Tuesday 24 December 2013

FNSI winner’s surprise!

I told you I had a special surprise for this month’s FNSI?  *drumroll please*……. Our winner this month has won a 6 month subscription to The Quilt Show, Alex Anderson’s & Ricky Tim’s web TV site for quilters!  If you don’t know much about The Quilt Show site….here’s a blurb…. “Welcome to The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims
We are proud to offer quilters worldwide the opportunity to watch a fully produced web "TV" show that features great instruction as well as entertaining segments providing insights into the lifestyles of well-known quilt personalities. The show is the first quilting show series to be shot in front of a live audience.
The ever evolving website offers members a multitude of opportunities including a Daily Blog where members can stay current with all the opportunities on our site, a Forum (message board) for sharing insightful and helpful quilting information and techniques, Chat Rooms for those who like to be instantly connected, and the world's largest online Quilt Gallery with a search feature that allows you to locate quilts all over the world.
The hosts, Alex Anderson, former host of HGTV's Simply Quilts and Ricky Tims, quilt teacher, author, and performing artist/entertainer, combine their comprehensive skills to bring to the World Wide Web the richest, most diverse website for quilters ever created.”
There was lots happening on Friday night and lots of Christmassy goodness and I’m so glad I had Mr RNG to help me pick a winner!!!! The winner for December is……. MARIA G. Congratulations Maria……I hope you get to spend some time over the Chrissy break to enjoy your gift!!!!  Thanks to all who joined in with me…. it was great fun!  My wish is that you will continue to share in the fun with us in the New Year!!! bowsheartstrings My Friday Night Sew In…..was spent preparing and sewing some blocks  for our Sew It’s Finished BOM ….. 005 (Medium) and I even got in a little bit of hand sewing…. (noice ankles, dont you think!!!! hee hee) 014 This is  a gorgeous gift my wonderful friend Dawn gave me from her stash…..It’s a Cinderberry Stitches design she had, all sewn up and traced, and then fell out of love with it so passed it on to me!  I haven’t had a chance before now to start but Friday was the day….I adore it….and to make it even more special, I get to feel closer to her, even though she lives thousands of miles away!  It brings a smile to my face and a warm feeling in my heart every time I pick it up! 002 Big sugary Christmas hugs xox  :o) my signature  

FNSI winner’s surprise!

I told you I had a special surprise for this month’s FNSI? 

*drumroll please*…….

Our winner this month has won a 6 month subscription to The Quilt Show, Alex Anderson’s & Ricky Tim’s web TV site for quilters! 

If you don’t know much about The Quilt Show site….here’s a blurb….

“Welcome to The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims
We are proud to offer quilters worldwide the opportunity to watch a fully produced web "TV" show that features great instruction as well as entertaining segments providing insights into the lifestyles of well-known quilt personalities. The show is the first quilting show series to be shot in front of a live audience.

The ever evolving website offers members a multitude of opportunities including a Daily Blog where members can stay current with all the opportunities on our site, a Forum (message board) for sharing insightful and helpful quilting information and techniques, Chat Rooms for those who like to be instantly connected, and the world's largest online Quilt Gallery with a search feature that allows you to locate quilts all over the world.
The hosts, Alex Anderson, former host of HGTV's Simply Quilts and Ricky Tims, quilt teacher, author, and performing artist/entertainer, combine their comprehensive skills to bring to the World Wide Web the richest, most diverse website for quilters ever created.”

There was lots happening on Friday night and lots of Christmassy goodness and I’m so glad I had Mr RNG to help me pick a winner!!!!

The winner for December is…….

MARIA G.

Congratulations Maria……I hope you get to spend some time over the Chrissy break to enjoy your gift!!!!  Thanks to all who joined in with me…. it was great fun!  My wish is that you will continue to share in the fun with us in the New Year!!!

bowsheartstrings

My Friday Night Sew In…..was spent preparing and sewing some blocks  for our Sew It’s Finished BOM …..

005 (Medium)

and I even got in a little bit of hand sewing…. (noice ankles, dont you think!!!! hee hee)

014

This is  a gorgeous gift my wonderful friend Dawn gave me from her stash…..It’s a Cinderberry Stitches design she had, all sewn up and traced, and then fell out of love with it so passed it on to me!  I haven’t had a chance before now to start but Friday was the day….I adore it….and to make it even more special, I get to feel closer to her, even though she lives thousands of miles away!  It brings a smile to my face and a warm feeling in my heart every time I pick it up!

002

Big sugary Christmas hugs xox  :o)

my signature

 

Friday 20 December 2013

Are you ready for FNSI????

