Flower Garden

Holidays are here . . .

2010-01-04T12:13:00.002+11:00

My Secret Santa was Karrin from America and this is what she sent for me. Thank you Karrin, and sorry it's taken me so long to blog. I've been away for a couple of weeks. She also sent me a lovely little quilting book and the pressies were wrapped in Christmas fabric. It was great to have a bloggy present on Christmas morning.

Now I'm home again, it was straight back out into the garden. I couldn't get over how things had grown since I'd been away.

Pete was happy with his Baby Carrots. We swapped our chooks and our vegi yards over and had a great time sorting it all out. The chooks were very happy with the change in scenery.

Pinnies and more pinnies

2009-12-17T00:03:00.002+11:00

Christmas Fair at school today. My kids made these lovely peg angels.

This is my gorgeous christmas deco that was sent with my Secret Santa.

. . . and this is one happy customer who put her pinny on straight away to serve up the Graduation Lunch at school this week.

and this is definitely my last one B4 Christmas.

Put 8 O's

2009-12-14T21:11:00.004+11:00

I've been sewing some *Apron Orders.* Here's a "pretty pink" one.

I was doing a spot of gardening at the weekend, and came across some little vegi plants in my pots at the back door. I thought I'd transplant them into my vegi garden. I saw a nice "available" spot and thought to myself - hmm, I'll dig a hole there. As I dug, I became SO excited.

It was where my potatoes had been growing and I had forgotten all about them.

I kept digging, and singing, and digging . . .

and squealing with delight . . .

and I dug up 31 beautiful little potatoes (put 8 O's)

Little Pete and I collected them in a big bowl - we washed them . . .

we went and shared the exciting news with our neighbour . . .

and she cooked them up for our neighbourhood christmas dinner . . .

and they were delicious - yum yum!!

I'mixtapecited

2009-12-04T11:51:00.005+11:00

Issue 11 is out - and I have once again featured on page 39!!!

Yeah - get your copy here, or here, or here!

Pleased to report that ALL reports are done and dusted, and now I can get back to my newest Christmas Quilt, with lovely fabric from The Doran! Love it

Christmas SSCS has been sent and one received, but my head is still spinning. Looking forward to slowing down in the holidays and getting back to a bit more regular blogging.

Tea Towel Sewing

2009-11-26T23:49:00.003+11:00

My latest lilly - a surprise on my garden walk this morning.

I found a lovely tea towel that I thought would be wasted on drying dishes.

I know, I know, I should be . . .

writing reports!

Supermarket Music

2009-11-18T23:42:00.003+11:00

Can it be, that I heard Christmas Carols in the Supermarket last week!!

The cornflowers in my garden have been just stunning

They are a brilliant blue . . .

. . . and still the poppies "pop!"

Finally some sewing

2009-11-15T20:54:00.004+11:00

I was determined today to spend most of my time in my sewing room. I needed to get some things done. I had to make a bag order that had been waiting for ages . . .

and I'm up to date on my Around the Block pieces.

Lara's was moving things and points,

and Lynn's was zigs or zags or both.

I thought this shot looked a little like a fish from the deep.

Still plenty of blooms in my garden which I am so enjoying at every opportunity.

Do you remember this?

2009-11-13T17:43:00.002+11:00

Look at it now!

. . . and Wendy's Wish Salvia, at last in my garden

Hot Sunny Spring Days

2009-11-12T17:48:00.000+11:00

Recycling

2009-11-07T21:09:00.005+11:00

Paper making is on the agenda this week at school, so Pete and I had a practice to see how to do it.

It was lots of fun - one of my students brought in this contraption she had bought at Aldi, and it worked a treat.

Of course we had a go at adding some flowers!

It was a lot of fun - I wonder if it will be as much fun with 22 all wanting a turn!!

Poppy time here again at Flowergarden

. . . a lovely dark clematis

. . . and this is my first Japanese water iris - I love it.

Random thoughts . . .

2009-11-06T20:48:00.003+11:00

I have been getting my kids at school to do some writing of their "random thoughts". I thought I would do some random thoughts of my own.

2 of my "charges"

. . . some wool felting

. . . some quilts

. . . and some fabric art brooches in my ETSY shop.

Garden Love

2009-11-03T19:33:00.003+11:00

Just so many pleasures in the garden at the moment

This is a peek at my back garden

. . . just a peek

Around the Block

2009-11-01T10:02:00.002+11:00

In between gardening in this glorious weather, I have fitted in just a little bit of sewing to keep up with the blocks

Lara's pointy bits . . .

