How lucky am I?

I recently participated in my 2nd swap via blogland and I received all this lovely fabric!

Amy and I had decided on a swap - I sent her one of my reversible sunhats for her little girl and a pencil/work case for her and I received the fabric.  Seeing as I was only expecting scraps you can imagine my great delight when I opened the package!  Many thanks once again Amy.

For my birthday in February I was given a book voucher by my in-laws.  Now as much as I love books it always takes me some time to use a voucher.  You see there are just sooooo many books out there that I would like that I never can decide and the books in NZ are sooo expensive, but that's content for another post!!  I had popped into our local PaperPlus a couple of times and eyed up a few books.  So you can imagine my delight when I see a book I would really rather like with 25% off - I ended up paying just $1.24 for this beautiful book:

although in truth that $1.24 will turn into much, much more because of all the lovely quilts I now wish to make!

The one activity that we have done every term for Maia is swimming.  This year Cassia started her lessons too.  We just go to the local aquatic centre and they both enjoy it tremendously.  The lessons aren't cheap so you can appreciate how happy I was to have won the draw for a term's worth of free lessons - theoretically they are Cassia's - but I'm not picky!

During the holidays we went away for a few days.  One day we all head into Levin and I scoured the op shops whilst Craig and the girls went to the Adventure Park.  For sometime now I have been looking for a grater which can be fastened to a unit and that the girls can use themselves.  I've even been into a couple of 'proper' kitchen shops but to no avail.  So I was very excited to see this in a new second hand shop I popped into:

Now I ummmmed and aaahed about whether to get it.  It was $8 which to me, being so used to $1 bargains at our local Sallies, seemed quite expensive!!!  Crazy really as I would have paid upto $40 in the shop if I had seen one.  Then the grating drum it came with wasn't really the one I wanted ......  But it was so retro and so pristine I bit the bullet and bought it.  I figured I could look on TradeMe for the other drums that go with it.  Now, of course, finding it was lucky but what came next was more than luck.  It was like op shopping karma - is there such a thing?!!!

I popped into a wee little op shop, the type that has very limited hours, only takes cash but can yield some real treasures.  And what did I find in there ..........

Can you believe it?  The other 4 grating drums all in mint condition.  The price?  50c each - that's right 50c each.  So for the grand total of $10 I have the whole set - woohooo!!!

And finally (this really has been a pretty full post eh?) this month is my month to be the Queen Bee at the Bee Seam Piecing Downunder.

So I've sent out the parcels and now just have to sit back and wait - sounds good doesn't it?  I made one practice block and then a couple more to check I'd put enough fabric in the parcels.  Good job I did that as it turns out because there probably wouldn't have been enough - ooops!

So as you can see I have had a lot to be grateful for recently.  It's really helped putting this post together because I'm currently suffering from the horrid bug/virus that Cassia had last week and feeling rather sorry for myself!  Hope you're having a good run of it too! x

PS The dinner I posted about earlier was just delicious!!!!!

I thought I must be mad ....

I was having a good sort out earlier this afternoon and came across this jigsaw.

I found it at an op shop ages ago and loved the retro kiwiana feel.  So with the wind blowing, the rain lashing and the fire roaring it seemed like the perfect time to start the jigsaw.

With a little bit of hindrance and a lot of help from Maia we got going.

I thought it would take ages and had been thinking where I could keep it whilst working on it but it's done - finished before tea!

I love how kitsch it is and because Craig's a picture framer I'm going to frame it and hang it on my wall!

Hope you all had a great weekend. x

My creative space ....

Having seen some of the crochet loveliness that has been around the creative spaces the last couple of weeks (to see more this week head on over to Kirsty's, our lovely host) I was very tempted to get hooking again.  So last Thursday evening I  dusted off my hooks, found some yarn and made these:

Unfortunately in my haste and with both girls tucked up in bed I winged it on the size.  The result?  Too big for Cassia and too small for Maia.  Very quick and easy to do so will make them both some more this coming week once I have finished what has really been taking up my week!

My creative space this week is all about hearts.  I joined the ANZAC Bee earlier this year and for my month I asked for hearts, hearts and more hearts.  This is what I received:

1. ANZAC Bee March block 2, 2. ANZAC Bee March block 1, 3. hearts for Abi, 4. heart block, 5. Abigail's blox 001, 6. Abigail's blox 002, 7. Abigails heart block, 8. Abigails heart block, 9. Abigails heart block, 10. IMG_3382, 11. Abi's block, 12. Hearts 006, 13. Hearts 003, 14. Hearts 005, 15. Hearts 002, 16. Hearts for Abi <3, 17. ANZAC Bee - March Blocks - Blue Heart, 18. ANZAC Bee - March Blocks - Brown Heart, 19. ANZAC Bee - March Blocks - stripy detail, 20. ANZAC Bee - March Blocks - Stripy Heart

Aren't they all just gorgeous?!!!  (And thanks to Nova for telling me how to do a mosaic - I think they could become quite addictive!).

They were all returned to me by April and have been languishing on the shelf.  So this week has been all about making the most of the blocks.

This is where I'm at as of today:

Phew!!!  What a job it has been but one that I'm really enjoying.  I've still a few blocks to make and then I need to join the rows and then I need to .........  OK so you won't see it finished in this space next week but it shouldn't be toooo far away!

Hope you've all had a great week creating. x

Op shop finds and a couple more blocks ...

One of the weekend's garage sale was more like an English jumble sale - in a church halls and mostly clothes piled high on trestles.  Unlike an English jumble sale there was no queue to get in, no entry fee and you could fill a bag up for $2 - how can you not like that.  Most of the things I found are to be used for the material - silk, linen, wool and a couple of stripy jersey tops to make some trousers for the girls.

a small selection of my finds!

and a couple of items were put in the bag solely for the buttons!

Some vintage embroidered doilies from the local op shop

Embroidery detail

Now you might be asking isn't the second photo just another close up shot?  Well you would be right!  But it's the BACK of the doily.  Can you believe it?  The neatness of the work is amazing - and I got the whole set for 50c!

I'm still working away on my quilt top from the ANZAC Bee - it's maybe about 2/3 done now!  A couple of extra blocks I've made:

appliqueed tumbling hearts block

paper pieced heart awaiting border

I can't seem to be able to get into anything but the heart quilt so I had better get it finished soon to allow some other creating into my life!  (And also get the kitchen table and spare bed back!!!!) xx

Learning something new ...

I love learning new things.  It's especially great when the raw materials are from your garden, you go to a friend's to learn, children and grown ups learn together, you share some food and you come away with something very pretty!

Freshly harvested harakeke leaves (flax leaves)

Flax flower

Close up of flax flower - so easy - when you know how!

Raranga, or flax weaving, is a traditional Maori custom.  They used it for the everyday to the ceremonial and there are lots of traditions and customs that go with it.  One tradition I learnt today is that each time you try a different type of weaving the item you make should be given away.  So the flower in the middle is my second attempt, on the right is Maia's first attempt (she didn't want to give hers away at all!) and on the left is my first attempt at simple weaving - which I have to find a recipient for!

If you're interested in seeing more images of flax weaving click here.  So many beautiful things to make so little time to do it!!! x

EDITED TO ADD:  The flax flowers are actually called putiputi and there's a tutorial over here if you fancy making one.  xx