Barossa Valley Weekend

My partner and I met on a flight interstate, so it's no surprise that we like to travel a bit. We've squeezed in quite a few little trips over the last few weeks, with last weekend being the Barossa Valley. 

The view from our hotel of the Adelaide Hills was pretty nice, and we enjoyed a lovely dinner with a few friends in town.

What a divine place to visit! So many wineries to visit, too many to cover in just one weekend. We joined a group of 23 others to chug around on a big bus and visit just a couple. First stop was Peter Lehmann and a tasting of several of their wines, from whites to reds to moscato. Their reds really hit the spot.

For lunch we had antipasto platters, and my partner and I snapped up a bottle of red to go with it. The perfect combination.

Back on the bus after lunch and down the road to Penfolds, where we had a private tasting of some of their premium wines. We even got to try the Grange, but to be honest I quite liked some one their "lower" end wines better.

Horizon

We had a great weekend in Brisbane, warm weather, a great hotel where we were treated like royalty, and time spent with family.

 A bit of a shock to return to the colder temperatures of Melbourne.

I'm filling in time before I can quilt my Daydream quilt, so I cracked open the Horizon charm pack that Kate Spain gave me. A little mini project to keep me going, Mini Blossom by Fig Tree Quilts.

Coloured squares are cut, just need to get my background sorted and I'll be off and running.

There are a few new fabrics in the shop. Click here to view.

Quilt Tops and Queensland

I finally got the Fresh quilt top assembled last night; it's only taken a few months. No full photo yet as it's too windy outside to lay it on the front lawn.

Off to Queensland for the weekend, I'm definitely looking forward to thawing out for a few days. This week has certainly been chilly!

Lunch with Kate Spain

I was checking my email on the way to the airport when I saw one from Pete Spain, husband of Kate Spain. They had seen that I was going to be in the US and asked to meet me! As it happened, I was going to be driving from New York City to Boston, so we were able to stop in for lunch on the way.

I was greeted with a hug and it was immediately clear that we were going to get on like a house in fire. I happened to have one of my quilts in the car, so that came in for show and tell, and approval by one of the three cats.

Then Kate took me up to her studio to show me how she designs her fabrics. I took a few little snaps of some of the work that went into her upcoming line Horizon. These are some of the prints done by hand.

I love the jade greens in this line.

I also got to see strike-offs of the next line, but it's still top secret.

Kate then took us on a walk around the area, and we returned to the house for lunch. Too soon it was time to get back on the road and head for Boston. But not before Kate had loaded me up with a heap of her goodies and a promise to catch up at Quilt Market in Houston.

I'm Off!

Tomorrow I'm off on an adventure to the USA. I'll be visiting New York City, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

I'll be closing the shop while I'm away but you can continue to place orders. And I'll try to keep my blog updated!

Be My Valentine

Valentine's Day has always been a bit of a non-event for me, but with a lovely boyfriend we decided to make the most of the weekend. So on Friday afternoon we made our way to the airport for a little lounge-time, then onto our flight to Brisbane. I worked a little magic to make sure we had the best seats on the plane. 

Once in Brissie we were whisked to our hotel, where we dressed up, then wandered to a lovely restaurant to dine amongst the other couples.Amazing food, including some very yummy pumpkin cheesecake.

Saturday morning we hitched a ride down to a friends house on the Gold Coast, and spent the rest of the weekend socialising, swimming, and just generally relaxing in the sunshine.

 

Great way to spend a weekend when you have an insanely busy week coming up at work (so apologies for the lack of posts lately).

 

 

Beach Time

It's been a bit hectic lately, with work and a couple of big markets coming up. But the Mister and I managed to sneak away to the beach for a weekend. Time out was just what we both needed, and the dogs absolutely loved it too.

Very sad to see the damage at Portsea Beach, but still a great place to swim.

There was a lot of this happening; nothing better than whiling away the weekend on a swing, watching the world to by.

There's a little sewing happening but not as much as I'd like. But I do absolutely love these blocks.

