HEARTATHON! DAY 9

Joining in with the hearty, arty I live, I love, I craft, I am me.

Sitting here with our cooler on, it being 37° outside and very sticky.
Today's offering has been shown before, but when I was looking for hearts in my photo archives, I chanced upon this.  Lots of hearts and daisies.

These were customer quilts from a friend, who'd not been able to get them done, due to an operation that kept her out of action for a while.

Now for a little of what we've been up to apart from going out yesterday and having a lovely time.
Hubby's latest project from "The Shed".

A beautifully turned timber bowl.

I may fill this up with buttons, that I hunted high and low for last week and thought I must have either given them away or just plain lost them.  Off we went to Spotlight for a few things, along with buying a small packet of assorted buttons and what happens a day later?  Yes, I"found" the buttons in the bottom of a tin with my Mum's old tapestry wool on top..  Who's getting old & silly?

Last night I actually finished the shawl and think I'm pleased with it.  Not sure anyone else will think that, but as I've never attempted a crochet one before, it looks OK. I do tend to have a slightly tight tension.   Now I'd like to do the other one on the pattern leaflet.  It's quite pretty.  I really want to knit some socks too.

 The shawl.

  It is a triangular with a shell type pattern  and a frilly border on two sides.

This the leaflet and now I'm thinking I'd like to have a go at the one on the left.  The pattern looks complicated, but as I like trying new things, will make time in winter to give it a go.  Wonder what colour I should use?













I am going to try and update my QUILT GALLERY  page with the quilts that live in the UK with family members.  I know I'm missing photos of a couple, but there are still quite a few that I'll be putting on.  Wish me luck with that job as I need to scan & crop some of the old ones that I don't have on the computer.
Have a terrific Thursday all and see you tomorrow.
Take care,  Susan.

HEARTATHON! DAY 8

Following on with I live, I love, I craft, I am me.

Today's will definitely be the quickest one I've done so far.
After spending the afternoon out on our Cake & Coffee run, we didn't get home till nearly 6pm, so have rushed around making tea, folding washing & hoping to finish the shawl this evening, whilst watching some mindless TV,  Oh, and doing this post.  I've also just fed one of our magpies, as it was caroling outside the study window.

I snapped this stone, thinking it looked like a heart and remembered very recently that I had it in the archives.
It was found along the Cotter River in Canberra when we visited our youngest son & family over Christmas in 2015.

Best go as I'd like to see the weather forecast for the next few days, though hubby has already said it will be 38° tomorrow. Not quite that hot today.
Hopefully I'll be able to post earlier tomorrow & also show a finished shawl.
Take care all,  Susan.

HEARTATHON! DAY 7

Another day linking with Kate.

First I am wishing my grandson J a big happy birthday.  He turns 14 today.

Next we will take a look at my heart/s.  Yes, today I have more than one again, but as I was looking through all sorts to find 💖💖💖💖's,  I chanced upon "jewellery" and thought wow, then  realising I could use all of these in a group photo, so here we are once again.

We have on the left, a pair of earrings I bought years ago, but do wear quite a bit.
The centre one, I think, either one or all the kids gave me one birthday a long time ago.
The one on the right was given to me by my grandfather on my mother's side when I was a child.  In fact, I think it may have been  when I was a flower girl at his wedding to my step-grandmother.

OK, not much to report for today as it was grocery shopping this morning, offloading some of those blueberries too.
I've made 2 lots of binding this afternoon for the quilt I showed the other day and another one waiting to be bound in the UFO pile.  Must get that UFO list done too.
Coffee and cake run with Car Club tomorrow afternoon, but I will report in with my next 💜 snap at some stage.  I'm also working on the next lot of photos for my QUILT GALLERY page.
Have a good day all and take care.
Susan.

HEARTATHON! DAY 6

Catching hearts again with Kate at I live, I love, I craft, I am me.

Todays offering is actually 3 hearts and I'll see if you can guess where they are.  Again my photo isn't great, but just can't seem to get the right light in this house.  All the walls are sort of a murky apricot colour & although the windows large, they just don't seem to let in much light due to their positioning.
Ah well, we try.

Can you see "three"?

Not much to report today & as it has been so overcast (& rain last night, yippee) I'll wait for another day to take some crafty happenings.
BTW, the flowers above were picked this morning along with another 2 cake tins of blueberries & I've still one in the fridge from Saturday.  I've already given a tub to over the road & the boys next door this afternoon & will take some to our local greengrocer tomorrow.  Next, I'm thinking of making jam in my breadmaker.  Wish me luck, as the only jam I ever made, many moons ago, was a complete disaster.
I'll be back tomorrow.  Take care all.
Susan.

