Santa Express from WA

Santa came express all the way across the country to deliver my Angels and Mortals 6 Items of Christmas. My Angel was the lovely Tarnyia We have been swappies before and it has been lovely to get to know Tarnyia...

Inside my parcel was all this loveliness...

Something to yummy to eat.....

Something that smells nice, a beautiful candle with Ylang Ylang essence...devine!

Something jingley to hang on the Christmas tree...

Something for the sewing room....beautiful fabrics. Don't you just love the possibilities of new fabrics!!!

Something to read....yummy recipes!

And my Something for under the tree is already there and I will admit to a squeeze or three...

Thank you so much Tarnyia for spoiling me and I will try and be good and ignore that pretty package.
I also received a very sweet vintage Christmas tree ornie from my lovely friend Teresa...isn't it just lovely?

Thank you so much Teresa...it is very happy on my tree.
That is it from me. We had a Family Christening today so we are a bit weary. I shall post about it next time.
Blessings Michelle xxx

Christmas Lunch With the Girls

Yesterday I had lunch with my stitching friends to celebrate Christmas. Our gorgeous Jacky once again opened her home to us. Our table was decorated beautifully. Everyone outdid themselves in the food department and we once again had a very delicious repast that involved cheesecake, cherry dessert and chocolates of course (thanks Lorel)....and no dinner was eaten last night by yours truly!
Lots of gifts were exchanged.....

A lovely handmade heart decoration from Lorel.

My secret Santa was Gaye. Gaye doesn't do a lot of stitching and so always creates the loveliest gifts.
She knows I have a passion for pink carnations as they were my Grandmother's favourites and presented me with these gorgeous beauties (they are huge by the way) Can you see the lovely vintage card on the right? In it she has written the most beautiful quote about a Christmas friend...

Gaye also shares with me a love of pretty china and knows I collect handmade milk jug covers...so look what came out of this gorgeous box.

Beautiful!!! How lucky am I! Gaye's other gift is that she never forgets what is closest to your heart and helps you celebrate it in the nicest way. I am truly blessed to have these wonderful women in my life.
Speaking of wonderful women, my lovely friend up the "Mountain" Fiona sent me one of her very sweet little quilted stocking. It is very happy gracing my tree with it's presence.

In the stitching department I have begun working on one of my projects for the new year. Want to see a sneaky???

My dear friend Diane had been requesting a Baby/Children's Alphabet for some time now and so I have obliged and hopefully after Christmas it will be in pattern form all the drawings are done and I just need to do up a little sample to see how it looks stitched.

So keep yours eyes peeled for this one if you are a Nana or know and love some little people.
I hope you are all enjoying your day whatever you may be doing.
Blessings Michelle xxx

Exciting News & FNWF

I have some exciting news...well I think it is exciting...for all those lovely people in the USA who like my designs and often enquire as to where they can get them in their country.
Well the very lovely Corinna from...

really likes my designs and is stocking some of my patterns. Woo Hoo! Corinna has a lovely on-line shop and you can visit by clicking on her very cute button which you will find on my sidebar.
I have to say a great big thank you firstly to fellow blogger and lovely lady Karen  from Sunburnt Quilts who liked my designs enough to take several as a gift when she met the fellow blogger and quilter extraordinare Pauline aka Quilt'n'Queen on a holiday to the US. This in turn led to Pauline loving them and then championing my cause with her lovely friend Corinna. Viola!!! Thank you so much lovely ladies you are all wonderful \o/ Hope this makes all my US friends very happy as it does me.

Phew! Now! FNWF. I had a very nice evening and was happy with my stitching. Mr R. cooked (went out for chinese takeaway) So that gave me a good start. I managed to get the wrought iron on my roof and a little bit of embroidered gardening as well.

So all in all a good night. Thank you to Cheryll for enabling us all to come together in the spirit of freindship and stitching this year. I have a few chore to attend to and then I am popping around to see what all my  friends got up to last evening.
Well the Christmas Tree is up and decorated which always makes me happy as there is so much of my friends and family represented in the ornaments that grace it. I am afraid as we place it in front of wall to ceiling coloured glass panels it is a bit hard to get the whole lovely effect but I am sure you get the idea.

Before I go I just wanted to mention that I have been getting a lot of really lovely comments from folks who unfortunately are non-reply bloggers. I endeavour to answer and thank every comment left so if I have not responded this is the reason why. I would hate to think you thought I did not appreciate each and everyone. I am putting a link HERE Chooky has a wonderful blog and at the top near her header you will see "How to...Blog Bits" where she explains so wonderfully how to change your setting so you can be responded too.
Have a lovely weekend everyone.
Blessings Michelle xxx

FNWF & A Tiny Oops!!!

It has been bought to my attention that there has been a bit of an "oops!" in my pattern for my needlebook design of "Let's Stitch" . The circle for the felt needle holder had slipped out of the folder when I was at the printer....

