A Birdcage, Knitting . . . & Looking Back

 Greetings lovely friends & readers

On my table today my first bunch of Lilacs for the year.  

Oh how I adore them & they remind me of Mum who loved them too 💜

"Oh Looky - how lovely that she has put these here just for me !!"

It would seem that someone else likes them too. 

As mentioned in my last post I have been helping my friend Gail prepare for the local Garden Ramble.  She asked me to dump this rusty old birdcage in the rubbish hole at the farm & - of course - it had to come home with me 😉             I sprayed it with CRC rust remover & then spray painted it in my wood shed (out of the wind) 2 coats Coastal Green.  I am thrilled with how it came out & when I sent a picture to Gail she replied "Great I'll have it back now thanks!!"  (sorry No)

When I revamped this thrifted table & chair set in * this post * last year, I wasn't sure how it would last being that it was so rusty.  I've kept it on my deck out of the weather & it's still looking good.  I touched up a couple of spots on the chairs while I had the spray paint out.  The birdcage looks great hanging above it & I plan to put a small plant pot in it when I can find the right size. 

- Knitting -

I'm not a very good knitter & am painfully slow, but I do enjoy it at night when my eyes are tired & I can knit the dishcloths - I find it methodical - plus I can watch TV at the same time.  Next year I plan hope to learn to knit an actual garment 😵

One of my daughter-in-laws favorite colours are orange & pink.  I bought this gorgeous teatowel for her to tuck in with her Christmas gifts & knitted 2 dishcloths to go with it.  I know she uses these, as I've witnessed in her kitchen.

The usual pattern I use is the diagonal one, a free download from * here *    I also tried out this moss-stitch pattern (above) which I really liked - another freebie - go * here * tho' I made mine not as large.

On my way to the Sewing Retreat back in June, I purchased a ball of this Abbey Road cotton yarn in Taupo.  I liked the variegation of it & so far, I've knitted 4 dishcloths & it looks like I still have enough left for another two.  The four I've shown are all from the same ball of yarn. 

Last week I decided to knit some scrubby cloths to use up the scrub yarn oddments that I had.  I made matching dishcloths as I thought they'd make nice gifts along with a cake of soap.  I loved the Christmas colours sitting in my soap dish, top right.  Very festive  🎄

After I'd used up all my scraps I went online to purchase some more & saw this colourway called "Jolly".  How beautiful - Yes Please 💓

I've made one scrubbie so far & will be interested to see how many I get out of the ball.  Again, these will be wonderful tucked into christmas parcels. 

I've just about mastered the art of knitting with a large ginger furry being parked on my lap at nights now, tho' the odd stitch gets dropped!

- Looking Back -

Spring is a busy time in my garden with so much to do.  When it feels overwhelming I've found it helpful to look back at some photos from this time last year when we had the Septic Tank debacle.  It helps me to see my progress & realise that I've actually come quite a long way.  

Looking down the section towards the depot yard - last year left pic,  last week, right pic.  I did sow grass seed but the birds ate most of it so I still have patchiness but it's okay, it's better than a sea of dirt. 

As I wait for my foxgloves to bloom I remember this garden last year with its holes & the trenches all the way down the driveway.  I also had a nice flowering of bulbs in here this year as I painstakingly sifted every single bulb from the dirt the men dug out.  

This photo below shows the lavender hedge I had leading up to the Pond - this is an old photo from December 2017, & I had removed the right hand side lavenders as they were woody & just left one side planted.

The pile of dirt below left shows where I rescued some of my lavender plants from under - it was a sorry sight indeed.  But I took cuttings & babied them along in my hothouse & I've managed to get about 6 or 7 to strike.

These plants above right are the healthiest & I planted them out a week ago.  I am hoping as they increase in size I can take more cuttings in the future as this was always such a lovely variety of lavender.  

Thank you dear friends, for your ever-welcome visits here today,

Wishing you a wonderful rest-of-the-week,

Sending much love & friendship to you all,

These Busy October Days

Greetings lovely friends & readers

On my bench today - a pretty bunch of manuka flowers.  I wish I could get these to dry & still retain their flower petals but have not yet figured out the secret.

 October is proving to be a very busy month with lots of things happening.  I would love to do some spring cleaning but as we are still having fires each night, it seems pointless to begin this, though I did wash all my enamel ware yesterday.

My friend Gail is opening her home & garden for this years Altrusa Garden Ramble on November 2nd.  As I've been in this twice before, Gail has asked me to help her, which I'm happy to do.  She has a small studio at the back of her property & is going to be selling some of her sewing so has asked me to put some craft items for sale also.

