First thing I've sewn in nine months

RED LETTER DAY!!!

I HAVE FINALLY SEWN SOMETHING!!

This little

Four Owls Baby Quilt

(designed by me...EllenaElizabethMakes) 

is the 1st thing I have sewn in 9 months.

Because of back pain and then my back operation in May and then falling over backwards in July

I have not been able to sew at all......

To all who know me well this is un-heard of.

Throughout my entire life I have usually sewn most days.

So my DD who is 17 weeks pregnant and who lives 2 1/2 hrs drive away has come for a visit.

This is great news, as we do not see each other much now.

Until July 2009 she lived with us until she was married.

Anyhow she wanted me to help her make a little quilt for the baby. She is no sewer...does not enjoy it. She knew I could not do it as I am still re-couperating from my operation and subsequent fall.

Anyhow as it turned out I was able to sew the whole thing, cut out the squares with my olfa cutter etc..

All things I have not done for 9 months.

 My daughter got really sick with morning sickness and spent the last 2 days giving herself over to the vulgarity of full on morning sickness.

So I ended up making the little quilt in a surprisingly unexpected turn of events.

I am still taking Valium and very strong pain killers but got through it.

Praise the LORD!!

DD drew and cut the owls out and did sew a little tiny bit.....

However did not handle the Janome 6600P at all, it really is a cow of a thing to use...not user friendly at all and certainly not for an inexperienced sewer. So it was put away and old faithful 1475 Pfaff CD was set up and it proved to be the best option.

Not bad for a 21 yr old machine ( my Mum bought it for me in 1990).

Let me at this point give this terrific machine a postive rap!

It has never failed me. It is still modern and innovative.

It is just a stunningly designed and styled sewing machine.

I could have saved $2000 and not bothered buying the Janome 3 yrs ago, but oh well, what's done is done.

Here is DD just after I completed the little quilt resting in bed after being sick all day.

Just thought it would make a cute picture to show her little baby one day.....

I love to know the history of things that have been made for me by others and vice versa, 

and this little quilt already has quite a story to go with it.

Happy Sewing Everyone!

Garden update and a little painted box

         Laying the gravel paths.

    

We pruned our mulberry tree last weekend

and

DH tried to weave a garden arch

and 

gave it a good try

but

in the end

it

did not work out.  

:(

He then layed the gravel for the lavender walk path

Our winter plum tree pruned and waiting to burst into leaf

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above photos show the only 'crafty' project I have attempted in the last week

and

even had to give this up due to horrendous back pain...

it's so frustrating,

 but

what's done is done.

The CT scan showed nothing of interest.

The new disc and screws all seem to be in place.

I had a most terrible weekend though, could only really lie down.

 Dosed myself up on valium and painkillers for the trip into Toowoomba today to see the Surgeon who comes up from Brisbane once a month.

He said to keep taking the valium and digesic as required

 and

he ordered

a

Bone Scan

to

check for any microscopic breaks

or

changes.

Four weeks ago last Friday I fell over and everything changed for the worse....

I had been recovering

SO

well.

I was walking everyday..something unheard of before the TLIF surgery.

In fact just before I fell I walked 3km in 32 mins,

I was so happy

and

proud

of

my

achievement.

The surgeon was really impressed

and 

commented that that was almost jogging speed. 

Anyhow the valium helps a lot....it stops the worst of the pain

and

the muscle spasms

and allowed me to cope

with

the

30km car trip

to

Toowoomba.

Hope you all have a great week and make something inspired!!

A Blue Butterfly Card on Wednesday

Blue Butterfly Birthday Card

I made this very quickly today, for a friend's birthday tomorrow.

I just hope that the Australia Post Express option of next day delivery is successful....

I am still experiencing a lot of pain due to back operation 12 weeks and subsequent

fall 2 weeks ago so i made this card as quickly as possible.

I find sitting very uncomfortable, so was up and down like a yo-yo to take the pressure off my back. Took me about 3 hrs, which included lunch and exercises. 

