Katherine's creations

FNSI

2012-02-15T17:49:00.002+11:00

This Friday is listed as another FNSI. I have decided to spend the day working on Home Sweet Home. I am guessing I might be kept a bit busy after tea looking after Tess LOL. I still have a roof panel to finish but I might just start on the cottage garden I plan to put on the walls. As usual I have decided to change it a fair bit LOL to suit my garden and make it more personal. I think I will do the accessories the same as pictured.

Tess

2012-02-15T17:42:00.002+11:00

Here's my scrapping buddy. Tess is nearly 5 months old and will be getting desexed on Friday.

Giveaway

2012-02-15T17:33:00.001+11:00

Now I also quickly altered these thank you cards. If anyone would be interested in receiving them please leave a reply here and I'll do a draw on the 25th February.

Scrapbooking......

2012-02-15T17:28:00.001+11:00

Well as you can see I have been busy playing around with cards and layouts. Mind you I have been asked to blank the girls out so that none of their friends can find them so excuse the smudges LOL.

The last few days I have taken some time to go through all my old magazines and tear out ideas I love. I haven't bought a magazine for nearly two years now and only have about 30 to tear from. Much better to condense them into a folder than keep the pile of magazines with all those pages I dont like LOL.

Lemon Cordial

2012-02-05T18:13:00.000+11:00

6 lemons (1.5 c juice) and rind
1 kg sugar
1.5 ltrs boiling water
56.6g citric acid
28.3g tartaric acid
28.3g epson salts

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir over heat until sugar etc has dissolved.

Strain and pour into hot sterilized bottles and cap immediately.

As the mix is strained I just juice the lemons and put the skin whole into the pan.

Dilute with cold or soda water as desired.

Keeps for 6 months in cool, dark cupboard. Will discolour.

NOTE:

Use only fresh fruit not the pre-squeezed type.
Now you just do the same for orange cordial.

Anyone interested in the passionfruit cordial leave a reply on here and I'll post it during the week.

Lots to share ....

2012-02-05T13:04:00.000+11:00

Now there has been loads happening since I updated.

The girls have both resumed school and had a good couple of days back. Grace already has homework LOL. This week will also see Grace start back at piano after school too.

As you can see from the pics I have been busy preserving and making cordials. So much fun! and much easier with a food processor that you don't have to start with a teaspoon LOL long story! I have also made yogurt and from that made quark cheese. Very interesting but I think I am the only one who likes it as it is tart not sweet. Quark is like a smooth cottage cheese or similar.

We have also started using the homemade soap and find it excellent and I will soon have to make another batch of the laundry liquid. The recipes for these and the yogurt/quark are all on the http://www.down---to---earth.blogspot.com/ or on the side bar.

I've done some card making and also some stitching too. Finished off heaps of ATCs but am now a week behind in TAST. I am going to work on the SAL blocks this afternoon and evening. Tomorrow night I might actually stitch down the binding on the wallhanging too. I have ditched both attempts of a sampler and will just continue with ATC size samples.

I have also finished Linda's ATC so will post it and show it soon. Hope you like it Linda.

Merlin deciding the wall hanging needed some quality control testing for comfort LOL.

Piccalilli, cucumber pickles, orange cordial and passionfruit cordial. Not pictured is the lemon cordial I did the week before. The passionfruit gave one bottle and needed about 40 passionfruit so it is not cheap but Aldi had bags of 10 for $3.99 last weekend. Cant wait until our vine grows and produces them.

Decided on small stipple in the sky area and lines in the forground. There is a largish stipple on the strip pieced border. This about the 2nd time I have attempted machine quilting so am very happy with the result.

Tess, Lance and I attended the local dog obedience group this morning for the very first time and it was great. Learnt a couple of tricks to stop pulling on the lead and Tess behaved herself well and did as she was told. I thought it would be a complete disaster but she was extremely good. Hungry pup and bag of treats does wonders plus she is super friendly with other dogs which is a big plus.

FNSI

2012-01-21T10:35:00.000+11:00

Well last night as part of FNSI we had a beautiful tea featuring the best Fish and Chips in town. No dodgy frozen pre-battered fish there LOL its all fresh dailiy from the Melbourne Fish Market and even the potato cakes are made from a real potato cut fresh! Mind you it costs so we don't have it very often at all. I think FNSI nights will have to be our takeaway night too.

