Happy New Year

A little late, but Happy New Year everyone.  We travelled to our block of land near Bundaberg last Friday and friends joined us here on Saturday - so my links to the blogging world was confined to quick looks on my iphone email!!  We spent New Year's Eve sitting around a camp fire.  It was so cold!  Finding the weather very hard to believe for the Christmas/New Year period in this part of Australia.  We ventured to the beach yesterday for a bit of r&r on the first day of the New Year and the wind was blowing so much we could hardly stand on the beach.  Kids still swam though!  We then found a sheltered park and had a lovely bbq dinner.  Once again we sat around the camp fire to complete the first day of 2012.

Based on my theory that whatever you do on the first day of the year, you will do throughout the year - I sewed.  I just HAVE to sew on New Years Day.  So, I have another block completed for Some Kind of Wonderful and another partially completed.  Not a huge amount - but another step on the journey.  Hoping for some more progress today.  And some photos.

Starting out to be another beautiful day in this part of the world.  Cannot believe how cool it is - just incredible for Christmas.  I'm aiming to enjoy it while it lasts!

I love the start of the New Year and closing the door on the old.  For us last year was not the best we've had - with floods (and we weren't affected personally to flooding, just inconvenienced really!!) it was a scary start to 2011 and a series of personal issues followed that created challenges.  However, we survived and everyone's health is good so really we have nothing to complain of.  However, I am looking forward to a great 2012.  As a child I just loved getting my new school books each year.  I would look at all those blank pages and think about all the exciting things that I would be learning in the year ahead.  (I told my eldest DS this and he looked at me in amazement and said "Mum, they can treat that now!")  I look at the New Year in the same way - a fresh new start, and wondering about all the exciting things ahead, new things to learn, new quilts to sew............  Bring on 2012.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Yesterday in the post I received the pattern for the Doll by Country Keepsakes "Wishes Do Come True".  Today I received my Dear Jane, books, CD and rulers.  Santa has been good to me, hasn't he?

Can't wait to get started.  They are packed and ready to go.

Keeper Swap

These are the gifts I made to send to Elizabeth for the Keeper Swap organised by Sandi from Cookies and Cream.  I had lots of fun putting them together - first time I had every made a scissors keeper.  Thanks Sandi for organising this.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S Swap

About September, 2011 I joined in the F.R.I.E.N.D.S Swap organised by Khris.  My partner was Irene from Texas.  I received the most beautiful gifts from Irene.  Had great fun unwrapping them and looking through each one.  Carefully put them all away so that I could photograph them before they were used.  Then, of course, there was the rush of last minute costumes for Sound of Music and then the costumes for the dance concert and then the Christmas rush.  Every day in my sewing room I would gaze at the box of lovely gifts and say "today I'm photographing those so I can use them".  Well, today has come!  I've wanted to wear the beads and use the diary and put the table centre out and use the beads.

Here they are:

This was the table centre - just beautiful and in my colours!

Here are all the gifts laid out - don't know if you can pick up enough detail - but there are some beautiful wooden beads, scrap booking pages, a fat quarter, the cutest little book of sayings, some gorgeous red beads and a covered diary.

scrap booking pages and the little tea pots are coasters with the words: "sereni-tea:  N. the absence of stress while drinking tea.  Almost makes me want to make myself a cup right now!!

This is the little book of sayings.  It is so cute.  Perfect to keep in my bag for when I need reminders!!

The red beads.  I'm hoping to make a bracelet out of these over the holidays.  Notice the beautiful labels - each gift was wrapped with the larger "Friends" label attached and the "R" is for label was used inside each gift.  So beautifully done by Irene.

Just another photo of the lovely table centre.  So pretty

This was one of the gift bags included.  So cute all by itself.

Couldn't resist a photo of this by itself.  Nothing like a cup of green tea to help the day along - and adding in flavourings like peppermint or jasmine - depending on my mood.  

