Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Upcycles, Homeless Gloves & Gollies . . . . . .

Tuesday Greetings dear friends & readers
We have been lucky enough to have some odd rainy days this January but on the sunny days I have been attempting to complete some more "upcycles" from the mountain of Op Shop junk treasures in my sleepout


The metal shelf & wooden tray above were rescued by me from the Op Shop Bin just prior to christmas
The aluminium kettle (minus its lid) was found by The Mr when he was mowing an overgrown lawn for some friends of ours ... the kettle was lying under a hedge & looks as though it has been a planter at some stage of its life as it already had holes in its base

It was also under a good half inch of caked on dirt & grime
A good scrub & a very light sand ... then 2 coats of Amulet green & it was looking much improved

Once the baby's tears plant is a wee bit more established, it will look wonderful ... these Kettles do not sit for very long in my Cottage ... they soon get snapped up.

Everything that day got the Amulet treatment ... this wooden tray also got 2 coats & then lined with a lovely scrap booking paper

The two short ends were slatted & were a little fiddlier to paint

The little metal what-not shelf also got two coats of Amulet ... I remember my Grandmother having one of these shelves with all sorts of bric-a-brac on it ... she was a great hoarder collector my Grandmother ... I am wondering if perhaps that is where I get my hoarding collecting tendencies from??

An elderly customer gifted me a small bag of crochet doilies late last year.
Most of them were rust marked, torn & beyond repair but some were able to be rescued.
In the bottom of the bag was one lonely crochet glove ... it was quite stained but I was able to get it clean with a gentle soak.

As I was certain no-one would want to buy one glove without its mate, I filled it carefully with dried lavender ... then I gently gathered the top of it in with some perle cotton & stitched across the opening
A vintage pearl button & small crochet flower just completed it ... I really love this single lavender glove & the fragrance is heavenly.


The Doves have returned after a long absence 

I counted 8 here this morning which is great because before they all left ... we were up to 22 !!!!!
I have bought some more Dove Mix from Binn Inn & a certain little 4-legged Miss is back on the rampage again ... 
I snapped these pics just this morning
Click on the pic to enlarge it & YES - that is her - up the tree !!!!
I am sure if Pippi ever learnt to speak English the first words that came out of her mouth would be "it wasn't me ... Blackie did it!!!"

As I walk across the lawn to the Cottage throughout the day I could smell this beautiful fragrance ... I realised last week it was a lily bulb that I had shifted last winter when I took out an entire corner garden.
A customer commented on it yesterday & that it was unusual to have so many buds on the one stem ... she counted 18 in total.
It is obviously thriving in the shadier spot I have shifted it to.

A surprise package arrived late last week from my friend Carolyn in the South Island.
I was not expecting anything as we no longer exchange christmas gifts.
Upon opening the parcel, this little face smiled out at me .  .  .
It appears Carolyn had popped in to the local Recycle Centre at the Rubbish Dump & this fellow was sitting on top of a pile of stuff to be sorted ... she posted him off to me with this little note enclosed

Yes Carolyn ... always room for "one more" !!! It was just priceless & made me smile all day long.
I shall find him his own special chair & his note will stay tucked into his little jacket always.
Hope you find something to make you smile all day long this coming week dear readers,
Thanks so much for stopping by today ... I am off to vacuum out my Cottage as my first group is due tomorrow
 (help !!**!!)
with much love & friendship to you all
Julie, Blackie & Miss ratbag Pippi 
x0x0x0x0

23 comments:

  1. I love seeing your op shop rescues and seeing what you turn them into. You're
    very clever you know....some people just don't have that skill. The glove is
    just awesome, so delicate. Good luck with your first group through.
    Cheers, Anita.

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  2. What's not to love about 'your' colour Amulet?? It is a gorgeous shade of green, isn't it. Oh that tray is so pretty. I can visualise many pretties sitting on it. Love the glove as well; I have never thought of filling a glove with lavender, what a great idea. As for the golly.....it was just meant to be, to come and live in your pretty house. If I didn't have to swim so far, I would come and live there too. =)

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  3. Happy New Year dear Julie!
    You are always so busy and productive and I love everything you've upcycled - so clever!
    Poor Pippi - she is a cat after all and cats love birds - naughty though.
    That's why I no longer have a cat much and all as I would love one, I decided I wanted to bring birds into my garden - can't have both.
    Always enjoy reading your posts Julie.
    Love
    Shane x

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  4. Hi Julie!!
    What a great little pile of goodies for you to dress up. I love that metal shelf. Those are always a good find for hoarders, I mean collectors, ;)
    That little doll is the sweetest thing. What a lovely gift.
    Cute Idea of the glove. I bet is smells amazing!!!
    Oh those wonderfully naughty kitties. I miss seeing my fatsy's cheeks chatter while looking out the window with the birds taunting him! He never did catch one, but it was so cute to watch him get so excited and pretend to be a scavenger.

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  5. I saw many treasures & some junk that I thought you could 'pimp' and bring to life in my folks belongings.....but sadly I couldn't bring it all back but I have a few bits & pieces ear marked just for you. As always i love to see your OpShop treasures after you have cleaned them up & a lick of paint & lace! Fancy the old Golly being dumped, thank goodness your friend saved him.

