Anniversary

7th February 2013

1 year today without my beautiful soul-kitty.

I miss our blogging adventures together.....

I still can't change your picture on my wall paper both at home & work....

I will always feel blessed to have had you as my furry shadow for 21 years....

RIP Baby Brunnie, your purrs live on in muma's heart.

Thank You No. 4 - Ballan Friends

I've only been back at work one week & already have 7 hours overtime up my sleeve. There's no easing back into it in January when there is financial reporting on grants to do. This is one big difference between working in a not for profit and another business. When Government departments give the organisation money, they want to know all the details of what you are spending it on, on a regular basis. It's part of the job I love so busy but HAPPY!

 

And I was very happy when I opened the following Christmas gifts from friends I saw at the November Ballan sewing day. I think I was very good to wait all the way to Christmas Day to open them. So big thanks go to;

 

 

Christine from MacDonald's Patch. It was lovely to meet Christine & her pressie just made my day. The little parcel contained so much yumminess, a pin cushion, a little thread catcher, a brooch and a kitty Christmas decoration.

 

 

The three made items are exquisitely done and put to work straight away. The two sewing aids are just the right size for the tray I always put my latest project on, beside me on the couch or on the bed for snuggle TV & stitching nights! Here's my first project for 2014, using up two left over stitcheries from an earlier cushion design to make felt Christmas decorations. No more loose threads all over the place & my handy clips finally have a place so that I don't find them in the bed when I go to sleep.

 

 

The brooch is ready & waiting on my favourite red winter coat. They were made for each other, exact same colour. It won't be worn for awhile, definitely not in the 40+ degrees we have had this weekend but look how great it looks. Thank you Christine, you know I loved it all! xx

 

 

 

Next is Sharon from Lilabelle Lane Creations. Sharon always seem to find something different, makes beautiful fabric choices and sews perfectly. Sharon made me an ironing board organiser from a pattern by Cotton Way, the very talented Bonnie from Bonnie & Camille fame. One of those tools you didn't know you needed & now can't live without. Unfortunately I found this very hard to photograph.  It sits across the end of the ironing board with weighted pockets that hang down on either side. It has a detachable pin cushion on the top & attached scissors.

 

 

If I photographed it on the board you only saw the top or a small part of it. At least this way you can see all the gorgeous fabrics - buttons, scissors, pins, thread, thimbles, conversational print & the yummy turquoise geometrical print. Beautiful & very useful, thanks again Sharon! x

 

This next one I didn't have to wait six weeks to open. Beautiful Melody from The House on the Side of the Hill made a little gift bag of goodies for everyone. She is so thoughtful, there must have been 16 or 17 of us! Along with the gift bag, decorations, I think there was sweets but they didn't leave the state of Victoria (best not to mess with WA Customs....) there was a gorgeous Christmas fabric eighth and a little bag with a stitchery on it. I was very happy to get a bag in my favourite lime green. Thanks you Mel, our little Christmas angel! xx

 

 

So that's the next instalment of thank yous & gorgeous gifts to show. There is still more to come. I think Christmas is even more special now than when we were kids or maybe the presents are just so much more exciting.

 

Just to show a bit of creativity that is happening here. When I had recent reticulation problems, the huge flow of water stirred up a nice layer of fine silt that ended up in my carport. The kitties decided to put it to good use & have done some rather creative dot paintings on the old gate. Such a talented twosome are HB & Mia!

 

 

 

 

Have a happy week everyone!

Tracee xx

Thank You No. 3 - Santa Sack Swap

At this rate I'm still going to be thank you-ing until Christmas in July. Today my thank you are to my swap partner Julie from Jewell's blog for the Santa Sack Swap.

 

This is a mammoth Christmas swap where you send 6 items plus the sack, stocking or fabric wrapping of your partners choice. I left it open as to the  wrapping and Julie made me a Merry Christmas drawstring bag filled with the 6 or maybe it was 12,13,14,15 etc presents inside. The little wooden 2013 heart ornament is gorgeous & in the pic below is also a metal cat phone holder and a knitted wash cloth in Chrissie colours. The phone holder I better put to use quick smart. It was charging lying on the desk beside me but HB decided he wanted that spot so he kicked it on to the floor & is now lying beside the keyboard purring in his sleep.

