Footprints

Don't ya just love that Footprints poem.. you know about some people come into your life for a reason...
I got this lovely warm and fuzzy email from a colleague today...
"I love the Forest Gump theory.. life is like a box of chocolates, and ya never know what yer gonna git!  The beautiful thing about you is that you're a Caramel chockky with a 'soft centre'. Delicimo on the outside and even more beautiful on the inside.  Never give up being as flavoursome a personality as you are, and never allow anyone to crush your heart or spirit.. cause you deserve to be treated like the Princess you are."

Well yeah, it's warm and fuzzy but old chooks need that now and again. Sadly he's been pushed into leaving the company.  I wish him and his family well and I'm sure he'll find another job soon where he will be treated also with the respect he deserves.

Here are the two little bags I've made for his little girls, 6 and 4.  They're not quite finished yet but tomorrow night.  Will have to be in the post by the end of the week.  I've just finished quilting the 5 flowers on top.  2 more to go and then I'll put buttons in the middle and sew them on.. And then all finished.  I just wanted to do something because he has been a great person to work with and a good friend. 

In Loving Memory

Isn't this rose beautiful.  When my Dad passed away last September someone gave Mum the Rose "In Loving Memory".. Mum gave it to me and I took it back to PN and it wilted and all but died.  There was the barest green showing but it never did anything last summer.  I decided to perservere like my Dad would and bought it to Windy Wellington and here is the first flower.  I have picked it because it is so beautiful and the wind will ruin it.  And it smells devine. 

My Dad loved growing roses.  He spent hours every day amongst them .. a few years ago he counted and there were 199.. which included 35 of my roses, he gained ownership of when I went to Oz.  Sadly they've been depleted over the last two years with the garden being minimised for Mum.  I wasn't around to 'rescue' any but I plan to take cuttings of what's left next year.

Stop Christmas I can't catch up

A long night and my Christmas tree is up.  Why I moved all the furniture just to fit in the tree I'll never know.  I'm way behind on making Christmas presents now!!!  Grrrr.. But it look's okay.  I have a habit of buying new Christmas ornaments in the post Christmas sales and have surprised myself by how many different Father Christmas's I have now. 

Some I've been given too like the cute one with FC upside down in a globe.  My grandson Cam bought that one for me last Christmas out of his pocket money. 

There is nothing more heart warming than a present from a child.  Last weekend my granddaughter Olivia gave me some 'gingerbread men figures' she'd decorated.  I'm going to string them up with some Christmas tinsel so she can see them when she arrives. 

Tomorrow night and the next 14 days will be sewing madly.  I have to make bags for Olivia, my two daughters and a colleagues two daughters.  I want to make a cushion for my Mum, placemats for the Christmas table and maybe a bag each for my sisters if I have time.

The Bag Lady and things

I was going to take a photo of the bits for the train advent calenders.  I see they are still available at The Warehouse though $15 and not $3 that I paid in January. 

I can't get much in the drawers but I've put letters of the alphabet onto magnets spelling words

Happy Xmas Holidays Cameron
Merry Xmas George, Olivia, Alex

they'll have a letter in each drawer so they can put them on the fridge and guess the words

I've bought balloons, little bouncy balls, Xmas bells, stickers which all fit in the drawers and I'll make up some vouchers!!  I'll also put some $1 coins in (thank you Carolyn)

and I'll put some Lucky Dip Vouchers in too as I got tennis balls, glow in the dark stars, magnetic xmas ornaments, Le Snak, and a few choclate things.

I was going to take a photo but my battery has gone flat.  So better charge it up.  Tomorrow night is our work xmas do... not many go but hey, it's a free meal and a chance to get to know a few more staff.

And Friday I"m heading off to Napier.  Sadly my wonderful Uncle has been told he now has Ca Liver.  (He had a successful op 14 months ago for Bowel Cancer.   He can't have any treatment.  It is so so sad. Friday is the anniversary of my Auntie's death last year and I don't want Uncle to be alone so I'm taking the day off and going to spend a couple of days with him and visit my grandchildren, deliver the trains etc. 

so you may not see me for a few days but I'll take photos as soon as my battery lights up. 

PS I sent my bag photos to a few colleagues at work and one of them put the photos on the news that goes around the country.   I've been called The Bag Lady today.  Cute huh.

25 days till Christmas SOONER than I'd like!

