The First Week Collection

Well that's week one of the holidays over. There has been crochet and cake and chocolate and tea. Wedding present and outfit organising and report writing. A bit of lovely Downton Abbey and some mending ticked off my list. And plenty of beautiful rain. 

1. stripey tea canister and mini jug from Kikki-K makes tea even better
2. giant doily rug is perfect in my entrance
3. finally finished this cushion, started a year back
4. enjoying the last of the Easter gifts from my kindergarten students
5. icing a still warm cake is never pretty, but it sure tastes good
6. my dad's beautiful quilting (handing it over to the lucky owner tomorrow)
7. a happy face at the bottom of my chia seed breakfast pudding. That stuff really does fill you up!

Weekly Collections @ The Beetle Shack

My Creative Space

A Prayer Quilt. A little more stitching to go, so tonight it can be sewn together. Work done by many hands to provide comfort.

More creative spaces abound here

A New Book Review

The Needlecraft Book, should really be called the needlecraft bible. It is filled to the brim with techniques necessary for the creation of knitting, embroidery, needlepoint, quilting, crochet, applique and patchwork.The page layouts are visually appealing and there is so much to look at in this giant hard cover book. It is filled with beautiful photographs and appealing colours as well as a few projects to try.

I love how it has been organised into colour coded sections, making it easy to reference the technique that you are looking for. There are loads of stitches to try , diagrams, how-to's and photos to inspire any craft you can dream of.

I love this section on how to fix your knitting mistakes, so Mum you may be out of a job!

I can see myself referring to this book time and time and again. In fact I have already used one of the crochet borders on a recent project.

It is on sale the 25th October in Australian bookstores. Thanks Penguin books for the opportunity to review another quality publication.

Did I ever mention that I love my life????

HIS and HERS

I am going to tell you a little tale about a lovely couple, entirely enjoying their retirement and making the most of the opportunities surrounding them in their new life in the Country. They decided to attend a quilt class, make a quilt together and then enter their effort into a local Quilt Show. This is my Mum and Dad ready to attend the Quilt Show Opening on Friday Night.

This is the quilt that they made together, their very first ever!AND This is the award that they won! Go Mum and Dad!

And this is their craft/work shed, which is a project now well underway.

This is Mum's side and this is Dad's side.

Glad that they are living their dreams!

Oh, and this is a blogger sans make-up with the ballerina (their proud grand daughter), happy to be able to share in their achievement!

Photo 25

a little pincushion I made today using a little sawtooth star I hand-pieced almost 20 years ago!

a photo a day

A trip to the farm

Today it was my dear friend Shaz's birthday. We went to Caldermeade Farm which is a working dairy farm for lunch. At 3.30pm it is milking time!

I finished the table runner I have been working on as her gift, which she can use in her new home! It is called Hills Of Home. It is designed by Judy Gray and featured in this month's Country Threads.

My Creative Space

My creative space is the coffee table. It is waiting for me when I get home from work, grocery shopping and a meeting....I can hardly wait!

I'm on the home straight now, just have to stitch down the binding.
more creative spaces here

Photo Fifteen

Christina(A Little Bird Told Me) has posed the question "What project are you working on?
Coincidentally she is also working on hexagons!

a photo a day

Photo Fourteen

what's behind the red door?

P.S. it is 23 years to the day and hour that Mr M and I first kissed! (Just thought you should know)

a photo a day

My Creative Space

Working on this quilt today in the "good room" I have it laid out on the floor in the dining room, my cutting mat on the dining table, my ironing board set up in the lounge room. The sun is streaming through the window as I contemplate the red doors on the houses. I am taking it easy today!

More creative spaces at Kootooyoo

A quilt remembered

Just wanted to share a pic of a quilt I made for my sister-in-laws 50th Birthday. I came across it when I was searching for photos for my new obsession - photo books. This one was lurking in a folder titled "pet photos"! Not quite sure how I was able to part with this quilt - I'd forgotten how much I like it!

Today I am going shopping for a dress! We are going to a wedding next weekend and I want to look fab! Wish me luck..... haven't worn a dress (a nice one) for ages!