These flowers were out on one of the cacti at Sewjourn.  I was just lucky that I was here to see them as the cactus flowers usually only last one day.

Sorry about the quality of the photo…..taken with my phone…..I took some better photos with the camera but have left the USB connection cord at home.

So I can’t show you all the other photos of what we’ve achieved with a couple of child-free days but there’s been quite a bit of gardening, some cleaning (my cleaner is fantastic but it’s all the little extra things that she doesn’t have time to do….probably things that no-one else would ever see but I know that they are done) and even some sewing.  There’s been a bit of tennis watching as well.

And also today I’ve had a cancellation for the first weekend in February due to a family illness.  It’s really short notice but if anyone thinks they can get a few girls together and come to Sewjourn from 4-6 February please email me asap.  And talking about bookings all the weekends until December are booked out for this year but there is some mid-week availability and if you are really keen on a weekend booking please email me with your preferred months and I can start a waiting list……..we don’t have many cancellations but just like this February weekend sometimes unavoidable things come up.

Last week we had a lovely week at Phillip Island.  Sure, it rained at least once every day except for one and the sun wasn’t sparkling off the blue water like it usually is on the annual family trip to the beach but it was lots of fun.  The boys surfed every day (at least once per day, usually twice) and the rest of us managed to go to the beach each day bar one.

Why do children love being buried in the sand?????

Although the weather was a bit dull the mermaid was shining bright!

In between, there was lots of relaxing, book reading, board games and the other crazy activities that come with a holiday with all of Mal’s family……..

‘JUNIOR MASTERCHEF’

‘

Caught…..

Team 1 – The Little Cheflings

Team 2 – The Super Duper Three

The Winning Dish

‘ANNUAL FAMILY CONCERT’

‘

‘Wii JUST DANCE COMP’

And Ella was the innagural winner with BJ as runner up……Uncle Al was just unlucky he came up against Ella in the first round but he could be a hot favorite next year……

And 500 challenges….no photos but for the record the incredible team of Jan and BJ was joined by Nana (6 handed this time) and remained undefeated for the week!!!

And then, just in case there wasn’t enough chocolate in the creations from the young Masterchefs…..we had a visit to the factory!

And of course we can’t complain at all about a little bit of rain when you consider the floods in Queensland and now in Victoria.  Yet again the crafty community has banded together and there are heaps of ways you can help out.  Toni from Make It Perfect  has done an incredible job of organising fundraising auctions……..have a look, there are some amazing items up for offer, Corrie from Retro Mummy has lots of people quilting and Pip from Meet Me at Mikes  has a list of ways to help.  And we’ll be organising another Quilting Bee  for the LightHouse Quilters when everyone is back from holidays and making some quilts to send.

The first few days of 2011 have been spent in the garden at Sewjourn.  Actually that’s not entirely true…..had a nice time on New Year’s Day with a picnic at the Hanging Rock Races followed by an impromtu dinner at Lancefield with friends before they headed back to Melbourne………a lovely start to 2011!  But yesterday and today we attacked the weeds (some of which were almost as tall as me) at Sewjourn and it’s amazing what a couple of days work can achieve!  It’s looking really nice again now.  Once the weeds were gone and the grass cut it was easier to see these little beauties.

Pity about the rose thorns and cactus prickles in my fingers and arms!!

I do really enjoy New Year……it always feels like it’s a fresh start.  This year has been a fantastic year, even if I have ended up feeling a bit jaded by the end of it.

There’s been the blessing of lots of fun family holidays……

And the excitement of a couple of trips to the US………

A School Fair that was worth all the hours of effort……..

And the fun of seeing groups of women go to Sewjourn and enjoy it as much as me! 

AND I’ve been lucky enough to get to know so many of the amazing, talented girls who head for Sewjourn……..(and I’m working on a little idea to get us all together before the summer is out but more on that later…)

One of these is the gorgeous Suse who once again dropped a lovely package on my doorstep last week.  Thanks Suse, it’s great!  And if you would like one too you can find them here.