I am….but I just have to decide what I need to work on first!!!!!  I think a priority is working on the final piecing of the SIF BOM “A Year Full of Blooms” so that I can send out the pattern on time (this time!!!!)  Oh I really need to work on improving that!!!!! 013 (Medium) Have you got your nibblies ready for tonight???? Here’s another simple and minimalistic (but oh-so-naughty but nice) recipe you can prepare now and have ready for midway through the night……. Honeycomb Ice Cream Slice! 
  • 600ml thickened cream
  • 1 tin condensed milk
  • 1 pack choc honeycomb (or three or four violet crumble bars will do the trick too!)
  • 2 packs malt o milk biscuits
1.  Layer malt biscuits in the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. 027 (Medium) cut them to fit if you need to…. 028 (Medium) 2.  Beat together the cream and condensed milk in a bowl until thick. 023 (Medium) 3.  Break up about 300g of honeycomb (or as much as you like) into small pieces (I cut mine with a knife) 024 (Medium) 4.  Mix through the cream mixture. 026 (Medium) 5.  Pour onto the malt biscuit base and smooth flat  Layer another layer of malt biscuits on top to cover. 029 (Medium) 6.  Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours .  Slice and enjoy!!!!! 034 (Medium)035 (Medium) Notice how the honeycomb creates an oozy caramel drizzle through the ‘ice cream’…….mmmmmm  delish!!!!!!   This would even make a perfect dessert for the Christmas table (well, in the heat of the Southern Hemisphere……not sure if it would be appreciated as much in the wintery north!!!!) Beware…..this dessert is highly addictive and VERY yummy…….it will give you plenty of energy to work your way through the night!!!! Big Christmassy hugs to my friend Margaret for sharing this recipe with me!  I just know she won’t mind me sharing it with you all. So….If you haven’t already signed up for FNSI tonight……go back to my last post HERE and sign on! See you tonight! sugary hugs xox :o) my signature

Are you ready for FNSI????

I am….but I just have to decide what I need to work on first!!!!!  I think a priority is working on the final piecing of the SIF BOM “A Year Full of Blooms” so that I can send out the pattern on time (this time!!!!)  Oh I really need to work on improving that!!!!!

013 (Medium)

Have you got your nibblies ready for tonight????

Here’s another simple and minimalistic (but oh-so-naughty but nice) recipe you can prepare now and have ready for midway through the night…….

Honeycomb Ice Cream Slice! 

  • 600ml thickened cream
  • 1 tin condensed milk
  • 1 pack choc honeycomb (or three or four violet crumble bars will do the trick too!)
  • 2 packs malt o milk biscuits

1.  Layer malt biscuits in the bottom of a rectangular baking dish.

027 (Medium)

cut them to fit if you need to….

028 (Medium)

2.  Beat together the cream and condensed milk in a bowl until thick.

023 (Medium)

3.  Break up about 300g of honeycomb (or as much as you like) into small pieces (I cut mine with a knife)

024 (Medium)

4.  Mix through the cream mixture.

026 (Medium)

5.  Pour onto the malt biscuit base and smooth flat  Layer another layer of malt biscuits on top to cover.

029 (Medium)

6.  Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours .  Slice and enjoy!!!!!

034 (Medium)035 (Medium)

Notice how the honeycomb creates an oozy caramel drizzle through the ‘ice cream’…….mmmmmm  delish!!!!!!  

This would even make a perfect dessert for the Christmas table (well, in the heat of the Southern Hemisphere……not sure if it would be appreciated as much in the wintery north!!!!)

Beware…..this dessert is highly addictive and VERY yummy…….it will give you plenty of energy to work your way through the night!!!!

Big Christmassy hugs to my friend Margaret for sharing this recipe with me!  I just know she won’t mind me sharing it with you all.

So….If you haven’t already signed up for FNSI tonight……go back to my last post HERE and sign on!

See you tonight!

sugary hugs xox :o)

my signature

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Friday Night Sew In (FNSI) sign ups for last minute Christmas finishes!!!

We're getting closer and closer.......only.....

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and it's only 2 more days till our last Friday Night Sew In for 2013!!!!

 
Make sure you join with us as to craft your last minute Christmas gifts (or maybe something just for you)  The prize will be a surprise........after all, it IS Christmas!!!!
 
reindeer christmas gift box...
 
So sign up and join with us this Friday night.......if you need more information, just click on the FNSI tab  at the top of my blog to read all about it!
Looking forward to our Christmas stitching date!!!!
Sugary hugs xox :o) 
 
 
 

Friday Night Sew In (FNSI) sign ups for last minute Christmas finishes!!!

We're getting closer and closer.......only.....




and it's only 2 more days till our last Friday Night Sew In for 2013!!!!

