Home late-ish after a long day, sore feet, looking forward to a cup of tea....check the letter box....a parcel for me...yay! A bit of a spring in the step now...it's from Marls in NZ...goody! Then I notice this sweet little box near the front door...it's from Gracie in the US!  Oh happy day...two parcels to open (how old am I??).

My mother always said patience is a virtue, so I cooked my dinner, made a cup of tea and then sat down and savoured the momentS!! Recently I have been fortunate enough to win two giveaways...very lucky.

Marls gave away this book...Scrap Republic...it is absolutely FABULOUS...especially given my recent colour workshop at Material Obsession. It had my mind darting through my fabrics...plotting and planning future projects. I love the quote related to your stash size..."if you feel like Norm walking into Cheers when visiting your local quilt shop- yes, everyone knows your name!"...and all this time I thought I was just unforgettable! Truly, this is a great book and I am super grateful to Marls for sending it to me!

The sweet parcel had travelled all the way from Arizona! Dear Gracie had an Un-birthday giveaway & I was lucky to win this box of goodies! Citrus yellow and orange fabrics with great threads, a sweet beaded angel, peppermints ( great for my handbag) and a jar of Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly...I have been intrigued since Gracie recently mentioned this...looking forward to a taste test! Thank you so much Gracie!!

Garcie and Marls definitely brightened my day...I might just have to brighten some ones day soon too!

Blogging seems to have fallen by the wayside at the moment!

So much time has been consumed with planning renovations for our new home, DS returning to university and my study year starting as well. Little time to sew, but I managed to start the major de-clutter of the sewing room...there is fabric, patterns and books surplus to need...just piling it up at present until I decide what is best to do with it all. Amazing what you find when you go looking!

Have been working steadily on my circle game blocks...

I am really enjoying these! 

Whilst tidying up fabrics I have been playing with these...

inspired by Liz, Jean and Janet!

 Hope all is well with you wherever you are!

 A fairly quiet weekend here...some time to play with my soul searching blocks. 

First green...that was okay...I quite like green, then to blue. Well, then the fun began! I quite like blue...but I prefer warmer colours and green. Don't even wear a lot of blue. Don't buy it in patchwork fabric unless I have a project in mind. So now I have to do a whole block in blue?????? I need to work through this! It took a loooong time...much procrastinating...strips of fabric littering the floor...searching through my stash over and over looking for another bit of blue. Even DS was enlisted for advice! 

But here are my blue and green blocks...I am happy with them, but will have a little break before working on my remaining blocks...red, pink, aqua, purple and brown.

Spent the afternoon organising my embroidery stuff...linens are all measured, labelled with thread count and packed away...threads are all checked off a master list and grouped...here is my cute little cupboard that houses these delights!

Slowly I have been playing with the Soul Searching top I started at MO recently. It is not one of those projects that you can zip together in a few days...there is a lot of contemplation involved...placing strips on the design wall...moving them about...sitting and gazing...walking past and evaluating...sometimes just playing. But I am enjoying the process...slowing my choices down, not agonizing about them, but just enjoying playing with the colours and placement...it is great for introducing some quiet time in a busy day. Orange and yellow blocks are complete...now working on green.

At my little weekly sewing group, I was given this great cake alternative...gingerbread letters...apparently a newly retired friend spent ALL day making these..delicious too!

And some beautiful flowers from a friend who was very mindful of my "I am down-sizing" mantra!

Having a birthday always makes me think of what has been and what may be ahead...this year is bustling forward with lots of happy changes in store. I am now feeling excited about these changes...good!

 Cardygirl xx

Well, a three day talk fest has come to an end, Chookyblue and Fairy Girl are heading back home again. Hopefully the flooding around their place will let them through without too much difficulty. Funny how they were desperate for rain not so long ago, and now they are flooding. We have no control over nature, do we?As long as they are safe as are our other friends coping with some of the worst flooding for thirty years in NSW and Queensland at the moment...thinking of you all. 

We had a busy few days, time was spent catching up with our friend Lea, travelling to Newcastle for a spot of shopping (we have critiqued Newcastle patchwork shops and bought out Smiggle!!!!) and a visit to my Mum, and just some quiet time around here.There was some of this...

and a celebrity snap...

 some repro progress...

and a bright quilt from Lea...

just great to catch up before FG headed back to school! Will wait to hear that they are safely back at Chez Chook....