BUTTON BLISS

What a Beautiful Day - Time for a Give Away!

Hi everyone. Gosh it's a gorgeous day. The sky is the prettiest blue and as we've had so much rain everything is green and clear. The little birdies have come out to play in the trees and every cat n the street is sitting on the footpath, eyes closed, facing the warm sun.
Craft Alive Wodonga was a great success, with lots of laughs, coffee and carrot cake. Some familiar faces from last year popped in to visit and we met many new friends eager to start their stitching addiction! As always Mum and I enjoyed our time together without little people demanding time and attention.  At the end of the month Craft Alive will be in Wagga Wagga at the showgrounds, so if you are within driving distance, come along and visit.
The kids are happy to have "normal"mum back for a couple of weeks. Today I am taking all the girls to Ice Age 3 - I will admit that I want to see it as much as they do. I just love the little squirrel...so determined to get that acorn, and he never, ever gives up. Jack is too cool to come with us.. it is 8 minutes before midday and he has only just wandered down the hall, he has truly mastered the art of the teenage sleep-in.
Yesterday was spent trying to unpack everything from the craft show, but in amongst it all, I managed to cut and paint my second thread holder.

It's soft and pretty, with 9 holes for embroidery floss or ribbons or whatever you like. 12cm wide, it will fit easily into a sewing pouch or a pattern packet, and I have double-sealed all edges (including inside the holes) to ensure your threads are safe from tannins and resins.
To celebrate such a glorious day, I am giving away 4 of these pretty hearts. Just add a comment to the blog and I will do a blind draw on Friday evening. (if you prefer you can have my antique sewing machine thread holder... your choice- I love them both)

I have finally got around to listing lots of new items (including these holders) on my website, so if you haven't visited for a while, pop into the Button Bliss website and check it all out. I have over 450 buttons in my range now- not bad when I started three years ago with 12 buttons hand cut on a scroll saw!!!
Hope everyone is happy and well, where ever you are,
Happy stitching
Lisa
--x--
Special Buttons for special projects!

STOP!

Unfortunately this message is only for one person. When I design something new, I love to list it on my blog and my website.
Sadly there is an Aussie designer who loves to visit my blog and "borrow" my ideas.
From Thread holders to button designs, stitchery verses etc, her collection of my ideas is growing.
So, to that person... please STOP!
Many thanks
Lisa
A big Hi There and HELLO to everyone else

Time for a quickie

Hi again,
I have to start packing the car for Craft Alive, but I HAD to pop in and show you something.

Sorry for the large photo- hard to fit them all in

I had the designs for these drawn up months ago and never got round to cutting them. I found them in my button files yesterday, tweaked a little here and there, and presto! 24 Christmas tags. I know I sketched an Advent calendary stitchery thingo at the time.... Hmmm I wonder where it is. That will be a job for next week.
I'm off now to pack the car. Happy stitching everyone
Lisa
--x--
Button Bliss
Special Buttons for special projects
www.buttonbliss.com

Wednesday afternoon slump

My desk sits directly under one of our heating vents. It is lovely and warm on my head - not so much on my toes but hey it can't all be my way. The down side to the warmth is it can make me a little sleepy. It makes it easy to stay at my desk all day, which is great for productivity! It's the first week of our winter school holidays and all the kids are sick with coughs and colds, runny noses etc. I am avoiding them like they have the plague - I really don't have time to get sick right now! Craft Alive in Wodonga starts on Friday, then we have a month til Craft Alive Wagga Wagga. I also have some teaching weekends coming up, so it will be busy, busy, busy for the next few months.

I have new buttons this week, and by my next post I will be able to preview my new Heart and Home Quilt. It's almost completed, with rich colours and buttons featured in each block. I can't wait to show you all.

I have been playing with the idea of a new pram - old fashion style

I love it. It is still a little quirky like me, but is so pretty, approx 5.5cm wide, so a great feature button even for card makers and scrappers.
Next up is Bill the Chilled out Penguin.

Very cute little guy with his scarf and rosy cheeks.
Lastly I have released a special edition of my Nativity Buttons, handpainted. I am limiting the quantity of them as they are quite labour intensive, but are just gorgeous for seasonal designs.