 
Make sure you join with us as to craft your last minute Christmas gifts (or maybe something just for you)  The prize will be a surprise........after all, it IS Christmas!!!!
 
reindeer christmas gift box...
 
So sign up and join with us this Friday night.......if you need more information, just click on the FNSI tab  at the top of my blog to read all about it!
Looking forward to our Christmas stitching date!!!!
Sugary hugs xox :o) 
 
 
 

Saturday 14 December 2013

A Christmas gathering is good for the soul

Last Monday, our sewing group got together for our final sewing day for 2013.  We decided we would hold our Christmas gathering at a gorgeous little old Queenslander, known as the Tumbetin Tea Rooms at the Palmetum in Townsville, so that none of us had to cook or wait on anyone else, we could all be pampered and just sit , sew, eat, drink and be merry! 056 (Medium) It’s a gorgeous little cafe set in an old Queenslander in the grounds of the Townsville ‘Botanical Gardens’ for palms! We decided a while back we’d have a Santa Swap within the group so we only had to make one gift for someone else.  But along with that, we chose to gift something to eat, something to read, something to smell, something for the sewing room and our special gift made just for the recipient.  We drew names out of the hat and I got to choose first…..and even though it was a random, anonymous choice, I picked out Jenny!!! And it even worked out that Jenny picked me and Michelle and Heather picked each other!!!!! Here are my gifts ready to go for Jen… 021 (Medium) …and here we all are, set up for the day…… 022 (Medium) my gifts to Jenny…. 023 (Medium) Jenny’s gifts to me 024 (Medium) Heather’s gifts to Michelle….. 025 (Medium) and Michelle’s gifts to Heather…. 026 (Medium) Michelle had made each of us a cute mug rug and gave us a mug filled with Christmas goodness……… 027 (Medium) But before we could open our gifts, we had to have morning tea…….I devoured a yummy chocolate brownie and coffee….. 028 (Medium) …*burp*……. 031 (Medium) before we opened our first gifts……..something to read…. 033 (Medium) I got a wonderful devotional with the cutest little magnetic bookmark and coaster 036 (Medium) Some of us just couldn’t contain our excitement!!!!!!!……. *heehee*  we all do love that cheeky girl…….. 034 (Medium)035 (Medium) ….before we got to open the next ones……something to eat….. 038 (Medium) a gorgeous mug (to go with my coaster and mug rug!!) with some individually portioned tea selections…..yummy rose, lemon & myrtle and other delicious kinds along with some teeny pots of jam!!!!! 039 (Medium) Something smelly revealed some sandalwood fragrance sachets and handmade soaps tied up with vintage lace……swoon!!!!! 040 (Medium)042 (Medium) Something for the sewing room had me intrigued…… 043 (Medium) my very own copy of Fabled Fusions by Michelle May…..Yippeeeeee…..I’d been eyeing this off online!!!!!! 045 (Medium) along with a pear colour keeper……..we both laughed heartily over this one……when Jen opened her pack, she had one I’d bought her!!!!  Talk about great minds……..we’re a pair of pears, aren’t we???? The last gift was our handmade one……. 046 (Medium) I was gobsmacked when I opened my present to receive this gorgeous wall hanging……Sew Seeds of Love….. 047 (Medium) Isn’t it adorable????? Here are Michelle’s gifts from Heather…. 048 (Medium) Jen’s from me…… (notice the pear??? still makes me giggle!) 049 (Medium) and Michelle’s gifts to Heather….. notice the framed stitchery Michelle designed and stitched???? 050 (Medium) So personal, it shows all of us (makes me feel like one of the 80’s cartoon characters…..if only I REALLY looked like that!!!! LOL) ….isn’t it an amazing gift????   Jen and I have both put in orders for our birthdays!!!! *hint hint Michelle*!!!!! 044 (Medium) We sent ‘wish you were here’ messages to friends afar….. 052 (Medium) before stopping for lunch (after a bit of stitching mind you!!!)….a yummy chicken camembert filo with salad……. 055 (Medium) and a darling pot of tea!……notice the teeny tiny bottle of milk???…..just adorable!!!!  I enjoyed the tea all the more because of that!!!! 054 (Medium) So many people came up to us in the cafe and admired our stitching and said how lucky we are to be able to go out and enjoy our stitching in cafes with friends……we TOTALLY get that, don’t we????   It IS the best…..can’t wait for next year! If you ever get the chance, join a few friends(or even just one!) once a month, or more if you can, just to join together in girly fun, food and fellowship and some stitching thrown in for good measure……..it is the best thing for the soul….I promise! Sugary hugs xox :o) my signature