Madness and mess

Very clever students

2012-01-30T14:00:00.000+13:00

Thought you might like to see Gill's finished wall hanging. She was doing my class on free motion stitching called 'The road to my house', you can find the details by scrolling down the side of my blog and clicking on the link.

I think she's done an excellent job, well done, I think I could sit and look at all the bits and pieces she has added for ages!

You can visit Gill here and congratulate her if you like.

two days in Wellington

2012-01-29T17:06:00.001+13:00

At the end of last week I had to spend two days in Wellington, for work.
This was the view from my hotel window on the first day.

This was the view on the second day.

I did manage to get out for some fresh air and a short walk before it rained, thanks Wellington.

Carole

sometimes life offers so many choices

2012-01-26T14:56:00.003+13:00

Sometimes life offers you lots of pathways.

Sometimes you find a pathway that's safe and help is available just in case you need it.

Sometimes the path is obvious and right in front of our eyes, but we struggle to see where it's leading us.

And sometimes we only get a glimpse of the path, but it's that one glimpse that holds excitement and mystery and promise and although we are unsure of our destination we can't help but take that path.

I know which path I'm taking, how about you, which path would you take?

Carole :)

Fussy cutting

2012-01-25T20:34:00.000+13:00

Isn't it a darling print!

The cake's cooled

2012-01-24T19:21:00.001+13:00

It's almost finished, yay! But before I rush off and press it, I think I'd like to include some words.

What about - "A day in the life of Miss Maude the house mouse"?

I thought you might have some ideas?

Someone's been baking...

2012-01-15T09:06:00.000+13:00

Trying to finish these stitcheries, nearly done, just waiting for the cake to cool....

Have you managed to get any "started long ago" projects finished?

Enjoying summer treats

2012-01-12T21:05:00.000+13:00

picking fresh peas and eating them straight from the pod

Time to share some exciting news

2012-01-09T20:29:00.002+13:00

National Symposium is coming again! That's right so you'll have to keep the week 18th to 23rd July 2013 free.

This time it's being held on the shores of the beautiful Lake Taupo, in the scenic central North Island,
and not only is it being held in Taupo, but it's going to be a Fabric Art Festival! How exciting is that?

But the most exciting news is that I'm going to be a tutor at Symposium! And are we going to have some great fun!

With registrations well over 800 so far, it's going to be a week of challenges, ideas, inspiration, and classes that you can create with wild abandon - and all with food and friendship thrown in.

Here's a peek at the classes I'm teaching...you'll be the first to see!

'Open your Door' a journal class using mostly recycled items that you have at home.

A wall hanging, 'The road to my house' a class with loads of free motion stitching and hand embroidery.

And for my 3rd class I'll be teaching a one day class called 'Embellishment Fair' where we'll have some fabric fun embellishing ourselves and our lives.

If you'd like to read more about the Symposium check their web site, www.tauposymposium.co.nz
where you'll find a list of international tutors along with tutors from Australia and New Zealand.

Are you ready for some fun? I am! Mark the date in your calenders now :))

Have a great week,
Carole

On a sunny summers day

2012-01-07T14:24:00.001+13:00

I'm playing with the new app on my phone....

while the fabrics for my next quilt dry in the summer breeze.

What are you doing today? Started any new projects?

Can you tell...?

2012-01-06T08:49:00.000+13:00

I love the beach?
I have just had a brief stay at Waitarere Beach, which is 40 mins south of where I live. It was only a night, but I got to go for some long walks and enjoy the beach, the sea air and the sun and the sound of the waves on the beach at night.
I also got to play with a new app on my phone. Thanks Linda, it's lots of fun and I love the images :)

Now that I've had a nice refreshing break it's back to stitching.
Carole

2012, here I come!

2012-01-03T12:15:00.002+13:00

Dear readers,
Hope you all celebrated the New Year in your own special way, with friends or family, or doing whatever pleased you. It was a very quiet one here with the weather so bad that New Years Eve concerts were cancelled all over the country, including the one here in Palmerston North.
However an evening indoors with the rain pelting the roof, meant I could catch up with some blog surfing, and visit with some friends I haven't had the chance to visit in a while.

I have decided to make a few changes to my blog, hope you like them. One of the main changes I'm going to attempt is to write more. I am usually very visual but intend to make it my goal to include more text. We'll see how that goes.

How are the New Year resolutions going? I made a good number of them this year. Normally I make one or two, but when you've got so few to follow, I am sure you set yourself up for disappointment. I figure if you have a whole list of them, then the chances of you being able to cross a good number of them off are pretty high. You are setting yourself up for success.

Of course I had to start the New Year on a positive note and got to add a few fat quarters to my collection of florals. As you will know if you follow my adventures, I am always on the lookout for floral fabrics and think a new project is brewing...

During my holidays I also wanted to work on the stitching of my Maude the House Mouse stitcheries which have been waiting for me to finish them, and perhaps get my garden nice and tidy.

I've got several larger projects happening this year too. One of them being a special quilt for a special person, as in June I will become a first time Gran! We are all excited about the new arrival and I am sure you will hear much more about it as the arrival time nears.

You might remember I bought a copy of this book a while back and picked it up yesterday to read. Now I can't put it down! I'm not sure why, I don't think it's a memorable work of literature, but I think on reflection I would call it an Enid Blyton book for adults :) it's a mystery which seems to suck you into it's pages, and who doesn't love a good mystery/fantasy? As the author's first book, I think his ideas have been really clever. Well worth a read.

Miss Peregrine's home for Peculiar Children written by Ransom Riggs.

I'd love to know what your New Year resolutions are for 2012! Perhaps you will inspire me to add a few extras to my list!

I hope that 2012 brings you happiness and health and above all lots of creative inspiration!

Carole

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

2011-12-24T21:55:00.006+13:00

I will be absent for a few days over Christmas while I enjoy the Christmas season.

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas,

whether you are spending holidays with your family, or relaxing quietly on the beach, or tucked up warm inside with the fire going,

may you enjoy what the day brings and keep well and keep safe.

Merry Christmas my friends!

I look forward to seeing you all again soon and I'll be back with some very exciting news!

Carole x

A mysterious package arrives from afar...

2011-12-22T21:49:00.003+13:00

Oh my goodness!

A box full of the most amazing trees arrived at my house!

The trees in all sizes and colours came with a wee note...

What happiness.

Now, what shall I do with them?

I think I love them.....just the way they are :)

Thank you.

Carole x

A touch of colour at Christmas

2011-12-21T21:42:00.001+13:00

I love all the colours of Christmas, don't you?

Carole :)

The QB girls have been swapping again

2011-12-20T21:41:00.000+13:00

The QB girls have been swapping again.

This time the Christmas swap could be whatever we wanted it to be.

I love surprises!

(The links to these wonderfully clever girls are all on the right of this blog)

The above wee hanging was made by the talented Patty S and as I'm particularly enjoying birds at the moment, found this wee bird delightful. I think she'd make the best Christmas bird ever!

I love the pretty lace that Patty hand dyed. Thanks Patty.

The next little surprise was this gorgeous wee pin cushion made from an antique china leg!

This was made by the ever resourceful and clever Nathalie T.

Visit her blog and while you're there check out her Etsy store for more interesting resources. You never know what you'll find.

Thanks Nathalie, it's a very special wee treasure.

Sparkly and very pretty -a snow globe for Christmas!

This was made by the very busy Linda R.

What a fabulous idea and how novel, it hangs in pride of place on my Christmas tree.

And I have to shake it each time I walk past.

Thank you Linda!

The next Christmas treat to admire was this lovely wee Christmas themed

matchbox full of Christmas wishes.

Made by the brilliant Margaret W, I am always inspired by Margaret's lovely art work.

Thanks Margaret!

And lastly I made each of my friends a Christmas snowman.

