Santa is on his way to.........update

For those of you new to my blog (I know there are quite a few).............back in August I got this "hair brain" idea that it would be great to receive a secret present at Christmas ..........after a quick chat to Fiona and Jodie I decided to "do it".......they would join in so that was three................so the Secret Santa Christmas Swap SSCS was born...........

I honestly though that if I could get 20 people that would be fun.......I would leave it open until the end of August to sign up - but i had to close it within a week as I was overwhelmed with support..............83 people joined the swap............I lost one girl and 3 joined along the way too .......WOW is all I can say and everyone of those Santas is so happy and excited about the swap.............I can't wait to Boxing Day to show you all what they made...........that will take some posting................but be fun..............

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My little reindeer from last year.........

Tina commented on my last post.............did I make all the presents...........well I wished I could say yes but no I have elves all over the world working hard 13 different countries sewing and crafting away............

The sleigh is now loaded up with presents for

Ebony

Toni

Cheryl

Tami

Meaghan

Peg

Hanne

Floss

Juliann

Doreen/Doe

Tracey K

that's 26 on the sleigh and 59 to go.............

about 30 photos..........keep it up girls..............

Santa is on his way to ..............

Santa has presents in his sleigh for

Carole P

Marianne

Alice

Teodo

Jessica

Gudrun

Anita

Linda R

Pam G

Donna (woohoo that's me)

Tracey B

Sarah

Nadine

Elizabeth

Ulla

15 down 70 to go

I wonder who will receive the first present?????????????

I have 21 photos of presents..........

New Shop/designer blog........

Back in the dusty post a couple of posts ago I had this same angle............this is it early in the morning WITHOUT dust isn't it beautiful...........this is why I live where I live...........

................just to let you know Annie of Hatched and Patched has started a blog so please head over and welcome her and tell her I sent you over.................I told her she needed a blog in June when I saw her but Mrs Martins has finally convinced her to get started so please give her some encouragement............like she needs another thing to do besides look after her children, sew, design and run the most gorgeous patchwork shop..............busy like the rest of us........but we fit in things where we can.............goodluck with the blog Annie..........

USA link ............found this the other day - for the US girls wanting to buy Aussie patterns check this out................

Christmas come early........

Hope you like the new Christmas look................you know I can't leave anything alone.............a change is as good as a holiday...........lol...............

This is the flower of a Queensland Lace Bark Tree................the flowers are nothing like anything else I have seen and I have several of these trees in the garden flowering now..... and they drop off and make a pretty carpet under the tree........

Went out to lunch today to the quilting group ..........I am kind of a "lurker" to their group........get to go to lunch occassionally........and boy was it a good lunch.........

This is what I made for my secret santa present............Bron loved it thank goodness.........she is so "pretty pink" colours............

And as for me I got this wonderful present from Gillian a wine bottle bag and some extras.....just perfect for me the girl who enjoys a wine or whatever......lol

The little sign says "Welcome to cluttered chaos" - this girl knows me too well...........

Finally I have hundreds of these Agapanthus just starting to flower in my garden................another one of my all time favourite plants...............I have them everywhere in the garden and mostly blue but some white.............

Opps nearly forgot about the draw...................OMG did I pull some lurkers out of the cupboard............lol............75 comments.....who knew you were all there...........thanks to Jodie (check out her great Mirror Lake photo) and the magic number Solvi is the winner of my special draw....(email me your details Solvi).....Thanks everyone for all your lovely comments..............I have found some great new blogs to visit.........and quite a few of you are still "no reply"

-------------------take care--------------------

Who's lurking opps I mean visiting.......lol

okay so I had a silly number of visitors again yesterday so I have decided to do a giveaway and draw some of you out..........leave a comment and you will go into a draw for something (good that is)........not sure what yet but I have some ideas.......I have a massive week coming up and may not get to the blog so i will draw it when I do my next post............that may be tomorrow or next Friday who knows so you better hurry up and drop me a comment...........

