Darcy (Fitzwilliam)

My Darcy just loves his photo taken.

He is a very handsome boy.

His full name is Tristone Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Longhair Burmilla

Colour: Black Shaded Silver.

Zygocactus

I grow all types of plants and here is some of my Zygocactus ( Winter Cactus) that I have. The beautiful orange and pinks of these plants shines when other plants are resting for winter.

I have more Zygocactus with the longer flowers will post photo's of them next winter when they are in flower. I have some of my hanging basket planted with three different colours

African Violet growing.

This photo was taken in November when this little plantlet had flowered.

The plant is called Red Delicious. This is one of five leaves I have growing that I purchased at the African Violet Show in May.

Backyard in Spring.

Finches that my DH breeds and are in the many birdcages we have in our backyard.

Again I have taken a better photo of this Native so you can see the flowers better. The flowers are so tiny but there are heeps on one flower stem.

I have taken a better photo of the Pink Azalea from our back garden. My FIL came over on Friday and I gave him some cuttings of this plant. I hope they take for him but incase they don't I have taken some cutting myself today as this plant is a great grower and has heeps of flowers.

Darcy

This is Darcy the Burmilla cat and he just loves to help me.
This photo was taken last night when I was to slow to get my quilt and sit with him in the backroom and watch TV as I having been doing on cold nights this winter but last night I was busy on the puter in my sewing room.
He said Mum you are to slow and I need to sleep and your bag is just right.

My First Stitchery project

My Wednesday Craft/Patchwork group have been making this bag as a project that we can sit and chat doing. The Bloomin' Flowers Stitchery Bag pattern is by Picaninni Patchwork and was found in older A Country Threads Mag or Country Favourites 2007 mag. The girls from the group are having a great time doing this bag and we hope that it will carry lots more stitchery projects.

I have started stitching the pockets for this project and here are the fabrics that I am using for my bag. The pattern uses homespun for the inside of the pockets and bag. I think I will use the tone on tone.

Spring Time

It's Spring Time here is Australia and the weather for today here in the western suburbs is going to be 33c. Just the right weather for our garden so here are some of our plants. This beautiful Azalea was grown by me from a cutting from the plant that grows in our drive way. The Pink Azalea is a wonderful flowering plant and grows into a large plant.

This is one of the many plants that DH has in the garden near his birdcages. The plant is a lovely native that we purchase from the Native Nursery a few years ago. DH loves this plants as it has little suckers and they are great as DH gets new plants to add to his garden

Here is a closer photo of the native plants in the backyard.

The Fishpond that my DH made 3 years ago when he removed the swimming pool as the boys were not using it anymore as they got older.

The pond has a cover beacause when it was first built we lost all the fish as we have a bush park near by and the wild birds had a feast.

Here is a close up of the fish pond and you can see one goldfish

One of my WIPs!!!

The other week I was looking for something to take to patchwork to do but did not want to take my machine.
I remembered the applique quilt I started years ago.

So out came "Country Garden" BOM. I have started two of the blocks and here they are just have to the finish stitching them.


The first one is called" Cottage".


This is the second block
called "Chair" has lovely flowers to be placed in the pots.

The BOM is from The Quilt
Basket, Victor Harbor. SA.
Australia.

Bears that I make.

Sitting here on my puter it's time I updated my blog.
So here I am!!!!

Bears are not new craft for me. I started to make Teddy Bears in the middle of 2000 as I know this because it was the year my Dad past away. I remember taking my Burgundy bear to show Dad in hospital later that year.

Here is a photo of my six bears that I have keeped for myself out of the 16 handmade Teddy Bears that I have made. My MIL has two, Nieces one each and a few of my friends and other family members.


Anyway on a happier note. I finished
Vincent the bear for my dear Angel
Liz who spoiled me last year in SCQ
Angels and Mortal swap.

Vincent is a 14"handmade bear with lovely mohair fur and knitted scarf.

Like with fabric stashes I have a mohair bear stash which is good as I do not have to buy and patterns or fur. Ha!! Ha!!!!

