Van Life, Charity Sewing & New (Winter) Cushions

Greetings lovely friends & readers

          On my bench today the rose "Heaven Scent", one of the roses gifted to me when my Mum passed away.  

💜

(I acknowledge this next part may be of no interest to many folk but I wanted to document it as I write this blog as a memory book for myself & my Grandchildren, for the future - so wanted to include it)

In October of 2024 my youngest son Kayne (Sid's Dad) purchased a van privately from Auckland.  The van had belonged to a carpet layer so was a generous size which was good as Kayne planned to fit it out as a Camper for himself & his family.  I took these photos when he first bought it around to show me.

Over the course of the next year Kayne gutted it & set about fitting it out with bunks which folded out into a bottom double bed, a handbasin, toilet & made it able to be certified for Freedom Camping.  You need a certificate for this here in New Zealand.  This was all built by Kayne as time & - mostly funds - allowed.  Nicole did all the painting, sewed the curtains & the soft furnishings for the van.  

It was all done on a shoestring or as my dear Dad would say - the sniff of an oily rag.    All the while they planned & saved for a big South Island trip. 

 Their South Island trip came to fruition recently & they all had a most wonderful time away.  Unfortunately with the cost of petrol currently in NZ, it was not an ideal time so they ended up cutting their trip in half & only doing the top part of the South Island, which in hindsight, was a good decision.

A week before Easter they headed off from Te Awamutu (white asterix), drove down the middle to Wellington (yellow star) where they caught the Interisland ferry across to Picton  (this takes 3.5 hours to cross)

I've tried to show their trip around the top of the South Island here ...

 (1) Picton to (2) Nelson, down to (3) Murchison, (4) Hanmer Springs, (5) Christchurch, out to (6) Akaroa, up to (7) Kaikoura & then up to (8) Blenheim before back up to Picton for the ferry home.

They were away for 3 weeks all up, staying a couple of nights in some places, sometimes freedom camping but also staying in some Camp Grounds to use the facilities. 

Here they are at one Camp Ground - they had purchased this tent-style-cover which you attach over the back door of the Van when it is up & it adds another "room" to the van.  It was wonderful. 

 A few holiday snaps showing the wonderful autumnal weather they experienced. 

Such a great experience for all of them.  Sid's favorite place of all (yes I asked) was Hanmer Springs.  He actually had his birthday while away on the trip & turned 9 !!!   I'm sure you will be seeing more Van Adventures on this blog in the future.  😊

Last weekend was Anzac Weekend here in New Zealand.  I'd been having a sort out of my wool blankets & decided to make some hot water bottle covers.  These are going to a charity that my eldest son has put me on, to but I will document more about this once they have been received as I have still to get these down to Taupo.  I made 6 covers & then put new hotties inside them.  Little One gave them the "seal of approval".  

While i had the offcuts I decided to make some lavender hearts.  I used to make & sell so many of these in my craft cottage.  They are filled with my homegrown dried lavender.  These are going to the Charity also.  

You can see I wasn't quick enough putting the wool blankets away & Someone has taken up residence on the lovely thick orange one ... well I guess it is her colour  🧡

Late last year my sister-in-law gifted me this plum velvet bolster cushion that she no longer had a use for.  I must admit I didn't use it & tucked it away in my trunk.  Recently I noticed Bed, Bath & Beyond had the same plum velvet cushions with 60% off so I treated myself to two.

As we've had a run of fine sunny autumnal days I've been washing all my bedlinen & changing to winter sheets & blankets.  It has been great to get them all dry outside on the clothes-line.

I pulled out my burgundy quilt from the trunk as this is a good weight for winter & it matched the cushions well.  I also pulled out my Zinnia cushion made in this post back in 2021.

Although the cushions seem to be photographing quite dark today they are actually a rich plum colour.    I picked some of my hydrangeas which are similar colours at present, & put a Jugful beside my bed.  

It's amazing how just the addition of 2 new cushions can add such a warm cosy vibe to the room.  And look at that dear friends .  .  .  not a cat in sight (Yet) !!

Thank you all so much for staying through this long post.

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

Sending much love & friendship to you all,

Easter Crafting Part Two . . . . ~ Miss Milly Rabbit ~

Greetings lovely friends & readers

 Instead of flowers today, we have ornamental Gourds which I picked last weekend.  I had a very small crop this year but my seeds were old so I wasn't surprised & just thankful that any came up.

This old round baking tin was in my stash, no doubt thrifted at some time & showing signs of rust.  I gave it the Resene Rust FX treatment & it came up well.  It was the perfect size to fit under my wire cloche & just big enough to hold my gourds.  

Last Easter I purchased a half metre length of gorgeous rabbit fabric with the plan to make Miss Milly Rabbit out of the above (old) pattern book.

