update on all things Crafty

well, the first update is of course on my best creations (awwwwwwwwwwww) the cuties!

 this is the little human (now 2 and 1/2) in his big boy pj's - thomas the tank of course. he was very proud to wear them (coz thats what big boys wear when they sleep in big boy beds apparently), but after a few minutes in bed there was much carry on. when i went in, he complained that he couldn't get comfy because of the buttons down the front ;) so back into his tshirt he went! but the boxers stayed!

and this is the puglet, now 4 months, DESPERATELY trying to roll over.  i remember this stage with the little human - they get SO frustrated that they can't do it.  she can get herself onto her side, and has managed all the way to the front once, but thats all - other than a lot of grunting, and then crying!

now onto my blocks that i received in the swap for September - lucky me!

this is my beautiful wonky star for the Christmas Block Swap from Janet

and this is my shooting star block from Terry for the Quilting Block Swap.  im not sure if she did it on purpose, but the red star in the middle is great!

and finally, i finished the Cat in the Hat quilt for the little human a couple weeks ago.  he loves it!  he insists on sleeping with it so that the label is up near his face.  i just wrote the normal details on it, but he says that i wrote that 'mummy made this quilt for me because she loves me'.  im happy with that

pugs and kisses always
crafty
xx

block swaps for Sept done!

here is the black, pink and grey block requested by Terry in the Quilting Block Swaps Australia Group

and here is the Christmas colours and snow block as requested by Janet in the Christmas Quilting Block Swaps Australia Group

i hope they like them!!
crafty
xx

some crafty photos!

i know! about time i show some craft on this so called crafty blog!!

here are my gorgeous mug rugs that i have received from lynne - i love them both, but especially the more modern one.

she also included these gorgeous reusable fabric gift bags!  there is a tute on her blog if you want to create some too

now some blocks - this one is from robyn for me for last months christmas block swap

this i made for sharon in canada for this months swap

and this is my block for this month from the lovely leena for the quilting block swap

and the one that i made for her - man i found the mitred corners difficult!!

i also finished off my second Pay It Forward gift and that has been sent!  this is for Linden - a table runner

phew!  i think i am now up to date!
to finish a photo of the little human.  he loves to help out with everything, and as anyone who has ever had a 2 year old knows, that help can mean a huge hassle!! he he

he is desperate to help mummy with her 'craft' as he says, but i don't let him touch my machine.  so he found this hole puncher under my desk and a scrap of fabric and calls that his sewing machine.  he pushes the lever up and down on the fabric and then holds it up and says 'mmmmm'.  when i ask if he is happy with it, he says 'mmmm yes, very nice'.

such a cutie!!!!!

now tonight is FNSI, so i have to go and get everyone organised so i can sit down and sew!!! hope you get some done too

much love, pugs and kisses
crafty
xx

positive feedback from the harshest critic!

hi all!
good news! mum loved her pin cushion!

as i mentioned the other day, she can be a harsh critic of crafting pursuits!  but she was impressed that i had met her need of not stabbing herself with pins in the leg by putting some card in the bottom :)

i also got to work on my blocks for this months Christmas Block swap. my partner Robyn requested christmas trees in either applique or patchwork.  i wasnt sure the look she was going for, so i made two.  here are sneak peeks....

this is some more work on my pay it forward project....can't give away too much :)

here is my next big project i need to get a move on with - this is my mother-in-laws 60th birthday quilt.  it has pictures from all the grandkids on it.  here are the first bits of it

her birthday isn't until novemeber, but i know that that time will fly!  will show you more as it grows :)

pugs and kisses
crafty
xx

i am back in the world of the internet!

oh my gosh!  can you belive that i have not had internet since the 3rd of march (or a home phone for that matter)
what a nightmare - you can see why people never swap service providers for anything!!!!!!
but anyhoo, it is sorted now, and all is well

so to update all that has been happening.....

LITTLE HUMAN
- the little human just had his 2nd birthday - that went very fast somehow?
here with a pressie from his uncle

 here having a good time at his birthday party, complete with bump on head from earlier fall :)

and the bob the builder cake i made him for the party

he has also discovered jumping......lots and lots.  he loves it!  he goes to kindergym and they had a photographer there last week - this is him in full happy flight

PUGLET
- pregnancy going well - now at 32 weeks and feeling HUGE and tired all the time.  booked in for a mandatory c-section on the 26th of May, so only 6 weeks to go!!!! yay
all fine with the baby - one last scan next week to check on position of placenta, and then the count down is truly on!

