Sunday, October 25, 2015

Some Long Overdue Completions

Greetings dear friends & readers & Happy Sunday to you all

New Garden Sign hung up just last week   
After spending every spare moment in the garden before my group last weekend, it was lovely this week to catch my breath & spend some pleasant time in my sewing room

I had completely sold out of some items, though to be honest, I did not have great stocks of them to begin with.
The herbal mothball sachets (above) were one such item ... so I made another batch this week, then sewed & filled some muslin bags.
You can find the recipe for these at the bottom of this post here.

6 new golly teatowels waiting to be wrapped individually in cellophane
Likewise I noticed there were no golly teatowels left.
I try to keep a nice range of good quality teatowels in stock ready to applique when I need some fresh new ones.


When I made the Tilda Teacup Pincushions back here, I wasn't too sure how they would sell.
I was pleasantly surprised to notice there were only 2 left so, as I still had a good selection of china coffee cups on hand, I was able to put together some more.
I really love the way the gorgeous Tilda fabrics complement the dainty bone china.

My friend Gail bought some rubbish out which she had asked the Mr to toss in the burning hole we have at the farm.
This shelf was on the top of the bag of rubbish ready for burning.  I asked her if I might perhaps have it.
My original intention was to cover it with chicken mesh & plant with succulents but I realised the thin ply on the back would not last 5 minutes once watering began, so I pulled the back & the 2 shelves off the frame itself.

Again, my original intention was to paint the entire frame cream,  but by now, I quite liked the blue distressed look of the wood so decided to stay with it.
As removing the 2 shelves left marks on the frame inner I ran around it with some dark blue paint.
(Incidently I did not have any matching blue paint on hand, but was able to mix some bright blue poster paint that I had with black to get a shade that was "near enough")

I screwed in one of the hooks left over from this frame I did back here, then hung a $2 shop mason jar from the hook.
I teadyed some white lace to age it, then tied a bow & added a tag & a key to the jar.

The addition of some pip berries just seemed to complement the blue, but this vase could just as easily be filled with water & used for fresh flowers.
This item is going in my cottage for sale .  .  .  I am So happy I saved the frame from the burning hole.



These 2 cane doll cradles have sat in my sewing room since before time began !!!
(I cannot even remember where they originally came from)
Every single time I would tidy my sewing room, I would move them to the front of my desk with the intention to do something with them.
Then they would gradually get moved to the back & under a pile of stuff again.
And so it went on  .  .  .  .  until yesterday !!!

I pulled the old lace off them & gave them both a gentle wash.
Once dry, I glued fresh new lace & silk rosebuds to each cradle.
I made a mattress, pillow & a small lace quilt to fit each one.
Every thing I made was using up scraps of fabric & lace I already had in my stash.


The tiny dolls above were half naked in my junk drawer bits-n-pieces basket.
They too got a gentle wash & some dainty clothes made for them.

It was interesting that something I had been procrastinating about for many years a very long time, only took half a days work to turn into something so sweet & gorgeous.

Again these are going as stock for my Cottage .... I am thinking they would make a delightful gift for a wee girl.

I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead dearest friends & readers .  .  .
.  .  .  filled with lovely things,

Lastly, as you can see from the photo below, my attempts at re-training Pippy to not sleep on the table are not quite going according to plan . . .
. . . in fact my plans are going so off track, I now have two of them in the one basket to retrain !!!!

Thanks so much for popping by today friends,
with much love & friendship to you all,
Julie, Blackie & Pippy x0x0x0

19 comments:

  1. Hi Julie wow you are amazing your framed piece is gorgeous and how cute are those cute baby baskets and they look beautiful now,boy your mind must be fill of fanatstic ideas,well done my friend xx

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  2. Aww....Pippy and Blackie look so comfy in that basket.....I guess it's theirs now. =) I love the wooden frames you embellish with glass jars and bits and bobs. I love the idea of putting a sprig of fresh flowers in them. Sweet tea towels, gorgeous cup pin cushions and how lovely those sweet dollies have found a place to sleep in those pretty 'new' baskets.