HEARTATHON! DAY 5

Linking up for the fifth day with Kate.
Now, although I have the colonial knot embroidery hanging on the wall here, I found this particular photo of it in my archives & liked it much better.

My heart was framed professionally, but embroidered by me.

Thank you so much for your thoughts on my not feeling so well yesterday & today I'm much better.

This morning I fed the birds & to my amazement I had 2 Rainbow Lorikeets come to visit.  We do have them come when the New Zealand Xmas Bush is in flower, but I can never get a good photo.  This is still not a good one, but here it is anyway.  Not long after I very quietly snapped this, they were off.

Just one in this snap.

Later this morning I started up Bubs to do the last row on the quilt that has been on for a few weeks, with not much headway.  I did a little yesterday with a lot of thread breaks,😭 which started to get me down, so wound up when I didn't feel good.
I realised when I wound the quilt forward that although I still had one whole 12" row to do, I only had the space of about 4" on the quilt.  Well, could I remember how to do the trim bit?  NO!  I put my somewhat silly thinking cap on, put some more fabric below the quilt & now have a couple of little quilted pieces of fabric to do something with.  Oh, the brain really was fuddled, and we'll blame it on the heat.😉

Just off the machine & you'll notice  the 2 bits of fabric at the bottom.

I do love the look of this pattern on the white.  It is Maggie's Roses by Deb Geisler.

I used a jelly roll & white background fabric and a lovely rose print for this one, which I designed.  I have plenty of the jelly roll leftover & have drawn another quilt on graph paper to use up some more of the jelly roll and it will have a black background.  I'll try and start it soon!!!
Photos to come of both when bound & finished.

As I'm running late with this today, I'll say nighty-night & hope you all have a good start to the week tomorrow.  Two of my grandies return to school tomorrow after the long summer break, along with their Mum (DD) who is returning to full time employment.  Hope all goes well.
Take care all out there in blogland & another catch up on the 6th.
Susan.

HEARTATHON! DAY 4

Linking up with Kate for the 4th of Feb.  Again just a quick one, as I've not been feeling a 100% today.  Maybe just hot & tired after a hectic week.

Looking around the house at the end of January, I think I've already mentioned I found so many hearts.  These were staring me in the face.

My lovely fridge magnets which I use all the time.  One is always holding the pad I write my weekly menu plan on and the others are used for various bits & pieces when needed.
I'm not going to say I'm the tidiest person with a lovely clean fridge door, as over the years, I think, it's been wonderful to have appointments, the occasional flyer & my menu close by, so I don't forget things.  Definitely good as you age.  Ugh!
Today I've finished a loose-fitting summer dress,(hand sewing still to do on it), that I've had the fabric for, forever and a day & popped the first borders on the stash busting quilt I spoke about in January.  Last night I also made good headway on the frilly border for the shawl.  Not done anything like that before, but I think it is OK.  At the end of the month, I'll have a show & tell of my finishes, or maybe the odd one with one of the heart posts.  I also need to do that UFO list!!!  You may all remind me if I've not done it by Valentine's Day.
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.  Take care.
Susan.

HEARTATHON DAY 3

Linking up with Kate for my next day.
I've been a bit slack with replies on my comments & catching up with everyone due to a hectic schedule this week & some of the following week, so this is a big THANK YOU to those who have been reading these & commenting.

Today are 2 gifts I've been given & display at odd times when I'm feeling in a frivolous mood or in the month of February, being the "heart" month.😊

The pink, green, white heart bunting was given to me by DD with some white cotton, so I could make a a chain to string them up.  Oh dear they did wait a while, but now done,  look lovely.
The darker pink ones below were sent to me by a lovely blogger called Amy, from Love Made My Home.
Thanks to both who contributed to my Heartathon.

So today, that is about as much as I've to offer.
Yesterday I picked lots more blueberries, tidied the garden a bit, had an afternoon appointment, then we did something we rarely do, and went out with a group from the car club for tea at a local pub.  Lovely night, though we do get noisy, as we are all getting on & so many of the gentlemen have hearing aids & talk VERY loud.
Today we pick up the newsletters for folding, putting into alphabetical order, taking to the clubrooms tomorrow, then any that aren't picked up we post.  Not a big job, but sort of time consuming.
Take care all, have a good Friday & I'll see you tomorrow.
Susan.