SNOW and GIFTS and CARDS and DVD

It wasn't there when I went to bed last night, but oh my, open the curtains this morning, and POW! The snow has arrived...pretty..but cccccold...

Through the window, my back garden...

the white lawn...

white sky, with snow coming down...

David Bailey - eat your heart out!!!!

my front garden...

ooh look E, can you see...

I'm not daft, another picture through the window...

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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I have been receiving some wonderful post of late, OK the post is late in being delivered, but just look what I got, this from Maggi, perhaps I shouldn't have opened it, but I am like a kid with prezzies, I cant wait to get at 'em....

A notepad, yes, but wait...

the front of the COVER for the notepad plus the card that came with it,

that is a beautiful brooch on the front, thank you Maggi, I love it...

fabulous beads by the way too...

what a beautiful message this was, I blushed, the back of the cover also has a gorgeous bead on it, I believe this cover has been felted....

I'm not allowed to open this,  cos Annette has got one the same and has

forbidden me to open it, my fingers are itching to get at it, I have squeezed and nipped it, to no avail,

thank you Marian...

How posh this is from Angela, who does superb work, it is still - at the moment -

in its pretty tissue, but prob not for long, ha ha, and just look at the

fabulous postcard she made me too,

thank you Angela...

Ahh a gorgeous Poinsettia, it's just not Christmas without one in the house,

Annette bought me this one, as she does every year,

thank you Annette...

Now we come to Fabric Postcards

This one was a total surprise from my lovely friend Elisabeth in Vienna, Austria;

thank you so much Elisabeth, it is a very smart PF Tree, I love it...

One of the Popular Patchwork Girls off the Forum has sent this card to me

for the swap we are doing of Theme - TOYS from our childhood -

This is from Irene B who tells me she was a real bookworm,

great card, many thanks Irene...

Different group I am in on the Web - an Embellishing one this time,

we had to make a Christmas Card using the Embellisher and wool somewhere on the card,

I have received this grogeous card from Carol, I hope you can see how it sparkles,

thank you Carol, I love it, those petals are blended beautifully, one day I will

be bale to do something like this - I hope....

A few years back, my Suzanne organised my Quilting Groups to send me a fabric Postcard each with a letter on, OK, I have shown these before, but they only come out at Christmas and I want to show you them again, I have found a better place to display them too, each one a real gem, can you see the message -

Janet a Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho

Rebecca made this card for us at school,

the sleigh is a cut-out and the gold surround sparkles like mad,

we love it, thanks Bab xxxxx

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Now for something really STUPID

The school do a secret santa present for all the girls and boys, this is what Reb got, a lad in the class got a girly book but wouldn't swap with her !! No comment, but really, she is 10 this is aimed at 4-5 year olds I would have thought. Shame on you school

??!!??!!??!!??!!??!!??!!??!!??!!??!!??!!??!!??!!??

AND NOW THE BEST BIT OF NEWS FOR YOU

I told you I had some good news for you didn't I - well

Myfanwy Hart's Embellishing DVD is now out ready to purchase here -

http://www.myfanwyhart.co.uk/

and guess what -

I have my copy in my hot little hands and have already watched it, to say it is Brilliant is probably putting it mildly, but honestly, I wish I wish I wish I had had this BEFORE I went on that stupid class, I have learnt more from this DVD than the whole day spent at the class. True, I really have, there are eight separate lessons on it, you work at your own speed of course, it is so great to have it on DVD, Myfanwy explains things so easily, it is as though she is in the room with you, what a lovely lady she is. I can refer to it again and again, I have had to finisih several things before I can have a go at all these wonderful ideas on the DVD, I can see the Embellisher Machine and me are going to be the best of friends. Who would have thought that after that dreadful class?  Thank you Myfanwy, and I see there are going to be two further DVD's each one getting progressively harder, I cant wait. Bring it on.

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AND I AM BACK

In case you wondered!!!! I haven't been feeling too good of late, I managed to contract a nasty bug from something I ate....nasty bug.......then I did something, I know not what, to my left knee. I have been in absolute agony with it, it locked into a straight position, I could not bend it for love nor money, the pain was....you really don't want to know.....anyway, that is all behind me now, the bug has gone to some other poor soul and the knee has sorted itself out, hooray. So I am back.

Gosh I have lots to catch up on. I have sorted lots of photos out my GD found in a box, they are of all old stuff I have made, quilts, cushions, bags, all sorts of things, was quite funny looking at them really, I must have made enough cushions in the past to go round the world and then some. hahahaha. Anyway, I have chopped up the photos to make a kind of collage with them, as I don't really want to take up too much room on here with old stuff, it is just interesting to see the sort of stuff I USED to do. Groan! You can flick past this post, well, when I do it you can. I don't mind.

What was nice, was amongst all the photos, were pictures of the quilt I had made for my mum's 80th birthday, plus her letter to me to thank me for it. That will also go on here eventually.

