Favourite things Friday and in case you missed it.

Here we are at Friday again and it has been a difficult few days for me having had a death in the family and I struggled to find a "Favourite" but immediately my wonderful loving Husband and Children and their partners would have to be it. There love and support has proved invaluable to me.I have chosen to share with you a photograph of myself and each of my lovely children on their wedding day. I love these photos and I loved the moments shared having them taken together.
If you visit the SHAYS fantastic blog you will be in for a treat. Shay never fails to uplift and inspire us with her wit and humour. I wonder what other Favourites are being shared today?

"Christmas Fixin's" Stitchery book

Just in case you missed my previous post I was very excited to tell you that I have completed a little Christmas book of drawings....see previous post for details.

Tuesday's Treasure with Melody and A New Little Christmas Book.

Tuesday is here again and as I was thinking about my treasure for today I thought nobody would ever consider me a minimalist.....I just can't do it. I can't part with my memories or my treasures. That is not to say I like junk everywhere but I do love my precious things around me in my home. Which brings me to my love of little dishes. There is about 11 in all and I think they are so sweet. My Nanna started all this when she gave me a little "Shelley" china dish with sweet pink roses all over it. She said I ought to have it seeing as I was a Shelley too. Only my family on my Mums side has ever called me that or indeed gotten away with it. But from them it always seems just right. The dish photographed with it was given to me by my friend Barbara who has since passed away so I do treasure it. It's a Wedgewood dish called "Angela"

Barbara's "Wedgewood" and My precious "Shelley" dish.

The "Carltonware" belonged o my Great grandmother and I still have it's original box. The lovely pale green set was my Mum's and is "Royal Devon" china. the sweet little pink one I bought in Melbourne...just because!

"Crown Derby" dishes. Gifts from my Mums English trips.

Of course there had to be some "Old Country Roses"

What are you treasuring today visit MELODY to see who's treasuring what!
"Christmas Fixin's!"
Now lately I have been working very hard to try and stitch a little sample to show you for my new little book.  It is a very simple little book and it's called "Christmas Fixin's"  I wanted to do a little book which had some of my drawings in it for you to use....there are no instructions....just drawings! You must use your own wonderful creativity when you trace them and stitch them. However (don't want to grump) they are to be used for your  own personal use or as gifts only. But you wonderful folks already knew that I know.
They are suitable for cushions, wall hangings, little quilts, gift bags, table runners, framed pieces or even cards. There are 12 designs + the front and back cover  approximately A5 in size featuring my favourites e.g. gingerbreads, snowmen, reindeers and some tags. I hope you like my little book. I loved doing all the drawings for it. The cushion in the photo is the front cover  design of the book.
The cost will be $14.50 (P&H included within Australia) I accept Paypal, Direct debit, cheque or money order

"Christmas Fixin's"

Another lovely quote from Paul Wilson's little book "Moments of Pleasure"
"Create"
"Paint, play,sculpt,write, dance (stitch)....to create anything is one of the greatest pleasures of all"
Have a wonderfully "creative" day everyone.
Blessings Michelle xx

Weekend doings.

Just as I sat down to write this post the postie bought me a lovley big parcel and inside were lots of lovely gifts from MARGARET my 'Friends' swap partner....I was very spoilt with lots of goodies and the choccie might make it to morning tea. I was very thrilled to recieve from Magaret a gorgeous addition to my Cranberry/white collection...a Royal Albert sugar bowl. Even the box is Cranberry/white. Yum!

All my "Friends" Swap goodies from Margaret.

My beautiful "Royal Albert" gift from Margaret.

Thank you so much Margaret for your thoughtfulness and lovley gifts.

I also wanted to share my doings on the weekend. My husband bought me  a free standing vegie tub last year so as I could pretend I  really was the hippie, earth Mother, vegie growing type I so longed to be.
We didn't get to fill it or plant anything because of the incredibly wet Spring and Summer last year (they would have drowned). So on Saturday whilst I was made beautiful at my hairdressers No 1 Husband went and got some beauitful organic soil......have you have ever shovelled soil with newly coiffured hair??? Well I did AND added my home grown compost to the mix along with resident earth worms (very chuffed about those fellows). I have planted all the little seedlings and companion plants, basil and marigolds (confuses the bugs apparently) I have mulched and given them a weak drink of 'worm tea' (don't ask). So there is no reason for these vegies not to grow....I even gave them Reiki (neighbours think I'm nuts anyway).
I shall keep you informed of their progress (I can hear you all yawning out there)....is it too much to want my very own cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce from my garden and grown with my hands.

Isn't it pretty all planted out.

Husband's strawberry plant...he thinks 'cos it came with fruit there will be more!

Companion Planting......don't I sound clever!

