"Cross Stitch Progress and a Giveaway Winner makes for a Happy Monday."

Hello,

Happy Monday to everyone. Hope you are having a great day. It is certainly cooler here today. It was 45 under the back patio on Saturday. So happy to be having some cooler weather.

First of I want to thank all those who entered my Australia Day Giveaway. There were 23 comments with 21 people wishing to enter.








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I did enter the numbers 1 to 21 but for some reason they are not showing up but it shows that comment number three is the winner. Congratulations Shez.

I am very happy to be working on my cross stitch. I have had to do a little un-picking. I had done one of the trees and realised that I was one stitch out!!! That's what happens when you watch tennis and get distracted. Talking about tennis, how was that Men's final last night. I wonder how many people are having a day of today because they were up so late. It was one of the best tennis matches I have seen.

I have been looking at a lot of blogs that contain cross stitch to keep me inspired. I get some postings of these blogs via email and have found a whole lot of inspiring blogs that contain embroidery quilting knitting etc. You can find the directory of blogs here.

I am happy to report that earlier on in January my brother Geoff and my sister Lesley spent sometime back home. It was great to catch up with them both after a couple of years. Geoff lives in New Zealand and Lesley in South Australia. Having a long distance family we only get together every few years.

I was hoping that someone would be able to help me. I subscribe to lots of blogs via there email postings through Feed burner. Since the start of the year I haven't been getting the emails. Has anyone else had this problem? I have tried to subscribe to them again but they say I am getting the emails.

Whatever you do have a Happy Monday.
Bev C

"Australia Day Giveaway."

Hello,

Happy Australia Day everyone.  I hope you have a great day doing all things Aussie whether it is a BBQ or a swim at the beach. Maybe you will be attending your town's Community breakfast. Whatever you do have fun and stay in the shade. We are in the middle of a heatwave here in West Australia. I think we have another week of 40 degrees celsius and above.

I have decided to celebrate the day with a small giveaway. Of course it had to be Australian Made and Owned. We had to go to Perth yesterday and I had a look in Spotlight for something that fitted this. It was impossible to find much that was made in Australia. So I am not giving away craft items. I called into the Pharmacy in town and picked up some lovely Hand Cream and Soap for the giveaway.

So please leave a comment on this post. Your comment must have the words Australia in it at least 2 times.
I will draw the winner on Monday 30th January at midday West Australian time. Everyone is welcome to enter and I am willing to post anywhere.

Happy Australia Day.
Bev C

"I know I am late but I have been cleaning!!!!"

Hello and a belated Happy Monday to you.

I am a day behind but I know it is Monday somewhere in this big wide world. I have been busy cleaning and tidying up the last week. We get one free skip bin a financial year from the Shire. So I decided to order ours and clean up the yard and the shed etc. So I am very happy to have marked that job of the list. Of course this led to a big tidy up inside Kainga. Bonnie and then Lucy decided to clean up there rooms yesterday. The local charities have been given the items they no longer wanted.

I am happy to report I am still working on the cross stitch and I am now onto the next section of the sampler. I am determined not to start anything else until this is finished.

During the Summer we mainly grow tomato in the vegie patch. This year they have thrived. I had several plants of the little cherry type.

So I got out the dehydrator to dry the tomato. I then put them in some Rice Bran Oil with several cloves of Garlic and sprigs of Rosemary. Yum, this type of food production make me very happy.

I have also made several batches of Tomato Sauce. Nothing better than home made sauce. So this week growing and turning our food into something Makes Me Happy.

As it is now Tuesday I will share a Treasure with you.

My Agapanthus that I purchased last Winter are in full bloom. These are a deep dark purple. I know  in some areas of Australia and New Zealand these are classified as weeds. There is no fear of that happening here. We really need to look after them by keeping up the water. So Agapanthus are my Tuesday's Treasure this week. 
Please check out Melody's blog to see what other Treasures are appearing this week.

Happy days.
Bev C

"A start on the cross stitch, and some Summer reading."

Hello,

The television is on the  Australian OpenTennis, it will be all weekend. Lucy and Ian are going to the cricket later on today. Perth Scorchers are playing, it is a sell out. So I will be home watching tennis and doing my cross stitch. Last year I had planned to get into cross stitch in June. Well June has well and truly gone, didn't get to mark that one of the list!!! So this year there was no procrastination. Well a little!!! You see I have always worked on Aida cloth when doing cross stitch. So I dived in the deep end and I am working on even weave linen. I am loving it. I had a dud needle that came with the kit. So after battling with it,yesterday I found my packet of new tapestry needles and I am enjoying it so much better.

It is a Sampler and is quite big. The final measurements will be 44cm by 45cm. So I guess I will be working on this for a while. There are lots of pink and greens in this pattern.

I have been looking at lots of blogs that do cross stitch, gosh they are inspirational but I think I should be stitching instead of looking.

Summer time means lots of reading for me. I love a great range of books. I picked up an Autobiography the other week by Clarrisa Dickson Wright. You may remember  her from the television show "Two Fat Ladies" There was so much information in this book and I  highly recommend this book. I picked it up from our local library.

I also ordered in this book which is a very easy read, especially as this edition was in large print. Lots of home hints and recipes for cleaning products. Wendyl has a  weekly newsletter which is very interesting.

Lucy and I had to go to Perth yesterday. So after attending to what  needed doing we went to the movies to watch "The Descendants". Gosh it was a great movie but if you intend going please take a hankie. It is rather sad.

I hope you all have a great weekend doing something you love.

Happy days.
Bev C

"Makes Me Happy Monday."

Hello,

A super big Happy Monday to you all. The first posting for the year for "Makes Me Happy Monday."

Today I am happy to share some finishes with you. The first one is a bag I made from some fabric I won from Sandy last year. I used a pattern from a Handmade magazine but changed it slightly.

There were supposed to be pleats along the top but I gathered it instead. This way the print showed up more. I had two blocks left over that I appliqued to the bag. One to either side. There is a magnetic clasp at the top which is so handy to have. I had the magnetic clasp and wooden handles in my stash. I used a blue print for the lining that I have had in my sewing room for far too many years to remember. This is the second time I have made this bag. A very useful pattern.

The other finish I want to share is the place mats I made for Ainsley and Julian for Christmas.

Yes, they did get them Christmas day.  I machine embroidered these. The designs feature people and places from Kalgoorlie York and Northam. . I used some of the fabric I won from Freda.

So this week I am happy to have used the fabric that I won in September last year.

If you need me I will be watching the Australian Open Tennis on TV today.

Happy Monday.
Bev C

"Believe in Tomorrow for the World is a Beautiful Place."

Hello,

Last year I was involved in a Paper Bag Swap. Colleen who lives in Queensland was my swap partner. Just last week my parcel of goodies arrived. I was so happy to see what was made with the fat quarters buttons and threads.

I love the quote on this. Colleen has even done some colouring in on the embroidery. This really sets it of so well. Look at that cute doll. She is now in charge of my tin full of scissors and sits on the edge of the tin.

There was another stitchery with the words "Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love." I couldn't wait to see how Colleen used the rose button and I was so pleased to see the little bag. Lots of memories attached to this bag now as I won the button from Gail.

Thank you so much Colleen.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to 2012.

Happy days.
Bev C