I am going to stitch up another Away In a Manger stitchery to see how they look in that design.
Hope your all happy and well, I'm off to paint more spotted daisies... ahh it's a hard life!
Happy stitching,
Lisa
--x--
www.buttonbliss.com

Pretty paisley

Thursday morning and so much work to do. It is only a week til we go to Wodonga for Craft Alive, and as usual the mad scramble is beginning as I realise all the extra bits and pieces that I need to get done will have to be done by ME!
This weekend I stitched up a storm, hubby took two kids to Canberra for a family catchup and the other two had birthday parties, which meant I had the house ALL TO MYSELF YAY! It was such a treat to be able to have all my fabric and threads, paints and buttons left out everywhere. I stayed in my PJ's nearly all day (great trick to stop yourself going off and wasting precious time wandering in shops etc) and at the end of the time here is what I finished off

It's a gorgeous little barrel bag with bright pretty paisley stitchery all over the body - and lovely Lauren from Bead 'n' Bauble in Wangaratta helped match some funky beads for the ties. Isn't it cute! I am not an advanced or even intermediate patchworker, so the idea of real scallops was too daunting, but jumbo ric-rac came to the rescue and looks fantastic Yippee!
I painted some ducks and unicorns, and tried to get my unruly workroom under control again.
What else did I do, well I watched three movies - THREE! Without having to pause a million times to come here, do that, drive kids all over the place. Hmmmm so nice to have time to myself.
I wasn't totally alone. I had a bloke here with me. He's lazy and stubborn, ignores me most of the time, but then whines if I don't talk to him when he's ready. He always takes up most of the couch and if I ask him to move he just turns his back on me. He expects a massage and back rub on command and is soo fussy about what's for tea.

Yep it's a hard life! Lucky he's cute. I want to come back to earth as a cat.
Happy stitching,
Lisa
--x--

www.buttonbliss.com

Skippity Do Dah

Hi everyone. Winter is well and truly here, it is freezing outside, and not too much better in my workroom. Because I need lots of ventilation for my laser machine, it is a little on the breezy side in here. I have on my favourite woolly socks and (shhh don't tell the electricity police) a little fan heater under my desk for when it is just too cold to function.
Luckily my creative brain cells seem to like the cold or perhaps it's the coffee...
Craft Alive Griffith was great fun. We met lots of new people, caught up with some old friends, and ate alot! We took Sarah with us, and she and Pop had a lovely couple of days together. He is such a great Pop, took her Ten Pin Bowling - first day to watch and eat popcorn and the second day she thought she would have a go as long as there was also popcorn. He let her decide which shops to wander in - her first and most urgent choice was Bunnings, followed by the Bedding Shop (to lie on all the beds and decide which ones are good and which are not very!). She checked out the Electronics super store, and a furniture shop then decided it was time to go to the supermarket! This week she was ahead of me going into Pre-school and I realised she was skipping. Wow ! I asked where she finally learnt to do it and she said " My Pop teached me" . Thanks Dad, you are the BEST!!!
 Back home and into the workroom, to get ready for Craft Alive Wodonga on 3rd, 4th and 5th of July.

So last post I promised new pics..

This is my Not So Shabby Heart, stitched in Deep Raspberry, with the most gorgeous Swarovski Bicone Crystals. It is soooooo pretty and delicate, I would love to stitch it in a variegated thread- haven't got time to do it right now!

Another one for Angel Lovers (there sure are alot of you out there!) I love the look of Redwork and this is a great project for a beginner.

I have obviously been in a RED mood. Another simple and striking design, with a  well known and well loved verse. A great project to have a try of painting (only one colour!!) and could easily fit into any decor even a teenagers room (if you dare!)

I have to tell you a little story now -  From Year 1 to Year 3 my BEST friend ( with the passion that a seven year old has) was a girl named Lisa. At the end of Year 3 she moved away, we wrote letters back and forth, yes actual letters, on paper, with stamps and everything. But somewhere in early High School we lost touch.
Then last year, with the help of FaceBook, I found her again. She is married with a houseful of little boys, and loves STITCHING. So She offered to stitch a sample for me, and here he is..

.

Thankyou Lisa!!!! I also have some new buttons ... Lots of people have been asking for more "guy stuff" so I made a little hammer and saw

Delicate, tiny hummingbirds- you should see me painting these little ones - it is not easy holding something so tiny still, so you can paint their wing tips green!

My Button Zoo is just about bursting out of the ark!
Mr Croc (happy of course!) is joining the gang

This weeks job is to cut and paint Goats and Alpacas. Are there more animals that I need??? Probably, it seems that just when I think I have covered all the bases, someone asks for the one thing I didn't think of.

