Goodbye 07! Welcome 08!

(Click image to find 'owner')

New Years Eve tomorrow! I have to admit that it is not my favourite day of celebration - I get a bit down every year about it - have I not done what I thought I would do in the year? - has another year gone by without me knowing? Yes and Yes. But that's life! I say! "Celebrate every day" will be my NY's resolution (not eat less and exercise more, which is the usual) A quiet night will be great for this family - still exhausted from Christmas, yet somehow we still manage to enjoy our slices of plum pudding and custard again and again. Why is it so??

Found some ace bloggies; Chaletgirl and Creative Controller - both Sydney girls and lovely crafters!

Check out the fabbo houses by Chaletgirl (plus the beautiful scenic banner - is that real or what?)
and then Donna's outdoor setting and robot

More projects to add to the 'I love it and want it and maybe I could make it - I certainly have the stuff to make it, but do I have the time/energy/inclination/guts/talent (just pick one)' list.

Do you remember my little teaser pictures? Well, ta da! Koala for my sister in London, made from felted jumper from op-shop and vintage chenille bedspread (with gum blossom accessory!) She (the koala, not sister) is having her last eucalyptus breakie before the long haul flight to England. She has her headphones and facial misting spray all packed, and is quite up to date with deep vein thrombosis exercises.


Little pressie for Ophelia from Mi , in Canada (crooked fluffy ears add character, I say!) She loves it - happy happy alround.

Merry Christmas One and All!

Uber cute (I know I say that alot, but nothing else describes it so well!) Cram Cream zippered bag with lots of cheapy ribbons from Repro fabrics and stuff - I so love Snow White and her little men and couldn't resist some Westfalenstoffe patterns.




OMG - Lollie pigout! We have no restraint or design (unlike Melly& Me)
My last piece of Christmas sewing - family said Ohhh and Ahhh - I think its a winner!

Merry Christmas and I wish for you, yes you, to have a safe, relaxed and fun time as we head into 2008 at lightspeed! God bless us, one and all!

Summer at Christmas

Summer at Christmas means little baby Preying Mantis' - I so love these - they are fascinating to look at and I know that my garden must be doing good, when these little beauties are romping around, making whoopee! (it must be eating the dirt off of my windows, lets hope)


Little library bags for my niece and nephew (3&4 y.o.) - trains for the obsessed (sorry, focussed) one, and Hanzel and Gretel, well because it is so cute!

A taste of Christmas bunting to come - all done except for the all important loops - otherwise, it will stay grounded, and that is just not right for bunting.

I know it's the time for giving but...

I couldn't help myself! I had to buy it for myself - is that wrong, in this time of unselfishness and generosity to others - hey, I just thought, I gave monetary gifts to the owners of Z&S - there we go, guilt absolved.

I was wriggling in my seat when I pressed the 'buy' button at Z&S Fabrics (thanks Lara! for that link - I am going to be soooo poor!) Damm! When checking the link - there is a 15% discount - oh, the pain of missing a sale! (Have you worked out that I like to exclamate!!!!)

Meanwhile back at the ranch.....

Full Moon Forest is so lovely - I might just stare at it for eons to come. And stroke it.

Stare and stroke. Stare and stroke.

(Oops, two extras on far right, I mean left (I still have trouble with that - why?) above are not Full Moon - they are Margot range (can't remember designer). Love them too. Blends beautifully. One little criticism for Z&S - things are labelled under manufacturer, which is not always easy to remember and find)

More Chrissy love

Thanks Shael for lovely Chrissy Deco plus uber cute elfin ribbon! Ophelia's little pressie is in the mail - I hope it gets there before Christmas! Go Post Go!

Don't you just love those retro balls - I found packets of them at a local op-shop and said YES! In perfect condition, I love the understated colours and the circles of shine which move as you move.

Just a little teaser

Can you guess the mystery gift? Give you a hint.....soft, grey, yo-yoey, chenille...okay that's it with the clues....I'm no help, am I!


A little bit of laminating and Uncle's Christmas present is done and dusted - a scene from Emily Rodda's 'Fairy Realm' - toadstool, bark table, strawberry cake (salvia flowers), purple spider web - the works! What a cool mouse pad!

Ahhhh Christmas!

More work being done on horse quilt - I am actually enjoying machine quilting this one - simple, almost straight lines, a few triangles to navigate but I am loving the golden thread and the earthy burgandy colours, splashed with some skyblue and grass green. Just a sneak peak mind you, little eyes will see! I have my deadline, as we all do, and it will be done! (I think) Click on the pictures to get a true sense of the colours - thanks so much to Laural Burch.







Some obligatory Christmas shots: I made some garlands from upholstery samples for last year's School Christmas stall - they didn't sell, but I love them - soft colours of blues, creams and greens.


