When Creativity goes off on a tangent

I've created lots of designs during my craft journey over the years and my 200+ Patterns that I sell have all been prepared through  the Publisher Software (plus a Graphic Design programme). I knew Publisher was being phased out, but I thought I had until January 2027 when my Microsoft Subscription runs out to do something about ensuring my patterns would be OK. Imagine the mild panic when I discovered that after 1st October, the programme will no longer work at all!

The next disturbing discovery I made was that as from the beginning of 2027, my Paypal purchasing buttons on my website would no longer work and I would have to redo them all, one at a time - a very long tedious project. 

Just prior to these unsettling discoveries, my creativity had begun to pick up, but instead of it going into a new quilt or a new stitchery, it had gone off on a tangent. I had this urge to update all the Cover Photos and advertising of my patterns with improved photos and beautiful lettering.

So, with three very good reasons to get going, creativity took over! It was 'boots and all' for the next three weeks - restyling the pattern covers, updating information, putting new photos on the website, linking all my patterns to Etsy, adding patterns that I hadn't had for sale there, and designing new Blog, Facebook and Instagram headers. It was a lot of work but very creatively fulfilling. The Publisher problem has been solved, the Paypal issue has been bypassed and I like to think that I now have a lot of eye-candy displaying my designs.

After enjoying all that fun, one sour note landed on my enjoyment, and I discovered that at least one of my patterns was being sold on a fraudulent website with people paying twice the price for my pattern and then of course not receiving anything for their money. It's so sad that people are prepared to steal so blatantly. So, a reminder if you want to purchase any of my patterns, make sure you are either on my website or my Etsy store! 

An update on the nesting Lapwings - two babies hatched successfully and it gave me great pleasure watching these little fluffballs on legs! God's creation is so amazing.

My creations aren't anywhere as amazing but I hope you will check out my Pattern Page and see all my lovely redesigned Pattern covers.

Happy stitching

Val

Easing into a new way of life.

I'm slowly adjusting to my new way of life. A large part of my week is still filled with what I have been doing for a long time - administration for our Church.  However, now I have a few extra hours available for activities each day and I'm starting to enjoy a more leisurely lifestyle, going to a concert, having lunch with Church friends after Sunday service, and pottering around in my vegie garden. 

Some mindless Granny Square crocheting in front of the TV in the evenings has produced this little bag. Crochet is so easy, requires so little thinking, and accomplishes a lot quickly, that it has become my 'Go-to' craft for the moment. 

I plan eventually to get back into making things like this coat hanger frock some time. I made this one a couple of months ago, but motivation isn't there yet for that type of activity. 

I am enjoing this beautiful 'Jubilee Celebration' rose. One of my daughters gave me this rose bush to celebrate our 60th Wedding Anniversary. It was amazing that my hubby was still with us for that event, as he passed away just two weeks later. We've had a fairly mild Winter, and the first rose has bloomed already, a whole month before Spring. Its perfume is amazing.

I've also been enjoying watching these Masked Lapwings. They have decided to nest on the roof of my neighbour's garden shed, right in the corner adjacent to my rockery. They are a picture of dedication, sharing incubation duties, night and day, cold and heat, sun and rain and fiercely protecting the eggs if I get too close watering my plants. I enjoy watching them from my loung chair and am looking forward to seeing some babies in a couple of weeks. 

I am so thankful to God that I am able to enjoy life and celebrate the beautiful people and things He sends my way.

Val

The Therapeutic Value of Sorting!

 It's now two months into my journey of being a widow. There are some good days and some not-so-good ones! A few things have surprised me. 

The first is how long it has taken to do all the paperwork of advising all the companies of my new situation. My training and jobs have been in administration and I am still doing all the admin for our Church, so I decided I would do all the legal requirements myself. The fact that there was an undisputed will and that everything was in joint names meant that there was no need for me to hire a solicitor or lawyer.  

What I didn't count on was how long it would take to find out what forms to fill in, and then the time spent in digging out all the information to fill them in. On top of that, every organisation required something different in the way of certification. It meant quite a few trips to visit the JPs at the local shopping centre. Thankfully all the important things are now done and finalised and I saved myself a lot of money by doing it myself!

The other thing that surprised me is that I don't have much motivation to do any craft. In fact for quite a few weeks the only motivation I seemed to have was to look after my vegetable garden. With much more time on my hands, I expected I would be right into doing lots of stitching, but I'm not! I am enjoying doing some fairly mindless Granny Square crochet while I watch TV and have put together a bag, but that's about the limit.

What I have enjoyed doing is SORTING! 