 

 

The list just goes on & on. There is the beautiful Christmas fabric runner, the ribbon decorated tea towel & a stitchery decorated tea towel and a Christmas book.

 

 

A Christmas fabric apron, a gorgeous silver cat dish & look at the vintage spoons been made into garden tags - sweet!

 

 

Gorgeous hand made cards - multi talented! What a handy gift.

 

 

Most of the gifts arrived in this gorgeous Christmas suitcase and the final present is a kit to make a Christmas quilt.

 

 

This is an ingenious idea for those like me don't enjoy & aren't the best at cutting lots & lots of fabrics. It shows the block on the front, instructions on the back & inside are all the pieces ready cut, just jump on the sewing machine & go. Julie makes up these kits & sells them on eBay so talk to her if you need an awesome gift for a new or time poor quilter like me.

 

 

So thank you Julie, awesome swap! Thanks as well to our swap-muma Chez from Gone Stitchin for all her hard work organising us all.

 

Now on to what I sent to Julie. There was this big Christmas bauble table runner.

 

 

A felt candle mat & this gorgeous china dove candle holder from  my friend's online shopping meca The Chic Nest.

 

 

Two stitchery decorations and a Felt Christmas Decoration book.

 

 

Two Christmas platters.

 

 

Some festive tea towels and a big, big, big note pad!

 

 

And an essential box of these.....

 

 

Julie asked for her Santa Sack to be useable fabric so most of the pressies I put into a decorative box with ribbon & two were wrapped in a nice big piece of cream & red Christmas holly fabric & red ribbon.

 

 

So another excellent Christmas swap! There's still many more thank-yous to come...

 

Happy stitching

Tracee xx

 

Thank You No. 2 - Secret Santa Christmas Swap

The Secret Santa Christmas Swap run by swap-muma Chooky Blue is always wonderful and this year lived up to every expectation. This is a round robin swap so I only knew who I was making for & not who was making for me. It ended up being a very exotically international affair for me this year!

 

I was in awe to see on my parcel that my partner that made gifts for me was Martine from Bizzy Martine all the way North in Belgium! It's quite amazing to think I now have beautiful gifts in my home that were stitched especially for me from all the way in Belgium - wonderful!

 

My first parcel to open was the Christmas decoration & Martine has made me the sweetest Christmas kitty, waiting by the tree, maybe for Santa Paws to come.... Purrfection I say!

 

 

My Christmas day presents were just as lovely, including a gorgeous snowman stitchery on a table mat. I have to admit to a bit of a soft spot for snowmen (ironic given our Christmas weather) and fabric with mittens on it. I really should live in the Northern hemisphere & have snowy Christmas every year. It is on the 'bucket list' to experience a bunch of winter Christmas's in the years to come. Look at my packet of fir tree biscuits too - all the way from Belguim - I think by now it's a little obvious that I can't believe I have gifts from Belgium!!! Thank you Martine, I love my stitchery gifts & they will be a part of every years Christmas decorating from now on. xx

 

 

 

 

Now this years swap was truly an international affair and there was purrs all around when Mia, HB & I found out our swap partner to send to was Florence & Princess Nounouche! Don't tell Mia but I think HB is a bit smitten by the beautiful French Princess.

 

First there was a decoration for Florence. I know she loves our Aussie designers so this stitchery by Gail Pan from the book Sew Gifts was perfect for this swap.

 

 

We had a family conference and after many meows it was decided the Princess could not be left out either so a decoration applauding her beauty was made and a little frame decoration filled with a picture of her and added too.

For the Christmas present I made up my favourite angel block with stitchery embellishments, adding a sleeve so Florence can use it either as a wall hanging or table mat. I love that sparkly Michael Miller white fabric, perfect for a background for an angel.

For a few added bonuses I added some Christmas fabric and a couple of Aussie patterns too. They were all wrapped in gold & white Christmas owl fabric & ribbon. A big sigh of relief and haha to Mr Australia Post when the parcel came in at 498 grams too!

