Friday, July 23, 2021

There ............................ & Back Again

Greetings lovely friends & readers

I have been away down to my Mum's for a week & have also been home a week - finding the time to blog again has been difficult as it has been a busy time with school holidays.

Mount Taranaki (formerly Mount Egmont)
Whenever I return "home" again this beautiful mountain always takes my breath away as it rises from the mist.


Mum & I went out to my brother & sister-in-laws for afternoon tea. Mum's cat Bubby went to live with them 3 years ago now & she usually hides whenever Mum turns up, but this time she was more than happy to have a pat & a belly rub.


My brother has a 40 acre farm high on a hill with stunning views but in a real wind channel. His first fence blew down in strong winds but he is now erecting this Gabion Cage fence which will be sturdier.
 The amazing thing about this is that my brother is building this all by himself - each stone has to be placed by hand in the wire cages which he erects first & concretes into a base -  my brother only has one arm as he lost his other arm in a motorcycle accident at age 20. He has 15 cages to build & fill to complete the fence.



I had some good luck thrifting this trip - I stopped at Stratford Hospice on my way down & bought these goodies above - I am about half way through the ($1) Lesley Pearce book now & can hardly put it down. 

On the Saturday morning I met my friend Claire in town & we did some thrifting before having a coffee together.  The plates above right were at a ladies market stall & were $2 each & the tiny one was $1.  


I bought the wooden mirror for $10 - I wanted to use the frame of it & the wee salt shaker was 50c & is Old Foley china.



Last week Alec came to stay for some of the school holidays & then Sid joined him on the Tuesday. They made roads with my knitting needles & we built houses, petrol stations & even a McDonalds.

My lounge looked like a bomb had hit it & Pippi hid for an entire day.
 

My friend Gail had gifted me the image above left for my birthday - I loved it & had it in my head that I wanted to mount it on a vintage tray.  I found the one above while down at Mum's for $10.  I always put them through my dishwasher before painting as it removes any grease or residue. I gave it two coats of Chalk Paint in the colour Pumice.


I used baking paper to press into the bottom of the tray to get "a pattern" so I could cut my image out neatly. Then I modpodged it onto the tray & once dry, I sealed it with mod podge also.  I rubbed clear wax over it all & then rubbed dark wax just over the detailing as I felt it gave it a nice antique-y look.


❤  I just LoVe Mother Goose & her babies  ❤

And Yes - that actually IS a cat on my worktable 😉

This vintage teapot above left was a $4 find at Hospice - I gave this two coats of Pumice while I was painting my tray & then applied a Re-design transfer to it along with a tag.  This one will be planted for a birthday gift.



Yesterday I picked the first of my daffodils before the rains came - these were lying on the ground as we have had strong winds this week - but they soon perked up inside & make me feel as though spring is not too far away.


Wishing you all a wonderful weekend dear friends - be kind to yourselves & to each other,
Thank You all for stopping by here today,
With much love & friendship to You All,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x

21 comments:

  1. 'Your' mountain is rather majestic, Julie. Love the devastation in your loungeroom. Me thinks, two very happy boys. How fabulous Mother Goose and her babies look; love the tarted-up tray. Your daffodils are out. Ours are still thinking about it. 'Tis exciting, isn't it....down here at the bottom of the world, spring will soon be here.

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  2. So interesting to read about your brother and his farm - that's quite a challenge getting a fence up made with cagges of rock! Hope you feel rested and happy to be home after that long drive though. You have found some pretty things - I like the little plates. Mother Goose looks much improved with her new frame :)

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  3. As usual it looks lovely lovely Julie...
    Pleased Mum is o.k. and pussy~cat Bubby
    became quite friendly! :).
    And, l expect Miss Pippi still has the
    hump, for you leaving her for a week! :(.

    What an amazing guy your brother is, that's
    amazing..l certainly could'nt do that with
    two arms let alone one..they like so sturdy
    and strong..that fence will last forever!

    Looks as if the boys had a great time..Hope
    you got your knitting needles back, not to
    bent..! :). HeHe! Boys and their toys!

    Well..we are coming to the end of a heatwave
    week...30+..to hot for the garden, except watering,
    thunder storms forecast for tomorrow and Sunday,
    so, a bit of a blessing!