I got the pattern and instructions from this wee booklet by

Australian Rosalie Quinlan. He was very cute and took my eye.

Hope you are all full of Christmas spirit!

Carole :)

Come on a visit with me...

2011-12-15T20:46:00.000+13:00

Last weekend I was invited to have High Tea.

It was to be at Oruawharo Homestead, a large double-story wooden homestead built in the 1800's.

The homestead is in Takapau in the Central Hawke's Bay and originally was the heart of the 17,726 acres it sat on.

The High Tea was for a friends daughter who opted to have tea and cakes rather than the more traditional bridal shower.

This is the homestead not long after it was completed in 1879. Twenty years later the owners built more bedrooms on plus a large billiards room on the left hand side.

A contemporary reporter of the time described Oruawharo as having “everything that administers to domestic comfort and convenience”, “baths with hot water apparatus”, “culinary departments with apparatus of the most approved kind”, and three staircases.

(I can actually hear that being said)

So, let me show you around.

When the current owners bought the homestead, it was in a bad state of disrepair. The outside of the house was covered in thick ivy, there was little paint left on the house and many of the wooden timbers were rotting. Some of the out buildings had collapsed and the grounds were overrun.

In the early days the family kept 12 domestic staff and 8 gardeners and in 1886 over 28,000 sheep were shorn.

Today the servants wing has been removed and there are only 12 bedrooms, and it costs $70,000 to give the outside of the house a paint. Several million dollars has been spent on it so far, and there is still a lot of work to be done.

Inside the front door the ceilings had been restored.

All but two of the photos have been taken without a flash using the natural light.

The above ceiling panel was painted in pale green and pink.

The ceiling panel below had been beautifully restored too.

There were large fireplaces in most rooms, including the bedrooms and two were blazing and not at all out of place.

When we arrived we were greeted by the owner and given a short history of the building. He also told us that we were welcome to explore the rooms in the homestead while we were waiting for our tea and cakes.

I peeked into this room which was the billiards room. It was often used for balls and special functions and has the most amazing wooden ceiling. The owners bought a specialist in from Europe to restore it.

And when we are invited to explore the house, and a grand sweeping staircase beckons,

well, what's a girl to do?

This was the main bedroom. It had 3 rooms off it, one which was a nursery complete with cots and a passage way which led to a back bedroom and a wee bathroom.

Oruawharo belongs to the International Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) Association and is a frequent destination for its members from all over the world.

I noticed a slight slope on the floorboards. Imagine all the dusting, and sweeping that would need doing!

Nice views, I could see Miss Elizabeth Bennet crossing the lawn,

-not quite up to Mr Darcy's standards tho.

In 1965 the homestead and 62.5 remaining acres were gifted to the Catholic Church so that

the house could be used for a Preparatory School for boys. However, it was deemed not suitable and

it passed into several different hands, none that could afford to repair or restore it and so

was eventually left for ruin.

In 1911 the homestead got it's first telephone.

I was pretty impressed by all the quilts. One for every bed.

When the Catholic Nuns left the building in the 1970's they had a huge sale and sold off anything and everything. All the chandeliers sold, the brass door plates and handles, all the furniture and fittings.

The building was left bare.

The present owners have collected pieces of furniture for a long time. This piece interested me. Does anyone know what it was used for or called, with this little padded seat in the middle?

I passed by this passageway, it was dark but the light from a window highlighted a rocking chair and a wee basket for a dog at the far end.

But then it was time for tea. So into the dining room we went.

And I'm sorry, I got totally carried away by all the lovely china, there were huge sideboards full of stacks of plates and cups that I snapped only this one photo. This is the top plate of three tiers.

Then it was time to take a walk outside and explore the grounds.

This is the stables. It has been restored and has several bays inside and a couple of rooms. At the moment it is used for storing timber.

The vege garden is new and laid out beautifully.

I was taken by all the seats.

The Dannevirke Hunt Club uses the property twice a year to hold their hunts, complete with hounds.

It also holds lots of functions, vintage car club rallies, weddings.

There were peony gardens and rose gardens and a fence-line of beautiful lavender.

And the rich pink of this rose invited one to walk further.

A very happy situation indeed.

Beautiful.

And here we all are getting ready to say goodbye to Oruawharo after a lovely afternoon.

If you get the chance to visit, it's well worth it.

Hope you enjoyed your visit.

Carole :)

Pics from the craft market

2011-12-11T08:22:00.000+13:00

Friday night was Craftzilla, a craft market run by Alt Shift Craft in the City Library in town where people could sell their wares.

Opening was for 6pm through to 9pm.

Of course you can tell which table was mine.

Lots of lovely lavender bags for sale, I almost sold right out of them! I can't believe just how much people still enjoy lavender.

Butterfly wishes bunting, looked very pretty, but didn't sell, will be listing it in my Etsy store soon.

I'm not sure that people here are ready for buntings yet.

There were a few around, and people picked them up often enough, but they just didn't seem to know what to do with them?

More of Nathalie's suspender clips on price cards. I'm not totally sure why,

but I could always sell the price cards!

Fabric hoops sold well too.

The fabric pins and hair clips got a good sort through by shoppers.

A few pins on cards too, to add some variety to my table proved popular.

And of course there were some of these cheeky Santas.

Just because.

And standing at my table I faced the small platform where different entertainers came and played. It was lovely to watch the different ones, but sometimes it got a bit loud.

And that was the market.

I tried to keep my table not so cluttered, so that people could see what was on it.

I do tend to try and get as much onto the table as possible, but I think it looks a little better when it's not so cluttered.

When you're out looking at craft markets, or if you have a table yourself,

how do you fill your table?

Do you have just a few of each thing and replace as it sells?

Do you put as much out as possible, and keep shifting things around as they sell?

Do you like looking at the things on a packed table?

Or do you like to see things spread out?

Let me know what you think.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend.

Carole x

Thankful for...

2011-12-09T08:25:00.000+13:00

Carole :)

fabric fabric everywhere.....

2011-12-06T11:18:00.001+13:00

brooches in the making

getting ready for the next craft market

friday 9th dec

6 to 9pm

palmy city library

Carole :)

A fine gardening weekend

2011-12-05T10:53:00.004+13:00

I was thrilled to be able to get out and spend some time in the garden over the weekend.

It was a funny weekend, it was scorching hot, then it rained, then we had an earthquake, a 5.7, then it was still and hot.

My vege garden is looking good at the moment. I like to go out in the evenings when it's starting to cool down. Water, pull weeds and collect strawberries. The lettuces are all looking lovely, we'll be having lots of salads

Various members of the family like to help. (or sit and watch)

The blackbirds love the strawberries and have all taken lessons in the art of negotiating bird netting.

I'm picking 2 1/2 pound of strawberries every 2nd day. We eat them every day and I'm freezing them for puddings and jam making in winter.

I still have a little space in my vege garden, but I'm not sure what to plant in it.

May be I'll put some carrot seed in?

Carole :)

Fighting my way thru the mess

2011-12-04T10:53:00.000+13:00

I guess you all know how much I love to create a good mess? After the country fair last weekend I decided that my sewing room was seriously in need of some tidying. There was no space on either the tables or the floor!

I felt so much better after a few dedicated hours to cleaning.

I think the best thing about cleaning up messes is that it makes room to create more! LOL

Hope you're all having a nice weekend!

Carole :)

Remember these?

2011-11-28T19:40:00.001+13:00

Well those of you who tried to guess what they were might have noticed in the previous post that there was a pic of them?

That's right, they belong to the Santa's.

And we have one very clever winner, Mrs A
who guessed correctly, so I'll be sending you out the lovely fabric.

Meantime I need to seriously clean up my sewing room.

Carole :)

A gorgeous country fair

2011-11-27T11:01:00.002+13:00

Friday night was blustery and grim and I wondered how I was going to cope with a fly-away gazebo while collecting lavender bags from the lawn.