Naturally I was very happy to hear that Florence & the Princess loved their parcels. So big thanks to Chooky Blue on organising another wonderful Christmas swap. I think it might be time for a cup of tea & a sampling of  Belgium fir tree.....

Happy stitching
Tracee xx

Thank You No. 1 - Mrs Martins Swap

I am surrounded by beautiful Christmas gifts that I want to show thanks for but if I do it in one post it will be as long as a piece of string so I am going to do lots of small posts so each can star and I can show how much the thoughts and beautiful creations mean to me.

I decided to put my little white tree up again on my big coffee table with lots of Christmasy crafts around it & then all my presents so I could admire but not touch! Mia had other ideas and her style of helping did hold things up for a few days.

Eventually everything was in place and the piles of presents were overwhelming!

I like to decorate in this corner of the lounge room as it is mum's corner where the photos of her & us together are displayed. That way she is still part of the celebrating with us. Pride of place this year was given to the Christmas mini frame and the gorgeous mini quilt I got in the Secret Santa at Ballan from Christine from MacDonald's Patch. (sorry yellow pics - maybe the flash was on Christmas leave???)

 

 

Now to the pressies & thanks yous! First off our final present for 2013 in the The Mrs Martin's Let's Celebrate Swap from my partner Glenys (no blog). This is the seventh swap that Glenys & I have done for 2013 and it finished off for me just as perfectly as it started.

 

 

This T'was The Night Before Christmas stitchery kit is wonderful - preprinted design and the felt needed for the reindeer & fir trees too. Yes the chocolates are empty - it is the 27th & there has been a whole lot of episodes of Revolution to catch up on. HB & the remainder of the chocolates were the perfect companions in the wee hours last night doing this.

 

The rest of my parcel just made my heart boil over - three Christmas buntings, wishing Joy, Peace & Love and a little bag of bells to sew on the points too. I just love these to bits! Thanks you Glenys, spot on as always! xx

 

 

Now to what I sent Glenys. I have to admit I love this little guy, I think he needs to go back on the to-do list again for next year & this time for me. The original pattern is by Cleo & Me and is a table runner featuring 3 x Rudy the Reindeer.

 

 

For this swap I made Rudy into a wall hanging with built in star hanger & added a Christmas snow flake button & two bells to his ribbon. I love that green with red spot on the border & binding. That was a perfect purchase made especially for this from Gail's Patchwork Emporium in Ballarat while staying with Shez. That shop is such an overwhelming wonderland! I also enclosed a large edible box of chocolatey goodness, no photographic evidence taken. I'm sure there was more but photographs & memory alludes me..... It is the silly season.

 

Thank you to Karen our swap-muma from Mrs Martin's Quilt Shop for hosting this year long swap & keeping all of us elves in line! Thanks again to Glenys - it's been a great year!

 

Off to take more pics, plan the next post of thank yous, add to the sewing & postage schedule for 2014, update the dreaded UFO list that grew instead of shrinking last year & make up a monthly projects list so I know what's up first for Friday Night sewing on Facebook tonight. Everywhere could do with a good clean up too starting with the cutting table area....

 

Happy stitching

Tracee xx

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

HB, Mia & I wish all our loved ones, family and friends,

a very Merry Christmas & big purrs for the festive season.

We hope 2014 is the year that we get to meet, greet, love,

laugh and make many dreams come true for all of us.

 =^..^= xxx =^..^=

Back soon with lots of news, pics & the usual laughs.... xxx

I'm Back!

Here I am home again after nearly 3 weeks away in Tassie & Victoria. You may already know what I have been up to as I seem to have cropped up on quite a few of the blogs of the gorgeous ladies I have met & spent happy times with.

 

I have plenty to share too & pics of all the goodies I brought home but today's my first day home & I seem to have a mix of motion & sleepy sickness so it has been an easy day, all that will follow soon.

 

For now the important stuff, the furbabies & some gorgeous surprises I came home too. HB has stuck around since I got home about 8.30pm last night and been very noisy, getting attention to made sure he has had plenty of cuddles to make up for the lost time. Here he is smooging with his muma tonight after again crying for attention.

