More de-cluttering, and a freebie!

I have to be honest, this de-cluttering for Spring has been wonderful!

I have been able to clear out my pantry, my fabrics, my patterns, and now my bookcase!!

Listed HERE are all the wonderful crafty books I am selling. Some of them are brand new, never read.

A few life lessons for me after this exercise today...

* Think before I purchase. 

* Use the library to see if I really like a book enough to buy it.

* Am I only buying out of curiosity??

* Do I have enough time to make the pattern/s??

The books, patterns and magazines are for Australian buyers ONLY. 

Books can be expensive to post, so maybe grab a few to make it worth your while? I post in satchels mostly as that is the cheapest.

Visit my sale page HERE.

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My new quilt design is coming along nicely!

Another month or six weeks, and "Shabby Angels" should be finished. Here's a few sneak peeks...

 

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I've also been making special gifts. Here is one that hopefully inspires the recipient.

The lace is almost 100 years old...

 

 

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Now it's time to show you how I have been spoiled!

My sweet friend, Nancy Jo, sent me a surprise bundle of joyful bits and pieces...and you know, they arrived on a day when my heart really was in need of a lift and a hug. Thanks, Nancy Jo - I just wish you'd posted your sweet self in the parcel instead. xxxxxxxxx

My friend Stephanie has begun a crochet phase, and I was so in love with what she was making that she offered to send me the pattern. Well, bless my cotton pickin' socks - she sent me the gorgeous crochet cotton as well!

I see a crochet world in my future. ;-)

Thank you Stephanie! xxx

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Are you a subscriber to my FREE newsletter?

If not, you missed out on my free pattern for "Sweet Somethings" in yesterday's newsletter!

Now because I've been blessed this week, I feel like blessing YOU too. 

So that nobody misses out on the free pattern for Sweet Somethings, HERE is where you can download it.

But in future, make sure you're signed up for the newsletter. I have quite a few freebies to share with subscribers between now and Christmas!

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Mr E finishes up at his place of work today, and before he begins his new job he's taking a two week break - to spend with me. \o/

I am a very happy wife indeed.

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

PS: Issues 13, 14 and 15 of Elefantz HOME are available for purchase HERE. But only for a short time, so hurry!

Finishing up gifts, and on to new designs...

I can almost say that I have finished making Christmas gifts! I have two big boxes full now, and it has been more fun that I could have imagined! 

There are a few more 'big' gifts to complete, but I have time for them before December...it was just so good to make all the smaller gifts before October nodded goodnight. How are you going with your own gift-making? 

With still 1/2 of that sweet bird doily left to play with I thought a lavender filled door hanger would be perfect...

...and then I got the doorhanger-bug and made a few more from other designer's stitcheries I'd already finished and had put aside 'for something'. (Do you do that too??)

You can see how easily these gift boxes are filling, I'm sure! :-)

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How are you going with your British flag cushions?

I've finished Blossom's Italian flag one! I even added a little passport so she could remind herself that her dream of a trip to Italy will happen one day. 

 

This is the fabric I used for the backing...

...Rome, Venice, Pisa - one day we'll be there!!

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I'm back to playing with my own designs today. One part of design is to choose just the right fabrics to bring the design to life - and my worst habit is to design and stitch before I match the fabrics!

I'm thinking this 'Scribbles' print would be lovely with the baby quilt stitcheries...

....and a pink paisley print I've had for ages would really bring my newest Dill Dally Daisy design to life!

Not sure yet about my tiny and sweet Shabby Roses sampler blocks...

...although some romantic Robyn Pandolph would be gorgeous.

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Look what Fiona of Bubz Rugz sent me this week!

The softest chenille washcloth and soap with a fragrance that lingers and lingers...quite sublime. I think it's Lemon Myrtle - am I right Fiona??

Thank you so much for your kindess, Fiona!!

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Hugs

Jenny

xxx

Simple vintage gifts to make...

I'm so glad you enjoyed my tutorial for making British Flag cushions! 

Kathleen was way ahead of me though - she's been making them for a while now, and here is one of her beauties. You will find another HERE on her blog. :-)

This morning I made up two more cushion fronts (from my slowly reducing stash of Rural Jardin) in just under an hour. 

 I'll finish them tomorrow, but tonight I'm going to add to my collection of quick, vintage themed gifts, and I thought I'd show you as you may be inspired to make something similar.