With more time on my hands, I decided I will start listening to music again. We have a very good 40 year-old record player which wasn't working. Google helped me find what was wrong; I bought the part, fitted it and everything now works perfectly. But the record collection was in such a mess! I had great delight in sorting it into classifications and then further putting it in alphabetical order. Now it is so easy to find which record I would like to enjoy.

Then there was the CD collection. When I brought home all the CD's that I played for hubby in the Aged Care, they were just plonked anywhere. Besides that, everything was very dusty through lack of use. So you guessed it - everything came out, was dusted, classified and alphabetically sorted. I've been listening to records, so haven't benefitted yet from being able to find which CD I want, but nevertheless it is very satisfying to have everything in order, and of course they will get used soon!

It's the day of digital everything, but I seemed to have accumulated an awful lot of physical paperwork over the last couple of months. Space left in the writing desk was minimal so it was time to see what I could get rid of. A box of cards caught my eye. I have a friend who makes the most beautiful cards by recycling used ones, so it was time to sort them out and give them away. There were some sad moments as I found cards given to me by my darling husband but there were smiles as I found hand-drawn ones from the grandchildren. These special ones won't be given away! 

Having been through the process of all the legalities of an estate, I wanted to ensure it was an easy task for my family when they have to handle my affairs. My important papers were all well organised with everything in well-marked folders. However, I realised they would have to wade through a huge amount of paperwork to actually find what was needed in all those folders. They don't really want the house plans, extensions, upgrades etc when all they need is the Title Deeds! I have therefore gone through all my folders and pulled out just the paperwork they will need. The next question was how to store it safely. For that I have purchased a fireproof, waterproof hard bag with a handle. It is just ideal and I can also store my computer backups and things in it.

So I have found all this sorting very therapeutic and calming. It is wonderful to be happily doing tasks that require the absolute minimum of thinking power with a great sense of achievement on completion!

I have even started 'sorting' out my rockery which was being overtaken by the fountain grass. That was a much more energetic activity with still quite a bit to be done. But there's no hurry!

I am so thankful to God for His support, comfort and strength when I need it most ... and for getting me sorting! I know that some time in the future I will be more motivated to do some more craft, but again, there's no hurry!

God bless you.

Val

My sad news

I just want to let you know that the love of my life, my husbnd Ray, passed into the presence of Jesus on 30th April. 

He was an amazing man who spent his life totally for Jesus, lived life to the full, and impacted hundreds of people through the Christian ministry in which he served all his life. Even the Australian Government recognised his sacrificial service and he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2011.

We had a wonderful service celebrating his life with many of our large family taking part. Tributes have flowed in from far and wide and I put many of them in the back of the Program here: https://bit.ly/RayCelebrationService.

Some of you might be interested to watch the Celebration Service: bit.ly/RayLairdCelebration.  I’m sorry it is quite long – my large family had a lot to say and do! If you want to skip to some of the features, you can find the Eulogy at 9.40, the family tributes at 27.03 and his life story in Photos at 1:19.57. 

For me, there are many big adjustments to make and many legal requirements to meet, and eventually I will get back to stitching again and hopefully back to sharing stories and photos on the blog.

God bless you.

Val

Daughter time!

Last month, I was able to spend time with my two daughters-in-law. April turned out to be the month when I could spend time with both my daughters - one of them unexpectedly!

Easter was an opportunity to catch a train for an 8 hour journey north to Rockhampton, where my daughter and some of her family live. All the family came home for the weekend, so it was a wonderful opportunity to spend time together, play lots of games (including a Murder Mystery Party) and enjoy lovely food. I am so thankful to the Lord that hubby was OK while I was away, so I was able to relax and have a little holiday.

My suitcase was packed with a little parcel of goodies, including the items you see in this post - donations to the Christian Bookstore that my daughter manages.

When I arrived home, my daughter and her husband from Japan, had flown in for a funeral. They were able to stay for the whole week, so while a sad occasion, it was a bonus that we could spend time together.

Annette has had diabetes for a long time and was reliant on insulin. Her body is producing enough insulin now and along with different medication, it has meant she has lost a lot of weight. The climate she lives in requires that she wears natural fibres as much as possible. So what do you do with beautiful and expensive, cotton, linen and silk garments that are now way too big? You bring them home to Mum to alter! It has been no mean task to reduce tops, skirts and dresses by 5 or 6 sizes!!! The sleeveless tops were relatively easy, but the lined dresses were something else! I gave up counting after I had done 27 for her, and still have a pile that requires a lot more work which hopefully will be done before she comes home again! 

I did question her as to wouldn't it be easier to just buy a whole new wardrobe! Her role as Head of an International School does require that she dress well with lots of formal occasions such as meeting with Ambassadors and it did seem such a waste to throw out such beautiful garments when they still had a lot of life in them.

