Hello folks, 2 posts in the one month....my goodness! I thought the fact that my husband and I celebrated our golden anniversary this month was cause to mark the occassion. As he wasn't allowed real bubbles we swapped for some ginger beer in our best crystal glasses and his request.....Belgian chocolate cake with fancy plates and serviettes. 

It seems like yesterday that this was us.....

But so blessed we got to celebrate together although in a much simpler form than we had planned.....the photo above is my absolute favourite wedding photo of us.

Our littlest Granddaughter finally got to have her belated birthday party....due to covid, moving house Etc. Etc. Just had to share this phenomenal cake made by DD friend.....

Don't you just love how clever people are.....Miss E. Didn't quite know where to put the knife in to cut it lol!

As you can see she is a cat fan and celebrated at the Cat Cafe....with real furries and all things feline!

On the stitching front I have 3 more postcards to add to the pile....

The 3rd one has a little tale....you can see there is a rooster in the corner?? We were sightseeing all of the waterfalls in the area.....stopped at one called Elinjaa falls. We were then harrassed by a rooster in the carpark....it was hilarious.....nobody for miles....so just had to add him!

Here is our cranky mate and his girlfriend!

We did concede the falls were something to crow about lol!

Heartstrings is finally all hand quilted and bound ......

Label is on.....I used a sweet doiley gifted to me from friend Julie....and that's all I can show you until we reveal our little quilts for Sunday Stitchers! 

Augusts #tagroulettehannemade is done....

This month we revisted tags 9, 24 and 48.

No. 9 - A gift given. I used pearls and commerated our golden wedding anniversary....my dress was embellished with ribbon and pearls.

No. 24 - was tatting which you can see above.

No 48 - was sheath stitch....

Hope I have enough room for 4 more months....

My Rainbow Bee-eater is slowly progressing.

Lots more darks to go in......something I always have trouble being brave about!

As you know I am a proud member of the Queensland Wildlife Artists Society. Covid nearly saw us fold but some hard-working and dedicated members have kept us a float. It was decided before all the world went crazy we would update our name badges.

Mine arrived in the post last week.....love it!  Especially as it features my favourite bird the Pale-headed Rosella....

It means so much to me....not in an egotistical way.....to see ARTIST next to my name. It's all I ever wanted to be since childhood. When people asked me as a child what did I want to be when I grew up, it was always my answer! But never thought it possible because I only liked to draw and not particularly paint. And artists only painted so I thought....but here we are. Making art with coloured pencils. Makes my heart very happy. 

There is a saying "When the student is ready the teacher will appear" and that definitely happened to me.....you are never to old to see a dream come true.

Well enough of this high brow palaver....I have a busy day ahead.....organising a hospital visit for my hubby.

An art friend shared this with us and it gave me a giggle.....

You just need to know your colour wheel lol! Oops!

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

Hello August

 

Hello friends. Well I have added a page in my "older and wiser woman's book" since I posted last. The beautiful flowers are from my Daughter and family. I had a pretty quiet day as both children and their families were ill....one family really ill with covid, the other a nasty respiratory bug. So....what to do to celebrate? Eat cake with my beloved of course! Our favourite.....Belgian chocolate cake....so good!

I received lots of lovely messages and cards from friends.

Two gorgeous handmade gifts from dear friends too! Very spoilt! Friend Shez and my hubby always had a deal....to make me wait until the day to open my parcel with no squishy feels. I was determined to be good even though hubby couldn't keep me on the straight and narrow. In fact I was so good.....I forgot that I had it lol! So that was an extra surprise lol! Anyway.....inside..... a beautiful zippy pouch, gorgeous fabric and...um...there were chocolates! Not sure where they went. So pretty....

Thank you Shez xx

I was in awe of my friend Fiona's beautiful stitching on this gorgeous wallet for my Cottage Garden threads AND it came with 8 new threads.....

