Homespun......

Some of you may remember me working on a "Matryoshka Doll" quilt early last year.

Well, it was spotted by Catherine from Australian Homespun magazine and it will be featured in next month's issue, on sale 10th February. I have been dying to show you the full quilt, but I can't show you until the magazine is out!

I am very nervous about the whole thing as it is my first pattern and article.

But one of the great things about this issue is that a crafty friend of mine is also going to be in the issue with me! Rachel, from Four Wise Monkeys has a feature as well.

It is sure to be a great issue. I hope you will all go out and buy a copy!

Kathryn. XX

Happy Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day everyone!

I hope everyone, who has a day off to celebrate, takes a moment to think about how truly lucky we are in this wonderful country.

Also a very big "thank you" to everyone who wished me well on my Birthday Sunday.

I have managed to get around and say a personal thanks to those that blogger allows me to reply to, but if you have your settings set on "no-reply comment blogger", then

Thank you!

I will show you some pics of my birthday goodies on a later post, when I have actually taken some!

Yesterday I received an email from "shabbygirlmosaics" letting me know that one of my bag sets was featured in her Etsy Treasury! I have been featured a few times but it is alwasy a thrill. Pop on over to the list to have a look at the other beautiful items featured. The more visits it has, the more chance it has of making the front page of Etsy!

I was meant to be painting today, but at 2.30 this morning I awoke to this loud buzzing noise coming from the kitchen. On further inspection, I discovered the freezer door on the fridge was wide open and everything had started to defrost. I had asked Hubs to get the lamb chops out, to defrost, for our BBQ dinner tonight.

(I did hear him banging and crashing around trying to find them last night but didn't think he'd bang the door so hard that it would pop open again......)

Can you guess what I did all morning? Yep, COOK!

I made Chillie con Carne, Chicken Tikka, Chicken Korma and 40 sausage rolls!

At least I am organised for next week when school finally goes back!!

Enjoy the rest of Australia Day, Kathryn. XX

HELP....

Another year closer to 40 today!!!

Having a wonderful day, so far!

Kathryn. XX

My Kissing Ball.....

Whilst browsing in the haberdashery shop at "Sovereign Hill" the other day I came across a simple but effective gift idea. They (at Sovereign Hill) called it an "Elizabethan Kissing Ball". It was simply a doily tied around a polystyrene ball with bits of ribbon added. How easy is that? But it had no scent or flowers or anything to make it look at all attractive.

"I can do better than that" I said.

So, on my return home I googled "Kissing Ball" and its' history.

You can read about the history here

So, out came the polystyrene balls, the doilies in the cupboard and the ribbons and roses, et voila! It is, I think, a prettier version of what they had at Sovereign Hill and it smells of lavender.

I added a few sprigs of the lavender that I collected at Kylie's last week.

It took 5 minutes to make!

Traditionally these were made at Christmas time with Mistletoe, perhaps these would be great Christmas gift ideas?

Only 11 months to go.....anyone got any more doilies?

Kathryn. XX

"O-nuts"

Trying to occupy two boys isn't always easy.

I thought they were going to kill one another yesterday!

So, the thought of homemade donuts, hit the spot.

We received "Sprinkles" the donut maker for our Kris Kringle gift this year.

I was a bit sceptical as to how good they would be. Would they be as nice as "Donut King"?

"Yes"they were!
Amazingly, they even had similar crunch on the outside without the fat!
Now, that's always a good thing - especially after Christmas!
Hubs suggested we call them "O-nuts". We always give things an "O" twist because of our surname!

"McMuffins" become "O-muffins" when we do them at home etc... Following on from yesterdays post....this boring lampshade became this

....for Master 7's room.

How are you occupying the holidays?

Kathryn. XX

LOTS......

OF

THINGS
ARE

HAPPENING

AT

OUR SHABBY COTTAGE!!!

More to come...

Kathryn. XX

IKEA.....

Firstly "Happy New Year" to everyone!

I hope Christmas and the New Year was a wonderful time for you all.

But, where on earth did three weeks go?

Here's a little story for you about IKEA.

Whilst childless for two days, we ventured to Melbourne to check a few things out at IKEA.

Now, I'm sure everyone who has been to an IKEA store will have laughed at those "other" people struggling to fit their newly purchased flat packed item into their cars.We certainly did.

We sat in the cafe, having a very cheap coffee, and could see people in the LOADING area stuggling and trying every which way to fit things into their cars.

One couple tried for 20 minutes. The wife had hands on her hips tossing her head back with frustration and the husband was throwing his hands in the air.

We laughed, almost out loud!They did drive away - eventually with items in tow.

How embarrassing......

Moving through the store, we both spied this fantastic framed print of London's Picaddilly Circus and had to have it. Bringing back memories of living in the U.K. and the little Ford escort van, seen on the left, (which hubs and I travelled around in for a while), I said to Hubs, "We better measure the car, we don't want to be like "that" couple". So off Hubs went and measured the car. "It will fit" he said."Yeah!"So, off we went through the self serve check out and headed to the car feeling very pleased with ourselves.....

It wouldn't fit.

We drove home with the back windows pushed out to glory and wind whistling the whole way.

But isn't it great?

Kathryn. XX