Flutterbys....

I have been wanting to make a picture like this for a while now, actually ever since I saw this tutorial. I finally managed to get the right butterfly punch last week when it came on sale at Spotlight. It's a Martha Stewart one so it isn't cheap! Last night while watching a documentary on swarms I punched out enough butterflies for 3 pictures. The documentary was on swarms of insects, animals and rodents so it seemed kind of appropriate to be making lots of butterflies. ( The swarms of mice shown last week was nightmare material)

The frame is one that I've had for years that I got at a quilting show and has been waiting for the perfect project. I painted the white background using blue and green stamp pads  and just used scraps of scrapbooking paper. I'm really pleased with the end result and now have ideas for more using different shapes.

Thanks for all the crochet encouragement! I now have wool and hooks so hopefully I can find a little pocket of time to make some thing bright and colourful!

Crochet love........

When I saw these crochet projects in a recent Better Homes and Gardens magazine it made me wish that I could crochet but even if I could I don't have the time for yet another hobby. I absolutely love the blanket on the left, so bright and colourful. Perhaps I could talk my Mum into making this for me?? Or if I learnt myself I guess it would be a great portable project to grow over time. I have also been inspired by Jo with her lovely crocheted African flowers.

Or perhaps I should start small with one of these beautiful vibrant pillows. So tempting! This magazine sits in my sewing attic open to these inspiring pages. One day........

Favourite pincushion

Favourite pincushion, originally uploaded by catherine's attic.

Having seen some lovely pincushions around blogland and on flickr recently I thought I'd share my favourite pin cushion. This pincushion fits in the palm of my hand and was made by my Mother to use at my wedding for pinning corsages onto the wedding guests as they entered the church. I think we actually had two pincushions but I'm not sure what happened to the other one which was similar but square. It's very cute and I must say to have a handle on a pincushion is very handy sometimes. I have other very pretty and practical pin cushions but this one gets the most use.

A giveaway to share......

One of my favourite blogs Ravenhill is having a giveaway. Emily is very talented and does the most beautiful work so if your not familiar with her blog go and check it out! She is giving away some of the above pretty bakers twine. I would love some of this to add to my projects, such pretty colours!!

She is also giving away one of these sweet little heart ornaments. I love these and isn't her embroidery work beautiful!

Alphabet wallhangings

So this is what I've been working on these last couple of weeks. This is the boys version of my Alphabet wall hanging, and ..............

.......this is the girls version. Each letter is appliqued onto a little pocket. The girls version has 30 pocket while the boys has 25 so lots of room for those little treasures that kids like to collect. They measure 25" by 33" for the girls and 25" by 29" for the boys. I really enjoyed designing these and of course choosing the fabrics for them. I was inspired by some wall hangings I made for my girl's room's and an alphabet quilt I made for a friends little girl.

Blue ric rac and blue check binding for boys.

Pretty pink ric rac and pink heart bias binding for the girls.

These will be for sale in my Etsy shop very soon!!!

I'm adding this to this weeks Sew'n'tell Friday over at Amylouwho's. Go on over and check out all the other lovely finishes this week.

Busy busy....

Not a lot of blogging time around here but I have been busy sewing. I'm working on two projects at the same time due to a lack of sewing supplies available where I live. Nearly finished the boys version above.

And nearly finished the girls version shown here. I finally managed to get out of town yesterday to get some ric rac amongst other things so hopefully I can finish these 2 projects in the next couple of days and show you exactly what they are. I've also been having a play around with bloggers new template designs and am really pleased with the new look I've given my blog. What do you think??

Tour de Opoutere

Inspired by Marguerite by her lovely photos on her morning walks I took my camera with me this afternoon on one of my regular cycle training rides. It was a beautiful clear sunny day today so perfect for a ride and for taking photos. This ride takes you north out of Whangamata along state highway 25. Just past Opoutere School where my youngest Caitlin goes you hang a left onto the Opoutere main Road. 

This is at the start of the Opoutere Road with the small Opoutere Community hall on the left with the Wharekawa Forest behind it.

So we now have a quiet country road to bike on which is bliss for a cyclist- no big trucks on this road.

After riding a couple of kilometres you get to see the small settlement of Opoutere - you can just see on the left some houses along the bottom of the hills and the start of the Opoutere harbour.

Opoutere is a very small tranquil settlement made up of a few permanent residents and a few holiday homes or Bach's as we call them here. Its one of those unspoilt gems on the Coromandel Peninsula. The permanent residents are mostly retired but also a few artists live here. It was where well known New Zealand author/historian Michael King used to reside before his untimely fatal car accident.

 

The road starts to twist and wind through beautiful native bush on both sides.

A bit further along on the left is the Opoutere youth hostel which is very popular amongst backpackers due to its very picturesque setting. It sits on the original site of Opoutere School.

The beautiful and tranquil harbour and if you look carefully to the horizon ( a little right of the centre) you can just see a container ship on its way from Tauranga to Auckland.

Another shot of the harbour with Mayor Island in the distance.

Another beautiful photo- sorry couldn't help myself the scenery is stunning out here!

This is looking back the other way to the bush and forestry clad hills that surround Whangamata and Opoutere.

Another shot looking back up the harbour to the hills beyond.

A parting shot heading back towards the main road home. Hope you enjoyed my little tour of Opoutere today. Needless to say with all those photos I had quite the leisurely bike ride today!