So....if you have purchased this pattern or received it as a gift from me please contact me with your addy and I will post you the little circle drawing or if you wish to draw the circle yourself, the diameter of the circle is
2 1/2 inches. I do apologise for this but sometimes no matter how much you read, edit and check mistakes are made....so big sorries!

Tonight I am joining my other blogging friends for our last FNWF for the year. Our lovely hostess is Cheryll
Thank you Cheryll for having us at your place this year.
Now! What will I be working on??? I thought perhaps I would do some more work on my cottage...

or perhaps a few stitches in one of my new 'secret' projects. I shall look forward to seeing what everyone gets up to. It is so nice to know friends all over Australia and beyond are sitting in their homes stitching along with you. So be there or be square!
I cannot end this post without mentioning the passing of Nelson Mandela. A wonderful instrument of peace in his own country and an inspiration throughout the world.

I for one admired him immensely. Found great inspiration in his writings. Rest in Peace Madiba.
Blessings Michelle xxx

Very Kind Elves

I have had two very kind Elves pop some lovely gifts in my Christmas stocking.The first little Elf, our own very lovely "Swap Mama" Cheryll from Gone Stitchin' thought of me when she was on her holiday to China and knowing how much I love Bookmarks had one made with my name on it and translated according to Chinese and it turns out "I live my life to make a lot of good memories". How cool is that. There is also a gorgeous mother of pearl Korean Book mark....so pretty. Definitely two for my collection. Cheryll also made me 6 lovely Christmas coasters with a personal bloggy message from her blog to mine. Thank you so much Cheryll.

The other lovely little Elf is Joy from Joyful Stitching who has been an avid stitcher of my designs for a very long time now. Joy is also the most kind and generous lady. Joy has made the sweetest mug rug. She has cross-stitched the cutest reindeer with gorgeous little robins on his antlers and also a beautiful cross-stitched card with a mail box and matching little robin....just beautiful. Thank you Joy.

Both you ladies made my day with your generosity and kindness....big hugs to you both (((((0)))))

A very warm day here today in the Sunshine State. So lots of cool drinks and maybe even a dip with my lizardy dragony friend. Although he seems to have vanished as quickly as he arrived.
I also have all these bits and pieces to trace out....

and get prepared to stitch. Looks like ready or not you are all going to get another healthy dose of projects from the old "Rag-tag Stitchin'" in 2014. Ohhh! I love new designs and the excitement of getting them on to the fabric to see them come to life in thread! I thought if I prepare it all now I can quietly do a little stitching over the holiday season when I feel like it. I think perhaps I am a little bit obsessed. Thank Goodness!!!
Enjoy your day.

Blessings Michelle xxx

Remember these little puds???

Well they are now making their way to their new owners for Christmas...the Santa hat now lives on my tree due to some technical "elf design" difficulties.....a revised prototype is required! Maybe the Elves will get it right for next Christmas...tee hee!
Now! How is this for a cute little elf? In Nana's dress too I might add. This is our youngest GD.

When my eldest Granddaughter was born she was one of the first births at Greenslopes Private Hospital Maternity Unit after it opened this year. They have bought out a lovely Christmas card featuring 80 of these babies born this year. Our sweet girl is 2nd row down...4th from the left! Just had to share.

As you can see all proceeds are going to a wonderful cause....changing the lives of children with autism, one that touches our family personally!
You can go Here if you wish to order some.
That's it from yours truly for today.

Blessings Michelle xxx

A Little Christmas Reading

December is finally here and heralds all things "Christmas". My favourite kind of designing and stitching as you all know. I love a festive gingie, frosty or a very cute reindeer and all things handmade and homespun. I of course believe that  Peace & Love and time spent with loved ones are the underpinnings of our Festive Season and are for me the "headliners" so to speak. These things sometimes get lost amongst the craziness of shopping and all manner of actitvities that bring our year to a close. I hope you can all take a calming breath amongst it all for yourselves. I am taking my own advice and have been having a little down time with a bit of reading (bought about I might add by a little bug that made me feel quite ordinary) Feeling a lot better now!!!
Ages ago my friend Ann gave me a book The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder. Every year I say I will read it and it hasn't happened until now. Each chapter is set out as a date on an advent calendar opened by a little boy who discovers an old faded advent calendar in a book shop which unfolds a mystery. I am reading a chapter each day (they are quite small) on the matching day.

The other book is The Christmas Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini which I sped read a while go. So I have decided to read it again and this time savour it the way a book is meant to be read. Do you have some Christmas reading in mind as well?
I don't have any stitching to show you at the moment as it is all "secret squirrel" stuff for next year. I think you will however like what I have been up to. I have also been doing a lot of drawing which is my "place" that I go to when I need peace and quiet....so...lots of new ideas down on paper.
That's it from me today....some domestic goddess duties await.
A little saying I think rings true.....
"If you can't find Christmas in your Heart, you won't find it wrapped under a Christmas Tree"

Blessings Michelle xxx