Lost in the Barossa!

Belated Christmas wishes!

We had a quiet but lovely Christmas with family. It seemed to come so quickly, then disappeared just as quickly! Lovely gifts, tasty food, happy times.

In that post Christmas lull...you know that time where you eat nothing but leftovers and doze on the lounge....we decided to hop on a plane and head to the beautiful Barossa to visit dear Granny Loz! 

So we headed off early this morning and drove to Sydney where we hopped on a plane to Adelaide, then collected an orange car (!) and found our way to the country filled with vines, fruit and a special friend.

So, here we are, safely at Chez Loz, chatting about family, sewing and all manner of things. DH is managing to keep up with the sewing related chatter with a sassy quip here and there! And just to prove something is happening.....

Back in a few days....Happy New Year!

Cardygirl xxx

A break in the snow!

Not real snow, but the snow we used to get when there was no transmission of a TV signal...or am I just showing my pre-digital origins?

I digress.

My blog has been a bit like that lately...as have many blogs...an occasional transmission and lots of white noise...nothing happening.

Life has been busy...work as always and just being busy as part of a family. Mum is well, just a little frailer and less confident at times, so it is nice to spend time with her.

DS is home from university for holidays before commencing his final year...nice to spend time with him as, very soon, he will be off making his own way in the world.

Too be truthful, I have lost some of my sewing stuffing...a bit like a worn out teddy bear. whilst the head would love to be sewing, I have found my increased responsibility and expanded role at work leaves me with little oomph at the end of the day...consequently little sewing seems to be happening.

But this weekend I vowed to change that!

Saturday morning I went with DS and his sweet GF, DD and Mum to some local craft markets where we tried to find a few gifts for Christmas. Mum loves going to these, and is always quite chuffed to be surrounded by family who are happy to spend this time with her.

After arriving home from the markets I was distracted by the mundanities of life...washing, cleaning, mowing...but NO! 

DS offered to do these things so I could make a couple of gifts for my very cute little neighbours...how good was that...might get him to do groceries too...ssshhh!

For the little twins I have opted for picture books...Puff the Magic Dragon for one and The Lion Sleeps tonight for the other. But for the older two (aged 4 and 6) I made reading pillows.

One for Tommy...

 and one for Lexie.

They both love books and this cushion, from a pattern by CluckCluckSew, is great. It has a quilted pocket on the front to hold a book, and the pillow to either lie on whilst reading or being read to. It should be a useful gift I hope. Being a horrendous over achiever at times, I have beautiful concealed zippers on the back...but I don't think they will really understand my prowess?

Today I have been playing with tiny trees, this pattern by crazymomquilts, I am planning a table runner for friends, and maybe one for me too?

The only sewing I have been doing lately, is a little bit of cross stitch. It started when a dear temptress started a stitch along on IG. First was a pincushion...

mine was an older Blackbird Design,

and I am currently working on a Christmas decoration.

I also did a very soft version of Kaffe's Icecream quilt...and yes I still need to bind it!

So, that is all my news, hope all is well wherever you are. For those in NSW, hope you are faring well in these terrible storms, the only plus is that we are getting rain, both in my new tank, and for our farming friends!

Cardygirl xx