Merry Christmas....

Merry  Christmas, everyone....

I hope you all have a lovely day :)

 

Best wishes,  Jenny

 



Hi everyone....
can you believe it?  The last month for 2012!

 

I'm not sure if I will get back to the computer before Christmas, so if not, I hope you all have a lovely Christmas, and Best Wishes for the New Year.

 

As for my New Year resolution...?  Visit my blogging friends more often, and leave comments... I think we can all relate to that, given how quickly the year has gone :)

 

Best wishes, and happy crafting,  Jenny

When is toooooo early......?!!!

Hi everyone,  does anyone else share my dilema?  When is it too early to set up the Christmas tree?

 

Many shops have had their Christmas decorations out and about for a couple of months now!

 

This year seems to have gone so quickly, and I can't decide where to put my tree, so I have decided not to have my big tree like last year, and to improvise.....

 

 

What do you think of my improvisation?

 

I'm thrilled with the end result of the baubles in the oversized brandy balloon.... noooo, I didn't drink the contents first.... 'hick' (hiccups)...lol.... :)

 

The train I added to my collection of decorations a few years ago, and yes, some more of my Christmas mice :)

 

If you want some more crafty ideas for Christmas decorations, don't forget you can always click this image on my sidebar.....

 

Have you started decorating for Christmas?  You are welcome to add a link below :)

 

I hope you have a good week, and

happy crafting,  Jenny

 



Reading material....

 

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

 

I realise with Christmas approaching, time to read may be short, but you might like to make a note of this book.....

 

On Rue Tatin  by Susan Loomis

 

Since I first read this book, and looked at the site, there has been some changes, and the site is more about her cooking, and cooking classes, but the book is about how she ventured into cooking as a career, moving to France, and her career since arriving.  

 

I often read books once, and that's it, but I would read this book again. :)  The book also includes recipes.  It's probably a good one to relax with after Christmas. 

 

Happy reading,  Jenny

 

 

 

Hi everyone, its' been a while, so I thought you might like to see some lovely stitcheries I have come across....

 

There is a theme to this post, so first, you could try this one, or for a new challenge, you could try this one. 

 

The theme wouldn't be complete without this visitor, or maybe this one...no, I'm not going to tell you the theme....lol....!

 

I'm sorry I didn't find them earlier for you, but you can now save them or start getting ready for next year. :)

 

Happy crafting,  Jenny

 



 

Wow!!!  Can you believe it..... only one more calendar post to go...where has the year gone...lol...!!!!

 

 

You are welcome to add the calendar to your sidebar, and add the following link..... http://jennyscraftplace.blogspot.com.au

 

I hope you have all had a lovely week, with a great weekend to come :)

 

Happy crafting,  Jenny

 

 

I know, terrible isn't it... how quickly Christmas is approaching... cards to write, something to keep the kids entertained.... or on second thoughts, maybe some embroidery!

 

Of course there are always presents to plan, or even cook ....gifts don't all have to involve fabric and sewing :)

 

Whatever you are planning, remember... it's not the cost, but the thoughts that count!

 

I hope you have a lovely week :)

 

Happy crafting,  Jenny

 

 



 

Sorry everyone, but I have been offline with one thing and another over the last week or so.

 

Nooo, I haven't been doing much reading this week, but remember my post about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ?  I now have books 2 and 3 to read... at last!!! :)

 

I don't do this very often, but I am going to go back to the start, and read book 1 again before I read the others. 

 

Did anyone else manage to read them all?  Don't spoil the end for me, but let me know what you thought about them....did you like one book over the other, or can't you decide...lol...

 

In the meantime, happy reading,  Jenny



Hi everyone, I hope you have had a lovely day :)

 

 

Another month is upon us..... you are welcome to add this to your side bar, and the following link....

 

http://jennyscraftplace.blogspot.com.au

 

Happy crafting,  Jenny



Hi everyone, I hope your week is off to a good start.

As Summer is approaching, storms have also arrived, so apologies for not doing too much visiting in Blogland.

I will drop in from time to time when weather and time permit :)

 

Enjoy the rest of your week, and happy crafting,  Jenny

 



Reading Material....





Hi folks, remember when my computer was playing up?  I managed to get some reading done!

 

A couple of the books I read, are

The Burnt House

and

Blindman's Bluff

by....

 

Faye Kellerman

 

I have also read other titles by members of the Kellerman family in the past.

Their books seem to have more twists than barley sugar when it comes to 'whodunit', but that's what I like about them :)

Happy reading,  Jenny
 

Hi everyone, apologies

 

for interrupting the start of your weekend, but I have been trying to view, and leave comments on a couple of your sites.... Rosetta, and others, but my computer keeps telling me I am unable to view webpage... sorry to those I haven't left comments recently...any hints for a solution.......?

Thanks in advance, and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)
 

Happy crafting, Jenny

 



Jenny's Jaunts....

Hi eveyone, I hope your week is off to a good start.  I realise it is quite a while since I have taken you on one of my 'Jaunts', but hopefully it has been worth the wait.  :)

 

For starters, it's lovely to see the  warmer weather trying to show Winter the door down here.  It's amazing what you can see... the bees are buzzing, butterflies flitting around,  bonnets being dusted off, flowers planted..... just the thought of all this activity is enough to run you Ragged !  Come Spring, you can imagine the gardens come to life at Dawn

Phew!...lol...  I think it might be wise to finish there, but I will do another Jenny's Jaunt soon.... I hope you have enjoyed the ride :)

Happy crafting,  Jenny

 



I'm ba...ack...lol.. :)

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well.