But there hasn’t been much crafting going on this year……well there was quite a bit for the School Fair, and there was some purchasing of supplies in America but my trusty Bernina will be rusting up if I don’t get the chance to use it soon!  So, that’s the plan for next year.  Along with the new adventure of No. 1 daughter starting High School and the excitement and challenges that brings with it, I’m hoping for some quality family time spent at home (or Sewjourn!) and lots more sewing time!!!  The plan is to complete one UFO a month next year…..but then I’ve made that declaration before……..

So whatever your dreams for 2011, I hope it’s really special.  Happy New Year!!

The crazy pace of things has continued on here…….on the down side no time for blogging – and that includes reading blogs as well as posting……….but on the up side it means there’s lots and lots to tell now that I’m back.

A belated Merry Christmas to everyone – hope it was full of joy and peace.  I’ve pinched this gorgeous photo from Kellie’s blog…..but I think that’s OK because this quilt actually belongs to me now!!!!  How lucky am I???

Following a lovely Christmas with family we are enjoying spending a few days at home doing some sorting out and a spot of gardening (well overdue!)  (Oh, and the other 4 members of my family are spending quite a few hours each day on WII Fit Plus……and I’ll bet you can’t guess who the most competitive is????)  We are off to Lancefield tomorrow for a few days of relaxing (not to mention the hours of gardening that need to be done up there as well) and who knows I might even do some crafting.

Where have the past 3 weeks gone…..I promised to update you on quite a few things in the last post but the days have slipped by.  So, what has been keeping me busy??  Two words, the SCHOOL FAIR.   It promises to be a great day, albeit a little wet.  Just hoping the it won’t be QUITE as wet as Mr Weatherman predicts.

So,  if you are looking for something to do tomorrow, in addition to remembering to vote, pop along to our fair.  There’s lots of FANTASTIC craft goods, yummy cakes, rides for the little ones,  sausage sizzle, some AMAZING Silent Auction items, including a signed and framed Collingwood jumper from this years premiership side!  And much much more.  And as an added bonus the hall is a polling booth so you can even cast you vote !

I really need to get some sleep before the big day but here’s the details – would love to see anyone who is interested.

St Benedicts School Fair

9am-3pm

Central Avenue, Burwood, 3125.

(And please cross your fingers that it won’t rain TOO much!!!!)

And it’s SO good to be home!

Our 3 month camping trip to the north of Australia was truly magic……..fantastic family time spent in an incredibly beautiful part of this amazing country.

Then my 3 weeks back here were a blur…..no time to post or even to catch up on other blogs.  It involved settling back into school and routines, lots of work, dealing with a broken washing machine, back into organising our School Fair and even a quick trip to Sewjourn with the UFO girls which involved as much gardening for me as sewing!

And what little time for crafting I could fit into that was for the school fair…..but we have some amazing goods for sale so more about that to come.

There was the excitement of lots of packages  waiting for me on my return……..thanks girls and I’ll post more about that in the next couple of days as well.

Before I really even had time to unpack my bags it was off to Houston and a busy time at Quilt Market…….yet again Kellie’s amazing work was admired by all and my favorite American gal kept me entertained.   And yes, there will be more of that to come too with photos of market and a sneak peek at the fabrics I bought (because I really need more fabric!!) at Sample Spree.

And last but certainly not least it was off to Sewjourn (less than 24 hours after my plane had landed) to celebrate someone special’s 10th birthday.  (Why do they call them ‘Sleepovers’ when not much sleeping actually occurs???)  Happy Birthday gorgeous Lucy – we are so proud of you!

So it IS great to be home today.   And this is where I intend to stay for a while!

For those of you who haven’t already seen this on Suse’s blog………

Legend has it that the Sewjourn Stork …

was feeling a little chilly, what with being so far away from his tropical native lands* and the thought of a rural Victorian winter approaching.

And so, once upon a time in the autumn, someone
kindly made him some bright and snazzy leggings.

But he was still a wee bit chilly.

And so another thoughtful
soul made him a scarf.

Photo credit: Tinniegirl

The Stork was happy now, yes?

Um. Not quite. The Stork realised that part of his problem was a rumbly tummy. And lo, in the midst of the long hard winter he received the
gift of a fish.

Photo credit: Jodie

But the Stork was not yet satisfied. The harsh winter winds of Lancefield
troubled his delicate constitution and he demanded of the people a woolly hat. Preferably one that matched his scarf.

