Fairy frolics, RAKs and cuteness…

Thank you so much for your kind words of understanding and support in my last post. You girls are the best! :-)

Are you enjoying the weekend? We had beautiful weather in Melbourne yesterday so my family and I sat in the back garden to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. I finished stitching my daughter’s fairy house and she thought Christmas had come early! :-)

This is the third fairy house I’ve made – the other two were for my son and another friend’s daughter. I used this gorgeous pattern by Julie McCulloch of Magic Threads. To this house I added a love heart to the top tendrils, and decorated the outside walls with some ribbon embroidery and buttons.

Talking of fairies… here she is! My own real life little bundle of fairy mischief!

Looking a wee bit dishevelled – as some fairies do! *wink* :-)

Do you see the beautiful hand-made bag she is cherishing? It was a delightful surprise gift this week from the gorgeous Deb in New Zealand! Deb and I have been blogging buddies since I started out on my blogging journey and we have become good friends over the past year. In an email I disclosed to Deb that my DD has had some anxiety issues of late, which has caused her not to want to go out anywhere because she is afraid of noise. So Deb made this sweet bag for Rosie, to encourage her to want go out shopping with mummy. How gorgeous and thoughtful is that?

Thank you Deb – you are such a sweetheart – and I cherish our friendship! xx

Deb is a Material Chick! By that I mean she is one of the founders of an on-line pattern store named Material Chicks! They are having a sale at the moment and I was quick to snap up this gorgeous BOM by Libby Richardson.

I have already started collecting the fabrics and over the Christmas holidays I plan to put the materials with each block – so that I create a job bag from which to work from each month. I love being organised! And one of my favourite pastimes is putting piles of fabric together! Is there a word for this kind of behaviour?!!!

On my fabric hunting-gathering expeditions I also picked up these little beauties:

They’re called ‘Embroidery Angels’! Aren’t they sweet? I shall keep one pair and the other is destined for a gift.

I’ll leave you for today with one more photo of cuteness… my pup, outside in the garden, covered in freshly cut grass and begging her mum for a play!

How could I resist?!!!

Until next time – Hugs! Vikki :-) x

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A great day at the Craft and Quilt Fair!

My Saturday adventure got off to a slow start as I’d decided to take the train in to the City, but the line had been closed down so a bus took me to the next Station… overall - I love taking public transport! I don’t think I’d like to do it on a daily basis – but it’s exciting when it’s a journey to somewhere special!

My first date at the show? Catching up with my sweet gumnut sister, Vicki (from Tozz’s Corner). Vicki arrived sooner than me so had some scrummy show n’ tell to share as we sipped our coffee and had a natter… and a few hugs!

Vicki met up with her lovely friend to attend a workshop, and I headed off into the crowds to start shopping! And chatting! Have I ever mentioned that I like to chat?

Meet Barb, the creative goddess behind Theodora Cleave. She must be a goddess because I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when I cast my eyes on the exquisite buttons that she designs and hand-paints! It took me ages to make up my mind which to purchase, if I was a rich lady I would have bought them ALL! I am very happy with my choices – want to see?

Aren’t they gorgeous??? Barb was joined by the lovely Brownyn, who says she reads my blog but does not have one of her own (yet?????). HI BRONWYN!!!! :-)

I also met up with the gorgeous Brenda Ryan – geesh I love her work and was so rapt to be able to hold one of her infamous fabric boxes in my own hands and admire her embroidery. I was too busy chatting to take any photos! I also chatted to Katie from Cottage Garden Threads – who has started blogging… if you’d like to say hello, pop on over HERE! You can also read about Brenda through the same blog :-)

I look a bit like as stunned rabbit in the next photo – I was awe-struck when I met Lynette Anderson from Lynette Anderson Designs. Silly really as she is so friendly and down to earth!

I could not decide what pattern to buy… I really must start doing the Lotto – wouldn’t it be nice not to have to worry about budgets?! :-) I loved viewing Lynette’s work. Seeing hand-made creations close-up is so wonderful isn’t it? This is what I bought!

I got chatting to a lovely lady on the Homespun stand (did you know that I love to chat?!) Again, I was too busy talking to get the camera out… but I’d love for you to meet my new friend – Leanne Knell from Petals & Patches. (Does talking to someone for 10 minutes count as friendship?!!! Are you worried I’m a stalker, Leanne?!! LOL) Leanne designs quilts, dolls and other gorgeous patchwork items and I’m in love with her new BOM; “On Freedom’s Wings” – you can see it HERE!

There was also a quilt show at the event – I took a few photos to share with you.

This quilt is titled “Remembering Thylacines” by Cindy Watkins. The colours were striking and the stars in the sky were diamante's and twinkled beautifully. (Thylacines are Tasmaninan tigers).

Would it be too corny is I said that I fell in love with the above quilt?! It was my favourite in its beautiful simplicity. It was created by Anne Davis and is titled “First Kiss”.

The detail in this quilt was incredible, and it’s difficult to tell from this photograph, but the teddy in the boys’ arms was two-dimensional. The photographs around the edges of the quilt were printed on to fabric and stitched on. It is entitled “Hand me downs” and created by Jocelyne Leath. I loved Jocelyne’s Mission Statement and would like to quote her: “We live, we learn, we remember as it always was in the past. The frame may hold some memories but the mirror always reflects the truth”.

There was also an exhibition of wearable art – would you like me to share some pictures with you during the week? I didn’t want this post to get too long!

I’ll finish off for now with a few pics of my purchases!

How appropriate is this ‘gumnut girl brooch’ for a Gumtree designer? (Okay girls – now you know what you’ll be getting for Xmas!!!) The brooch is designed by one of my all-time-favourite Aussie designers, Karlene Atkins from Katkins Designs.

I want to get into some patchwork and piecing… I bought some hexy templates and this small-sized lazy susan cutting mat, rulers and cutter set. A show special! I bought it from Amitie. (Girls – if you live in Melbourne – Amitie is having a sale on Friday 6 August – instore only.)

I also purchased the above background fabric from Amitie. It’s called November Books Geschichte in Waldern. The cowboy-boot fabric is for an upcoming project… and the buttons are a staple in my stash – country style hearts from ‘Dress it Up’!

I headed home from the show after five hours…. across the river…

Well – over a bridge actually!

I passed a lady who was picking up fallen leaves from the concrete pavement… I told her that I was glad I am not alone in doing such things! She was going to use them for fabric printing purposes… guess where she had just come from?!!!

The journey home was fun – the train was full of footie fans leaving the City – one gentleman almost fell asleep on my shoulder and apologised once he’d realised. I told him that it was okay but his snoring was pretty loud – then laughed at the look on his face before admitting… “only kidding!” :-)

Home again… via a Fast Food shop… with cuddles galore from DD who said she’d missed me…

Cheeky little imp isn’t she? I don’t know where she gets it from!

See you tomorrow! I’ve got a pincushion to show you!!!!

Hugs! Vikki xx

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