And once again I'm running late.  I bought two of these trains after Christmas last year and want to put things in them for my grandchildren.  A friend is taking them to the kids on Friday but sadly the little drawers are smaller than I thought so nothing I've bought fits.  That's okay I'll put lucky numbers in the drawers and then wrap each pressy seperately.  But do you have any ideas?  The drawers are about 1.5 inches square. 

I am going to make a few vouchers like: "This voucher entitles you to an afternoon with Mum (or Dad) on your own doing an activity of your choice to the value of $10 OR This voucher is for a family picnic at a place of your choice ie beach, front yard, park?? What do you young Mum's think?  I'm not into chocolates everyday.. would rather do something different but I only have 4 days!

This is the needle holder I made out of the pattern for my oldest grandson's hands.  I made this in a hurry yesterday morning while finishing my bag for the challenge.  I want to do a bit more work on it yet.  Maybe put a couple of bits of hat elastic in to hold a Quick Unpick .. Any other ideas?

The Bag Challenge Results

Well, I completed enough of my bag that it looked finished about ten minutes before I had to leave home.  Here are the results.  Unfortunately someone moved in front of me when I took this photo so I only have a snippet of it. 

This was the Judges Choice Winner.  It was grey and black which matched the logo we had to include (it is the middle of the flower).  Well done.

  This was Presidents Choice - A Hand Bag!  Clever ah.  I'm  not sure where she got the hands.

This bag took the prize for Best Use of Logo .. it is sewn in th emiddle of the picture of a quilt.  I've never seen that fabric.. It was gorgeous.

And here's my completed bag...

Friends hands are on both the inside and outside.   Emma, Erilyn, Chris and Carol drew around their hands and sent them to me.   They're on the inside pockets.  I first copied them and put them on the outside too.  Chris is dark blue, Emma purple, Carol brown-green, Raelene red, Myra light blue and down the bottom because Myra got me started on this journey! (her other hands she sent got lost and have not turned up so she faxed them to me), Erilyn is green and my Dad's hands were included.. they're the big ones haha.

My youngest 3 grandchildren's hands are on the handle and I made George's hands into a needle case (14).  I put the kids ages Cam 9, Oliver 5 and Alex 4) on them in a fabric which had sayings about friends all over it.  It's the same as on the bottom of one side.  Myra sent me a 2 1/2 inch strip once and it's nearly all been used up.  I did not buy anything for this bag.  The cottons and buttons were all old ones given to me and the fabrics are flannels which I bought last year  I used some of them for my postcard challenge and loved them so bought heaps.

Inside book pocket with Carol's hands and Emma's in purple ruler pocket

Chris's hands in gorgeous seashell fabric.

Erilyn's hands - the bits pocket

Artist Statement::

The HAND bag with HANDles and HANDY needle case inside.

Made using the handprints of some wonderful friends who taught me how to do patchwork, friends who gave me the inspiration and encouragement, and friends who I have taught how to quilt. It also includes the new generation of sewers.. my grandchildren even the grandsons who love sewing on Nan’s machine.

AND YES I WON VIEWERS CHOICE

WHICH IS GREAT BECAUSE IT MEANS THE MAJORITY OF 100+ MEMBERS LIKED MY BAG BEST!!  I got a lovely new rotary cutter, a cute box to keep bobbins in and a $20 voucher from the local fabric shop. 

I've entered the exhibition challenge for April 2010 now.  Pay $3.00 and get a challenge pack which includes a fat quarter of a fabric which has to feature in a quilt less than 1 metre square... eek.. talk about big head.. I am getting very full of myself haha.  Only 40 entries!! What was I thinking haha.  I'm going to bed to watch tv and read magazines.  I am exhausted haha.. as my friends will know it's always a rush at the end when KJ makes anything.. but it's been so worth it.!!!!  Yay, 5 Awards in 14 months!! Oh goodnight now I sound like a real blow hard hehe

wish List for Xmas

If I could write a letter to Santa still here's what I'd ask for:

A tall lamp to sit beside my lazy boy (I forgot how dark it is in old houses with high ceilings!)

A new tallboy and bedside drawers for my bedroom

Tall boys?  Lazyboys?  Any boy would do... haha.. NAH

A trip to the hairdresser for the whole works.. colour.. streaks.. cut... style..

A new foundation

That's all.   Not much is it haha.. But in reality my present will be to have a fun relaxing and pleasant day with SUNSHINE and all my kids and grandkids, my Mum and my sister and her partner. 

Back to the BAG... Oh boy I am over it now!