Wednesday, June 7, 2017

A Productive Weekend

Wednesday Greetings dear friends & readers
It was a long weekend here in New Zealand as we celebrated Queens birthday Weekend.
The Mr was away riding Moto X, which meant that instead of spending time in my kitchen preparing & cooking meals ............... I got to spend time in the kitchen creating far more interesting things .................

3 were Green Tea & Lemongrass, 3 were Calico fragrances
I had some soy wax leftover in a plastic bag which I was keen to use up, so I made another batch of soy candles.
 I realise now I had been adding the fragrance too soon, while the soy was still hot, & hence burning off alot of the fragrance.  I waited 10 minutes for the soy to cool this time & achieved a much better result.

I had a new oil I was keen to try - "Calico" .... such a gorgeous fragrance!!
Waiting to harden a bit & have the wicks trimmed down

I also spent time making up another batch of homemade laundry liquid
I hadn't actually used up the batch I made back in March but found that I had given lots away to friends to try.
Plus I came across a further two cut glass decanters in a box of the Mr's junk things !!

The two taller decanters on the right are the newly discovered additions
 This is now the 2nd batch of laundry liquid I have made ... I have so far learnt two very important things.
Firstly, do not go off & leave it unattended on the stove (as I did) as it will indeed boil over & make one big huge gloppy mess !!
Secondly, do not leave the milk bottle containers filled with it sitting on the kitchen bench (as I did) as your Mr might very well come home, grab it to pour in his cuppa & words will come out of his mouth that I simply cannot print on here !!!!!!!*********!!!!!!!!! 


As I constantly add lawn clippings to my raised vegie gardens, the Mr suggested I needed to add some lime to sweeten the soil before I did my winter planting
I drove out to the farm & came home with four 20 litre buckets of lime which I dug into to my vegie beds 

Then as my moon calendar told me it was ideal planting time, I planted broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages & a fresh punnet of silverbeet & spinach ... all good hearty winter fare.

I also dug out some herbs that had become woody & replaced them with new ones. 


I found a Mothers Day Garden Voucher in my wallet, so off I trotted to the Garden Centre & purchased some potted colour pansies to revamp my cane pram for the winter


  This little miniature wheelbarrow was hiding abandoned under a tree so I planted it out with a punnet of pansies in "antique" shades

And my dear old parsley pig, which was lying neglected under the house, got a scrub & a fresh parsley plant to cheer him (& me) up a bit

 I recently finished a further 3 dishcloths from this free pattern here

 I took them to my friend Joyce who kindly crochets around the edges for me in exchange for a batch of my 
apricot fudge slice which she loves so much !!


I used to have a small wooden stool beside the bed in my spare room, however during one of my frequent change arounds, I borrowed pinched it for somewhere else
I needed to find a replacement & this wooden table was in my sleepout - a $5 purchase from Hospice last year

The top was somewhat wobbly, but this was soon remedied with a generous squeeze of PVA glue underneath & a heavy weight sat on top for 24 hours. (No, not Blackie either .... I can hear you Willie!!!)
I applied 2 coats of my chalk paint "pale duck egg" shade, then lightly scuffed all the edges

 
Such a transformation from a tatty $5 table .  .  .  .  and .  .  .

 Just perfect for the space I needed it for !!!

And lastly dear friends, I got to spend time looking after one of my favouritest little people on the entire earth

 My dear little grandson Sid, who is now a whole 9 weeks old & is pondering life in general !!

  Happy Wednesday to you all dear friends
 May you have a wonderful day ... thank you for stopping by here today
with Much love & friendship to you all,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x 

29 comments:

  1. Sounds likeca wonderful weekend. Love hiw your garden looks. The little table is gorgeous. Hugs, xx

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  2. Oh HELLO Sid! You handsome little fella! i did have a great laugh at the Mr pouring liquid laundry soap in his cuppa!!! Thanks for the laugh! All is looking good and I can a-l-m-o-s-t smell some of the goodies you have created. The crochet dishcloths are pretty, why do you not crochet around the edges? Your table turned out a million bucks! At first glance I thought it was a little stack of chocolates on the table, but then I realised they might be little books? Chocolate is better idea don't you think? Good to see the old pram having a good retired life, your garden will be a picture in no time at all with the love and care you give it.

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  3. That was pretty funny about your hubby and the laundry liquid.
    It is fascinating to see all of your creative ventures. Very inspiring.
    Little Sid is awfully cute. : )

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  4. I~LOVE~PANSIES! There, how many times have
    l said that in my life! :). And, l like to
    see them growing in the garden, patios, and
    hanging baskets..NOT! NOT! Cut and put in a
    silly little vase on some window sill somewhere! :(.
    I ought to start up an organization...'Save The Cut
    Flowers'..HeHe! :).

    The subject of the candles made me chuckle...HeHe!
    And, goodness me Julie..Those decanters look a bit
    smart, hope there not crystal..and, l can imagine
    hubby, grabbing one thinking it's milk! But! worse
    still...pouring one out into a saucer for the furry
    ones..! Mind you..things could smell a lot sweeter
    at the other end..! :).

    And Sid looks lovely...look at those eyes...he looks
    like a bit of a poser...HeHe! And, l should know!
    I love babies...Believe it or not..l used to be one!
    "Willie, what a memory you have".

    (((HUGS)) and XXX's for the furry ones...Bless! :0).

