Kainga, where Roses bloom, life is lived at a gentler pace.Living Simply, doing all those good things like stitching, gardening, cooking and reading.

Monday, March 28, 2011

"Makes Me Happy Monday"

Happy Monday to you.

I have lots to "Make Me Happy this Monday". Last week we had David home for a few days break from University. I also had sewing on Friday and Garden Club on Saturday.

Last week we got our first eggs from the oldest Hen.Ian found two lovely white eggs in the nest. We must have missed the first one the day before. We have had several more since then and can't wait for the other two younger hens to start laying.

Now you have heard from me before that we love looking at Garage Sales. We can go months without getting anything. It depends on what we are looking for. Guess what I picked up for very little money on Saturday??? This cross stitch. I couldn't believe that someone was selling it. I asked who made it and they introduced me to a young woman. She had taken years to do it and she told me she had said the day before she was sad to sell it. I asked her to sign the back of it and told her it was going to a good home. When I got home and took it out of the car I looked at her signature and the name rang a bell. A few months back late one evening we had someone looking for the people with the same name. We actually live in the same street but there is a paddock that runs through the street so it is difficult to explain to people who don't know where the end of the street is. We didn't know the name of the people at the time though we did tell the caller that there was a new home being built down the end and yes it was them. Unfortunately we couldn't help the man at the time because we didn't know there name. Now I have her cross stitch. It really is a small world.

On a Mission.

I am happy to be on a mission of sorts. I don't like people who use in-correct words when speaking to you in person or on the phone. Last Thursday I had a woman from the Education Department ring me to see what Lucy was doing since she left school etc. She was friendly enough but when she asked "are yous/ewes still up in .......? I felt like telling her of, but left it as the phone rang as David and I were on the way out and had to be somewhere 5 minutes ago. Then on Saturday while being served at the deli at the local supermarket one of the young boys asked us " Are yous/ewes OK" I said "Thank you and yes we were already being served but we weren't yous/ewes." He smiled and said sorry. My talking to him worked because we watched him walk to the next customer and ask "If they were OK" Not the best thing to ask but at least he didn't say yous/ewes. I am happy to say that my little mission to bring back  correct grammar is working!!!!

I have decided to do some hand quilting on several quilts so I won't have much to show you sewing wise. Hopefully I can manage to get a block quilted each night. Fingers crossed I can keep it up. It is not the best weather to be doing hand quilting, we are still have temperatures in the mid 30's each day. I can't remember when it was in the 20's probably about 6 months ago. Summer just doesn't want to go away. We are nearly through one month of Autumn now,it makes me wonder if we will have any cooler days before Winter gets here.

Happy Monday to you.
Bev C

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Tuesday's Treasures.

Hello,

Welcome to Tuesday's Treasures kindly hosted by Melody.

Today I wish to share with you a tin wall plaque I have nailed to our pantry door.

You know I love anything to do with roses. The little hand painted butterfly on the top right hand side is in memory of our Brother-In-Law Terry. The butterfly gets moved around amongst the roses. So that is really two Treasure's I have shared with you today.

Please check out Melody's blog to see what other Treasure's have come out of the cupboard this week.

Happy days.
Bev C

Monday, March 21, 2011

"Makes Me Happy Monday"

Hello,

Happy Monday to you. Guess who is making us all a bit happier this week Prince William is. Have you seen the young girls on television going all googly eyed,even some of the older ladies are doing this. Isn't he a breath of fresh air. The younger generation of Royals are so happy and outgoing. It may be a sign of the times we are in. I know everyone in Christchurch and the recently flooded regions of Queensland and Victoria needed a morale booster. I would say his visit has done this. One young 10 year old boy has even been given an invite to his wedding.

 Do you ever stop and think where the heck do these people go to the toilet when they are out and about?? Remember when you had small children you always had to find a toilet stop. You have got to be wondering what I am going on about at this stage.

I would love to know which one of these toilets Prince William used on his visit to Christchurch.Please make sure you check out the link and see what I am talking about. You might even make a donation to the Earthquake Appeal while you are there.

I now know why they were advertising for plumbers to go across to New Zealand to help out!!! Lets hope they get things moving again.

Happy Monday to you,please let me know what is making you happy today.

Bev C

Sunday, March 20, 2011

"Spencer Museum" Tablerunner

Hello,

I joined in Friday-Night-Sew-In for the first time for the year. I got my pieces cut out and a about a hour and a half sewing done on Friday night. It was getting late so I decided to stop before I made to many mistakes.



During Saturday I completed sewing the rows together. This Brickwork pattern is so great because you don't have to match seams. I used up every piece of the "Spencer Museum" charm pack that I received from Melody  No wastage with this pattern. I used a brown/grey coloured thread to do the cross hatching quilting on the top. The measurements for the runner are 45 inches by 16 inches. Backing.binding and wadding were left over from the tablecloth I recently completed. Have to use up whats on hand. Another finish to add to the OPAM challenge. I hope you had a productive sew-in.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Bev C

Friday, March 18, 2011

"Sunshine & Sunflowers" is completed,cross stitch and sewing.

