Mail Round Here...

...is like the No.33 bus. You wait days for a parcel and then 4 come along at the same time.

First up was this wonderful package from Ruth over at twohiphippos.  She mentioned the other day that she had won a hamper (yes a hamper) of porridge.  Being a foody and a big mouth, I happened to comment that we were big porridge fans in our house and she sent me this little bundle of loveliness.

Not only did Ruth send me gingerbread (squeel) porridge but 3 of her beautiful handmade linen and felt egg cozies, which have the most gorgeous vintage mother of pearl buttons on.  So that`s one each (the middle one has little buttons on so I know who`ll like that one) and we won`t have to fight over them! Thank you so so much Ruth!

Then there was this little FQ bundle of gorgeousness - Lark in the Glamour colorway, which I ordered from Julie at The Intrepid Thread.

...and all the way from Australia, my first block in the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee!

It was made by fellow Hive 1 member Wendy in my colours purple, orange and grey  - thanks Wendy!  I just love that little dog.

My mum came to my rescue again and also sent me a package of much needed thread (thank you mum!)and a new winter coat that I had ordered.  This time next week, I`m off to Paris for a couple of days - I have a special package to hand deliver to my friend Deborah.  December in Paris is pretty cold so you`ll have to wait until I`m back and I`ll show you a picture of me shivering in said new coat in front of some touristy site.

Just for a bit of fun,  the first person to correctly guess one of my four brothers` names (you can have 2 guesses each) will receive a small something from Paris. I`ll let you know who wins before I leave next Friday!

Thank you for all your lovely comments yesterday - normal cheery service has resumed!

Lastly, Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends around the world - I hope you have a wonderful day with your loved ones.

New Linky Party

I love a good linky and this looks a great one. The lovely Sunni over at Love Affair With My Brother is having one for the first time and you have the chance to win a customized bundle of 6 FQs (whichever ones you want) from The Intrepid Thread.  How good is that? To win, just enter a blog post from the last week featuring something you have made (doesn`t have to be a quilt!).  The blog post with the most `likes` will win.  So why don`t you hop over, have a look at some crafty loveliness, like some (you can like more than one hint hint!) and enter one of your own!

The Secret Life of Bees

As many of you know, I spend an awful lot of time waiting for things to turn up in the post.  It`s usually fabric but this time, it is much needed thread (no Aurifil to buy here, only 100 per cent polyester), feet for my new machine, my second goodie package from The Goodie Swap 2011 and my charms from The Color Wheel Charm Swap.

However, yesterday I received the last remaining fabric I had ordered.  When I held the giveaway a week or so ago, I had to order myself some of the Moroccan Mirage in the Marrakech colourway.  If you haven`t ordered from The Intrepid Thread before, then this is what you find inside your envelope and a handwritten card from Julie.

and here`s the Moroccan Mirage...

Yes - some pink again. I was planning to use it for the Duo QAL but I`m still thinking on that. It was fun reading your comments on my bright pink quilt a couple of days ago.  I had no idea I used so much pink.  I certainly don`t ever wear it. From your comments it seems our quilting styles depend on a variety of things - where we live, where we come from and our mood. In a recent swap questionnaire, I requested no Barbie pink.  Should the administrator stumble across this blog, they`ll wonder what planet I`m on. My mum arrives this weekend and she has her beady eye on that quilt, so it may be heading home with her.

I was super super excited to receive flikr mail today from the administrator of The 4 x 5 Modern Quilt Bee accepting the application I hurried off this morning to join the group. Yes - I am finally in a Bee! They are taking applications for the 4th quarter and I believe there are still spaces should you want to join. So I get to pick 3 colours and each quarter I will make 5 blocks in the other members` colours and receive 5 blocks in my colours.  By the end of the year, I will have 20 blocks to make a quilt.  I am in awe of the talent in the group and can`t wait to see who is in my hive.  First, I have to choose 3 colours for my blocks and I`m thinking of something different.  I have to be specific about colours.  I can`t just say blue or pink.  I have to say aqua or raspberry, for example.  So what would you choose?  I need ideas!