I'm worried she will bring home her winter wardrobe next time!!!

God bless you.

Val

Spending time with my daughters-in-law

I have two wonderful daughters-in-law! They are both amazing in the way they do life and care for family and friends ... and show their love for me! 

One of them lives only 40 minutes away and she is always telling me that she will just drop everything if I need her for anything. How good is that! 

The other one lives 2,000 kilometres away but her work brings her to my area three or four times a year. On most of those visits she is able to stay with me for a few days. It is always so good to catch up.

I was blessed to have both of them together with me last week so you can imagine how wonderful it was and how much chatting was done!

How could I say anything but "I would be delighted" when Sue asked me to make her one of my Blossom Cottage Calendars for their home? 

She went home with all the numbers, days of the week, and months of the year in their pretty box and the calendar all ready to hang on the wall and change each day - a perpetual calendar that will never date!

If you want to make your own, the pattern is available here.

Now I look forward to the next week or two when I shall catch up with both my daughters!

Happy stitching and many blessings for the Easter Season when we celebrate the amazing death and resurrection of Jesus.

Val

"I eat better than I cook!"

You may have seen the cute kitchen sign "I eat better than I cook!". I think I probably fit into that category! I have never been interested in cooking and always said that I wasn't in the right queue when the cooking gifts were given out!

At times, when I've said that, members of my family, have told me that I really don't do too badly and my cooking is quite OK! They probably are just encouraging me and being nice! We actually have three chefs in our family (two grandchildren and a grandson's spouse) and it was certainly not my genes that were passed on!

During my illness, (see last post - https://val-laird.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-fs-and-ps-of-pericarditis.html) my daughter did all the cooking. She is a great cook and the meals were so lovely that I enjoyed them, even when I didn't feel much like food. But her holiday ended, and the frozen leftovers eventually ran out, and it was back to my very ordinary meals prepared in the quickest time possible.

I was still recovering from my illness and those tasteless meals just didn't cut it! Food is meant to be enjoyed, so something had to be done! There are a lot of prepared meals available now, or fresh kits to make them, but with my significant number of food intolerances, it just wasn't feasible to go down that path.

So, I came up with a plan - well actually four weeks of plans. I always find thinking about what on earth I am going to cook is one of the major issues, so what was needed was to have everything thought out beforehand.

 

It was on to the trusty computer, and I soon had a layout set up with the days of the week, a column for lunch meals, a column for the carbohydrate (potato, pasta, rice etc.) and a column for the evening main meal. Then I decided to stick with the same meat on a certain day for each week - Monday is chicken day, Tuesday fish, Wednesday Pork etc.

Then it was out with the recipe books, spread all over the table! There was plenty of tossing out of recipes with food that I can't eat now, or that I know I would never make, or that would require too much preparation. Eventually I had gathered together four weeks of recipes, some tried and trusted, some that looked interesting, and all with ingredients that I would normally carry in my pantry.

I soon found a binder, printed out my four menu plans and behind each week's plan I placed the recipes for that week in plastic sleeves. There are choices within the week's plan so 10-12 recipes are all there ready to go.

I am delighted to say that I have now been through the month's cycle, enjoyed my own cooking heaps more than I have for a long time, crossed off a few recipes that didn't meet expectations, and added a few I have found online. I now allow that extra five minutes that is needed to produce a meal that is tasty and enjoyable and have found that the discipline of following a planned menu has been really worthwhile. And if I ever get sick of making the same meal each month, then I will just add another few weeks of plans!

God bless you.

Val

The "Fs" and "Ps" of Pericarditis

Early December I wasn't feeling at all well, and after two trips to doctors and a CT Scan, what showed up was that I had Pericarditis. Doctor said that it was caused by an unknown infection, there was  nothing they could do, rest was the cure, and it would last six - eight weeks.

I didn't need that with Christmas approaching! 

Thankfully, on Christmas Day I was OK enough to prepare the traditional Christmas Dinner of Turkey, Roast Vegetables, and Suet Pudding for the family, and the girls quickly put together our Christmas Evening Grazing Table for the 12 of us.

Things tended to go downhill after that! I was ever so thankful that, after the bulk of the family left on New Year's Eve, my daughter stayed on for another week looking after me, doing all the cooking etc. 

Paracetamol and Prayer helped me survive! The pain was unpleasant, the fever debilitating, the flutters and palpitations frightening, and the fatigue overwhelming! I've never spent so many hours in my lounge recliner! I couldn't even do any embroidery as my eyes were so affected that I couldn't see to do fine work. I did find that I could crochet with thicker knitting cotton, so used up some left-over lengths of thread to make some pretty flowers.