But Saturday morning it was a little tamer and as we worked to get our buntings hung and the table looking nice the wind disappeared and the sun popped out now and again.

Everyone was busy presenting their wares and making tempting displays of goods, from home interior

items inside the homestead, to cakes and books, baby clothes and jams, plants and quilts.

Traci and I were allocated a spot down on the bottom garden, right opposite Hester Guy's Cafe which made the best coffee by the way.

It was a lovely sheltered spot with a lovely old water fountain, with tables and chairs scattered round. People came and sat and ate club sandwiches and cakes and drank home made lemonade.

Once again my lavender bags were a best seller and I was pleased I had made extra so I could refill my hat case.

Twice during the day Hester Guy gave a talk and a demonstration to anyone who wanted to sit and listen. She had loads of tips for serving food to guests and catering for your guests at home. She also advised serving lots of small amounts of food before the main, then a small main, and a light desert.

She also said that after only one glass of alcohol no one will appreciate the effort you've put into making your meal.

I thought she was a very interesting, down-to-earth cook.

She visited our table too and told us we had a lovely display and noticed the smell of lavender which wafted round our table.

I had wondered it people would be able to smell it out doors, but almost everyone commented on it.

Traci even sold lavender bags to a few men.

There were loads of nooks and crannies in the garden, and it is not surprising to learn it is hired out as a wedding venue.

New season's Santa's graced the table, some looked a little drunk, I don't think they were used to the bright sun!

Our gazebo looked lovely with all the different buntings fluttering in the breeze.

Everyone commented on them. It was lovely to meet so many people, and some had even found my blog and popped in to say hello.

Pins for sale in ice cream sundae dishes.

Fabric brooches caught in the sunlight.

Thanks Traci for helping me out. And to my friend Lynette who always comes by and takes a photo of me for the record!

I think you might find some more photos on Lynette's blog....

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend too!

Carole :)

making plain bags pretty

2011-11-23T14:17:00.001+13:00

Just taking the plain edge off brown paper bags.

Carole :)

a few more lavender bags

2011-11-22T15:14:00.002+13:00

Fabric all cut out ready to sew.

Pretty little bags waiting to be filled.

Carole :)

A few buntings to hang around my table

2011-11-21T15:10:00.002+13:00

Have to have a few strings of bunting around my table.

Think they'll look pretty fluttering in the breeze.

Carole :)

6th Annual Country Christmas Gift Fair

2011-11-20T18:57:00.000+13:00

This coming Saturday 26th Nov I am having a table at the Country Christmas Gift Fair.

If you are going to be in Palmerston North on Saturday it's well worth visiting. The last two years I went along to shop there were hundreds of people popping in and out.

It is held in the gardens of Caroline's Creative Interiors between 10am and 4pm.

Poppies Bookshop will be there with their lovely selection of books and Hester Guy will set up a cafe and have a selection of yummy things to eat and drink. She will also hold two demonstrations of Creative Christmas ideas at 11.30am and 2.00pm.

What makes this market special is that this homestead used to belong to my great grandmother. My grandmother grew up here. There used to be a tennis court where the fountain is now.

The grounds are beautiful and the old home is beautifully cared for.

I will be down in this sheltered oval with the cafe and the tables and chairs.

I've got a wee gazebo to put up over my table, but am keeping my fingers crossed it's not showery and blowy. I haven't had a table out of doors before.

There are lots of lovely nooks in the large developed garden.

It must be amazing to live here.

There is going to be a lovely selection of Christmas gifts.

Caroline's Creative Interiors,

613 Fitzherbert East Road,

(between Aokautere and the Gorge)

10.00am to 4.00pm

Free Admission

Pop in and say hi if you are visiting!

Carole :)

sewing for the fair

2011-11-20T09:15:00.000+13:00

I have another fair coming up next weekend, I have been sewing like there's no tomorrow.

Or trying to.

Stamped calico.

Ready for sewing.

-Carole :)

A bit of exercise and fresh air

2011-11-14T13:33:00.001+13:00

After what has seemed an eternity of sewing and ripping and hand stitching

I felt the need to get out and get some fresh air and exercise.

What better place to go to than the beach.

Foxton.

A grey windy day, warm jackets, an excited dog.

Where the river meets the open sea

I love the textures

And when the wind blows

all sign of life vanishes and new patterns are formed and discoveries are made

I used to play here as a child,

these sand hills kept me healthy and happy and I knew every inch of them

they are full of memories

and today they leave me feeling refreshed and ready to start the stitching and cutting and compiling processes all over again :)

Carole x

two down, two to go

2011-11-13T13:33:00.000+13:00

The Christmas and cocktails at Caccia Birch is over with. I have not been to this before so had no expectations.

All my stall was packed up ready to go.

It was held over two hours on Friday evening, tickets sold for $20.00 each and the guests were wined and offered gorgeous nibbles while they shopped.

There an amazing array of talented women selling their crafts (and at this stage I shall apologise for the serious lack of photos).

I am very pleased I wasn't next to one of the tempting stalls selling Christmas cakes and fudges.

This is Caccia Birch, gorgeous inside and out! The last time I was here I was the photographer for a wedding.

Lynette popped by and snapped a quick pic of me and my table between customers.

Thanks Lynette :)

I had a busy two hours and came home with a lot less stock which was great.

Lots of lovely comments, a few repeat customers, and loads of new ones!

Now to prepare myself for the next one.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend

Carole :)

New cards

2011-11-08T16:59:00.001+13:00

I've been making new cards for my table at the Christmas at Caccia Cocktails and Craft evening.

It's hard knowing what people will like and what might sell.

I have 3 craft fairs in a row before Christmas, so I'm thinking that if they don't sell at

one, I'll have less stock to make for the next!

What stock is left will go into my Etsy store, however if you spot a card you like

do let me know, I don't mind you getting first choice!

Well, still have cutting and stitching to do....

must run.

Hope you all have a lovely creative week,

Carole ;D

What the heck?

2011-11-06T09:51:00.000+13:00

OK, so what the heck is it?

The QB5 group swap is about to happen,

and it coincides with Christmas.

I've made my swaps and I'm wondering if you can guess what I've made?

If you can I've got two more fabric fat quarters to give away.

I'll give them to the first person who guesses what I've made. If there are more than one person who is a guessing genius, then I'll draw the winners name on the 1st December, when I'll reveal what I've made and they have reached their destinations.

Happy guessing!

Carole ;D

Robin, you won!

2011-11-05T20:50:00.000+13:00

Congrats Robin!

Your name was drawn from all the comments left over the last week for the fabric and the stamp. :)

Send me an email off blog and let me know your address!

I will have another challenge for you tomorrow....

come back and see me then...

Carole ;D

head down in my sewing room

2011-11-01T19:29:00.001+13:00

Making hair clips (or barrettes) for my craft fair table.

Something different, wonder if anyone will like them?

Carole :)

A quick trip to Rotorua

2011-10-31T19:29:00.000+13:00

On the weekend I decided to drive up to Rotorua to meet up with family who were visiting Rotorua too.

The weekend passed in a blur, but I remember the log cabins we stayed in
with their moss and lichen covered roofs.

And I remember the plop of the boiling mud as it made interesting patterns in the mud pools. I could have watched them for ages, even tho the smell of sulphur was pretty darn strong!

But most of all I remember having a number of leisurely soaks in one of these hot thermal pools.

Heavenly!
Did you manage to do anything heavenly this weekend??

Carole :)

The great Hex swap comes to a close

2011-10-29T20:16:00.004+13:00

You'll remember these gorgeous little hexes from a few posts back,

well now they've been finished. Yay!

They were a QB5 group swap. 6" hexes all about ourselves,

(of course everyone was waiting on me this time, as I was 'tail end charlie')

This is my hex, of course you know I'm going to use fabric and stitching!