I made up 10 sets of wool blanket seedling pots & tied them up in bundles of 4 per set.  I planted some seeds in one (top left pic) & thankfully they have poked through already as I just know that people will say "what do you do with these".  😉

I've made 16 herbal moth repellant sachets as Gail especially asked for these.  You can find the recipe for these at the bottom of * this post *.

As this is very much about using-up-what-I-have-on-hand, I made up 6 vintage teacup birdfeeders.  I sell these with a small bag of wild bird seed popped inside.  

I also plan to sell the concrete mushrooms that I showed in * this post *.  Yes, I am trying to think of garden related items that might interest the Ramble visitors.

I found 6 vintage china jugs & cups waiting to be made up in to candles but as I have no soy wax at present (& don't wish to purchase any) I planted these out with cuttings from my babies tears plants & they have grown really well in the hospital corner of my lounge.

This is currently the mess state of my lounge floor as I sit & bag up my citrus potpourri.   Many paper bags of things I have gathered & dried over winter.   I hand place the things in the bags so I can pack it in well & ensure the orange slices are showing & not hidden.  This is time consuming as you can imagine.  Generally there is a ginger cat helping me 😖!!

40 bags all waiting for the bay leaves & oils to be added, then tied with a voile ribbon.  Phew I am glad that part is done.  

A lady has opened a vintage pop-up store about half an hour away & my friend Sue & I decided to go visit it.  If you follow Linen and Stone on Instagram or Facebook, you will have seen lots of posts about her Christmas Brocante.  It's set in an old church & was just wonderful - Yes I would've liked one of everything thanks!  Jo, the lady who has opened it, takes many trips to France & brings back container loads so both Sue & I knew there would be a wonderland of treasures. 

Right beside the store is another old church, used for weddings.  Sue & I went inside & checked out the stunning stained glass windows.  We enjoyed coffee & cake at Punnet Cafe together - it was a wonderful outing & just what I needed.  

A couple of purchases came home with me.  I loved this gold corner shelf but did not notice in the store, that it had a large chunk missing from one corner.  

I decided I thought I could fix it so I spent some time each day, over the following week, applying polyfiller to the corner, slowly building it up & then shaping it into a curve to match the other corner.  Once I was happy with it I rubbed Vintage Gold Rub-n-buff over it & lightly sanded with a very fine paper.

Here it is hanging in my bathroom beside the gold mirror that I thrifted in * this post *.  I am very happy with it & so pleased I added that bit to the corner. 

My other purchase was this vintage tapestry Santa cushion & a bundle of French Pear candles.  I've actually put the cushion away for now, til I bring out my Christmas decor (very soon!).  I bought a box home from the supermarket so I could start clearing & packing away some of my junk treasures in order to make space for my christmas decor.  You can see below how far I got with that venture!

Not Very far at all !!  😕

Thank you as always dear friends, for your welcome visits here today,

Wishing you a wonderful rest-of-the-week,

With much love & friendship to you all,

School Holidays & (two) Finished Things ..........................

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Welcome to October  🤎

School has gone back for another term & like a lot of Grandparents, I breathed a sigh of relief.  I absolutely love spending time with my Grandsons but it's also full on & tiring.    The Dinosaur Extravaganza came to my little town so I bought tickets & took Sid along.

The last time we did this was back in * this post * in early 2021 & Sid was not quite 4.  He was much less scared this visit. 

We dug for fossils again & managed to unearth some bones 😉

It was a beautiful spring day & there was a wonderful turn out of parents & children.  Sid very much enjoyed everything, though I did notice the event was a lot smaller than last time - I'd say less than half the size now.  

During the second week I drove down to Kinloch to spend some time with my older Grandson Alec.  We went into Taupo & walked along the Lake front for a bit.  

It was another beautiful blue-sky spring day but a cool wind coming off the Lake.  We decided to go to Mini Putt Golf.  Granny had not played before but very much enjoyed herself, even though she lost.  She thinks perhaps the score keeper may have "adjusted" the scores a bit 😉

A lady walking her dog on the lake front laughed at us both trying (& failing) to take a selfie & kindly offered to take a photo for us. 

After Mini Putt, we went to Baked With Love Cafe for some lunch.  Alec is such a joy to take to these places now.  

However - he is Not a joy to take Op Shopping!  He very much dislikes Op-shops. 

 My son, Alec's Dad, tells me he doesn't like the Lost Property Box at school so there's not much chance of him liking Op Shops.  As we entered the door he said "Oh Granny it's just full of old Junk".  Wash your mouth out my dear child!!!  Granny only managed a quick look but did find this sweet little plate for $5 - a Holly Hobbie plate.  

