A recent conversation between my Husband and my 9 year old daughter:

Dad: Come and do the dishwasher please.                                                               

C: Dad, I’m really more of a “don’ter” than a “doer”.

Really looking forward to those teenage years…..

Just around the corner. If your looking for some inspiration, we have some new gift books in from Compendium. This is my favourite. It’s full of “interview” questions for your Mum, so you can capture all of her memories. There are lots of others to choose from too.

And if you really want to spoil her (or, even better, yourself!), Janome are running some great specials at the moment. If you haven’t recieved a catalogue, go here, or pop in and pick one up from us in the shop.

Thought I’d have a go at making a few of these:

You know, get myself in the mood, and all that jazz. If you want to have a play too, the instructions are here.

Have a wonderful, chocolatey, crafty and safe Easter!

For those few people who have not heard me whining about this yet, I have decided to have a few weeks laying on my lounge, begining at the end of  May. A small (??!!) op on my foot will leave me unable to drive for 12 weeks (that alarming sound is me hyperventilating).

 So, who cares, I hear you all ask?? Fair question is my answer, so besides the general whinge I feel compelled to share (come on, you just know it’s gonna hurt!), this will mean we will skip Quilting Chix for a few months. Thinking they will be re-instated September-ish, all going well. Ok, I know I still have weeks to go, but just wanted to give you the heads up. Whinge over. Thanks for listening.

The following is an exerpt from the Daily Telegraph. Finally, I am chic!!

Hard times force a return to old-fashioned virtues

IT’S called “thrift chic” – and it could be the trend that saves your family’s budget. Old-fashioned values – prudence, frugality, moderation and temperance – are the cornerstones of a back-to-the-future way of shopping.

Social analyst David Chalke says a resurgence in the number of people looking to save money by honing their domestic skills is a direct response to the economic crisis. DIY goods and services are benefiting as consumers make use of skills they had acquired, then forgotten. “It’s this whole notion of prestige from being frugal – there’s almost been a backlash against the materialism of the 1990s,” Mr Chalke said. “You find all these old Protestant virtues coming together. “People are saying: ‘I really don’t need to spend $500 on a frock – I can go down to the Salvos, buy a little black dress, run it through the sewing machine and be terribly proud to tell my friends it cost me only $50.’

” Business was “booming” in the shoe-repair industry and TAFE courses and sewing classes were in high demand, Mr Chalke said. “You’ve also got a lot of baby-boomer women, who already have the skills, returning to those older values of industriousness, thriftiness and productivity,” he said. Even those who struggle to achieve results on their own are looking at other options in a bid to cut costs. Joanna Lichi, manager of Sydney tailoring service Sew Special, said there had been a change in the type of garments brought in for alteration. “More people are bringing good-quality, old-season clothes to be fixed, instead of buying new ones,” she said.