Monday 20 August 2012

Introducing...

... Sprinkles and Slush.

Emily thought it most important that you got to know the latest members of our family. So she organised a photo shoot that she would like to share with you. She was also instrumental in making the mosaic so that you got a good feel the girls' new friends.


Sprinkles (Helen's) and Slush (Emily's) gerbils are now firmly ensconced in our home. I have nothing to do with them, other than cage transport when it involves stairs. The girls are responsible. I don't even feed them, the girls do in the morning. As they have only been here for two days I of course remain confident that there will be no change in this routine! Other than the water bottle leaking continuously the first night and trying to turn these nocturnal creatures into aquatic ones instead, there have been no problems. I have warned though, at no times do I ever, ever want to hear, 'But I don't know where there went!!!'

Humour me here, as I am trying very hard to be a tolerant mother and to keep my low level rantings about rodents to a mutter out of the girls' hearing. Tolerance I can do. Happy, happy aren't they sweet little things I most certainly cannot do.

And on to things that do make me happy. Fabric!! Oh, I just felt my mood lift with the very act of typing the word. I practised restraint on Saturday at the Festival of Quilts due to fund availability. The urge to just slap my card down repeatedly and buy every last thing that I wanted was incredibly hard to resist, but resist I did. here is what I got -

From the Eternal Maker we have -


I was quite surprised that faced with an assortment of wonderful coloured fabrics from the Pez line it was the grey that I was drawn to. The elephants are destined for a charm swap but I won't say which one (she says, humming innocently) because we are not supposed to have bought our fabric yet. The measuring tape fabric is just irresistible. I shall hoard it to use judiciously in pouches and the like.

From Backstitch we have -


Stash building colour. I need more good reds and purples. I have tons of blues and greens. Um, no self control here.

From Doughty's we have -


More stash builders. Doughty's are good for this as four out of five of these FQs only cost £1.75 each. I needed more oranges and the purple. Oh and the darker blue as most of mine are aqua. We are going to ignore the fact that I bought that one on the far end. (But it is a pretty shade and it didn't cost much.)

And from Pin It and Stitch I bought -


I would have loved to have bought so much more of Aneela's Cherry Christmas line but just having a FQ makes me rather happy. The other FQs are all stash builders, and in particular I am in love with the grey flowers. The ladies who run Pin It and Stitch - Natalie and Tracey - were brilliant, really friendly and lovely to talk to. They have the same taste in fabric as me so, quite frankly, I could have happily bought up their entire stock given half a chance. They also live on the Coventry side of Birmingham and are looking at organising some get togethers of like minded quilters. If you are anywhere within the area and would like to be on their contact list let them or me know. I rather like the idea of going on over and having a browse through their stock over cake, a cuppa and chat.

If that little haul is not enough, the fabulous Laura Jane gave me a bag of scraps and some Aurifil thread when I saw her. She gave me loads of Madrona Road scraps and, as I was already lusting after half the fabrics in the line, having these bits in person just makes me that more close to total addiction. They are amazing! Emily rather liked them herself. Thank you, Laura!!


Finally, I used my amazing tote bag from Nicky to haul my newly acquired stash items around for the day. I was so happy Nicky was with me because she got to hear every compliment I received for it that day and see what a covetable item it is. People drooled over it - literally.


Susan

33 comments:

  1. Don't worry they will go towards food before fabric I think!

    Great haul Susan - but I knew that ! Thanks I am blushing! I enjoyed making it for you and now I know you are not the only campervan nut!

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  2. Wow Susan! That's serious fabric!!!
    On the small furry animal front...we have also been there...to cheer you up I can only say that they don't live forever....and don't let the cat anywhere near them....been there, felt that anguish (buried that small animal :-( ).

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  3. How can you sleep knowing they could at any moment escape from their cages....?? The furry things that is, not the children.

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  4. I think they are cute, but then I do like rodents (even pet rats, although not the kind from sewers).
    Lovely haul, so envious you got to hang out with Nicky :-D

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  5. I hate to Dayton i told you do ano it měn an gernils!
    Sorry i'm on my ipod using a czech keyboard and predictive text. I'll try again
    I hate to say i told you do about měn and gerbils

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  6. wow you got the fabric that is so gorgeous and they got the gerbils or maybe you will get the gerbils too :)))))

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  7. I'm near Leicester so count me in!

