Thursday, June 12, 2014

The blink of an eye . . .

Good afternoon dear friends & readers,

The past couple of weeks has passed by in the blink of an eye ...

Last weekend I had the unexpected pleasure of a visit from a  friend I originally met through my blog  -
my dear friend Leeanne from quiltmekiwi came down to the Waikato for a couple of nights.

"Lets go Op Shopping" was her only request ... I was more than happy to oblige   :-)


The left hand pic is my car boot after our day of hitting the Op Shops & the right hand pic is (some of) my stash spread out on my bed


This was the end of my lounge as I hung all my Op Shop treasures on the clothes horse to dry after soaking & washing them ... I love this sight  :-)

(It was so lovely to spend time with Leeanne, & even though The Mr & I tried really, really hard ... we were unable to sneak a kitten into her car before she went home again!!!)

After Leeanne's visit the rains came & have stayed around for the rest of the week, so I have been spending some time in my sewing room.



Last winter I took part in The Hottie Project & was really pleased when I got Lisa's email inviting me again this winter as I think it is a fantastic project


These were the four I managed to stitch up & post off to Lisa ... I tried to make a selection that was suitable for both boys & girls, & especially loved the v-dub beetle fabric which I teamed with the orange retro blanket.



My baby cuddly blankets in the Cottage were looking a little depleted, so I ran up some more fleece cuddlies from this gorgeous polar fleece I had purchased while down at Mums in April.

Several months ago I bought these plain glass jars in the "sale bin" at my local Supermarket & popped them aside with a project in mind
 I had an idea floating around in the wilderness that is in my head to make up some herbal bath sachets ...


I made up a combination of rose petals, lavender, oatmeal, a few herbs & some epsom salts ... then I realised the plastic stopper actually comes out of the lid, so I filled some with dried lavender & some with rose petals 
(& yes, I did have to "test run" one under the tap in my bath that very night)



I was especially pleased with these beautiful sheets of "Vintage Adverts" that I was able to get from Paperzone & use as labels for the jars 



This little doll belongs to my sister-in-law & was bought back for her from Vanuatu




 She was dressed in a ghastly plasticy dress which we removed - my sis-in-law asked me to dress her in a simple white dress with a touch of black & turquoise (the colours of her newly decorated bedroom)



She was so difficult to fit any clothes on that I ended up actually removing her head from her body!!!!
The little box sitting beside her was to give me the exact shade for the turquoise - I hope to come across a small turquoise flower to pop in her hand when I am next in town.

Warning  :  Kitten photos !!!!!

The Kitten Diaries:-
(for those of you that wish you may close your browser now)


We have discovered that Mums potted grasses in the terracotta boots makes the most wonderful soft little "nest" to sit in & bounce a bit ...


We are eating lots & growing fast - we prefer to be outside but sometimes at night we will venture inside for one of your stupid games that you play with us involving string & paper ...



The smallest of us (little sickie) prefers Mums fabric wrapped balls to chase but sometimes you need a little nap part way through this game



We have stopped hissing & spitting at you but we really prefer not to be patted - thanks very much



We often go walkabout for a day or two & sometimes we wonder why you come out in the most appalling weather conditions to look for us . . . (we figure you must be quite insane) ... calling us in that stupid voice you use ...


Our adoptive Mother .... & no, she is not weeding the garden ...

Thanks so very much for your visit today folks - I have an appointment with my sewing machine this rainy afternoon
Wishing you a wonderful rest-of-the-week
much love & friendship to you all    :-)
Julie 0x0x     

20 comments:

  1. Oohh! What a lovely bundle of treasure you and Leeanne discovered. Love them all hanging out to dry. You are up to lots of lovely creative projects and I see the kittens are still in residence Lol! Stay cosy x

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  2. No wonder Leeanne said she had a wonderful visit with you. She didn't mention the op shop outing! It sure look like you got some great treasures. Bet you will have lots of fun using your finds in future projects. Have a great weekend and happy sewing.

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  3. Love the little 'soul' sister dolly...She's lovely.....
    But! But! Not quite as lovely as the little kittie-kitties...!
    There looking really great....AND...I would NEVER close
    my browser, or anything else for putty~tats.....!
    Love'em...!x

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  4. I can see you have some real treasures from your latest op shop trip. I just love seeing the kitties, they seem to be taking a permanent place up in your home and are so sweet. Betty

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  5. From a fellow kitty lover keep the photo's coming, I enjoy hearing what they are getting up to. They are so cute...:O)

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  6. How exciting having some time out with a blogger friend the very talented Leanne. You know our day will come very soon to do that!!! Woohoo!! I seriously think those kittens will all end up just staying at your lovely home.

