GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY

As some of you may or may not know, we're more than likely (very probable actually) having to move to another house within the next month or so, and as much as I have OCD about getting rid of my 'precious belongings' or crap if it's not me describing it! So yesterday, I went through a few boxes and in one of them, I found my meager (is it just me, or does that look like spell check has given me a bum steer? lol) thimble collection....yeah yeah, 7 isn't really an amazing collection, however, my mum bought me them about 25 - 30 years ago, so they do have a wee bit of sentimental value.....BUT I do need to downsize, and whilst they don't make much room....they'll make some!

So, if you'd like the above pictured thimbles....please leave a comment before 31st May 2010 (Australia time) and I will draw the winning name on June 1st, via the random number generator, and you could be the lucky recipient of all 7 thimbles.

If you have any problems leaving a comment on my blog, please email me by clicking here, and I'll leave a comment on your behalf. Please only leave one comment and make sure I have some way of contacting you.....ie no anonymous commenters. Leaving a comment is the only requirement.

A big thanks to Tawny, for pointing out that I didn't mention whether I'll ship internationally with this giveaway.....the answer is, drum roll please Maestro....... Y - E - S ...as long as you have a postal service that can deliver them, I'm happy to send them where ever it is that the winner lives.

Also, whilst it's not a requirement of the giveaway, please feel free to let your friends and followers know about the giveaway....the more the merrier I say....but maybe you'd prefer to keep them in the dark, and narrow down the odds of you winning huh? lol

Good luck and thanks for entering
Hugs
Naomi

Seeking the name of a designer.

Just recently, a friend gave me the instructions to make the above block, but no matter how hard we looked, we couldn't find the name of the designer.....we'd like to find her or him, so that we can give credit to them for such a great block.

Isn't it just cute? The outer wings are dresden plates.....woo hoo I've finally done dresdens! I still have to blanket stitch around the butterfly, but it's on the background at least...oh and I have to do the antennae stitching as well.

The block instructions were given to my friend about 10 years or so ago, so perhaps the designer may not be alive any longer, I hope so though.

If you happen to know who designed this block, please let me know and if you have contact details for them, I'd love to show them my block.....even after all these years, it's still popular.

Hugs
Naomi

Buttons, buttons, buttons.

My great blog friend Kylie (Antmee) has just done a great tutorial on her blog on how to make some covered buttons...yes I know, the instructions on the self cover buttons tells you what to do, but she has jazzed them up a little......necessity after paying $6 each for one button, and she created the ones above for alot less I can tell you....and would be a project you could do to fill in 5 minutes here and there......click on the photo to go to her post about the tutorial, and if you do, tell her I sent you!

Hugs
Naomi

Another finish.

A zippered pouch using a Skip to my Lou tutorial, that you can find here......very quick and simple to make. I added a wrist strap to mine as I believe the person that will end up with it, would make more use of it with something to hang on to! I came across the tutorial from my friend Khris's Freebies for Crafters blog, link here, which has a whole host of tute's that I'm sure you'll find useful. Send me links to your blog post, if you happen to make any....so I can see what pretty fabrics you've used.

On the agenda for tomorrow, is a wrap around handle thing for a golf cart....for a great friend of mine, Grant. He's such an easy person to make for.....he appreciates anything I've made him....would love to make him a crocheted "Peter heater" for winter as a joke.....seens as though he turns the big 60 this year (In October) so if anyone happens to know of a tutorial for one, I would love to hear from you. I have looked in the past, but haven't been able to locate one.

Hugs
Naomi

Travel gifts for our next door neighbours.

First gift is a travel organiser.....which I found on someone's blog....sorry I can't find what I did with the link.....if this looks familiar, please let me know where it's from, so I can give credit to the owner of the tutorial (or I may find it again myself!) Above shows the outside, and the following pic, shows the inside. Edited a few minutes after posting to show that the travel organiser tute I used, was here


Next up I made them each a luggage label and a passport holder.....the blue check passport holders and stripey luggage tags are for the males, and the bright green print in both items, are for the 'ladies'.....they seemed to like it all when I gave it to them. They're heading off to Germany in about 3 weeks time....and unless we haven't found somewhere to move to, we'll have moved by the time they get back. At least this way, they'll have something to remember us by.