    Best get on, bit of a wash day to~day, catch the last
    of the sun for drying..and keeping in the shade...! :).
    🙏 🐾 😽 💞 🙏 🐾 😽 💞 🙏 🐾 😽 💞 🙏 🐾 😽 💞

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  4. Nice transformation of your tray and teapot and you found some great things in your thrift shops. Great work by your brother. xx

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  5. What an amazing man your brother is. Nothing will blow that fence down. The last time I saw that beautiful mountain was 1960. It was in June and it really does take your breath away. What a fun trip you had. I like all the little treasures you found. x

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  6. Your brother is amazing--for all us wimps and whinners he has set the bar high

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  7. Here you have early daffodils and I'm looking at gladioli in my patio pots. We've had inches and inches of unusual July
    rain, and every 5 or 6 days of heat, humidity and rain, all of a sudden the wind comes out of the north and our temps
    go from 80's to 50. That's this past 3 days. Plus our skies are dark as the smoke from 2000 miles away is over us now.
    I see you brought home goodies to work into art and have even completed a few that way already. I bet Miss Pippi was in a
    pip over the boys playing, but she's bound to have you to herself by now. Nice of Bubby to visit with your Mum and not
    hide from her this trip. Love seeing the amazing fencing. I have seen it used about and wonder at the amount of
    patience it must take to build rock by rock. Thanks for a fun blog today. Lynn and Precious XX

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    1. Thanks for your lovely comment Lynn. Gosh sounds like you are experiencing some very strange weather patterns over there. Yes Miss Pip was definately in a snitcher over the grandsons playing here & disturbing her peace & quiet. It sometimes takes her a couple of days to get over herself - plus the fact that I had been away to my Mums & abandoned her too 😉😊 Hope you & Precious have a great weekend Lynn xx

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  8. I love all your thrifty bargains, I haven't found anything remarkable in a while. I did however sell lots of my unwanted items at a boot fair last weekend and did very well. So I do have some space and a few pennies to spend next time I see a bargain. I love Mrs. Goose and her babies, absolutely adorable. Jean. x

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  9. SUCh fun tings. I love that you allow your grandsons to play and make messes and be creative. You are a good grandma!

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    1. Thanks so much Kim .... I don't mind them making a mess - its all good clean fun & I have a good tidy up when they have gone home again, Then a sit down & a rest 😉😊

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  10. Love the treasures you found. The fence is amazing, well done to your brother. Love the daffodils, i'm so looking forward to spring. Hugs, xx

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  11. Beautiful photo of Mt Taranaki Julie, it is a spectacular sight. Good to read you caught up with your friend and managed to do some op shopping. You have lovely treasures. The teapot you transformed looks wonderful too. I bet the boys had fun playing with you, hope Miss Pippi has calmed down again now. Your brother is amazing building that fence, that will not blow over. 💨💨💨

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  12. Hi Julie. Sounds like you had a lovely time with your mum. You always find the best things at op shops and make even better things with them. Your mother goose tray looks fabulous. Your brother's fence looks great. I bet he's very pleased with how it's coming along. I bet the boys had the best time at Grandma's! Hugs, Christine x

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  13. We have had windy days too but not that blow fences down..... your brothers looks great with the rocks...good for him. Love your recycling and I remember that lovely mountain from my visit years ago.
    Hugz

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  14. Oh I would love to live where your brother lives Julie, wow that looks like an awesome fence he is building. Great stuff from the op shops, I see Claire's finds on Instagram. Love your Mother Goose tray Julie. Chris xoxoxo

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  15. Impressive photograph of Mt Taranaki. Does the name mean anything? It is a breathtaking view! You have some marvellous finds! I hope the second-hand shops and the flea markets will be opening up here again soon. I so thoroughly enjoy rummaging in those shops and markets. That goose portrait is sensational and it is just perfect the makeover that you have given it. Have you got a webpage /shop online where you sell things? That looks to be a very strong and sturdy fence your brother is building around his farm. It looks as if it will stand for centuries to come. Take care Amanda x

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  16. I so enjoyed reading your blog today.
    I love picking up bargains such fun I do this with my friend every two weeks .
    I love how creative you are ,
    Enjoy your day.

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  17. Beautiful job you did on the tray and the teapot, wonderul haul from the op shops, you are amazing with your finds. love your brothers wall/fence making, it will be there forever and to do with having only one arm, no mean fete.So lovely to see the grandchildrens activities, memories to treasure.Guessing Miss Pippi has got over her sulky time.They are such tricks aren't they?

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