I've hung it in my Sewing Room beside the Holly Hobbie mug I bought off Trade me, also for $5.  I adored Holly Hobbie when I was younger & have never outgrown this  💙

I whipped up these Reindeer candy cane holders.  I am always looking for novelty things to add to the Grandkids advent calendars & these appealed to me.  It's a free pattern available from The Sewing Loft.  The Warehouse sell bags of Candy Canes, 8 for $1 so that's what these cost me as I used felt & eyes already in my stash.  

My 2nd completion is this Christmas Pixie, another free pattern from Shabby Art Boutique - go * here * for the pattern & instructions.

I cut this out last christmas but got no further with it.  I was originally going to make a group of 3 Pixies, as Kerryanne has done in her instructions ... but No, there will only be one elf as I found it tricky & was not sure for quite sometime if I even liked him/her? 

I stitched bells to his shoes & to his hat   .  .  .  .  

I dressed my Pixie in some of the new Tilda Christmas fabric that I used for the Angels in my last post.  I also gave mine some hair as I felt he needed something tucked under his pixie hat.  Sitting on a shelf in my sewing room - he is growing on me slowly  .  .  .  .

 I've been weeding around the Pond this week, as the weather allows.  I've had a constant "helper" as I work away down there - Little One is fascinated with the fish who have multiplied their numbers.  Our bridge is old railway sleepers & there's a small hole in one, just big enough for a furry paw to fit through !!!  I thought you might enjoy these pics Ellie seeing as you have such a soft spot for the littlest rascal. 

Thank you as always dear friends, for your welcome visits here today,

I am finding it difficult to find time to blog more regularly of late, so my posts are quite long as I try to fit everything in,

Thank you for always bearing with me - sending much love & friendship to you all,

Stockings, Angels & Mushrooms

Greetings lovely friends & readers

I started this Post on Friday & it's now Monday .  .  .  it is school holidays here in New Zealand so the days are busy and full (plus I am tired & slow-er) 😉

 Picked yesterday - if I can have a vase of spring flowers & a nice candle burning, I'm a Happy Camper 💖

For the past 2 years, in the lead up to Christmas, I have sewn stockings for my local Patchwork Shop, Stitch'n Stuff.  The store fills them with chocolates & they go into the Foodbank boxes for the families with young children.  This year, although I have asked 4 times, they are not going to be doing them.

After the close off date last year my friend Gail gave me a large selection of Christmas fabrics she no longer required & I'd cut some stockings out in anticipation of being ahead this year.  I realised that some of the fabrics I'd cut out had cat prints on them so I decided to make up stockings for my 3 furry family members 😲 Yes you are allowed to roll your eyes (!!)

Because my lot get "treats" everyday of the year - I am not promising to actually fill the stockings but I thought they'd be a fun novelty hanging on the tree.  

Look at that print top left - doesn't that just look like Little One ??  Then we have ginger Miss Pippi & the right hand one had several black/white cats on it, not that Blackie would give one iota if I made him a stocking or not!

Three sweet little Angels flew out of my sewing room this week after I'd put the finishing touches to them.  I'd made the bodies quite some time ago & just needed to dress them, add hair & halo's etc.  I used some of the new Tilda Christmas range, which I just adore.  Do you have a favorite ... Miss Red, Miss Cream or Miss Green ??

The back view. 

 Their lower bodies are weighted with pellets so they sit nicely.  

This is the pattern I used.  A very old pattern that I can no longer find on the worldwide web.  

My friend Gail is opening her home for the local Garden Ramble in November.  She is going to be selling handcrafts from her studio & asked me for some of my concrete mushrooms - the ones I'd made in * this post *.  

I purchased a set 3 silicone candle molds from Temu as I wanted to try some larger sized ones in pink.  They turned out great but I think I still prefer the eggshell sized ones. 

In between looking after Sid last week I managed to get a selection made & painted.  Little One takes his watching-paint-dry-duties very seriously !  Here they are out on my deck having been sprayed with clear acrylic varnish. 

I managed to get 2 large sized sets made (pink) & half a dozen medium sized sets (of 3).  I think they make an attractive gift when wrapped up in cellophane.  The labels I make myself using an old cardboard Cath Kidston calendar.  

Sid & I cleaned out the kids book suitcase & packed up a boxful of books & puzzles to donate.  We dropped them off at the local Salvation Army store & had a quick browse.  

Sid came out with nothing but Granny couldn't help herself & purchased this gorgeous vintage mirror picture for $15.00.  I've hung it in my bathroom & just LoVe it.  

To give you an idea of the mentality of the furry ones around here ... you can see above that I've made cosy places on both outdoor chairs with soft rugs & towels but Blackie prefers to sleep on the hard cane table instead !!  

Verse from Sweatpants and Coffee

I am off to Kinloch tomorrow dear friends, to look after Alec.  I will post again on my return as I still have much to share but this post is plenty long enough.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead - remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to you all,