Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Last Orders ...................& a Cat called Bob

Wintery Tuesday Evening Greetings dear friends & readers,
I have been trying to finish up the last of my Orders before I close my Cottage for the Winter period
This coming weekend we celebrate Queen's Birthday Weekend  & I will be closing just after that & reopening again on ................................well I am just not too sure at this stage!!!

Well not quite yet ......................but soon !!!!

After I finished Pru's order she was so delighted she called in again with a request to complete a couple more items for her .................

This beautiful piece above was Aran stitch embroidery that Pru had done many years ago ... she wanted it made into a cushion with a zippered back & a zippered inner as well.

This large crochet piece had been done by Pru's Nana & she asked for it to be backed & made into more of a supper cloth size.
When I made the two runners for Pru, there was still a small collection of doilies remaining so she asked me to make up a flower design with these & stitch onto a 1 mt x 1 mt square cloth that she could use on her dining table.
I was relieved to see the completion of Pru's order as I had endless trouble with the foot of my machine constantly catching in the crochet pieces 

My friend Marie rang me to ask if she could pop out & buy some more mothball sachets.
Upon checking in the Cottage, I realised I had not one single one left .... it was easy enough to quickly run up some muslin bags as I already had some mixture on hand ............
You can find the recipe at the bottom of this post *here* should you wish to make some yourself.


I was lucky enough to win these 2 old sewing machine drawers from a Trademe auction 
(incidently the auction finished at 12.22 pm at night so I sat up til that hour to ensure my $12 bid won, which it did. The Mr assured me I was "the only fool sitting up at that ridiculous hour bidding on a broken drawer anyway !!!!"

I chose to upcycle the one with the base intact first
Two coats of cream wall paint, a quick scuff of the edges, then I lined the base with a remnant of the wallpaper from my last post
I had a plan for this pretty drawer .......................

I am ashamed to admit my lovely cotton laces spend their life languishing in a tangled heap in a plastic supermarket bag tossed in a corner of my sewing room ... I had seen a wonderful idea on Pinterest of winding the lengths onto old wooden clothes pegs
I was certainly NOT short of wooden pegs so I spent a pleasant rainy afternoon ironing all my lace lengths out, then winding then onto some old wooden pegs
What enormous delight I felt in a simple afternoons task !!!!

Thank you for your lovely comments on the Nail Box upcycle in my last post
I chose to use the box as a shelf in my sewing room - it was the perfect size to house my collection of Extra Curricular Magazines, & my jars filled with vintage bakelite buttons
I had purchased these small swing tags to attach to gifts but I loved the vintage prints so much, I couldn't bear to part with them, so I strung them along the shelf as a bunting .............

.................... & my new/old drawer gets to sit alongside my new/old shelf !!


I think it was over at Betty-the-Wood-Fairy's blog blog I first learnt about the book A Street Cat Named Bob
After I had read the book myself, I ordered copies for my son & stepson for Christmas.  I well remember their faces when they opened the parcels ... total disbelief!!  It was my son Kayne who found to courage to say to me "actually Mum I think you might have given us the wrong gifts - this is a kids book?!"  No its not I told them both - read it & let me know what you think.
The books have been read & enjoyed & shared amongst many family members & friends
I was so delighted last week to be able to see the Movie that has come to my small town.  I just loved it & found that even though my eyes filled with tears frequently, I smiled alot of the way through also.
It is the real cat Bob who plays his own part in the movie !!
I encourage you to see it if you get the opportunity - it IS wonderful & just re-affirms my long held belief that our pets come to us for a reason & often-as-not ...... they choose Us !!


Long time readers of my blog will know that Blackie chooses the most unusual sleeping places including the ironing board & wrapped around the sewing machine to name just a couple
His latest sleeping place is stretched out along the back of the T.V. ... this is rather ridiculous really but what is completely pathetic about all this ... is that the Mr & I sit there with the sound almost on mute - trying to lip read the T.V - so as not to disturb His Lordship!!!
You can certainly see why Blackie chose to live in this house!!!

Have a wonderful week dear readers & thanks so much for your visits today,
Be kind to yourselves & to each other,
with much love & friendship
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

23 comments:

  1. What a beautiful way to display your laces!

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  2. Had to laugh over Blackie, he has you guys so well trained!!! Lol!!! Love what you have done with the drawer, the pegs and laces look fantastic...you are a coever chickie!!! And good on you for sitting up waiting on trade me!!! The cushion and table cloth look amazing Julie. I could imagine it would be a slow job getting them sewn on. I have read the first Bob book and loved it but not seen the second or the movie, will look out for it.

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  3. Whey~Hey! Good old Blackie!x he's no fool, seems
    he picks all the warm places, around the house,
    and it's quite warm behind a TV..! :). Bless!
    Mind you, if you find a nature program, with
    twittering birds, that might stir him! :).

    And, the runners etc..look lovely as ever,
    l think they certainly set off a table!
    And, what you've done with the drawers Julie,
    is amazing...As they say...'Winter Draws On'..
    They look great with the pegs in!

    Oh! And Bob the cat, is 'not' to be missed...
    He's a number one hero...Don't miss the film! :).

