Splendid Sampler 2 - Sparkling Star and Happy Mail

The block I completed this week is "Sparkling Star" by Linda Nitzen.  

I think it is rather cute in the 30s prints.

Also, I received some happy mail today.  A few weeks ago Jane Davidson had a giveaway on her blog to celebrate her Splendid Sampler 2 block "Sunbonnet Met to You". (The block is on my pile of applique blocks to work on at retreat in a month.)

Well, what do you know, if I didn't win the prize.  Happy dance.  The scissors are by Warm Crochet and they are beautiful to use, sharp, pointy and smooth.  I'll have fun with the little charm pack as well.

Thanks so much  Jane.

I'm linking up at "The Splendid Sampler".  Pop over to see what the others have made this week.

It’s Spring, Squishy Mail and a Finish

Yes, winter is finally over.  Spring has sprung……

Doesn’t it just look so warm.

OK!  Who am I kidding?  It was minus 6.5 degrees C and the biggest frost.  The second coldest morning this year and the frost was accentuated by the fact that we had a shower of rain yesterday evening.

However, it is now a glorious blue day and should get up to about 14 degrees.

Yesterday when I arrived home from doing the groceries after work (don’t I have just the most riveting social life on a Friday night), there was a squishy parcel waiting for me.

I was strong and waited till after all the groceries were away and we’d had tea before opening it.

Inside were these lovelies.

You see, Lea and her hubby have just returned from participating in ***AND WINNING*** the bash for the Starlight Foundation.  Before she went she had a little guessing competition to see how many sewing notions were in a jar.  There were 152 and I guessed 153.  This is the prize.  Just lovely.  The zippy pouch will be very useful for small projects and the colours are divine. Thanks Lea.

Also, yesterday it dawned on me that it was the end of the month and once again I had no finish to share.  Can’t have that, so whipped up another bib for the gift stash.

I feel a bit of a fraud for OPAM by just doing a little something, but I’m determined to have no months without a finish of some description.

I’m off to my little stitching group this afternoon, so will get some more done on the “Stitching” block of SKOW.  On the down hill run now.

The Week That Was and Whacky Weather

I seem to have quite a few odds and sods to tell you about today.

Firstly, I’ve been rather amiss in sharing a lovely parcel that arrived in the mail from Peg.  I was one of the lucky ones to win a prize in July’s OPAM draw.  I’ll have fun with these.  Thanks so much Peg and Kris. 

I do love taking part in this challenge, as although my finishes are rather thin on the ground this year, apart from when we were away, there has always been a little something.  Without OPAM I don’t know if that would be the case.

Also, remember my “Spring” quilt block I made last week.  Well, I was lucky enough to win second prize.  First prize went to a block which had lots of beautiful stitchery, and was it was well deserved.  During the patchwork day at Spotlight they also had a few guessing competitions.  One was to guess the length of some strips of fabric all joined together.  It was about half the size of a Jelly Roll, so I guessed 27 metres.  It was in fact 31 metres, so I won that prize.  I was very lucky.  Here are my prizes.

I’m not sure where I’ll use the fat quarters, but I know my niece will have fun with the butterfly yo-yo maker. The little rotating cutting mat is something I’ll really make use of.  It will be ideal for squaring up blocks and cutting charm squares. 

On Friday night we went with some friends to the O’Connell Amateur Dramatic Society’s Melodrama.  These are a fundraiser for the school and held biennially.  Our community is blessed with some very creative and talented people.  Two of the ladies write these hilarious and somewhat risqué melodramas.  They are held in the local church hall over two weekends and tickets sell out in about an hour.  Last weekend would have been wickedly cold, but this weekend was much better. We all had a great time.

 

As you can guess, this was Mick’s favourite scene.

We were supposed to go to a motorcycle rally at Tottenham this weekend, but at the last minute Mick had to work.  However, in the end it was only for Saturday, so we were able to go along on the Historic Car Club run for a picnic in a farmer’s paddock.  Sorry, I forgot to take photos – too busy nattering. This was our first ride on Olga since we came home. She is certainly running a lot better, but it was evident that she still needed a bit of tweaking. So, when we got home Mick changed the oils and did a bit more fiddling.  She is slowing getting better. I secretly think that Mick is just enjoying the tinkering.

While Mick was playing in the shed, I planted these. A bit late getting them in, but they should be nice and bright in summer. 

Our few vege seeds I planted a while ago are doing nicely too.  They were from seeds that were in the bottom drawer for several years.  I put them in thinking that if they come up well and good, if not, nothing is lost.

I can’t believe the difference in the weather, compared to last weekend.  Last Sunday reached a maximum of 8 degrees C, today it was 28 degrees C!  Try figuring that one out.  I dare say there will be at least one more relatively cold snap before we are through.

I’ve Got Mail

I’ve received a couple of those little red and white cards from the Post Office recently.  They are always exciting.

Firstly, this arrived a few weeks ago.  Slack me hasn’t got around to taking a photo till now.

