Hello dear friends & readers & a warm Welcome to my new followers . . .
Four little angels flew out of my sewing room this past week.
Or I should say ... 4 little pincushion angels ...
this is a Woodberry Designs pattern (by Kerryanne English)
You can read about the last time I made these angels here
The two angels on the left are for birthday gifts ... 2 friends having birthdays this week within 3 days of each other
As both are beautiful crafters (one a sewer, one a crocheter), I decided this was an ideal gift as you can store sewing notions in the back pocket
I popped a pair of small scissors & a needle threader in the back before gift wrapping them.
The other two are now for stock for my little Cottage.
A customer phoned & asked for a gift to take overseas. She was happy to leave the choice up to me but her instructions were that it needed to be:-
- usefull
- lightweight
-bright & cheery
- kiwiana if possible
As she has bought the handtowels from me in the past, I decided to make another using my gorgeous bright Pukeko fabric. A set of clove scented spice mats to match & a teatowel trimmed in this seemed the perfect package.
She was delighted with the gifts I had put together & took all 3 items.
My hanging baskets are beautiful again this year but soak up the water like a bottomless pit . . .
I find I need to water them twice daily now - both early morning & late evening - the petunias don't seem to mind these long hot dry summers we are now having each year ... so long as their feet are kept wet
The other flowers that seem to do well in my garden during the dry spells are Impatiens
(or busy lizzies we call them)
Each spring I plant a punnet full in my big old Beatie Wringer Washing Machine that sits under the old silk tree
When the rustic chairs in my garden become
You have to be careful though, as customers will sometimes still go & attempt to sit on them ... so I have found if I place a pot of something on the seats, it discourages this from happening.
This miniature variety of petunia pepe seems quite happy tucked away in the midst of the rose garden, with the occasional jug of water tossed over it
Last week after finishing the millet silage, the Mr decided we should drive to Raglan for a dinner of fish & chips on the beach.
Raglan is just over an hour from here & it our nearest beach.
I love visiting Raglan & often wonder whether I would be happy to live there??
We bought ourselves some dinner ... the fish at Raglan comes in fresh each day & tastes completely different to any you might buy back home ... we found a nice grassy patch to sit & look out at the sea ...
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| Yes I know ... I am pathetic the way I cart my tomato sauce all the way over to the beach !!!! |
After eating & a walk around the wharf, we usually take a drive out to Whale Bay - sometimes there are surfers out here, & the Mr likes to watch the boats come back in after their days fishing
At another Bay closer to the township, there were some kite surfers out having fun . . .
We took a different route back home again (Old Mountain Road) & I noticed how brown the countryside is looking due to lack of any rainfall this summer
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| You can just faintly see Hamilton city in the distance here |
Well friends ... it is lavender harvesting time again in my neck of the woods so I am off outside to rub some more lavender stalks - below is this morning pickings ...
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| Lean closely into the screen & take a big sniff !!!! |
But firstly I am off to make myself a cuppa ...
I hope you enjoy this little verse I found to share with you extolling the benefits of tea drinking ...
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| Source : tumblr |
Thank you all so much for your visit today & all the lovely comments you leave me ... I appreciate them all so very, very much.
with much love & friendship,
Julie x0x0x
Hello Julie,
ReplyDeleteYour first photo of the pincushions reminded me of the ladies from Downton Abby. They will make great gifts. Lovely photo's of your garden. New Zealand is still so green even in Summer.Sauce on fresh fish!!! I will say no more. Enjoy your liquid hug.
Happy days.
Bev.
Those angels are so pretty. Your potted pots are singing the brightest of songs aren't they....they are all gorgeous en masse! I can almost the fragrance of your lavender all the way over here. One of life's best things is to eat fish n chips by the seaside...there is nothing quite like it. I am off to have a magical cup of tea in a very pretty tea cup!
ReplyDelete.....ooops....of course I meant to say that "I can almost smell the fragrance of your lavender all the way down here"....the perfume overcame me for a moment. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, a true kiwi always has her Watties on hand!. Raglan looks lovely, I've never been there. Your garden and home looks beautiful, so colourful and cheerful. I normally always use petunias in my pots too but this year I used white geraniums and am thrilled with them. I put hanging white geraniums in our baskets too. Really nice for a change. Those little angels are beautiful. Well done.
