Trying to focus...

 Why do I sew? Funny, at school I struggled with "sewing" in primary school...not a very nurturing environment led to a fear of the sewing room...but long bouts of night duty saw an interest in counted cross stitch...then patchwork, smocking, knitting and embroidery all joined in. I hate sitting and doing nothing with my hands. The joy of color and texture...the way you can "lose" yourself in your work...get some respite from the noise of every day life...me time. I guess you may be the same. And if only I had time to create all that lurks in my creative brain...sigh! I think that I need to concentrate on some of the beauties resting in my workbasket...more time consuming, but very enjoyable. I have been playing with the Bloggers BOM blocks...here is the second one and number 3 is under way... 

Dear Lea has been working away on these beauties for the expected twin sons of her goddaughter...they are so much fun...

...makes me want to make one too ( no Cardy...you have too much else to do!!!)

...they are impressive though...she is now binding them with a scrappy binding...perfect!

Maintaining some type of creative order...that may be my focus for 2012...here's hoping!
Wish I was this relaxed!

Cardygirl xx

Almost grumpy...but not quite!

We can all hear the sound of an approaching Christmas...it will be here before we know it!

I was at the local shopping centre yesterday and they were playing carols that were a little tacky for my taste...Boney M Christmas???? All the decorations and hard sell...it is very tiring when I am really wanting peace and a sense of tranquillity from what should be a gentle time of the year...am I going mad? I love giving gifts and the sense of excitement that Christmas brings, but it really does get tiring at times...or am I turning into the grinch?

 To lift the mood I decided to finish this lovely felt ornament that Fiona sent to me. She and Sylvia hold wonderful workshops and retreats...wish I was a little closer! Isn't it great? I enjoyed every minute of it...think it worked well at lifting a possible bah- humbug moment!

As I was engrossed in Doc Martin (I think sometimes I sound a bit like him...eeek!), I thought I should finish this binding...many of you will know my aversion to binding...it has only been a year!

And I even started some present sewing...did the zippers first as they are the least fun bit!

Hope you have some sewing time!

Cardygirl xx

Circles, circles everywhere!

The last few weeks have been taken up with family, friends and work...lovely really, but from today we have a little break until visitors return for Christmas. Time to catch up with Christmas stitching and a bit of a tidy-up before the festive break. How do I let so much mess build up???

We have had lots of rain here...and apparently more to come. I hate our hot summers so I am quite happy with our current period of cooler weather & rain. I don't even mind mowing the lawn.

Some stitching tonight...I am caught up with the circle game blocks & even have the first round of frames on them all...finished Number 7 tonight, but no pic as yet. Next one shouldn't be too far off. They are hanging on my improv design wall...fun to gaze at.

Hope to start a bit of Christmas decorating on the weekend...have a good clean as I go!

Have you started Christmas decorating yet???

Cardygirl xx

I started to feel Christmas-y today!

And that is because of this...

My SSCS for 2011...ready for mailing to somewhere quite distant...it is so exciting!

I hope it is loved by it's new owner and that she can feel my delight in every stitch.

I love the fancy post bag, don't you? Now it is time to wait to hear it has arrived!

Last year I sent to lovely Anne Heidi...

and Nicky sent to me!

 Before that my gift was from Cheryl...

and I sent to Carole!

We still keep in touch and I love seeing their gifts...they are very special!

Thanks dear Chookyelf blue, for coordinating this swap!

Cardygirl xx

The week that was...

...and it went zooming by! Some stitching on my SSCS...nearly ready for posting thank goodness. As we have visitors, it was time to dash all over the countryside to catch up with friends...and some work stuff too.

 In the last week we have been to Sydney and back...

...Brisbane for two days...

...Armidale and back...

...Newcastle and back...

 ...a grand total of 20.5 hrs driving and  3hrs flying...phew!

Some stitching was achieved (thanks Fiona & Sylvia)...

a little shopping...some great food (Il Centro, Brisbane...yum!)

Back to work tomorrow, and hopefully a quieter week!

Cardygirl xx

Busy, busy!

Well, not a lot more done on my TTS blocks since I left Chookyblue's, but I aim to keep going with it.

Busy here...picking up travelling family from airports and just spending some time catching up...lovely!

A busy week ahead so I have some hand stitching prepared for those quiet moments!

 Here is one of the bearded dragons which live in my back garden and play Russian roulette when I am mowing!

 Cardygirl xx

Hen house fun!

It was so lovely to get away for a few days and enjoy the company of Chookyblue and her family. Whilst I live in a country town, the life of a farming family is very different to mine...but I enjoyed having a taste of her world...now she needs to come and have a sleepover at my place!

There was a bit of friendly banter over taking home the quilt I slept under (really nice!)...

or "borrowing" the lovely sewing bag that Janet made for her (quite serious about that!)...

so I was quite horrified when I opened my sewing bag after returning home and found this little Christmas ornament Chooky was stitching...oops...Cardy might be going CUSTODIAL!!!! I emailed her as I was about to send her some shopping I had done for her...but it was a treaty surprise...phew!

Back to that shopping...Chooky needed some supplies for her SKofW SAL quilt...so Lea and I headed off to Singleton to do her shopping...tough gig, but someone had to do it for her! We had lots of fun, Lea needed supplies to make cot quilts for twin boys which are looking great...

love the monsters!

Here are the cows coming home to Chez Chook after some months grazing along the road...

and visual proof that Countrygirl Cardy knows that a Belted Galloway is not some type of posh trenchcoat!
Cardygirl XX

Way out west...

...was where I headed bright and early on Friday morning...

driving a long way, over the Great Dividing Range, watching the soil change from rich black to red...snakes slithering across the road like silvery brown ribbons...bearded dragons dodging death and sunning themselves in the middle of the road...

careful I might accidentally break into a verse or two of Waltzing Matilda! In actual fact I was singing along to my "Blast from the past" ipod playlist...Dragon, Cold Chisel, Fleetwood Mac with a bit of Elton John, David Bowie and the Fine Young Cannibals thrown in for good measure...lucky I was alone! Very attractive!!

Off to Chookyblue's I headed...a lovely drive...even nicer to meet her and B in town for lunch...then back to Chez Chook to catch up with her family...the best of times...

Miss Jules called in for a wine which developed into mulberry picking...

then it was time to feed the lambs (a task I am apparently not very good at!)...check the chooks...and laugh and chat a lot.

A stormy morning followed and a cooler day...the chatter continued...I managed to stitch two blocks!

  (with Chooky harassing me to finish my TTS stitchalong top....not that she seemed to be doing much work on hers!!!).

 Ahem...put that computer away!!!!

 The garden is beautiful...

with little kingfishers in the trees..
more tomorrow!

Cardygirl xx