Tuesday Treasures

I have to admit there is good & bad about my treasure for today. It keeps me in touch with friends & family, lets me see what crafters are up to worldwide & gives me a daily dose of kitties big, small, young, old, cute & a few that are not so cute. It makes me laugh which is a great thing.

It also wastes time when I could be sewing, doing chores, doing my cali accounts or sleeping. Some times you come across the occasional meany but fortunately they are quickly & easily anihalated & where else in life can you say that. On busy weeks, my crops die, my animals are neglected & the fruit stays on the trees too long....... but fortunately I have heaps of money to replant & buy more -  hey we are only talking about Farm Town!

Yes, my treasure of the week is FACEBOOK.

I know, some of you will be nodding with me & some will be shaking your heads in sorrow. I have to admit I am a Facebook addict. Where else can you find 100s of cat pics with funny captions to read & laugh at when you come home from a frustrating day at work?

There is even doggies & I am an equal opportunity animal lover even if I seem cataliciously biased.

I can feed my love of things shabby, vintage, beautiful cottage gardens & treasures of the past.

I can embrace my Kiwiness & never forget my Aussieness too.

I can at last have the farm I so desire & the funds to make it beautiful. It is called 'Crazy Cat Lady Farm & does have many cats but also every other animal a farm usually has as well as my beautiful herd of bulls - I love the bull riding so think it only fitting I become a bull farmer! I can do all this & play Mahjong, Bingo & Solitaire and 100s of other games at 2am when I definately do not want to go to sleep.

When I'm feeling a little down or unmotivated I can find sayings that touch me & make me realise how lucky I am.

And all this & so  much more I can do for free. I think that is a pretty great deal. So thank you Mark Zuckerberg & all those people that make pics to share, & thank you friends, family, crafters & random strangers whose posts make my day.

PLUS - where else can I go to be friends & swap comments every day with a cat called Zanda who lives in Melbourne & two cats called Dastan & Caspian who live in Cambridge in the UK???? Yes, 3 of my friends are cats on Facebook - no surprise there really. No, Brun & Hun-bun do not have Facebook pages, I think they are better suited to be blogging cats.....


Join in with Tuesday Treasures by going to Melody's blog The House On The Side Of The Hill to read what other treasures are talked about today or to post your own.

Happy Cat Booking (the official term for looking up cat pics on Facebook!)
Tracee xx

Quilt Kitty Bookclub

Hi all

I hope you can all forgive my neglect of you all over the last month. It has been an up & down month but I really had no good reason for it. It wasn't even that I meant to, it just happened and now I think maybe I needed to have a rest from something & unfortunately it was sewing, stitching, blogging etc. Work, my Treasurer duties & housework don't go away so naturally the fun stuff was the sacrifice. Hopefully that is over & done with now because I missed you all something awful & have been so lazy & unproductive.

I knitted one of those pretty mesh scarves in bright red & when a friend loved it & asked if I could make her one I did another one. I couldn't get the Moda Vera Honeycomb Mesh I usually use so used a Bobble Mesh, similar on the mesh side but with the cutest little bobbles on the outside edge. It made a pretty scarf & I forgot to take a pic before I gave it away. These are both from Spotlight for $5.99 a ball.  

One thing I have been doing over the last month is my usual fallback position - reading. I have had the flu so while in bed last Thursday & Friday I read the latest Elm Creek Quilts novel by Jennifer Chiaverini called Sonoma Rose.

I love all of these but normally the books set in modern times at Elm Creek Quilts & about the quilters are my favourite. This was one of the series set in the past, that fleshes out some of the back story that we have read about in earlier books.

The official blurb reads "As the nation grapples with the strictures of Prohibition, Rosa Diaz Barclay lives on a Southern California rye farm with her volatile husband, John, who has lately found another source of income far outside the Federal purview.

Mother to eight children, Rosa mourns the loss of four who succumbed to the mysterious wasting disease currently afflicting young Ana and Miguel. Two daughters born of another father are in perfect health. When an act of violence shatters Rosa’s resolve to maintain her increasingly dangerous existence, she flees with the children and her precious heirloom quilts to the mesa where she last saw her beloved mother alive."

On Goodreads web site where I log my books I read it rates a 3.76 from 344 ratings. However it was a 5 out of 5 for me. It was a family saga, with a lot of sadness & turmoil but also good people, neighbours that rally around and hope for the future.

