Not Alone

Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Low Tide

Leaves x 3

Rain Catcher

Briquettes?

Grille

Entrance

Round and Round She Goes ...

There Be Dragons Here

The Back Fence Faces North

Scattegories

This meme came from Nic's blog and is a nice distraction on a public holiday, which means that I'm working from home instead of the office.

Instructions: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following…They MUST be real places, names, things…nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You can’t use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name: Maggie
Famous Artist/Band/Musician: Maroon 5
4 letter word: Muse
Vehicle: Masseratti
TV Show: Midsomer Murders
City: Montreal
Boy Name: Mikhal
Girl Name: Mona
Alcoholic drink: Margurita
Occupation: Masseuse
Flower: Marigolds
Something you wear: Makeup
Celebrity: Madonna
Something found in a kitchen: Mess
Cartoon Character: Mickey Mouse
Something You Shout: Moron!
A Country: Mauritius
A Song Title: Moondance by Van Morrison
An Artist (painter, photographer, etc): Michelangelo
A Reason to stay home from Work or School: Mumps
Something you’d see at a Zoo: Monkey
A Snack: Mami noodles
A Character in a Book: Mr Darcy
Something Icky: Mange
A Six-letter Word: Maniac
Something Breakable: Magnifying glass
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Milk
Something you Whisper: Maybe

Rain

How Rough Has Sydney's Weather Been?

This used to be where I caught the ferry into the city.

Clouds at Dawn and Dusk

Opera House at Twilight

I Give You ... The Lowly Toilet Paper Roll

This has to be the handiest little gadget going ... that's right, the lowly toilet paper roll.

I use them to keep electrical cords neat and tidy. Just fold the cord in half a few times and slip an empty toilet paper roll to keep it folded. Works well with extension cords too. I use toilet paper rolls on cords for the iron (when it gets put away), toaster, kettle, hair dryer, sewing machines (when they get put away), blender, extension cords ... you get the idea.

They are also invaluable when making bias bindings. I roll the bias bindings onto an empty roll on the ironing board after I've pressed the bias strip in half. Secure it with a straight pin and the binding isn't going anywhere.

As I apply the bias binding to the quilt, I unroll it off the roll as I go. That reduces the chance that the bias binding will get stretched as I work with it. After one side is pinned and ready to sew, I use a strong clothes peg and clip the roll to the edge of the quilt. Then I can sew on the binding without worrying about stretching the rest of the binding if it falls out of my lap or drops on the floor.

I also store any leftover bias bindings on toilet paper rolls to be used for scrap quilts. Keeps them all together, easy to find in by scrap box(es) and they don't get stretched while I search through looking for something else.

When a roll gets worn out from being used, I just pop it into the recycling when another one becomes available. A friend of mine covers hers with holographic shelf paper so they don't look quite so ... realistic.

The rolls from aluminium foil and paper towels can also be used to store applique blocks that you don't want to fold. You can also roll up miniature quilts for storage.

I'm sure that there are more uses for these little beauties but that's what I use them for.

Statue #4

Statue #3

Statue #2

Statue #1

Roof #2