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

 

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

 

Birthday Presents and Other Things....

Hi all, feel like I have been away for ages, when in reality I haven't been away at all. I have just spent nine days in bed with a horrible head cold. Today was the first day I woke up and could swallow without moaning in pain. I think I have had enough Panadol in the last nine days to keep me pain free until Christmas. Anyway, after a big dose of antibiotics from the Dr I am up today & at last on the mend. Considering I spent most of the day catching up on washing, dishes, cleaning etc I should feel a lot more poorly than I now do. Every day since I started the dose on Tuesday I have said tomorrow I will wake up & the tablets will have started working & finally they have.

During those many days flat on my back with Hun-bun by my side, he and I have come to the conclusion he is need of a manly make over. Calling Honey-bun at the front door does nothing for his standing with the neighbourhood cats & dogs. As my cats do tend to go through name changes in their life times we are now trying out HB for size, much more manly. Not much can be done with his girly creamy furs but with a more 'man of the house' name maybe he will start walking a little taller.

In a show of manly giving this afternoon HB brought me a mouse, through the cat door & it's alive - still! It is currently hiding behind my cabinet in the sewing/study room. I had my freak out about it earlier & may go back to that later. HB thought the game with him, muma, the mouse & the shoebox played out in our small galley kitchen was heaps of fun. He happily needed a nap after all that excitement.

Now on to some sewing. I haven't done any while sick but did do some stitching. I was making a baby stuffy but as they were so easy for the small bits of stitching I felt like doing I have now made 5, 3 from the Melly & Me pattern & two I stitched up from colouring in pages found online. They need their backs & stuffing and then picks will follow.

Here's the couch companion I made my cousin for her birthday in late February. I am just loving the fabric & how the end product turned out. I started with a magazine pattern but changed it to suit so it fits in her knitting rather than sewing. On one side is the basket for wool & needles and the work in progress.

 On the top is a pin cushion for when you get to that awful part of sewing the knitting together. My mum always used to make me sew her knitting together too as I did a much neater job. I did some running stitches here to bring out the deep maroon colour.

Then on the other side is room for the pattern, scissors, tape measure, sewing needles for yarn etc.

I added some supplies & a couple of free Easter patterns found online. You can't send a pressie to NZ without including a sheep - he's a tape measure.

I think it's very pretty & the feedback was good too. I'm still not having much luck getting presents into my pressie bin, just finish & in the post though hopefully after Easter that may change.

Now it's off to get a few more things done before I get to sit & relax watching Midsummer Murders. It's a good thing those Midsummer towns are so pretty & so many people want to live there otherwise they would run out of people to kill off!

Hope to get to some blog reading later this week too! Sorry I haven't replied to comments in the last 2 weeks either but soon will be back on top of things.

Happy stitching

Tracee xx