At least with Husband involved I have some one to blame if it all goes pair shaped (sorry).
Have a great day all
Blessings Michelle xx

Favourite things Friday.

Welcome to Friday! It's time once again to visit the wonderful SHAY at 'Quilting in my Pyjamas' for Favourite Thing Friday. My favourite today is a cross stitch I worked many years ago when I first started quilting and I just loved the verse at the bottom. I think I still feel the same way about stitching and quilting.

It brings together so many wonderful women in a circle of friendship that sometimes starts simply by the utterance of the words "Oh are you a quilter, so am I." So to all my "Favourite Stitching Sisters" I say thanks!
I am off to pop the kettle on and arrange the Tim Tams artistically on a plate as my blogging friend Maree is

This beautiful graphic is from "The Graphic Fairy"

coming for a cuppa and a chat.
"Whatever you do make sure you do it with all your own magnificent style"
Have a great weekend all,
Blessings Michelle xx

Just Because.

Good Morning all. As my blog is also a way of journalling for me I wanted to have a record of some of the beautiful plants in my garden who despite having the unfortunate luck to reside in a try hard (very hard) gardeners garden survive and reward my neglect with startling displays of gorgeousness. It truly makes me believe in a power higher than myself.....'cos somebody's taken care of them and it ain't me. A shocking admission I know. Not much sewing been happening here....too many  boring domesticso.....like a new washing machine as my old one is shuddering an sighing and saying "it's over".

So as they say -
"The Earth Really does Smile in Flowers"
Blessings Michelle x

In in the post!

Gifts for Margaret for our "Friends" swap.

Just a quick post today. I have been in KHRIS 'S  "Friends" swap  from Sew Prim Khris in which you send 7 gifts beginning with the letters of the word "Friends" My partner was the lovely MARGARET from Cosmos and Chrysanthemums. I have sent it off with the trusty 'postie' this morning and hope Margaret enjoys it all. I had such a lovely time doing this swap. So a big thanks to Khris for organising it for us all and a big thanks to Margaret for being my partner. I am not going to show what I sent unwrapped as I would like Margaret to see it all first as it's her pressie after all. I have a photo of all the parcels ready to go.
Hope You like it Margaret!
Blessings,
Michelle xx

Tuesday's Treasure with Melody and September Giveaway winners.

Good morning everyone! It's Tuesday again a favourite of mine as I get to visit MELODY'S lovely blog to see what  Treasures she and all of you are sharing today. Go for a visit you'll love it.
Today my Treasure is my love of "Buttons". I can't resist an old button especially. I have loved them for as long as I can remember. My first memory of buttons was playing in my Nanna's old button tin. I love them all the sweet little pearl ones, glass ones, bakelite ones, vintage, antique, handpainted and ceramic.

Button, buttons and more buttons!

I love them huge down to teeny tiny and all the sizes in between.
I love to see them in jars and tins, on quilts and cushions and lovely items of clothing, on handmade cards and I cannot resist a cute Christmas button. The list goes on. For such a simple little thing I think "Buttons" have gone beyond their humble beginnings and some now are works of art....So! Here's to the humble "Button".
What's your Treasure today? What or who do you love?


Antique and glass ones



Vintage buttons.

Lovely Mother of Pearl buttons on my quilt.

September Winners:
First prize winner is Rosalie (Briar Rose) from Village Quilters and the 2nd draw winner is Donna from Donna's Lavender Nest. Your gifties will be winging there way to you soon. Congratulations!
I just want to say thank you to everyone who joins in on my giveaways. I get as much pleasure from doing them as I hope the winners get from receiving their little wins.
A little favorite of mine:
"A candle's light does not dim when other candles are lit from it's flame"
So share your special light (you do have it you know) with all who come to you.
Blessings Michelle xx

Temptation!

Santa has come once again via the postie all the way from WA and my lovely bag from Tarnyia my swap partner is gettin quite full and heavy....oh the temptation is getting so bad I have to immediately dispose of said pressie in the tote bag....can't even caress it as I know it will lead to my undoing!!!!!!
To all of you who aided and abetted me into beginning my new project I am pleased to annouce we won...I succumbed and it is begun....so a sneaky peeky is in order.