Hello,

It is Friday already,hasn't the past week gone so quickly. I can't believe it is Friday-Night-Sew-In already. I plan to do some brick making!!! Well a pattern that looks like brickwork.


I got the binding done of the "Sunshine & Sunflowers" quilt. When I dropped it of at the quilters we chose a lovely bright yellow for the quilting. I got a phone call when the quilts were ready and the lady decided to use a variegated thread in green/yellow/orange tones on the top.

I was pleased to see the yellow thread was used in the bobbin. I guess I can turn it over and use it this way as well.
The other week I was lucky enough to win 2nd prize in David's giveaway. A Blackbird Designs cross stitch pattern called "Where my heart blooms". There is also some lovely hand dyed thread. Thank you for sending out the prize all the way from France David.

Now I had better get some material ready for sewing tonight. Catch up with you on the weekend sometime.

Happy sewing.
Bev C

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

"Tuesday's Treasures" and "That little bit of Joy"

Hello

Today my treasure is something that I am sure no one else is showing today.

Can you guess what I am treasuring today. A hint it is not the rose though I do treasure that. A couple of weekends ago there was a gymkhana on the oval at the local showgrounds. Ian and I went and picked a up a couple of bags of Manure!!! That is my treasure today. See how happy the roses are. Melody is hosting Tuesday's Treasures,give her a visit I am sure she has the kettle ready for you.

Now for another update on those things in life that bring a bit of joy to us.


Last week when we were in Busselton we had a light lunch at "The Old Post Office Tea Shop. It was so lovely to receive such wonderful service. When my pot of tea came out Brenda the owner put a egg timer on the table with everything else and turned it over. So I knew when my tea would be brewed. Just beautiful and something that I haven't seen before. The milk came in a little glass bottle like those bottles of milk that we used to get at recess at school many many years ago. It was an absolute "Joy" to have lunch at this establishment. Brenda told us that there was no need to hurry and we were welcome to just sit. I managed to get three cups of tea out of the pot. Oh and the best part I had the most stunning tea cup  and sauucer with roses on it. Yes I looked to see where it was made - England. Brenda also does high teas which I would love to do one day.

I would love to know what  "joy" has come your way lately.
Happy days.
Bev C

Monday, March 14, 2011

Makes Me Happy Monday

Hello Happy Monday to you.

Last week Ian and I had a few days down south.  We were both so happy to get away for a short break.We stayed in Busselton and travelled around. Just so relaxing going from place to place not really worrying which direction we were taking.

The highlight of our trip was a trip to the Underwater Observatory and Jetty Train.

Here is the train we went out on. The train goes out every hour. You can walk out on foot too but as we had booked a tour in the Observatory we decided to get the whole package. The jetty has recently been done up.

In the Observatory it was like being inside a fishbowl with us being inside and the fish outside the bowl. The guide explained about the sea life as we went down the Observatory. At the top level you look out the window to see where the waves are and she explained where the high and low tide mark are. As we went down each level we got to see the most amazing sea life. It was so peaceful looking out into the ocean , I know I was very relaxed in there. Maybe it was watching the world go by at seabed level.

This picture shows all the coral growing on the jetty pylons, there might even be some fish in there.

Fish came so close you could just about touch them. The guide turned on the sound and we could hear a ticking noise. This was some sort of sea creature that was only a few centimetres big that was making a noise.

This shot is just below the waters surface. The amount of fish was just amazing from small  to bigger fish. Ian and both agreed it was a great experience and I would certainly recommend visiting the Observatory.
Other things that have made me Happy during our stay away were:

Chocolate tasting, Fudge Tasting,Cheese Tasting, Eating Yummy food,Walking, Window Shopping and generally have a all round great time. Oh and finding a beautiful cross stitch shop on the drive home.

I hope you have a Happy Monday.
Bev C

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Pretty in Pink.

Hello,

We have been away for a few days on holidays. It was great to see that while I was away my Colour Swap parcel had arrived. My secret swap partner was the hostess herself  Maree.
Look at the Pinkness. The most beautiful floral pink fat quarter. Pink soap,Pink Cup,Pink Coconut Ice and Turkish Delight lollies.

Threads in all shades of Pink and in the right of the picture a needle case.

I am in love with the needle case. Just look at the lace curved so sweetly around the heart,beading and stitching. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Maree for my Pink parcel.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Happy days.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Tuesday's Treasures,International Women's Day and Colour Swap Parcel Received.

Hello,

I hope your Tuesday is moving along nicely. Today's Treasure I want to share with you involves the Centenary of International Women's Day here in West Australia. There are many celebrations around the state today plus 100 women were inducted into the hall of fame. You can check out the site about the Centenary celebrations here.

Our local library joined in and the staff created a  stunning quilting display. There were many quilts some just tops at the moment but all just so lovely. I took a few photo's to share with you. Some of the quilts didn't show up as bright as they were in real life. Lots of lights on in the library today plus with all the windows it dulled them a bit.