I made 2 hexes :)

Then we have Miss Patty, gorgeous work in monotones. Thanks Patty!

And the next hex was made by the young Nathalie :)

I think we're two of a kind, I adore clutter!!! Thanks Nathalie I love it!

Then we have a hex by the Miss Linda who is looking pretty model like in her

gorgeous evening wear :) I'm loving it! Thanks Linda!

And lastly here's the hex made by Margaret, and I love the bright sunny colours,

thanks Margaret!

I love all the photos of us too. I have punched holes in them and they now make up a book :)

If I hadn't put names to them,

would you have guessed who they belonged to?

Have a fun weekend!

Carole :)

scratching my head...

2011-10-28T20:04:00.004+13:00

Have you ever had one of those moments when you scratch your head and wonder why you bought that?

Well I've just had one :)

So... I have a lovely fat quarter of red batik fabric and this lovely little snowman stamp

to give away to one of my lovely blog friends.

They are both brand new and I will post them off to one person drawn from the names of those who leave a comment on my blog between now and next Friday.

So, hope you have a lovely day,

Carole :)

Just had to show you this...

2011-10-27T19:45:00.000+13:00

The girls who are doing my free motion stitching class, 'The road to my house'

are half way through the class and creating some lovely mini blocks.

I had to share this pic with you (and with Jen's approval)

I was very impressed, I think she's doing a wonderful job and I can't wait to see her project finished!

Thanks for letting me share your pic Jen!

Carole :)

Did you notice...

2011-10-22T08:42:00.000+13:00

...that one of the changes was because I have my website up and running?

click on the pic to take a look...let me know what you think :)

Carole :)

hundreds and thousands

2011-10-17T21:50:00.001+13:00

A couple of years ago I was told I should have a business card.

Mmmm, a good idea. So I hunted the country for the best deal, as you do.

And found a fabulous one up in Hamilton.

So I ordered a bulk number of cards for next to nothing. But 2 years later they don't say everything I want them to say, so I figured I needed to make some changes.

so....

now I'm up with the play a little better.

And I have some cards to hand out at the next craft market.

Hope your week is off to a great start,

Carole :)

something different

2011-10-15T08:11:00.002+13:00

I thought I might have a go at embellishing myself -well why not I embellish everything else.

So I made myself this fabric choker from scraps in my sewing room.

The first day I wore it as a choker.

The second day I wore it as a headband.

And then I made a pin to go with it :)

Very pretty. Very easy.

And altho it looks old and shabby, it is made from everything new.

I have been asked to teach a one day class and have been trying to think of something easy and fun for the girls to make. What do you think? Any good?

Have you tried embellishing yourself lately?

Carole :)

One person's junk is another person's.....

2011-10-13T21:07:00.001+13:00

TREASURE!

Not, of course, do I want you to get the wrong idea.

I don't spend a lot of time treasure hunting. Maybe I should spend more time hunting out treasures.

But I recently found these two treasures for $5.00 each framed nicely behind glass.

They are beautifully stitched in a single colour thread on what looks like very fine linen.

I've found a lovely spot to hang them too.

I love them.

Have you found anything exciting lately?

Carole :)

Cocktails and Craft

2011-10-12T20:55:00.000+13:00

If any of you happen to be in Palmy on the evening of 11 November,

you can find me here with some lovely gift ideas for Christmas!

If you'd like a ticket, let me know!

stitching like crazy

2011-10-09T09:58:00.000+13:00

I've been very good....

I hope you've achieved something exciting over the weekend?

Carole :)

It's very stressful here at the moment...

2011-10-07T17:10:00.000+13:00

Look at all that wide open space. Wouldn't you just think it would make you feel free and wonderful and thankful?

Ha! Well it doesn't!

It has in fact, just the opposite affect. Because if you look carefully, you can just catch a glimpse of a Plover.

He made lots of noise when I neared the fence which was a dead giveaway that there were some baby birds somewhere close by. I climbed over the fence and took a look.

Yep, sure enough there where three all huddled together on there own while mum and dad Plover dive-bombed me and screamed obscenities at me in bird language.

I rushed inside to find my camera and after approximately five minutes I returned to the very same spot.

I couldn't find the chicks, they were nowhere to be found.

Mmmm, I would need to watch carefully where I was walking.

I found the nest.

And then I thought I found something...

I turned the flash on, so you could see more clearly,

AH HA!

Chick number one. Then slowly, one by one, I found them all

carefully hidden, sitting very quiet and still

And then I couldn't help myself...I had to have a wee cuddle :)

Little balls of downy fluff

And then I put them back amongst the grasses for their mother to fuss over.

They blend in well don't they?

So of course, you can understand why I'm so anxious at the moment, with all manner of babies all over the place.

And two of these.

However, I would like to say, that the whole Plover family were seen for quite a few after and all 3 children were happily running around scouting for food.

Phew, thank goodness :)

Carole :)

Has anyone read this book?

2011-10-01T16:53:00.001+13:00

II'm thinking

I'm thinking of ordering this book - has anyone read it?

My book find

2011-09-30T14:29:00.000+13:00

Here is my book find,

Of course you all will know what I'm going to do with this book won't you?

Carole :)

A visit to the Arts Recycling Centre

2011-09-29T10:34:00.000+13:00

Last weekend while Traci was visiting we had a full day of bargain shopping. It was hard out and a day which you would need to be seasoned bargain spotters.

Think there is probably a market for bargain shopping training days :)

One of our stops was at the Arts Recycling Centre here in Palmerston North.

It's a regular treasure trove.

This corner, for obvious reasons, is my very favourite part of the centre.

Mainly because I like to rummage through all the sliding draws.

I especially like this draw.....

...but Traci was enjoying hunting bargains in the fabric room.

And I found some lovely crochet cottons which are great for hand quilting or embellishing.

On wooden reels too, oh, and pegs.

And I found a lovely book, I'll show you tomorrow.

What bargains have you found lately?

Carole :)

New lambs have arrived

2011-09-28T21:29:00.000+13:00

Our lambs have started to arrive, it's a very exciting time here.

So far we have 5 lambs, with 2 sets of twins.

One of the lambs is a little runty, so I have been feeding her to keep her alive. Her sister is feeding well from their mother, but she doesn't get the hang of it.

It's fun to go out and feed them.

It's 3 bottle feeds a day, and there's a bit of competition to get to the bottle!

This post was for you Patty - seeing you can't be here in person to help feed them :)

Carole :)

Craft market unpacked

2011-09-25T14:15:00.000+13:00

Well Alt.Shift.Craft market that Traci and I went to on Friday night is behind us now.

The creating, planning, preparations and practices are all a thing of the past, lol.

I must admit I was a little stressed before hand, although with having Traci and Mr M&M with me to help set up was great.

(above: lavender bags)

The market was held in the museum here in Palmerston North, a lovely spacious venue, and the Feilding Ukulele group came and provided music for the stall holders and shoppers.

There was plenty of room for more shoppers too!

And here was our stall. Traci had been busy making cushions and loads of buntings, all from recycled or re-purposed materials. They were totally gorgeous, but then I am her mum! lol

I think on reflection that perhaps our stall was a little cluttered and next time I plan to make it a little more simplified.

We had lots of lovely comments on how lovely our table looked, but I think I can improve on it.

I like a challenge!

Here we are towards the end of the night. Tired from our experience, but happy at selling our crafts to those who stopped by our stall.

Now it's back to normal for a while :)

Carole

I wonder....

2011-09-22T07:00:00.001+12:00

What do you think about when you can't sleep at night?

Bits of fabric?

Ideas?

Art projects?

Blogs that inspired you?

I KNOW! - TELL ME ABOUT IT!!

Carole :)

just to reassure a certain group of young girls...

