the end of the road....

sadly, The Chocolate Crow Trader is almost over!
Chris, our fearless leader has decided to call it a day,
please read below as to why...
hopefully we will return in the near future...bigger, better and brighter than before!

(from Chris)
Unfortunately the time has come where, with only a handful of ladies still participating, The Chocolate Crow Trader appears that it may have run it’s natural course…

Numbers have been steadily dwindling over the past 12-18 months, which is totally understandable in the current economic/retail environment. Many girls have left due to the need to return to full time work /increasing family/work commitments. Due to the downturn in retail since the GFC …sales are also fewer than they were earlier on, which also has a downward effect with members .

All of these situations are totally out of my control and I see no “quick fix” until things settle down financially. This has lead me to make the decision (that truthfully I have been putting off for quite some time)…..and in this regard I am afraid to say that that the April Issue will be the the last for TCCT for the time being.

This very difficult decision was only made after a lot of soul-searching and much thought and I am very sorry to see it end this way, however, I am certain that you will all agree that TCCT would seem to have experienced it’s “Hey Day” and it is time for it to bow out gracefully, as it so justfully deserves, ….as I am sure Bev (it’s original founder) would also want.

Who knows…when things pick up again I may resurrect it but for the time being it is the end of the road for now.

I myself have been on TCCT four almost 5 years...an exciting time indeed. Thank you to all who purchased, came to visit each month to see what items we had managed to come up with...the awesome swaps between the girls, the friendships formed and still continuing today.

so good bye to TCCT for now... here's to a speedy return!
Julz

almost...

well the flimsy top is all sewn together...
I'm really pleased with how it all came together nicely.
This is another block...just a little tease!

today we spent out in the garden mulching...
well DH and YD mulched,
I pulled out plants past their use by date, were overgrown or just in the way, pruned, carted off to the fire, weeded....and now I'm exhausted!
the garden looks great...only 2 more huge beds to do...
that's for another weekend!

Diva and ED both worked today...so we didn't get to spend much time together,
tomorrow we are off to the movies, minus ED who has to work again...
oh well...

whatever you are doing this Easter weekend I hope it's what you want to be doing!
Did the Easter bunny visit your house last night?
He did here...not too much chocolate, just one bunny each, but that's enough...

cheers Julz

Easter Time....

Happy Easter to everyone...
hope your weekend is progressing along the way you want it too...
slowly!

Hope the Easter Bunny brings you some of these!

Yesterday was totally lazy...
I have managed to do quite a bit on one of my new patterns....
it's a Christmas one...
all will be revealed soon (I hope!)

Today, we have spent the day getting mulch and mulching the front garden bed...
it's looking good...
but now I'm tired and it's time to stitch!

Julz

lazy days....

well Sunday is here again, and almost over again!
I've been off on a weeks holiday, so tomorrow it's back to the grindstone!
Yikes...

We went up to Mansfield for a few days with the kids...
days turned cold and wet....
here is a lovely sunset of Mt Buller (yes behind those clouds)...
this was taken on Tuesday afternoon...

we had been in Mansfield to visit DHs sister,
had lunch and then decided on the way back to where we were staying to go up the mountain,
as we had heard they had snow!
yes snow in April!
(will show some pics in the next post...they're on my phone, cos I forgot my camera!)

The kids had a ball...literally...a snowball fight!
Mt Buller had had 10cm of snow overnight,
no wonder it was cold...
and lucky we had a fabulous fire to keep us warm!

Wednesday we went to the Mansfield Zoo...
fed the animals that followed us all around the place,
watched the lion being fed...wow! glad I wasn't in the pen with him...hungry fellow.

Came home on Thursday as it was still wet and miserable...
thought we might as well be home with weather like that!
Saturday, out in the garden and replanted all the front garden bed we had pulled out the week before...
looking good, that's some of it in the background.

This morning my DH found this huge butterfly out in the garden, bought it in to show the girls....

It wasn't a totally relaxed week off.
while away I decided that I would try to write some of my patterns up that have been sitting and waiting, and waiting and waiting...you get the idea...
well I've got one finished, just need a couple of fixes and a reread, and it should be done...
another one is almost completed (sewing stage) and the instructions are being done as I go with this one...something different for me!
more on that later....I might be in need of some help?????

