1 Xmas Item A Month

This month I thought I was on to it and was going to have my item finished on time, but alas I have got the flu and have been sort of zonked out the last couple of days.  Always a bugger when you are on annual leave as I am, and you get sick.  Anyway though it is not the 25th here in New Zealand any more, in other parts of the world it is still the 25th, so I still sort of sneak in.

Anyway this month I have made a Scrappy String Christmas Tree Table Topper designed by BOM Quilts for my item, and you can get the pattern here

SMS Giveaway Day Winners

Wow, what a great response to the give-away.   I now have over 200 followers via GFC so keep an eye out for a celebratory give-away in the next week.

Anyway onto the winners of the SMS Giveaway Day.

Winner of the Moda Nostalgia Turnover is 

And the winner of the Fat 1/4 and pincushion is

I have emailed both winners and will get their parcels to them in the next week.

Quilting Block Swap Australia - May Blocks

This month I was teamed up with Ank in the Netherlands. She asked for any block in blue, green, warm brown and ecru and loves aboriginal prints So I thought maybe she would like these colours in NZ Maori prints. So I made her a Amish Diamond.

Then a couple of days ago I received my Pinwheel block from Ank in Civil War reproduction prints

Ank's block must have been special as Customs NZ even had to open the package.

Busy Bee Has Been Working

I have been a busy bee in the last two days and shocked myself yesterday morning.

I am not much of a morning girl and when I am not on a morning shift, I sleep in as much as I can.  But no, not yesterday morning.  I was up bright and early and before 9am had been quite industrialist. I made not one but two batches of biccies.  ANZAC and Instant Pudding ones

Instant Pudding Biscuits

ANZAC Biscuits

Put the Apricot Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Apricot Chicken

Incidentally, tonight after making Devilled Sausages in it, the slow cooker blew up, flicking the fuses in the house and giving me one hell of a fright.

Anyway back to yesterday morning.  I de-flea'd the dog, put all the folded washing away, put on a load of washing, made some yoghurt in the maker and also stirred up a batch of jelly.  

Now for me that is quite a lot for first thing in the morning along with some miscellaneous chores.

My husband must have thought I was unwell.  I think I was...lol.

Anyway today has been mainly entering competitions on SewMamaSews Give Away Day.  I have two giveaways going.  Here  and also here.  So go have a look.

Finally, if you are after the Instant Pudding Biscuit recipe click on my Recipes tab and you can get it, or easier still click here for it.

SewMamaSew Giveaway Day Has Begun!!

Yes the day has finally begun.  It is the SewMamaSew Giveaway Day which only happens twice a year.

Now before we go on to what I am giving away, please go over to my other blog 'Michell's Cross Stitch'  and check out my give-away there too.

So what am I giving away today on this blog?

The first winner win get this lovely Moda Nostalgia Turnovers pack.  This has 80 triangles and if you join the half square triangle blocks you will have a 5" square with seams. 

The second winner will get this Pin Cushion and a Fat Quarter with a native New Zealand bird called the Tui on it.

Tui are common throughout New Zealand in forests, towns and on off-shore islands. They are adaptable and are found not only in native forests, bush reserves and bush remnants but also in suburban areas, particularly in winter if there is a flowering gum about.

These attractive birds can often be heard singing their beautiful melodies long before they are spotted. They are recognisable by their distinctive white tuft under their throat, which contrasts dramatically with the metallic blue-green sheen to their underlying black colour.

So what do you have to do to enter?

Just leave a comment.  Any old comment will do.

I would love it if you would follow me, but that is not a requirement.

Only one comment please.

Entries close Friday 25 May 5pm PST or here in New Zealand that is 12pm Saturday

I will post anywhere and everywhere

Please make sure you are if you are a no-reply blogger to leave your email address, as if I can not get hold of you, I will redraw.

And don't forget to go over to Michell's Cross Stitch to enter another giveaway.

Good luck.

Santa Sack Swap Sign Up Is Open

It's back!!! Sign ups are now open and these are limited.  So just click on the picture and it will take you to the sign up over at Cherylls Santa Sack Swap blog.


And don't forget to come over to this blog on Monday 21st at 6a.m. PST for

YaHoo!!!! Giveaway Day Is Nearly Upon Us Again

Now what am I going to giveaway this time?  Well come back at Monday, May 21 at 6 a.m. PST and I will be adding my linky to Sew Mama Sew's give-away linky.  And while you are there you will be able to enter many more give-aways.

So do not forget to come back here on May 21st for my giveaway and to get the chance to enter many more blogger giveaways.

Mug Rugs

Last month I joined up to Quilting Mumma's Mug Rug Swap.  I was lucky enough to get Jan from Jan's Art Friendzy who was very fast at sending mine over.

Jan sent me this small New York Beauty block which she made into a lovely mug rug.

And for Jan I made this mug rug and today I sent it on it's merry way.  So hopefully it arrives there next week if the postman is fast.

