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

Chased by a chook?

Well, I have had a good laugh with all of the suggestions about what may have happened...

BUT sadly only Nicky was nearly right!

BUT I was most impressed with Deb's comment who thought that Chooky might have chased us across the Bridge for one last goodbye...wouldn't we ALL like to see that!!!!!!

The peak hour traffic would have been in awe of our very own fabric olympian sprinting plodding through the traffic singing out ..."bye...miss you guys"...might have even made the traffic report!

Yup, would love to see that! But I also was highly amused by Heather and her streaker or Paulette and her hunky good samaritan! You are an amazing group of women with vivid (and disturbing) imaginations!

What really happened was a bingle, fender-bender or slight bump...OOPS!

In evading a lane-changing, beautifully new and stylishly black Mercedes, contact was made between us and a Subaru...no injuries, but we met a lovely fellow and after taking some pics of the damage and swapping info we continued home!

So dear Deb...you win a little treat...send me the address of your little frog cottage as I think I a fretting Chooky would have caused a massive accident!

Back to the Show! At Janet's request ("show us ya loot!")...here are my fabric purchases...to add to my stash and fill some colour deficiencies such as brown, purple and aqua!

I also bought this sweet wool felt kit from the very nice Marg Low...I made her covered coathangers ages ago...she has great patterns and is really nice too!

 Her stand was great and so was Jan that worked on the stall with Marg. 

It was a fun time!

 Cardygirl xx

To the Quilt Show and beyond!

As per our usual form, Lea and I started in the pre-dawn blackness and headed to Sydney and the annual Craft Show pilgrimage. It goes without question in our homes that this is a crucial outing in our year....catching up with friends, being inspired, trying (in vain) to resist the siren call of the fabric seller (aka the irresistably caramel toned voice of a certain Sydney quilting diva!) and hitting the Sydney sales too! We love it! And now our children are grown we can stay overnight too!!!!! But we still seem to do errands at their request...hmmmm!?

It is so much fun meeting with friends from near and far (but very dear!)...

having the annual MO Kathy pic (not our most flattering, but truly reflects the fun!)...

catching up with bloggers that I have "chatted" to and admired for ages, like Janet, Kate and Jean...

more amazing girls that travelled long distances (hello Sue-Anne- a most delightful surprise!)...

Breakfasted with buddies by the Harbour...Lea, Chooky and Dzintra...

and even made a woolly pincushion with the oh so fun and creative Wendy Williams...

I would have loved this bag to follow me home!

 listening intently to Jean (and don't you love my beads!).... 

and caught up with these beautiful ladies...Peg, Dale, Kate, Maree, Susan, Deb, Teresa, Kerry, Fiona, Sylvia,  Anita, Sandy, Chooky, Kayley, the Tasmanians!, Trish, Christine, so many names...so many lovely kindred spirits...too many links this late at night!!!!!

thanks for sharing the day!

Guess what happened just near here in Friday afternoon traffic on the exits from the Harbour Bridge???? Might be a little surprise for the most fun guess???
Cardygirl xx

Hard to believe it is over two weeks since I last posted. It has been super busy...

house stuff...windows, kitchen, construction questions, tiles, etc. Lots of trips...many to Newcastle, central Coast and Armidale, all with a background of readying the house for sale and an away work conference. So much accumulated clutter to be sorted and organised...my head was spinning so much yesterday that I was unable to remember how to start the clothes dryer! But now the house is ready to go on the market and legal stuff is being sorted. I will be glad to get this process started!

First a reveal...

a beautifully tidy sewing room (I am impressed with it!)...

with a lovely new cushion...

an immaculate spare bedroom...

and a beautiful autumnal tree! The garden is looking lovely.

A few more things to do and we will be ready for the first home open!

Hope all is well wherever you are...I think the next few weeks will be hectic, so I will pop in and about your blogs to see what you are up to!

 Cardygirl xx

A promise of quilt-making joy!

Have you seen this?

Kathy from Material Obsession has released her latest book through Quiltmania. 

