Friday, September 6, 2013

Its Spring :-)

Hello dear friends & readers,

My favourite season has arrived . . .  spring.
I love spring  ...  to me it is the season of "hope" ...   after the winter it makes me feel full of hope when I see my plants & bulbs peep through the soil & rear their heads again 


Although our winters here are getting milder, it still fills me with hope when things come into bloom again


My magnolia is in full bloom & I can enjoy it from my dining-room window

My young friend Rebecca is having her first baby & they have found out it is going to be a boy - they have decided to name him Toby
As I knew she was a golly lover I decided to make her a golly for her baby shower gift ... I knew just the pattern too 
I chose Tobias -  a Melody Daly design out of the Handmade Magazine 
I decided to do a "kiwiana themed golly" as I knew Rebecca loved this particular buzzy bee fabric


His top is a lovely soft polar fleece that I already had in my stash


I stitched his name on with beads but (should they decide NOT to name him Toby) they can be unstitched easily

While I was making him up I made 2 extra bodies to have as stock for the Cottage
I did one as a boy & then the same body,  but dressed as a girl


Last year I did this pink colourway, but I have not used this boy golly fabric for the boy before ... I was really pleased with the end result (& especially delighted that I found my bumble bee buttons which matched the bow tie fabric perfectly!!)

taken before the stylist came along & did her hair properly !!!!!
I gave her a toy to hold, but he just gets to hold her hand


This giraffe had browny coloured dots on its body so when I wanted to change them to hot pink, I simply held my hair dryer against each one & it loosened it .... you may already know this tip, but some of you may not ... I use this method for loosening the glue on lots of things & find it works very well  :-)


After reading this particular post from Raewyn I decided to use some of my flybuys rewards points to buy the Rosemary McLeod book for myself ... I had coveted it for quite sometime but it was rather expensive to purchase


I haven't found time to read it thoroughly yet but a couple of patterns that really caught my eye were these ...


a gorgeous vintage stitched apron . . . 


& I thought this applique picture (above) was just beautiful 

I was lucky enough to catch up with some lovely friends last weekend & this is the surprise gift they gave me ... have you seen these ??


They are called Tili Jars ... & they have 1001 uses (apparently)


I just adore it ... as soon as I opened it I immediately thought "red buttons"  . . .  but now I am thinking perhaps red jaffa lollies ??!!   But I am not too sure how long they will remain in the jar (knowing my willpower - or lack of)!!!

Finally to share with you something just a little bit personal ...

"Sometimes in the middle of an ordinary day ... life gives us a fairy tale ..."

When I was 27 years old I found myself with a broken marriage & 2 young sons to raise on my own ... to say that they were difficult years would be an understatement ... 
sometimes it felt like it was all uphill. When my boys grew into teenagers they pushed hard against every single boundary I set them. Somedays I think we just got by on pretty much "a wing & a prayer"


my son laughs at this old picture "Oh Mum your so 80's - look at your fashions" he says
Some people wish for great & wonderful things for their children ... I did not.   I never wanted my sons to rule the world or become rocket scientists ... I simply wanted them to grow into decent young men who were good & kind to others & to each other & to themselves ... & most of all, I wanted them to be happy.



My youngest son (above) & his lovely partner have been saving for what seems like forever to do a trip to Europe for 6 weeks - it feels like they have been poor for a very long time.  On Sunday they flew to Paris & on Wednesday he proposed to her in that wonderful city of love ... my heart is bursting with happiness & joy for them both - he told me before he left he had found the one he wants to grow old with ... what more can he ask for?
And my eldest son is getting married in my garden in late November to his lovely partner also.
As their Mum, what more can I ask for??
Thanks for letting me share that with you all.



The Mr's old work boots, now growing moss & planted with polyanthus ... love the little foxglove self-seeded into the crack where the lace-up was.

Have a great weekend dear friends 
sending wishes of happiness to you all - thanks for popping by - your visits make my day  :-)
much love/hugs/friendship,
Julie x0x0x

12 comments:

  1. Oh dear Julie
    This is a wonderful post!
    How lovely to see the old photo - it's gorgeous.
    Yes my sentiments exactly - I just wanted my children to be happy then everything else has a way of falling into place.
    A very romantic proposal in Paris - they will never forget that - she's a very lucky girl.
    (He's so handsome J)!!! if only I was 20 - OK 40 yrs younger!
    I've borrowed the book from the library - it's lovely and I hope to have it on my bookshelf one day too!

    Have a lovely weekend enjoy the sunshine
    hugs
    Shane xox

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  2. Hello Julie,

    What a gorgeous post. Your Son's have done well for themselves, how romantic is your Son, congrats to the couple. Oh yeah and those bright coloured clothes were on my oldest two as well.
    Lucky you to be able to get that book, Aussie flybuys haven't got anything like that. Enjoy.

    Have a lovely Spring weekend.
    Bev.

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  3. What a lot of happiness coming your way Julie, a lovely post :-)Congratulations to all teh happy couples and the proud mum.
    I think that, as well as having the same book as you, I have the same Magnolia... mine is flowering gorgeously at the moment too, only ours is in the cowshed garden not visible from teh dining room!
    Toby is one cute guy, as are his friends. Have you discovered Melody's blog? I'm sure she will appreciate seeing your versions of her pattern
    http://thehouseonthesideofthehill.blogspot.co.nz/
    Have a happy weekend!!!

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  4. Oh dear-heart..that is all just wonderful news & what a lovely mother you are! Who's looking after all the chookies then while they're away!? How's the garden coming along? I know I decided to just keep at it bit by bit, in preparation for the Holly Hospice Trail in November last year..it worked pretty well as a plan & now a whole year has gone by & all is romping away once again, especially after all our rain.
    Such sweet details on all of your gollys & dolls. Love the bee buttons. Kiwiana was a good plan.
    Funny thing..I have traded with Rosemary a few times lately. She has bought various pieces of vintage linen from me. Looks like an inspiring book. And an actual & decent thing for your flybuys points!
    Love the foxglove in the crevice..I like that they do that.
    Have a very happy weekend..soaking in the joy.
    Much love & friendship.
    Catherine x0x0x0x

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  5. If only you'd had a crystal ball during those hard times. I love your Gollies, I have a badge collection. Your boots prove that old is beautiful! Forgot to say you may like to see my doily love post (10th June) now I must make a doily badge for our new club! Eco Ethel xx

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  6. What a wonderful time for you, to see the dreams you had for your sons come to life and to know that they both have people who love them as much as you and to share their adventures with. Your gollies are very sweet, you have such a good stash of extras to personalise them with - their owners are going to love them. Betty x

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  7. Dear Julie, I can always rely on you to gladden my heart with your lovely posts and this one is no exception. Congratulations on raising two fine young men and also congrats to them and I wish them everything wonderful. Love your gorgeous magnolia. I am a Golly fan from way back and I am sure the new bub will treasure his. Happy Spring Julie. Hugs xx

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  8. MERRY springtime to you friend! My heart is bursting for you too, such cool news!
    What a lovely Tilli jar, buttons might last longer than Red Jaffa's!

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  9. So exciting!!!
    What a wonderful way to embrace Spring for you.
    All sounds just amazing down your way.
    How do you ever find the time to make such wonderfully detailed things?
    The pink petals are just so delicate and lovely looking. I hope the weather all goes well for the wedding.

    Oh that picture of you guys, so many memories of that time must come flooding back.
    The 80's, my goodness didn't we all look the same,lol
    You just must be so proud of the job you did and how they became lovely gentlemen!
    Congrats!
    Take care Julie and now I will go get my Fall leaves out and start decorating, funny seeing your spring time petals as I rustle with the fall foliage here.
    Amy

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  10. I imagine Paris was quite the romantic proposal spot! Congratulations to them both. Lisa xx

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  11. Hi Julie
    It was so great to meet you the other day, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and all my goodies!!!
    I hope the sun is shining for you today after all the bad weather
    Blessings
    Michelle

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  12. Hi Julie, I missed this post earlier but I wanted to add my congratulations. What an exciting time for your little family and I loved reading about your wishes for your children. Hugs Wendy

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