2011-09-20T12:21:00.000+12:00

In case you are wondering if I'm working on my hex's

I really am!

Carole :)

I just had this thought....

2011-09-18T12:21:00.000+12:00

If the girls who are doing my online classes, turn up to class while they are having

a "bad hair day"

-how will I ever know?

Carole :)

Here we go again....

2011-09-16T09:37:00.000+12:00

I am having a table at this craft market. It's a night market and very busy.

This is the real thing.

I don't know if I should be nervous or not!

Am spending the weekend in my sewing room!

Keep you posted.....

Carole :)

Before class starts I have to show you these....

2011-09-10T17:03:00.001+12:00

Ahoy me matey, I just wanted to share these pics with you.

Last weekend my better half and I went to Wellington to see the World of Wearable Arts Show, which I might add was incredibly clever. (No cameras were allowed)

Although Wellington is only 2 hours from home we decided to stay over. I want to show you where we stayed.

There was a few stairs to climb to reach the door. (That's our car way down there)

Exciting!

Behind this large handle was a very well-stocked kitchen with everything you could wish for in a bed and breakfast. We had been left bacon and eggs and tomatoes and mushrooms, a loaf of bread and crumpets, and assorted cereals. And then there was yoghurts and fruit juice and toppings for toast.

And chocolates.....

And I could have sat at the kitchen window all day long drinking tea.

And then there were some more steps....

And there was our bedroom!

And even more steps.....

And we arrived in the lounge, where we could sit back and relax and watch the world go by...

The view was amazing. Planes and ships and cyclists and little boats and people walking and seagulls.

It was a very nautical sleep-over, and as it got dark lights started to twinkle everywhere.

I was happy just watching the inter-island ferries making the crossing to the South Island.

If you look closely you can make out the mountain range on the eastern seaboard, at Kaikoura. The boat trip takes 3hours from North Island to South Island.

But, the next morning it was time to leave.

It was a great experience and I recommend it to anyone. Although not suitable for children or for groups. It is however, the perfect place to spend the night with your very own Salty Sea Captain :)))

So if you happen to be in Wellington for a night, and you'd like to stay in Island Bay,

you can find it here.

Carole :)

Excitement mounts

2011-09-08T20:55:00.000+12:00

Class starts this weekend.......hope those girls have done their homework!!

Carole :)

goodies from the fair

2011-09-05T20:14:00.001+12:00

I did promise to show you some of the bits I bought at the Vintage Textile Fair in Auckland recently.

I didn't actually buy a great lot, but there were so many things to look at, and I could have happily spent a small fortune. But I was well behaved, ask Shane :)

These took my eye, I thought I could find a very practical use for them.

There were loads of laces, some extremely pricey. A couple of nice pieces were added to my collection.

These beauties were too good to pass up and reasonably priced.

I fell in love with this vintage needle keep too.

And this which I have no idea what it actually is, but I think it's an egg warmer lol.

I fell in love with this too. It is full of darning thread for stockings. (perhaps I could learn how to mend the pile I have here)

I thought this find was very special too. I was told it is a bride's handkerchief.

It is very fine and I'm sure you would never use it. Perhaps only to dry the lightest of tears? (of happiness of course)

And to end a fabulous day, Shane gave me this wonderful bag she made which was crammed full of exciting things she'd made and bits I can use. It was like opening a treasure chest of goodies! I was thrilled to bits to have some of her art work too.
Thank you Shane, I felt very spoilt.

Back soon :)
Carole

thought I'd share this with you

2011-09-02T10:50:00.002+12:00

While I was away on holiday,

my mum had loads of old photos for me of when I was a toddler.

I thought I'd share this one with you,

I'm about 3.

Mum made all my wee outfits and in all the pics I was always dressed beautifully.

Even when I was out playing, I was dressed beautifully complete with little ankle gumboots.

I love the photo, but do you think I've been caught doing something I shouldn't have been doing?

Carole :)

A vintage textile fair to end all fairs

2011-08-30T11:40:00.001+12:00

On Sunday just gone, I visited with Shane from Roses Lace and Brocante and together we went to Alexander Park in Auckland to a Vintage Textile Fair.

While most of the time I was far too busy ferreting - I did remember to take a few photos.

This was my first textile fair and honestly, I have never seen anything like this, there were shoes and clothes and hats and linens and jewels and laces and buttons and quilts. There were a mix of dealers and collectors and prices ranged from bargains to expensive over the top.

For more than 2 hours I was in heaven :)

Here are a few images taken at times when I wasn't skipping or fra-la-la-ing....

Unfinished quilts

I would have loved to take all these guys home!

These laces were stunning, but highly priced.

These two quilts were dated 1860's and had price tags of several hundred dollars. The one above is a dolls size quilt while the one below is an unfinished bed quilt. Both had come from America.

I would so love to own one of these, but priced well out of my range.

Gorgeous!

This quilted fabric above was sourced from France and came from around the top of a bed, it was over $700.

Love this hat!

I had a lovely day and it was so nice to finally meet Shane. We talked non-stop - as you can imagine.

Overall I think you had to be picky to find a bargain, but it was lovely to spend time with a fellow blogger with so much in common.

Thanks Shane, may it happen many more times in the future!

And did you want to see what I found/bought?

Well, I'll show you soon, when I get home from my holiday :)

Carole:)

Yesterday I died and went to heaven.....

2011-08-29T13:40:00.000+12:00

Girls, I will tell you what it was like tomorrow

I'm still recovering...

Carole :)

You know how I love textile markets, well.....

2011-08-25T10:33:00.000+12:00

...well this is my latest find.

Amazing, a woman at the Frabric-abrac market last weekend was selling two very large bags of hexs!

Each bag was packed full of hexs, and although I'm not sure about some of the colours,

some of the fabrics were very old and quite pretty.

I certainly think the hexs with the paper backings were really interesting compared to the ones with plain card.

It was really interesting to go through them and read what was on them.

When I got home and tipped out the hexs, this chocolate box was tucked in the bottom and it is full of templates. Hundred's of them, how exciting :)

And then I found a tin full of crochet cottons and hooks.

What more could a girl want?

Had any interesting finds lately?

Carole:)

CLASS REGISTRATION OPENS

2011-08-21T23:50:00.001+12:00

Registration is now open

I've always thought about how life can be likened to a road, it has straight stretches, but more often than not it also has many winding corners and mountain ranges.

As we travel along our road, we also make many stops. Maybe it's to raise children, maybe it's marriage, separation or death.

But, no matter what the road is like, we are often blessed to find some fabulous friends along the way, and some wonderful places.

I wanted to make a wall hanging that reflected that in a quirky kind of way.

This quilt reflects for me the road taken to my house and I would love for you to join me in this journey.

The road to my house
Make a delightful quilted wall hanging with me. This quilt will be unique and personal to you as it narrates the story of the road to your house.

Celebrate your very own journey.

Together we will use our sewing machines for some free motion stitching and

a little hand stitching to add depth.

Add a smattering of teabags, some vintage linen, an assortment of special treasures

from your sewing room to embellish

and you will have a wall hanging that's very individual and incredible.

I will be there every step of the journey to advise you and guide you.

Make your wall hanging the same size as mine or make it smaller.

As we work together you can follow my directions and explore ideas generated in the workshop or you can be adventurous and put your own spin on your project, whichever road you take, remember, it’ll lead to your house.

Play with fabric, step away from the burden of producing 'perfect' all the time. The quirkiness that you lend to this wall hanging will make it unique and a stunning piece of art.

This workshop includes recycled new and vintage materials and will allow you to include as much or as little detail as you want to in the embellishing. All stitches are easy and I will help you if you get stuck with easy to follow directions, photos and videos.

Work on this project at your own leisure, the wee stitcheries lend themselves to being

popped into your purse and taken with you. Finish the hand stitching while you wait for the children, or at home while you watch tv.