It popped into my letterbox early this week...and it is stunning. Beautifully written and the photography is amazing (pics by her very talented husband!). It is VERY inspiring....just had my head spinning with ideas...lots of colour talk and just plain wonderful . My favourites are Kaffe Fanfare, Fractured, Turkish Crush, Red Centre, Chance, Sunburst, Fireworks, Pickle Dishes, hidden Woman, Wagga, Greenfields and Garden Party. Oh, but that does not mention all the others that I love too!

Kathy has filled me with inspiration...I just want to create!!!!!

If you love Kathy's style or want a beautiful, inspirational book....get this one as it is lovely!

A good distraction from this...

no colour here yet...oops, and no walls either!

 Cardygirl XX 

This week

With assignments complete, I need to plunge headlong into all the jobs needing attention. we are hoping to put the house on the market in the next few weeks so there needs to be a little more sprucing up done!

Mothers Day saw my darling Eleanore with her Robert home for the weekend...she has not been here since February and I do miss her, but that is life and it is lovely to see her and know she is always there for me. We didn't do anything interesting...cleaned up some of her stuff and just chatted...nice times.
I also quilted and BOUND this Schnibbles quilt for her to give as a gift to a friends newborn son...cute!

But, the main thing that is happening is the MAJOR tidy and decrap I mean declutter of the sewing room. SOOOO much stuff it is unbelievable the treasures I am unearthing...sort of like an archaeological site! Laces, ribbons and buttons from my Mum, and even some from her friends and goodness knows who else!
Before...

and during.

  You will have to wait to see the after pics!
 Some major sorting happening (obviously well overdue too) and I am feeling some sense of relief as this mess is finally tackled! A couple more days and I will be under control (I hope!!!).

I will leave you with some pics...

my autumn garden...

cat on a lead...

a happy dog!

Some mail yesterday...so I will be back soon!

Cardygirl XX

What was on our laps.

Tuesday evenings I meet with a couple of friends to stitch. 

Back in 1991 when I moved to this country town I met another young mum at the baby health clinic and she invited me along to her stitching group. Group members have changed over the years as people moved away or became busy with family commitments. We have had lots of stitchers or just a few. No pressure, no competition...just an evening out to chat, debrief, share, be inspired or simply stitch.  This is where I have met a lot of my friends including Lea...long time stitching buddy and friend. She is like me...we stitch, smock, embroider and cross stitch...whatever takes our fancy at the time. At present there are just four of us...a couple more who are busy raising teenagers only come occasionally (and are very missed!)...but it is great to just catch up. Recently Lea and I went to Del's daughter's wedding...other guests would ask us our connection to the family...on explanation they all knew who we were..."oh, you are the sewing girls!" Funny the bond that sewing has given us...and even an identity.

So (sorry to rave on) that brings me to last Tuesday...a cool clear evening as we headed off to stitch. I was framing some circle game circles and I looked up to see Lea binding her Lollipop trees...lovely to see all this lovely colour on our laps! Had to take a pic and share it!

 And here is a quilt Lea has been working on...just discussing borders. She has a character filled (read just a little bit naughty dog...who is also very lovable fortunately) who decided to gnaw out one of the centre cream squares as it lay on the floor...who would believe it? Lea had to unpick it and reinsert another. I think that is the worst sewing/pet thing I have seen...what about you?

Cardygirl xx

More circles!

As the assignment has been submitted, I felt there was an opportunity to do a bit of sewing.

Better than therapy, a bit of stitching time helps to clear befuddled brains. I am nearly to the end of my circle game blocks...they have been fun and I have remembered how peaceful hand piecing is...just love it! One more block to come and then it will be time to start assembling them. There is a month break before second semester begins...lots to do in that time, but at least there will be no study deadlines hanging over my head.

Here are my last three blocks...

some still need framing...

but they are fun!

Here are the blocks so far!

The house renos have started...tiles are picked...kitchen is next.

Just a taste!

 Cardygirl xx