Totally spoilt!

There are times when I am completely overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and generousity of fellow bloggers and EBers and this week has certainly been one of them!

Firstly Ads helped me out by sending me a water soluble fabric glue pen especially for me to work on my baby's chick quilt as she knew I was struggling with the applique, and read how frustrated I was when I went to the quilt shop only to bhe told that they didn't stock them but the quilt store owner decided to show me hers, despite the fact that she couldn't tell me where to get one! Thanks again Ads - I have done a couple more chick blocks and oh my, it's soooo much easier. Plus it disolves pretty much straight away when wet so hopefully this means no more pulled threads when trying to remove the freezer paper after the blocks are done.

Secondly, I came home early on Wednesday afternoon to find a squishy parcel sitting on the hall stand, addressed to my little guy. He excitedly opened the gift from Novy, and we were both thrilled to see another gorgeous apron she has made especially for him after hearing that I was washing the guitar one she made him every weekend. You see he loves the guitar one so much, he insists on wearing it every day when he's playing playdough (and yes, he does play with playdough that often - the kid is addicted to the stuff and keeps demanding I make up new colours!). Then I like to have the apron fresh and clean for the weekend so he can either help me cook a desert one night of the weekend (when I try to cook one of Austy's Dad's favourites and we all sit down together for a change - remember Austy's Dad works evenings so we don't get that oportunity during the week) or we bake something yummy together as an Austy and Mummy activity during the weekend. So the new apron is much appreciated and very cute. Austy was delighted and asked me to put it on him straight away, shoved a wooden spoon in one of the little pockets and ran outside for a photograph. The only problem was that he wouldn't keep still, so I had to bribe him with one of the homemade biscuits that were also waiting on the doorstep when we got home, a gift from a coupel of lovely neighbours! So that is why he's not smiling in this photo... he was too busy chewing gingerbread!

But the face in this blury shot says it all! Thanks Novy! You are so generous, and very talented too.

And finally, tonight we got home to a fabric parcel in the letterbox (don't you love those days), an order I'd placed at Z&S fabrics, with 5 yards of sale fabrics that I loved.

So I was already smiling when I walked in the door and found that Austy's Dad had picked up a couple of redirections from the post office, one of them a surprise gift from "Island Kylie". How she knew that I adore the very old classic patons books I will never know, but she said she saw them and thought of me so sent them along with a patchwork magazine. I have a bit of a collection of these old patons books, mostly from Nan's as she no longer likes to tackle lace or cable, but a few odd ebay finds. However this little black and white one is already one of my favourites! I love the more fitted style of the antique patterns, none of this drop shoulder sqyare bodied stuff you see alot of today. I love the heirloom look of them all, and I especially love the dress on the front cover! Hopefully I'll have a little girl to make it for in a few months. Otherwise the coloured cover booklet has some gorgeous motifs to adorn any little jumper or even some soakers (remember the bunny I used for Austy's old bunnybum soaker came from an old patons booklet like these). Thank you so very much Kylie - just as thoughtful and unexpected as Novy's little gift for Austy.

So yes, I feel very lucky and TOTALLY spoilt. What a great way to start the weekend.


And on the crafty front, here are some little baby shoes I made last weekend:

A little romper from a pattern that Corrie so generously sent me along with some maternity patterns (still needs buttons on the back so I will hunt for some this weekend):

Some tiny little premmie outfits to be sent away to a Darwin hospital:

And some wool I dyed to become either a soaker or a pair of shorties. I used pink so I could use up some of the pink solid I had left over from these, but unfortunately the yarns took the dye completely differently and this one is alot paler. I will keep this in hope that Bubby Bunny (yep that's the nickname since it certainly feels like a bunny jumping aroung around in there lately!) is a little sister for Austy just like he keeps asking for. If not they will be a great gift for a newborn so will get stashed in the gift cupboard until one of the pink kind comes along.

I also finished and delivered an embroidered satin baptism stole for a little girl who is around Austy's age but not so lucky in life. She is being baptised in September prior to major surgery in October and I knew her Mum was keen to get her hands on the stole ASAP so she could feel organised so made sure she got it as soon as it was finished, so no photos unfortunately. But I can add it to my list of finished things for 2008, and now feel confident embroidering delustered satin after a couple of test runs before the stole.

Ooooh - I nearly forgot! Don't forget to check out Austy's blog if you want to check out what he's up to and see more shots of him. I haven't updated it in ages and finally did a pic heavy post on Wednesday so I thought the heads-up to those who read this blog and have been waitiong for an Austy update would be wise.