Hope all are happy and well, where ever you are,
Happy Stitching
Lisa

BUTTON BLISS

I'm back on the BLOG wagon

I confess it has been several weeks since my last blog. Life has thrown a few curve balls and I have been swinging my bat ( figuratively but sometimes I could...). To those of you who have emailed checking on me (including one from Kath who was "just making sure I wasn't under a bus" thankyou for your thoughts.
So here I am, back, with so much going on and so many new things to show you.
Firstly, yes the baby is just fine - his Mummy told me today she is so totally in love, but truly bone-tired as well, do you remember those days? They are enjoying their first days with him and by the sounds of things having a ball.

Tomorrow morning I and my Mum and Dad are off to Griffith for the first of this years Craft Alives. It is a three day market, held at the Yoogali club, so if you are within driving distance come and say hello!
We always have so much fun, Mum and I giggle most of the weekend and Dad pops in and out with offerings of food and coffee. I can't wait. I grew up in Griffith so I am looking forward to catching up with some friends while there.

So many new things... I'll start with the buttons, and maybe leave the stitching til next blog

A lovely lady from Hay asked me to make a hippo for her friend so here she is... and is now part of the Button Bliss Jungle

 

I also have wanted a bat for ages, but it took some time to get him right, with a friendly (but a little freaked out) face

Amanda from Country Heart and Home in Bright suggested some Autumn leaves, as Bright is just about the prettiest place on earth in Autumn.

They are so pretty and dainty. Great for scrapbooking!
New Lacy butterflies have been cut and are just gorgeous.

Not a bad collection for a crazy household and busy Mum.
Just a sneak peek at a couple of stitcheries... but more to show on Monday

 I love them and they look fantastic in their crisp white frames from... wait for it... Sams warehouse. They were framed prints so I just threw the glass and paper print away and there you have it.

 Hope you are all happy and well, I promise to not abandon you again,
Happy stitching,
Lisa

Welcome to the world little man

Here he is, so tiny and perfect...

YUM!

Back again for a quick post

Hi everyone, I know I have been very quiet for a couple of weeks, sorry for my silence, but... this is good news,

Two years ago I met a very special couple who have been unable to have a baby as "she" didn't have any ovaries. I contacted them after reading a little bit about them and ended up offering to donate eggs so they could have the family they have longed for and dreamt of for 10 years.

Two IVF cycles, a miscarriage and many failed transfers later, a PRECIOUS, GORGEOUS, WONDERFUL LITTLE BOY arrived on Tuesday morning. We are just so excited for them and for this little man who is surely the most loved and wanted baby on the planet tonight.

We have become good friends, and tomorrow we are going to visit, to meet him, to see them , probably to bawl our eyes out, and have little baby cuddles. I really can't wait to see them together as a family, and yep, there is a bit of pride on my part that I helped them get there.

Some of you might wonder how I could do it ( it really wasn't too hard, or taxing or worrying), or what the future holds for me and them (hopefully continued friendship from one Mum and Dad to another Mum and Dad).  Yes he is genetically my child (as well as his Daddy's - ah the wonder of the petrie dish), but he is also just one cell of mine and all the nurturing and nourishing, growing and creating has come from my friend, so to me, I donated a special cell, and she has created a beautiful little boy with her husband.

For privacy I can't tell you their names, but just know that right now in a hospital not too far away, there is a new family, and this week their wildest dreams came true.

That's pretty COOL!!!!!

Love to all, go and hug your kids or cats!!!!!!
Lisa
-x-


     

The Girls are ready!!

Yesterday I showed you the first two of a group of angels I have been working on.
Well the angels have certainly been watching over me, with happy, grump-free kids, a peaceful, cruisy Saturday morning, and I have been able to design and paint some more.
So here they are, beautiful angels.

 

I am so delighted and proud of how they have turned out, and they are each named after 7 young girls , who I am equally proud of, my daughters Meg, Lani and Sarah, and my nieces Emily, Victoria, Laura and Sophie.
I will be adding them to my website this afternoon, so you can find them in the What's New section. I am a little hesitant to just put them in with all the everyday buttons - they are a bit special to be in there... might have to make a new category.
Hope your house is peaceful and happy,
Lisa
-x-

Button Bliss