Hobart Weekend

I did a quick weekend in Hobart this weekend just gone; 20 people, for a weekend of food, wine and activities. I arrived on Friday night and quickly headed to meet up with the group for a few glasses of wine.

Saturday was started off with the Salamanca Markets, then onto the ferry to visit MONA.

The art on the gallery was fascinating, my favourite being the lights that beat in time to your heart.

After the museum I went back into town to do a last lap of the market, then enjoyed some time on the lawn.

Them the main event; dinner at Smolt. There were nibbles, entrees, three amazing mains including the most divine, melt in your mouth lamb, then dessert. Food heaven.

Sunday morning was breakfast, a tasting at Lark Distillery, then fish and chips by the water.

Then it was time to head home, and back into another busy week.

She's Baaaack

Finally arrived home early yesterday morning with a killer bout of jet lag. I don't seem to have mastered the ability to sleep on a plane.

I've had the most fabulous trip; London, Paris, then two weeks in Italy. I've met lovely people and eating some fabulous food. I'm going to miss my daily pasta, wine and gelato.

I don't think I could pick a favourite town, but I really did love Sorrento in Italy. Tuscany was also pretty amazing, as was Cinque Terre.

I'm getting back my business-running mojo; so many new fabrics are due in over the next week or so! Hopefully Scrumptious will be in this week.

New Fabrics and a Holiday!

I love new fabric, and I love it even more when it arrives on my birthday!

Yesterday I had a new range from Art Gallery Fabrics arrived, called Tule by designer Leah Duncan. This range is based on the Nevada desert and its quite spectacular.

I also got some sneaky early Layer Cakes of Daydream, an upcoming range from Kate Spain. Unfortunately the price of these has increased as the lower Aussie dollar gets passed along. I swallowed the last rise but couldn't take this one as well. The colours in this range are fab!

And just in case you didn't know, I've got the gorgeous pink Lola Ladybug Panels from the Melly & Me range, Snug as a Bug. I also have 5" squares and rolie polies in stock.

(Picture courtesy of Melly & Me)

And lucky last...I'm off overseas tomorrow! My mum will be running the shop as per last time, so orders will continue going out, but may take up to 48 hours rather than the usual 24 to be dispatched. See you in a month!

Spoiling Myself

It's probably no secret that I like to shop. I find it quite fun, unless I'm desperately looking for something, then it's just stressful. I also love to sniff out a good bargain; I try to never pay full price if I can help it. So I'd been eyeing off a cute leather travel wallet for a while, which would be perfect for my trip to Europe. It was on sale, but the website said it was sold out. But I had a little dig around in store on the weekend and managed to find the very last one! I can't wait to use it.

Despite it being quite hot at the moment (more than 8 days in a row over 30C, a record for March), I've managed to get my Cuzco quilt into the machine. It should come along quite quickly; I'm stippling in each of the squares, then I'll go back and do some wavy lines in the sashing. Easy! I really need to find a name for this quilt...any suggestions?

Bella is being her usual cheeky self; despite it being hot apparently the best place to sleep is at my feet, right up against the warm computer tower...

Home

After four days of being told when I could eat, drink, sleep and leave the house (seriously!), its nice to be home. Which was topped off with a free bottle of bubbles on the flight home due to our in flight entertainment not working.

I arrived home to a few goodies on the doorstep, including this lovely tub of Liberty fabric I won from Ric Rac. It certainly brightened up my day.

Bella is also ecstatic to be home again; lots of kitty cat cuddles to be had.

I've got some more new fabric on they way to me; I want to make Vanessa's 'I heart you' quilt sometime in the near future. But first I need to get my Cuzco quilt quilted!

Now I've got a few days to get myself organised for market; I'll be at Mulgrave this Sunday from 8am till1pm. I've got lots of new pretties including Summersville Spring charm packs to show off.

Away

I'm half way through my four-day weekend in Brisbane, and while its nice to be away, I'm already looking forward to going home. I'm one of those people that likes to spend time on their own, and I'm really missing out on my alone-time.

