gave you a preview of yesterday, from Bizzy Bee Patchworks. There are 2 different sized sewing satchels on this pattern. It is to carry your small sewing items with you when on the move.

The satchels use 2 contrasting fabrics in the construction and based on the fact that we all have different tastes, I have chosen 3 different combinations of fabric and the winner can choose the one she/he prefers.  [Trying to be PC here ;-) ]

So these are your choices;

(1)Gorgeous Spice Market 

coupled with Metro Mirage from Marcus Fabrics

(2) Beautiful pink Loralie Paris Hats with pink Flutter

 (3)Some fun sewing-themed fabric

The winner will receive the fabric to make the larger of the sewing satchels.

All you need to do to have the chance to

win this giveaway is to leave a comment on my blog 

and I will pick a day, yet to be decided, when I will consult Ms Random.org 

and see who she chooses to be the lucky recipient.

Hugs Terri :)

Giveaway.

My #2 son turns 37 today, and I was going to have a giveaway.  Unfortunately, my blog seems to be having some commenting issues, and there's no point having a giveaway if nobody can comment.

#3 son is my techno child, and of course the whole family runs to him with their computer issues, me no less than anyone else. So I duly performed as expected, and he is going to have a look tonight and fix it up for me. Thank you sweetie. x x

Sooooooo!!!!!  I thought I would give you all an advance warning of a giveaway tomorrow, March 11.

Would  you like a little preview? Okay then.  Here is part of my giveaway.
I will add the fabric tomorrow.

Now remember, you can't actually enter this till the 11th, so check back tomorrow, and hopefully everything will be all fixed up and organised.

Hugs Terri x x

Andrea's Table Runner

Here is a pic of a table runner I am making for one of my daughters-in-law.  

 It is the first one I have made and I still have to put the binding on which
I am going to do in black.

 Red and black are her favourite colours and she is a Saints (St Kilda) supporter, so she can wear it round her neck during the footy season. ;D

I have backed it with red flutter.

 The same daughter-in-law wants me to make her a bag bag so I thought I would make her one from the left over fabric.

I took the risk of putting this up here because she doesn't go on the net very much, and I don't think she has ever looked at my blog.  Knowing my luck, this will be the first time she does.  Oh well!!!!!

And the winner is ...........

What a great blog hop we had.  Many thanks go to Gail for suggesting it and doing all the hard work to get it up and running.  Thanks also to those who stopped by my blog and left a comment. And to my new followers, thank you for thinking my humble blog is worth a second look ... I look forward to seeing you around, and having lots of fun with you all.  Look out for a giveaway in the near future.

Together with Ms Random Generator, we have drawn the winner of my giveaway for the blog hop.

So I am happy to announce that the winner is .........

Michell.   

 Congratulations Michell.  Contact me via email to let me know your address
and I will get your parcel in the mail to you.

The Blog Hop Ends!!!!!

Well, after an extremely successful weekend with over 50 new members on our forum, it is with sadness that we have come to the end of our blog hop. I'm sure everyone has had lots of fun ...... I know I have.

There is one more fun thing to do, however ....... the draw for my giveaway. With the help of Ms Random Generator I will do this tomorrow, so don't forget to come back to see if you are the lucky winner.

I will be having a giveaway in March, just because ......., so keep an eye out for what I have lined up for you then.

Until then, I wish you all good luck for tomorrows draw.

Hugs Terri

Thank you for joining Our Craft Forum’s blog hop. 

So what is “Our Craft Forum” a craft forum for like minded people who love crafts. Mostly patchwork, stitching, quilting and the like. It’s a safe place to make new friends who share a love of craft & to have some fun and a little bit of laughter along the way & to join in on swaps of all types.

This week end is designed to tell our blogging friends about our wonderful forum and to invite you to become a part of it .

Several of our members will be offering tutorials, giveaways and some tips of the trade.

The blog hop starts at miss~nances blog so if you want to join us on the whole journey please go to 
Miss Nances Life and follow the links at the bottom of each post to find the next blog along the way.

Each person who joins our forum from this blog hop will go in the draw for a craft pack. So to join our forum, please go to Our Craft Forum and register.  Entries close at MIDNIGHT EDST (Sydney time) Sunday 27 February.

So join in on the fun and maybe find a new forum, new blog and new friends along the way.  You never know you may even learn something new or win a great prize.

Thank you for stopping at my blog in your travels round our blog hop. I am a fairly new sewer and quilter, so, as you can see, my blog isn't only about sewing and crafts, it involves many things that I love and I hope will be of interest to you.

I have been a member of the craft forum for nearly 2 years and can recommend it as a fun place where you can learn lots and join in many activities, chat and meet lots of people.  They are a friendly bunch of ladies with many years of combined ability and are always willing to share their knowledge and to help out if you have a problem.  So why don't you pop over to Our Craft Forum and have a read and see what we are about.