Craft Retreat 3-5 April 2009

This is the Conference room where we did all our sewing. What a lovely view.

Here are some photo's of the place we stayed for our first Craft retreat with my Wednesday Group in the lovely Shoalhaven area.

We had a small group of about 30 and what fun we had sewing , eating, sewing , eating and some sleeping.

The area around us was all bush and at the front of the buildings was lovely farm land with a river in the distance.

So quite and peaceful.

Some more Plants

Some more of my flowering plants on my stand.


Tranquility

Party Time

Brigalow is very pretty white flower with variegated green and white foliage.

My Plants updated

This plant is called Ode to Beauty

Bottom half of my plant stand.

In earlier post I have shown you my plants after repotting now they have grown and are a beautiful display of flowers and have double there size.

This is the middle selve of my plant stand with four plants

African Violet Book

Back again with some important news about a new African Violet Book by Ruth Coulson that I purchased at the show yesterday as always its a great source of information on AV's.

Ruth's first book is out of print but this new book is just as good and has a CD with colourful photo's.

Here is Ruth's website where you can order her book called

" African Violets for Everyone" by Ruth Coulson 2008.

www.africanvioletsforeveryone.net

Beautiful colour photo's and lots of very good info for new and old growers.

More Flowering African Violets

It's been a while since my last post have been busy with life and my family and all my crafts.
Now to the reason for this post.
This weekend was The African Violet Association of Australia, Inc show at Burwood and I just had to go. There was all the most beautiful flowering plants on display and some Gesneriads as well.

As always I have to bring home some leaves to add to my collection. I was good only five this time but that can yield at lest 25 plantlets.


Here are the leaves potted up and ready to start growing. They are called:

Red DeliciousPlum Crazy Sport, Bluey, Ness Blueberry Putt & Rebels Spatter Kake.
I also purchase at the sales table a lovely Gesneriad for my outdoor garden area and that is Nematanthus. Golden West

These type of plants grow great in my shaded area at the back door.

30th Wedding Anniversary

Tomorrow is our 30th Wedding Anniversary and Yes it's St. Patrick's Day.

The two of the top photo's are of Dad and me. Yes my Dad was a Scot and he so wanted to wear his Cunningham Kilt and all the bits. He looks great.He would always say that all the parts worked when people asked if he had anything on under the kilt.

The photo above is of Neil and I when we were ready to leave.

My DH has to reason to celebrate 17th March getting his drivers licence at 17 years old and getting married to me in 1979. DH and I look so young we were only 21.

The photo's turned out pretty good for old photo's that I have just taken with my digital camera.

We now have to catch my DH's parents who have reached their 50th two years ago. See earlier posts

Memories!!!! Memories!!!!!!

Beautiful Images

Hi,
Just a quick blog note to let you all know about a great site that has images for your Trading cards and any crazy quilts panels you would like to make.
Some of the beautiful photo's will be on my crazy patch quilt when I get time to print the images onto fabric.
http://countdown.tentwostudios.com/

The theme is St Patricks Day.

Some of my flowering African Violets

Okie Easter Bunny: (Hybridised by Cockran)Semi Double pansy-pink/raspberry splatter edge--approx 12 flowers per stem. Red back plain slightly quilted foliage.

Corroboree is the name of this plant. Dark purple frilled pansy.Dark green, pointed, deeply scalloped foliage. Again flower darker then photo.

Corroboree has many long lasting blooms. Margaret Taylor Hybrid

This plant is called "Myrtle Grove" and has a beautiful dark purple flower. The flower is darker then this photo and has a white edge with white and green variegation on leaves as seen on the older leaves. In warmer weather the leaves lose the white colouring.

African Violets.

Here is an update on my AV plantlets and plants that I repotted last year.

The repotted plants are now flowering and the baby plantlets have more than double in size and some have beautiful flowers. Here is a photo of the plantlets now. The baby plants are now in three trays as they have out grown the two they were in.