These were from the lovely Loulee as a giveaway for her 400th blog post.  The key ring for my car was looking a bit tired and had “Summer” written on it.  Now I have a nice winter replacement.   How fiddly would that be to knit.  (Tony, notice the Subaru key -I’ll even say it with a Kiwi accent for you. LOL)

Have a closer look at the cute little flower brooch.

It is made from paper, so I’d better make sure it doesn’t go through the wash.  I wore it to Nundle, so a little bit of Lou could be there with us all.  I know she was thinking of us.

And finally a lovely big pincushion, which will get lots of use.

Thanks for the lovelies Lou.

Last week this parcel arrived all the way from Austria.  I’ve never received mail from there before.

This parcel has come from Sabine and is for the Easter Swap arranged by Jewells.  I’m going to be very strong and not open it until Easter Sunday……….I’ll try very hard to wait till then.

A Bit of This and That

I seem to be fiddle faddling around lately with very little to show for it.

Since New Year all I’ve done sewing wise is started the quilting of Verandah Views. It started puckering, so I just walked away from it, as I was getting quite frustrated with it all.  Now it has come to a stand still while I decide whether to take it slowly or start again.  I’ll look at it when the weather cools down a bit.  I know my patience level will be rather low in this heat.

I’ve signed up again for OPAM this year.  I’m already behind the eight ball, so I’d better make something this weekend.  I’d hate to not have a finish each month, although they are usually quite small projects.  It was a bit of a challenge to load the new counter button, but we got there in the end.

While I was at it, I also updated my blog background.  The code had to be updated by the end of the month, so now was a good chance. 

How’s everyone coping with the heat?  It is stinking hot here.  37 degrees for the last two days, but I think I’m noticing it more after such a mild summer so far.  There hasn’t really been much in the low 30s for us to get used to.  Apparently it is to be a bit cooler today and tomorrow. Let’s hope so.

My mind seems to be a whirl at the moment.  The Bathurst Historic Car Club holds its Swap Meet on Sunday 6 February.  We are both very involved in the organisation and we seem to be constantly thinking about it and making sure nothing is forgotten.  If you are anywhere in the area, it is a great day out.  There are the usual car and bike bits and pieces, but there is lots of other bric-a-brac as well.  We usually bring quite a bit home.

This year will be different though.  Last weekend I started going through some cupboards and seeing what I can live without to put on a stall.  I had to stop, as there wouldn’t be room on the table. We have got to the stage where the collections just don’t fit anymore and something has to go.  Now I just need people to think that they can’t live without my bits and pieces.

Also, our big trip later in the year is starting to loom large and we need to start making lists.  There is so much to do and organise beforehand.  You see, we are once again heading over to the Isle of Man.

I’ll get to catch up with Loulee again, which I’m looking forward to. 

We are taking “Olga” over and will be riding around the British Isles for eight weeks on her.  It should be the best fun and a lovely, relaxed way to see the countryside.  Olga leaves Sydney in early March and then we head off in early May.  Travelling around by motorcycle does, unfortunately, require quite a bit more organisation than just hopping off the plane into a hire car or tour bus.

By the way, the bike problems we had on our weekend away to Scone have all  been fixed.  Mick fitted a new you-beaut shock absorber to the sidecar today, so I should have a nice comfy ride. We had a great day out for the Australia Day Celebrations.  Our local council hosts a day out at one of the local villages each year on a rotational basis.  This year it was the old gold mining village of Sofala.  Yes, where we stopped in the park on our way to Scone. I didn’t take a single photo.  I think I was just too hot to concentrate.  Mick did take a few though.  There were quite a few stalls, many with crafts. Quite a few of the Historic Car Club members took out their vehicles.

The Red Cross always have a big white elephant stall and we usually bring quite a bit of it home.  We were a bit late this year, so it was already well picked over, but we found a few books and some lovely linens. 

There are also some great cooks among their ranks and we bought some preserves.  The tomato sauce is the very best.  I always buy it.

There are all sorts of interesting things in Sofala.

We decided to take the scenic route home along the Upper Turon Road.  This runs beside the Turon River for quite a while.  We encountered a few deep gutters across the road, as expected, but we didn’t expect the road to be completely gone in some areas.  Where the road used to be, there was a gully the full width of the road and about 3 feet deep!!!   This ran for about 200 metres.  Fortunately there was a grass area between the road and the river and a new two wheel track has been formed.  We stopped at the next causeway to skip some stones.

The road was completely covered in the river rocks.  Just the occasional turret of the causeway was showing through.

It was tempting to have a swim, but we weren’t exactly dressed for it.

Now for the exciting bit……

Drum Roll……

Guess what???

I won a raffle for the flood appeals. Yippee!!!

Rather than bid in the auctions, I worked out how much I intended to donate and made a few donations of $5 and $10. I then entered some of the raffles.  I was lucky enough to win a layer cake of Sherbert Pips from Ladybug Quilting.  You can see what will be arriving in  my mailbox on her blog.  Mick and I had fun looking up the designer Aneela Hoey’s blog where she talks about the evolution of the fabric range.  This is the first layer cake that I have had, so now I will have to think about a pattern to show off the lovely fabrics.