Doesn't this make you just want to sit down and read a book.

I loved this quilt, lots of floral material with little flowers embroidered around the edge.

Lovely hand quilting. Someone had patience to do all this.

This display was in the office upstairs. Lots of inspiration.


This sewing caddy is stunning.


I liked this one, unfortunately it doesn't show the true colours, it is much brighter purple and yellow. I love that this quilt is relatively simple. I guess it is just getting the colour balance correct.

I loved this one, it wasn't a huge quilt. Lots of yo-yo's were made for this.

This one had lots of hand embroidery done on it. This is another quilt that is actually brighter.

The final one. Lots of quilts to Treasure on this the Centenary of International Women's Day.

Make sure you check out what Treasure's people are showing today at Melody's blog.


Colour Swap Parcel
Another thing I want to share with you today is that my parcel I sent to my Colour Swap partner Vanessa arrived yesterday. You can check out her reaction to her parcel on her blog.




Now Vanessa chose Blue for her colour. Here is her parcel already to go. Wrapped in Blue ribbon and paper.


We had to include a Fat Quarter, I chose a soft blue with birds on it. Some thread and some blue food. I put  in some Berry Blue Jelly and a Freddo Frog. I couldn't let the parcel go without some Blue Ric-Rac.

 After reading Vanessa's blog I discovered she loves gardening so I embroidered this.It is a design from the "Garden Grannies" Signature Series Volume 24 from Cactus Punch. This design took 81 minutes to stitch out.

The design was appliqued onto a journal cover I made.

Inside I made a embroidered tag, which is attached by some Blue Ric-Rac.

Now we were supposed to only add one Blue item but I couldn't resist making this little Teacup Mat for Vanessa. These designs are from Debbie Mumm Bernina Card Number 124.

Thank you for being my swap partner Vanessa.

Happy days.
Bev C

Monday, March 7, 2011

Makes Me Happy Monday.

Happy Monday everyone.

It is a long weekend here in WA so I bet that is making lots of people happy. We have a brand spanking new tablecloth here at Kainga that is making me very happy this Monday. Last Sunday Bonnie was kind enough to pick up some  of my quilts from the quilters. It was far to hot during the week to put the binding on. I managed to get the binding done on my tablecloth  on the weekend . I made  and designed the cloth late last year.


I took some shots of it outside this morning.


The cloth was custom quilted with ladybugs around the edge.



A floral pattern was chosen to quilt the centre section.



Leaves were quilted around both Sunflowers.



Now can you imagine what will happen to the first person who spills something on our new tablecloth!!!!
I am extremely happy this Monday that my tablecloth is now completed. I would love to hear what is making you happy this Monday.

Happy days.
Bev C

Friday, March 4, 2011

Joy,Joy,Joy.

Hello,

The other day while looking for something on the net I came across Becky's blog. Becky has decided to do a project for the year. Becky is going to "live life to the fullest" one that is "filled with gratitude" and by doing these two things Becky will have "a joyful heart" Becky is asking bloggers to join and spread there little bit of joy that has come there way.



I felt lots of "Joy" on the following occasions:


When David sent a text message with a photo attached of a certificate he got at Uni. That was unexpected and it made our heart beat in a good way and brought a smile to our faces.

We were an hours drive from home yesterday and in a shopping centre and we ran into our son-in-laws Mum Auntie and Julian's Grandmother who was visiting from New Zealand. Great to catch up with people in unexpected places.

This morning while in Good Sammy's I was a good girl and put back the buttons I was going to buy, I didn't really need them. I then went for a bit of a wander and found something we had been looking for. A brand new in the packet metal soap dish holder. We paid just $4.00 for this. We had been looking at them in the hardware shop a few weeks back and they were priced at about $30.00 and they were plastic not metal. Joy in finding that little bargain.

Please make sure you check out Becky's blog to see the others who are joining in "and spreading a bit of joy."



With the hot weather we had over Summer it is nice to see the Bougainvillea flowering like a trooper. This just rambles over the fence and through the trees. The flowers seem to last quite a while when picked which is a bonus.

I hope some "Joy" pops into your world over the weekend.

Happy days.
Bev C

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Tuesday's Treasure

Hello and welcome to Tuesday's Treasures.

Today I am treasuring, is that a word??? the cool breeze. For so long we have had days of 40 plus and nights around 25 and high humidity. Today I woke to a breeze and it is about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday at the same time.

Seeing I can't actually take a photo of the cool breeze I will share some photo's of some other Treasure's that we have at Kainga. Our chickens.  They are growing so fast and hopefully they will be great layers. Throwing scraps and weeds into there yard takes sometime you know. It is delightful to just watch them, certainly great time wasters.



Please make sure you check out all the Tuesday's Treasures participants over at Melody's blog. You will be delighted to see the variety of Treasure's.

Happy days.
Bev C