So, what do you think? The luggage tags were made very loosely based on a tutorial by Kelly Jackon ( I think...lol I've had it a while now) and the passport cover was from the tutorial you can find here Jessica is in Perth, Western Australia, so I knew it would fit an Aussie passport. Thanks for such a quick and easy tute Jessica.

Hugs
Naomi

Souvenir Giveaway - HOOT HOOT

Souvenir Giveaway:Click on the link and enter the Hooty giveaway happening at the Owl Barn.....I have and there's more than one prize, so feel free to enter and maybe we might both be lucky enough to win something.....it gets drawn on May 26th which is my sons 12th Birthday....and NO, it's hooty prizes, so I won't be on-gifting anything to him! Good luck.

Hugs
Naomi

I hated keeping a secret from you all.....BUT

I can now reveal the project that I did a test of, for Khristina's latest pattern.....it's the bag above. If you head on over to her blog, you can see the other bags she's made, and instructions on how to buy the pattern. What a bonus, the pattern even includes the pattern for the removable flower brooch, or she also shows you how to make a loop and button closure. Rush on over and buy one.....hmmmm maybe I should've asked for commission for any sales I make her hey? lol

Hugs
Naomi

Sue at Alderwood Quilts is also having a giveaway

And above is what you can win.....click on the photo to go enter. Good luck....and it's drawn on 31st May, so you have a few days to enter.....why not spend a little time here looking through all my crazy posts first!

Good luck
Hugs
Naomi

An old photo of me and my Mum

I'm still going through boxes, sorting out what's going and what's staying for our move....and came across the above photo of my Mum and I, taken in approx 1970 at the Queensland/Northern Territory border. Gotta love how there was graffiti back then hey? I do hope that by now they've upgraded the signs, and the road! Look at all that lovely red dust...hee hee hee.

Hugs
Naomi

Generosity Project

Just recently, I signed on for a Generosity Project over at Marilyns' blog. Here is how it goes. For those who sign on, I will send you something crafty of my choice. I will have one year to get it to you. You in turn must agree to send a crafty something of your choice to whomever signs up with you on your blog. And you too will have one year in which to complete and send. I will take the first four (4) who would like to participate. Come on, let's play. ***To sign up for this, I ask that you have an active blog please***

Feel free to use the pic on your blog if you sign up....I snagged it from Marilyn....lol
Hugs
Naomi

Tessy B bag, Mark I

Just recently, I helped my friend Tess, set up her blog, and to say thanks, she gave me some fabric.....2 lovely pieces (thanks heaps Tess), and Raelene and I made one bag each.....here's my bag, which I designed myself.....with some old Christmas wrapping paper no less! I've called it Tessy B mark I because, Tessy B is her name! and Mark I because the pattern/design still needs tweaking, and I still need to sew the button onto the front pocket, and I'll probably end up altering the shape of it slightly, but as for pockets, it has 1 outer pocket, and 2 inner pockets....and a key ring loop. Tess likes pockets, so it definately covers that requirement!

Here's a pic of the bag Raelene made with the other piece of fabric....and yes, if you go over to Tess's blog, you'll see it's the same fabric she made Khris's Tote bag up in!

All in all, the fabrics look great in bags don't you think? I'm not normally a brown girl, but I quite like the one above.

Hugs
Naomi

Evidence that Blackie's been somewhere he shouldn't have!

Yesterday, Blackie came home looking like he'd been visiting a haunted house somewhere around here don't you think? lol Gotta love the way webs stick to animal fur hey?

Hugs
Naomi

MOTHERS DAY SWAP

In the BEST craft group a gal could want to be in on the internet, Khristina (our boss lady!) organised a Mothers day swap for any of us that were interested in participating......and my partner is/was Lois. Thank you Lois for being such a great swap partner, and sending me SOOOOO many goodies...wasn't I spoilt rotten everyone? Check out the photos below, to see what I got. Thanks also to Khristina for hosting/organising the swap for us.

All the pressies ready to be unwrapped. The pink envelope held the card in the pic below this, which I didn't end up opening until after the pressies, just in case it had a list of what the goodies were. Looking at the photo above, it appears that Lois can't spell, or has an unusual stutter.....for we all know that MOTHER isn't spelt with 2 E's, but there was method in her madness, for Lois made one of them E for Extra!

