Pay it Forward...

Lured by Jo in Tas's lovely blog I crazily signed up for another round of 'Pay it Forward' :-)
So this is the deal...

"I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on this post requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog."

So anyone want to play?

BTW, I think Jo is still looking for one more blogger to sign up, you can do that here and at the same time look at her fun blog.

Post to post and thank about...

I am finally aclimatising to this drastic change in temperature although I did make up some silly excuse as to why I didn't want to go to the park with the kids today. The park?!! I mean really, it's cold out! Luckily we have an activity centre in the garden and DH took the two rascals out to play while I made dinner.

Here are the 'roses' (quilty stuff) among the 'thorns' (bills!) that I came home to receive.

A fantastic selection of pre-cut fabrics from Kate.



Yum, yum! Thanks Kate! Most of these will go in a quilt for my Mom. She would like a small quilt to cover her knees and she liked a quilt that Kate had made previously with 4 patches and lots of white on white. Can't remember the name now... The fabrics are inspiring me to get going firstly because they are almost all the colours she would like and secondly they are pre-cut (no excuses then!) I might add here that I am seriously considering doing Bonnie's new mystery quilt. So seriously I have already cut and sewn a few strips for the first part. It's a mystery quilt in more ways than one: i.e. why have I started yet another project when I have so many on the go already? Because Bonnie does great quilts? Well she does, but no, it's because she's using Shwe-shwe fabrics I've just brought back from SA and it was almost like I couldn't not do it!

Also in the post/mail... some Quilt labels I bought from Toni's Home Shopping Network. I am a bad quilter and hardly ever label my quilts. Now I have no excuse!



Toni (a.k.a. The Quilting Pirate) also sent 2 Batik FQ's which are lovely. Thanks Toni!

And the jewel in the crown. My PIF from Kerry. WoW!
A stunning and very useful sewing mat.



Even the backing fabric is amazing.


Kerry also included one of her own patterns. I just love stars!
Thank you Kerry!


Here's what I managed to stuff into my suitcase (among other fabric-y things, but I can't show them otherwise I'll be in trouble with DH)



These included more Amafu fabrics from the Hilltop quiltshop.



There's a little something pink sneaking underneath. Just didn't want the recipient to see it... yet!

Here are some pics of the travellers on our way from Heathrow, via the tube and a train to Leeds and then a train to Skipton, and then a kind lift home. This journey included missing 2 trains...



We hauled kids and bags for hours and miles. This should explain why I had to travel 'light'. Fabric doesn't weigh that much though does it?

In case anyone wanted to see the new specs



(photographed on a sleeping 'new' puppy belonging to my DSIL). Although they are plastic tfhey still have those pesky nose grips, but I am enjoying them. Dexter, the puppy is just the cutest too!

Birthdays and giveaways...

Well I have made it to my 100th post on the same day that my big boy turned 3! So Happy Birthday Jack, I hope you have many many more! Here he is with his birthday loot...


Here's baby brother who'll be one next week...
(note the fabric stored in our bedroom while my sewing room gets 'done'!)

The cake for school... (pesky icing wouldn't set, but that's what you get when you ice a cake at midnight I guess)


To celebrate my 100th post I'll send someone this African fabric tote bag that I have made along with an African apple key ring...

If you'd like a chance to win this bag, just leave a comment on this post. I will draw a name next Friday so leave a comment by then with a way to contact you if you don't have a blog. I'll send three runners-up (assuming I have that many comments LOL) a chilli key ring.... (the apple keyring can be seen here too)


Next week, regular sewing commences!!! I have been sidetracked this week as a friend has offered to put a few of my things on her craft stall on Sunday so I have been finishing bits and pieces (cushions, bags included) and making bits.. Hopefully she'll have great weather and lots of customers :O)

I have also made my PIF's (Pay it Forwards) which I signed up to on Kerry’s blog. Kerry still has a couple of hundred days, but I just wanted to get mine done and off my list. Here are the backs of them...


I have some NYB BOM's to make and tons of WIP's, UFO's etc... so I better get going LOL. Actually I feel so much more content when I sew, funny that huh?

Pass it on... Pass it forward!

I have seen this on a few other blogs, but when I saw it on Kerry’s I thought umm, ooh, ahh... ok, maybe...

I can't remember how I stumbled across Kerry's blog, but I just love reading about her wonderful retreats and I whistfully think "Maybe some day" - Maybe someday we'll be having retreats here in Yorkshire too!

Anyway, here's the idea:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week... LOL... but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.



On the homefront:

I made a pie!
Ok, I didn't exactly follow the recipe to the letter and I haven't tasted it yet, but here it is...


Ta dah! One gooseberry, redcurrant, raspberry and apple pie - Bon Appetit LOL

ps we have just had a mega-slice each and DH says it's restaurant quality - we haven't eaten in a proper restaurant since we've had kids so perhaps I shouldn't get too excited about the compliment LOL