Give Thanks Block 10, and a special spring offer...

LOVE

I think you all understand why that word is uppermost in my mind lately. 

With my own true-love away more than he is home these days, my heart almost stops when the phone rings each morning and evening for our 'good morning' and 'good night' chats. Yes, indeed, LOVE is on my mind, so naturally that is what I am giving thanks for this month. 

 

 

You can download the free pattern HERE.

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Spring has really sprung around my home! My petunias are very happy, and I harvest cherry tomatoes every day, along with lettuce and herbs for our dinner. Just simple pots around my dirt-floor backyard, but a wealth of flavour and taste!

 

 

 

 I love fresh basil with my cherry tomatoes!

 The bats are feasting on mangoes falling from the trees.

My walk around the garden inspired me to offer you a lovely Spring themed bundle of patterns this week!

All 7 designs from the "In My Garden" set...

 

...and my pretty "Hearts & Flowers" cushion...

Until next Tuesday you can purchase the PDF bundle of all designs for only $5 AUD (around $5 US) by clicking on the Paypal button below.

I'll email the patterns to you within 18 hours of purchase depending on where you are in the world and whether or not we're awake at the same time. ;-)

Stitching garden things is a very happy pastime, don't you think?

Hugs,

Jenny

xx

Spring gardening and cooking...

After a heatwave in the last week of winter the weather has once again settled to perfect spring days. 

Time to start a herb garden. 

As the soil here is ghastly, and this being a rental property, I chose to plant in pots.

Basil, oregano, coriander, parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme (mmm, there's a song in there!)...

Cherry tomatoes, and lettuce...

Some hanging petunias, and climbing jasmine...

 

 

Stalks from an old geranium plant that refused to die...

...and bits and pieces in little pots.

A wild wind the other night brought down the last of the ripe passionfruit...

That same wind (and the local fruit bats) had fun blowing tiny mangoes off the trees...

 

And now a second bunch of bananas growing on the other side of the back verandah. We're going to have hundreds of 'nanas in a few months!

 

I've circled both bunches for you to see how close they are to the back verandah. 

The kitchen has also been a busy place.

Silverside cooked in the slow cooker last night. It's wonderfully moist and tender done this way...

 

Plenty left after dinner for lunchtime sandwiches today for Mr E, Sam, Bert, Blossom and I. 

I think Bob-the-dog may get to enjoy the last little bit.

Date & Orange Slice satisfied our sweet tooths, whilst also adding fibre  to the daily diet...

In the sewing room I am working on a new "Ellie" design for the next issue of Elefantz HOME, but no peeks to share just yet. 

I can, however, show you what I did this exquisite 1920's vintage bobbin lace. 

My Bible needed a new cover and this precious lace perfectly suited my precious Bible...

 

What is happening in your garden and kitchen this week? 

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

"In My Garden" - 7 designs, 3 projects!

Since I cleared the shelves of my Etsy Shop there have been requests for some of my earlier designs to be returned. (thank you for loving them so much!)

As I have used many of the stitcheries in projects over the last months I decided that I will occasionally offer a limited number for sale as pattern packs. 

The first will be the 'In My Garden' set of 7 whimsical stitcheries, which have now been made into 3 projects!

5 stitcheries have been used as a swag (bunting), perfect for a child's room!

 One has been displayed in the centre of a 16" cushion...

...and another to decorate the front pocket of a large tote bag!

You can make all of my projects or use each design in your own projects! Everything you need is in the $7 pattern pack HERE in my Etsy Shop. 
SORRY - ALL SOLD!!

~~~~~

My stitches are healing very well and I cannot wait until Tuesday to have them removed. My finger, though, is not too good. It's very painful and I cannot bend it. Hopefully the surgeon can shed some light on how long it will be before I can use it normally once more. 

Tonight I shall attempt some hand stitching, but for now I am cooking two big pots of food for the family this weekend - a huge tray of Lasagne, and the biggest pot of chicken curry you've ever seen! The plan is to have extra to freeze....I just need to tell that to my teenage son and his mate before they park themselves indefinitely at the dinner table! 

Isn't it amazing how teenage boys can inhale the entire fridge contents with one (seemingly) momentary door opening?

Have a great weekend,

Hugs

Jenny

xxx
PS: Tracy has a gorgeous giveaway on her blog. Visit her HERE.

A surprise, pretty projects, and another published design!

I've had a hard time coming up for air the past few days.
On Friday I was surprised by a phone call from Danielle, the editor of Creating Country Threads, asking me to be their Profile designer for an upcoming issue (you'll know if you read our Among The Gum Trees blog that Cheryl is the profiled designer in the current issue, and it's a wonderful read, plus you get to see lots of lovely things she's made!)...I was a bit shocked about being asked, but also I felt so incredibly blessed and humbled.
I love Creating Country Threads - it's always packed with lovely projects and not an issue goes un-bought in this house! It's quite goose-bumpy to find ones own name captured within the pages, and projects borne of my own imagination so beautifully photographed and presented. :-)
I appreciate Danielle having faith in me to be a regular amongst the other contributing designers.

Of course, there IS more to this story.
I need to make a number of original items for the photo shoot that goes with the profile article, and I need to have them posted this week. Have I ever told you how I work much better under pressure, and I design my best stuff when I have a migraine?? Odd, I know.

Fortunately I've always got a number of embroideries patiently waiting to find a home in an actual project so I rounded them up over the weekend and had a play! You already saw a few things HERE, but now there are some more.
This is the tree block from In My Garden, my favourite of the set! I have made it the feature in a pocket for a bag. The pocket is the perfect size for a small cutting board so I have a feeling this will be my new sewing tote. I call it "Save The Trees!" just because I totally love trees, especially those gnarly old ones that from a distance could be a 100 year old man, all bent over and withery. The green spot fabric has also been patiently waiting to be used. I adore it, and often just pull it off the shelf to stroke - it's from Tanya Whelan's 'Barefoot Roses' range and matched the fabric in the applique block beautifully.

And then I decided it was time to display the original Oopsie Daisies blocks! I used one on a cushion for Blossom's birthday back in May, but the rest have been peeping at me ever since, expectantly squealing with anticipation every time I walk by. Poor loves, it's been a long wait for them, but it was worth it I think you'll say!

Do you hand sew with a little pillow on your lap, where you can rest your hands while you stitch? I have ever since I stopped using a hoop. It also bring the embroidery up closer to me and makes it easier to see without my bending over my work. I used one of the Oopsie Daisy blocks to make a new sewing pillow for myself - it has lavender sprinkled all through the pillow stuffing so the warmth of my hands as I sew releases the lavender fragrance. Now, that will add to my calmness as I stitch! Then I used another of the blocks to make a matching pin cushion, and the third block I used to make a pouch for my sewing glasses!

They are so much prettier close-up but I think you'll agree they look lovely in their new display. :-)
~~~~~