The tutorial for this mug rug can be found here at The Curious Quilter

GIVEAWAYS

Thought I might also add some giveaways for you today I have found around blogland

• Vroomans Quilts are giving away 2 double pks of charms - Papillon by 3 Sisters and Lily & Will II by Bunny Hill. Closes Saturday, May 12th 8pm (EST). Enter here

• Little Bluebell is giving away five packs of Aurifil thread to her readers. Five winners will be randomly selected on Friday, May 11, 2012.  International entries are welcome. Enter here

• Annies Ruby Slipperz are giving away 5 Fat quarters. Entries close Saturday May 12th midnight MT. Enter here

• Quilting Ranny has some Pilot FriXon Pens to giveaway.  Closes in 8 days from this post. Enter here

• Diary of a Quilter is having a sponsered giveaway by Simplifi Fabric.  You can win a $30.00 gift certificate from their store.  Closes Friday, May 11 at midnight MST. Enter here

• The Amateur Quilter is giving away 10 fat quarters.  Entries close midnight (eastern time) on Saturday, May 19th.  Enter here

Bookmarks

Over at Our Craft Forum I have recently completed a Bookmark swap where we had to make one bookmark for our partner.

This is what I sent Willoger

To Willoger

And Maggie sent me not one but 3 bookmarks

From Maggie

Also late, but better than never, is my QBSA April block to Val.  She asked for any block in pink, green and burgundy.  So I made this log cabin block for her.

Log Cabin Block for Val

One Xmas Item A Month Finishes

Well I was not onto it last month and never got my Xmas item done, so this month I have done two items to make up for it.

First was a wall hanging I whipped up last night from some material I happened across in Arthur Toye a few weeks ago.  I was going to make a banner but thought after cutting out the angels a wall hanging would be better. I do have some more if I want to make a banner anyway.

The second is a Xmas stocking I have made for my niece Alyssa over in Australia who was born only last month.  I will be sending this one over closer to Christmas time.

If you would like the simple tutorial go over here to Fabricworm 

ANZAC Day

Today is ANZAC day here in New Zealand and Australia and it commemorates all New Zealanders and Australians killed in war and also honours returned servicemen and women.

The date marks the anniversary of the landing of New Zealand and Australian soldiers – the Anzacs – on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915.

Thousands of men lost their lives in the Gallipoli campaign.  Among the dead were 2721 New Zealanders - almost one in four of those who served on Gallipoli, 8500 Australians, 44,000 men from France and the British Empire and 87,000 Turks. 

ANZAC is the acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

The red poppy has become a symbol of war remembrance the world over. People in many countries wear the poppy to remember those who died in war or who still serve. In many countries, the poppy is worn around Armistice Day (11 November), but in New Zealand it is most commonly seen around Anzac Day, 25 April.

In the early hours of this morning all around New Zealand there were dawn services and again there were services mid morning. There are always big turnouts with the younger generation now taking the places of the soldiers who fought and have now passed on, in the parade.

Wellington

Timaru

These services as also taking part around the world and at Gallipoli as they have done for many years.

LEST WE FORGET

Eeekkkkssss....Less Than 24 Hours To Go

Less than 24 hours and will be dropping off Miss 16 and her friend at the Reece Mastin concert in Napier.  Someone is very, very excited and I can say it is not me....lol.  Told Miss 16 right from the start is was a drop and run.  Going to be to many screaming girls for me.

Reece Mastin

For those that don't know Reece Mastin, he won X-Factor Australia last year.

Here is his song Goodnight

I know Miss 16 is going to enjoy herself very much.

Finishes and A Couple of Swaps To Join

Well Easter has been and gone, and I got a lovely hollow Easter egg from my hubby which I was good and only ate half off then let him have the rest.  Being Easter I joined up to a swap over at Our Craft Forum with the theme being Easter of course.  I made Colette this lovely wall hanging stitched with Cottage Garden Threads I have recently acquired from Norma over at her shop.

Easter Swap sent to Colette

Then from Guliana I received this lovely bunny.  She is gorgeous and in her little basket are some cute eggs Guliana has sewn up

Easter Swap received from Guliana

There are a few swap sign ups at the moment happening around blogland.

Click on each of the pictures to get to their respective pages.  You never know, you may get me as your partner.

Quilting Mumma is holding a Mug Rug swap and sign ups close on the April 16th 

Lydias Treasures is having a Colour Swap and sign ups close April 21st

And only today the OASS sign ups has opened again for the Winter Swap and close on April 26th

Off swaps now.  Last year in the mail I received from Bev over at Kainga Happenings three lovely machine embroidered pieces.  When I got them a few things went through my head what to do with them.  First was a wall hanging, then cushions, back to wall hangings, then back to cushions.  I had material to do both.

Well finally I decided cushions and last weekend I added the inner borders on them and before doing the outer borders lined them up side by side and instantly thought table runner.

And finally, over the Easter period and the days leading up to it Mother Nature unleashed her fury onto us here in Gisborne again.  There have been some major road washouts in the country side and travel was difficult getting out of the East Coast, especially down to the Hawkes Bay.  I did get some photos but did not want to get out of the car to get to many as it was very very wet.  

The first two photos were taken of the river in the morning.  The rest were taken about 1 hour from high tide in the afternoon

Looking over at the Wharf

Gladstone Road Bridge - Wharf side

1 hour before high tide

Gladstone Bridge North side 1 hour before high tide

Marina Restaurant 1 hr before high tide

1 hr before hightide

Mug Rug Swap at Quilting Mumma

Quilting Mumma is having a Mug Rug Swap.  So head on over to here and join up by April 16th

Happy Easter

And Snowy went to Doggie Spa on Wednesday.  He is white again...lol