Wrong place, wrong time....

 The cat, that is. Gee she screamed and made me ruin some stitching I was doing..

 on these bags (can be found here), I really hate unpicking!

Poor cat though, she has a big chunk out of her tail.

In other news, I've had a new do.

(and I fiddled around with the gadgets on Picassa, this one is the 60's option)

Loving it.

Kathryn. xx

Dala horse

Our Shabby Cottage version of a Swedish Dala Horse.....

Take 1.

 Take 2.

More available soon in my Etsy shop here.

Kathryn. XX

I must, I must, I must increase.....

.....my productivity!!!

Sorry to disappoint, I know it doesn't rhyme.

I, like so many others I know, have an ever increasing stash of fabrics, laces, trims, buttons, ribbons, pom poms, zips etc.. etc...

It is time to try and start getting rid of some of it.....Why? So I can buy more, of course, without feeling too guilty!!

Anyway, I thought I'd round out "the week that was" with another mosaic (are you getting tired of them yet? Picassa makes it so easy.)

Here are some little snippets of what I have been making this week, plus a few little UFO's.

The floral fabric on the bottom right is some that I bought last year from Susan at Urbangardens. I bought enough to make some Roman Blinds for the new kitchen....still deciding on that one.

I have so many schemes running through my mind for the new house. Usually, I am so good at making decisions, once I make up my mind I stick to it....So, I must make up my mind.

Oh, the pressure!!!

Have a lovely weekend everyone, Kathryn. XX

Just in the nick of time.....

This little cutie arrived yesterday just in time for me to organise all the provisions for the quilt I am making this weekend at the quilting retreat. I was amazed it arrived so quickly from the USA. I ordered it (from here on sale for $16 US!) on Thursday and it arrived on Tuesday. How incredible is that! It is from the Moda Bake Shop by April Cornell and the fabric is called Spring Magic. I think it will be lovely in the "Triple Irish Flower Quilt" I have planned. Lots of pretty pinks and greens and, of course, roses.
This is another quilt on the go from the "Darla" range of fabrics by Tanya Wheelan. I love the brighter pallet of these fabrics.
And here is the Stacked Coins Quilt, I started ages ago from my scraps, pinned and ready to be quilted on the weekend.
And here is something actually finished and in the Etsy shop now....The Princess Cushion- Rose.
I have so many things planned for the weekend, I hope I can get at least one thing finished to show you....in between the laughing, talking and carrying on I expect to be going on....
2 more sleeps....
Kathryn. XX

Real Estate Agents.....

I have been working like a crazy lady lately trying to get our place looking spick and span and ship shape for a few real estate agents who have come, and are coming, in the next day or two.

It is such an awful feeling knowing that agents are wandering around one's home making decisions that will affect you so much financially.

It can either make your day or break it, obviously based on the market "today".

Because, as we all know, the market is totally different this week compared to last week isn't it? Didn't you know that?

Well, I found that out this morning when two local agents came and valued our home. Now, whilst they were extremely professional and honest (is that possible in a real estate agent?) I still couldn't help that feeling of....sales talk.

Oh well, it has to be done and I will go through it all again tomorrow. In between cleaning and tidying I have managed some sewing.....(purely for my own sanity)

These will be added to the website and Esty soon....

once I have had time to sit with a cup of tea and relax....

which probably won't happen for another few days......

And I have the niggle of a headache coming on...great.

(popping pills as I type...gulp - good excuse to sit and do nothing for the afternoon?)
See you in a few days, Kathryn. XX

I saw RED....

As my Kris Kringle present this year, I received a voucher for Spotlight.

I thought it was great and I would have no trouble spending it. I was wrong. I decided to buy something for the new house (which incidently is beginning in a few weeks, YIPPEE!!). So, I mooched around for ages in this vast store and came across a great red coffee canister.

OK, that was half spent...then I spied some really great red cherry oven mitts. Done!!!!

Got home, snipped the tags off and took them for their first test run. OUCH! (Red again)

They were DUDS and were NOT heat resistant. I learnt the hard way...

So, off I toddled back to Spolight, with receipt in hand, and I was duly given a refund, which I then spent on a matching red tea canister...which I probably should have done in the first place....

Anyway, with no oven mitts now, I dedided to make my own..(with insul bright by the way!!) in this gorgeous Cath Kidston "Classic Rose" cotton Duck fabric in red.

Isn't it wonderful! They do work and they are heat resistant!!With the scraps I made some red fridge magnets....
Here are the red coffee and tea canisters...
...and the red cake tin to match, which I bought ages ago last year from Spotlight too.
The tin on the left is from Big W and I found it just before Christmas. I loved it straight away because it reminds me of Copenhagen.
Oh, and it has chocolate chip biscuits inside, another bonus!!
I love red in the Kitchen, do you?
Kathryn. XX

Frantic!!!

Crickey, it was crazy here today.

As soon as I walked in the door, after dropping the two munchkins off at school, I received a phone call from a friend who lives around the corner. She was in a right state because she had locked herself out of their garage and couldn't get her two boys to school, or herself to work!

So........

I raced around, picked them up, took them all to school/work then had to go up to the University to watch master 7 at swimming. Then it was home to finish off some faces for some more Pussikins, which were on order, and some dolls, sewed up the Pussikins and two more dolls, listed them all on Etsy, picked the kids back up again, made dinner, now here I am absolutely exhausted!!!!

In between all of these orders that have been happening lately I have been desperately trying to finish off a baby gift for a lovely little girl who was born to some friends of ours in Seattle. I decided to make her a mini quilt with her name on it.....

The fabric in the Pussikins on the left had to be purchased in a hurry yesterday afternoon.

I had an order from a lady who really liked this fabric but I hadn't any left.

So, a quick email to Ballarat Patchwork and the lovely Emma emailed back to say they still had some of it!

Ok, panic over..

Whilst at the Patchwork shop, I noticed they had 20% off at the moment so these lovely fabrics came home with me too..... and turned into this....

Annika is in my Etsy shop now....

And so is Maria!
FEW!

I'm off to have my dinner and then do.....NOTHING!!!!!

Kathryn. XX

"Sis Boom", "Liberty" and "Cath Kidston"

One of my friends turned 40 a few weeks ago and I have been meaning to make a bag for her for ages. She has long admired my bags so I thought this would be a great present for her birthday. Now, that was 3 weeks ago......

I have finally finsihed the bag and it is ready to go to a new home. I hope she likes it.

The fabric is "Nicole" in chocolate by Jennifer Paganelli of "Sis Boom".

It has a magnetic closure and the inside is a wild pink!

I love it when I hear the posties' motorbike on his way up the hill. More often than not I receive a parcel from somewhere! The lady at my local post office must think I am a shopaholic!! Well, a fabricaholic at least! This little stash came from France from an ebay seller (Fuchsia's Fabrics) and includes some beautiful Liberty fabric.

Now, this has got to be one of my favourite Cath Kidston cotton duck fabrics.

(Faded Flowers Plaster Pink)

It arrived yesterday, too, from "Lavender-fields" in the UK.

The colours are beautiful and I am having a wonderful time just looking at it.
I was dreaming of it last night as I was trying to go to sleep. I wonder what I will end up making with it...if I dare to chop it up!
Kathryn.