Even if you haven't been reading the series, this stands alone as a great book too. If you are already an Elm Creek fan then don't miss it.




Before I go - The times & trials of an old cat! I was sitting in bed watching the Dockers vs Adelaide game & Brutus was sitting on the other side, leg up in the air, washing his nether regions when suddenly he did a backward somersault (maybe with a half pike) & landed on the carpet. I ran around the bed to pick him up,  patched up his ego with soothing words and put him back on the bed. For a few minutes he glared at me as if the say 'What did you do muma!' Then of course, he went on with washing those regions....

(not actual event - taken when Brun was a sprightly 18 years of age)

Happy Reading

Tracee xx

Weekends With Brunnie =^..^=

We lives friends! Brunnie here still!

I know, it been so long, some of you think we disappeared. Thanks for the emails & comments, we all purred when we read them. Don't know what's been wrong with muma, no sewing, no fabric shopping, hardly any stitching, no blogging, no blog reading - think alien took over muma's body & it was a very boring, non-sewing, non-blogging alien!

Muma's had the flu but only the past week but that was very bad timing as it started on the day muma went to the Quilt Show & she didn't buy much, didn't look at most of the stalls and come home and went to bed. By the second day muma was due to go she was very sore & snotty so muma stayed tucked up in bed with me instead. I think that is over pretty much now though. She's started playing with her SKOW SAL book & neglected block so paws crossed tonight it will be footy & sewing in front of the gas fire for muma, me & Hun-bun.

So what have we been up to in the last month.....

I have been back to see the kitty Dr. I have a very stylish bag muma carries me in while I travel but I don't like it, I don't like it at all. At least I got to see my favourite kitty Dr, Rudolph. I was a bit rude though & hissed at him as he gave me an injection in my back but that was no fun at all. Muma was cringing something bad while he did it too. He also stuck goo in my eyes & gave muma some to bring home. Muma's not the best at that stuff so if I move she jumps with fright which is kind of fun. Eventually I end up with gooey stuff in my eyes anyway & muma saying 'mush it around Brunnie'. My infection has gone again so I guess it was all good.

I watched the WA Footy Derby last weekend & as usual couldn't keep my eyes off my team - The West Coast Eagles & their purrfect performance. It must have been half time when muma took the photo, just resting between quarters.

Muma put up a new hanging rail above her cutting table to hang these funny things from. I didn't know what the blue & white things were but I know the blue brush. Muma chases my furs off the furniture with that. It has been around for a long, long time.

Muma has since used one of the blue & white things on a cutting ruler to keep it from slipping, so that's what they are for. Muma cut up & then sewed back together some charm squares that Aunty Leanne sent her in a swap. I supervised but it seemed a bit pointless - cut up squares, match with the charm squares, sew them together, cut the squares of fabric in half & end up with new squares??? I'll be glad when muma back to daily stitching, making pictures from string I understand....

Muma has done one little bit of stitching which I quite like. We like sewing machines in our house, even Hun-bun who isn't really in touch with his creative side like me & muma. He's only 5 so I'm hoping he will learn in time. He's not much of a writer either, sometimes in my humble opinion he thinks he is around just to look pretty....

Yesterday was nice & rainy in Perth so we all made the most of it. Mum was in bed coughing away with her flu again. Hun-bun he was on his couch snuggled up with Hermoine napping....

I was looking after muma, hard work but don't feel too sorry for me. I had my red cat face blankie, my pink knitted rug, muma's soft old flannelette sheet over me & my electric blanket on two. Ahhhh, this is living -  muma, but please stop coughing......

I hope muma will be back blogging this weekend, now I need to go check on her, if she is stitching I will give her a purr, if not I will knit on her until she can't stand it & pushes me off with the excuse that she can't stitch with me on her knee. Sneaky kitty ; )

Purrs

Brunnie xx

Try The Purple Gorilla!

Alas! My stitching mojo has abandoned me again, just when I am getting so behind on the SKOW stitch a long. My avoidance issues of the needleturn applique are rearing their heads again now that I am at the flower block that has tiny shapes which I am not good at.

Never mind, I went back to my first love - knitting. I haven't been able to knit much for the last few years due to a pulled tendon in my elbow. A couple of rows & the pain would always start. A new baby coming in June & the start of winter was a nice prompt to get me to try again after such a long break.

First up was a pair of pink Mary-Jane Booties with a flower on top - every girl needs at least one pair in her life time.

