Apron, Tea & Stars

Come over for tea so I can show off my fabulous new apron!!! My friend and fellow quilt designer Sonja and I swapped some goodies on thursday night at the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild meeting and I am just giddy with excitement about the apron she made for me! I wore my new apron for the entire meeting and all the way home too!

The only problem was that I couldn't decide which side to wear because it's reversible! How cool is that?!! And I received all these other goodies too including some delicious Nut Crunch tea! Thank you Sonja!

Here is what Sonja received... I made her a cozy for her french press in colours to match the apron that she made herself a few months ago. I also included some homemade Cocoa Cranberry Cookies (my own recipe), a lavender teabag sachet, and some wood buttons from Italy & Japan.

I actually didn't know the exact size for her french press. However, she had sent me a picture and told me where she purchased it. So I snuck over to London Drugs, purchased the french press, brought it home, measured it, and returned it the next day! It was only slightly different than the Kaffe press from Ikea for which I designed my pattern.

I also did a tiny swap with Prairie Mouse. This little bird is flying all the way to New Zealand in exchange for this sweet little green bunny! Thanks Louise!

And here is a look at my newly updated tea drawer. The jars hold loose leaf teas and was inspired by The Great Wall Tea Co right here in New Westminster!

And because they look like my tea drawer, here is a peek at my wonky star blocks. I really like how they look right now but I still have a ziploc full of 2 1/2" linen squares so I'm not certain if the quilt will keep growing...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Mug Rugs

In September I joined an online Mug Rug swap. You may ask the same question I did, "What is a Mug Rug"? Well, it's like a quilted potholder... a special place to put your cup of tea with room for treats!

The Scrappy Mug Rug Swap was lots of fun! 125 crafters signed up and each had a different secret partner. We received a list of our partner's likes & dislikes from our swap mama and then we had to be sly & cunning to learn more about what our partner liked without letting them know!

Lots of design photos were posted, comments given, guesses and hopes as to which mug rug we would receive! Take a look at all the wonderful Mug Rugs in the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap flickr group.

My partner liked linen, pink and charcoal as well as teapots and teacups! From the comments on flickr, I learnt that she liked the first design in the softer pink colourway.

She also liked the checkered button from the second colourway and adored the backing fabric which is why I decided to make a matching napkin so she could actually see it!

It travelled all the way to Rose in Australia. Rose says, "I'll be thinking of you when I have a cup of 4 o'clock tea with my napkin while admiring my mug rug safely on the wall!"

Here is the second mug rug design in the other colourway. I was really happy how this one turned out too! I worked on it at the weekend quilting retreat but left the binding for home after finding a tiny piece of the stripey fabric in my scraps. I knew it would be perfect and that I had some in my stash!

I bought these lovely Spring fabrics at Quilted Treasures in Coquitlam. I used the pretty green on the right for the backing fabric.

And last but not least...

The absolutely fabulous Mug Rugs that I received from France! Yup, not only one mug rug, but TWO!!! And teacups! What could be more perfect :o) Thank you so much Sylvie! See how they match our mugs perfectly!

Sylvie's 5 year old daughter made a special lavender house sachet for Claire. She was thrilled to receive something from across the seas and enjoyed seeing the photo of Charlotte sewing the sachet. She loves the smell and takes it to bed with her! Thank you so much:o)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Postal Paradise

Paradise...
the result of a whole month of swaps, giveaways & unexpected gifts is quite overwhelming. I have been spoiled rotten and it has been even better than Christmas! Very belated thanks to everyone for the all crafty goodness sent my way... now I must let all of you drool ;o)

Sonia of Cozy Memories sent me a wonderful surprise thank you package from France! The lavender-filled handmade strawberry along with some wonderful french soap infused the envelope with the most amazing smell! Claire loved the little unicorns too :o) If you click on the photo directly below you will be able to read notes on the photo...

I received a long-awaited package from my swap with Micol of RecycleMicol in Texas. The wooly acorns are amazing and I am still in awe of the handwoven purple ribbon! I also love the knitted dishcloths. I am not a knitter so I can't even begin to wonder how on earth she was able to knit a teacup into one of them! Micol also made a box of crocheted chocolates for Claire which I am trying really hard not to keep for myself! I am planning to do some stamping on the large white cloths that she wrapped everything in... my package was well-worth the wait! Click on the mosaic to see some more notes :o)

I also recieved a wonderful thank you package from my friend Francy of Matatabi. I buy most of my amazing Japanese fabric from her Etsy shop. We became instant friends after I met up with her at the Tokyo International Quilt Festival in January 2008. She is deprived of an oven (I wouldn't be able to live without one) so I have been sending cookie care packages every now and then! I never expected anything in return :o) The fabric, cotton crochet trims, buttons & tea are all adorable and exactly my style!! There are some notes if you click on the last photo in this set :o)

I must admit that my most recent cherished possession is this wonderful felt TeaHouse made by Anna of Lilla Lotta in France. She sent me so many wonderful goodies which you can find out more about if you click on the photo of the table full of crafty goodness!

I just love how the TeaHouse is always open for ME! I adore all the watercolour transfers and handmade ribbon details that went into making this piece... truly amazing! Now I have to work on my end of the swap. I think making up for all the wonderful things she sent me will prove to be quite difficult :o)

These wonderful heart stuffies were a totally unexpected surprise from Sandrine Deleuze in Belgium... the best Valentines ever! Yes... the mirror is their permanent home :o)

If that's not enough mail, I also won a giveaway for this sweet little birdie heart ornament made by Mervi also known as Memmu in Finland. Look at all the other extra little goodies she sent... I love her handmade card, Moo MiniCard and the Tilda ribbon!

Finally, the results of the Birds of Change Exchange that I was part of in January. I received my birdies at the beginning of this month and love every one of them! Thank you to Regina of Creative Kismet for organizing the mega-swap! Click on the photo to see from where my birds migrated :o)

Oops! That didn't count all the stuff I bought...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)