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  6. P.S........lovely new header to your blog!

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  7. cheeky Pippi! hope she didn't catch any!
    love how you so easily upcycle items, they are so beautiful!
    awww poor golly, hope he is happy with you now, can't wait to see him in his new chair or rocker you have planned for him. glad he found his way to you.
    great post
    thanx for sharing

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  8. Ah! Look....Pippi the wonder cat...
    My word she is quite high up, perhaps a pair of wings
    would be more help Julie! She has a better idea though
    in the last pic..Waiting at the bottom of the dove cot..
    One might just fall off...Bless!x

    Oh! And, love that Gollie...Think someone at sometime has
    cut his afro..Just like mine..(think l sent you a photo).
    Though mine is 60yrs+ and looking a bit sad...!!!

    The crochet glove is lovely to...Looks a bit special. Just
    yesterday..I asked my daughter to crochet me a pair of
    fingerless gloves. Colour..??? Pink! Of course!! Not for
    warmth..Just another fashion statement...As if l need one.
    After all...."Every Street is a Catwalk". :).

    I've already had a BIG smile...Watching Pippi up a tree...
    Bless her!X Oh! and a X for Blackie...he of the legs in the
    air! Bless!x

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  9. Lovely to see doves in your garden and the flowers. The lace glove is a nice idea - I think a lot of ladies would like one to scent a drawer or hang in a wardrobe.

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  10. Everything is coming up ...green....and looking fab! Especially love the tray make-over. Now the word will spread with the 4 telling everyone else you have bought the seed and they will probably all be back soon! Cheeky little Miss isn't she climbing the tree and making like a flower blossom! And how special does the lace glove look. By the way my angel is very happy sitting on the little dresser I have smiling at me as a type.

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  11. Your post is a joy to read first up with my cup of coffee. That Pip is a wonder-cat. Audrey is so jealous she gets to climb trees. She climbs cat tress and cupboards for now. :) But, she does love watching her birds at the feeders. Great fun. You are so talented and I love to see all the sad things come to life again. I would snatch up that kettle. Your doves are beyond beautiful. I think I'd get little done around here if I had those beauties at the feeders. I love our doves of the greyish/brown shade. They are little beauties, too.I still have over 20 a day dropping by all together. I'll stay warm here if you 'be cool' there. :) Hugs from frigid Canada. Deb

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  12. Lovely new header... thought I'd come to the wrong house! Lavender glove is the best upcycling idea I've seen this year...but I'm sure you'll have more.xx

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  13. Has someone purchased the glove already?

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    1. Hello there, No the glove has not been purchased already. If you should want to contact me about it at all ... my email address is ... stitchedbyjulie@hotmail.com Many thanks :-)

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  14. You're such a clever lady, Julie. Such patience you exert when you fix your things up. Everything is just lovely as always. I can almost smell that beautiful lily from here!!! It's very bleak here at the moment so it's lovely to pop over to yours and get some much-needed 'enlightment'! Happy week to you, dearest Julie. xxx(ps How's Bubba doing?)pps Love your new header pics. x

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  15. What beautiful things you found and reloved xx

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    1. Thanks so much for your lovely, kind comment Cheryl. Just popping over to visit your blog now :-)

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  16. I'm not surprised that your "kettles" are so popular. I love mine that you made.Dear Miss Pippi, hope she doesn't fall out of the tree.Hope your group were a great bunch.

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  17. The adventurous Ms Pippi up the tree!! Those Doves are adorable and so are her antics up the tree to get a closer look, if not a wee taste. I love it when you have been on an upcycle mission, and your garden is looking very beautiful.

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  18. That really was a n excellent discovery..good old amulet wasn't it!! I can't believe the transformation of the little shelf & the tray; pretty paper in the bottom of it. The lavender glove was brilliantly inspired indeed. My friend Keriann, who makes lovely things over this way, says that her most popular scented sachets/hearts etc are the ones that include the scented geranium Attar of Rose. Not sure if she combines it with the lavender but I think so. Goodness..I don't think that I have ever even come across a Golly in an op shop in all these years so that was quite amazing that he was sitting at the dump just like that! A perfectly timed rescue!
    I am really loving the lilies in my garden just now. They seem to be quite later but I don't suppose it matters, does it. Hearing that yours are happy in a shady spot makes me think that they are really worthwhile as they see to be very hardy & just go on turning up year after year. I have a Miss Lucy just coming out by the back steps...what a heady scent.
    With much love & friendship, Catherine x0x0x

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  19. Hi Julie! I put your blog on my blog roll so now I won't miss any posts.
    I would be happy to give you my Dottie Angel pattern now that I am finished with it. My husband is coming to Australia next month and he could mail it to you from Sydney.

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  20. Hi Julie,oh i am sorry i thought i had posted on this post when i was away,dont know what happened.
    Oh i love seeing how you magically turn things into works of art,you are very clever my friend and your golly is very cute,what a lovely friend,i hope you have a wonderful day julie xx

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  21. Oh that Miss Pippi up the not tree...cheeky girl!! Love the old tea pot, it looks lovley now but will be even better, as you say, when the plant grows. The glove is beautiful and a wonderful idea to repurpose it! Your dove cote is great too.

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