 

This is just a quick note to let you know all is well here, but my computer has had a couple of glitches recently, so I have a lot of catching up to do......sorry Pam.... just when you thought it was safe in Blogland...lol... :)

 

Hope you all have a good weekend, and

Happy crafting,  Jenny

 



Hi everyone, would you believe another month is upon us!!!!

 

You are welcome to add the above to your sidebar, and you can also add this link if you like.....  http://jennyscraftplace.blogspot.com.au/

 

Happy crafting,  Jenny

 



Hi everyone, as I tried to say above...

I promised to introduce you to some more 'locals'....

 

Sorry these images of the kangaroos/wallabies aren't the clearest, but I didn't want to get too close... the size of these 'locals' is deceiving in the pics!

 

Happy crafting,  Jenny :)

 



Recent finishes.....

Hi everyone,  I hope you had a lovely weekend :)

Happy crafting,  Jenny

Hello everyone, I hope you have had a lovely weekend.

 

I have just finished reading...

The J. M. Barrie Ladies' Swimming Society

by  Barbara J. Zitwer

It is a lovely read about life and friendship.  I guess if I had to compare to another author, Cathy Kelly and Maeve Binchey come to mind.

The Manifesto of the Society at the start of the book is sure to bring a smile.

I hope you enjoy it too :)

Happy reading, Jenny



Happy crafting,  Jenny :)

Private Message.....NOT !!!! Please read and share.....

Hi everyone, sorry to sound so dramatic, but this week I have been receiving emails from friends with 'Private Message' as the subject....

These emails have NOT come from friends - apparently it is a computer hacking email, so my advice is please   DO NOT open them!!  If you are in doubt, send your friend/s an email or text that they will recognise as coming from you... a true friend will understand your caution.

Best wishes, and happy crafting,  Jenny

Hello everyone :)
I hope your week is off to a
good start.

Another month upon us...lol...
You are welcome to add this to
your side bar.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your week :)

Happy crafting,  Jenny

We wish you a merry Christmas,

We wish you a merry Christmas,

We wish you a merry Christmas.....

and you know the rest

of the song, but it's a bit early for that...lol...

I hope you have a fun

5 months to go :)

Happy crafting,  Jenny

Reading Material.....

Hi everyone, I hope your week

is going well.

If you are looking for

something a little bit lighter

than what I usually read, you might

like to try

          Restoring Grace   by

Katie Fforde

Yes, it's light, romancey, etc. but....

you guessed it....

I enjoyed it  :)

Happy reading,  Jenny

P.S.:  Sorry about the layout... I don't know what went wrong... I usually centre it!!!  Oh well, next time :)

Hi everyone, I hope you are 

managing to keep warm.  

Given the cold weather we currently 

have 'Down Under', I thought you might like these 

images from the Ingalls collection . . . . 

I have to admit though, I am definitely NOT  a morning person...lol...!!!

Cute, aren't they... :)

Happy crafting,  Jenny

What's new, pussycat.....?

Happy crafting,  Jenny :)

Anyone for tea.....?

These tea cosies are $20.00 each, plus

postage and packaging.....

sorry, but tea pot not included.

(tea cosies also have a padded base)

For more details, click here

Happy crafting,  Jenny

Hi everyone, I hope you have enjoyed my recent chicken scratch posts.

In the meantime, you might like this.....

.....you are welcome to add it to your sidebar :)

Happy crafting,  Jenny

Final lesson.....

How have you been going

with your Chicken Scratch Stitchalong?

If this is your first visit, click

here to see where

we started.

If you have completed

all of your corners, now you

can work on the centre.

Sorry about the angle of the

photo, but this is what I did....

Here is a close-up of the centre diamond using stitches used in the corner design...

...and this is what I did each side....

.....however the end result

is up to you, and the number of squares you have, or want to stitch.... find the centre of your runner, and design your centrepiece from there, utilizing the stitches used in your corners ... :)

I hope you have enjoyed this

stitchalong, and my

instructions have made some

sense...lol... 

Let me know

what you think, and what you

did for the centre of your design ....

and also if you want me to

stay clear of stitchalongs...lol...:)

Thanks for joining in, and
happy crafting,  Jenny

Lesson 4.....

Okay, now the fun
part.... finish filling in
the triangles :)

Bring the needle up
very close to your straight stitch...


Pass the needle under the
straight stitch... you don't go
back through the fabric...


Imagining your brought the
needle up at 3 o'clock, and
passed it under the stitch and 12 oclock....

....continue to pass the
needle under the straight stitch
at 9 o'clock, then 6 o'clock, and back
under at 3o'clock.....

...gently draw thread firm...


....and repeat the above steps.....


....then take needle back down
fabric close to where you originally
came up....(apologies for the
blurry picture!)....


....and again pull thread at back
to firm stitching.....

....and repeat whole process
over each dark square.....

....as you can see, I made
good use of different threads.....
the main reason at the start of the project, was
for the photos, however the end result is up to you!



Enough for this week.



Next stitchalong post we
start on the centre.

'Til then, happy crafting,  Jenny