A gorgeous Mothers Day card.

The letter M - mobile phone sock, marbled fabric, multi coloured stripe fabric, magnets...3 of them, woo hoo and some mood charms.

The letter O - Orange fabrics, an orange (peach) candle and some orange blossom incense sticks.

The letter T - Temporary tattoos, Tape measure fabric and a Teddy bear T-towel.

The letter H - Happy face wooden template, heart stickers, heart organza bags, gold Heart hang tags, heart charms and a hand towel with embroidered flowers on it.

The letter E - Eggs in a basket, Extra (Keyring with my name on it....close up after the last pic below), Eucalyptus lollies (Candy if you're overseas!) & embroidery threads.

The letter R - Ribbon, Ric-Rac, Rose soap & Rose scented sachets.

Close up of the keyring....how cute that it's not only in my favourite colour....purple....but it's got my name on it....bet Lois hunted high and low for something with my name on it....not much stuff around with my name on it! Once again Lois, thank you so much and I hope you have a wonderful Mothers' Day.

I've taken pics of what I've sent Lois, but she hasn't received the package yet, but just as soon as she does, either she or I will pop pics up for you to see what she got in return.

Hugs
Naomi

Key Clutch

The other day I was playing around with an idea in my head, then decided to throw it into action and ta-dah.....my first prototype.....I need to make it a wee bit longer so that the flap part goes over further, but it's easy as to make. I also need to make it for right handed people as this one does up for a left handed person....I've transposed the pics!

Hugs
Naomi

Isn't she a cute pie???

Why yes, she is, and yes, I sure am biased...lol I met up with my darling daughter, Hayley, and her sweetie pie daughter TaShie today at a place called Harbour Town in Adelaide. It's a brand direct outlet shopping precinct. Bubby (one of my many nicknames for my DGD) is in one of those kids rides you see around many shopping centres worldwide....she loved this car, except when she pressed the red button, which made the car kind of lurch forwards and up....however, her face was a real picture.



After bribing her to leave the car, with a promise of another car being up ahead, we had a slight stopover at a carrousel ride, and then, after coaxing her off that, we found this ABC tv van for her to ride in, she wasn't telling me to stop in the above pic, but 'waving Nanny' lol


Whilst Hayley went to a different shop (to the many that we'd already visited) my ex MIL, Chrissy and I, took bubby over to Los Arcos Dorados or The Golden Arches....in other words, Macca's. On the way over there, I asked TaShie if she wanted a 'Happy Meal' and she said "yes please Nanny, with chicken and juice and CHIPPEEES!" She was quite precise with her order. Hayley ended up ordering bubby a Fanta....and here she is tucking into her Chicken nuggets.

All in all, it was a brilliant day, and I love my girls to bits. TaShie even afforded me her first 'wink' lol I was trying to get her to repeat I love mummy after I said it one word at a time, and she got as far as I and thought I meant eye and promptly winked at me....lol How cute. She cocks her head to one side when she does it, and it just melts my heart to watch...then she makes me laugh when she has to use her finger to get the other eye to do it.

She also plays a little game of rolling her eyes and then pointing to someone else, such as Chrissy, and telling her "it's your turn" lol

Another cutie thing she's picked up, is "Come on" or "Come on I'll show you" and drags you to see whatever it is, that's caught her eye.

I tried uploading a funny as video of her (apart from the eating with her mouth open....you can even hear me telling her to close her mouth when she's eating) 'perving' on a young boy who was going into the playroom just behind where we were sitting, but after about 3 hours, I gave up trying to upload it through here, might have to put it on YouTube and embed it here somehow....unless someone can tell me how to get the dang thing uploaded an easier way?????

Hope your Saturday was as much fun as mine.

Hugs
Naomi

Use Khris's tote bag tutorial - CHECK lol

Hot off the press is this tote bag, using Khristina from Sew Prim Khris blog's tutorial. I used some breast cancer camo fabric called "Quest for a cure" as the person I've made this for as a Mothers' Day gift, is a breast cancer survivor. Hope she likes it. Oh and I don't know why it looks wonky in the pic....but it looks ok in the flesh, lol I had to copy my Aunty Sharon's idea and used a Loralie Designs panel for the pocket.

Hugs
Naomi