I managed that with not too much pain so decided on a baby hoodie and matching booties in a gorgeous bright multi colour bamboo / wool blend called Layette by Bella Baby from Spotlight. It was nice to get it down to $2.00 a ball too. A pretty wooden flower button & it was done.

It's hard to see the hoodie properly lying down & not having any newborns on hand to model it was into the sewing room & on to my soft toy shelf to look for a suitable baby size model. Try the purple gorilla I thought!

'He's no supermodel muma' said Brun.

'No, not purple with orange, pink & red muma' said Hun-bun.

'Sweet' said Purple Gorilla! Gorilla does look a bit like he is about to enter the ring in a bout with Rocky Balboa. First Hood up....

Now hood down....

Unfortunately Gorilla's feet were too big for the booties.

This was a nice, simple pattern, easy to do while watching footy. The hoodie pattern came from a US Creative Knitting magazine & the booties from my favourite 20 To Make Knitted Baby Booties by Val Pierce.

Also this week while watching the voice on Monday & Tuesday I finally gave one of the scarfs a try that Peg & Shez have been wowing us with. Your right Shez, there is a lot of unravelling of the yarn & lots of pulling, plucking & unwinding too.  I used the coffee & cream colour scheme & used a ball of wool called Honeycomb from Spotlight. It's lovely snuggly & soft.

Happy knitting

Tracee xx Little Brun xx Hun-bun xx



Friends With benefits Swap

I have been trying to avoid swaps lately so I get caught up on my BOM projects but every so often one cames along I can't resist, like the Friends With Benefits swap that Kathy from Sew Happy House has recently hosted.

I was partnered with Raelene from Raelene's Rambling which is great as we haven't met before & it is so nice to meet more new quilty bloggy friends. Raelene does a lot of block swaps & gorgeous piecing, the opposite to my obsession of stitching & just a bit of machine sewing.

Raelene was super quick with getting my parcel in the mail so I had to sit & look at the parcel for a couple of weeks sitting on my coffee table. I was so happy when the opening day finally came. My first view of the fabric from the back had me swooning. The background is quite a bit darker yellow than my photo shows, my favourite colour of the moment.

It is a gorgeous tote bag. Raelene read my mind, I was thinking a few weeks ago that I had no hand crafted tote bag to take to the quilt show, having only ever made hand bag style bags.

But the best was yet to come. I said earlier that Raelene is an excellent at piecing so check out the front of my bag. It definately had me purring!

Isn't my new kitty just gorgeous!

Along with a cute little friendship book & a quilt label, it was a wonderful swap present. Thanks so much Raelene. xxx

 I will be happily carrying my new tote bag at the Quilt Show here in Perth on the 24th & 25th May. So if you go to the show & you see this gorgeous bag, say hello. I was be resting my weary feet selling raffle tickets for the WA Quilters Guild stand between 3 - 5pm too.

Now, my swap present for Raelene. I wasn't sure about the fabric colours to use for Raelene but thought she would like some stitchery, so started from there. My choice was a stitchery by Natalie Bird of The Birdhouse, called Good Friends from her Sweet Sentiments Book.

The variegated pink, red & orange thread I used for the stitchery words toned in perfectly with the bright & happy fabrics I had picked out that I thought Raelene would love. I decided to make a journal with the stitchery on a front pocket where a pen, glasses or notes can sit.

I have been wanting to use this paisley fabric in a project for ages & after doing the Name Game Swap I fell in love with all the yellow & orange that a lot of the US & UK quilters were using in their projects. Personalising the journal with Raelene's name in the same variegated thread was the final feature. I think it turned out pretty cute, definately a new colour scheme for me bit I am loving it.

I was then lucky enough to find an orange ball point pen & the bright pink Breast Cancer Frixion pen to coordinate with the journal. I added a red dog bone photo key ring for Raelenes precious pup's photo & who doesn't need a nibble, so some chocolate Caramello Nibbles. It was great to hear that Raelene loved her swap pressies just as much as I loved mine!

Thanks to Kathy for all her hard work as our swap muma & to all the generous designers who offered prizes for the weekly giveaways.

Happy swapping
Tracee xx

Val Adds Four Kitties to Quiltkittyville!

Happy Caturday everybody!

What other sort of community can you belong to beyond crafting where someone you only know online & may never meet face to face goes out of their way to spend hours making you a present just because they know you will love it? This community constantly delights me with the warmth, caring & generosity that flys around our blogworld. When something like I have to show you comes to me it certainly makes my heart give big, loud purrs.

