Busy Little Bee

It feels like I have been making plans for 2019 for a very long time.  In fact it has been many many weeks of preparation, pattern designing and writing along with the cutting of kits and getting ready in general.

I decided a few months back that I would love to do a stitch along on the blog to assist my readers in getting ready for the gift giving season throughout the year so that if they made one of each of my projects they would have 52 gifts in their present box in a years time.  That is of course if they made 1 of each gift each week.  Imagine how many gifts you would have if you made multiple?  Imagine being able to go to your present box every time the need arose and was able to lay your hands on some beautiful gifts made with love and ready to be gifted?

So the plan is that every Monday a new project will be released beginning on the 7th January 2019.

The project will be FREE to download for a whole week.  A limited number of kits will be available for some of the projects to make sourcing the products easier.

I have set up a Facebook group where I will be doing video tutorials and running give aways from time to time.  The group will also be given some bonus FREE projects occasionally.  If you would like to join the group please apply HERE.

If you could help spread the word that would be awesome.  Just leave a comment and let me know that you have shared it and where and I will have a little give away next week from all of those that comment and share.  Thanks so much .........

Now lets talk about CRAFTSY ............  I have had a Craftsy store for quite some time and it has been great.  I have been able to share many FREE tutorials and patterns along with some paid patterns as well.  CRAFTSY made the decision to close thousands of shops and for those they chose to keep THEY decided which patterns could be kept inside the walls of OUR stores.  Yesterday I had 40 patterns in my store - More than half were FREE.  Today I had 3 !!  1 Free and 2 Blocks from a Block of the Month from 2014.  Absolutely NO common sense has been used in the decision making regarding our stores.  Now do not get me wrong I am not ungrateful for the time I have had with CRAFTSY.  It has been great and stress free until we were given 10 days notice at CHRISTMAS that they were taking control of our destiny!  EVERY designer that I have spoken to was not consulted in any way ........  VERY POOR FORM CRAFTSY !!!!  So today I removed all 3 patterns from my CRAFTSY store and have decided to revamp and in some cases re-release some of my patterns down the track.  For now I'm sorry the FREE patterns I offered for many years have now been removed by CRAFTSY.  

I am still trying to decide how I can best manage the distribution of my patterns into the future and this DOES include my FREE patterns.  It has thrown a lot of the plans I had for 2019 into disarray including the FREE BOM for 2019 I have been working on.  I will put some more thought into this over the coming weeks but it will mean a delay in releasing a FREE BOM.

In between making plans for "Ä YEAR OF GIFTS" I have also been working on a new multiple block project which is a Quilt As You Go Honeycomb Quilt .........

It will feature Vintage Lace Doillies, Embroidery & Applique.  I am having so much fun putting it together.

Stay tuned for details in the coming weeks.  It's going to be gorgeous !!!!  

I can't wait to share it with you.

I trust you had a lovely Christmas in your part of the world.  All of our children were home which was a true blessing.

Best Wishes for a Happy New Year.

I will be back to chat with you in 2019.

Hugs,

Fee xxxx

Less than a week .......

It's less than a week to Christmas day.  The next couple of days will be spent baking and packaging up some treats to share with friends and family along with our mail lady, neighbours, dog groomer, hairdresser etc ....

Salted Caramel Fudge is always a winner and I make it every year

It so sweet and creamy - But not something you can eat a lot of.  1 batch has been completed with another on the agenda for today.

Fruit cakes are a must in our household at this time of the year and a few friends get one from us every christmas.  This year will be no different. They are all baked, packaged and ready for gift giving.

I've tried lots of ways to package them in the past but this way works well for me.  Some cling wrap to keep it moist.  Folded Christmas paper to make a belly band around the middle and some simple string with a tag.  Cheap but effective !

This pot of fudge is winging it's way express post to a friend of my husbands in NSW today.  He has had a tough year with his health and just loves my fudge so I'm hoping this brings a smile to his face when he gets it tomorrow.

Do you do christmas baking to gift to others?

It's a gift from the heart.

Happy Baking.