My Favourite Friday post is the previous one as I had to post yesterday.
I wish you a great weekend and hope you get to do somehting you love.
Blessings and Happy Stitching,
Michelle xx

Favourite things Friday on Thursday

I am posting early for SHAYS "Favourite Thing Friday" as No 1 Husband is working from home tomorrow and that means no 'puter for me til later in the day. Sooooo! My FTF this week is being able to take up residence for brekky on my little front verandah in the morning sun and wax lyrical about it. So here goes...
"Breakfast with the Lorikeets"
This morning I felt I had the best seat in the house.
Sitting on my verandah amongst the weeping red Bottlebrush tree in suburbia.
It's a tiny verandah with room for a tiny table and 2 chairs. I love having my breakfast here.
Today as I sat writing in my journal and enjoying my coffee I was joined by several 'Rainbow Lorikeets'
which are abundant in my area sampling the nectar from the vibrant red bottlebrushes for breakfast.
Delicately they work their way up and down the branches to get to the blossoms.
They remind me of 'expert' tightrope walkers, at home so far above the ground. Hanging upside down, beaks in blossoms they call and chatter noisily to each other. Their colourful plumage is magnificent.
I even witness the antics of a trysting couple. "He is trying to impress "her" with his funky little lorikeet dance. She turns away unimpressed and he tries again and again. Another watches on as if to say "wish they'd get a room" or at least another branch!It makes me laugh out loud.
A wattlebird with it's exquisite blue head lands gently on a nearby branch. I'm given the once over. Obvisiously I'm no threat so on goes the serious business of gathering honey from the blossoms as well.
This ordinary morning is one to remember and seeks to remind me how priviledged I was to encounter the beauty of nature when the "Lorikeets came to Breakfast"

Coffee in my favourite cup and my Journal

One of my cheeky visitors!

 I thought I would keep with the theme of "beautiful birds' and so have added a link to view one of my really big favourites and that is the very beautiful EVA CASSIDY singing "Songbird". Eva now sings amongst the stars and we only have her beautiful voice to remind us of a great talent lost.                                             <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AFFo1pu4q7Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Blessings Michelle xx

A thing of Beauty

Good morning all, I visited my Friend Lorel yesterday for our stitching day. We were a bit light on the ground as several of us are off kicking up our heels on holiday in this great land of ours and some were unwell. We still managed to talk lots and stitch little. I wanted to share with you a photo of an orchid that Lorels husband has grown. It had 4 flower spikes on it, each about 3 foot long and covered with exquisite blooms of a dusty pink. It was absolutely a stunner. I hope you enjoy seeing it as I did.

Isn't it gorgeous!

The other thing I wanted to share was Block number 6 in "Country Garden". I am over the halfway hump now although I haven't felt like doing much of it lately plus I have drawn another project which won't leave me alone and I am itching to start it. I often wonder what it would be like to be an organized and disciplined person instead of  this mad chaotic and very "undisciplined" crazy woman that is me! My Mum says I have always been like it with something creative or dreamy  easily steering me completely off task.
Anyway I wish all of you a myriad of wonderful daydreams to keep your spirit company.

Happy Sttiching,

Blessings Michelle xx

Tuesday's Treasure with Melody

Good Morning Everyone! I am up out of bed for the 2nd day in a row and very pleased about it too. Thank you everyone for your kind get well wishes. I love Tuesdays because I get to visit the lovely MELODY for "Tuesdays Treasure" where we can share experiences, places, people and things we 'treasure' or read about other peoples treasures. Come join in.
My Treasure today is 2 dollies. One is very old and one was made to look very old.

The first was given to my husband as a baby by his Grandmother and was bought on a trip to Melbourne. It was a 'boy' doll and had a blue suit on it. When my MIL gave it to me it was in terrible condition and the clothes were not able to be salvaged. I cleaned him up and my friend Ann's Mum June crocheted a beautiful outfit in silk thread for him....only she didn't know it was a him as I omitted to tell her and she had embroidered the sweetest pink bullion roses on the dress, bonnett and bootees. So I had a word to him and as I had rescued him he told me he was quite prepared to wear a 'girls' dress.This doll is only small about 9 inches and has blinking eyes which still work. I have had to take ownership of this little doll as my husband can't get his head around the fact they bought him a 'doll' at all! Which makes me laugh as this is a man who loves ' football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden racing cars' as the song says. I love the connection to my husband and my friends Mum who did such a beautiful job of the new clothes.
The second doll is called an "Attic Doll" and was given to me by my friend when she moved house.
She has the most beautiful painted face and her clothes are made from all manner of 'vintage items'. I love her bonnet with the felt flowers and netting upon it and the pearls emboidered on her clothing in a random manner. I could honestly say I had long coveted this doll and would always sneak a look and a pick her up when visiting my friend and  so could not believe it when she made a gift of her to me when she moved.
I'm sorry but I don't know who the artist is or much about her as she doesn't have any labels on her.
She has a cloth body but her hands and feet and face are ceramic. She's very "picnic at hanging rock" looking and I just love her.
So these are my 2 dolly treasures today.

Lastly I Know that many others have posted about "Homespun" magazine being available by digital subscription. I have only just got to Catherine's email so I am late with the news. This will be wonderful news for all of you stitchers overseas and in rural areas or for those of you dedicated onliners  To do so you can go to http://www.zinio.com/ Sorry I am behind in letting you know.
Blessings Michelle xx

I think I shall live and "Nice" really does Matter!

