Hello dear friends & readers
I managed to complete my first Pay It Forward gift for Sue last week & my son delivered it for me
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| The bag pattern is by Ellen MacGregor "afternoon tea bag" from an old Handmade Magazine |
I thought long & hard about what to make for Sue & also "stalked" her blog quite a bit :-)
I saw that she loved to wear purple & hot pink quite often ... I remembered I had this lovely pink/purple wool blanket I had bought from the Sallys Shop in Stratford so I decided to make her a bag ...
plus I made her a lavender heart & a wool blanket cat from the remnants as Sue always leaves me lovely comments on my posts about the kittens
I lined the bag with this gorgeous vintage sheet which came from the Hospice Shop in Hawera ... Sue is a real Op Shop Queen & I was so pleased to be able to make her gift from thrifted items
I added in one of my friends lovely Infused With Nature soaps (which I stock in the Cottage) plus a notepad & some thrifted magazines
You can read Sue's post about it here ... she was most delighted with her gift & has used the bag already :-)
(Also a big thanks to Sue for putting her hand up to take part in the P.I.F. exchange)
While on the subject of lovely gifts ... I received this most amazing package in the post this week from dear Shane
Earlier this year Shane won my Angel Giveaway - you can read about this here & also in Shane's post here
Shane had been gathering together vintage doilies, trims & fabrics that she no longer had any use for & making up a box to send to me ... opening it was just like opening a treasure trove ... everytime I look at it all I still find something new to see & enjoy :-)
I almost needed a wide angled lens to photograph it all spread out on my bed
Thank You SO VERY MUCH dear Shane for your kind & thoughtful gesture which quite simply made my week
Also last week I made some more apples ...
I sell these in my Cottage & was down to just one lonely little apple sitting in the dish . . .
. . . so I made another six to keep it company . . .
I sell these in my Cottage & was down to just one lonely little apple sitting in the dish . . .
. . . so I made another six to keep it company . . .
These are just made from scraps of fabric but I add a piece of cinnamon stick which I scent with cinnamon/clove oil ... lean in real close & take a big sniff !!!!
When Leeanne came to stay the other weekend we sat & made some string jars ... we just used old Agee Jars & "primified" (not sure if thats a word actually Julie!!!) them up a bit
. . . this was my jar I made with Leeanne . . .
So after buying another 4 jars on trademe I sat & made some more yesterday - while it poured with rain
They were such an enjoyable & fun thing to make & a pleasant change from sewing :-)
The Kitten Diaries part 2 :-
(yes you may close your browser now if you so wish !!!)
We lost a kitten this week - little whitey (yes the one with lots of white on it in case you wondered!!!) met an untimely death down at the depot yard -
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| Little Whitey was a beautiful looking kitten & loved the string game |
the driver who accidently run her over (yes, she was a she) has offered to take little squawker (yes the one that squawks alot!!!) when I can quieten him/her a little more
... here we all are wearing our funeral faces for a day...
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| thats little squawker sitting in the mangle |
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| On my best behaviour & ready & waiting for the teacher !!!!???? |
They have discovered the Mr's fishing net & it makes a great playing & hiding spot
Also on top of Nero's kennel is an old cane bike basket that is a great favourite
Hopefully by my next post, we shall be down to just two kittens & little squawker will have gone to its new home (Oh & not been returned either!!!)
Thanks so much for stopping by today - have a wonderful weekend everyone,
with much love & friendship,
Julie x0x
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ReplyDeleteI just deleted my comment as there were so many spelling mistakes!
ReplyDeleteLucky Sue! What an awesome bag, it is wonderful you can use so many thrifted items for her Pay-it-Forward gift, as she is also an opshop fan.
Loving your string jars! The red hessian looks great. I bet hoards of folks will want to buy them from your shop.I posted about my jar on my blog today too.
Beautiful goodies from Shane, lucky you! lots to think about and enjoy playing with & some nice new creations to come up with.
So sorry to hear about Whitey. The couple of days I stayed with you those little kittens won my heart over.
Sad...So very sad....Sorry to hear the news about Whitey! x
ReplyDeleteDon't mind people dying....But! Cats! Now! That's a different
matter....When my Mum died l put the flags out! Well! She
was 90....Bless her! But! When my George died....Goodness!
What a state for grown man to get into.....Loved that little fella!x.
Lucky Sue, the gifts you made her are gorgeous. And I love the apples and string jars, such clever ideas. Lots of lovely gifts from Shane, I'm sure you will put them to good use :) Sad to hear about little Whitey, the others are so cute!! Hugs Wendy xx
ReplyDeleteLucky Sue indeed - I bet she loves all her goodies, so much care went into choosing colours she liked and so on. Sorry to read about little Whitey, how terribly unfortunate and the driver must feel terrible but I guess at least one of the kitties now gets a kind new home so it has some happiness at the end of the story.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely gift and I love the bag. Sorry to hear about your kitten but glad, little squawker gets a new home x
ReplyDeleteBeautiful gift parcel Julie and what a treasure trove from Shane for you. I adore those string jars...gorgeous! Poor little kitty! That is so sad. Hope the others are happy in their new homes xx
ReplyDeleteI am very LUCKY!!!! I loved everything in my parcel. You went to Whangamata with me Julie, your little heart is hanging in my car so I took a photo beach front to show how much you enjoyed being at the beach. Looking forward to meeting you soon, as in MONDAY!!!!!!! I want to play with all those kittens.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about little kitty... the others seem to be thriving. Lovely makes as always... the little round doily has caught my eye,would make a lovely centre piece. I must renew my doily promise! xx
ReplyDeleteYour are such a darling thoughtful creator & sweet friend to so many dear Julie. Perfect blanket for a bag. I have always been drawn to that pattern with it's waisted top..looks great with the vintage sheet inner too. The scented apples are a lovely idea for the cottage & I adore the string jars..brilliant. I guess they could be wool holders too then, you know how sometimes people have something like that to control the ball when they're knitting. Did you just use preserving seals for the tops & then the metal ring? What a lovely box full of loveliness from Shane. Such a blessing to an exuberant crafter like you.
ReplyDeletePoor wee puss. It's a bit of a heart rending process being a cat lady sometimes! Kittens have such a fun life though don't they! All that romping & hiding & shenanigans....almost looks as if somebody went through the wringer!
Have a lovely week...make the most of those extra bits of light this week, won't you ; ) Yay we're past the shortest bit.
Much love Catherine x0x0x
Julie- I just wanted to tell you that you've won the beautiful (!!) nest necklace in my Nature's artistry giveaway:)
ReplyDeleteCan you please email me with your mailing address? My email is shown on the sidebar of my blog-- congrats!
Vicki
Your ideas never cease to amaze me Julie - Lucky Sue with her PIF gift and how lovely of Shane to send you the goodies. I can imagine you drooling! The jars you and Leeanne did are very cool... I'm having ideas...! Sad to hear about little whitey but the rest of the kittens are looking really well - what fun photos!! Have a lovely Sunday :-)xx
ReplyDeleteHello Julie, I thought I should introduce myself since we are going to be swap partners. Looks like I have my work cut out since you are already a gifted and talented crafter. Off to have a browse at the rest of your blog for some ideas. (Those apples are divine! and sorry about your little kitty-cat)x
ReplyDeleteHi Julie! It was so lovely to meet you today. I had a lovely morning, your mum is lovely and so are you. Thank you for your hospitality, hope to see you again soon, and I meant what I said, I will teach you to crochet whenever you like :D
ReplyDelete