Anyhow just the fact that i actually made something creative is very up-lifting.

After 9 months since I have sewn and weeks since I have made a card I feel so happy.

You know what it's like...this constant need to create?

I know I'm not alone in feeling like this. 

So after I decided to bite the bullet and make the card, the next thought was to keep it simple.

As usual no layout to follow, just my own concept so this invariably adds time

as I always make my cards up as I go. 

Blue decided on immediately as it's Jenny's favourite colour.

Then a quick punched, stamped and embossed butterfly.

A quick Cuttlebug circle diecut.

Some border puched strips butted up together through the centre and

a black and white spot ribbon to cover the join.

Four corners of card stamped with flourish in light blue.

Birthday sentiment stamped and embossed.

Butterfly painted with irridescent solution and attached with a pretty blue pearl and silver brad.

Pearl bling added to each corner flourish.

Border punched edges inked and touched up with pearl metallic chalk.

The inside friend sentiment is new and I really like it.

I think it will get quite a bit of use.

New Scrapbooking Purchases.......pretty and nostalgic.

I finally have my hands on some 'elusive' american seam binding tape!

I'm SO excited!!!!!!

This is my first experience with seam binding tape.

I read about it and see it used by all my favourite card making bloggers.

I've looked extensively on ebay etc and finally found this on-line from an Australian seller.

The price seemed good so I got 6 colours. Have not used it yet.

I fell over 2 weeks ago and hurt myself quite badly.

The fall has set back my recovery from major back surgery, and I can't do much but lie in bed.

I'm so cranky with myself. Just waiting to hear from my surgeon after a CT scan last week.

I can't wait to use some of these beautiful items as soon as my back allows.....

In the meantime I'm dreaming of all the wonderful things I can do.

Recycling old timber and starting new gardens.

Winter Gardening

on

the

Darling Downs

My DH really outdid himself today.
We recently acquired some beautiful old timber from a neighbour who pulled down his old termite ridden cattle loading ramp.
He had it sitting in his paddock for quite a few weeks and I plucked up enough courage to ask him if he didn't want it for firewood etc could we please have some???

'Sure', he said, 'only happy for you to take as much as you want'.

I was thrilled, DH was a bit 'ho-hum', but anyhow it was his idea to make a lavender walk garden a few weeks back, so I knew we could use this old timber.

I have ideas for a garden seat, a mock post and rail fence, sleeper type slabs in the gravel path and who knows what else with the left overs.

One beautiful piece of iron bark hard wood alone is eight feet long and 8 1/2" x 4 1/2 ".

Way too good to become firewood or go to the dump.

As soon as I saw it I knew what I wanted to do with it. It will make a great low bench type garden seat.

This project will come to fruition in a few weeks I would think.
DH is thinking of how to make legs to suppport it atm, it's extremely heavy so he has to get it right.

DH and Gordon, our 2 yr old Manx cross filling the posthole

Completed post and rail fence with rustic garden ornaments

DH, Edie on rail and Gordon on colourbond fence

Edie, our two year old Manx

We used this concrete lizard garden ornament as part of the garden rock edge.

It's a bit faded so it's getting a paint face lift.

Start of where the gravel path will go.

This timber is one of the old iron bark pieces from the neighbour.

This is the newly laid garden for our new lavender walk

Gravel to be added to path & planting still to be done.

DH hand collected all these rocks from a farmer's paddock.

The farmer has SO many he can't plough properly.

He said we can gather as many as we like!!

All for FREE!

DH is the one doing all the hard work and his back is still holding up well.

He's a good bloke.

Winter primulas just starting to come into flower....

Things are slow up here on the Darling Downs, it's just too cold.

The alyssum does not mind the cold, even successive frosts!

This yukky white border is being painted or replaced with rocks.

More rusted garden objects, collected over the years.

Stay tuned for more photos as the paths are gravelled & plantings occur.

Late winter is the best time to garden so you should see the next stage soon.