After three months of gracing the pages of Creating Country Threads this month I have a project in another Express Publications magazine - Patchwork & Stitching!
I'm a bit of a retro girl when it comes to the kitchen or the laundry, so I made this fun peg apron, aptly named Peg Me!
You can wear the apron in the kitchen because the peg bag unbuttons!
When you need to go out and hang up your washing you simply button on the peg bag full of pegs and you'll never need to bend over, or reach up to, that peg basket again. You see, that's where the idea came from - it's SO much easier having the pegs right there in front of you, and when you finish pegging up the clean clothes you can unbutton the bag from the apron and go back to work mixing up those chocolate brownies for afternoon tea!

Well, now you know what I've been up to the past few days....and I'd better get back to it! I still have a few more things to get done. I also have three swaps to post off over the next two weeks - where DID the time go?!

How are going with the November Challenge?
I'll have something cute I made to show you in the next day or so...

Hugs
Jenny
xxx

~Window to my garden~ - my newest design!

Have a look through the ~Window To My Garden~ ....


The pattern is now available in my Etsy Store HERE, or if you prefer to buy in Australian dollars then you can purchase it from my new shopfront blog, ELEFANTZ DESIGNS.
(You can see the new link to my shop at the top of the right sidebar)

The pattern will also be published later next year as a cushion design in Creating Country Threads magazine, but if you can't wait that long to make this gorgeous applique/stitchery block (about 5 months I think) then it can be yours in less than 24 hours by purchasing through either of the two links above. If you have already purchased the In My Garden set of stitcheries you could easily use this larger one as the centre block of a quilt and scatter those smaller blocks around it. Hmmm...maybe I should do that too!?

Now to get back to work on those sneak peeks I gave you last night!
(one of them will be a freebie....now THAT got you excited, didn't it!?)

Hugs
Jenny
xxx

Finished garden pillow, a swim for the family, and the giveaway prize you're going to love!

We had some reprieve from the constant heat today - it was still hot, but we had a lovely cool breeze at last!
After a trip to the local markets for some morning tea, a call to OOO about a local fire beginning to blaze up the road, and a good 20 minutes spent browsing the local newsagents for magazines each family member could 'chill out' with, I settled down to finish the "IN MY GARDEN" pillow, a larger companion block to my "IN MY GARDEN" stitcheries ....

I'm sorry I can't show you any more but it's going to be packed off to the magazine next week to be published next year. I do realise that a lot of overseas readers don't get the Australian craft magazines, so I'm going to do the stitchery design up for sale next week in my Etsy store - just for my far-away friends! :-) It won't be a pattern for the pillow, just the stitchery itself.
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Living on the school grounds affords us a few bonuses, one of them being access to the school pool each day. Here we are relaxing after a swim this afternoon...hubby, Slicer, me, and Bob-the-dog.

Blossom rarely leaves the water once we arrive...she's a true water-baby from way back!

Walking home...that's our house in the distance behind Blossom's head. Only takes us 4 minutes to get to the pool from there. By the way, hubby does not like having his photo taken so he's poking his tongue out at me. ;-)
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How are you going with your sewing machine mat challenge??!
You still have 3 more days to make one!!
I think you REALLY should....because this is the prize if your name is drawn from all those who enter!!

To read more about this GORGEOUS book/pattern go HERE. I wanted to offer something really inspiring to push you to give this challenge a go. Today I ordered 2 copies of this book/pattern - one for me and one for YOU if you win this challenge giveaway!

Come on...it only took me an hour to make mine! You CAN do it!!

Happy stitching days,
Hugs
Jenny
xxx