Val Spiers & I, as well as being quilty bloggers, share a mutual love of all things CAT. Yes, I know, I bet that admission was a shock to many of you..... haha! Our furbabies share a major place in our families & lives so we have shared many an email on the subject as I have with a few others of you who share our furry addiction.

In early April Val asked for my details to send me a gift she was making. Oh the suspense! On the 14th April Val gave a sneak peek on her blog but fortunately little Brun was blogging that day so only he saw it & left a comment for Val. Now my parcel has arrived & is all set up ready to go on my winter recliner, in front of the slow combustion fire in the family room.

Val has designed & made me a gorgeous cushion cover from wool & linen. There is a beautiful natural linen & the wool is a navy, green, red & white tartan, which I love being a Scottish New Zealander. On the linen it says 'Meow' & 'Purr'. The kitties are also wool in brown, purple, reds & teal blue. The teal blue one at the bottom is my favourite with his little back up. That's how he will feel when I jump on to the recliner & snuggle up against him.

Of course, it scored 10 out of 10 on the 'sniff' test by both Brun & Hun-bun & definately scores 10 out of 10 with their muma. Your beautiful design Val is a delicious addition to Quiltkittyville. Now I just need to protect the chair & cushion from Brun & Hun-bun deciding, something new, must be mine! Thank you so much Val. I hope your Italian holiday is bringing you a huge amount of joy as you have brought to me. xx

I might be safe from Hun-bun poaching my chair. He has finally made up with his girlfriend Hermoine & they are cohabiting on a nightly basis again. I think my youngest furboy may only be a reliable boyfriend in the cooler months of the year. Poor Hermoine, she never complains.....

Big purrs
Tracee xx Brun xx Hun-bun xx

A Win From Rosie

This week I won some patterns from one of my favourite designers, Rosie Quinlan & they are here already too. The prize was three of her new Creative Cards designs for bags. I love these small projects, great for gifts & swaps and quick to get a result.

Happy Easter Gift Bag - I'll certainly be making a few of these.....

Petit Project Bag - love these colours & the stitchery design....

Naomi's Little Carry Bag, a frilling little bag ; )

Great win, thanks Rosie! xx

Brutus partook of his sardines in tomato sauce that his friend Horse gave him for his birthday. They were very well received & after Brun ate his little fill, Hun-bun scoffed the leftovers & licked the plate clean then wanted more. Horse is right, people sardines in tomato sauce rule!

Happy Sunday!
Tracee xx Brunnie xx Hun-bun xx

FNSI My Friday Night Sew In

While watching the footy (bah humbug Dockers!) I finished my house block for the SKOW stitch a long, only 3 more blocks to finish by the end of the month to be up to date.... It's a little boring compared to most of the other blocks. I love how some stitchers were clever enough to use fabric for the lawn with small flowers on it, they look great.

Then I started stitching the first part of Val Laird's Lilac Love Trio Set, except mine is raspberry love...

Once the footy finished, I jumped into bed with a cup of tea, slice of marble cake, little Brun & the DVDs of the 2nd series of the Eagle, a Danish crime show. My craft item was my knitting, a hoody for the beautiful baby girl I will meet in June.

Knitting & TV with subtitles obviously don't mix when you are staring out on a pattern. I started this project while watching the first series of DVD's and as I had mixed up a row somewhere, started out last night by undoing about 8 rows. Now I have the 4 row pattern in my head & it is going much more smoothly. I'm sure I miss 30% of the dialogue though but am still loving this series. Two episodes, followed by a bit of a read & it was lights out.

Happy stitching
Tracee xx

My Swap Presents to Leanne

Last week I showed you what Leanne made & sent me in this post here. Now in case you haven't seen them on Leanne's blog, here are my presents to her....

It has this little holder..... Whoops, that's the back....

A few of these..... Four different fabric matches.....

Two of each..... Eight in total.....

A little holder & 8 matching coasters.....

From an issue of the USA magazine Quilts and More....

Some fabricy goodness.....  Happy Gingerbread people and Nancy Halverson pink spot.....

And what's Easter without a fluffy bunny, chicken tin & chocolate bunnies......

It was a wonderful swap. Thank you Leanne & I am so looking forward to the birthday swap! xx

Happy swapping
Tracee xx