. . . and Louise's improvisational straights

Soft petals of Spring

2009-10-25T10:00:00.003+11:00

This is Louise, an Archtotis that my sister gave me for my birthday (my middle name is Louise). She was out shining yesterday looking beautiful, but when I went out this morning with the camera, she was still all tucked up sleeping.

It was "thumbs up" for gardening weather yesterday. I was out early and enlisted the help of all the children. I had them mowing, and carting weeds, and it was a hive of activity in our Flowergarden. It was great to be all working together.

The chooks were happy with the constant piles of goodies going their way. The compost bays are pretty full too!

This is my front garden finally starting to look established after 3 years of hard labour and water restrictions.

The trees this year are finally starting to flourish. That's the main thing I missed coming to a new estate - all the big trees. A real lesson in patience.

My bird baths around the garden are not just for the birds!! My Nelly Puss is a great friend to me while I'm working. I think she thinks I put them there for her.

Soft . . .

petals . . .

of Spring . . .

and today the clouds have rolled in and I will be sewing . . . ALL day.

I hope you are all enjoying a lovely weekend.

Fascinated

2009-10-23T21:04:00.002+11:00

Still fascinated by my "camp garden"

. . . and loving the Echiums in the Spring Time

I've been on School Camp

2009-10-22T07:46:00.002+11:00

3 Days and 2 nights of loads of activities and 75 children.

Some different flora from my flowergarden

. . . and I even went on the giant swing!

I'm looking forward to the weekend.

This is the quilt I made a little while back for a special little girl. I went to visit to see it on her bed, and it looked so gorgeous. I could hardly believe I'd made it!

Ye ol' handbag

2009-10-16T22:24:00.003+11:00

Been making some over the shoulder small bags, complete with front pocket and internal mobile phone pocket. Thinking of popping them in my ETSY shop. (if I can remember how!!)

The rain stopped for one day!

2009-10-13T21:55:00.002+11:00

It's a wet old Spring here in Ballarat

. . . but it did stop on Saturday for us to check out one of the young teacher's weddings. Good opportunity for some flower pics. Then a trip to a friend's place in Melbourne and helping her with her weeding - and I came home with these . . .

Looking forward to a new potting/shade house to raise them in.

more farm flicks

2009-10-11T09:46:00.002+11:00

. . . more pics from my holidays

'cause there's not much else going on around here but school, sleep, and more school

Week one down and 10 to go!

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"

2009-10-05T18:03:00.003+11:00

Isn't my mum clever!

She is a machine knitter and comes up with a Novelty for the Agricultural Show each year.

Home to the farm at the weekend

Back to work now . . . quack quack!

It's Magic

2009-09-30T16:15:00.004+10:00

Another post on this, yes, I know, BUT . . . it's magic. What a great product. How good does this look!!

This is the back B4 washing - still with the lines . . .

threw it in the washing machine, and this is the back after with NO lines!!!

I repeat . . . "It's Magic" and you can get some from here.

Oh, and I finished sewing in all the threads on this and I LOVE it!

Quilting

2009-09-28T22:54:00.003+10:00

I couldn't wait a moment longer . . .

Bobbin Filled

and away I go . . .

Thank goodness the lines wash off at the end, as I was swirling all over the place.

I will wash it tomorrow and show you the back - but I'm pleased so far. What do you think?

New Product

2009-09-23T07:57:00.005+10:00

I was excited to (eventually) be told by a dear friend of mine that Emma had a new and exciting product in her shop. It's quilt backing like dot to dot. Just follow the lines and when you wash, all sign of lines disappear. I just HAD to have some.

Keep watching while I test it out.

Tip Toeing through the Tulip!

2009-09-22T09:11:00.002+10:00

A beautiful day yesterday and I had no doubt about what I was going to do. I headed out to my garden post haste and spent the day there.

One beautiful tulip was shining brightly and I couldn't help but reach for my camera.

I stripped all the beds and filled the line with washing which all dried . . .

. . . and by 6pm the clouds had come over and the rain had begun to fall. It was a pick of the holiday garden days so far. All my hard work got a lovely soaking, and today, overcast and drizzle, it will be off to the sewing room. I feel very fortunate to have 2 such wonderful hobbies.

Holiday Heaven

2009-09-20T14:19:00.001+10:00

This is what I have been busy working on

I was inspired from here . . .