Back to stitching now...
Julz

PS Oh yeah...nearly forgot!
The Chocoloate Crow Trader is out too...go here to have a look!

time flies...

my goodness, where oh where has the beginning of the year gone?
It's April already and Easter is almost upon us again...
I must be getting old...
my mum (bless her) always said "time flies when you're older",
she wasn't kidding!

another week bites the dust at pharmacy work...
yesterday, one of the girls left after almost 7 years...(I've worked with her for 4)
sad day...
she will be missed by all of us...a very bright ray of sunshine...
love ya Ton!

Not much on the crafty front...maybe some on the weekend...although there is gardening planned, DH and I are off to the nursery when he gets home from work this afternoon...
fingers crossed for a fine weekend!
Julz

update...

well the days just seem to be blurring into each other at the moment...
wake up in the morning, and it's evening before I know it!

anyway, on the weekend I attended a small market at the Wandin North Primary School..
it's their annual fete and major fundraiser for the school...
they only have 25 outside stall holders and I was lucky enough to be asked, as the girls had been to Healesville and seen what I had to offer...they asked, I went.

well what a great day!
the sun was shining...30degrees, lots of people, great entertainment for the day, and lots of sales!
after my last Healesville market, this one was a blessing!!!

we set up and waited...and waited...and finally a sale!
it was the first of quite a few...
I'm always sorry to sell my stuff...I want to keep it all, but know that's not possible..

sorry about the quality of the pics, they were taken in the early morning sun...but I think you get the idea...

No more markets until after Winter now...
back to some stitching for me! and pattern writing! and some designing! maybe!

Julz

long weekend sewing...

well I don't know about you...but this long weekend has just flown past!
Tomorrow it's back to work...(eeek!)
anyhow this is what I have been up to over the past couple of weeks and finished this weekend...

Old Bear wall hanging
(chook shed design)

more baby owls...
(I think the green one is a bit scary!!!)

Easter bunny in a crazy patch egg...
(pattern from Little House Primitives)

Amelia Jane with her bunny friend
(original design by Me)

Crazy patch basket to be filled with choccies!
(another original design by me)

More bunnies in patched baskets....
(thanx Chris)

so if you would like some calorie free Easter decorating head over here....

Julz

more finishes!

this one is finally finished!
I started this some years ago...about 8 I think...
this is the second one I have done of this pattern, the first one ended up being a wedding gift...as I didn't know what to get the couple and this seemed to be a good idea...it was...they love it!
so I needed to do another one for me....here it is...
all I had to do was the binding (for the last 5 years or so...how slack is that?)

and this one is finished also....my friend did the stitcheries...they were in that big black bag of "stuff" she gave me last year...so here they are done into a wallhanging to showcase all those special buttons instead of hiding them in a jar! (this one is for sale)

and I finished another couple of needlecases for the up coming markets
won't show you pics cos you're probably sick of seeing them!

off to see what else is in the UFO basket...
it's finally getting down a bit!
happy stitching if you have the chance today!
cheers
Julz

a bit more done...

busy week finished..
got these things all done,
pieced, put together, quilted and binding done!
x2

when I was looking for bindings for the runners above,
I was going thru some fabric I had recently bought on ebay...
this was a little surprise I found in one piece I was going to use!

Ick....

and no the cockroach stain did not come out...will have to cut this piece up and it was a perfect size for binding....oh well...no harm done, just a fright when I opened up the fabric!

some more needlecases for the upcoming markets...
blue ones...

and some tan ones....

and of course some more owls....

now I'm off to finish some more things....got to get that UFO basket under control!
cheers Julz

Why????

just had a buy a new printer cos the old one...DIED!
(that I love, cos it does everything that I need it to...and it's easy to use too!)

so I went looking, just quickly cos I need it in a hurry...
this one is so basic its really basic...
print, scan, copy.
can't load my memory card or stick into it, can't connect camera cables to it, nothing...

now onto my biggest whinge...
why the hell are the ink cartridges sooooooo small...
and they cost almost as much as the whole damn printer to replace!!!!!

my old printer had individual ink cartridges so you could replace them as needed..
not the new one...oh no...one black and one multi colour..
and I swear they are 1/2 the size of the ones out of the other printer...
which means they will last 1/2 as long....

I'm going to do some research and see if I can find a printer of today, that takes the same ink cartridges as my old one and has the same features....

this one will have to do for the time being......
did I mention how basic it is?

Julz