Do you take part in any Flickr Group or other swaps? 

When i have the time I love to play along with swaps. I have been known to take part when really I shouldn't because I really love to take part.

 I really enjoy the 'hanging out' with people that all have that thing in common. I enjoy getting to know new people as well as doing something with virtual friends that I've known for some time.

And I really love playing around with ideas that I wouldn't or shouldn't really have the time to play around with. Swaps are just the perfect excuse to try something I have wanted to for ages.

At the moment one of the groups I'm hanging out with is this great group of people in the Brit Quilt Swap and I've been working on a little travel piece for a certain someone (obviously I can't say who as like most swap this is a secret one) and have really been enjoying it. It's just big enough to get my teeth into without being too overwhelming to take over from stuff I should be doing. The perfect little distraction.

I'm just about there with it...a little label, a few extras and it's ready to go.

So what gets your juices flowing in swaps? (if anything that is) I'd love to know ;-)

Pssst: Last day to enter my latest fantastic giveaway...I'll be drawing the lucky winner some time tomorrow (about 6pm GMT) so you've still a little time to enter.

Go on...it could be you...

 The summer holidays have already started in this house. Sam and Noah broke up on Friday, Ruby has almost another 2 weeks to go. At the moment it doesn't seem too disruptive as the boys have gone to London to stay with my in-laws this week and since Matthew took them down yesterday morning, it is just me and The Rubester around these parts.

It is extremely rare for it just to be the 2 of us so we tried to have a real quality day yesterday. 

It started with a little glittery nail painting and it was even warm enough for us to expose them and show them off.

I then dragged Ruby out for a run (her on her bike)...actually I think we did that before the nails...would have made sense to anyway.

Cooped up in front of Murray-Federer for the next 4 hours made us need to go out for a breath of air and stretch our legs. (Didn't the boy do well? Was mightily impressed with his performance and made me quite warm to him.)

The day was so calm and relaxing doing a little bit of everything. 

It's not often I can say that about a weekend around these parts. We even managed quality bedtime with cuddles and reading thrown in...makes a pleasant change from being thrown into bed and lights out in haste at an attempt at a decentish time for the next week at school.

What's more I even managed to get some sewing in after lights out (hers not mine).

Not bad for a Sunday...

It's Brit Quilt Swap time...

I probably should have done this post yesterday to give those Brits amongst you that wanted a chance to sign up to do so (sorry, sign up closed today).

I'm excited to hear who I'm going to be sewing for and see what amazing piece (no pressure there!) my secret partner comes up with for me.

Here's the mosaic I constructed to give my partner a feel for my likes at the mo but please head here for all the links to these stunning pieces as I forgot to save them to post here.

Other participants have posted some fantastic treasuries and it's going to be lots of fun following what everyone is up to.

Keep an eye on it all too here...