Embrace the New Year ....

I hope you have all celebrated the beginning of another new year, in fact a new decade. We saw the New Year in with friends and family, having a quiet chat and a few drinks...very relaxing and most enjoyable. We were at home in bed by 12.30. Ahhhh.... we must be getting old. But at least we stayed up to see the New Year in. Amongst all the festivities of late, work still goes on on the farm. We had more hay baled yesterday, so the boys have been busy. Everything is still quite wet on the farm, so to date we have only been able to bale the silage. It is a very late hay season, with only intermittent hot spells.

Peace Angel cloth

I have been finding time to sit and stitch a bit more to the Peace Angel cloth. I just seem to keep adding a bit more to it each time I sit down to stitch...it is growing steadily.

A close up of some of the stitching on the trees and a few more trees pinned that I think I will add. It's been a peaceful, lovely time of year to stitch this cloth...no rushing, just picking it up when I have a minute or two. That's what I love about slow cloths.

LIVE IN THE SUNSHINE.

SWIM IN THE SEA.
DRINK THE WILD AIR.

-EMERSON-

Enjoy and embrace all that the New Year brings.

Jacky xox

Christmas Cheer ......

Christmas is nearly here....I am enjoying the preparations (although as always I could do with a bit more time), and I am so looking forward to sharing the day with my family.

Last weekend I caught up with my friend Dot for lunch on Sunday at the La bel Amici Cafe in Frankston for lunch...beautiful cafe, very arty and wonderful food. The picture below is of one of their Christmas decorations...isnt it gorgeous! I am thinking I might try and make one next year! I think that would look very special hanging above the dining table. Below is a little Christmas wreath I decorated with some fabric scraps and a little festive owl. This little fellow was made a gift to my friend Nat. He looked very smart adorning her Christmas tree...filled with beautiful handmade hearts and other decorations.

I visited Nat on Saturday and she taught me how to make the little Christmas wreaths below from a plant in her garden (of which she very generously gave me a cutting....so watch out friends, you may receive one of these next year).

My friend Dot is making a little quilt a la Jude Hill/Rebecca Sower style. I made these three blocks for her to include in her quilt.

And I have been working on some Christmas trees....thank you Jude for the wonderful little tutorials recently. I have since done quite a bit more stitching and plan to finish this piece over the Christmas break. It is part of my cloth "Peace Angel".

It has been a wonderful year....so many new adventures for me with cloth and also with my painting. I have met so many lovely people online and made some lovely friends.

I wish you all a Christmas filled with the wonder and joy of the season and look forward to catching up again next year.

CHRISTMAS IS THE GENTLEST, LOVELIEST FESTIVAL OF THE REVOLVING YEAR.

- W.J. CAMERON -

sending you all a jolly red hug!

Jacky xox

Festivities, but still stitching....

Lots of festivities at this time of year! Busy, but such fun. These little festive owls were part of my gift to the girls in my art group.... Dot, Patsy, Ro and Julia.

Saturday I caught up with the Art Group girls for our Christmas lunch at the Bunyip Kitchen...as always the food was SCRUMPTIOUS and the company wonderful.

We exchanged gifts.... The beautiful heart danglie was a gift from the lovely Ro , made from her gorgeous fabric/paper. Glorious colours and already taking pride of place on my mantle piece. The gorgeous hand towel underneath was a gift made by the lovely Patsy...my favourite Kaffe Fassett fabrics and such beautiful sentiment. You will notice I have taken most of my photos on Patsy's beautiful creation.

This gorgeous needlecase was made by the lovely Julia of Verdigris Rose...just stunning. Such beautiful colours with lovely teeny-tiny beads...very special and already being put to good use. Pins and needles have been transfered.

inside the needlecase

And from Dotee a quirky little handstitched christmas ornament....Leunig style? I do love quirky and whimsical and this little fellow is hanging from the Christmas tree...very proud of himself. Also received a lovely mug and special serviettes (soon to be used in a journal no doubt!). All once again upon Patsy's lovely appliqued handtowel.

The lovely Dot sent us this mosaic of our day out and about....see what I mean about the food and the company....click for a closer look (hope it's clickable). There is such a buzz when we all get together. We love catching up!!!! We share art, we share our lives, we laugh a lot.

As I said...... I did do a little stitching.......

WE ARE ALL GIFTED.

INSIDE OF YOU ARE TREASURES.

-SARK-

jacky xox