Can You Smell The Roses?

It's been awhile since I've had some roses to share. I noticed these three getting ready to bloom and will keep a close eye on them.


Their scent is devine. Mum's favourite, the Double Delight.



Must be their last flourish before the chill takes over.



I'd be interested to know when others prune your roses?

I really must take more care of them, these have grown themsevles pretty much.

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The mailman brought my Christmas in July parcel today so now I must put it aside until July. Thankfully that's not to far away.

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Even closer is Mrs Martin's Quilt Shop - Cyber Stitching Day . . . . tomorrow! And I haven't even peaked in the parcel yet, although I am soooo tempted to take a look tonight to see what delights I'm in for tomorrow.

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To top it all off, I'm on two weeks holidays for the school break . . . . Yipee! Happy Sewing times ahead.

Enjoy your weekend.

Designer Blog Hop

Feel like having a Hopping Good Time! Then hop yourself over to Gudrun's blog to see what it's all about.

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10 Blogging Designers . . . free demos or patterns . . . giveaways . . . what more can you ask for?

Sneak Peak Time

Here they are, a couple of peaks at some of the goodies for my Christmas in July Swap.

Now to wrap and post.

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We woke to rain on the roof this morning and it hasn't let up. Just nice steady rain, although I did still have some washing on the line from yesterday, but I don't mind a bit. A great day for some sewing ... or I could get ahead on some bookwork ... mmm?

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I'll leave you with two photos of my mother's Zygo Cacti. She has six different colours in total but these two had the nicest blooms.

Happy Sewing

Nothing to Show ... Yet

Another week at full speed. Today I'm trying to finish off some secret goodies for swaps.
Hopefully I'll have some sneak peaks to share.

I've also had a quick look around Mandie's place and had a play with a couple of freebies. Now back to those finishes.

Just Checking In

I can't believe 12 days of June have almost been and gone, and I haven't had a chance to do a post!

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Still I have nothing to share. Life, cold weather, flat camera batteries and back pain have all joined together to keep my hands tied, so to speak. I have managed to keep working on a couple of things for swaps so these I can't really share till after they arrive.

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So to my swap partners, if you're hoping for sneak peaks, know that I am working away on your goodies. Yummy treats will be left until the very last moment so that I don't have to keep replacing them after giving in to temptation.

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I'm also excitedly awaiting my package for the Cyber Stitching with Mrs Martin's Quilt Shop. Not sure yet if I'll be able to leave it unopened until stitching time or not ... we'll see.

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Just to add some photo content, here is my brother's Moonlight Cactus, taken just as the sun was rising.

Hope everyone is finding a little 'me time'.

Wonky House 4 and May

With the power off for a little while this morning, there was nothing to do but finish this off ... my Wonky House #4.
They've been so much fun to do and we have Jenny to thank for her creativity and sharing the designs. I've now trimmed the four and have chosen a different fabric to border each house. Then I'll think about the next step.
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Yesterday I was very pleased with myself. I managed to sew all the May strips together for my Calendar Quilt and ... still have one day of May to spare. Neither April or May's fabrics came from my stash ... to find out more you might like to click on the logo on my sidebar.

I also have a plan for the fabric for June, but you'll have to wait till the end of June for those.

Happy Sewing

Perfect PIF

Now it's time for some show and tell fun.
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Wednesday's mail also brought me a parcel notification slip. Now I knew that Robyn had posted her PIF gift to me so I just had to get my hands on that parcel, quick smart.

I had heaps of fun just opening and photographing so hope you enjoy the retell.
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Pretty rose paper and pink ribbon.

Ok, now some red cellophane and pretty butterfly stickers.

Ooooh, there's more.


Ready?
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Ta Da!!!

The most beautiful rose fabric bag, impeccably made. A pocket on the outside and two pockets inside. I've already tried out my mobile phone and glasses... perfect fit.
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Here's a close up of the gorgeous fabric with a loop/button closure at the top.

I can't thank Robyn enough for the joy she has given me. And to top it off, not only this fine rose mug for me to enjoy my coffee, but a few little extras were wrapped and hidden inside the bag.

Robyn, that little red tin will be perfect for my hexagon papers, it's almost empty.

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Now it's my turn to Pay It Forward ... so to Vivian, Sarita and Kelly-Jo . . . I'm working on it.

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If you've been tempted to join someone's PIF and haven't yet, I highly recommend it. Not only is it wonderful to receive your gift, but it's a lovely feeling to make someone else happy too.

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Have a lovely weekend.

Happy Houses Home!

Look what the mailman brought me on Wednesday... my Happy Houses Swap organized by the lovely Lurline, thankyou.
They're all so sweet and have been made by Lynda, Chookyblue, Julie, Mistea, Cathy, Peg
and Toni (your address isn't working for me). I was also happy to see two of mine do a return trip...it was hard to let them go the first time.
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If the purple house is yours, I'd love to know.


So now for a play with them and some ideas for joining. Looking forward to see what others do with their houses.
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Getting up early is hard to do, but it does have it's benefits. Like this beautiful sunrise I snapped yesterday morning.


Again about half an hour later. The sun was up before me this morning ... well it is the weekend.

I also had another lovely surprise arrive in the mail this week, come back later for show and tell.

Sunday Sewing Update #3 (the last)

Finally I was able to upload the updated version of the Christmas Postcard I made on Sunday. If you check back, you'll see I added some fabric paint to the star, heart and pot.

I also managed to make a start on Wonky House #4, it's soooo sweet. Days like Sunday don't come along too often so I like to make the most of them.
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Kerry's had a face lift to go with her celebrations, so go over and check it out ... time is running out.
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Winter is just around the corner, I can feel it sneaking in around my toes.

Sunday Sewing Update #2

Back with a hiccup. DH arrived home early so that slowed my progress down a little.
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These are the strips for the month of April. I know ... May is almost over ... but I have those strips cut and layed out ready for sewing, just ran out of time. It may be simple straight sewing, but I need to go slowly so that my 1/4 inch seams remain 1/4 inch.

The hiccup is ... I'm having trouble uploading the revised Christmas Postcard so I'll try again later.
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Needless to say, I've had a lovely day, inside away from the horrible wind. Hope everyone else had an enjoyable weekend, however you spent it.

Sunday Sewing Update #1

This morning I've been busy ironing, measuring, cutting, laying out and designing.
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Then it was lunch time. And a spot of TV, I like to watch 'Landline' if I'm in the house. Now on to the sewing machine. So far I've finished off these three fabric postcards.
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Red Work or Stitchery is the theme for our May Postcard Swap so I combined the two. This design is a Cinderberry Stitches by Natalie Lymer.


Secondly a Birthday Postcard for DD's housemate.


This one is for a Christmas in July Swap. While the photos have been loading (slowly) I've added some fabric paint so will update again later.

The sewing machine is calling.

Me Time

It's 6.30am ... breakfast is over and the dishes are done ... lunches are cut and the family have gone working for the day ... what's a girl to do.
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Jump on the computer of course.
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I had the loveliest day out yesterday. Only your best buddy would pick you up off the side of the road just as the sun was rising, to have you visit for the day. What was I doing on the side of the road? DH dropped me off on his way past and Kerry drove out to pick me up and the sun was just rising over the mountain.
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We had a great day... out for morning tea and lunch ... viewed many quilts and patchwork items ... and then home for some stitchery and fabric cutting. Thanks Kerry, I really enjoyed the day.
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So now I have the whole day ahead of me and I intend to make the most of it ... patchworking. I have several items on my agenda, some with deadlines and some ongoing, so I'm off.
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Coffee first, lol. Maybe another post later today with progress photos, who knows.