With daughter at the wheel of the car, I was able to visit hubby, otherwise I didn't have the strength to drive. But those visits had a nasty barb - Covid broke out! Thirty+ Aged Care Residents contracted it ... as did I! As the doctor said, "You didn't need that on top of Pericarditis!"

Needless to say, I passed Covid on to our daughter, whose symptoms all broke out when she arrived home!

I'm happy to say that, now in the 8th week, I am feeling so much better. For a time I wondered whether I would ever feel well again! Life now has just about resumed its normal rhythm, all my usual responsibilities are being taken up, I can see to stitch again, I'm finding food more interesting (though still have to catch up with the 2 kg I lost), and I'm telling myself my holiday is over!

Since I am normally fairly well, it was a bit of a shock to the system to have something knock me flat like that! 

As you would know if you have read my blog recently, I make articles with Scripture verses to donate to the Christian Bookstore which my daughter manages. The photos are of some of the phone cases, bags, mini-organisers, pouches, coat-hangers and notebook covers that I had ready for her to take back home with her. I hope you find them much more interesting to view than my forlorn pericarditis story!

God bless.

Val

Time to wish you a happy Christmas!

As 2025 winds to its end, it's time to wish you a happy Christmas! My blog posts have been only occasional this year, a reflection on this season of my life and my age!

I have been just as busy as ever, but it now takes a bit longer to accomplish things! I still enjoy making pretty items to donate to the Christian bookshop which my daughter manages in Rockhampton. Then the two calendars I made for the Aged Care where hubby is a resident, took a considerable amount of time and effort (see https://val-laird.blogspot.com/2025/10/redesigning-my-calendar-quilt.html and https://val-laird.blogspot.com/2025/08/welcoming-spring.html) 

I spend the morning working for my church (administration and Bible Study preparation) and the afternoon is time with hubby at the Aged Care.

Then, if I stay awake long enough after the evening meal, it is time for stitching Scripture verses for the items to make for the Bookstore.

This one is a mini-organiser:

A notebook cover:

Another mini-organiser:

Journal cover:

and a pretty box to keep treasures!

Thank you to those who still have a look at what I am doing - some of you have been with me for a long time!

I pray this Christmas will be a special time of celebrating the birth of Jesus - the Only One who can save our poor world and those who live in it!

Val

Redesigning my Calendar Quilt

In an earlier post, I mentioned that the Aged Care where my hubby has been a resident for the last 4½ years, asked me to make perpetual calendars for two of their Dining Rooms. For the first calendar I made my original Garden Dreams Pattern. I gave it just a few slight adjustments but it was basically the same as the original design and everyone loves it.

What was I going to make for the second calendar? I don't know whether you are like me, but I really dislike making the same thing twice!  There was no way I was going to make another Garden Dreams Calendar, having just spent three months making the first one!

Four years ago, I designed a lovely perpetual calendar wall quilt, called Days of Delight, and it was offered as a Block of the Month program in 2022. It is labour intensive, but spread over 12 months made it possible and 'doable'. 

There were lots of things to love in the original version of the Days of Delight project, eg the cute little Days of the Week mini-quilts. Since I hadn't made those for four years, and with totally different fabric bringing about enough difference, I was happy to launch into applique and embroidery to create them. I just changed one mini-quilt to something a little less complicated than the original. 

Then there were the sweet little hexagons. They are flipped so that the sides are parallel. I decided that they could stay also. Who doesn't love a hexagon???

The 12 sweet little Months of the Year mini-quilts also got the nod, but I have made them smaller and removed the extra embroidery elements in the new design.

They were the easy decisions to make! While I liked the original version of the background, there was something about the solid fabrics that I used that didn't give me that exuberant feeling of just loving every bit of the design!

Actually, I could probably say that about almost every quilt where I have featured solids! My style just doesn't lend itself to using them! Give me tone-on-tone or busy little fabrics any day!

So a total revamp of the actual background was the answer! For the main feature, I used one of my quaint cottages, with a lovely Suffolk Puff Garden.

A wheelbarrow, a tree and a birdhouse were added, and it was all starting to really come together.

It just needed some Prairie Points to finish off the edge and Blossom Cottage is complete!

Of course, you have to have somewhere to store all those mini-quilts and hexagons, so a fabric box was the answer.

 

I have removed Days of Delight from sale now, but Blossom Cottage pattern is available for purchase in its place. You can find it on my Wall Quilts and Hanging page here.

Now I'm just waiting for the quilt hanger to arrive and Blossom Cottage Calendar should be soon hanging in the dining room. I am hoping the residents love it as much as I do!  

Happy stitching!

Val