Monday, May 27, 2013

A happy birthday!

Hello friends!  I hope you are keeping well and enjoying the middle of the year?  I can’t believe it is almost June already – where does the time go?

I celebrated my birthday last week and made a conscious decision not to think about the number associated with my age anymore.  I never was very good at Maths and my memory is shot so I’d probably get it wrong before too long anyway.  Yeah that’s right, I’m 25!!  he he…Birthday all gifts

I received some lovely gifts from friends and thought you might like to share a peek with me?  Do you see that gorgeous cup of coffee on the right hand side of the photo?  It’s a blueberry-cheesecake scented candle and way too cute to light!

Birthday Tilda

Loved ones who know me really well gifted me with some much-coveted fabrics and brads by the infamous Tilda, and some cute buttons that match in, too.

IMG_3712

Also in the ‘craft section’ of my birthday goodies is this adorable thread keeper by The Red Thread, and some cute polka-dot trim edged with fine crochet.  You can find these products at The Haby Goddess.  Can you spot the gorgeous Perle cotton threads?  I’ve never sewn with Perle before, the sheen is so glossy and sumptuous that I’m really looking forward to working with them!

Birthday jar of hearts

Do you thrive on positive affirmations?  The jar pictured above is full of hand-made hearts offering a myriad of encouraging and humorous words…

Birthday jar

Isn’t it a fantastic idea?!  The label on the jar reads…

Birthday tag close up

Mr SUDs has treated me to a subscription for one of my favourite magazines, Australian Homespun.  I can’t wait until the next issue arrives at my door!  In the meantime I am making a start on this gorgeous embroidery design gifted to me, along with some other sweetness, by my dear friend of many years, Jenny.  x

Birthday elefantz

I am swooning over Jenny’s latest design as well, it’s called Daisy Days and is a BOM, the first block is available in Jenny’s store now, I’m sure she won’t mind me sharing a picture with you…

Jennys daisy days

(source)

Isn’t it the cutest?!  This is just a snippet of what is to come, you can see the full quilt top and find this pattern in Jenny’s shop, here.  I’m definitely carving out some time in my days to make this one!  Talking of time…

I have been super busy just lately as Little Miss SUDs was off school for three weeks due to medical reasons, and then she went back to school last Monday and Mr SUDs must have tagged her because he was off work for the rest of the week needing various appointments for some severe head and neck pains.  I’m very happy to say that both SUDs’  are now back to good health so I can stop worrying about them and put my ‘taxi driver’ hat up for a rest a bit more often than I have been.  Sheesh!

But there has been time for pattern-writing… more about that in a few days!

 Smile

Till next time – happy sewing!

Vikki xo

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Christmas in Autumn?

In the world of SEW Useful Designs it is Christmas!

xmas project sneek peek

And yet, in the world of my gorgeous little munchkin…

Rosie in leaves small

…it is well and truly Autumn.

Smile

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Playing with a new desk-tidy

I not only picked up some tired old wheelbarrows from the recent hard-rubbish collection, I also came across this bathroom towel rack.  I spotted it whilst taking Kayla for a walk and whipped it up not exactly knowing what it was at first until I found the screw brackets on the back!

Desk tidy unclean

After a good clean and disinfection I gave it a new lease of life on my desk, playing around with different layouts. 

Desk tidy 1

Those little cubicles are just the right size for my fat quarters.

Desk tidy 2

I tried out another scheme…

Desk tidy 4

…and another:

Desk tidy 5

To be honest I don’t really have the space on my desk for it without making it completely useful, and then it’s not half as good looking without the ornaments!  But I had fun playing and I’ll attempt to find some space for it elsewhere in the studio. 

Have you got any unusual storage solutions?

Till next time! 

Vikki xo

 

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Wisteria love and a new project…

I’ve finished my latest stitchery project and it was packed off to the gorgeous editor of Creating Country Threads last week.  I thoroughly enjoyed putting it together and I’m not quite sure whether my love of the design spurred on my desire to have a go at growing Wisteria, or whether it was my yearning to grow Wisteria that inspired the design?  If there are parallel universes then maybe it was both?!

Garden love wisteria

I felt like the nursery-tale character, Jack and the Beanstalk, when I opened my mail to reveal these three Wisteria seeds purchased from eBay.  Magic beans!!  They sure will be magic if I can pull off growing them!  Ha ha!

Following on from my last post I have now planted up one old wheelbarrow with herbs including Basil, Rosemary, Sage and Thyme.  A friend gave me some Nasturtium seeds that had fallen from her plants during the summer, so I popped a few of those around the edges of the barrow as well.  It’s not much to look at at the moment, but I’ll share a photo when it flourishes!  (I’m feeling positive, my friends!)

I’m in the process of re-doing some of my previously published patterns to release as paper and e-patterns.  But I’m going to find some time in-between to start on a project from this wonderful book by Mandy Shaw called Stitch at Home.  Have you seen it?  I’m very happy to do a book review and show you some of the projects if you’re interested, just let me know.  I really, really love it.  So I purchased some home dec fabric to make a doggie bed for my sweet Maltese cross Shitzu cross Jack Russell, Kayla.  She’s such a cutie.

Kayla studio pooch Feb 1

I trawled the Internet to find the same fabric that Mandy has used in the original project and discovered a fantastic seller on eBay.

Stitch at home book

The fabric range is called Scottie Dog by Clarke & Clarke.  You can find it at Dolly Crean’s Fabrics, here.  Dolly’s customer service is first class and she stocks a great range of other fabulous fabrics by the same designer/manufacturer.  They’re heavenly.

So that’s my news for this week – how has yours been?  Smile

Till next time, love and hugs! Vikki

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