 

 

 

Yes he is on the table, yes he is very spoilt & no we don't use the table to eat at! It's one of his latest 'things', he will only sit up high, not on the floor. He even tries to eat his food by hanging over his bowl standing on the treadmill that is beside it. I should get a pic, it looks quite funny. Yes, HB is a 'special' boy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mia is not a cuddly girl but she has had some chirpy conversations with me, rolls on her head in my presence and treated me to a very enjoyable game of tag in the back yard late last night. She was there to greet me this morning, happily relaxing on top of the washing machine. She is such a little lady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now to two lovely parcels that were waiting for me when I got home. The first is from my Mrs Martin's Swap partner Glenys. We have done so well in this swap, making beautiful things for each other and this swap to celebrate Mrs Martin's quilting day in early November was just as good.

 

We were to send each other a block that we can finish in to what ever item takes our fancy. Glenys sent me this gorgeous Christmas block with three plum puddings & room to embellish with stitchery words. She also sent the cutest gingerbread man braid, a sweet little set of green scissors and a Threadworx Thread in Christmas red & green. Shez & I were looking for this colourway of thread in Ballarat just yesterday morning but they had sold out so jackpot again in that choice Glenys. Thanks very much, love my gifts!

 

 

Here's the block I sent Glenys, along with some extra pansy fabric, three matching DMC threads and some yummy sounding Blueberry Lindt chocolate - very lucky that made it to the postbox!

 

 

The other parcel I came home to was totally unexpected & very sweet. Anorina of Samelia's Mum website has a 52 Week Scrap Challenge running via her blog and as a Facebook group that I belong too. I am way behind but so far have made some lovely little projects from Anorina's designs.

 

Anorina herself made some needle cases that really took my fancy as they included fabric by Lynette Anderson called Stitches & including the cutest kitty on a pile of quilts (it looks a little like little brunnie). In my parcel was a gorgeous antique sewing machine card saying Anorina wanted to send me this gift as she knows how I love my furry friends. Wrapped inside some of the beautiful Stitches fabric was the kitty needlecase I loved so much. What a gorgeous little pile of happiness to come home too. Thanks again Anorina! x

 

  

This afternoon my friend & kitty-sitter Frank was packing up the ute to hit the road for his next adventure back to Queensland. It kind of looks like Mia has decided she is going too...... No matter how early he leaves tomorrow morning, I better get up and check under that tarp for my little girl before he is allowed to leave!

 

 

 Purrs from all of us!

Tracee xx  HB xx Mia xx

 

Almost Holiday Time!

It's 11 sleeps until I go on holiday, well 10 really, the 11th sleep will be on the plane to Melbourne. In the rush to being ready to spend nearly 3 weeks away from home I am doing lots of secret sewing and catching up with a few chores that are possible now we are having fine weather in Perth. We have had the usual turn in weather, straight from high teens & rain to sunny & 30. This week we are forecast to peak at 35, the type of day when being at work in air-conditioning is my kind of fun. Ahhh where have the 25 degree days gone I ponder.......

 

Today my car had one of its bi-annual bathes. They normally occur mid year and at Christmas so this is the mid year one running late. I must have parked under trees one day last week near work as I had deposits on my windscreen and paintwork that make me wonder if pigs really do fly!

 

The more fun chore was replanting the vege and herb garden ready for summer salads. Baby Mia helped plant tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, celery, mixed lettuces, cucumber, silver beet, basil and parsley. There is something satisfying about seeing all that shredded paper acting as mulch that represents just a few weeks of the waste I shred at work from my accounting tasks. It seems to alert the kits that this nice fresh earth is not one big kitty toilet too so its a win all round!

 

 

HB watched all the hard work happening but he was more interested in checking out the BBQ and drooping fairy lights. He is looking forward to BBQ season, sure that he looks even more handsome under fairy light!

 

 

 

Another one of the jobs for this weekend was washing a large stitchery recently completed and crossing everything to hope that the threads didn't run on to the white background. I did use a colour catcher rather than run the risk and was happy to see the stitchery came out nice and white, the thread all as it should be and the colour catcher with just a light pink tint.

