Pumpkins!

So the fires are back under control and except for the hills being black in colour and the still constant smell of smoke in the air, everything is back to normal! Boy that was scary! Thank you all so much for your prayers! They worked! But the fireies say the threat will still be there until we get a good dumping of rain. Oh well...maybe next week (fingers crossed)!

I love pumpkins, don't you? With so many pictures of them floating around the Internet for halloween, I've been thinking of them constantly! I love them roasted, mashed, baked in a campfire, and made into scones! Yummy!
But for now, I've made one that I can love and admire without the calories!My little felt pumpkin, which turned out perfectly for not following any pattern or instructions!

Fires 2

If you live in Australia, I guess you've seen the news. Our suburb was called to evacuate once on Saturday and again on Sunday. We know they were talking to those whose houses line up next to the mountain and surrounding bushland, so the whole street simply watered down their roofs and gardens and lawns. The smoke was simply dreadful! We got all the animals inside and sat around listening to the radio.

The fire is now heading toward Norman Gardens and Frenchville areas and away from us, but the smoke is still everywhere and with the weather being so dry and the wind changes, you never know what could happen. Luckily, only one house has been destroyed so far. Our firefighters have now been given a reprieve (about time!) from those flown in to help. It was simply terrifying to see the fires of a night! Here's some photos I took -

The smoke.One of the many crop dusters and helicopters dropping water.The sun turned red!The view of the fire coming toward us from up the street.The fires on Saturday night.The orange glow.The smoke again on Sunday.Be assured that we are ok, but please keep praying for the firemen and all the people whose houses are in the fire front!

Fires!

This is quite scary! I've lived here for almost 13 years and we've never had a fire this bad before, or so close! It's not nearly as terrible or as tragic as Victoria's fire storm, but it's the closest I've ever been to a bush fire.

This is the view of our looming mountain, usually as clear and as beautiful as anything, today you can hardly see it!This is one of our nearby hills and it's almost totally gone.There's ash falling from the sky.And the sun has gone orange. It's getting worse too. It's really quiet, except for the sirens and bird calls, the whole atmosphere is changing yellow, and just from taking the above photos, I smell like smoke.

Please pray for all those with homes and families near to the fires, all the animals that are going to lose their habitat, and all the firefighters who are out there trying to take back control! Also that if anything has to die, it happens quickly and without pain!
Thankyou!

Happy Birthday 2 Me

Yep! Today's my birthday! But there is no way I'm telling how old I am, so you'll just have to imagine...
So today I have lots of lovely things planned, like going to a particular op shop to look for buttons, and heading to Spotlights 20% off sale. I'm having lunch with my Mum, and then we're going shopping! Ahh yes, a perfect day! Don't worry, I'll take some pics of my purchases to show you.
But I also thought I'd give you guys a present for following me and for being the fantastic people you are!
I've been doodling, and these two pictures sprang out at me for being good embroideries!First up, a little Halloween bat. (Even though I DO NOT believe in halloween and don't celebrate it in any way, I do just adore cats, bats, pumpkins and candy! And this bat is too cute!)And second a little cat with a tulip and bumble bee! I hope you enjoy them and if you stitch them (like I am trying to find the time to do!) then send me a link!
Hugs! Manda.

Winners are Grinners!

I've read every one of your entries and just want to thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and comments! I've really enjoyed hosting this giveaway!
So who won?Congratulations A Bite Of Country Cupcakes! I'll be in contact with you to get your details and preferred prizes!
Thank you to everyone who entered and stay tuned for more krafty fun (mixed in with a few lizards!)

100th Post Giveaway

Hi guys! It's my first triple number post! The big 100!! And to celebrate, as so many bloggers do, I'm having a giveaway! Here's how to enter:

• For one entry, simply leave a comment! Let me know your name and where you're from! Make sure I can get in touch with you if you win. If you don't have a blog, you'll have to leave me your e-mail address.

• For another entry, follow my blog and leave another comment letting me know that you have done so. All those who already follow (thankyou!) please leave a comment letting me know that you do.

• For two extra entries (that's right, two!) Post about my giveaway on your own blog and leave me a comment with a link to your post!

The giveaway is open until the 10th October, AEST. I'll then use the random number generater to pick the winner!

Now for the fun part! What do you get for all this effort?
First, you get your choice of a button brooch or a polymer clay brooch, in your favourite colours!You also get a handmade inspiration journal, with your choice of main colour cover.For all those who love Halloween, this pattern includes the instructions and all material to create a cute little pumpkin and cat basket!Last but not least, you get your very own lovable mini mouse!I'll also throw in a few ribbons, buttons, and some other surprizes!

Have fun everyone, and good luck!

B'day Present

The other day was my friend Helen's 50th birthday, and now that I've given her her present, I'm free to show you all what I made!

So here's the main present, this brooch that I made from polymer clay and beads:And here's the tin I made for her to store it in, along with all the other jewelry she seemed to get for the big day! It's made from a normal tin that I bought at spotlight, covered with paper. I then made and baked the teddy, bees, flower and hives out of polymer clay, and stuck them on with hot glue. Lastly, I covered the whole thing with a clear glue so that it went all shiny!A view from each side:I'm so happy she liked them! She wore the broach to church today and it looked fantastic!

Bargain Store

Hello everyone! I'm still working on my next kitty embroidery, so that will come soon I hope, but for now here are some of my thrifty finds during the week!I got all these buttons for a real bargain (considering what buttons tend to cost these days.) Here's a closeup of some of them!I also found this cushion, only AU$3.00!And this gorgeous medium-sized paper rose for 50 cents.

Meet Max

Max is this rather cute cockatiel who we found on the road while driving by. Poor baby was so frightened he jumped right up onto my hand and refused to leave. We took him back home and placed him in the rather too big cocky cage, called in a found add to the local paper and waited.Thankfully his owners, who only live up the street, called and came down to collect him. Apparently, this is the fourth time he's escaped!

Having finally collected my camera back from Joyce Mayne, may I present Kitty Block 4:And Kitty Block 5:
Awww, aren't they cute?

Flown the Coop

Good news everyone! Baby pigeon has grown up and fledged! He was such a cutie, I wish I could have kept him, but it's great to see him back in the wild too. I did take some photos, but with a really old camera that uses film! I'll have to get them processed and see if the pics came out, as the film was so old its use by date was 2003. If The pics do turn out I'll edit this post with one!
I also finished my latest kitten embroidery, and then found one that was half done and finished that too! So once my camera is back from the shop, I'll take photos and show you! 5 down, 7 to go...

Edited: Here's the photo!