The class blog will remain open for an unlimited time.

COST: $US55.00
START DATE: 11th September 2011

Join me for loads of fun in my brand new class as we share our journeys with each other.

Feel free to take my class button above for your blog.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, I am always only an email away.

Carole :)

“The road to my place is never straight, but it’s always paved with fabulous friends and wonderful places!” Carole Brungar

seizing the opportunity

2011-08-20T12:47:00.001+12:00

Well it's been an exciting week and anyone reading this who lives in New Zealand will be thinking, 'not more snow photos!'

But they will also know it's not a vary common occurrence to have it snow in Palmerston North, and many of the places that it did snow, so when it does everyone gets very excited.

In the last 10 years the hills opposite my home have had 2 dusting's of snow, and it has been at least 50 years since it snowed like this.

On Monday morning we woke to a pretty dusting of snow on the hills and the promise of a corridor of polar air moving towards us bring severe chills and snow to low levels.

Everyone at work was eager to head off home as the day got darker and grey. It started to snow half an hour before I finished work. The above photo shows what it was like driving home. By the time I got home, this is what awaited me....

H O L Y C O W!!

I'm not sure the sheep were too thrilled about the sudden dip in temperatures. They started to blend into the snow...

And all my daffodils were buckling under the weight of the snow...

And the neighbours farm looked magical in a cold sort of way...

But there was only one thing for it. I took off my smart office jacket and my heels and stockings and put on socks and track pants, coat, scarf and hat and gloves and in my gumboots I ran out to play like a 5 year old.

Honestly it does one's soul good to run around and build snowmen and throw snowballs, and stand with your tongue hanging out trying to catch a snowflake.

It makes you feel alive.

And the next morning...

it was still all there, pristine, pretty and pure.

It made me feel alive

and

thankful for the beauty I got to witness during the week.

My snowman lasted for 3 days and now there is only a touch of snow here and there on the hills, but the polar blast has disappeared and fine sunny days are forecast.

Can't wait for the sun.

Carole :)

Don't stop at the cafe,

2011-08-19T17:05:00.001+12:00

we've got stitching to do

Carole :)

Don't run over the bird in the pot

2011-08-18T17:01:00.001+12:00

I'll be keeping my eyes on the road,

I'm taking the road to your house

Carole :)

Looking for a new project?

2011-08-17T17:01:00.001+12:00

It's going to be a festival of old button and bows

and hand stitching

and vintage linen and pretty threads,

play like there's no tomorrow

Carole :)

It's really all about friends....

2011-08-16T17:01:00.000+12:00

....what more can I say?

Carole :)

New class details coming soon

2011-08-15T17:01:00.001+12:00

Hope you've been practicing your free motion stitching?

Carole :)

GET YOUR CARS OUT GIRLS!!

2011-08-14T14:47:00.000+12:00

We're about to start on a journey,

We'll be taking a leisurely pace.

Pack needle and thread and cream cakes,

Because we're taking the road to my place.

Registration opening soon

Carole :)

Whew, I survived my first market

2011-08-06T14:30:00.000+12:00

Well the market was last night. I survived. Just.

It was held in the staff cafe at work, with wine and nibbles.

Three people who were supposed to have tables cancelled at the last minute, and not many staff turned up either.

A bit disappointing really, considering the amount of time and effort you put into making the items to sell and then carting everything in and setting up.

My lavender bags and my fabric gift cards were very popular. I was very happy.

Here is my table, looking a bit cluttered :) -but interesting.

I did learn a few things....

It takes ages to set things up how you want them, in fact I had to re-do the display three times, even tho I had tried things at home.

When it's time to pack up everyone else in the room seems to be able to pack up much quicker than me.

Props are as important as your products.

And finally, Murphy's Law dictates that almost everyone will have $10 or $20 notes. And they did, and I was ready for them! HA

I am thinking I might be tempted to give it another go......

Carole :)

Getting back to the labels...

2011-08-02T08:37:00.001+12:00

First I had to do some sewing, (and bask in the warm glow from the sewing machine)

A nice pile of embellishments to play with.

Then I felt I had to use some of these. Nathalie sent me these a while back, I felt they were too special to use, now I know they were perfect for my price labels.

Thanks Nathalie - knew I kept them for a reason!

Mean looking monsters :)) but they will be perfect.

Then take my little suitcase full of wee lavender sachets with pretty ribbons, laces and fabrics and add a one-of-a-kind hand made label,

One lot of goodies done and dusted for the market.

They should compliment the pretty quilts and the fabric cards.

Now onto the final quilt. Will I get it finished in time?

Carole :)

having some fun on a sunny day

2011-07-31T20:02:00.000+12:00

Today the sky was a steady blue and the sun filled me with a glorious warm feeling.

I decided to take advantage of it and make some re-useable price labels for my little sales table.

First I glued several sheets of paper together,

then I painted them with some walnut ink.

And then it was outside in the sun to dry.

There was only one problem....

It was called Buddy :)

More on the price labels soon, gotta get back to my problem......

Carole :)

sewing for the mini market

2011-07-29T17:13:00.000+12:00

There's a mini market happening at work next week for anyone who makes things or is into a craft of some sort. Not sure how successful it will be, but I decided it would be my first foray into the world of selling my work in a face-to-face situation.

I should imagine it will be quite different to selling online, and I'm not the best at promoting myself or my work, which is why I like selling online. I can list it and leave it. I think in a market situation I need to actively sell my work. Not sure how that's going to pan out.

Not sure about it at all.

Anyway, I've been sewing to get enough stock to make a table look pretty, and have finished another quilt in lovely pastels.

And I made a table dressing with the scraps from my last quilt.

I've still got one more quilt to finish.

I'll keep you posted!

Carole :)

Some things to be thankful for...

2011-07-25T20:05:00.000+12:00

crispy white grass

lots of firewood in the shed

a hint of spring

a glimpse of sun now and again

a splash of unexpected colour

and a happy Shelby

It's fun looking for the unexpected.

What are you thankful for today?

Keep safe and well,

Carole :)

Stitching on a sunny day

2011-07-16T19:13:00.000+12:00

Not long until August and my new online class.

It will be a small (ish) wall hanging and I'm really excited about it as it's

getting closer to being finished.

It's got a little bit of everything in it.

It will be a little bit more involved than the journal class, but just as much fun.

Hope you'll be able to join me.

Hope you have the bestest weekend :)

Carole

Making hay while the sun shines.....

2011-07-15T12:59:00.001+12:00

..... actually I won't be making hay, but this sunshine, the first we've seen in a number of days, will be great to dry my teabags out. (even tho it is a little weak)

If you think you might like to take my next online class, you're gonna need teabags.

Better start collecting now!

Hope the sun's shining on you too,
Carole :)

card making on a wintery day

2011-07-10T13:32:00.001+12:00

I can't believe that a whole week has passed by. I don't know where the time is going and I don't seem to be creating much at the moment.I'm blaming the weather. I feel like snuggling under a quilt on the sofa, in front of the fire with a good romance novel.

I am working my way through the class sample which is progressing nicely. Hopefully I will be able to show you soon.

This weekend I have been making loads of new greeting cards for a mini market I am going to sell at. It will be the first time that I stand and sell my artwork, am a bit nervous about the prospect, but I am telling myself it will be a great experience.

Here are some pics from my day sewing....

I think I'm suffering from the winter blues. It's cold and miserable and wet and grey. And I'm not feeling the least bit creative.
Perhaps those of you living where the sun is shining brightly will send me some heat and sunshine?

I'll be back when I feel the vibes! LOL
Hope you are having fun this weekend!

Carole :)

How I lost Mr Madness on the mini break....

2011-07-03T22:25:00.000+12:00

Lake Taupo looking south across the lake towards the mountains

Back home safe and sound and refreshed after a fabulous mini break.