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  7. I love your 'wilderness' and seeing the change of seasons...that last picture looks like an English summer! Splendid crop of cotton pretties, I wonder what they'll turn into? EE xx

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  8. Gosh we did pack some goodies in your boot! I can see my lovely green basket, just love it! I didn't realise you found so many nice vintage linens.......where the heck was I??
    The bath delights sound nice, are the beautiful papers from that nice scrapbooking shop you took me to? That was an awesome shop. Hey your sister in law's doll turned out pretty, I hope she likes it.
    I was tempted to bring a kitten or two home, but looks like your MR has made them feel right at home, especially with the yummy dinners he dishes them up. Your hotties covers are lovely fun colours, just perfect for kids.
    Thanks again for a wonderful time my friendxxx Must be my turn next to take you to the Opshops in the north!

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  9. Sure looks like you and Leeanne were in your element!! You look like you have managed to keep yourself busy with lovely projects while the rain has been coming down - I must get my hottie covers done. Brave you removing the doll's head to dress her, I would have been worried I couldn't get it back together again! {However I have learnt to expect the unexpected from you :-)!} The kittens are so cute - how cool that they are (sometimes) enjoying your company and becoming Domesticated!

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  10. love the kittens!!!! Oh my gosh how fun are kittens?!?! You could have easily sneaked one in my car, lol ;)
    Well here we are on opposite sides of the earth and both doing doily laundry at the same time. I just filled my laundry basket with the clean ready to be tackled stack I got this week. I can't wait to dive into them.
    All of your creations are just wonderful Julie and I am so jealous of your bath time, lol although I have to say it is a wee bit too warm here for a soak in a bath. Come this winter I will have to make more time for them.
    Stay warm
    Amy

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  11. Hello dear friend, ha ha sounds like there was some trickery going on if Leanne didn't see you buy all that lovely linen! Doesn't it feel good when it's washed (soaked) & hung up to dry like that. It does rather take up a lot of room when the haul includes vintage sheets or blankets, however. You are so big-hearted joining in the hottie project again..how cool! Your jars worked well & look great. Isn't the oatmeal nice in the mix? I finally found a good template for a vintage seed packet yesterday & when I came home this arvo Rob had kindly printed me a whole pile, cut them out & folded them all for me : ) Aren't cats funny plonking themselves in the middle of plants like that. Good for you mad cat lady. Have a lovely weekend. Much love Catherine x0x0x

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  12. Hi Julie,
    I love your pics, especially the furry friends! What a stash you found at the Op shop. I love
    op shopping!! especially doilies, table runners etc....love them. Cool water bottle warmers. We
    need those around here at the moment it is soooo cold!! I'm loving that cup and saucer too.
    Cheers, Anita.

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  13. Your op shop finds look lovely, I can just imagine all the wonderful re-purposing you are going to do. I love the photo of the linen hanging to dry. Love your hotty covers too and the bath salts look like a wonderful gift idea. Such cute little kitties, thanks so much for your visit today, I loved spending some time with you and swapping kitty stories! xx

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  14. Ah yes - that is my sort of 'shopping' too. I have been thinking why we love that type of washing and for me it might be because we can take some stained old bits and they are rejuvenated by a spin in the washer! I bought some lovely embroideries yesterday including a embroidered rose bud tablecloth for 20 pence ! I winced and said that I would give a pound - the man said that he had heard it all now...someone paying five times the asking price!
    Have a lovely day
    Best wishes
    Jenny

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  15. Your hands are doing magic. All looks good. Cute looking kittens. Nice to see them play with the paper and ball!

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  16. Oh Julie
    What a time you had with Leeanne, I'm sitting here licking my lips at the sight of the treasures in your boot- even better are the laundered pieces on the clothes horse - Yea!
    The bath salt jars are lovely - were they coffee jars originally - the tops are so pretty and the labels you've used too.
    The kittens are delightful, I love seeing their progress week by week, who could resist those exquisite little faces!
    I wish I had more time to take part in the hottie project, I've put it on my "to do" list - thanks for the info!

    Another delightful post dear Julie, your creative talents always inspire and amaze me!

    We're off to the Bay of Islands for a wedding this weekend - very exciting to be getting out of the city!
    Hugs
    Shane x

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