I am not going to be doing as much reading and writing as I usually do but I did want to share a quick post to share how spoiled I have been this week.............

My family have arrived and we are having a lovely time catching up....  good weather so BBQ every night, sore jaws, lots of laughter and a bit of baby clothes shopping .........

Cheryll from Gone Stitching has been doing a fun 12 days of Christmas giveaway and I was lucky enough to get the goodies for Day 7 -

- there are 7 labels for stitching

- there are 7 gift tags

- there are 7 lengths of ribbon

- there WERE 7 chocolates

~ such fun ~ THANKS Cheryll ~

It has been great fun reading Cherylls blog as there has been all sorts of fun information about traditions etc - you can go have a lookie HERE.....

 ~ I ordered the 'Tis the Season pattern book from Maree this week and she posted it so quick smart ~

Marie has opened up her own little on line shop and has a newsletter blog giving updates over HERE - I just couldn't resist this pattern - especially once I heard that Chookyblue has a stitch-a-long planned next year with this pattern.....  

I told you about sending Cassandra a gift in the washcloth swap and today my gift (s) arrived.... how spoilt was I?

I haven't met Tracy before so I have popped over to her blog HERE - she lives on a farm and theres turkeys, and sheep and lots of lovely garden to see (I love the fresh vegetables), raising children, farming, gardening and time to craft too.... very impressive..

~ look at all the goodies I received ~

~ two beautiful knitted washcloths, tea in the most sweetest tin ever, and a crocheted cloth for over the milk - with beads on the edge to hold it down - and stop those clever flies getting into the milk ~

They are lovely - thank you Tracy

As I said we are having BBQ every night we can... last night someone came by to have a sticky beak.... don't know if it thought maybe we had a toasted rodent for it....

We were sitting in the patio and he/she just sat at the corner for a while.... a special visitor.. a Tawny Frogmouth (I think)

(sorry - not a very good picture)

DIL loves what I have done so far with the baby quilt - and has started helping with the stitching... I should have a few blocks next week.

 .....My apologies for late responses in replying to emails......

~ I'm sure you understand ~

Tuesday Treasure - VIP's have arrived.......

It is Tuesday Treasures hosted by Melody .......

This week I have another piece of art to share with you ....

DD2 did this at school ....... I have always loved the colours and the feeling in there..... a bit of a Monet.???

It is her birthday today so I thought it fitting to share a treasure she painted for me....  I need to go and bake a cake.....

We went off to Brisbane airport early this morning to fetch our other treasures - son and dil and bump today.... I am still doing a happy dance....(they are having a snooze!)

Santa Sites
My DD1 shared a rather sweet Santa site with me this week.... some of you with littlies may enjoy it.  You can put in photo's and information and then are sent a personalised video message from Santa to the child.....   you can find it HERE....  I saw the messages for my grandies... very cute.... it's amazing the information Santa knows about the children!!!

This other one I have followed for the last few years.... because it is fun... tracking Santa as he goes around the world..... I always wondered how he did it.....there are a couple of pre-Christmas activities if you like....  you can find this one HERE..

Wash Cloth & Block Swap

~ I am expecting special visitors next week ~
~ my DES and DIL are arriving on Tuesday from UK to spend 5 weeks with us ~
~ how lucky am I? ~
(they are the ones expecting their first baby next year)
~ I am so excited ~

~ I have to remember ~
~ breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out ~

It was such fun to join up with the Wash Cloth Swap with Jodie from Jellywares 
~ I haven't done one of these before so was a bit nervous on what to include and make ~

Now that my swap partner Cassandra from Cosmic Creations has received her parcel I can show you what I sent

I am a novice at crochet so a simple square (though I did work at a scalloped edging!! haha) and then Christmassized it with an applique star.....

~ the cotton was lovely to work with ~

~ I had fun with a mug-bag ~

I've been waiting for an excuse to make one of these

Those are my swap partners initials on the tea-bag!

  ~ on the back is a pocket for a tea bag - I put a vanilla one in so it would make everything smell yummy ~

~ and then what else but Christmas tea ~

~ Cassandra says she loves it all ~

~ have a look at Cosmic Creations - Cassandra has been dying wool with food colouring ~

Thanks Jodie for hosting this.... it was such fun taking part

Jodie has a lovely crochet star washer cloth tutorial HERE which I'd like to try

- mmm maybe a bit of a challenge for me...

I have also joined Sue's Quilting Blocks Australia - I enjoy linking up with different people but it is also going to challenge me to try some of the blocks - and experiment more with colour....

My first block for Rosemary is a Log Cabin in Earthy Greens.  Rosemary doesn't have a blog but she might have a look in here .... so sneaky peak only until she receives it....

