SSCS 2014

EEK December 31 already and I have

not posted about our 2014 SSCS.....

The Swap master will be cracking her whip on me for

 sure if I don't get this up today...

Love you Chooky xx

Just wanted to say again how much I appreciate you

organizing this special swap for all of us....

You truly are an angel....

I received a beautiful pieced and embroidered ornament

from Grethe all the way from Norway....

It looks lovely hanging on my tree and

makes me smile and think of Grethe....

On Christmas day I opened my gift and it is so beautiful and

made with love just for me so that makes it even more special.

I love it Grethe....Another big thank you xx

This is the ornament that I sent to Noemia in Portugal....

A punch needle ornament by Anni Downs....

I doubled this size of the original and just love it so will be

 making some more of these for gifts for next Christmas....

So you all had better stay on my nice list....LOL

This is the main present that I sent to Noemia....

A table topper with a stitchery by Rosalie Quinlan....

Fabric by Lynette Anderson....

And design by me.....

I wanted to try and keep my gifts as Australian as I could....

The lighting in my pictures is not the best....

The reds are much more vibrant....

I really enjoyed doing the stitchery for this table topper....

And so another year comes to an end and I am happy to say

it has been a good one for me...

My days are spent looking at the positives and the people in

 my life and being thankful for simple pleasures....

Lots of hard work that is slowly starting to pay off....

I wish all my special friends near and afar a

Happy and Safe 2015 and look forward to more special times

 spent with blogging friends in the year to come....

 "Happy New Year"

 

Until next time, Happy Stitching

 

Kate

 

Christmas at "My Little Home Sweet Home"

Welcome....Come on in and have a look around....

I am feeling very festive this week and wanted to share....

Share the Joy....I love this time of year....

Until next time, Happy Stitching

Kate

Studio Garden

A couple of weeks ago I purchased 6 standard white iceberg roses from Buy Swap and Sell, The guy I got them from had been living in a rental house and was moving out so he transplanted them into pots. He delivered them to me and they looked happy for a day until we had some really hot weather with very hot winds.

I watered them daily but I think they may have been a bit traumatised from being transplanted. So on the weekend I got busy making a garden bed to plant them in. This is how it looked before I started. First job was to pull the sleepers up that were in the ground at one side of the Studio....

I moved the sleepers and stole a couple from further down the yard that were just the right length for what I needed.

I want them to act as a retaining wall so the woodchips don't wash under the Studio.

It looks a bit rustic and although they were really heavy I persevered and after a couple of squashed thumbs later I had them in place.

In the back ground of the next picture is where my big tree was that I had removed. It looks so bare compared to how it was before and I have a lot of soil to shift because it is quite a bit of a mound where the stump has been ground up.

That is definitely a WIP!

I rolled back the piece of fake grass that was near the studio only to find a 1.5 metre square of pavers. Not sure what that was for but was thinking REALLY lugging sleepers and planting roses isn't a big enough job, now I have to pull up pavers....LOL! Every project I have attempted in my yard has revealed a surprise of sorts.....

Never a dull moment!

I sat and thought for a while what I could do with this latest obstacle. In the end it worked out quite well because I only removed some of the pavers and the others are acting as a small path to border the garden bed. I will use the ones that I pulled up to join them up to the other paved area eventually.

I pruned all the frazzled leaves from the roses and planted them in the garden bed. I also moved some of the soil from the tree mound and filled the bed up a little. The four rose bushes in this bed have lost their leaves but are still nice and green. I gave them a good soaking of seasol so now all I want for Christmas is some nice new leaf growth on them. The poor things should do better back in the ground I hope.

 

I also planted 3 Daphne bushes in between the roses,

mulched and wood chipped the bed....Yay! Its looking good :)

I had 2 left and they were much worse than the others.

Look at this poor sad plant.

I decided to plant them anyway and hope for the best.

I have put them on the other side of my patchwork rock path, I 

will wait to see if they live before I do any more with this side.

I gave them both a good pruning and a good hit with seasol.

 Not sure if these two will make it as they are more brown than

 green at the moment. I will replace them with new ones from

 the garden centre if I have to.

I am really happy with how it is looking so far and hope they

 all like their new home. Can you see the woodchip pile in the

corner of this picture....That's my tree... :(

On the upside I have lots of woodchip for the rest of my gardens.

Thanks for stopping by and cross your fingers that the roses will

 flourish now they are back in the ground. Most other things do

 really well in my yard and I hope these do also.
I know the weeds surely flourish....LOL!

We got some much needed rain on Sunday with more forecast
during the week so that might also help to kick them along.

 

Until next time, Happy Stitching

 

Kate

 

FOR SALE!

Hi all, I am selling this tree skirt if anyone is interested.