Most of my regular readers know that I love anything vintage - doilies, tablecloths, quilts, hankerchiefs, etc. I really enjoy giving new life to cast offs I find at the op shops. If you saw THIS blog post in June you'll already have an idea of how I use old doilies.

Last Thursday I found a recently donated box of doilies at the local Salvos store overflowing with precious hand-stitched delights and all for just 50c a piece. I came home with 5, two of them to keep whole for my own household use, and three to cut up and make new again.

With this pretty doily I was able to make two 2011 diary covers, and two bookmarks!

 

 

With a second doily I made another diary cover and bookmark (and I still have 1/2 the doily left to use in other projects!)...

The third doily had the sweetest little birds cross-stitched at both ends, so with one of the ends I made a scented soap sachet...

I still have the other end to play with tonight, but in the centre section of the doily were some sweet cross-stitched flowers so I used them to make two scented coathanger sachets - one with rose pot pourri, and the other with lavender.

Now that is a lot of lovely gifts (with still more to come!) at a cost of just $1.50 - everything else I had in my stash. 

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I have another simple tutorial for you tomorrow. (You'll need a very pretty saucer for it, though. I bought mine for 10c at the op shop)...

Have a lovely weekend,

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

Some redwork, a gift, and some gorgeous Cath Kidston!

Have you been to visit our Gum Tree Designers blog today!? 

I won't tell you why, but you should....over HERE. We're partying hard this month!!

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Today the postie arrived with two parcels...and I just *love* parcels! The bigger the parcel, the less chance it's a bill. ;-)

The first one arrived from my friend Michelle, from The Raspberry Rabbits. It was so finely dressed I actually hesitated opening it...

I adore toile paper, so I've saved it for my own enjoyment...

Michelle has been using Valdani threads for her BOM this year (go HERE - it's gorgeous!), and she sent me the sweetest bundle of them! They are so tiny...I am treating them as fragile because they are so exquisitely small....about the size of an Australian 10c piece.

Also in the parcel I found some divine white linen...no guesses what threads I'll be using on it! And chocolate...lovely, dark, raspberry filled chocolate. Mmmmmm...

How spoiled was I!? Thanks Michelle. :-)

(Michelle has a giveaway on her blog at the moment!!)

I sent Michelle a wee parcel too, but I won't show you what was in it until it arrives. 

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The other package was very exciting too! I had bought an item off ebay in the UK a couple of weeks ago, and when it arrived I was gobsmacked by the postal pack!!

A Cath Kidston post pack!!

How gorgeous is that!!?

And what was inside?

A Cath Kidston felted tea cosy! Isn't it gorgeous!?

I haven't dressed the tea pot with it yet, because Blossom hasn't arrived home from work and I want to share that moment with her. 

I just love Cath Kidston...rooly trooly. 

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My week has been very busy with uploading lots of wonderful things in my Ebay Australia Store, but in the quiet moments when I can take a break I have been stitching more blocks from Helen Stubbings 'Life Is Beautiful' quilt...

Five blocks finished, only 27 to go! 

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I've also drawn up most of the blocks for my next Shabby Roses quilt...but I'll keep that sneak peek for another time. 

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 I can hear Blossom coming through the gate so I need to brew that pot of tea!

Have a lovely evening,

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

PS: Forgot to tell you about another free bird pattern download! Tracy sent me the link for a Partridge HERE. Thanks Tracy! This was so funny because I was going to make a Partridge in a Pear Tree for the Sew-In!

My daughter the actress....

The last few weeks Blossom has been spending many (late) nights and her weekends in practice for the school's annual Play. She had a main part in the first of two major productions held this weekend, a duologue where she played a reporter in a thriller 'It's In The Blood'.

We were seated at the back of the grassed area in front of the stage so the photos aren't the best, but you can identify Blossom by the green jacket she is wearing.

It was the first *real* chilly night this winter, and the students here at the school arrived with their blankets and doonas in tow...

She was wonderful! We're so proud of you, sweetheart!

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Today Blossom also had to make time in the sewing room before heading back to the stage for the final night's performance. With only 3 days left before she leaves the school and returns to homeschooling she needed to complete her last assignment for Home Ec - a very zipped pencil case with an array of stitches.

It's her own design, lovely and bright!

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This week Blossom and I received mail from Europe. Synnoeve was recently married (please stop by her blog HERE and see her beautiful photos!), but before her wedding she wanted to post off a belated 16th birthday gift to Blossom - a gorgeous clutch purse and some pretty pink Tilda threads...