Some doorhangers made from felt and a little embroidery (my first go at it!) I pine for plum pudding all year round, especially my Mum's; she makes two at a time, we eat one, one year and she stores the second one for the year after - OMG, it makes it taste soooo good! This is Year 2 -I think I may not eat at all on Christmas Day, just so I can fit more pudding in!

My friend made the Santa Snacks Cone - this I adore and had to buy it off the stall, along with 'Rudolph's Carrots' - she is so clever!

I love my tree this year - lots of handmade goodies from myself and the girls - the store designed look is so not me - give me glitter and sequins stuck onto paper any day!

Edited: I was going to suggest to click on these pictures for a bigger view, but I did it myself and realised that no, I didn't want everyone looking so closely at my embroidery! So Don't!

MIA and Mi

My DQS2 doll quilt is MIA; no word from swap partner at all; I am just a little disappointed! Did she not get it at all - why wouldn't you say something? Did she get it and just forget niceities, such as 'thanks'? Emails were sent, but no reply. Sometimes I feel so cross.about.the.whole.thing, then sometimes I say, oh well, ce la vie! Maybe someone has it right now laying across their favourite dolly, comforting and warm. I hope so, I really do. The DQS people seem to have gone into hiding; I hope the whole ordeal has not sent them into rehab.

On more cheery note, I won......Mi's little Chrissie stocking...I almost clapped my hands in glee, okay, I did actually clap my hands (hubbie can testify) and to say thank you to Ophelia for drawing out my name, I would love to send her something back, especially as it is going from Australia all the way to Canada. Oh the pressure - something little, Christmasy?, handmade (of course), my mind has gone blank (that is, more blank than usual).

Think Bronwyn, then just do it! Stop typing now and get up off your b...m!

Clear nostrils all over town...

Little pieces of Jennifer Paginelli's Girlfriend range was sent to me from Amitie (see sidebar for blog) for their Blog VIP samples - I couldn't think of what to do with them for absolutely ages - then, from out of the blue, came the lightning bolt - Tissue Holders! What an epiphany! What a stroke of luck! How inspirational! Pressies to help you blow your nose! Clear nostrils all over town! (I like that thought even though my Tongue is Firmly Planted in my Cheek)

I rather like them! A few made with some cotton drill from Spot-you-know-where, and I love the little ribbon 'Love.....dance' (for the dance teachers, of course). Ribbon edging just a little skew-whiff, but that's home-made for you loves!

I need some Colour Consultancy

Can anyone please help?
I am in the process of picking fabric for a quilt (for my mum) and she has chosen Kaffe Fassett collection of brights



(I don't know why the first sentence is as it is - can't undo, I'll keep going)

and I am choosing an easy pattern of 'split 9-patch'

My quandary is that the pattern asks for a 'neutral' fabric for the pinwheel pattern, which is fairly dominant and I have no idea what to choose. (By the way, Mum wants me pick what I think is best - greeeaaaat!)

I bought a creamy self-patterned colour as a neutral but it seems to stand out too much and reading through Kaffe's books, his quilts do not use white/cream, especially in his bright ones.

I am scared to just add a block colour as I don't want this to stand out either against all of the pattern. I have bought 3 fabrics so far, but one is too muted, other too strongly patterned and maybe too dark

What to do???

a little bit of country

'I've gone a bit country since I met you baby
I used to be so rock 'n' roll'
Banjo and Violin by The Audreys

Sorry to any others who are not blessed with living in the most wonderful country called Aussieland, but I have to write a post on the most facinating series on t.v. at the moment:
Rain Shadow, Sundays ABC at 8.30pm. Click here for the trailer.

Click here for character pictures

What a stunner of show - the mesmerising soundtrack of The Audreys (Way Cool group that I absolutely adore) opens to visions of dry, cracked earth and the characters who make their living by this dry cracked earth.

The characters are so real, masked, genuine, complicated, giving, shutoff, generous, hidden......

Hubbie and I have been watching it religiously every week (next Sunday is the finale) and when its short hour of viewing is over, we just sit still, trying to breathe, and tell each other that that was too quick, we need more, we will get some more next week.

The Audreys -'four lads and one lass from South Australia'; get their album now! It won an ARIA for Best Blues and Roots Album in 2006 - I am so damm hooked on it; the haunting sounds of violin, banjo, guitar and the sweetest voice. It lulls me; just listen, listen.

More twirls

Heather Ross' Lightening Bugs range Twirly skirt #1 - layers of pink, streaks of brown, with fabbo bikes - just for my bike loving girl.

(look out for more colours and 'tail waggers' to come)

By the ninth day of November...