Well I started off with getting another sampler of the TAST stitches completed. I am hoping it will be okay as more are listed. I'm still not overly fussed with it but I think that is just me being very critical. Maybe I should google stitch samplers and see if anything really grabs me.

I also started those Xmas SAL blocks from http://www.sewhappy.me/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Sewalong-Xmas.jpg the pattern is now available from her shop. I have decided to gather another couple of blocks from somewhere and make it into a small quilt for hanging around somewhere at Christmas time.

Now if I get off the computer I might even get it finished by lunchtime and start on the next one LOL

UFO finish - Christmas ornaments

2012-01-19T17:46:00.003+11:00

Here's a pic of the ornaments I finished a couple of weekends back and also of the half finished roof sections for Home Sweet Home.

Soap making

2012-01-19T17:44:00.001+11:00

On http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/ that I stumbled across after looking at some embroidery patterns on Jenny of Elephantz blog, was some soap and laundry detergent recipes. Well I've done the laundry liquid and made some other cleaners from it. I've also done the two soaps as well. Had fun doing it but now have to wait 4 weeks for them to harden before we can try them.

Tess

2012-01-19T17:33:00.001+11:00

Tess turned 4 months old back on the 16th. She has grown heaps and we think she is going to have long legs and be tall. Tess also loves walks very early in the morning and loves to learn. She can also now jump up onto our bed which is a problem if I forget to move the embroidery basket lol. Lance came home and found her with a new ball aka my DMC thread I was using for the TAST sampler.

FNSI

2012-01-19T17:21:00.000+11:00

I have also jumped in and joined FNSI (Friday night sew in). Came across this last year on the blogs of ladies doing the Vingette hexagon quilt. I want 2012 to be a year to jump in and try some new things. If anyone else is interested just click the logo (fingers crossed) or have a look on the two blogs listed underneath.

TAST 2012

2012-01-19T17:14:00.002+11:00

Well I have finally taken pics of what I have done for TAST 2012. The sampler I might pull out and start again as I think it needs more colour. I was initially going to do cream on white but it just doesn't look right. The other pic is of what will become ATCs featuring the weekly stitch. So far so good and I am enjoying exploring basic stitches. Linda I haven't forgotten your ATC either. Just got to get it finished.

Update

2012-01-07T18:19:00.001+11:00

Cant believe I already have an update to make.

All the embroidery is finished for the lily and will blocks and the xmas ornaments should also be finished tonight also.

Belated Happy New Year

2012-01-07T10:17:00.001+11:00

Well a bit late on this one but I hope that 2012 will be the perfect year for all!

Well I wont worry about showing the xmas tree with loads of handmade bird ornaments mum and Grace made. Too late all packed up now anyway LOL. But here is one gingerbread man out of about 20 and 1 of about 15 Xmas trees made from all that pre christmas baking.

This is a new project called Home Sweet Home by Caroline Pearce. I have changed some of the embroidery designs as I really want a cottage garden style with silks, fine wools and ribbon embroidery. I will do the house first then start on all the lovely bits and pieces that go inside. As you can see I have started the roof. SHould be varigated but didn't have the thread but as I have changed almost everything else I am sure I can work with it.

These are a few quick cards I knocked up between Christmas and New Years while moving my little scrapbooking cupboard around. A few scraps of paper lest over from the layouts I created from our wedding album just made my fingers itch to do something. I am going to do a little more scrapbooking this year.

I have also just done a huge post that will show up under a tab when I change the settings on the blog. It shows all the projects that are either UFO or WIPs from last year. Most are WIPs because time just didn't allow them to be finished. Painting, gardening and looking after a new pup has just changed when and how I get time to stitch. Mind you so worth it and there is that saying about always having tomorrow's LOL.

Now the gorgeous Tess has grown and improved out of sight re behaviour LOL. Mind you she is still only 3.5 months which means we have had her for almost 6 weeks now. All vacinations are done and we can now take her for walks etc. Notice the one ear down and the other up. Been like this for about two weeks now but it isn't the best photo as I took it early this morning as she was settling down for a nap.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T17:47:00.002+11:00

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone is having a wonderful day as we are.

Christmas nearly here ....

2011-12-20T07:07:00.002+11:00

I don't know how I manage to do everything but just waiting for the big day to arrive now. All shopping has been done and wrapped since November thankfully as this year I do not know how I would have found the time to do it all at once LOL. Hate shopping anyway.

Did 6 batches of shortbread and 2 of gingerbread on Saturday for gifts. Really enjoyed it too and will share a photo of the shortbread christmas trees later.