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  3. Where to start! Where to start! Goodness! :).
    I always like those teacup pincushions.
    Last Friday l was talking to one of the ladies,
    here in town. There are 5~6 small tables selling
    home made candles, dolls, cards, etc...But no
    teacup cushions. Teacups turned into candles!
    So, she said she'd look into it and have a go...
    I gave her your Blog link, Julie, so she can get
    some idea!

    And! My! My! Not that l remember...But, those
    cradles, are exactly the same, as the cradle l
    slept in as a babe..Much bigger of course, and,
    they were lined with a pink cushion, and valance.
    So, when mia Mama, put me to sleep, in the cradle,
    we had a cat who used to crawl in and keep me warm.
    So, that's how l became obsessed with 'pink' and 'cats'.

    It's just turned seven over here, finishing my first lemon
    tea of the day...What a wonderful start to the day!
    The photo at the bottom...HeHe! Love it! Love it! Bless!X
    Retrain...Retrain..Have'nt l seen those in railway stations! :>).
    Bless their cotton....No! Furry socks...Legs in the air!
    "Willie..Your going off on one". HeHe! And why not....!xx

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  4. I do like your golly tea towels, you must be planning ahead all the time to keep your stock flow going. Ambercat has a little felt 'igloo' maybe you can make one for your little ones, it's very cosy and portable so we can move it where we like and she happily moves where it is placed, and she feels at home (even when she goes to kennels if we are away!

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  5. Love all your pretty stock replenishments. The little dolly baskets will make a little girls day.

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  6. Loving all your work you have done Julie. Oh aren't Blackie and Miss Pippi just delightful. Love them. Hello to our friend Willie.

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  7. Looks like the cat training is failing my friend! Next Simon will be there with Pippi and Blackie! Lovely lovely new creations, nice feeling to finish up some loose ends.

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  8. Love the new sign! Ha...ha...well maybe two cats in a basket are better than 1 in the bush pouncing on an unsuspecting bird! The shelf looks fantastic transformed as a frame with the flower jar. - love it. and the baby cradles are so so sweet. Please if it isn't sold can I have the plain red golly tea-towel. It will be perfect for my kitchen. Let me know. Have a super week. So nice to be having a long weekend - I am happy sewing, my husband is happy knowing out the boxing on some concreting. Happy sunny day!

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  9. Hello Julie,

    Love the makeover for the wood that was destined for the burning pile. The little cradles with dollies will delight a small child for hours. Stocking up the cottage must be so much fun, you are certainly not idle. Love the cat photo, they rule your sewing room.

    Happy gardening sewing and creating Julie.

    Bev.

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  10. Wow you have been a busy lady!! I wouldn't even bother retraining the cats, with the good weather they will be bedding down outside soon.

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  11. Oh those silly cats! They sure have personality plus! What a lovely range of interesting projects. Really like your new welcome signs. Did you buy them that way? I bought a small bedhead the other day that I have inserted in to the garden so am now just pondering how I might sign write it. Dear little dollie baskets. I'm sure that there will be some very happy wee girls this Christmas thanks to you! Just think you know longer have to shuffle them around your sewing room. Phew!! Hope you've had a lovely Labour weekend. Much love, Catherine x0x0x

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  12. Your posts always inspire me. I absolutely love the frame, great save!

    My daughter and I made a few tea-cup pin-cushions to give as gifts last Christmas. Yours look completely gorgeous.

    The adorable kitties sharing a basket!? Such a thing would be a miracle in this house :)

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  13. How do you squeeze so much in?... the framed vase is such a clever idea. Have a good week. xx

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  14. Everything looks beautiful Julie, and it looked even more beautiful in real life! You have such a talent for turning plain things into lovely things! Your kitties are so cute in the basket! Wendy xx

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  15. Yipee! T-towel has arrived and it is gorgeous! Thank you!

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  16. Oh Julie, though everything is lovely, that frame and what you created with it made my heart skip a beat! Swooning...

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  17. Such a creative week you had Julie! I love all the gift items you made, you
    really love making things. Sweet little helpers you have there too. lol
    Cheers, Anita.

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  18. Lovely creative thungs you have been doing...love the frame you saved, it looks amazing.....and the little,baskets and dolls are so cute. ..had to giggle at the cats again...they look so comfy!!!!

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