This is the second one..... I messed up with the first one and the size was wrong..... I now have a large pot stand - but you can't see that either - 'cos it's the same!

I have fancied an "I Spy" quilt for ages so I have requested Wonky square blocks - I will be getting one from Rosemary - can't wait for the start to my new quilt!  

Thanks to Sue and Rosemary for help in getting going with my blocks.... much appreciated..

PS. Anyone can join - you don't have to live in Australia.... Just pop over HERE and drop Sue a note..

Tuesday Treasure on a Friday

I have such fun looking for treasures to share on Tuesdays......

Melody from The House on the Side of the Hill has recently taken over hosting this fun activity...... 

Melody always finds lovely vintage pictures....

After I have shared my treasure I always like to blog hop and read what others are showing.... there are laughs, tears, cuddles, and hugz as we chat with each other about some of the things that are treasures to us.....

Now why am I doing this on Friday you may ask?  Well it's because the postman came by....

 Lovely blue tissue paper and ribbon with a card and ladybirds

~ I do love bugs ~

~ A charm pack ~

~ I have never owned a charm pack before ~

~ and I love those rich colours ~

~ so I paged through all the squares ~

~ patted and stroked ~

~ you know the drill ~ 

~ with a delicate glass sea horse ~

~ mmmm - those bugs can fly quick ~

So that's why it's Treasure Tuesday on Friday

Thanks Melody

I love it all

very much

and you too

Christmas Break Ups

This last week has been lots of parties.......

and that means lots of pressies......

I so coveted these little angel scissors when I saw them on Jenny's blog.... as a giveaway.... and I nearly cried when I didn't win them (but it was okay 'cos Allie did!)

..... so guess who was excited at getting these from Quilt Craft - my favourite quilt shop and club

~ she even has a figure like mine ~

~ oh - those are wings? - well I can dream ~

I also received these lovely chocolates from an Aged Care facility where I visit...

the box is empty now - of course - how do you think I got that angel figure?

~ seems like angels are around ~ 

this time from the local craft group - this is a cute lavender sachet to hang in my cupboard

~ not with the clothes ~

~ with my fabrics (she will live with the important stuff!) ~

~ her figure looks like mine too ~

This is what I took to the craft group - a mug rug and mug - big mug

~ well, I should share my body secrets at this giving time of year ~

~ and this one will be posted this week ~

~ but I am only showing it later ~

~ it's a secret you see ~

This next gift is a special one I bought two of 

(one for me and one for a friend)

This is a pattern Joy has designed and all the profits made in December will go to support projects in Thailand which are trying to slave trading and child trafficing.

This is a pretty pattern and wouldn't take too many hours to make.... plus we get to support a good cause.

You can read the story behind the pattern  HERE

~ I have had a little bit of time for real work ~

These hexies do vexies me a little bit

This is the last round of the Stitch-A-Long

~ I have done some gift tag making ~

~ Now I have to go and clean up the mess ~

~ maybe tea and cake first ~

~ I have a figure to maintain ~

Tuesday Treasure

I like art on my walls..... it is a fairly eclectic choice.... but mostly with some sort of story...

This is one of my newer wall art...... My sister-in-law made this for me knowing that I love gecko's..... It is felted and I know there is an amazing amount of work in creating one of these.... so it is pretty special..... If you enlarge the picture you can see the fly that the gecko is after.....

These next ones are pictures that I remember in my Grandparents house.... if I remember rightly the story goes that Pop found them on a beach and they were supposedly off a shipwreck.....(not sure about that but it makes a good yarn!). They are painted on ceramic.... (one has a crack all the way through).

I just love those rich colours and they are such beautiful peaceful pictures....

 

This one is an early African scene... the artists copied off a print but the picture is actually painted on the back of the glass......

I love the colours and the relaxed family scene..
 

 Hubz had this print in his house when I met him..... 30 something years ago...

Thomas Baines was an English artist and explorer and did a lot of lovely pictures in Africa.

He also explored some of Australia in 1855.

This print is of the amazing Victoria Falls - "the smoke that thunders"

I have been lucky enough to spend time there - it is an amazing area.

These two pictures are painted batik's done by an artist in Uganda, where I visited whilst working on projects for orphans affected by HIV/AIDS. The artist was selling these pictures in a market on the side of the road.

The crested crane is the national bird of Uganda - the picture has faded but there is a sun behind the birds and the artist told me the birds were looked towards a better future.



I hope you have enjoyed seeing these Treasures of mine today... I'm off to Melody's House on the Hill to see what other Treasures people have found .....

Snow pictures

Not at my house..... it is just very wet here, and misty, and muddy .... 

but these pictures made me smile today.....

....... and maybe cry a bit too.....

~ I hope everyone can keep safe during these strange weather days ~