  The fabric sat in my stash for a year & just prior to this Easter I got it out & made the rabbits body.  I enlarged the length of the legs by 3 inches as I wanted a long legged rabbit.  I teadyed the calico & I also sewed chenille pipecleaners into her ears when I attached them to the head as I like the ears standing up somewhat - I feel it adds character.  

The last time I made this pattern was in * this blog post * way back in 2013.

I added a ring to the back of my Miss Milly as I thought she might look good hanging on a wall - she is a good long length measuring 65 cms from head to toe.

I made sure I fussy cut the bodice piece with the rabbit right in the centre.  I also gave my girl some bloomers as we don't want her getting chilly in her nether regions !!  

I purchased this swing tag from Love from Seventeen - I've bought their personalised items before to attach to gifts for the Grandchildren.  This rabbit motif was in my stash so I gave Miss Milly a pocket so I could stitch the motif to it.  I also stitched a vintage lace doiley to her hand as every good rabbit needs a clean handkerchief !

After I'd completed her I decided to paint some shoes on her feet.  I had no pastel coloured paint that matched her so I used chalk paint in the colour Robins Egg.  It was a wonderful match colour-wise.

It's overcast & grey this week so I've photographed her on my deck table where it's a bit lighter.  I'm really pleased with her & have told her she can stay out for awhile longer so long as she behaves herself.  🐰💙

When I went to pack my Easter decor away I came across a bag with these wooden rabbit buttons in & the 3 tiny wood frames.  I can't remember how many years I've had these for but it was time to  

do something with them!!  

I covered the frames with wadding & Tilda scraps,  then stitched the rabbit buttons in the centre.  I tried to use colours that complimented the buttons.  Then I thought I needed something to display them on.

This was one of those vintage frames with the silk pictures in but it was torn & faded so I removed it, painted the frame & backing & then glued some scrapbooking paper to the backing.  

I thought the soft blue toile paper just set the rabbit frames off nicely & I had some leftover ribbon from Miss Milly's ears so I added a bow & a rabbit peg.  I will enjoy adding this to my displays next Easter.  

The recipe calls for 3/4 cup of feijoas - I double this & use Extra!

As I was on hen-feeding-duties over Easter I was able to gather a bucket of feijoas & make my favourite feijoa recipe Feijoa and Coconut Cake.   Yes I served it with lashings of cream because Why Ever Not ??!!

Yesterday morning I lit my first fire of the season.  It was Cold & I'd spent many days stacking firewood so I told myself that it was not for display only & gave myself permission to Use it!!!  It didn't take long for a certain Ginger Princess to find the heat!!!  

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

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

Sending much love & friendship to you all,

Easter Decorating & Crafting 2026 ~ Part One ~

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Some jugs of dahlias & zinnias picked last week before Cyclone Vaianu hit the garden with winds & rain.

 

Easter came & went for another year.  My Easter decorations have now been packed away - a job that normally takes me half a day took longer this year as I appeared to be having "issues" with one of my storage bins  😖!!

I thought I'd share a few Easter decorating photos - very similar to previous years.

~  Kitchen  ~

~  Dining Room  ~

Primitive Rabbits made * here * & * here *

~  Corners of my Lounge  ~

I've tried to insert a short video here of my lounge mantle but blogger won't load it so if you click * Here * on my Instagram post, you may be able to view the video hopefully. 

~  Lounge  ~

On Good Friday we had a brief visit from my step grandaughters as they travelled south & I was able to give them their Easter bags.  Our neighbor spent a few days burning the large heap of trees that he had removed in * this post *.  It was perfect bonfire weather. 

On Easter Sunday I baked all day as I planned a trip down to visit Alec my eldest Grandson & family.  I baked Banana bread, Rice bubble crisp & (more) chocolate cupcakes with choccy eggs on top. 

 I couldn't wait to get my feet in Lake Taupo again.  We had a picnic lunch down at the Lake & then in the afternoon my daughter in law & I went for a 20 minute hike to a secluded Bay.  

    

I'm pretty sure * this * was the track we walked - to Whangamata Bay.  

Such a wonderful secluded spot with a stream running down the hills & into the Lake - Sarah said she often hikes down here & brings her book to read or swims.  

~  Easter Crafting  ~

On Good Friday afternoon I pulled this old wooden box out of the woodshed where it was buried under a plethora of rubbish other items.  I scrubbed it & then painted it using first some leftover white paint to really cover the wood & then chalk-paint in the colour Old Linen.  This was very much about using up what I had on hand.  It took 3 coats all up to get a good coverage.

I'd purchased this wooden embellishment on our recent trip to Paint me Vintage so I glued it to the Lid & once dry, painted it the same colour.  