It is such a credit to the crafting community that they raised so much.  Just mind blowing.

Well, I think I’ve probably bored you enough by  now so I’d better bring this to an end for today.

Lovely Gifts

A little while ago Toni from Red Boot Quilt Company celebrated a milestone with her blog and she was the one giving the gifts.  I was lucky enough to receive a special copy of her pattern and what party is complete without a party bag.

This is what was in it.  How good is that.  The buttons are really cute.  It was a lovely surprise.

Thanks so much Toni.

Another Year Over, A New One Just Begun….

Oh no!  Another long post . . .

We had a lovely time at the New Year’s Eve party last night.  The weather was windy and looked quite stormy when we arrived, but it soon cleared and the wind dropped, making it just a perfect night to be outdoors, enjoying good food and company.

This morning we had a very leisurely start with French Toast for breakfast on the verandah. 

It is cool and drizzly, so a very pleasant way to start the year.  We do so enjoy our breakfasts like this.  Who needs to go into town to a cafe?

A few flowers have decided to bloom now that we’ve had some decent rain.

I think I’ll have to get some more dahlia bulbs, as they always look so cheerful.

I’ve been in a somewhat reflective mood this morning, reviewing the last year according to “Blog” and wondering where the time has gone.

I have so enjoyed becoming a more active member of the blogging community during the last year.  With all the new BOMs, challenges and swaps announced at the start of the year I decided to take a tentative step at involvement.  I started Red Delicious BOM, but only completed a couple of blocks before deciding it wasn’t for me.  However, I have really enjoyed working on Verandah Views. 

I still have a few blocks to complete, but I know it will happen this year.

Although I have shied away from the bigger Swaps, I have participated in Maree’s Redwork Cushion Swap, both of Jellyware’s Wash Cloth Swaps, the Christmas Fat Quarter Swap and the Christmas Ornament Swap.  This has been a great way to meet new people and make more friends. I was also lucky enough to win two giveaways.  However, my biggest inspiration was the One Project a Month Challenge with about 50 small projects completed in the twelve months. 

I was quite amazed when I counted them up.  The little craft group I’m a member of has also been very enjoyable, as have the couple of workshops I’ve participated in here in town.

But. . . . when you check my side bar, you will see UFOs that have progressed no further and projects that still haven’t been started.  Let’s see if I can make some inroads this year.

So, what about the rest of the year. . . .

Family played a big part, with Dad’s 90th, Mum’s 80th and Mick’s 50th. 

We also had Dad participating in Anzac Day and the Rededication of the local War Memorial.

There were a few minor dramas, with my car being sick at the beginning of the year, then my sewing machine playing up and the iron died.  We had a grass fire next door, Joey our cat was bitten by a snake and Mick killed three brown snakes in the yard.  Mind you, everything ended up just fine, and if that was the worst that happened we were really quite blessed.

We had some weird weather. 

Dust followed by snow in September and then a heat wave in November.

Despite the ongoing drought, we had some lovely flowers in the garden in both autumn and spring and I had a lovely time with my bulbs in pots.

We also harvested some yummy berries and veges.

Our collection of bits and bobs grew with visits to op shops, our local church fete and a few antique stores.

We are seriously running out of space, so I think this habit may have to be somewhat curtailed.

We enjoyed some time on Mick’s bikes.  He got the old BMW on the road and we attended a Classic Rally and went to the Bike Show in Sydney. 

We also attended a couple of BHCC outings, although not nearly as many as in previous years.

Of course, our year would not be complete without plenty of tripping around. 

We went to open gardens at Crookwell, Millthorpe and Bathurst. 

We had weekends away to Kiama, Nowra, camping on the Abercrombie and Braidwood.

There were outings to the Bronze Thong, Hill End and the Millthorpe Markets.

The highlight of our travels was, of course, the Isle of Man, where we watched lots of bike races, had a great time playing the tourist and meeting up with Loulee.

It was so good to meet her and we hit it off straight away.

Now I realise that although the year has flown, we have actually done quite a bit.  This is despite Mick having an extremely busy year at work and not having much time off.

So what does this year hold?

I don’t like to make New Year resolutions, as I don’t seem to keep them, so it just sets you up for a fall.

In January I revealed my dream of a Sewing Shed in the back yard.

The bike took much longer to finish than anticipated and I don’t know if it will eventuate or not.

We are off to Albany in a couple of months for the Ulysses AGM – riding across the Nullarbor on the new BMW which will be fun. 

I do hope to continue to do quite a bit of crafting.  I noticed that in all the sewing I did last year I did not complete one quilt.  That will definitely have to be remedied this year.

The main thing I hope for in the coming year is health and happiness.  I look forward to continuing to be involved in the blogging community as it is such a friendly and positive thing.

Happy New Year.