hello 2013!

can you believe it? another year has flown by. is it that as we get older, time is more precious, and precious things never seem to last long? i want to freeze time...my daughter is into her tween years, my son is sporting a new toothless grin, i am approaching forty and break neck speed, and my husband is almost at half a century.

Help! I want off this roller coaster for a little while!

what will 2013 bring for you? i know what i don't want...but lets be positive and here is what i DO want for 2013:

1. health
2. happiness
3. heaps of family caravan holidays
4. home time, a whole lot of home time in our new home
5. hobby time
6. heart, a heap of loving
7. home made - with i made it!
8. half finished become finished

have a look what i made in the hols...over on my FB page, i made it!

signing out...going to pack :(

https://www.facebook.com/imadeitsa

September Month is Spring

...and being Spring, I decided it was time for a spring clean. My daughters bedroom was my target. Cautiously I entered. I try not to go that way too often as I find it more than a little destressing..if I am a hoarder, then am not sure what you would call my mini me. Lets just say, for the sake of propriety, that 1 FULL black bag later, and one FULL orange bag later, and by later i mean four HOURS later, I had everything under control.

Then as change is as good as a holiday, I decided to send her overseas.....I moved the antique wrought iron bed to centre position, to which she proclaimed "Yay! Now I CAN get out on the wrong side of the bed!" (Not so sure I liked the sound of that), and then tried to fit her furniture around that move. I think it worked pretty well. I took the bright pink, heart covered mozzie net down, and that left SO MUCH wall space exposed - HEAVEN! So the next day I started on a button and fabric picture....

 

not satisfied with only HALF depletign my button stock, I also did this...

 

 

and then found these beautiful Clare Dreams wall plaques from Bella Interiors..aren't they just beautiful? I wish I could afford the original artworks, maybe for Christmas...but these are so lovely...

I think the move was quite successful, and by doing quality control every morning and evening, we have managed to keep it pretty tidy...

see how much wall space there is to FILL UP?! have some plans...watch that space...

 

also started mosaicing her bedside table that she had ruined with nail polish and scribbles...

 

 

the ice-cream cone is one she had prepared earlier at Inky's - during a mom and daughter afternoon.

 

So, all in all, a good weekend of crafting. And now I am planning a new quilt to go with the changes....

 

 

xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxooxox

 

PS Finished a friends baby quilt last night..will post pics next week AFTER I have given it to her x

week 54: and here it ends.

 
thats quite final hey? and here it ends. rather sad. i have become so used to this way of thinking "quick what can i make this week?" ...am going to launch myself into another challenge, but maybe a monthly one, its been quite hectic trying to keep up with life getting in the way of weekly makings and postings!

but first things first, here is week 54. I whipped up a sample mug cozy to see how it looked...now must make a set for our caravan....then, inspired by pinterest and sew daily blog, whipped up a pretty embroidery hoop organizer...i have limited space in my sewing studio, so clever storage ideas always make me happy. and I got to have fun with my stamps too!

 

 

 

 

so that was week 54. a year of weekly makings....lets review what has emerged from chantz spot...

 

this is just some of the items...couldn't fit all in!!

 

 

till next time, thank you for sharing this amazing journey with me! from procrastinator to doer, this has changed my life!

xoxoxoxoxoox

week 53: definitely not a neutral

my second to last week of my challenge. maybe when i am done, i can do my husbands tax? start on some UFO's? fix my garden? darn my socks? sew on that button? or not.

week 53 is an inspired week. inspired by my friend who is a free-motion fiend and guru, who isn't afraid of letting go, and also by a beginner quilter friend, who attacked her free motion quilting with such gusto, and made such a lovely job.

i thought of these two, took the bull by the proverbial horns, and just started. i started quilting. i couldn't stop.  i was a tiger.

and then it was finished. and i was sad to see it ended.

i started this quilt in a class with mari claase at the stellenbosch quilt festival last year july 2011. i left it for a long while, searching for the perfect border. then it sat while i thought how to quilt it. eventually enough thinking was done and this week, week 53 to be exact, I quilted like never before.

 

you cant see too good, but i used vertical free motion lines on the green, and then around the house blocks, houses and windows etc I used free motion and contrasting threads.

 

 

the borders were meant to be a continuation of the zebra print, but started looking like grass, so thats what it shall be!

 

 

sean and I also rearranged our photo wall of love..

 

 

 

 

 

look at my new beautiful dark purple orchid...

 

 

a few of my precious things...

 

stairway to heaven! my studio is up those stairs to the left....

 

new home for my quilt that used to hang by photo wall...

 

 excuse messy table with ironing sorted...and little lass's homework...wanted to show you the wall space, the quilt's new home, and ask you, should the house quilt hang where those baskets are? i am not sure...

 

 

also been working on this UFO which i need to finish before little man is too old for it. trying to make it bigger, as it was wall hanging size.... peeka persian also taking a look.

 

 

all paper pieced log cabins....using teeny scraps! which, considering rising petrol price R11.62 per litre, is a good idea.

 

 

so that was the week that was week 53.

heading into my last week of my challenge now. 52 weeks of a new project or item or technique each week. (with 2 extra weeks added to make up for those missed)

 

xoxoxoxoox

 

 

 

week 52: i am not a neutral

i am seriously in love with colour. am planning a lovely new bookshelf, full of colourful bits and bobs. am sure the husband will be horrified, but after being in an inspiring fashion designers home this past weekend, an eclectic mix of "stuff" I simply know it will make me more happy to live surrounded by colour and things i love, then to be in a minimalistic environment. the compromise is that i will confine my "stuff" to a bookshelf downstairs. wait till you see what i have planned.....

SO, in celebration of my colourful self, look what journey i am embarking on with the guidance of a clever friend, who is a hand quilter delux, and hand embroiderer and hand anythinger...

this is applique, with lots of hand embroidery, it is distinctive and so bright, bold and colourful i fell instantly in love.

i am going to go on a course, but couldn't wait so have been learning the hardway, alone, but loving it. its like picking up a good book which you just cannot put down.

watch this space...will post him again when i am finished.my work desk looks like a bomb has hit it...colourful thread, ric racs, cords pins, and bias all over, then i had to make a spring hat for the little man, so add glue, card, sellotape and glitter to the fray....yes, tidy up time.

till week 53 xoxoxoxoox

week 51

ahhh, nearly done with my challenge...and feeling more than a little sad about that.

week 51 saw us going to lots of parties, and my little man helped me make a present. he drew his friend on a piece of paper here:

and then we ironed it onto a t shirt and stitched it here:

 

he made the gift tag here

and voila, a lovely gift personalised by him.

 

i also tried some needle turn applique, you can tell here but this is in miniature, the giraffe is only about 8cm tall!

 

 

so thats that then for week 51 as the weather turns warmer and we get ready for spring!

week 50 and man down with a bug

this was a dreadful week....trying to work, cope with kids, and wanting to just sleep sleep sleep...
so this week was a write off but i do have something to post...my cathedral block. i made it a couple weeks ago but forgot to post it!

the beauty of this block is that its quilted as you go and makes a nice summer weight quilt with no batting needed. was so much fun i am teaching it in a class.

if anyone can tell me how to post a link to a word doc, i can load the instructions.

this is what the back looks like...

so thats it for week 50.