It's already been a busy couple of days. I've babysat a few young family members, who live right along side the river with the most gorgeous view.

And eaten yummy cupcakes made by their mum.

I have lunch with a lovely group of older ladies, though I was the youngest by at least 30 years!

And I made a sneaky visit to a quilt shop that I happened to drive past. Even though I have my own shop, I don't stock every fabric and I love to support other local businesses. Even before I'd got out of the car I spotted a quilt I liked. It turned out to be Star Blossoms by Cotton Way, so I snapped up the pattern and the border fabrics.

I also found a fat eighth bundle of Marmalade that I'll tuck into my stash. I love this range!

Two more days then back to reality!

Shopping Locally in Beechworth

It's no secret that I like to spend my spare time in Beechworth. I'm usually up there for my christmas break, and the odd long weekend as well. Easter is one of the best times to visit; there are markets, festivals, and lots of yummy food to eat.

I thought I'd highlight a few of my favourite places; spending money at local businesses is so important these days.

These beautiful pieces of pottery come from Kirby's Flat Pottery, just outside Beechworth in Yackandandah. We've been visiting the studio for years and have a nice little collection now. John's work includes some beautiful decorative pieces as well as lots of tableware. He is also well known for having his work in a number of high-profile locations including the Federal Parliament.

 I love all the fresh food available in the region. In summer there are lots of berries, including the strawberries above. These come from a farm just on the outskirts of town, where you can pick your own, or buy them already picked. There is nothing fresher! I also came home with a ginormous bag of Pink Lady apples straight from the orchard.

Last but not least; the wineries! There are plenty of big-name wineries like Brown Brothers (which I love), but there are also lots of smaller wineries dotted around. The above wine is from Amulet, a family-run vineyard with a lovely Rose and some gorgeous anti-pasto platters. We've been visiting for so long that when we order the bottle of wine, the owner knows we're there!

So that's my little tour around one of my favourite towns; hope you enjoyed!

Meh

Post-hospital, I've been feeling a little Meh the past week. No motivation to do much more than veg on the couch and watch old episodes of Gimore Girls (season 6, just in case you're interested).

My major crafting achievement for the week was making a pile of fabric-covered buttons, which are destined to become magnets in time for my next market. I love how focusing on a tiny bit of a pattern makes the fabric look so different! There is some Bliss and Ruby tucked in there, and even a sneaky Cat in the Hat.

I went for a wander around the shops yesterday and stumbled on this gorgeous box/tray; I think its new but made to look old, but it's perfect for keeping sewing notions in, or for displaying fabrics at markets. It was on sale too which is always a plus.

Another one of my lucky finds this weekend; a canvas print of the Brooklyn Bridge for the tidy sum of $5! It's now hanging in my room as motivation for another trip to The Big Apple.


I'm off to do a little sewing; a cot quilt which I hope to sell....I'm dipping my toes in those waters again.

New York

Finally getting my act together and getting my New York photos uploaded....these are just a tiny selection.

Fifth Avenue; home of awesome shopping, including Tiffanys.

FAO Schwarz, awesome toy shop. Love the guy on the door too.

My favourite part of Central Park; Fountain of Bethesda.

Strawberry Fields, Central Park.

Times Square at night, just as busy as during the day.

One of the reflection pools at the 9/11 memorial.

Washington Square.

The best caramel sunday ever! From Serendipity (apparently made famous by the movie of the same name, but I haven't seen it). And yes, I ate the whole thing myself (minus the cream)...yummy butter pecan ice-cream. In the background is my friend's frozen hot chocolate.

The Empire State Building just after the sun has gone down, taken from the Top of the Rock observation deck. We went up before sunset and watched the city lights come on.

Pizza at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn; this is their "small" six-slice pizza. Hate to see what the large looks like!

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge back into Manhattan.

The Flatiron Building; one of my favourites along with the Chrysler Building.

I have heaps more photos, but there is no way I could possibly load them all up, especially as Blogger only lets me do 3 at a time... hope you enjoyed!