Hugs,

Fee xx

Silly Season

Yes it's that time of year again that people seem to go just a little mad.  The shops are horrendous,  the traffic is even worse and everyone seems to be in a hurry.

Luckily I wised up a very long time ago and have my shopping done throughout the year and purchase the last minute items online a few weeks before. Then sit and wait for the mail lady to bring them to my door.  In fact I spent yesterday wrapping them all and they are all sitting patiently waiting under the tree.

Today I will be finishing off a few of these calendars and popping them inside some handmade Christmas cards and putting those in the post tomorrow.

Did you see my post about the calendars a little while back?  They are so easy to make and are a perfect gift to pop inside a Christmas card to distant friends or relatives.

Last week I finished off a handmade gift for 7 of my friends.  Oh my gosh they took me days to make.  Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew.  2 or 3 would have been achievable but no I had to decide to make 7 ......  What was I thinking?  The studio looked like a bomb had gone off for 4 days in a row.

But I'm pleased to say that they are all finished and I even made a video of them which I will share once they have been received by the recipients.  Some of them are going in the post today.

Yesterday was little Tom's 11th Birthday.  For those of you that have followed me for a long time you may recall that he was just a baby when I first started blogging.  I made him this card which he just loved - He knows just the right things to say to melt his Nanna's heart - Bless him xx

2019 is going to be a full on year.  I have so much planned to share with you and some of it is with my dear friend Jenny.  

Are you downloading her little alphabet blocks at the moment?  Look what she made me from her F.  Isn't it just adorable?  And teamed with a beautiful rose fabric - My favourite!  That girl knows just what I love.  She also sent me this gorgeous flour sack.  Jenny recently used a flour sack to make a supper cloth.  It is devine.  If you missed it go to her blog and find it - It's amazing.  

In the next week or so I will reveal the plans for 2019 which includes a Year of gift giving ideas.

I am looking forward to sharing it all with you.

Until then.

Hugs,

Fee

Shopping Adventures

Since my mobility has been an issue I have become very much an online shopper.  It's so much easier to know what you are looking for and then finding the perfect one at the perfect price, pay for it and then wait for my lovely post lady to drop it at my door.  It sure does teach you patience.  And its easier on the pocket as you tend to only buy what you wanted.

BUT I do truly miss browsing.  You know the browsing you do when you go to a store just looking for that one thing and leave with half a trolley full?  My oldest daughter does that at Kmart but for me I love rummaging around the shelves of the "cheap" shops.  The name of the shop changes depending on what State or country you are in - I know that friends in the US rave over the Dollar Tree and when interstate I always check out their local versions,  but the cheap style products don't.  Ours is called "Shiploads" a play on words - They have so much stuff there !!  

So this morning I had a 9am appointment in the vicinity of our local Shiploads and knowing that their Christmas items were on display I just had to swing by there whilst my body was nice and fresh and I could have a good browse.  I am always attracted to the DIY Craft section of course and was not disappointed !!  I came away with some lovely goodies and some great ideas for some tutorials.  I am hoping to get a couple of them made to share with you before Christmas.

I've also been busy making goodies for one of the local animal shelters I support.  You might recall that I spend a fair chunk of my time making little things for them to sell when they have their hand made stalls at local fairs and markets.

It keeps me doing something that I don't have to think about too much and assists them in raising much needed funds.

This big lot went to a local baby kitten bottle feeding group who hand raise orphan kittens around the clock.  They needed some much needed equipment which they have now been able to buy so that's very satisfying.

I've also been busy making this gorgeous little Easy Easel Calendar.  I have written up a FREE PDF and have also made a video tutorial as well.  You can read all about it on my other blog - CRAFT WITH FEE.  I've also had requests for pre-cut kits so they are also available HERE.

I plan to make a number of these to send out tucked inside some Christmas Cards to my friends and family.

Okay the brain is running a million miles an hour since my little excursion so it's time I put pen to paper and wrote them down before they escape my mind - Never to return !!  

Bye For Now,

Fee xx

Catching Up and some News

Where has the past 2 weeks gone ?  Time is just flying by and before we know us Christmas will be upon us.