I was going to list it on Buy Swap and Sell but thought

a fellow quilter would maybe appreciate it more...

I absolutely love love love love  love it but sadly my

Little Home Sweet Home is exactly that....LITTLE.

I set my tree up in the corner between the fireplace and the

lounge and once the tree skirt is crammed in

you really cannot see it.

I wish I had room to display it to it's full potential.

So I thought it was best to sell and let someone else enjoy it.

It is made using a kit from Hatched and Patched in fabrics

from my Favourite Designer Anni Downs.

I pieced the skirt and the gorgeous Belinda Betts from

Eucalypt Ridge Quilting in Orange quilted it in the ditch around

 the blocks and used a swirly star pattern in the centre block.

The small and large corner pinwheel blocks are pieced and so

 are the block borders. The blocks are a quilted panel from

 Anni's Christmas range. It is made to a high standard.

It cost me over $130 to make and I am asking $80

(Including delivery in Australia)

The first person to comment SOLD on this post will be the

new lucky owner or maybe it will be great for gifting.

This is my little tree nook, lights on and waiting for

Miss Molly to come home and help me decorate

(She is in charge of that apparently...LOL)

I have put my tree in my Nan's old wash tub, still need to add a

big burlap bow and I know that Nan will

 be smiling down on us admiring it also...

(Just wish I hadn't been through that paint everything green

 stage and had left it in its raw state,

maybe I will strip the paint off before next year)

If I have learnt nothing in the last couple of years I have

 definitely learnt that holding onto things that aren't meant to

 be definitely don't make you happy, even if you do love them.

Until next time, Happy Stitching

Kate

SSCS has arrived from Norway

My Secret Santa Christmas Swap arrived on the sleigh today...

What a nice way to celebrate the 1st of December....

I was excited to find out that my parcel was

 sent all the way from Norway by Grethe.....

This little one was allowed to be opened so of cause I was

surprised that I remembered to take a pic before I opened it....

This is what was inside....A sweet little heart ornament....

Too cute Grethe....

I love it and it will have pride of place on my tree....

This one will go under the tree and I will refrain from peeking

 and tearing it open wait very patiently until Christmas day.....

Thankyou sweet Grethe for my lovely gifts....

And a Big Thanks to Santa's helper CHOOKY xx

You are amazing and spread so much happiness

 across the world with this swap....

I haven't heard if my parcel has arrived at it's destination yet

 so I will let you know who I sent to when the time is right....

Until next time, Happy Stitching

Kate

 

Studio Storage

Wow last day of November already. Where has 2014 gone I ask you? Today I wanted to share some more of my Sewing Studio progress with you. I had previously planned to take a trip to Ikea and buy a white storage cupboard of some description to use in my Studio because I wanted a crisp white interior that was light and airy. Well the rustic girl in me came up with this idea, This 1920's dresser that I absolutely adore has been in my kitchen/dining room, I could do with some more space in there but did not want to part with my beloved dresser. I decided if this fitted then it was moving out to the Studio and Wallah! Fits perfectly and doesn't seem to make the space dark at all. I am so loving how it looks and am now sorting through my stash and having a good clean out before I fill it up. 3 weeks until school holidays(which I am lucky to get with my job) and then I can stay and play in there all day...

My storage tubs slide in perfectly as well so I will have easy

 access to my fabrics and other bits and pieces once they are

sorted into some sort of order....LOL

I work well with order!

I still have a monster design wall to create and need to decide

 on what to put on the windows and sliding door....

I am having lots of fun creating my special little Happy Place..

Until next time, Happy Stitching

Kate

Studio Ironing Board

I took a little detour on the way home from Perthville last Sunday, I called into Masters to pick up another 5 storage baskets to go into the end of my cutting table. One end is now full and I am saving my pennies to get some more for the other end eventually. After all a girl can never have enough storage....

Meanwhile back at the "Studio" Kylie was being

very cheeky indeed posing on the day bed...

I had a real belly laugh when I got a message on

Facebook and this cheeky pic popped up...

Come back anytime Kylie....

I arrived home and unpacked the car and of cause with new

storage baskets for inspiration and a split system to keep me

 cool I decided to have a bit of a play in the Studio....

I got my tools out and began to cover

 my custom made ironing board...

I gave it 2 layers of quilt batting...

Pulled it all nice and tight and used the

staple gun to secure it at the back...

Next a layer of rubber backed calico...

It looks so nice and crisp but I know it will get very

discoloured in no time at all so I will make a fitted

cover from some printed fabric next....

Starting to reap the rewards of the process

that has been my sewing Studio...

A design wall and storage cupboard are still on the agenda...

Oh and lots of cushions for the day bed....

Thanks for stopping by, I truly

love sharing my progress with all of you...

Until next time, Happy Stitching

Kate