Even the back is beautiful.....quilted as only Fiona can! 

I quickly filled it up.....much, much nicer than the ratty old plastic container I stored them in!

Thank you my clever friend  I just love it xxx

What have I been stitching? Another Postcard has hit the pile!

This one bought back loads of great memories as I stitched it......big fat prawns from the Gulf of Carpentaria, blue salmon dinners from hubby's fishing trip, flocks of brolgas wading and fishing the billabongs. We experienced beautiful sunsets out over the Gulf. Met orphaned kangaroo joey Norman (named so because he was found around Normanton) at a Christmas in July dinner that left us stuffed to the gills, as the saying goes! Kurumba was one of those "let's just go" places that were part of our travels....and we were delighted we did! I hope you'll excuse my indulgence of a trip down memory lane....

My other little project was another framed hexie runner for my Daughter in law this time. Another Jocelyn Proust designed fabric.....

You may remember the New Zealand Tui bird I drew for the personal care nurse who took such wonderful care of my husband when he was at home. Well I finally got to give it to her last week and I am so pleased.....she loved it!

Deb is one of the loveliest and most caring  humans on this planet! We will be forever grateful that she walked through our front door! Her smile, wit and humour brightened many a dark day for both of us....

I should have mentioned this at the beginning but hey ho! The week before my birthday my Daughter and I had an early birthday outing. We went to see the movie Where the Crawdads Sing based on the book of the same name. I really wanted to see it but being a bookworm and loving the book so much I was concerned that I would be disappointed. Happily that wasn't the case and we both loved it! So we celebrated after with some book buying and a delicious afternoon tea.....

Such a lovely day out....it's been sooooo long!

Well my  friends I shall go before you're bored rigid.......

BTW.....wattles out......beautiful! 

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

July

 Good morning friends. I am sitting writing this to you all with beautiful Queensland winter sunshine streaming in through the window.....just how I prefer my winters!

Well the first day of this month saw my siblings and family say good bye to our dear Mum. It all happened so quickly as we thought she was doing well.

Even though you think you are ready, you never are. It was however a beautiful celebration of a life well lived. My Mum was a survivor. She was born just 2 lbs in the old money and my Nan used to say she thought she would never survive...but she did. She was a widow at just 24 years (my Dad) she recovered from stroke and breast cancer and made it to 89 and a half years old. The half was very important.

She was a stitcher, crocheter, porcelain painter and great cook and generous to a fault!

I now have Mums lovely little collection of china thimbles....some of which she painted.

Mum loved her family, a good yarn,  pink, cake and coffee, a flutter on the pokies, the tennis, beating the Poms at cricket, carnations and pansies....she once coerced me very nicely into cross stitching her these.....

I stitched them on some ridiculous sized aida cloth....that I could barely see....not to mention all the shading in these flowers. I am not a great cross stitcher....couldn't ever get the hang of linen. So it became a standing joke between us that I was getting this back as I nearly went blind stitching it.....and sadly I now have and will treasure it and all my memories. 

As I had to travel to be with family not a lot of sewing has been happening. 

Another Postcard....

And the beginnings of hexies for Bonheur de Jour....not much progress.

I've had lovely mail from across the seas....thanks ever so much Lin. Can you believe this is textile art? Beautiful xx

The artist is Kate Findlay...it's called "River Reflections " So very clever.

I have read a great book......about the stolen art by the Nazis in World War 2.

I have also finished my white magnolia and it has gone to live at my lovely Daughter in laws.

The cool weather has produced some pretty blue and pink evening skies....

And a little treasure has blossomed in my garden.

It's hard to rouse oneself from the sunshine but I must decide whether stitching July's Tag Roulette is on the agenda or getting my new art project ready for the good paper.....

If I can make this one halfway decent I shall be thrilled. It's a bad reference photo but hubby went to great lengths to capture this lightning fast little bird. So wish me luck.

Take care everyone.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx