Papers, plums and a touch of the glums!

Hand stitching...the perfect thing to do when your mind is just not fully on the "job" of stitching.

Quite frankly the concentration span is poor and I have been in an uncharacteristic grump...don't put me near a rotary cutter!!! Obviously the house sale is still up in the air...still having people come through until the offer can become unconditional...at least we are fortunate to have lots of interest.

So not a lot of stitching happening...lots I would like to do...so have been working on sewing rows of octagons together...and was wondering...am I doing this the hard way as it takes forever to add a row and it is seriously boring (see the head is not quite as peppy as usual)???? Any tips???

It will look nice though I think!

Played with the purples for my soul searching top...purple is a tough colour...there are plums, mauves, pinks and knock-your-eyes-out-child-of-the-seventies PURPLE...fun to see what I had and even more fun trying to put it together without giving myself the glums (never been a lilac sort of girl) or a headache...some of those purples were super rich and BRIGHT!

Do you like purple?

 Cardygirl xx

Dear Diary...

How can it be that another week has passed by? So much happening here, lots of travelling up and down the highway. So here is the week that was...

my dear Mum turned 80!!!!
So I headed off to spend some time with her...lunch, shopping, glamourising! Then my DD and her lovely Robert came to have dinner with us. Sadly DS and SB were both too far away to join in, but plans are being made for a HUGE celebration in the new Chez Cardy later in the year!

More work on the new house (blue print for a bay window)...

 George still looking for my marbles!!!!...

and a kitchen splashback picked!

Fortunately there are no pics of me "comfort testing" loos at the local plumbing supply shop (who would have thought that a square toilet seat would be so uncomfortable???)..but the lovely sales ladies had a good laugh!

Sadly I missed out on my Nundle retreat weekend with the girls as we had to have another home open. This is a pic from last year ( when I had to leave early....). We have offers on the house but until they become unconditional I still want the house marketed. Hating the process but looking forward to the move.
So the girls are away having a fabulous time (apparently picking on Lea) and playing up with "Peg" and "Dale" and even an effigy of me...hmmm! (Hope they are not sticking me with pins...ouch!)...so miss you all Chooky, Lea, Anita, Sandy, Trish, and dear Belinda!  Just think...while they were all laughing, sewing and eating M&M's, I was driving around town with a cranky cat in a cage and a dog with a flatulence problem (well I knew it wasn't me!!!) I know what I would rather be doing?????

So I have been working on a UFO- not my colours at all, but it is a gift for a man...looking good!

Cardygirl xx

Paper piecing, baby quilts and lost marbles!

Miserable here today...rained and rained! More house inspections...feeling a bit violated with so many people tramping through my home...including a nosy neighbour (rude!)...I think buying a house brings out the worst in people...hope it is all over soon! 

Need to focus on some jobs, but there always seems to be phone calls, house decisions, blah, blah, blah! So, despite having other stuff "needing" to be done,

 I thought I might have a play with these gems...

 take a pic of a baby quilt I made for some dear friends nearly due niece (a pattern from Moda Bakeshop)...

and show you the little quilt I made for another baby girl from a pattern by Kate.

So you can have an update, here are some pics of the house...

a happy hubby...

 George looking for my lost marbles (why am I doing such a big reno??)...

and my very not private ensuite....I am sure if a wall doesn't go up soon there will be mass hysteria and people poking out their own eyes!!!!! They will only look once! 

But lovely to see it all coming together.

Cardygirl xx

Deluged!

Whilst we have not been actually deluged with rain, we have been totally overwhelmed in so many ways here. All of these happenings are ultimately of our own making, so really are not cause for complaint, but thought I would let  you know that while I am around, it is only as time permits at present. But, it will gradually settle over the next few months (I hope!). Settle back and admire a recent sunset...

So here is the update...Chez Cardy is on the market and has generated a lot of interest, so hopefully there will soon be good news to share! Whilst we will be sad to leave our lovely home, the move will be a worthwhile one, taking us closer to family and being more convenient for SB's work. 

The renos are progressing on the new place...it feels a bit like The Block, except we are not hands on! The original house has been straightened and reinforced so that she will survive another eighty years, and soon the fun stuff will start...adding the extension and making her pretty again.

Work-wise we have survived accreditation last week, and Uni has started again...this will be my last subject as I have decided to withdraw at a Grad Dip level and hopefully that will stop my head from exploding! The next course I will do will be no more stressful than cupcake decorating...no more uni for this old boiler!

Keeping the house super immaculate has been fun (not!), but despite everyone telling me that people will still love the house if there is a bit of fluff on the floor, I have whipped myself into an OCD frenzy every day dusting, sweeping and polishing...aaah personal pride is an amazing thing! But I hear the family scratching through the oddest of places looking for sink plugs and tissues...it is almost like living in a treasure house...who knows what you will find stuffed where????? Note to self....breathe!

But there has been a little fun too...

Lea and I went to a fabulous quilt talk last week with an Australian quilt historian...really interesting too...

I made a felt macaron (but DD took it home before I could take a pic), but here is the magazine (yum)...

I have worked on assembling my circle game blocks and finished the last block too! I think hand piecing is all I can focus on at present! I commenced this BOM last September after spotting dear Kate's efforts in Singapore...I have just seen her in Sydney and found out that I am a block or so ahead of her, so the gauntlet was thrown and the challenge is on...who will finish first????? Can you guess we are a little competitive?

Hope all is well wherever you are...sorry my comments are few but I am reading as time and concentration span permits...

 Cardygirl xx