128

Here are the last of my Christmas PostCards...
Recently I bought the book Quilting Arts Gifts and in there was a little item by Jane Davila where she explained how to make a pocket in your PostCard backing to slip your message into... I thought this was a great idea so have made most of my PostCards like this but I also added a little ribbon hanger so the PostCard can be hung as a Christmas decoration. The ribbon has very fine wire in the sides making it easier to fold inside. Jane also had another good project in the book for a Gingerbread house but me 'tinks I had better leave that one until next year ... When I just went into her blog to get the hyperlink I see her & Elin have another new book out at the beginning of next year ... ohh when will my book fettish ever end ...

Thankful... for the yearly contact with old friends & acquaintances...

127

Some of the Christmas Tree PostCards I shared with my Grandies to give to their teachers & they were very well received which is always a thrill ... I had seen this design on Vicki Welsh's blog and decided I could do a quick version but still took me a lot longer than it took Vicki. I must buy myself some of the Mistyfuse to try as I layered a organza/metallic check over a plain cotton fabric & you can see some of the fusing still between the layers - steep learning curve...



Thankful... for the ability to be able to connect with people all over the world via the internet

126

Wooh, a very exciting time this week as our NZ granddaughter arrives to spend some time with us & other family for Christmas. We'll be out visiting here & there with the other Grandies & no doubt going to a few movies too...



Here are a few more Christmas PostCards... I'm still learning how to do the writing so this year it is rather faint - I like think of it as an added surprise - although some I have done with very bright thread...

Thankful... for the blessings of Grandchildren...

125

These are a few of the Fabric Christmas PostCards I made for giving this Christmas ...
Thankful ... for good eyesight...

111

I have finally finished something creative... when I went to the Craft & Quilt Show the other week, one of the WorkShops that I did was this hands-on Vintage PostCard workshop put on by Lace Cottage an internet lace & braid business here in Qld. It was a fun W/S and I got some of it done but I was a tad busy talking & looking at the books that Ann & Lorna had to show us but I have finished it all now & I'm very pleased with it - although I do need to learn to cut the frayed threads with my rotary cutter 'before' I set to sewing around it ... still in my learning curve but having a great time ... thanks Ann & Lorna...

104

Well I added to my stash on Sunday at the Craft & Quilt Fair - me t'inks I had better pull my head in big time & for a long while & use my stash before I go even looking at more 'good stuff' ... ha ha, famous last words eh!!! But I have got to admit that I mainly bought non-perishables, so to speak ... still accumulating the necessities of the trade I keep telling myself ...
I also went on my pat-malone on Fri.[think I told you Wed...drrr] & spent all day taking advantage of all the lectures & hands on classes that they were offering... Free workshops ... I did one on all the different types of stiffeners, stabilisers & fusibles & what the different names were for them all ... tad confusing at times when my poor old sewing machine just stitches - none of this 600/800 stitches per something or another ... ha ha but good in other ways as they gave you a sampler pack. Another W/S on free motion stitching of flowers & the like ... another on how to organise you craft room with see-through containers etc & the last in the free ones that I did was on memory quilts that you actually did all through your cp then just stitched on the lines - all so easy & ended up looking like a pieced little quilt ...
Bernina were offering a hands on classes where we made a bowl out of a soft thick cor/rope & bias strips of fabric sewn with a large corded foot ... sorry no pictures as I'm still looking for the snake that belongs in my 'strange' shaped bowl ... ha ha and the last class I did was in the Crafty Classes area where a Lace shop did a hands on class for Fabric PostCards - right up my alley.
Yesterday we had time to look at all the lovely quilts on display - there was also a Fabric PostCard display as well as Art Quilts. In another section they had the Flying Doctor Quilts - that was a great display to honour our outback service that two of my children have used in there time out west. There was also a Japanese display as well ... We tootled off home before closing time rather time & a lot poorer but we had a great day...
Giveaway:- Please pop on over to Crafty Ramblings as Dawn is doing a giveaway for having 20,000 visitors ... great job Dawn ... to be in Dawn's giveaway she would like you to put a photo up of your crafty room/area... a lotta fun...

Some weeks ago I received a lovely parcel from Barbara in Germany with a great hat I had admired on her Rainbow blog + some little goodies so as a thank you I made her an Australian Fabric PostCard + sent some Collections chipboard cutouts that I hope she will have fun with [Collections is Australian]. I had hand stitched the PostCard + added some beading but I must remember next time not to put the beading sooo close to the edge cause when you machine edge it the needle & foot don't like beads ... ha ha The one above is the one I sent Barbara & this is another one I made.My DH wanted to know did I make a mistake with the water on the Qld coastline - drrr that's our wonderful Great Barrier Reef man.I suppose he was only 'trying' to be helpful/constructive...I've just been over to Linda's blog Q and I was so surprised to see she had made some Australian Fabric PostCards as well & around about the same time as me, how is that for a coincidence - love the Aboriginal Art Fabric ... ummm I have some of that in my stash too... I think it is quite funny that some of my Aboriginal Art Fabrics + my Australian Icon Fabrics come from New Zealand - like what's that about ... so do I look for Maori Art Fabric in Oz? - I'm on the lookout for some Paua Shell Fabric ... now do I ask my NZ daughter to look for it or do I look for it here - I wonderrrrrrr ...... ohh the idiosyncrasies' of life ...