Last night we had to attend a celebration evening with both the girls receiving various awards. Their reports were also very good and it is going to cost us $20 per A and I can see it is going to get very expensive LOL. Grace received 2 awards - one for vocal performance and the Chaplains award. Sarah received an Academic achievement award. Grace also sang with the junior rock band and did a wonderful job.

I've been enjoying the news and stitching on everyone else's blogs too. Still not really finding much time to attack mine but will have to take a break soon. Getting too tired LOL. Maybe tomorrow I might just have to stop and sit a while as today is about to get very busy with 2 houses to do and unpack the boxes of books back onto our bookcase. Still six boxes at my parents too but Tess is a terror for wanting to chew up cardboard which I am sure is not really good for her.

On Sunday night we had about 50mm of rain fall in the space of 3 hours. Seems to be happening all over the state. Our drive was running with about 3 inches of water but no real damage done. I wont need to water for another few days LOL.

I'd better be off and get on with things before I leave at 8am. The quicker everything is done the quicker I can get home again.

Stitching challenge

2011-12-03T18:54:00.001+11:00

Found out about this on Linda's blog and am looking forward to starting it first Tuesday in 2012. Here's the link http://www.pintangle.com/community-challenges/2011/12/1/take-a-stitch-tuesday-2012-challenge-information-page.html. If I have done it wrong just pop over to Linda's blog.

Other than trying to keep up with everyones blogs I have been busy painting, catching up in the garden and training Tess to be an angelic doogie lol. Grace had a piano concert which she performed 'Breakaway' which she has been learning this term. It was a great night ans she performed beautifully. Lance has also been away for a week with his brother visiting a mateona property out of Inverell. Sarah has also started step up at school which means she is now in year 10. Grace is also in this program and has started year 8. Lance and I have also celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary which means that we have known each other for 20 years now. Lance says you get less for murder - sorry standard joke here LOL.

Tess

2011-11-17T06:36:00.001+11:00

Last Sunday we had a call about some Jack Russell puppies available in Shepparton. I cant believe the amount of people who have been keeping an eye out for terrier puppies for us. So guess who has another baby in the house! Tess turned 8 weeks old on the 16/11/11 and is adorable. She is very different to Bindi in some ways but just as cuddly and has that same way of getting under your skin. LOL. Must be totally mad but we had looked at one other pup the week before and knew instantly it wasn't right for us. Tess, like Bindi was, is perfect for us. Merlin is also very happy with our choice and is now wanting to play with her after being a little unsure for the first few days. So now we are back to crate sleep training and toilet training which so far has been relatively easy. Mind you I think I might just have to hang up the paintbrush for a while as I am a bit busy training the gorgeous Tess.

Tess (8weeks)

2011-11-03T19:16:00.001+11:00

Thank you to everyone for their comments on loosing our wonderful doogie. We all miss her very much.

Things have been very hectic getting ready for the plasterers. They started on Wednesday and we are now down to one chap for the next 3-4 days. He will be doing all the trowelling and patching and putting up the cornices etc. There was a team of 3 here removing all the old stuff and putting up all the new sheets and also some much needed insulation in the walls too. But I am looking forward to seeing them finished so things can get back to normal for a while before painting it all LOL.

Now I am heading off to catch up on everyone's wonderful blogs. I haven't managed a good look at them for over a week now.

Sad News

2011-10-24T17:01:00.000+11:00

This morning I had to take our darling little Bindi to the vets to be put to sleep. Saturday she was happily tearing through the house playing with her rope and ball toy at lunchtime and this is when we believe all her troubles started. By teatime Saturday night she decided jumping and climbing the steps were out of the question so thinking she might just need to walk whatever it was off we walked the front driveway for ages without much success. Deciding she may have pulled muscles somewhere we decided to just tuck her up in bed and see what happened the next morning. I took her out at about 5am Sunday and put her down to discover she couldn't use her back legs anymore. Long story short is she ended up spending half of Sunday at the vets being Xrayed and treated for pain the whole time not a cry or snap from her just the odd whine every now and again. I brought her home yesterday afternoon with the diagnosis of a spinal injury which was quite clearly identified on the films and it also showed that it was there for quite a while before finally giving way. So the agonising decision had to be made and happened this morning. Now she is resting peacefully in the back garden right where she would normally head to sit in the sun. Everyone is at a loss at the moment because she was such a beautiful doogie.