Sunday, November 4, 2012

A week of this & that

Hello dear friends & readers,
Do hope you are all having a great weekend??
It has been a busy week of a mixed bunch of things.
At the beginning of the week I did some painting.
When we put our new kitchen in, we took out a doorway to give us room for a pantry.
We have lots of doorways into our house so one less wouldnt matter.
Nothing more had been done since & it was looking tatty along that side + some areas needed repairing & tidying up 
  
I set to last weekend as I knew I had a couple of groups due & wanted it a little more presentable
I ended up having to do 3 coats but it now looks far nicer
Hard to tell there was ever a door there now
 I then rescued some old plates from the back of a cupboard
(& gave them a new lease of life)
Plus moved a suitcase I had planted earlier on top of an old table which I treated to a fresh new piece of oilcloth underneath
Lobelia petunias & impatiens - growing slowly
      Really pleased with the end result
much fresher & cared for looking :-) 
I have also been working on reducing my rubbish heap
with lots of fires later at night
(we dont have rubbish collection out here)
nosey parkers
the other night I had a small audience! !

The busgroup that came on Thursday had planned to have their lunch in town in the Rose Gardens
But it was such a lovely day they asked to eat it here
A lovely bunch of ladies from Tauranga
I do love to share the garden - especially when the sun shines

I have also finished an order for my friend Donna (from 2 posts ago) who ordered some aprons for her gallery 
Her only request was that they be frilly, girly & lacey
     I cant decide if above or below is my favourite. . . 
  They arrived & Donna was very happy with them (phew~!!)
I do always agonise a bit over orders

Then on Friday my friend Claire -
(that I posted about back in August) 
called in on her way to Auckland to attend Calico Christmas
She bought 3 other lovely, lovely ladies with her
Sarah, Sandra & Lynley
we had a cuppa & a catch-up & a laugh
& they had a look in the cottage
As they were leaving Claire put a surprise package in my arms
then they drove off . . .
Ooohh my goodness . .  .  this looks interesting . .  .
 Inside was the MOST beautiful dolly
Plus some rusty bells, wax melts & a felt ornie
It took me all of 5 mins to find a home for her where I could see her & enjoy her
Thankyou Claire - I love her so much :-)
(I have named her Prim)

I had to go to Cambridge this week for a part for the tractor
for the Mr
I happened to park right outside this lovely shop (! !)
& made an impulse purchase (I very rarely do this)
But it was the words that I loved so much
& thought "I have just the place for this"
            it is actually painted on slats of wood
I have hung it by the entrance that I use all day long
so I can read it & remind myself
(today the Mr walked me outside & pointed to line 6 - "don't whine" ) point taken!!!
  
Even Mr Wolf was impressed with my purchase!!
Yes Mum you definately need to read Line 6 !!!

Finally friends, I am trying to revamp my DLE marketing cards
(it is proving to be a real headache)
I asked my friend Pele to take some proper photos for me to use for images on my cards
I was amazed at the detail that showed up in my work
compared to my funny ol' photography
Pele is a professional photographer & works under this label
http://www.onelifephotography.co.nz/about.html  
I love her little "verse" 
- Remember the moments that changed you -
Anyway I thought over the next few posts I would share with you
some of her photos of my craft work 
Soy candles in vintage cups
   
vintage gloves filled with lavendar
matryoshka angels in china bowl
dear little Isabella
I will share them with you over the coming posts
& you will all think I am taking very professional pics
at long last :-)

Wishing you all a happy & safe one out there folks
Love/hugs/friendship,
Julie
  

10 comments:

  1. my my julie you stay so busy!!
    Your porch looks amazing and so fresh.
    What a wonderful job you did. I really love the plates and suitcase of flowers.
    Your visitors must just love poking around.

    LOL about your new sign. Very nice. We always get compliments on how Brooklyn can always say "please" and "thank you" we taught him from the very start of his life to say these words. I think because he learned them so young it is some of the few words he can say.
    He is feeling much better btw. thank you for leaving such kind words on his recovery. :)

    Your things are always so lovely and it makes me want to get up and get working. I am so far behind for having visitors for a week.
    take care
    Amy

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  2. Hi Amy,
    Thank you so much for your (always lovely) comments. So glad to hear little B is feeling better now. Yes I taught my boys to use their manners from very young also - I always used to say to them "It costs nothing to be polite".
    I can well relate to having visitors & yet wanting to be in your studio - can imagine you have orders waiting also?? Hope you can get back to it real soon. Just Loved that turkey by the way. Luv Julie :-)

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  3. Julie... you never cease to amaze me with your creativity. Your porch looks very Welcoming! Love the sign. As always a great post!

    Sandy xxx

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    1. Hi Sandy, thank you SO much. You amaze me also with your beautiful quilts that you make. I am pleased with the porch at last - always feels like its "in view" as people walk across to the cottage so try to keep it looking nice.
      Yes the sign is lovely (& was from Kate Fitzpatrick). Have a great week Sandy, Luv Julie Xox

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  4. I couldn't agree more, seems like people really take notice these days to a polite child. It is so rare that parents teach these important words anymore.

    I love your saying!

    I am so exhausted, I need a good nights rest and I will reboot and get in the studio all day tomorrow. I have a million ideas in my head that my body just can't follow thru on tonight ;)

    I had forgotten to comment on your aprons the 2nd one is by far my favorite. I would layer it over a white dress like a Laura Ingalls petticoat

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  5. Hi Amy - yes well trust you to think of something amazing like layering it!!! - Have a good sleep my friend & happy creating in your studio tomorrow Xxx (sometimes when ideas are spinning in your head its hard to switch off & sleep) pleasant dreams of crafty things :-)

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  6. Blogger isn't showing me all my favourite blogs new posts - I missed this one - you must have left your comment today seconds after I posted mine! I noticed your mangle and remembered my grandma had one - we used to mangle my dad's socks! Lovely pictures - especially Isabella - I have never seen anything like her, she's special. Betty x

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    1. Hello Betty - thankyou. Yes I love my old mangle & bought it in bits & managed to put it all back together again after a clean & a paint. They are very expensive to buy over here in good condition. I love that little Isabella made in buzzybee fabric - glad you like her too. Hugs, Julie :-)

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  7. Well that made me burst out laughing Betty...mangling socks! I wonder how many people bits have gone through mangles in their time..arms, hair, little brothers?! You have done a fabulous job Julie of tidying up that face...you must be thrilled. How delightful, all this lunching on the lawn...love all the lawn daisies too. I have no idea what you mean about the photos..your photography is just fine! Such a perfect sign & place for it too & what darling little matryoshka angels. Pele's verse could really become the blogging motto.."remembering the moments that change you". And please dear Julie can you tell me how you changed your comment settings to threaded comments. I have fiddled & twiddled & just don't seem to get it! Much love & friendship Catherine x0x0x0x

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    1. Hello Catherine, Thank you so much!! Yes loved the sign - it was just perfect for how I was feeling that day too!! Now regarding the comment settings, quite honestly, I have NO idea how I did that, was just fiddling around oneday and came across this setting somewhere!! I do recall that the script I chose was called "crafty girls" as I liked the sound of it, & it turned out to be quite a nice lettering. Honestly, a fluke - my computer skills are 0 :-( Hugs, Julie (sorry no help) Xox

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