I still had some transfers left over from when I revamped this drop leafed table so I added these to the lid & front of the box.  Then I lightly sanded the edges & gave it a good wax.  

Now it was time to tackle the inside.  I should have photographed it when I first opened it - it was a sorry sight indeed.  I vacuumed it out & then scrubbed it & left to dry.  I only painted the edges of the lid & the sides of the base as I planned to use up some left over wallpaper for the rest.  

I had just enough of this gorgeous Cath Kidston wallpaper left to do the insides.  I'm really pleased with how it's turned out & I'm sure it won't take me too long to find something to fill it up 😉 as it's a good big size.

Thank you so much for staying through this lengthy post dear friends,

I shall be back soon with Part two as I felt this was long enough for today.

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

With much love & friendship to you all,

Hosting my Craft Group Friends ~ Easter Crafting ~ 🐰🐣🐥

Greetings lovely friends & readers

In my dining-room today a freshly picked jug of hydrangeas, just starting to turn autumnal colours  ...  & Sid's artwork hanging above.

 

Sid has gone on a 3 week holiday with his parents but he gifted me this handmade card & chocolate bunnies before he left.  He tells me its an Easter Taco  (!!)

It was my turn to host the craft group ladies on March 30th for some Easter crafting.  I'd spent time on Pinterest looking for projects & what appealed to me were the 2 images above.  I was looking for simple projects that we could complete & also trying to use up supplies already on hand.

A week prior I sat & made up my version of the "Nest peat pot" & then I did a painted version too, thinking the ladies could choose which one they would like to create.  I sat & dry brushed some peat pots so they were already painted.  

I like to set my table just a little bit special when I host the ladies so I went with an Easter theme, made chocolate cupcakes again & used Dee's basket from my last post as a centerpiece.  It was certainly a chocolate overload but we had a delicious morning tea & lunch.  

I'd had to send to Temu for the wooden discs to make the bunny faces, so I'd also ordered Easter paper serviettes, Easter cupcake wrappers & a pack of 4 sweet wooden bunnies that were a hanging ornament.  I set each place setting with these as a wee gift.  The ladies were just delighted.  🐰

At Christmas my friend Shirley had told me about TV frame art on YouTube ... so I searched for Easter TV frame art & found this stunning picture, which you can get for your TV - completely free.  A shame there's no music to accompany this but it was very eye catching & looked so real & lifelike.

Though our group was only 4 in number we had a most enjoyable day.  We made the peat pots in the morning, stopped for lunch & then made the wire bunny plant pokes. 

I found this tutorial on Instagram.  I'll put a link * here * but am unsure if you need to be on Instagram for the link to work.  These are made using the center of egg cartons as their dresses, were honestly just the sweetest little things & I would love to make a group of these bunnies.  

* Here * is the Pinterest link to them.

One of the ladies Sharlaine, gifted me this wonderful Pinocchio.  She had purchased him thrifting but decided she no longer had a place for him & offered him to me.  I just adore him & he will be stunning at Christmas time ... I may have to make a wee setting for my Pinocchio.

The next day while I still had all my supplies out, I made this terracotta pot egg, it's a polystyrene egg decorated with a transfer & I've given it a few coats of varnish.  I'd seen this on Pinterest too but can no longer find the image.

I wanted to make up a gift for our Rural Delivery lady.  She gives us free newspapers when she has any left over & is just such a kind person all-round.  I took one of the leftover painted peat pots, mod-podged the paper serviette onto it, coated again with mod-podge to seal it  .  .  .  .  .  .

.  .  .  .  .  .  filled it with shredded paper & choccy eggs & then tied it all up with cellophane.  Such an easy but effective small gift at Easter time.  She was thrilled & left me the sweetest note in my letterbox.

                                              This is especially for You dear Willie ...

 Blackie, our eldest cat, is going through a phase of returning to his feral ways - he does this from time to time. 

 He must be 13 or 14 now, was wild for quite sometime before I bought him inside & tamed him (tried to) 

 He sleeps along the fence line in the paddock & every night I am out there with my torch looking for him.  I no longer call him as he ignores me/is deaf, but I walk along 'til I find him, pick him up & bring him inside for the night. 

 The other night I could not find him & had to leave him outside all night.  Next morning when I did my usual walk here he is tucked into the undergrowth with "a (quite dead) friend" - perhaps its Easter bunny ??  Considering he's older now & by the way he walks, has joint pain - he must still be able to run fast to catch rabbits.  

Wishing you a wonderful peace-filled Easter celebration dear friends - do you have plans?  I'd love to hear them if you feel like leaving me a comment.               

 Ours will be quiet as The Mr is in full autumn calving mode.  I have firewood to stack, hens to feed for friends, & - hopefully - a rabbit to sew.  

Sending much love & friendship to you all,