    Blackie! Blackie! Come on..wake up..Garfield's on! :0).

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  4. Magic post my friend! I too loved that book and am keen as mustard to see the movie too. Blackie and all the other cats know where the best place to go is! Behind the TV will be warm and the fact that you keep the volume down as not to disturb him will have in Cat Boss heaven! I am loving your old singer drawers, the transformation is a perfect look for your new look! Pru also knows where to go to have her treasures revamped, you made a fabulous job.

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  5. Beautiful! That drawer is so fantastic. So nice to look at your post tonight and see so much yummy eye candy! Love what you did with the box too. It all looks so good together - brilliant photos of everything. Haven't seen that book or movie - must see if the local library has it. So funny you turn the volume down - ha...ha...

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  6. Hi Julie, lol what a crack up, cats you gotta love them, oh those drawers bring back awful memories of sewing class in form 1 and 2, but they are gorgeous painted up and filled with all that lace. Our Queens birthday long weekend isn't til the 12th. Had to google Extra Curricular magazine, looks interesting, shame they don't print it any more. Have a great long weekend Julie xoxo

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    1. Thanks so much Chris, I did not know you celebrated your Queens birthday weekend later than us. Yes it was such a shame when they stopped printing the Extra Curricular Magazine as I used to really enjoy them & got so much out of them. Have a great week Chris, the sun is out here for a change :-)

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  7. Your Mr. makes me laugh. I do love his dry humour. Love the sewing machine drawers with a lick of paint and LOVE that little corner of your sewing room. Both the sewing drawer filled with pretty laces and the upcycled box look great. Laces definitely need to be out and seen rather than languishing in plastic bags. I don't think there are enough pegs in the world to hold my laces. =) That book looks great....must get myself a copy. Hope you are enjoying a lovely week, lovely Julie

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  8. Good morning! Opposite seasons here. We are just entering our warm weather. You do such nice work! I love the idea of the lace on the clothespins in the sewing drawer and your redone drawer turned out so pretty. Good idea too of sticking the scissors in the embroidery thread hole. Thank you for the recipe for the herbal moth sachets. Nancy

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  9. I'm so glad that the shop is closing so you can have a long winter's rest. You sure make lovely things. I would stay up late to get those lovely drawers, too! Oh, I must read the Bob book. I have such a love for kitties.
    Take care and stay warm, sweet Julie!

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  10. The drawers look picture perfect and they're practical, you have such vision. I love all of your creations. Oh and Blackie, the discomfort we put up with just so our little furry bundles are happy, I think all cat lovers do it. This Winter I must put an order or two in with you for some 'seasonal' creations, (I'm not mentioning the C word, much to early for that). Have a good rest, but hope you carry on with some blog updates.

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  11. I love your new/old drawer, so pretty. Wonder what will happen to the other one? The little cards look brilliant as bunting xx

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  12. Oh, Julie, you've given me another idea. I bought the whole set of 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' at a car boot sale on Sunday, for my eldest Grandaughter and they were housed in a tatty old cardboard box so guess where I will be putting them now as soon as I find the perfect receptacle for them! Thanks again Julie and also for popping over to mine. ALWAYS great to see you there. I have the 'Bob' book here but have never read it yet. I will now though. Have a great week, Julie. Much Love. xxx

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  13. Love what you did with the box & drawer. They look fabulous. I had to smile over the cat & muted TV. I meant to get a drink of water before i sat down last night. I said it out loud & my daughter said something back to me & i told her i couldn't get it now as the cat was on my lap. She got the water for me so the cat wasn't disturbed. :) Hugs,xx

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  14. Beautiful work for Pru, Julie. Love your drawer....looks so pretty with those lovely laces. Enjoy your winter hibernation xx

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  15. Great sign, Julie. I love your drawers you won at the auction. I would have stayed up too. Your lace looks lovely stored like that. That is so funny about not disturbing Blackie! xx

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  16. Oh that is so funny about Blackie ruling the house!!!! lol....oh oops!...did I say that? I love how you've transformed the drawers and what a great idea to use the pegs as you have. Very clever. What will you be doing while your shop is closed? Restocking? Enjoy your beautiful day. xx

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  17. Hi Juli,wow love what you did with the drawers,they look fantastic with those cute lace pegs in them xx

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  18. Hi Julie I too love what you have done with your old sewing machine draws! It looks like the pegs have faces??? And you have worked some beautiful magic for Pru, you deserve a break/rest. Cats love to find the most unusual places to sleep in the winter, mine loves curling up on the office chair leaving only a small amount of room for a person to perch on, she does like to move or get out of the way!! XXXX

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  19. Love your boxes and in such a nice setting too. Love Blackie! Had to laugh at you both watching tv with sound muted! I would have done the same.

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  20. Just found your beautiful blog! You have made such beautiful things and as a cat lover I enjoy your cat adventures!!

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  21. Hi Julie, enjoy your hibernation for the winter. Love those old drawers and what you finished up with, they look beautiful.Blackie, miss Pippi, you are 2 very spoilt cats, hope you give Mum and Dad lots of cuddles:)

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  22. Beautiful post! Look forward for better post! Nice post! Like it. Look forward for your new post. Thanks! jute goods

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