CRAFT
all right - lets get to it!

- block swaps
this is a sneak peak of this months wonky star block to Minette for the quilting block swap

this is what i received last month from shauna - don't you just love this pattern!  soooo awesome - can't wait to put together all the beautiful blocks that i am receiving

this is a sneak peak of the block i made for cheryl for the christmas quilting block swaps.  she asked for a log cabin in christmas colours

and this is what i got last month from heather - the little stars and moons are actually santas - so cute!!

- easter swap
i was lucky enough to get in on Jewell's easter swap this year!  this is the parcel i sent off to Portugal for my lovely lady - containing, as specified, some chocs (haighs of course, in a travel suitable package!), an easter flannel, a craft mag, and an easter tea towel (eggcellent easter - he he , still cracks me up!)

- stuff for baby
finally finished the wall quilts for puglets room!!!!  they are up, but i still have a few ends to trim when i can be bothered :)
(for some reason my computer won't let me upload that photo to the blog...... not sure what that is about!  will try again next post?)

before the little human was born, i made him a blanket, embroidered with a duck in wool.  just a lovely project to make, but not overly practical once he was born.  he was a chucker and i couldn't be bothered carefully washing the blanket every time etc etc, so i stopped using it all together.  so this time, i decided to just make quilts.
i have finished the quilt top for both a boy, and a girl - ill find someone to give the other one to once we have had ours!

i have also made a nursing cover!  big thanks to Freshly Picked for the tutorial.  i am very happy with how it turned out.  i couldn't find them for cheaper than $50 on the net, but the materials for this one cost about $11.  very happy!  for those not familiar with them, it is for breastfeeding in public.  its like a wide apron with some boning in the front so you can keep on eye on the little one.  ive put some terry cloth in both corners on the inside for cleaning up spew, and a pocket in the front, which i imagine will be used for the little human to keep his trains in :)

i am also working on a baby sling at the moment, so will let you know how that turns out!

- presents
my gorgeous friend nat had a baby girl a few weeks ago, and i made this little wiggle-around quilt for her

- hexie flowers
well, i have taken the plunge.  after watching sue daly on a quilter's companion dvd, i thought i would like to have a go at paper piecing.  so i found a pattern from a mag, and just decided to have a go!  i have bought pre-cut papers, and a template for cutting the little hexies, and am finding it quite soothing.  and such a portable project!  i have taken them to my obstetrician's rooms many times to wait, and have found that before i know it, it is my turn!  i think they will also be good for the hospital stay with the puglet.....they are saying 7 days in, and i know that hubby will be out and about with little human more this time, so i may have some down time......perhaps ill sleep though :)

so i have to make about 120 of these (see below) and then join them together with more hexies to make the quilt....i haven't picked the fabric to join them all up....any suggestions?

whew!  i think that is it - all updated!
and internet still going strong - all good :)

thanks for reading and many pugs and kisses to you and yours
xx

some craft, then a story with rewards....

hi all!
we have RAIN in adelaide today - actual proper rain, not just mist that makes everything muggy!  it is lovely - little human and i have already been out to stand in it - ah!

well, as promised by the title, first some craft....

i have long promised the most favourite of all creatures, duckie, a quilt.  little human picked two fat quarters from my 'kids' tub in the stash, and this is the outcome.

little human had to make sure duckie was ok.  i made it double sided and machine stitched the binding on for hopeful added strength :)

i also used some of my winnings from Shauna's giveaway (thanks again!) to make this dolly quilt and pillow for the little human's friend Morgan.  her 3rd birthday party is in a few weeks. (the model is the little human's dolly, known as baby)

and yesterday, i was lucky enough to get this gorgeous block from my swap partner for this month in the Christmas swap - Fiona.  isn't it lovely!!!  and complete with handmade christmas tag too

if you haven't been to the Christmas swap blog site in a while, head over there - there are some winnings to be won!

also, tonight is FNSI!!!  check it out at Crafty Vegas Mom

i haven't found time to make my way around the blogs much lately - very disappointing. i hope to be inspired by everyone's creations soon!!!!

now to the story.....

i love my little human - i do.  he is nearly 2 now, and is growing into a lovely kid with a good heart and a sense of humour.

but sometimes, the two year old comes out in him, and he is a cheeky monkey

you see, on wednesday, i was at the shops with the little human. he is now at the stage where the pram is apparently for babies and so he walks along side, holding onto the safety strap. when he gets tired he sits down and rides for while. all good. he occasionally gets distracted and lets go and wanders off a few metres, but is usually pretty good at coming back when threatened with having to sit in the pram!