I've made all of my christmas cards and had lots of fun doing so.  

I made extras and have some for sale over in my Handmade Store

They are hand stamped, hand coloured and handmade.  There is nothing nicer than receiving a hand made gift and/or card.  Its quite easy to purchase a mass produced item but when we give handmade we give lots of love that has gone into creating the item.  

Next year in addition to having a FREE Block of the Month here on the blog I am also going to be having 1 year of gift giving.  That's a whole year of making little easy gifts to get you well and truly stocked up.  Make sure you check back often to see updates and the launch date for both of these.

Date scones are my hubbys favourites so I whipped him up a batch for lunch last week.  We froze all of the leftovers for a quick and easy snack.

They were absolutely delicious right out of the oven and spread with butter.  Just writing that makes me want some more so I think I had best defrost some.

Finally before I go I wanted to tell you about another passion of mine.  Papercrafting !  I decided to take the plunge and to become and Independent Demonstrator of Stampin' Up! products.  It seemed like a next step as I was already using their products and have fallen in love with them.  I made these Christmas crackers yesterday and am offering the PDF Class FREE to subscribers of my newsletter over on the web site so if you would like to receive the class ABSOLUTELY FREE just pop over HERE and sign up to the newsletter.

Have a great week.

HUGS,

Fee xx

Writing Compendium

I haven't been able to sew on the machine lately so I have found my crafting joy with paper crafts.  I watch you tube videos to teach myself how to make basic things like notebook covers, gift boxes, photo albums and just recently notebook covers.

In true FEE style I always change things up a bit and apply my own style to things.  I have a lovely collection of vintage shabby papers and like my favourite fabrics they have been sitting around way too long so I felt it was time to begin to use them.    A writing compendium to display on my side board seemed the perfect project for these gorgeous papers from Kaisercraft.

I made the cover from cardboard and covered them in white cardstock and then used the printed designer papers to dress it up.  I used Tim Holtz Distress inks to age everything and finished it off with some beautiful lace, an old earring, ribbon and paper flowers.

I found the beautiful gold sparkly pens in Kmart last week and bought a few for gifts.  Isn't it just gorgeous ?

I finished it off with some lovely little silver book corners and all tied up with a pretty bow.

An afternoon very well spent I'd say.  I'm hoping to make a few more for Christmas gifts in the next few days.

Bye for now.

Hugs,

Fee xx

Smelling The Roses

Talk about frustration.  In my little world at the moment FRUSTRATION = NBN !!  OMG I have tried to post this post for days.  It drops in and out more often than .....  well I won't go there but you know what I mean.

All of my photo's are out of order but I am not going to be too fussy - I just want to post something.

One of my favourite things in the spring is walking around the garden each week with my scissors and basket and looking at the flowers that mother nature has blessed me with for the week.

In this bunch is my first bloom of lilac in over 12 years.  I planted two trees over 2 years ago and one has finally given me some blooms.  Only roses steal my heart more than Lilac.  The scent is intoxicating and I just love it.  I recently read that they enjoy lime so the next time I am at the nursery I will get them some and hopefully I will be blessed with many more blooms.

My garden currently has many roses, bottle brushes, waratahs, lavender, geraniums, ericas and so much more,

It truly is a wonderful experience walking around the garden and enjoying it.

And most of my roses are the older variety and have devine perfume.

So now I have many vases scattered around home full of beautiful blooms.

Last week I spent a full day at our local Royal show exhibiting my burmese cats.  I over estimated my capabilities and spent the next 3 days in bed recovering.  So to avoid any extended time in bed this week I am taking it very easy.  I have spent the morning stitching a new project to be released in 2019 and this afternoon have sat in the sunshine reading this fantastic book gifted to me many years ago by my darling friend Jenny.

I read it when she first gifted it to me but decided to revisit its pages as I love it so much.  I am hoping to get some banana bread made this week from the browning bananas in the fruit bowl and maybe some more stitching.

What will you be getting up to ?