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  8. aahhh they look really cute!!
    Great fabric haul and can't believe I missed that bag, it's gorgeous!! :)

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  9. Actually, they're quite cute! Me and my brother had a series of hamsters when we were little (they don't live long, maybe 3/4 years? Less if they come into contact with the hoover...) and my brother learnt a very important hamster-related lesson that I think could also apply to gerbils: if you put a hamster on your head you have to accept that it will probably wee or poo on your hair ;o) We used to have lots of fun creating mazes for them out of piles of books but you have to keep a close eye on them or they'll head for the gap under the settee!!!
    P.S. Gorgeous fabric - very restrained! (I like the way you split them up into groups so it looks like a smaller haul - clever!)

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  10. yuck, rodents are prey in our house...sorry but that is fact with a cat and a dog!
    Hmmm, thanks for reminding me that I most certainly do NEED Madrona road in my life, must rectify that somehow (perhaps by getting some for my birthday hehe)

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  11. Fantastic fabric haul, Susan! ... and my commiserations on the gerbils ;)

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  12. That pink fluff in the photo shoot almost makes them cute;) My niece just talked herself into getting two guinea pigs. Not much better. Looks like you had a good time fabric shopping at the fair, lots of great additions to your stash!

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  13. OH MY GOODNESS! Slush and Sprinkles are just adorable. Possibly the cutest little gerbils I've ever seen!

    And that fabric. Just took my breath away. Love, love, love the little elephants! xx

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  14. Beautiful fabric, especially the elephants. Are they scared of those rodents? Lol. Di x

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  15. ooooh, lovely fabrics. I won't tell you about the time out hamster escaped from its cage and found its way in to one of the surroud sound speakers then.......

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  16. I like rodents if they are in a ball rolling around the floor - then I'm safe and so are they! Love the elephants - good idea to shop now and save on postage!

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  17. Oooh, well done, that was a very restrained haul! But yeah, I'd never want to hear 'I don't know where it went' either - shudder!

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  18. Wonderful fabrics! My advice on the gerbils is to make sure they are the same sex, otherwise you might end up with many many more. I started out with 2 and ended up with 22.

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  19. my kids used to want all 4 legged things they could drag home

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  20. BUT DONT LET THAT GERBIL BALL ROLLING AROUND ON THE FLOOR GET ANYWHERE NEAR THE STAIRS. Don't ask me how I know that.

    Great fabric!

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  21. I have nothing useful to say as I am still chortling about the fact that you now own two gerbils!!

    Great fabric haul x

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  22. Am trying really hard to follow the "if you cant say anything nice..." route with the rats, sorry, Gerbils ;-) How lovely to see the children happy. there, that's better eh?
    Love your shopping... especially the nellies and the Pin it and Stitch buys! And Madrona Road.... green..... lol

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  23. So glad the gerbils knew how to swim. They are kind of cute. (I’m not a rodent type of person either ) But so long as the girls continue to be good gerbil mamas you’re golden.

    I haven’t bought any fabric in forever so your haul made me drool. Especially those scraps. LOVE me some scraps.

    And your bag is darling...no wonder people were all over it like seagulls on a chip.

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  24. Welcome Sprinkles and Slush, they are kinda cute. Great fabrics. I don't use a lot of brights myself, but I love looking at yours.

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  25. Ooo Susan, I've spent all evening being envious of people who got to go to the FOQ! and you're not helping! Great haul...and great bag Nicky! x

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  26. The gerbils are sweet - but that elephant fabric is even cuter!

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  27. The photo shoot and mosaic is beautiful, Emily did a lovely job. The rodents, yuck. Yes they are cute but they do belong in the wild. I love the fabric, I have recently succumbed to the charms of Madrona Road and ordered some. The grey flowers are wonderful, there is a rather large piece of the same fabric sitting on my counter.

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  28. OOO the little gerbils are cuties and look how happy the girls are with them! Love the fabric and madrona road scraps! squeal! I have some on order. Love that line!

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  29. Aw don't they look pretty - the fabric that is, not the rodents!! Enjoy your new haul! Jxo

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  30. The gerbils look really cute, they would last about 5 mins max in our house before the cats would be snacking on them.
    Very nice fabric haul.

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  31. Bet those girls of yours catch you having a secret little play with the gerbils before very long. I give it a couple of weeks max and you'll be chatting to them as you sew, you'll need some company while you use all that fab fabric. ;)

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  32. Good Luck...that's all I'm going to say :o)

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  33. Great fabrics - not so great on the rodents. You do know if they escape they will use their rodent teeth to shred your fabric stash into nesting, don't you? Happy to be the bearer of glad tidings, my lovely!

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