I have been stitching away like crazy, got all the borders on my Singing Garden Quilt so it is ready to be quilted. I have caught up with all the Postcard swaps I am in, but due to the dodgy knee I haven't been out to the PO to post any of them, in fact I haven't been out much of late cos it SNOWED. Hmmmm, we had quite a lot, obviously not as much as London, but enough to scare me into staying in. I have a fear of falling over as I know I wouldn't be able to get up, and would probably be left laying on the ground. Also I worry about what damage I would do to my knees if I did fall. Daft I know, but it is a worry of mine. So, due to the snow, I stayed in.

I have others to post on here but as the theme was a secret, they will have to wait a while yet.

And these little beauties, I luckily, received.....

Just brilliant aren't they.
Thank you to everyone.
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I haven't forgotten either I was going to do a Giveaway for my 500th post. News on that soon.
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IF YOU HAVE SNOW, PLEASE DO TAKE CARE IF YOU ARE GOING OUT,
WALKING OR DRIVING,
TAKE IT SLOW.
BE SAFE
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This is ABBIE, my friend Tessa's dog wishing you all a belated Happy Christmas,
well, she makes me smile!
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MORE CHRISTMASSY BITS

These are all Fabric Postcards, made for me by some of the members of my group a few Christmas's ago. Suzanne asked for volunteers and organised a secret posting for me. they each had to choose a letter, make a card with that letter on it, then post to me, I received them all higgledy-piggledy, and had to work the message out. The very last one says, HOHOHO, it was made by my GD Rebecca as she didn't want to be left out. Aren't they great.

Here are our Christmas trees. The centre one is a fibre optic one, it is quite pretty, Hubby's choice not mine!! Last year he went out and bought us a new tree. Yippee. It is a black one like Annette's. We had admired hers for many years and finally, he got one. The first picture is of it in the day, the third picture, cos the fibre optic one is in the middle, is it lit up at night. Very pretty, Annette decorated it today for me. Thanks Annette, it looks lovely, again.

A while back I won some fabrics from the Popular Patchwork site for the Notepad I designed. I was determined to make something for THIS Christmas with them, and this, is what I came up with. A small hanging for the hall for our Christmas Post - a pocket each, one for Hubby and one for me. With the left over little squares, I made 8 coasters. Hubby is very impressed with these for some reason.

This little hanging, it is unfinished of course, is from Popular Patchwork magazine. I have changed the design ever so slightly to suit my purpose. When it is completely finished I will post another photo here. I am enjoying making this, it is small enough to play with.

These are threads I bought off EBay, for a ridiculous sum of money. I was told of them by Angela on PP site. They are fabulous aren't they? I shall enjoy using these I'm sure. The next picture is of BUTTONS. Yes that's right, buttons. These also came from EBay, I bid for all of them and WON them all. I was thrilled. She tells me she has a sale in January so I will have to go and have a look then. The link for the Buttons is EBay SHOP.....Punch 'N' Julie.....enjoy looking even if you don't buy. The link is over on the side bar for you.

Last but not least. Here is a picture of a tote that was bought for me by Annette and Rebecca. It is Rebecca's Year 5 Forms, at school. They all had to draw a small picture of themselves and it got printed and made into these bags. Neat huh! I love mine.

POSTCARD FUN

This is a November Mingle card from Ann here in England, many thanks Ann brilliant firework display and right on time for 5th November too.

This one made me smile, it arrived 'dead' on Halloween! Well done my lovely friend Susan in Liverpool. Yet another of your brilliant cards.

The following is one of my cards, I made it today, well yesterday actually looking at the time!! My daughter's friend Zana passed her driving test AT LAST, so I decided to make her a Postcard to celebrate the fact. On the back the greeting is....to the tune of AGADOO, altogether now...

Zana, do, do, do, get your car and go shopping,
Zana, do, do, do, open the door and get right in,
Look to the right then the left, and get it in first gear,
Off you go, Zana's PASSED and we all give a MIGHTY CHEER.

Zana is Greek, so my daughter may have to explain the symbols on the front. £ signs cos it cost a LOT of money, ripped up L plate, sign post for her favourite shops. I hope she likes her card.

VERY SPECIAL RECEIPTS

In the group Pizzazz that I am in we did a Mini Quilt Challenge Swap, we had to make a Mini Quilt the size up to us but no bigger than 10" I think it was. Then the list mom, got her son to pull out who would send to who. My Mini Quilt is going to Peggy, I hope she likes it.
BUT....
I got Carole Marie's Mini Quilt.
It is called 'Love of the 40s' for obvious reasons.
Isn't it gorgeous. I love it to bits.

AND THEN... In the very next post I received from Elaine, a card I had admired on her Blog. I had no idea it was me it was coming to. Don't you just love it. She is just so clever with her cards. Here it is...

So a HUGE thank you to both these ladies, they really made my day for me.

LOTS OF GOODIES

These I bought from Milton Keynes....
...and these

Click on this to read it.....
Ha Ha Ha Ha....

Cards received.......

Cards made going in the post.....

For Elaine....
For my stock pile....
...and these....
...and these...
Click on picture to see about these two.