Aviator’s helmet, with pin for scale

And definitely one appropriate for a now-grounded flying hero, long retired from the days of migration yore.

Clothed and fed, the Stork would be content now, thought the people.

And so, the people turned their evil lust for yarnbombing creativity focus elsewhere.

Note striking similarity of yarn and design feature stripes to that of the leggings …)

But the Stork’s discontent mixed now with Cactus Envy and as his rage grew ever stronger he called upon a Tempest to strike down upon the land. O, the winds howled, the rains lashed the land in horizontal needles of unbridled fury and the flood waters rose until the people wept and gnashed their teeth and it all made the front page of The
Age.

And on the Sabbath the people awoke to find …

… that the bottom had fallen out of the world stork.

(And the cactus bed really really needed weeding).

Sorry Jan.

(Thanks Suse for posting…..)

OK girls…..first in gets the booking!!!!  I’ve just had a cancellation for Cup Weekend this year (29 October – 2 November 2010).  Normally I’d be keeping this quiet and scooting off to Sewjourn with the family but I’ll be away on a ‘business trip’ with Kellie!!!   SO….it’s up for grabs.  If you are interested please send me an email……and don’t worry if you don’t get a reply for a few days as I won’t have much reception for the next week.

Edit:  And of course I;m not just going with Kellie but the gorgeous Thimbleanna as well!!! (Counting down the days……or at least I will be when I get home!)

Edit No. 2:  Someone has already put in a request for Cup weekend…….just might need to put a fence around the cactus garden to protect it…..

I’ve just unpacked from craft camp. I’ve admired my finished items, I’ve giggled at memories of long nights of hilarity, I’ve sworn I’ll never eat again, I’ve read the emails we’ve all sent to each other filled with the wonder and joy of our shared retreat. A first ever completed quilt left behind in the rush has been delivered home, new clothes fit for a growing baby bump have been hung up ready to wear, a seemingly endless crocheted blanket is that much bigger, a five piece batman costume has been donned by a very excited 3 year old, a new scarf has been knitted on an ancient vintage knitting machine. The scale and variety of projects my fellow campers tackle never fails to amaze and delight me.

Is it really almost two years since my first visit to Sew Journ? It seems like only a blink ago that I was following the renovations on the blog, watching the unfolding story of the birth of an institution. Before my first visit in October 2008 I had organised quite a few craft camps. I’d scoured the internet for houses for rent for groups of 5-12, not too far from Melbourne, not too expensive. Every place I’d stayed had shortcomings of fairly large proportions from unsleepable beds to zero table space to unpleasant landlords. And quite frankly the never ending venue search was pretty tiring and anxiety provoking with every camp a venture into the unknown.

And then came Sew Journ. Perfect, ideal, slice of heaven Sew Journ. If you’ve been you know what I’m talking about. The buzz of inspiration, the shared energy and enthusiasm, the sense of possibility in the air. The perfectly set up tables and lighting, the roaring fire, the handmade quilts. The stashes opened and shared to ensure just the right buttons are found, the 35cm red zip you never knew you were going to need miraculously materialised, the patterns and recipes and techniques passed from person to person.  Just yesterday someone, a complete stranger I kid you not, saw me knitting on the tram and regaled me with stories of a magical weekend at this amazing place called Sew Journ. Her eyes glazed over and she looked all dreamy and far away. I knew just how she felt.

But this weekend we moved into a whole new level. More than just a great craft camp, in a great venue. A story is beginning to emerge that exists between and beyond the individual groups who visit and it is a testament to the spirit of the place. It started out as the story of a stork in a cactus garden, a stork needing some warmth and handmade love. Leg warmers appeared first. Sometime later someone added a scarf, then a woolly fish caught in its beak then a hat. Someone’s inspired idea given life, caught fire and running away. I see the cacti are getting in on the act now and I can’t even imagine where this story might lead.

I’m already planning the next camp. I’m thinking about what projects I’ll be taking, what meal I’ll be cooking and the people I’ll be sharing my adventure with, returning campers and newbies alike. I’m also thinking about where the story of shared creative imagination might be by then and what I might be able to contribute to it.