I have a giveaway as part of this weekend, so leave a comment on my blog to win a pattern for a:                               

Daisy Tote Bag from Giggle Buttons

 

and in keeping with the floral theme,  you will also receive

a fat quarter of 'Poppies' from Alexander Henry

and a fat quarter of Dahlias by Faye Burgos

To win this giveaway, please leave a comment on this blog, telling me what you like to read about on blogs. Commenting for the draw only becomes valid after 12pm.  Any comments left before that time will not be counted. 

I would love you to become a follower as well, but it is not requirement to go into the draw.

If you register and join Our Craft Forum you will receive a second entry, so if you join don't forget to come back here and let me know.

The next step on your journey is Karen's Korner and you can find her lovely blog here:
Karens Korner

Fluffball

Here is a pic of a baby that I am handrearing. His/her mum is busy feeding 4 other babies belonging to another a bunny, so I have taken over the job of mum.

 

I don't know how it came out pure white ... its mum is charcoal grey, its grandma is chincilla grey and its dad (dec'd) was chocolate brown.

Blog Hop

On the weekend Our Craft Forum is hosting a blog hop, from Noon Friday 25th to Midnight Sunday 27th February EST.

So what is “Our Craft Forum” ? It is a forum for like minded people who love crafts,

particularly patchwork, stitching, quilting and the like.

It’s a safe place to make new friends who share a love of craft with some fun and a little bit of laughter along the way & join in on swaps of all types.

Next week end is designed to tell you, our blogging friends, about our wonderful forum and to invite you to become a part of it.
Several of our members will be offering tutorials, giveaways and some tips of the trade.

The blog hop starts at miss~nances blog, so if you want to join us on the whole journey please go to http://missnance.blogspot.com/ and follow the links at the bottom of each post to find the next blog along the way.

http://missnance.blogspot.com/
Each person who joins OurCraftForum from this blog hop will go in the draw for a craft pack. So join in on the fun and maybe find a new forum, new blog and new friends along the way. You never know, you may even learn something new or win a great prize.

Hope to see you join in on the fun and the forum too.

Our new fur baby

My blog is about the special things in my life that I love and want to share with you so I thought I would show you some photos of the latest member of my family.

 

This little girl needed a new home because her last mummy wasn't able to keep her.  Her name when she arrived was Champagne, but my daughter decided that name wasn't any good and renamed her Soapflake Cinnabun.

 

 

Apparently she is about 9 months old, and being an only child has been quite spoilt so she enjoys lying on the lounge watching TV

while having dinner!!!!!!

She has been introduced to her new husband and is currently getting used both to him and the other bunny family members, but having come from a family where she was the one and only, she didn't realise there were other bunnies in the world and it has come as a bit of a surprise. However she is not in the least fazed by Blaize, our wonderful protective old canine person or by the feline fur people Mink, Obsidian and Bob.

Well, my new goal hasn't continued in the way I intended, only one post for January so far and here we are, only 2 days till the end of the month.  My excuse is that I am trying very hard to sort out, clean out, get rid of clutter and generally get organised so I can settle down and do some fun stuff, like sewing.  I have made some progress but everything I have sorted out in my living area has ended up in my bedroom.  I have made a pact with myself that I would spend at least 1 hour a day in there ... so true to my pact, I actually spent 2 hours in there today.  However, that 2 hours was spent sleeping, not sorting ... oooops!!!!!

I am back at my craft class on Tuesday after the Xmas break ... doesn't that seem eons ago .... and I am going to be making a quilt each for my 2 middle grandsons, 6 and 8.  I am going to make them identical except for the binding.  I have collected 14.5 metres of fabric in Star Wars/space  and sporting themes.  Do you think that will be enough!!!!!? All washed and ironed. :c

 Not quite sure of the how yet, but I thought maybe I would do the star wars in 1 x 8" squares and then piece the rest as 4 x 2" to make 8" blocks. Have I expressed that right??? Not sure whether to sash between the blocks or not, but if I am going to use both the space and sport fabrics I may have to so it is divided up.  I may not use all these fabrics, or I make have to find another sport one so it doesn't look odd. Any suggestions or ideas would be gratefully received.

I hope everyone has a great 2011.

I do not make new year resolutions but I do think of the start of a year / month as a good time to put plans into operation and set new goals. One of my goals this year is to improve my blogging, so to get myself off to a good beginning, it now being 3 hours into the new year, here is my first post for 2011.

I recently made a Ballerina Bag and an apron for my youngest granddaughter, Rebecca.  I forgot to take any photos of them before giving them to her so I asked the family photographer, my son Terry who is also Rebecca's dad, to take some.
Here are a couple of pics of the bag. They have gone away for a couple of days holiday, .....the family, not the apron and bag, though they may have gone too.......but that is the reason there are no photos of the apron yet.  Hopefully in a few days I will have one up here.