so on wednesday, all is going as usual. in fact, he has been so good that when we have done all our jobs, i say that we can go to the shopping centre playground for a run around. great - he runs around like a crazy thing, jumping, sliding, climbing. runs in and out to me for hugs, all normal.

then, for some reason that is unknown to me, he decides that he should run out of the enclosure and down the mall at full speed without looking back.   he gets about 10 m from me before i realise that if i don't get him, he might do a Forest Gump and just keep on runnin'.  so i leave the pram, my handbag, the shopping and sprint after him.

thankfully i get him before he gets hit with anything or smashes into a little old lady etc, and i carry him back to the pram, strap him in and head for the door.  he realises at this point that the play is over, and he goes into meltdown - 'more play, more play' at the top of his lungs, in between screams, sobs and cries.  i calmly repeat the mantra - we don't run away from mummy, so no more play.  we are going home.  this of course does nothing to calm him down, everyone is staring at us and he is hysterical for the next 1/2 hour

eventually we get home, get playing something else and all is well.  i smile my mum smile and laugh a little mum laugh at toddler behaviour.  ha ha ha

i then realise that i am in EXTREME pain in my lower abdomen, and work out that i must have pulled muscles whilst in hot pursuit.......apparently the 6 month pregnant body is not designed to be quick over the 50 m dash.

so, i have spent thursday and today on the lounge, feet up, with the lovely hubby home from work and looking after the little human.  the pain is getting less, and i am sure by the weekend i will be back to my normal self (just no running!)

the reason for telling the story - one, so you can laugh at me! and two, while resting, i have been having a look over some old magazines, and enjoying the different projects in them.  i also realised though that i have quite a few, that while interesting, are full of things i will never make.  and so.....

A GIVEAWAY IS IN ORDER!

the prize is 3 Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazines, complete with pattern sheets, delivered to your door (well, postal address anyway). for those interested, they are vol 18 no 11, vol 19 no 1, and the latest edition vol 20 no 1.

there are a few ways to enter the draw and have more than one chance to win....

entry one, just leave a comment to this post and say you would like to be in it to win it!
entry two, let me know you are a follower, or become a follower and let me know
entry three, make mention of this giveaway on your blog and then post that link in a comment

that easy really! open to all, and open until 5pm Sunday 27th of February 2011 ACDST (ie the time in Adelaide, SA, Australia). winner will be picked at random using random.org based on comment number

well, back to the couch to put the feet up again.....hope you get a chance to aswell at some stage today

pugs and kisses
crafty
xx

BEEN RECEIVED! Ann's block for Christmas swap

i forgot to show the whole block that i sent ann last month
she said she received it safe and sound

pugs and many kisses
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(feeling smoochy today!)

sorry for my absence!

hi all
apologise for my absense from blog land - we are all doing fine here - our state has not been affected by the fire or floods thankfully. thank you so much to all who have messaged or emailed to check on me and my family - i appreciate it so much

we have been having a few little human challenges as we take him off the medicine for his reflux....but we are hanging in there, poor little fella! the doctor has encouraged us to ride it out as he gets used to it all, so we are doing that, but he is suffering a bit. i think he is also been getting frustrated as he can't tell us exactly all he would like to.

but, i have been doing some crafty-related things too!

the first is an update on puglet's jungle themed wall quilt. this first picture you will recognise from last post as the centre panel of the whole quilt.

my mum, who is a WAY better draw-er than me, then copied a few of the animals so i could enlarge them as applique blocks for above and below the centre pane;. here is how they are progressing.

we are trying to get puglet's room in order at the moment, so it will be good to have this done soon, so we know how much wall space it will take up.

these are my sneak peeks of my swaps for the month of feb

this one is for Jolanda in Portugal - she asked for a star in shabby chick colours - i hope this is suitable, it is not really my palette and i had to ask mr google for help.

this one is for shauna in canada who asked for a churn dash, shoo fly or star in any colours. i went with a shooting star

i loved the shooting star so much, that i also used it for leena for her christmas swap! i hope she likes it

i am still working on a block for fiona, our newest member of the christmas swap, she asked for christmas trees in green and red, so i have made an applique block and just need to blanket stitch around the trees and stars to finish them off.

thanks so much for reading, and for caring
i love you all very much, and appreciate your friendship

pugs and sloppy kisses
crafty
xx