Back FINALLY

To all my lovely friends who follow my Blog, I am sorry I haven't been blogging for ages!!
For some crazy reason I thought anyone with a computer would be on Face Book.. So FB being so immediate with feedback I have been posting on there and not on here..
A close friend has just pointed out this is not necessarily true 😃 So I will start my 2014 resolution now and start blogging yet again..

Right now I am sitting in Whinnie with my feet on the dash, heading home after 2 weeks holiday..
What a wonderful Christmas and New Year we have had..
So many laughs, family, old friends, perfect oceans, beautiful creeks, picturesque rainforest and amazing bugs, plants and wildlife..
All totally inspiring for a big design year in 2014..
Here's some happy snaps and quick bits of our wonderful journey from Brisbane to Cairns and back...


John and Mike at Airly Beach.. note the sharing of shoes as the ground was so hot...


John living it up on Christmas Eve with our seafood lunch.. as you can see... he was excited.


The aftermath left John exhausted LOL


My neice and I taught each other how to make trifle for Christmas Day.. neither of us had ever made one before!


Taught my Sister in law how to make a '1300 jelly roll race quilt'. Hayley has never made a quilt top before..


We got excited as after 4 hours we were finished


Gotta love beautiful Bali Pops!


John went for a walk on the beach just north of Mission Beach


I spent an hour looking at the colors of 'Gods scraps' and sadly the photos of the pebbles don't do the colors justice


Of course I had to stop at as many quilt shops along the way..


Mike got to buy mega huge bananas for just $1.50 per kilo!


We stopped at an orchid nursery and found out that coconuts make marvellous mounts for orchids


Mike, John and I got lost in 'All Crafts on Main' at Atherton.


We stayed at Lake Eacham Tourist Park over the new year


I awoke on the first day of 2014 to sit amongst the roses and figured this was 'the' sign that 2014 was set to be an awesome year..


The caravan park had the most amazing gardens full of angels and beautiful gardens


Birds played in the waterfountain that shot water up into the branches of the bushes


I bought a FABULOUS felt hat in Malanda


I hate 'selfies' but bought a great crochet hat to match my 'hippie freak' shirt


We spent hours admiring gorgeous gardens with wonderful friends who I grew up with (in the hinterland of the Gold Coast who now live up on the Tablelands)


Sandy fed a huge fish that is completely blind


Mike wanted to stay forever


We dined with wonderful old and new friends outside with the many beetles and bugs but wonderful BBQs


Saw wonderful waterfalls


John sadly filled Whinnie with unleaded fuel instead of Diesel, as we arrived in Townsville as we are heading home now. Thankfully the local 'super hero' Paul, pumped it all out this morning and got us back on the road..


We are now heading home to join in with our son, Matt and his friends who are having a 'Ute Pool Party' at home whilst watching cricket..

So thats how I ended 2013 and started 2014. I hope your holidays have been as happy and as inspiring as mine has been!

I look forward to sharing more sewing and quilting, fun and adventures this year and if you wish to have a more regular update please friend me on Facebook. Obviously you can find me under 'Nikki Tervo' and I also have a business page on Facebook 'Brandy Gully' if you wish to join me there too.
I wish you all an awesome 2014
I hope you are having a happy day
Nikki

A special offer to all my stitching friends..

Tonight I heard from some lovely friends that the Tasmania Craft and Quilt show was on at the moment!
I loved doing the Tassie show. I met great designers there like Libby Richardson when she first started on her craft journey.


This photo is Libby and myself last year being silly, 'lean and pout'...
So there is some history for you, I think Libby's first show was in Tasmania even if she does live in Melbourne.

Anyway, I'm off topic again...

Because I can't be there again this year, and I miss the girls, I figured that I would put an offer out to every one.. You don't have to live in Tasmania, but we can't forget that little piece of Australia...

So here is my first Facebook / blog special..

If you place an order for anything on my website and write 'Facebook' or 'blog' in the comments section as you check out, I will send you a free pattern with your order..