We arrived in Taupo, 3 hours drive from home, on Saturday afternoon and checked into our cabin at the De Bretts Thermal Spa Resort and immediately went for a lovely long laze in the hottest pool we could find. The temperature was 37 degrees Celsius.

Mr Madness came with me for the first swim, but decided he wanted to watch the rugby on tv later in the evening so I went on my own and stayed until they closed at 9.30pm.

Here's the campground with the row of little cabins early this morning. The over night air temps dropped to -5 and the car was covered in ice. It was lovely and toasty warm in our cabin, but do you know what I really wanted to do?
Go for another soak in the hot mineral pools!
Mr Madness came with me. It was freezing!

A glimpse of the outdoor pools through the trees... There are a number of pools all at different temps.

Here's the hottest outdoor pool, it is kept between 37 and 40 but this morning it was 41.5. Bliss! There
were only a hand full of people using the pools at 8.30 in the morning, the best time to go. We decided to try the private pools, they were 40.

This one will do nicely....

Too hot to sit under this chap!
And then Mr Madness lowered himself into the steaming hot mineral water....

And I lost him! He was in there somewhere!
Only one thing to do,
Go in and find him!!
Can you see him in the steam?

I think we need to shift to Taupo! Absolutely relaxing! So after feeling blissed out we headed home again.

Then coming home today, the sky was the prettiest blue and there was snow on all the ranges and mountains.
And then around the corner.....

There she was, Mount Ruapehu looking charming and glorious dressed all in white.

Here's to a lovely week, and to my friends who are celebrating on the 4th July -have a great day!

Carole :))

A Bridget Jones mini break!!

2011-07-01T20:35:00.000+12:00

(photo taken from 'The Road to my House' class sample)

How exciting!

Tomorrow, (which is Saturday here in New Zealand), my handsome Mr Madness and I are going to jump in our wee motor and have a wee mini break!

A road trip in the country!

What are you doing this weekend?

See you soon,

Carole :))

How's your free motion stitching going?

2011-06-26T12:56:00.000+12:00

no secret to it all, but if you practice, you'll get much better!

have fun, carole :))

Are we ready? Then let's do it!

2011-06-21T17:22:00.000+12:00

OK, easy as!
So now I want you to go off and practice. Write words on your fabric and free motion over them until your fabric is covered in writing.

Leave a comment to let us know how you've got on, and we can all come and visit you to see your homework!

On the weekend I'll post another exercise.
Have fun,
Carole :))

Free motion sewing lesson no.1- Getting ready to stitch

2011-06-20T20:05:00.001+12:00

The batting is a piece left over from a quilt I made. It is a polyester/cotton mix and I'm only using it because it is a scrap. There are cheaper types of batting available, so if you are going to buy a small amount to use for practising on, then the plain polyester types are the cheapest.

OK, any questions so far?
Well then I shall see you back here tomorrow!
Carole :)

Welcome to my sewing room....

2011-06-19T12:52:00.000+12:00

.... or what I call the equivalent to a man cave!

Are you ready for the challenge??

Carole :))

stitching of an evening...

2011-06-14T19:50:00.000+12:00

...working on the class sample, in front of a fire,

with Downton Abbey on tv,

and a nice cup of tea.

Could I want for anything more?

Carole :)

How have you changed?

2011-06-10T13:34:00.000+12:00

Today it's raining, very cold and grey and I've just finished doing my tax return. It wasn't good news.

(photo from my very first month of posting)

And then as I was lighting the fire I was thinking about my blog and how long I've been blogging. It seems that Facebook has had quite an impact on the way and frequency of blogging lately.

Out of curiosity I decided to go back in time and see what my blog posts were like when I first started blogging and just how much they've changed compared to my posts now.

I found lots of enthusiasm and lots of lovely artwork from friends all around the globe.

I also thought I wrote a lot more than I do today. I wonder if that's a reflection on the fact I'm always running out of time?

I also think that my focus has changed a lot during the four years I've had a blog presence, when I first starting blogging I used to participate in loads of swaps, but now I've found I enjoy teaching, I love meeting people and as I watch my students finishing their amazing journals I realise how exciting it is to share the fun of helping students make a special piece of art.
I think my art journey has become more focused. I think there are going to be some exciting projects ahead.

But maybe sometimes we all need to step backwards so that we can move forwards?

How have you as a blogger and artist changed from when you first starting blogging?

Hope you've all had a fantastic week,
Carole :)

i don't mean to scare you but.....

2011-06-08T12:55:00.001+12:00

my next online class is going to require ~~some~~ LOTS of free motion stitching

feed dogs down

and going for it

do you think you're ready for the challenge?

Carole ;)

it's winter....

2011-06-06T12:54:00.000+12:00

every year i look forward to winter,

wearing my pretty scarves,

sitting in front of a fire at night reading a book,

having a legitimate excuse to stay inside and stitch while it rains outside

and i enjoy the smell of freshly baked bread as it cooks.

this will be eaten with my lamb and beer casserole. :)

the recipe is very simple and is a river cottage recipe (i love hugh fearnley-whittingstall's cooking)

sift 500gms plain flour and 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and stir in 1 tsp fine salt.

make a well in the centre and add in approx 400ml of buttermilk, stirring as you go, if you need you can add a tablesp of milk to help bring the mix together, it should form a soft dough, 'just this side of sticky'

tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly for about 1 min. it doesn't need to be smooth and elastic like normal bread.

working quickly is good, you want to get the dough into the oven while the buttermilk is working with the bicarb of soda.

transfer the dough to a floured tray, dust it with flour and with a sharp knife cut a cross on the top of the dough. this allows the dough to expand.

bake in a pre-heated oven 200 degrees celsius for 40 - 45 mins until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath.

if you want a crunchy crust cool on a wire rack, if not, cover while it cools.

nice eaten while warm, or left overs make great toast!

let me know how you get on!

have fun,

carole :)

Some exciting news!

2011-06-01T16:57:00.000+12:00

Are you looking for something different?
Want an exciting new class to join during Autumn and Winter?
Lots of on-line fun?

I'm working on a new class!

here's a sneak peek....

It's called...

'The Road to my House'

and are we going to have fun or what!!

Do you think you're ready for the challenge?

Don't forget to check back here for more updates as they're posted.

Carole :)

a post that has absolutely nothing to do with anything

2011-05-31T20:17:00.000+12:00

Last night I decided I would be adventurous and make sushi for dinner.

I have never eaten it before, let alone make it, but I'm always game to try new things - and beside all the young ones in the office are eating it all the time :)) -how bad can it be?

Here is my roll of sushi rice, and my filling of crab meat, capsicum and cucumber, with a little bit of seafood dressing added for taste.

So far so good.

mmmmmm

Pretty frickin good for a first attempt, and tasted good too.

However.....my DH decided that he'd sooner have a steak, so to make them more palatable in the meantime he drenched them in apple sauce!

It would have been funny, except I cooked that much rice we'll be having them for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next week !!!

Have you been adventurous this week?

Carole :)

Here it is all finished!

2011-05-28T15:15:00.000+12:00

Well finally the moment you've all been waiting for.

I have to apologise for the quality of the pics, it is dark when I leave for work in the mornings and dark when I get home and today the day is grey, windy and wintery, not the best for taking photos.

The big reveal of my funny mismatched quilt. I'm going to share the love with you :)

Here is the original pattern, scanned from the book, it's so easy anyone could just about make it blind folded! (except me)

That is until I came along and stuffed it all up. I still can't understand how I managed to, I measured and re-measured absolutely everything. And almost everything was out. I can say with a certainty that this quilt is the biggest mis-match of a quilt I have ever made!

This is what it looks like now...

But you know what? I really love it! It shows off the brown French themed fabric right in the centre, and you can hardly notice all the "fix-up" bits of fabric I had to add.

