Why does Monday always come around so quickly?

Spring has well and truly turned up in Canberra and I couldn’t be happier. Every year our city hosts an amazing celebration of spring called Floriade (click here to find out more about it). It’s simply spectacular and I look forward to it every year. I have been planning to head in there during the week but an impromptu decision by Rose (of Travel and Beyond) and I saw us all head in there on Sunday and it was just what the doctor ordered. Blue skies, good friends, beautiful flowers and time away from all things computer based and sewing related. It’s amazing how doing something so simple can make such a huge impact. I plan on doing a lot more impromptu things to get out and away from the keyboard before winter is upon us again.

I thought the end of the year would see me slow down and get things a little bit more under control but it appears that the opposite is actually going to happen. I’ve just published my class list availability, so if you’re in the Canberra area and you’d like to take a class with me then why not click here to see if there’s any that you’d like to do. I’m also going to be hosting a monthly Friday night stitch-along for the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt Sew-along. In the class you’ll learn how to make the blocks through various techniques and we’ll work together to get your Farmer’s Wife 1930’s quilt top made. 

I’ve taken on another day of work at my day job which now means I’m out-of-the-hosue for 3 days a week. It’s been great to get back to work more and I’m feeling a lot more productive where it counts, but it’s meant that I’ve had to look at how I spend my time when I’m at home. I’m now scheduling my blog commitments a lot more and I’ve had to make the hard decision to respond to emails on Monday’s and Wednesday’s. I’m finding it challenging to stick to this plan because I tend to treat email like text messaging where you send a response as soon as you get an email, but that approach is no longer manageable and so I’m trying to find a compromise that is. Do you have any tips for making your available time more productive? I feel like I need all the help I can get at the moment.

My favourite movie of all time is “Steel Magnolias” and I watched it again on the weekend. It’s the first time I’ve watched it since our son was born and I just bawled like a baby through the last quarter of the film. I was bad with the crying in this movie before I had our child, but now I couldn’t even see the screen for the tears – and sobbing!!! Who sobs in a movie?!?!? The answer now seems to be I do! Sally Fields performance gets me every-stinking-time.  If you’ve never seen the film I’d highly recommend renting it (and getting a box of tissues at the same time!).

I hope you have a most amazing day today!

FUN THINGS TO CLICK ON

• If you’re planning on joining me to make the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt and you’d like to find a group to sew with, click here to find out more details.
• I love red and white quilts and this nautical mini is a great way to make one quickly. Click here to get the free tutorial.
• I am loving these back-to-school projects using the Colour Me fabric line by Michael Miller. Click here to see more and get the tutorial links.
• I’m loving this idea to use Periscope to share our quilty lives with each other. To find out more click here.
• Looking for a fun Fall inspired mini quilt to make? Click here for the free tutorial.
• Looking for a fun contest and an excuse to buy more text fabric, then click here to find out more.
• This amazing starry night quilt pattern is now free and you can find it by clicking here.

COMMUNITY CORK BOARD

Want something included on the Community Cork Board, then why not drop me an email and if it’s applicable to the GnomeAngel community I’ll share it. It can be anything from a local fate, a charity raffle, a class you’re teaching, a pattern you’ve released, a sew-a-long you’re involved in to a community event that’s happening. Be sure to send me as much detail as you can and links to any applicable websites.  Click here to email me.

SPONSOR MESSAGES

• If you’d like to take a class with me, then why not check out my class list by clicking here or maybe you’d like to work with me to help promote your brand/business/store/product, click here to find out more about partnering with me.
• Entries are open in the 15th Annual Brother International Quilt Contest. You could win $2,400 worth of Brother quilting products and have your quilt displayed at the Tokyo International Quilt Festival in 2016. To find out more click here.