this week's mail...

postmark...a series of cards created for the postcard swap organised by nichola, see the full set here...

more yummy mail...

friday was a bumper day for mail because i got my first postcard from the postcard swap organised by nichola...she made this beautiful postcard with amy butler fabrics...


nichola also sent the yummiest fudge as part of the afternoon tea swap...um, i can only show you the recipe because i couldn't resist eating it as soon as it arrived...


thank-you so much nicola and more importantly congratulations on your wonderful news!

an invitation...

saturday 19th november 2005
at
"numinbah valley school of the arts hall"
from 9.00am - 3.00pm
nerang-murwillumbah road,
numinbah valley

an art and craft pre-christmas fair,
brought to you by a group of artists and friends...
"clay paper cloth" will present an eclectic mix of artists and their wares.
bring along a big old basket to fill up with goodies and
remember to bring plenty of pocket money
as there are no eftpos or credit card facilities at the venue!
country baked refreshments, tea & coffee will be available and
we will feature a lucky door prize with objects of desire from each of the participating artists...

this show was wonderful last year and promises to be so again...
take a trip to the country...be curious...appreciate art...

hooray!

isbn 4579109988, thank-you lyn for reviewing this one and for getting me hooked on yeasasia...


isbn 4579208110, because i'm a paper fiend...


and last but by no means least in fact it's probably my favourite, the wonderful rinen wa ku, isbn 4579209303...thank you alison for posting and recommending this one...i love it's smallness, i've been carrying it around in my handbag serene in the comfort of knowing it is there...

yummy mail...

i love the sound of mail...
stop-start motorbike
or
a motor not quite screeching to a halt...door slamming...one, two, three, four, five...there, it slams again and the motor hastily retreats...hooray, that means mail or maybe even a package...

today it was this lovely parcel of afternoon tea goodness from kath at red current...


the reason for my interest in the mail is that i am anxiously awaiting my first ever delivery from yesasia, so you can understand my excitement when i also discovered this in the mailbox...


off we trot to the post office to collect
a small slim envelope...
that couldn't possibly contain my japanese craft books!
and it doesn't...
it's stamps for you know who and while they are perfectly lovely stamps,
it's not quite the same!
luckily i got to come home to this...


and a nice cup of tea and these yummy biscuits...


thanks ever so much kath... they are delicious and made my day!

essential viewing...

i have a new favourite tv show...this one, it's so so wonderful, i love it...
i'm going to go and watch it now!
and there's more here...

in the mail...

a lovely parcel arrived here last week...a while back, we fell in love with flossie at hop skip jump but didn't go shopping fast enough... fiona kindly agreed to make another similar kitty for little moo...


our lovely cat is called beth, she is settling in very well...getting used to being called "cat" for the moment and to being given rather slobbery kisses every now and again...it was a wonderful surprise to find these little things in our parcel too, gorgeous fabrics and a delightful pincushion...


thank you so much fiona, we just love our new things!

tie one on - the tea towel apron

this is my tea towel apron for tie one on...it's really quite simple...

a tea towel with some cotton tape and an old bakelite button...


and some japanese inspired fabric...


i was hoping to do a fridays favourites today but i have run out of time, my show and tell will have to keep for next week...have a great weekend!

legs...

after toying with the idea for a couple of weeks, miss moo has decided to actually use her little legs for walking...we are very excited and she looks so cute tottering around the place calling "cat" (her new friend...more about that later)
anyway, you can see that i went a bit silly over socks that were on sale at target... so far one monkey has been completed...he was supposed to be a stripey mod monkey, but i ended up sewing him in a mad rush so that he wouldn't miss his flight to scotland...i sewed what should have been his jaunty red scarf on very firmly, so firm in fact that when i realised i hadn't left enough room for his arms, i didn't have time to unpick it and start again...
i thought i might have gotten away with it until someone commented that she thought he was a russian cossack monkey...hmmm
hopefully a three year old won't know the difference...

guessed!

well done jacqueline and mandy, we were indeed fred and wilma!
we had a yabba dabba do time at the party, especially as our friends the rubbles came too...it's amazing how much easier karaoke is when you are wearing a wig, they even had our theme song along with all my favourite 80's tracks...anyway i'm going to stop now before i really embarrass myself...

guess who...

hip hip hooray...no it's not my birthday...this is the closest thing to the fifth sentence of my 23rd post, for the following meme from ainslie whose lovely blog is over here...

THE RULES:
1. Go to your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five people to do the same.
(i'm not entirely sure where the meme has been so i'm just going to leave it open for anyone to take...)

speaking of birthdays, we went to a twenty-first party on saturday night and it was a fancy dress...


can you guess who we were?

short attention span...

surprise surprise...i should be finishing projects but instead i am trying out the lovely little purse pattern that lyn so kindly shared over at molly chicken...
i have been wanting to experiment with some applique and embroidery and i like how the red shoes turned out...could be just the thing to practice on sunday nights while i am watching a certain television show...

not so random acts of kindness...

someone very clever made this lovely doll and cd case for me...
thanks scooter girl, i just adore them!

new things...

a shiny red heart, a bracelet of pretty beads, lolly red earrings...and a new name to match...

this week's mail...

these quilt squares are going to Quilts for Katrina...

tie one on - mini me

i had every intention of making sturdy, practical aprons, aprons that we would actually use, you know, the kind that wash and wear with ease...then i saw kath's wonderful japanese apron links and i just couldn't help myself, i had to try out a sack style apron...


they are calico with frayed edge ties that cross over at the back...


and because it's oh so nearly spring, flowers on the front...


i am feeling much more at ease with the sewing machine, we are getting to know one another quite well and are becoming friends...i especially enjoyed playing around with the machine applique on the flowers!

not quite as practical and sturdy as i had hoped, but there's always next month...special thanks to kath for the great links, scooter girl for modelling and to little moo for trying to stay still for me to take her picture, this was as good as it got...

winter's passage...

and we dance,

a slow shuffle
to a french melody,
tiny hands,
swirling skirts,

i want,
to hold this moment
always...

this post is brought to you by the letter...

i love alphabet letters, and just i couldn't resist this one...
i'm going to paint it red!

i found it yesterday when i was out shopping with my lovely sister...
it really has been a great weekend, stamp boy and i even went out for dinner to a proper restaurant last night, i almost feel like a grown-up again...

this week...

i am enjoying this wonderful book...


receiving a lovely surprise package in the mail from my friend miss j...


with these oh so sweet vintage buttons inside...


and i am finally making a start on a long planned (procrastinated about) project to go with the wendy house...


hopefully it won't take me forever, and i'll be able to show you what it is...

an old favourite...

have been in a bit of a crafting slump this last week, the spare room bed is littered with half cut aprons, half finished sock monkeys and a towering pile of ironing...
i did however find time to dig up a box of old gems,
i loved this book when i was a little girl...


this series was first published in 1928, "told and drawn" by Joyce Lankester Brisley...i loved the drawings, the maps of the village, mmm's stripey pinafore and reading all about her adventures with billy blunt and little friend susan, stories from a lifetime ago...


looking back the thing that appeals most about it now is the red colouring on the black and white drawings...


my auntie darling has been collecting these for me from flea markets over the years so i have a lovely collection of different editions, and it seems they are also still available here...


so i'm off blackberrying this afternoon!

oh and there were fairies in the bottom of our garden too...