++++++++ADDITION - MY REGULAR VISITORS ARE MORE THEN WELCOME TO JOIN IN THE DRAW SO LEAVE A COMMENT ++++++++++

Blogger won't let me put in a pic sorry about that I hate photoless posts.......lol......

Also the Secret Santa Christmas Swap participants you need to have your parcel ready for the 1st Dec .........I know lots of you are nearly done with making your projects.......and some finished........don't forget to email me a photo of what you have made.........

oh and got the stitching done on another project but you will have to wait until later to see that.........

-----------take care----------

Look what came to visit.......

After a 36deg cel day this is the front of the dust storm that hit last night............

DH took this pic with his mobile phone

I went out and took these..........man it was disgusting.............

just as it started I took these pics and it did get worse...........

After all that we got some storms and 16mm of rain so it was worth it but now I have to go clean all the dust off the verendahs and when you get dust like this it invites it self inside also................man I am thinking of Anne Heidi with her snow and the good thing would be you don't get dust...............got any snow to share????????

-----------------take care------------------

Kate Cebrano Concert

Hi went to Kate Cebrano in concert........she was fantastic and we were right up the front and I ended up dancing up the front.........it was so much fun........got her cd and she signed it and my ticket and I got my photo taken with her............wow what a night................

And can everyone go to Jodies blog and tell her that you are her secret santa she is being a very difficult child and trying desperately to work out who is her Santa............and she thinks I am being mean.........lol.........she already knows what her dh is giving her.............lol

--------------take care----------

Table Runner.....

Got this one finished..........oh well I just have to stitch down the binding...........and yes I will get that done in the next week but I wanted to show you all........

I don't know what happened yesterday but OMG .........I had 184 people come and visit my blog yesterday (no I didn't keep opening my page myself)............where did you all come from..........63 of these were from Australia.........the most in one day ever.............can't work out the sudden increase.........

...............take care til next post....................

Christmas Decoration.......done

Another UFO finished..............Merry Christmas............I can't find the pattern but I am pretty sure this is a Anni Downs Hatched and Patched pattern.............

SSCS Post

Hi Secret Santa

I don't want to see my present before Christmas Day and I will wait to open it then..........

Helping and being helped in blogland.........

No doubt about it blogland is great.............I am totally addicted to it..............people are just so kind..........and the last few days I have had a chance to "really" talk to 2 bloggers...........so exciting.....

I helped Tracey with a blog problem and that phone call took about an hour and we could have chatted for longer............did you see, check this, OMG did you love those pics etc ..........on and on it went.........it was so fun and yes we did get her little problem sorted out and that took and about 10 minutes you can imagine the rest.......chatter, chatter, chatter....lol...........

Finished this bag today...............

Then today I need a little help from someone to do a swap with.............who else to ask but one of the most prolific sewers in blogland.........(he shows a little on her blog but different parcels show up all over the world).........and so appropriate Linda the Aussie living in US receiving a present from an Aussie for Christmas..........it is a direct swap so they know who is sending and receiving.........but then she says.............what is your phone number................hey I live in OZ and you the US but no a few mintues later the phone rings and Linda is on the other end............ (no international calls made to this house I have no friends/family overseas) I was so excited and then she says "oh you are a silly chook"...........who me a "chook"..........lol........it was so much fun to have a real conversation and no we didn't talk for an hour...........but we fitted lots in........

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Oh and I better tell you who Linda is having a 2nd swap with and it is direct so they both know who is making for them..............welcome Carey.........who has now joined the swap.............she offered to fill in a spot if someone pulled out and no one has and she was keen to get a deadline for some sewing to get back into the swing of it........she has 10 days to make something........nothing like a deadline.........

..............No matter what your problems are someone can always help you just have to ask.........

Like last night when I had to do a urgent phone call to Jodie while trying to work out paper piecing...........

------------take care--------------

sewing........

Hi all..............this is a picture fairy girl drew and I stitched...........today she ironed it (big thing here using the iron) and picked some material to go around the edges.................