Hugs,

Fee xx

Thrifting & 2019 Plans

Being frugal and thrifting has become second nature these days.  I am not frugal in every aspect of life but I believe that a dollar saved here and there helps the bottom line.  I do not often buy things to decorate my home brand new.  So much can be found at the thrift store for a fraction of the cost.

Like this gorgeous cut glass bowl.  It probably retailed at around $60 when it came packed in a lovely box and a brand name attached from one of the higher end retail stores but I came across it dirty and grungy for $4.  With a lovely bath and some TLC look at the treasure it is now.

I would never have considered paying big dollars for it but was very happy to bring it home for $4

It now holds fruit on my kitchen bench and sparkles when the suns rays hit it.  Just so gorgeous.

At the same thrift shop I found this sweet little tea cup for just 50c.  I think it will become a sweet little pin cushion.

And another glass jug for $2.  I collect these jugs and couldn't recall if I had this one in my collection.  I did .........    I will probably donate it back on my next trip.  

I think I need a photo file in my phone of the jugs I already have.  This is not the first time that I have bought a duplicate.

Not a lot has been happening on the crafting front but I did make some little note books.  I make little paper craft projects throughout the year and then donate them to local animal shelters to sell to make some much needed money.  

I find that on the days when I have to rest I can just sit and make duplicates of lots of things like notebooks very easily.  It helps to pass the time.

We have had a pretty awful month personally.  Our oldest daughter has had 2 brain anuersyms discovered in her brain.  She spent over a week in hospital and is now booked in for the 14th of next month to have them clipped to avoid rupture.  It has been a pretty scary time.  But she is getting on with things in the meantime.  Thank goodness she is studying to become a nurse and questioned her headaches and demanded a CT scan.

Life is just so precious ...............  Because of this we have taken our house off the market for a little while.  The agent had people wanting to come through whilst I was looking after 3 grand children and trying to spend time at the hospital.  It all became too much .......  We are firm believers that everything happens for a reason and its obviously not the right time for us to be thinking about moving house.  So for now we are staying put.

The garden has been giving us many gifts including lots of rhubarb ........  

And a massive amount of silver beet.  This was way too much for us to cope with so I donated it to the local school farm thrift shop.  It was very popular.  They sold 3 bunches in the short time I was there.  I am so glad that it didn't go to waste.

And I stewed up the rhubarb with some apples and made a lovely batch of stewed fruit.  Hubby asked me what vitamins were in rhubarb.  I knew it contained Vitamin A but discovered that it is also very high in Potassium and has Vitamin C and all of the B Groups as well.  It also contains magnesium and calcium as well as providing fibre in the diet.  So a wonderful addition to the diet !  I have since stewed up a second batch which we eat from each day.  

With everything that has been going on with Samantha and also my own health taking a tumble for a few days in the past few weeks, hubby and I decided to try and have at least one outing together each week.  We had to take our youngest into the city early in the morning last Friday so we decided to go to the nearby garden nursery and have breakfast.

If I could have fitted this beautiful Lilac tree into my budget I would have brought it home with me.  Lilac is one of my favourite flowers.  This established one was $49.95.  Not hugely expensive but outside my current budget.

It was so lovely to sit and enjoy some fruit and nut loaf and a coffee and gaze out over the beautiful plants on offer.  We will definitely be going there again ! I did feel better after having an outing.  Hubby is right I need to do it more often.

With the end of the week comes a clean out of the fridge in readiness for the coming weeks shopping and meal planning.  Lots of pumpkin was left over so it became pumpkin soup which we enjoyed with crusty bread.  The leftover soup is in the freezer for another quick and easy meal.

And the rest of the crisper box - Parsley, Capsicum, Celery, Carrots, Spring Onions & Zucchini were all thrown into the thermomix along with some herbs and salt and became a lovely vegetable stock which will last for months in the fridge.

Finally before I say goodbye I wanted to tell you that over the past few weeks I have been making firm plans for the blog for 2019.  It's been a few years since I have offered a FREE BOM but I am currently designing one to give to you.  I also have another idea which I am sure you will love.  More info on that to come soon.

If you got this far in my blog post - Well Done !!!

Until next time,

Hugs - Fee xxx