Busy, busy, busy; can anyone else feel the momentum?
Lots of piccies to show and tell - here goes....

Hard rubbish pick - up; scored a really lovely wardrobe which matches our bedroom side tables, yay, I love it when things just go together and this will be handy for more storage. Of what you may ask? Why, of fabric of course!!!! My very clever husband took one of the doors home which was off and lying on the nature strip, until I could come home and help him shift the whole thing, (only 3 houses down the road!), so that a missing doored wardrobe would be not very attractive to those with cars and trailers, searching the streets for unwanted goodies. Clever boy!



I had actually seen it on my walk to the local chemist to get my 10 year old daughter's ears pierced (the age limit was 16 in our house, but a lot of working on by daughter to parents, and the age eventually came down to 10) She was so excited - BUT, one of the ear piercing guns jammed and she had one ear with stud (very pretty!) and one ear pierced but not stud! 45mins of negotiations resulted in a final, whew!, decision by her to get the ear done again and she was one happy chappy! Friends have told me that they heard a child screaming from the street - yes, that was her. Stiff drink was necessary, believe me.

The cutest thing was that she made a lovely card to 'The Chemist Ladies who looked after me' which said:

"Thank you for looking after me and I'm sorry for all of the crying and yelling. I was very happy afterwards." She has never looked back since!

"See my earing, see it, do you?

I love it that my 10 year still wants a bonnetted fairy on her cake! (Cake is missing any icing because I really stuffed up a passionfruit cream cheese icing (it was disgustingly sweet) and so rich, that it was used as sauce; even then, blurk! Cake was really good - rich banana!


One more '10 year old' pressie was her tutu; be-sequinned and beautiful - the tutu wasn't bad either!






Dance concert - both girls are in Jazz and Ballet - pre-show pictures show a little about how pumped they were - they had a ball! Both were truly excellent (and I am not just saying that because I gave birth to them!)





One more 'score'; lovely old chenille bedspread from, once again, my favourite op-shop! It was hiding in a dark corner, just waiting for Bronnie to discover it and bring out into the light, to join the growing collection of scrumdilliuptious chenilles. Remember the storage issue? Right on!!


Edited: Family pictures removed

Vale 'Basil'

My horse, Basil, has died - he wasn't really mine, but he was my choice pick every fortnight, for the past 3 years. He was such a gentleman; not a stunner in looks (he actually had a horsey form of Cushings, which kept him shaggy most of the year), but such a sweet disposition; he would lift his feet for me to pick out, and give me a nuzzle when I brushed his head. His gaits were as smooth as the smoothest of cream, so responsive off my aids and he had a lovely way of pricking up his ears as I placed him over jumps. It was very hard to catch a different horse last week; I bawled my eyes out.

I will miss him very much.

Bunting, Bronwyn's bag?, blue eyes

I couldn't think of any more 'b' words for the title!

Best op-shop score of the century! Well, maybe not exactly that - but, oh my, am I stoked! Fabbo bag, OiOi, no less, from best oppe shoppe in the world, well maybe, for 7 bucks. The Nappy Bag I wish I had had when I needed one (I chose an ugly thing because it 'matched' the ugly (but inexpensive) first pram). Of course, I didn't get something like this, because we didn't have $185 to spend on a bag!!!! Wouldn't spend that now either, but I will spend $7 - should I sell on ebay or just keep it to admire all of its pockets, its little change mat, its insulated bottle carrier, its sweet broderie anglaise covered in practical pvc and oh so delightful red gingham insides. Can someone, or is the question, should someone actually fall in love with a nappy bag?









Next, oh, still, my heart for I yearn for thee - bunting, that is. It makes me think of medieval times; jesters and circuses and Ladies and Knights. Made this and loved it - must. make. more. One of my fav fabric ranges by 'Chloe's Closet' - made a quilt from same range and still have Heaps left over. This is for little baby bunting boy. I think I need some too. I backed my triangles (some people just do zig-zagged edges - which look great too)




One more thing - latest mini-moopy for friend's daughter -

First time used 'whip-stitch' to sew up her 'cough' bottom-hole; please don't laugh at me all you softies sewers, please be kind to people like me who really don't know what we are doing, we just look at your wonderful sites and sigh and wish that maybe one day something wonderful will be born from our own hands. Yadda Yadda Yadda. No really, I read on someone's blog (sorry not sure who!) about using a whip-stitch which tightens as you make each stitch in a ladder pattern and so, tried it and it worked. I love the internet. I love you crafty guys out there. Snaps for all of you!

she had a little 'blow-out' (moopy, not daughter), of course, spotted once stuffed and sewn up!!


'I love to tumble off the stair railing, I was born to do this!' Cheeky little mite!