 

 

 

I did finish a couple of Christmas swap projects this weekend too and prepped a couple more so I have lots of stitching while on holiday. The pics will have to wait, hate to ruin the surprise.  And now that we get back to the subject of my holiday........... on Tuesday 6th November (late at night!) I fly to Hobart for three nights, then I drive to Launceston to stay with my dear friend Leanne, the wonderful, creative lady behind the blog Lizzie the Quilter. Leanne & her boys are willing to put up with me for five whole nights and I know Leanne & I are going to have a whole lot of fun together!

 

Then I fly to Melbourne and bus to Ballan to be picked up by my dear friend Shez from Enjoying Life blog. There is documented evidence from last year that Shez and I will get up to mischief especially if we are any where near Melody from The House on the Side of the Hill blog - I put it down to synergy, we have only a little mischief in each of us but all together it becomes a force for fun! On Saturday 16th November we will all be in Ballan at the Mill Rosie Bloggers Meet. I see from the post on Mel's blog that there will be so many others I can't wait to meet like Sharon & Barb & Christine..... and it goes on and on. Tissues, pack the tissues!

 

I am looking forward to staying at Shez's place. It is a little bit of rural paradise just like I would love to have one day. Shez and I are then doing a bit of gallivanting staying with her sister down near Geelong and having a couple of days in Torquay. My fingers are crossed that the weather warms up a bit especially for the days in Torquay, by then Shez & I may need some time relaxing around the pool..... with a cocktail..... and some stitching..... Friday 22nd I fly back to Perth and my kitty cats, the worst bit about travelling is leaving the furbabies but this time I think I will be so excited there won't be time to miss them. Don't tell HB & Mia that I said that!

 

Happy stitching

Tracee xx

It Must Be Love, Love, Love!

Love No 1 - No not me, well yes me too. Little Mia is pitter pattering her way into our hearts and winning us over with her chirping & smooging.

Love No 2 - If the truth be told, Big HB is smitten with his new little friend (maybe a little toooo smitten to think of her as a sister). I think maybe I should take up match making. The big test today was taking Baby Mia & HB Honeycat to the vet, in one cage, together. I figured I couldn't handle two cages as one is very big so I took the risk of putting them in very snuggly confined space.

 

 

The new experience of togetherness did not raise a moments problem for either of them. The reason for the trip was a slightly different story. Mia needed to get her micro-chip and both had to be inspected by the Vet Nurse so I could get a certificate as proof they are both sterilised to satisfy the new WA cat laws that come into play on the 1st November.

 

Mia as usual was a little lady while HB found the experience a little undignified. Never before has he had to go on a car ride just so a stranger could look at his bootee and then write a letter about it! The laws in this country are going a little crazy muma, who legislates over my butt muma - travesty of justice, he meows. You know how he loves to use his legal speak......

 

So it was an eventful journey, one my babies endured together quite nicely. Yes I was naughty & prolonged the experience by making them pose for pictures before I let them back out of the cage too. I am so happy at the level of comfort they have with each other after only two weeks.

 

Love No 3 - Sew Gifts by Martingale Books. I saw an advert for this new book on Facebook as one of my favourite designers Gail Pan has a stitchery bag design in it. I decided I couldn't wait 72 days until the book was available on my usual buying site so brought the digital version.

 

 

With 25 beautiful designs including one of Gail's birdies it was a case of Now - I want it now! You know that feeling.... There are lots of pics of the projects so check them out here.

 

 

Love No 4 - I'm off on holiday the first week of November so am rapidly stitching to finish gifts and swap pressies before I go away. I decided one of my Christmas decorations just had to have Gail's new stitchery from the bag above. So fabric, felt, thread and a couple of hours on two nights and here it is looking just as cute and festive as I thought it would. I changed the flowers, used variegated threads and am very happy with the final result.

 

 

Love No 5 - from a shared pic on Facebook I found this gorgeous blog called The Crafty Quilter that has a Christmas tutorial each month & there are some beauties amongst them. Check them out and see if they inspire you too! Winter Seeds Table Topper has me swooning.....

 

 

Feeling the love, hope you are too!

 

Happy stitching

Tracee xx HB xx Mia xx