Op Shop Treasures . . . dead ducks . . . & Blackie

Hello & Happy Tuesday dear friends & readers,

Another wedding invite  . . .  another horseshoe to make  .  .  .

This time for my sweet young friend Rebecca getting married in early March

I have accumulated a small stash of these white boxes now from Warehouse Stationery as they are perfect to present the horseshoes in & I really enjoy decorating them as well.

While running early for a haircut last week, I popped into the Animal Care Op Shop to fill in time . . . the young girl behind the counter was texting & chewing gum & looking like she wished she was "anywhere else but there" . . .

I popped these on the counter (they have had a wash, they werent quite that colour!!)

How much for these I asked her??
a shrug of the shoulders   . . .  "Umm ... 50c"  she said (my heart skipped a beat)

I popped this on the counter & again asked how much ??

another shoulder shrug . . .   "50c"  still texting . . .

"are you sure??"  I asked her 

"Who would want that junk" she replied "the doll doesn't even have any arms!!!"

So I paid my $1.00 &, heart beating fast, I exited the store.

After a gentle soak & wash, I am so in awe of my vintage linen set - someone has crazy patchworked the serviette & small egg cosy using their left over remnants from a time long gone by ...
the fabric is fragile & thin in places, worn with age ...

I just love it so much & it brings me cheer sitting on the rustic egg holder on my kitchen bench

And as for "armless wooden dolly"   .  .  .

 she got a gentle wash to remove the fly spots & a bit of a makeover too . . .

I fashioned her a dress from some of my Lynette Anderson fabrics - I visualised her in quite neutral tonings ... then a pair of pantaloons to attach the wooden legs to her body

Some small calico arms were made & tucked inside the sleeves, then a doiley collar & a set of rusty wire wings seemed perfect I thought

The little wooden heart came off something long, long ago,
 & the wooden bird button was just the right size to adorn it

Much happier than sitting in a box of broken oddments at the Op Shop don't you think??

My neighbour Leah's very dear elderly Aunt passed away late last year in Holland.  Leah's Aunt had been a wonderful artist in her day & had done many beautiful paintings as well as some onto fabric.  Leah arrived home with a small bag full of some fabric "remnants" she had once practised on, & asked me if I could "do anything with them" for her to keep.

It was a little nerve-wracking as I had to carefully soak & wash the fabrics first ... I tried out a small piece for a test run to ensure the colours stayed & didn't bleed.  It really had just been her "practising onto fabric remnants" as it was large pieces with various paintings on at different intervals, & I had to try to fashion something from them.

These 2 paintings were my favourite & I loved the colours ... they were large enough to cut around, overlock & hem, & make into two medium sized cloths for an occasional table ... one was a white background, one was ecru.

I managed to make 2 small, plump cushions from another corner & then a small lavender bag from the last remnant.  I find requests like these can be scary sometimes, but Leah was SO happy with what I achieved for her & now has some mementoes to enjoy of her Aunt's work.

This week saw another "mini avalanche" in my sewing room which unearthed a box I had long forgotten about.  
Many years ago I used to make these calico "upside-down ducks" ... it is a pattern called "Dead Duck" by Di's Dazzling Dolls (Diana Chalk 2002).  
I used to have an old ladder hanging in my kitchen with pots & pans on it & one of these hanging in the middle, & I received lots of comments about my duck.  Inside the box which fell on my head, were 2 calico ducks already cut out.  So I sewed them up & stuffed them.  My orange felt was almost non-existent & I had just enough for the feet, so I decided to paint the beaks instead

Alas - no orange paint !!! 
Being the weekend & wanting to finish them, I recalled a faint distant memory . . .  "red & yellow makes orange" 
(I think from my primary school days no less)
So I mixed my red/yellow paints together & voila ...  I made orange !!!    :-)

Really hard to photograph these darn ducks . . .

They are really long ... from head to toe they measure a metre in length 

They are such a fun, cheerful thing & always bring lots of positive comments ... they look great hanging from the wooden ladder amongst the dried flowers in my Cottage

And some exciting news ... this week for the very first time I was able to pick little Blackie up 
(now come on Julie ... you call that exciting???!!!)

Little Quite big Blackie has always been an aloof kitten (cat) - he is happy for you to pat him sometimes ... on his terms, but don't ever try picking him up, or you would feel the sharpness of his claws.  This week I just bent down, picked him up gently & popped him on his chair

No hissing, spitting or scratching ... mind you, he did go limp like a ragdoll ...
since that first time, I have picked him up on numerous occasions & he seems fine ... I haven't quite gotten to the stage of cuddling him in my arms yet ... but I do live in hope   :-)

Thanks so much for stopping by today dear friends  -  I always appreciate your visits
Wishing you a restfull week ahead & try to remember to  .  .   .

with much love & friendship,
Julie x0x0