The web address is www.nikkitervodesigns.com.au

I heard recently from about 3 dozen ladies at a quilters picnic that they had heard I had finished with the business and was no longer doing the patterns or the buttons.. I was a bit disappointed to hear that so I would appreciate it if you could share the love around and let your friends know I am still here I am just unable to do the big craft fairs at this stage..

So I hope 'the power of the Internet' can help put the gossip aside and everyone can have a freebie along the way!


Also please let your friends know, as again I heard more confusion...
Brandy Gully is my pattern / design name... similar to Anni Downs has 'Hatched and Patched', I have Brandy Gully..
For those that are curious, Brandy Gully is the name of the small spring fed creek that runs through our back paddock



So I hope that gives you some fun to go check out my web site, tell your friends and get inspired!!
For the girls in Tasmania, I miss you and hope to come visit again soon..

Happy stitching and if you haven't already, find me on Facebook at Nikki Tervo..
I hope you are having a happy day

Nikki
PS
Look who I had to feed dinner tonight


Our neighbours new pet 'bearded dragon' baby...

A Tervo Tip on how to turn a negative into a positive!

Today started like every other day around here.. Waking up before I was ready to get up..
First job- let the chooks out into their yards, do waters, feed and doctor the hospital 'patients'...
After failing badly at introducing the new hens into the 'mob', they were put back into a smaller pen and I set out to rinse the big Sussex chooks eyes with warm salty water to clean them up..
SUDDENLY MY DAY WENT SOUTH!!
Whilst cleaning the chooks eyes (later to be named Stefan) I suddenly realised I was absolutely crawling in mites and they were all covering her too!
Her eyes are so sore!!
I quickly dosed her again for mites ( I did it yesterday too!

Then tried to contact a 'new best friend' about what to do..
The mites were running into her eyes, biting her, biting me, and obviously making Stefan very sick!
A long discussion was held and as I had now overdosed her on chemicals my only cause of action was to give her a bath...

Sorry, no photos, a woman has to keep her dignity some how, and I'm not talking about the chook!!!

I have always sworn I would never wash a chook and blow dry it! It's a chook! I don't want to show them because I'm not going to wash them!!
But mites???
Little buggars!!!

For those of you who don't know, I have PTSD (Post Trauma Stress Disorder) and am very 'funny' about my hair and things in or on it! I was sitting in my PJs when I noticed the mites and my long hair was just dangling every where!
Consequence - I did some damage to myself as I 'flipped out' over the mites!

But if I felt like that then How did Stefan feel??
So.. The laundry tub was filled... Warm water of course...The water wetting agent added, the fabric softener added, and after being warned that Stefan had to be completely submerged to kill the mites, (and she may flap water every where), Stefan went into the tub!
My anxiety attack just kept building but the amount of mites and the desperation to save Stefan from these little sods was over riding the anxiety enough to keep going!
When the plug was pulled 15 minutes later, the water was feral with dead mites, so was I, and poor Stefan was blind, soaking and confused!
Wrapped in a beach towel, I put her out in the sun...
Here's a photo to show how sick she is and how wet!


Yep, that enormous red lump, should just be pink, flat and an eye...
Now do u understand why i did what i never said i would do... bath a chook???

Then the madness set in.. it was a cold day today... Stefan started to quiver... now my sick chookie was cold!
So out came the blow dryer from the ensuite!
Stefan was then subjected to a blow dry and style! Amazingly by this stage i had either nearly killed her or she liked the warmth, but either way, she sat perfectly still in my lap, while the Parlour Treatment continued!
A pic of the end result...


Another beautiful pic


Her eyes already looked better but certainly still horrid!
Stefan then was placed in her new hospital ward, in the sun, to rest and recouperate!

Only trouble is, by this stage the anxiety was huge and now I was in trouble!
my head was now injured further from self inflicted attack.. I was in agony!
So i figured if it was good for Stefan it was good for me...
look out shower here i come (photos stop here LOL)

Heres the Tervo Top Tip!!!
If you ever have a massive anxiety attack, remove yourself from the stresses and try as hard as you can to focus on something completely different...
Fact: I hate housework!!!
My shower was disgusting,
Soap scum and grunge every where!! Focus on cleaning the shower whilst the water drowns any bugs I might have in my hair...
Grand Plan..
Only no cleaning products or scrubbing brushes around and anxiety too great to go find one...
So I found these...