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  5. You've been busy!!I would love to make my own laundry liquids but using the caustic soda puts me off a little.Yours all look fab in those decanters.Sid is just adorable.Wednesday is Granddaughter Day for me so best get going.Great post Julie.xx

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  6. What a smashing post, I see you've been especially busy making lots of gorgeous things, as usual. Today I've been stripping the walls of the room that will be my craft/spiritual/quiet room. I hope to fill it with all sorts of upcycled and repurposed treasures and lots of books too. A room of ones own, to make and create in. Your grandson is a sweetie, I love his name btw.

    Jean

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  7. I like so many pretty things on your blog today! Thanks for sharing. I was going to make laundry soap but since we have hard water and I have enough to do I decided not too. Maybe if I had those beautiful decanters I would be more tempted! LOL The pram with the flowers loos so pretty and I like your dish cloths better than the ones I make. I can barely crochet but saving the pattern so may attempt it sometime! Your little table turned out so lovely and you have a cute grandson. Enjoy your day! Nancy

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    1. Hi Nancy, I wanted to just let you know that we have hard water here too. We are on bore water, not on town supply. And it is fine for the laundry liquid honestly! If you should decide to give it a go, then just email me & I will send you the recipe (only 3 ingredients). Also wanted to tell you that my dishcloths are knitted ... I cannot crochet at ALL, that is why I send them to my friend to crochet the edgings for me. The plain knitted ones seem to knit up really quickly even though I am a VERY slow knitter. Hope you enjoy your day too Nancy, thanks for the lovely comments you leave me xxx

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  8. I love your Parsley Pig and little Sid, of course.

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  9. Hi Julie, Love the decanters. I know there are a couple in the local Op Shop and I am sure they are calling me! Lucky the shop is close. Thank-you for inspiring me to have a go at things I would not otherwise try. Love your creative and your sense of humour. Sid is adorable. Many thanks, Jo

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    1. Thanks so much for your lovely comment ... now here's a confession .... it was actually the glass decanters that originally inspired ME to make up the laundry liquid in the first place !!! So I think you should definately go purchase those ones at the Op Shop!! Thanks Jo, Have a great weekend, Julie xxx

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  10. Those candles look so creamy and delicious and I love the idea of crystal decanters for your laundry liquid... how very civilised, brilliant xx

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  11. You've been busy, as usual! I bet the soy candles smell delicious. Clever you!
    Sid is adorable.
    How nice to have winter veggies already on the go.
    I love that duck egg blue!

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  12. Hi Julie, great bunch of soy candles, love burning them, but I couldn't be bothered making them as you do, wish we lived closer so I could come and buy them from you. lol I can just about hear your mister from here. We use to make those tables at Dominion Chairs where I worked in Hamilton all those years ago, would love one now. Your garden planting is going great, love your pram. Have a great week Julie, we have our long weekend this week, have a few heavy bits of furniture for hubby to move for me, he will want to go back to work hahaha. Chris xoxo

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    1. Thanks so much Chris, yes the house smells yummy when I make the candles up. I burn lots more in the winter when the house is all closed up. Thats great you used to work at Dominion Chairs Chris ... now I know where the little tables come from. Best of luck getting Hubby to move the furniture for you Chris!! (mine would be in hiding) Julie xx

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    2. Not sure that exact table was from there, but something like that anyway. I ended up getting my youngest to help move the furniture, so all finished now. Candles smell divine when the house is all shut up in the cooler months, especially when you have a big German Shepherd inside.

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  13. What a fun read. That milk bottle incident sounds a bit Agatha Christie to me. What a cutie pie Sid is. xxx

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  14. You are doing a great job. I too have prepared candles one time. Felt so happy by seeing it:)

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  15. Your soy candles look pretty and I like the idea of making laundry liquid but like Nana above, am a bit wary of some of the ingredients! Sid looks thoughtful, he's a dear little fellow. Betty x

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  16. I spilled my tea when I read of Your Mister's encounter with the 'milk'!! LOL!!!

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  17. Sid is gorgeous! Love your converted table - it looks so great refurbished beside you bed. And the pansies look so happy which is always wonderful in winter!

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  18. Oh my! You have been a busy lady!
    I especially love how the table turned out.
    Your grandson is such a cutie xx

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    1. Thanks Yvonne, yes I am so pleased I gave the little table a revamp. It is just the perfect size & shape for the space I have put it in :-)

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  19. Oh how adorable your Sid is. He does rather have the look of deep thought, doesn't he. You have been 'cooking' up a storm in your kitchen. Those candles look a treat...BUT...that table and lamp!!! Oh so very chic!!!

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  20. OMG I can almost hear DH after sampling his cup of tea. He sure will be more selective in the future:). What a beautiful little boy Sid is. Love your little table Julie and the candles look super.

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  21. Stll chuckling here over Mr J having unexpected "milk" in his tea!!!! 😂😂😂😂 How cute is Sid, no wonder you enjoy spending time with him. You have been very productive in the kitchen Julie. Your garden is going to be super productive with the fertilizer and dig over you have given it, love the parsley pig!! That little table looks fantastic now, younare so clever with the repurposing you have done.

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  22. Hello Julie, I just love that photo of little Sid – he is adorable.

    I can imagine the kind of words your Mr might have come out with because my Mr would have done the same! Your story reminded me of a something my mum once told me. When she was a young girl sometime in the 1920s, she worked as a scullery maid in a big house in London. One of her jobs was to make beeswax polish which she did by boiling it on an old range. On one such day the milk delivery boy (later to become her husband and my dad) arrived, a

    I enjoyed this post so much I’m going to go back and read it again, thank you & hugs Barbara

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