Guess what ...

Guess what - I'm still in the land of the living, been away yet again ... Sat of the last post I was staying with Luc & we went for our walk on the Headland - brrrrrrrrr it was sooo cold & windy - we needed to put our anchors out but, that meant nothing to us when we got to see the migrating whales way out to sea - ohh what a sight to see... their spurts/blows on the horizon. Can't show you any photos as I haven't sorted how to get the photos off my phone - that's the next learning curve for me ... but I can assure you it was very exciting. Just been talking to Luc & she is on the Headland at Fingal,as we speak with the binoculars watching them jumping and all that - they go up the Queensland coastline from June to August and come back from August to Nov. with their newborn calves as they birth them in the warmer waters off our Great Barrier Reef.
Sunday I flew to Sydney for the day to meet an Internet friend who was in Australia for a couple of weeks so what a good excuse for a Coffee & Cake Luncheon [C&C] with all the Southern BSL girls [thank goodness for cheap airfares]. It was so great to meet Jackie in the flesh & to catch-up with all the girls from down south. I even got a chance to have an hour at the Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair & before you ask NO I didn't buy a thing as I had to cart everything with me so no shopping, now really that took the pressure off ... ha ha but I did collect quiet a few business cards for later reference ...
Here are a couple of photos ...Here we have L-R yours truly, Jackie, Rhonda & Rob. We exchanged ATC's among the girls - this was my first attempt at a fabric ATC machine sewn ... And below is a Fabric PostCard similar to the one I gave Jackie as a memento of our meeting ...

He's a clever little Chap ...

Yes, he is a clever little chap but I must also congratulate his Mum [our eldest daughter] on her patience as I'm sure it became quite a 'chore' to get him to finish this little project for their little one day local Show. Of course he was as pleased as punch to win first prize with it in the Craft Section for Primary School age kids - he is 8 years old. He actually won quite a few prizes with different categories so won the overall prize for the most entries/wins. Good on you Jayden. When I was visiting them a few weeks back for Easter, J. wanted to have a go at a Fabric PostCard like I was working on so he drew his own car and put it together himself - he was having a few problems with getting the needle through - seems Marnie was using way to large a needle - thanks Jean for setting me straight with that one Gosh it's making life so much easier ... ha ha, anyway as you can see his did do a great job and I'm sure it will always be a 'keeper'. We often paint a canvas & decorate it for the Show but this is certainly something a little different.
My F-I-L did lovely Fancy Work [as it was called in those days] when he was a young man then he moved onto making mats outta old hessian bags & strips of old clothes with a special tool [sorry but the name of this evades me at this moment in time] - of course we must remember 'necessity was the mother of invention' in those days and they were living in a 'tent' house in a mining town in it's early days but my Hubby remembers them fondly. Dad has since past away, it would of been lovely to have had something of what he made but of course in those days 'a man making such beauty' was all a bit hush hush sadly, especially in the harsh realities of a mining town. Maybe J. has inherited the creative genes from both sides of his Mum's families.

Share Happiness Fabric PostCard ...

Well have been busy at it again ... here is my latest Fabric Collaged PostCard of a Guardian Angel with the saying of Share Happiness...
Been keeping myself busy during the days with stamping samples for a conference I'm to attend in May ... what do they say, 'not rest for the wicked' ... just wish I knew I was so wicked at sometime! I have my friend J staying with me this week so we will be having heaps of fun that's for sure so had better get some beauty sleep so I can keep up with her ... ha ha

Home of a Friend Fabric PostCard...

Here is my Home of a Friend Fabric PostCard that I just finished tonight.
Well this finishes the three Fabric PostCards that I have been working on for the last couple of weeks... ummmm wonder what the next ones will look like - stay posted...
Thank you so much to all who have been so kind with their comments about my new endeavours - your comments are inspiring & appreciated - I'm so enjoying this creative journey that I'm on ...

SunRise Fabric PostCard ...

Here is my Sunrise Fabric PostCard ... I like making scene type quitlies and am now looking into how to either colour fabric or paint it ... am I looking at another 'big' learning curve - so much to learn - but I still have plenty of time - I think!!! I'm even going to the Craft & Quilt Fair on the w/e so guess I will be looking at quilt stuff as well as the stamping gear - Gosh I don't think my bank account will like this at all ... Better finish the Fabric PostCards I have started before I go into any of this, I think.

Ohh to the Irish ...

Well here is my tribute to the Irish ... started on Paddy's Day ... I was a bit slow with it ...but thought it a bit funny that it should be finished for 1st April [April Fools Day] ... I know a warped sense of humour ... Although the four leaf clover is not politically correct for the Irish - it is a measure of good luck so 'tis my way of wishing ya'll the Best of Luck ...

Fabric PostCard ...

Here is my first Goddess Fabric PostCard that is winging it's way to my friend Rob ... I love making these but today I must go out to my Gyrlie Shed and make some cards we have several birthdays in the pipeline for over Easter...

Fabric PostCard ...

I got another Crazy Stitched Fabric PostCard finished last night... now to prep some more ... hope you are all having a good week ...