And I decided to take the advice of those of you who thought I should embellish it, thanks for your ideas, I decided to cut circles from my left over fabric and sew them onto the small squares in the middle of the quilt.

I'm pleased I did, they look really neat.

On the back I used the last of my larger pieces of flannel fabric.

It's a very snuggly throw - A very small bear and I tried it out!

Have a lovely weekend my lovely friends,

Carole :)

A right royal bunting...

2011-05-25T18:03:00.001+12:00

Making buntings has been fun, I think I'm on a roll here! This bunting is 8.5 feet long and will get listed in my Etsy Store shortly.

It's a fun bunting with 13 flags and 6 British rosettes.

Carole :)

Love is all around us...

2011-05-24T18:03:00.001+12:00

Just for a change I decided to make a pretty bunting for my Etsy store. And I decided to use paper as I consider I am severely challenged when it comes to working with paper and need all the practice I can get! LOL

In pretty pinks and greens it is 5.5 feet long. It will be listed soon.

Carole :)

I have a funny feeling.....

2011-05-20T20:24:00.000+12:00

Still working on my quilt.

I have the funniest feeling that just because nothing matches on this quilt, no seams join, no nine patches are straight, that this quilt will turn out to my very very favouritest!

Just because!

Have a lovely weekend dear readers.

Just because.

Carole :)

let me show you my gorgeous hoops

2011-05-18T22:53:00.000+12:00

Recently the QB5 group had a challenge where we each sent the others an assortment of things and we could make whatever we liked, we could use everything we were sent, or we could leave a few things out or we could add a couple of our own things to the mix.

Above is the selection I sent each of the girls, Linda, Patty, Nathalie and Margaret. (You'll find their links on the right - just look for QB5)

This is what the girls made...

This is the hoop Linda made for me. it is amazing, Linda has made a wee fabric book with pages containing quirky stitcheries and little pockets with lovely vintage buttons and flowers!

Then the next hoop to delight me was made by Patty. She used an old doily that used to belong to her mother and a beautifully stitched hanky. Very pretty and feminine!

I was so excited to see how everyone had used the package of goodies I sent them. The next to arrive was Margaret's lovely hoop. It has paper collaged round the outside of the hoop, I loved how she combined the paper and the fabric!

And the last hoop to arrive was Nathalie's, and it was well worth the wait!

Lady Peel was very well endowed with buttons and lace and stitching! She even has a lucky charm with her.

Then the last hoop to share is the one I made.

Thank you so much girls for yet another exciting and challenging swap. You have all made such a lovely job of crafting my hoops, they are all different, but with a sameness. I love the textures and I love how they have all "seen" something different from the things I sent them. Now I just need to find somewhere to display them.

What do you think? Aren't I lucky to have such clever girlfriends?

Carole:)

Rrrrrrrr me hearties!

2011-05-17T14:40:00.006+12:00

Every fortnight at work our team has a shared morning tea. Mmmm nice you're thinking, well these morning teas also have a theme. Last week the boss was tasked with setting a theme and bringing the morning tea.

The theme was Pirates. Of course my challenge was to turn myself into a pirate using only what I had at home.

First off a good pirate always has a treasure map and some loot! An old small suitcase, some jewels, a shell or two and some chocolate coins.

The treasure map was made from some tissue paper Patty sent me which I stitched to a piece of handmade paper that had lovely tatty edges.

Then I decided that my head scarf and all the dangly bits looked great, but I needed something else? And then I remembered that all the best pirates have their very own first mate - a parrot!

Here he is above, resting after his big day out :)) I couldn't work out a way to attach him to my shoulder, so he had to be content with sitting on my headband!

I had so many neat remarks about him that I hardly took him off all day! I did take my scarf off and all the bits that were attached to it. (I think people in the office are getting used to my quirky ways now! LOL)

The boss made some lovely morning tea for us all, way too nice to want to eat - a chocolate cake trunk full of chocolate coins and sweets. Yumm!!

However, back home, this is what my sewing tables looked like!!

Not a square inch of room! All in the quest for fun :)) Bet you don't know what I spent the evening doing!

Hope you're having fun this week!

Carole :)

Thank you and progress report

2011-05-15T14:38:00.001+12:00

Thanks to you all for the great ideas and suggestions for help with this quilt top. I read thru them all with interest, some I thought were very good ideas, and some made me laugh. So thanks!!

Can you guess what I've been doing? There has been a lot of this happening in my sewing room of late, my trusty friend the Quick Unpick to the rescue. In fact I think I've nearly worn the blade out!!

Just when I've rechecked everything and pinned and measured again and think things are falling into place nicely, this happens for absolutely no reason whatsoever!

I guess everyone has to make at least one problem quilt in their lifetime of quilting :) But it's beginning to test my patience!

So here is an update of where it's at right now. HA! And you thought it's be locked in a cupboard didn't you? No, it's starting to take shape, some sort of shape, actually I'll be happy with whatever shape I get out of it! LOL I love that fabric and it still looks gorgeous. Think I might do some minor embellishing too, thanks to those who suggested it.

Well must dash and do some more sewing to unpick! hahaha Hope you're all having a great weekend,
Carole :)

It's all about tearing your hair out!

2011-05-11T19:28:00.000+12:00

Do you remember this fabric I bought recently?

Well my aim was to make a quilt using the brown fabric at the top as a feature fabric because I couldn't bear to cut it up into small pieces.

So I have been busy measuring and cutting and sewing and it was progressing nicely.

I am using a pattern from the book Two From One Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott. I was thrilled with the progress, the fabric looks gorgeous.

However, shortly after I laid the blocks out on the bed in the pattern things started to get ugly! LOL

It quickly turned into an exercise of frustration as I started sewing the blocks together and realised that no matter what I did my points weren't going to meet. grrrrrr

I went back and remeasured everything, all my squares and my seam allowances. The tiny triangles on the corners are too small. Even a blind man could see that! However, when I unpicked one it was cut exactly the right size.

I even emailed the authors of the book who emailed me back a very lovely email, but the bottom line isn't pretty. To fix the problem I'd have to unpick a LOT of stitching and buy more fabric and re-sew everything.

I was thinking that maybe I should change the pattern some so that no one knows that I've made the grandest botch up of all time?

What do you think if I put all these blocks together, and maybe put the nine patch blocks round the outside?

Of course if you tell anyone I stuffed up big time, I'm going to have to hunt you down! LOL

Back to the sewing room......Carole :)

If you happen to be in Wellington this weekend......

2011-05-11T17:55:00.000+12:00

The bunting in action

2011-05-04T20:19:00.001+12:00

Remember the bunting I made for my boss?

Well today was her last day at work before she gets married and I got a chance to hang her bunting above her desk.

We had loads of fun making sure she enjoyed her day. We covered her desk in tinsel and paper confetti, and sneaked some into her handbag and draws, hung balloons and streamers and made large signs that notified everyone getting out of the lifts that we had a Bride To Be in our office.

And I decided to make a special bridal headpiece for her to wear in the office :)))

And just before our very special afternoon tea, two of us discreetly disappeared down to the car park and wrapped her car in toilet paper!

It was a day of never-ending surprises and lots of laughs. (especially when she glanced out the window and spotted her car two stories below with bits of toilet paper blowing off it from it in the wind!)

Then before I went home she asked if she could keep the pretty bridal headband. I think she liked that more than anything else!

I hope she has a lovely day on Saturday!

Carole :)

A need to quilt

2011-05-02T08:00:00.001+12:00

I'm quilting again....

haven't done any quilting for ages, but this nice Moda Jelly roll was too much of temptation - it's called "La Petite Ecole" and it's by French General, as if you didn't already know!!

just adding a few of these

to some of these. Am trying to have large blocks so that I can see this fabric, would be such a shame to have to cut it into small blocks.

I'll keep you posted.

Carole :)