Well some of you may have noticed I have been missing in action. It seems a very nasty virus "bushwacked" me  as we say downunder and gave me a throat full of razor blades for 5 days, no voice (can you imagine ME not being able to talk) and a bark like a drovers dog. I don't remember the last time I took to my bed through illness but I did with this. Husband knew I was truly ill when I didn't respond to his "you've got lots of emails here!"There were some funny moments though......like instructions from a mute person to a husband who is deaf!!!  Told to "sing out if you need anything" Derr! Getting in to trouble for not eating all my dinner that he had so thoughtfully cooked ....and the fact that it wouldn't go past the razor blades just didn't hold up in court. I am pleased to say I am at least on my feet and I at least have a 'croak' with which to converse and anyone who knows me knows I don't give up the 'gift of the gab' easily. I had been feeling so good about not sucumbing to any of the bugs going around. "Smugness" does not pay off!
While I was feeling so dreadful Husband bought the mail in and gave me a parcel addressed to me. Inside it was wrapped in pristine white tissue with a gorgeous card attached which said "Just because" the nicest words from the very kind and thoughtful FIONA from bubzrugz. Inside the tissue were two beautiful vintage dish cloths with Apples (one of my favourites) appliqued on them. They are gorgeous and will only be used for the "good" dishes. Fiona's act of kindness cheered me up considerably when I felt so awful...she is such a sweetie. So I think Kindness & Niceness should never be undervalued...they matter so much!

Thanks so much Fiona.
In the early days of my blog I gave some sneak peeks of a quilt I was working on for Country Threads Magazine and it has now been published so I thought I would give you a look see at how it turned out. It's called "Heartspun" and is in Vol 12 No 3. It even made it to the cover. Just chuffed not boasting!

It is good to be back and missed reading all your blogs and finding out what everyone has been up to.
Blessings Michelle xx

Tuesday's Treasure with Melody and September Giveaway.

Today I am sharing my little collection of "Apples". I have no clue where the desire for this little collection started...maybe it's because I love red or it reminds me of the country or maybe it's because I adore 'apple jelly jam'. I do know I love them though. There are wooden ones, vintage china ones, fabric ones, a beautiful ceramic one..a recent birthday gift and lots of apple themed things...I even have an 'apple themed quilt'.
So here is to the humble "Apple" a true beauty of nature who shares it's treasures with us in so many ways.

To see what other Treasures are being shared today be sure to visit MELODY  and while you are there be sure to congratulate MELODY on her recent 400th post. You will enjoy visiting her wonderful blog.

SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY
My giveaway this month is a celebration of 'Cupcakes & Roses'.
I have my 'Sweet Cupcake' tote bag pattern, some gorgeous rose buttons and cupcake buttons from my friend  TRACEY from Rose Petals Past and some soft  pretty 'rosey' fabric. I will have a 2nd draw of my 'Cherry Cupcake Angel' cushion pattern. (I know I've had it before but I like her)
If you would like to be in the draw for this giveaway simply leave me a comment. I shall draw the winners next Tuesday on the 20/09/11. Good Luck!

September Giveaway

"Hang with the Happy"
Absorb the happiness that others enjoy; spend more time with happy people
and you will discover that 'Happiness'  is catching.
By Paul Wilson from his little book "Moments of Pleasure"
Blessings Michelle xx

Riverfire 2011

Beautiful sculpture lit from within at the top of town amongst excited crowds looking for a good spot to view the fireworks.

In September each year the Brisbane Festival begins with a spectacular fireworks display out over the Brisbane River called "Riverfire". It is a wonderful sight to see. The company my husband works for owns a highrise building on the riverfront and hosted a draw for interested staff members to have a vantage point in the building to view "Riverfire" and he won a spot. So we took our eldest grandson and his parents into the city by train. Grandson loved the train ride (being a huge fan of Thomas ). It was truly awesome from the 33rd  floor through ceiling to almost floor windows. I took lots of photos but most a bit of a blur these were the best of them and really doesn't do the whole experience justice of course.

A Snack  and making ourself comfortable before the action starts

Spectacular beginning

The view from our vantage point. It is incredible to think all the area on the right bank of the river was flooded 6 months ago. I love our "Southbank Parklands" and so glad to see them getting back to their former glory.

Cool & Awesome were the words used by our Grandson...we agree!

Stupendous Finale!

It was on my bucket list to see Riverfire from on high and now I have. It was just wonderful and it makes me proud to be a Brisbaneite. Love our City.
Thanks Grampy for having the lucky ticket too!
Blessings Michelle xx