Don't you just love the princess tiara...........lol........what every sewing girl needs.........

.........now she has the camera..............

deciding on a border...............and a close up of her picture...........

I cut and she sewed on the borders...............she loves to help and thank goodness she loves to unpick as I had to do a little of that on my block..............

Now onto me and the first photo is by fairy girl alas the top is cut off............progress..........

Jodie and I are having a little challenge............I am going to do 6 sample blocks for me and the same blocks different colours for Jodie and she will pick 6 blocks and do the same back............

........after an emergency phone call to Jodie and a quick lesson in paper piecing.........(I have not done that before)..........I worked it out and have not quite finished the block but I am to tired and need to concentrate for the paper piecing I wanted to show you where I had got up to..........so tomorrow I will get it finished.........then Jodie needs to tell me her colour way so i can make hers...........the deal is I am not to show the blocks I make for her only mine..............

------------take care------------

Christmas update

Well try as I may I cannot update the last post or put links in this one but if you go to the Secret Santa list on the right............2 girls have done a post so check it out.....
Linda R - USA (14th Nov)has her great Aussie tradition leg of Lamb organised and Pavlova I am coming over for dinner

Paula Sweet P - USA (15th Nov) Paula's first Christmas with her own family was a classic.......lol....I am still having a laugh but you will have to head over and see what she had to say.......

go on share the Christmas cheer.......what do you do and where do you go........what traditions do you have.........

15 sleeps to the Secret Santa Christmas Swap post date.
39 sleeps until Christmas........

Christmas.........what do you do........

This is the keep the motivation up for all the sewers in the Secret Santa Christmas Swap. Oh and I am starting to get some photos emailed in and WOW...........I want to show you all but I had better wait .................

After an email from Nicolette the other day I started thinking more about Christmas............

In the Netherlands they do not celebrate Christmas like we do here in Australia they celebrate Sinterklaas on the 5th December - sounds like an absolute fun day to me they get up to mischief but Nicolette will tell you more about that maybe over the weekend. I told her to post the email she sent me.........

We were also discussing Thanks Giving but neither of us celebrate it and I think it is coming up for the US. I am not really sure what it is...........

This is my Chritmas tree from last year......not the best picture

but the only one without the kids in it..............lots of decorations made by the kids are on our tree.........

every year we celebrate Christmas Day with family and occassioanlly have had extras that have not had there own family to spend the day with........

Usually it is very hot but last year there were no fans or airconditioners blowing away to keep us cool. The weather was wonderful and cool.

Our neighbours always come for breakfast.............

I always do a cold lunch...........cold meats and salads but lots do a full on hot roast dinners and others do BBQ etc.........yummy desserts and that is just lunch then pack up and head to the other side of the family and roll in for dinner and wonder why you feel so "fat and full" at the end of the day...........

Boxing Day 26th Dec is often used just to catch up on rest from Christmas Day.............

Christmas is also the start of our long school holidays...............break up just before Christmas and then the kids don't go back to school until early February.

So tell us on your blog what do you do for Christmas, where do you go, food you eat etc..............it would be fun reading different posts over the coming weeks................

-----------take care-----------

new tank.......

The tank has been delivered and now dh is plumbing it in and then I just need wind for several days so the windwill can pump away and fill my tank...........

I hate being tagged and have not followed thru with a couple of tags lately sorry girls but I don't really like them but someone tagged me for the following and I have enjoyed reading other and wanted to do this one..........

When did you start to create and make craft?

I still have me stitching samples that I did in grade 3 or 4 with the Nun's that taught me and then I did sewing in highschool..........

Why did you start creating?

I enjoyed making things and the process............mainly clothes at school ....I have fond memories heading down to the local material shop buying material for a pattern............

Why do you create?

I like making things........what you make it it is original and usually no one has made it before or you make a different colours style etc........

What do you create?

now I make bags, quilts, pincushions, cushions, clothes for fairy girl and usually skirts for myself.........what ever takes my fancy really........and I usually have to change the pattern some how..........I do what I - want when I want...........