Synnoeve is a wonderful sewer! She made me a gorgeous bag earlier this year when we had a little fabric swap. Remember THIS? In her parcel this week she also sent a gift for me - Tilda ribbons! I was so excited as I have been wanting some for ages, but she also added a pack of the sweetest Tilda peach mother-of-pearl buttons. We have almost 4 weeks of school holidays starting next Thursday so now I can really get to work on using my Tilda fabrics and making her lovely designs at last. :-)

Another package that arrived was from Lone, in Denmark. She sent me some very yummy Belgian chocolates, and three fat quarters of Christmas fabric...

I'm sure I will be inspired to make something lovely with Lone's fabrics while I indulge in the Guylian chocolates. :-) Thank you so much, Lone!

My final surprise parcel was a postcard - a sweet floral bouquet made by my darling friend Darcey in Canada...

As you can see, I have been very spoiled this month! 

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Sewing for me has been slow, but I did finish this bag...

It's the perfect size for quick trips to town for fresh milk or a few skeins of thread. 

My other finish is the new free BOM I have designed for you all - it will start on July 1st. :-)

All the blocks are done, now I just need to sew it into it's final display....

Later this week I'll let you know what fabrics, threads and notions you'll need to choose so you can stitch along with us - the BOM will be spread over 4 months so you can have it finished before the busyness of Christmas begins. 

And last of all, I have spent a lot of time this weekend printing up a new range of patterns! It's time for a change, so I am phasing out my old designs....will share more about that later, though. 

Change is refreshing sometimes, don't you think? There will be many changes in the Elefantz household in the months ahead. What changes would you make in your life if you could?

Have a lovely week!

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

A mini tutorial for simple gifts...

I have signed on for Judith's 'Early Bird Christmas Crafting'. Have you?

You can see the button on my left hand side-bar (click on it and you'll arrive at Judith's blog!)

I like the idea of being prepared for Christmas with gifts already made, but mostly I want to have 'gifts in general' for any occasion right on hand, and really I have wanted to do this for ages, but....life and other exciting things come along and I forget.

Now, thanks to Judith's foresight, I have the incentive to do more than just talk about it.

One of the first things Judith asks you to do is buy a small journal/notebook and cover it - this will be where you write down the names of all those you need to make gifts for. I bought my journal earlier this week, and my plan for tonight was to make my journal cover.

However, I had been cooking all afternoon (have you visited my foodie blog yet?), and was really looking forward to sewing tonight, but I was so tired! Originally I'd been going to use denim in the cover (as part of my June Jeans Challenge), but my brain and my hands just couldn't 'get it together' when I lay the journal and the denim side by side for inspiration.

A quick prayer, and a new plan formed - forget the journal cover tonight, and make some presents instead. So, I thought I'd share an idea with you as these little items took me just minutes to make!

Materials needed:

1 vintage embroidered doily or runner (mine cost me 50c)

2 small mother-of-pearl buttons (had them forever)

a length of narrow white satin ribbon (been in the ribbon box for eons)

2 cakes of scented handmade soap (bought this morning for $2.30 each)

My doily/runner was rectangular so I cut it into 3 pieces as I wanted to use the ends only.

Take the end piece and fold it over inside out, and slip stitch along the seam (to keep the lovely eyelet embroidery showing)...

Sew a seam along the raw edge opening, turn right side out and press.

Sew a length of the white satin ribbon to the very centre of the back, and secure in place with a small mother-of-pearl button.

Choose a gorgeous scented soap...

Pop your soap in the pretty bag and tie the top closed with your ribbon!

What a gorgeous gift! I make these and store them in my linen cupboard. When I open the door to replace sheets I am met with the exquisite scent of roses...and of course my bed carries that fragrance later when I place the sheets on our bed.

I made another fragranced soap sachet with the other end of the doily.

Not wanting to waste the middle section of the doily it occured to me that I could use it for my journal cover. After all, I am a rose lover and a romantic at heart, so a denim covered journal isn't really me, is it?

I found some lovely rose fabric in my stash, some pretty white cotton lace, and 2 white vintage buttons. I set to work laying it all out...

I added Pellon and some pink tonal lining fabric, and look what I had in my hands just 30 minutes later...

 For under $10, and after less than an hour's sewing, I have two gifts and my gift-planning journal. 

 Don't you love that feeling you get when you accomplish a task? I do. :-)

Hugs

Jenny

xxx