So, apologies to Irene for taking so long to display her beautiful gifts.  They have been appreciated - and I've been keen to use them.  I'm going to use her diary to make notes for my Dear Jane quilt that I've just started.  Just in case you think I am impossibly rude - I have exchanged emails with Irene - several in fact.  So my personal thank yous were immediate - just slack in getting it done publicly.

One more item off my to do list for the holidays. So now that it's done - where can DH take me so that I can wear those beautiful beads??

A new blogger and lots of wisdom

Fiona just introduced me to Helen who is new to Blogland.  Pop across and say Hi.  Helen shared this fantastic poem (author unknown) but as Helen says, clearly a very wise woman.  I thought I would spread the word as well as it really hit home after the business of the Christmas season and all the work involved in getting ready for the big day.

Dust if you must

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better To paint a picture or write a letter, Bake a cake or plant a seed. Ponder the difference between want and need. Dust if you must, but there's not much time, With rivers to swim and mountains to climb, Music to hear and books to read, Friends to cherish and life to lead. Dust if you must, but the world's out there With the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, A flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around again. Dust if you must, but bear in mind, Old age will come and it's not kind. And when you go and go you must, You, yourself, will make more dust.

Thank you Helen for sharing these words of wisdom - you've made my day!!

Beautiful Gifts From SSCS

I received the most beautiful gifts from Denice.  Denice comes from Michigan in USA.

Here are the gifts she sent:

The little bird was the Christmas ornament.  So cute.  It was the only ornament allowed on our tree that was not blue and silver - so took pride of place.  The larger brightly coloured one was part of the main gift.  It is beautiful, too.  I have rainbow lorrikeets, scaly breasted lorrikeets, conures and an alexandrine.  So, I just love brightly coloured birds.  The little one has been packed up with my "special" ornaments for next Christmas.  The larger one is going to live in the kitchen on my old sewing machine table - my mother's first sewing machine base.

This was the main gift.  A beautiful wall hanging.  Desden Plate is one of my favourite quilting patterns.  Blue is my favourite colour.  Denice - thank you so much - all the gifts were so beautiful and such a delight to open on Christmas Day.  So love the bright colours.  Proudly hanging on my wall now.

Christmas is Over

As we're heading on holidays in a day or two, I've started the pack up of all things Christmasy.  It's over for another year.  I thought I would take some photos to share before I put everything away.

This is the quilt I won in the Quilt Give Away by Sandra Kaye.  It is just beautiful.  Lovely and Christmasy but in very different colours to what I normally use.  

Tis the Season Quilt took pride of place in our lounge room this year.

Joe Jingles and Faerie Noelle.  Both Designs by Country Keepsakes - always beautiful to make.  Joe looks a little sad in this photo, but I'm sure he was happy throughout Christmas - probably knows he's about to be packed away for another year!

This is a little quilt I made in 2010 with our Sewing Group - it was lots of fun to make and each block uses a different applique technique.

This is the beautiful wall hanging I received from Denice in the SSCS swap.  Just gorgeous - it's staying up all year.  Dresden Plate is one of my favourite quilting designs.  There was also a gorgeous bird - I'll do a separate posts on Denice's package.  A beautiful surprise for Christmas morning.

My Santas.  All designed by Always Stitching.  Once again, lovely designs to work with.

This was a wall hanging quilt I appliqued and quilted by hand when our children were very small.  Took me quite a few months to complete, but I still enjoy putting it up each year.  Always reminds me of the years when I thought I'd never get to sew again!

Celebrate the Season was a BOM designed by Chook Shed Company some years ago now.  Still love it.

Just a few of our Santas.  All the others are packed away now, but these were sitting and waiting while I photographed the quilts.

Anni Downes - 12 Days of Christmas.  This was a fun project to do and just loved putting it together.

Another Chook Shed pattern.  I made this as a gift for my children's teachers - but there's were machine quilted.  I hand quilted mine with lots and lots of hearts.

Well that is Christmas for 2011.  We're well on the way to having it disappear completely - until 2012.  Hope everyone had a good one.

Cheers

Marg