Has this changed since you began crafting?

when i started mainly in high school I made clothes ....... and followed the rules to the "T "............nothing is ever exactly the same as the pattern now days.............

--------------Take care---------

my boring afternoon..........

Well I am so tired after the concert I went to last night but you will have to wait till tomorrow for that post as I need to get a pic from a friend before I do the post.........

............had to go and do some jobs and that involved driving..............

past this old tank stand...............

escorting the tractor home .................this is the start and things are ok..........

off they go down the road....................

waiting.....waiting........waiting............they won't fit over the ramps.............

....(ramps stop sheep/cattle from going into the wrong paddocks)......

so i have to open about 10 gates.............like this except this was probably the one that opened the best................

found some ants along the way...........

"knock knock, hello is anyone home"

yes someone was home and came out to say "hi"

more clouds.............I was terribly bored and did I say tired........??.......

This is a bore drain..........where I live we have water flowing from the ground as we are on a sub artesian basin...........anyway there used to be lots of these drains carrying water to different paddocks for stock..........they can run for a lot of km's.............most are being capped and piped now to stop the water waste and using it more productively.............

.................see education time today..............I really was bored as it normally takes under 20mins and it took over 1.5hours..........I would drive to the gate open it and wait.... wait....wait............for dh to come thru then shut the gate drive again and wait.....wait....wait.... again........thank goodness I finally got home..........

Finally when we got home this morning we found a little disaster..............several thousand dollars in the making.........the tank fell off the tank stand................major problem so now tomorrow we are reorganising a new tank...........not sure what has happened but don't think we will be using this one again.........

Remember the vegies patch.........well look at it now..............with the rain we have had and the fertalising...........they have bounded away..........

.........finally if you are still here and made it thru this boring post here is the reward..............

Day day's blog has been busy making bags and she has just done 20+ posts this weekend showing all her bags.............please go and have a look at all her posts for November............it really is worth it.........she is in the SSCS and I wonder what she will make for her SSCS recipient..........

got the blame for another blogger he he he........although she is not new to the internet and quilting.............head over to Blueberry Lane Designs..........she used to own Honeysuckle Cottage until July this year......I even forgot I used to do her newsletter many moons ago, that would be funny to see one now ..........technology has changed so much in that time.........anyway..........she is supposed to be studing for an exam and she is starting a blog instead.....love the logic there...........so head over and welcome her and wish her the best for the exams she has NOT been working for over the weekend.......lol...............

------------take care-----------tomorrow me and Kate----

Flowers...

I am involved with organising some open gardens next year and while taking some pics in one of the gardens i took these gorgeous flowers............

I got motivated by Jodie to get a WIP finshed that I had started and tried to finish a bag to show you but things were not going as planned and I have had to unpick a lot so maybe later unless it goes into the WIP pile again to be buried for several months.............highly likely.......

........also received some purple chenille from Kerry in the mail and I am planning another bag so watch this space..........

----------------take care------------

PS I just added a Christmas Tree for Christmas countdown........I saw it on Laila's blog and had to have one.........

Clouds.........

This is actually my dam (water storage) behind the mound

drama in the clouds today..........

lots of storms floating around.............

clouds again........

Kardinal Rose bud....................

---------------------take care-------------------

Pictures for you

Chicago Peace Rose

oleander

Oleander again

Silos and Storms

trying B&W what do you think........

Clouds I liked

-----------------take care----------------

Another bag finished........

Well I am not about to take Dale's crown as the bag lady but I am having fun and plans for another as soon as I get a little parcel from Kerry..........

............I stayed up to late last night and finished this one and tried to do this post but the net was not agreeing with me........

used my first magnet click and love it..........lucky I have another little pile of them..............

loved the Chenille in it................can't say what it is for yet but I enjoyed making it..............

Now about the last post on the SSCS...........yes the new Santa is Gail Pan................I still have a few people to reply..................