ReplyDeleteYour lovely pincushion angels are a great gift, I know as I have one and I just love it. Your garden is looking very colourful. You sure are doing well with all this hot, dry weather.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Angels, they look so serene, cute how they have a little pocket like a kangaroo! Gee your garden is looking beautiful as usual, I know you have been keeping up with the watering. I like the old seat in that rose garden. Raglan is a cool place and obviously the place to stop by for Fish & Chips, perhaps my Mr & I could pop down have some fish & chips & come home................OK maybe not! I scratched & sniffed the screen.........but I can't smell the lavender :-(
ReplyDeleteThe angels are gorgeous! And the garden looks FAB!
ReplyDeleteOh those pin cushions are so delightful!!!! Beautiful gift idea and very handy
ReplyDeletefor my sort of friends. I always love visiting your blog, the photo's are so yummy
and I just want my garden to look like that. Love your idea to keep the garden seat
clear. lol.
Cheers, Anita.
Not sure I could stick a pin in your angels...I love there 'real' wings. Thanks for the sunny day trip, I'm currently wearing 3 jumpers and 2 thermal vests! xx
ReplyDeleteLavender harvest, how lovely - it's so sunny and full of flowers in your part of the world. Your angels are beautiful. Betty
ReplyDeleteSimply Gorgeous!!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you were able to getaway. It looks so peaceful and lovely, but the water is always so calming that way.
I am jealous of the tomato sauce carrier you have. I just saw these for the first time in the Paddington Movie and thought, well how cute is that!!
Funny how I was just thinking of you and your lavender this morning. I am wanting to massage lavender oils on little B to relax him in the evenings.
I am just off to the store to get some.
Well Julie have a lovely rest of your Summer soon it will be that cool crisp air coming your way and all those beautiful flowers to water will be missed.
Amy
Wow, haven't been to Raglan in more than 20years-still looks as beautiful as ever! Those angels look gorgeous! And the garden just as gorgeous! We are hoping for rain here in the naki, looks like you need it too!!
ReplyDeleteMichelle
Your garden is looking so colourful and lovely, especially your hanging baskets. I had one, only one and it passed away last week. I should have been doing what Julie does!! Those Angels are gorgeous, you clever girl you. Good old Raglan, takes some beating doesn't it? I would take my sauce, and a thermos so I can have a cuppa to wash away the fat, well when I say wash away, I mean wash it down!!
ReplyDeleteCute angels and I absolutely love your garden. It is gorgeous I haven't been to Raglan yet but it looks great and what better than having fish and chips on the beach with your own sauce ;)
ReplyDeleteYes I don't think that I could stick them either Lol! Gorgeous! Your garden is a treat..love lavender. Nothing tastes as good as fish and trips at the sea.
ReplyDeleteYes Julie, Bev is quite right your angels do have a certain Downton deportment going on! I love the wee back pockets for "notions" (a delightful old term isn't it) Are they dove feathers that the wings are made from? Your hanging baskets are marvellous. Mine never seem to flourish for long. Mind you, they do seem to need just the right spot to do really well. Some things here are succumbing to powdery mildew now which is always an unsightly nuisance. Very good idea to otherwise occupy the fading seats...wouldn't want a nasty accident with someone disappearing between the slats! Lovely to be replenishing your lavender stash again. I have been stripping seeds off blue cynoglossum stalks...kind of of the same but with out the benefit of the divine scent. Much love Catherine x0x0x
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, your angels are gorgeous. You have just inspired me with your old garden seat, we have one that has been broken for years. I think I will put it in the garden with a pot of flowers on it, just like yours :) Hugs Wendy
ReplyDeleteYour angels are indeed divine. Lovely colourful pics, Julie and you're so lucky gaining new followers. I've lost another two this week. Oh well. Have a good weekend. x
ReplyDeleteI love reading your blogs.. I wish I lived closer so I could come and visit your beautiful cottage, I would love to buy some of your lovely crafts, could you let me know how I could do this
ReplyDeleteHi Trish, Thank you for your lovely comment :-) I tried to reply to your email but you are coming up as a "no-reply blogger". If you would like to email me privately at stitchedbyjulie@hotmail.com ... then I can let you know the information you have asked for. Hope you pop back & see this reply Trish - thanks again x0x
DeleteThe pin cushions are delightful!, We have those long dry summers too and I find petunias can really take the heat, but when we do get some rain the flowers turn to mush! But they perk up again in a few days. I am growing geraniums this year for a change. Thanks for the memory trip to Raglan haven't been there for many many years..Not since I was a student at Waikato! Love the Tea verse!
ReplyDeleteThe pin cushions are delightful!, We have those long dry summers too and I find petunias can really take the heat, but when we do get some rain the flowers turn to mush! But they perk up again in a few days. I am growing geraniums this year for a change. Thanks for the memory trip to Raglan haven't been there for many many years..Not since I was a student at Waikato! Love the Tea verse!
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