You know those 'pamper gloves' that help exfoliate your skin while you wash!
They are brilliant shower cleaners!
Stuff your hand inside and just wipe everything down.. No need to scrub hard.. No cleaning products required, great on glass, cleans off soap scum, removes mould, and if you can get your finger into the groove, your glove will just clean it away!!
AMAZING!!!
Oh and if you are wondering, I know men's hands fit into the gloves, and best of all, they don't go mouldy in your shower in between cleans!!!
No chemicals are needed so the environment is happy, and no elbow grease is needed, just a wipe over!
The glass screens were clean and not scratched!
And best of all, I had gotten so caught up in how easy it was to clean my shower I had forgotten the mites, and the anxiety was fixed. I had washed and conditioned my hair along the way....
and FINALLY my shower was clean!!!

So there are a few Tervo Tips lessons for the day!......
mites make chooks really sick..
Don't use too much chemical as u can kill a chook that way...
Mites drown,
chooks are fairly easy to bath even if they are a bit stinky.
Chooks don't mind warm water to the top of their neck...
Blow drying chooks can be quite fun as long as no one is watching LOL
Anxiety can be calmed with distraction techniques..
And best of all, pampering gloves are Brilliant for cleaning bathrooms!!!

So I hope that makes your day so much better 🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣

Hope you are having a happy day
Nikki

Sydney wholesale show

Bronwyn and I are still 'glamping' at Logan's Patchwork each night... Don't dob us in.. But WOW is it great to go looking for fabric in the middle of the night LOL


Can you spot Bron?? All this lovely stuff to look at and no one to tell us to go to bed...
I thought I'd show you some photos of my booth...


Before the shop owners came visiting to see all my new wares..


With lots of new patterns being released..


A new pincushion..


A sweet little tissue case stitchery...


A little purse...


And a sweet little photo album..


Another pincushion (In the Round) made in lovely Tilda fabric and lace...


'Old Friends' up on show...


'The Stitchers Companion' looking very pretty...


I still love the stitcheries on the 'Block Folder'...


Still gotta say I LOVE BUTTONS!!!


So I took heaps of plastic buttons too...


And just to prove we are in Sydney, I thought I would add a wonderful pic of the city scape and all the wonderful traffic! LOL
Just to gloat... I saw a few famous people today.. Michelle Marvig stopped past the stand to say Hi and of course I just HAD to ask about her next 'Stitching Cruise'. Imagine a cruise around New Zealand stopping off to visit shops, stitching as you floated around, Ah Sigh...
Needless to say I dropped some very heavy hints that I would love to be a tutor one time or two...
If a stitching cruise is your 'thing' then google it as I'm sure it will sell out fast! I know the one Michelle spoke of today had Lynette Anderson as one of the fabulous tutors... (Jealousy really is a curse sometimes LOL)
Anyway I will go on the scout tomorrow for some of the new 'stuff' so you can check it out...
My new patterns, if they aren't already out in the shops or on my web site will be very very soon!
Bronwyn is into the books in the shop so gotta go...


Happy Stitching
Nikki

Sydney Wholesale Show

Well the once a year Sydney wholesale show is happening and Whinnie is off on another adventure...
Packed tight with all the latest patterns and samples, water, chocolate, my friend Bronwyn, and lots of quilts to keep us warm.
First night we stayed in Coffs Harbour and last night we stayed at Logan's Patchwork


Sign to prove it LOL
Suburban Glamping is a hoot!
thankfully we have the key to the shop so we can use their loo... Whinnie's is a bit full..


Shower and loo is turned into a storage cupboard...


The top bed is my clothes line and packed with shelving, lights and tables..


The dining room is my bed..


Bronwyn is sleeping in my 'sewing room'.
Heres a sneak peak at some of my blocks from my latest BOM that is being released here at the show


Not just teapots...


Not just teacups..


Hope you are having a happy day
But lots of brand new Tilda fabric...


So we are setting off now to go on a fabric crawl, then off to set up this afternoon.
i hope you are all 'making happy memories today'
Nikki