A Mixed Up Post of Oddments

Wintery Greetings dear friends & readers,

My dear friend Leeanne's favourite season of them all is winter 

I think of her & try to find things to like about this cold bleak season ... but I must admit I am struggling

Especially with the - 4 degrees frost we had here this morning

One thing I know for sure I am thankful for . . . the dear old man in the rickety old truck who delivered me another large load of firewood just yesterday   . . .   at least the fire helps take the chill off the house

During the last fortnight I celebrated yet another birthday   :-)

Happy 55th Birthday tooo Meeeee ! ! !

I received some really lovely handmade & storebought gifts from friends & family

the beautiful handknitted soft merino socks have been getting a good work-out lately with lots of wear 

Also during the last fortnight a particularly nasty flu virus well & truly sneaked up on me & knocked me off my feet

I have been struggling to shake the dreaded thing off .... any suggestions, please don't hesitate to let me know as I firmly believe in home remedies

Some gentle handstitching by the fire has been about all I have had the energy for .... these little felt dollies are a pattern by Wendy Brigg of Country Friends ... they are only 12 inches tall & apart from the trim on the skirt & 1 seam, they are completely handstitched.

First completion was a black felt primitive girl dolly .... they are not meant to have wings, but having these wire wings on hand that were a perfect size, it seemed a shame not to make them into angels ...

This was a pattern we obtained from a Country Friends Retreat I attended way back in 2004 .... I have always loved these little dollies but haven't made any now for quite sometime

The little primitive angel needed some pva/water dabbed on her perle thread hair, to keep it out of her eyes !!!

Their little felt vests are cut out using my scallop edge scissors

I have another 2 bodies cut out that I am attempting to stitch up next

These bone china mugs were in a box of china oddments I purchased from an Op Shop on one of my trips to Mums many years ago a little while back

I pulled them out of the cupboard recently & decided to make some pincushions as I am trying to put together a small "sewing area" in the Cottage with sewing related goodies

  I decided to take a deep breath & cut into my treasured Tilda fabrics to make them ... I thought the soft pastel florals of the Tilda fabrics suited the patterns on the china mugs beautifully.

I wanted to make some small swing tags to tie onto the handles but didnt have any pretty florally scrapbooking card on hand . . . 

In the end, I just ran a piece of the fabric through my printer scanner onto A4 paper & then made my tags up from there

I usually weight the cups with some fine gravel about 1/4 full, as I find this prevents them being too flimsy & stabilises them alot better

I am really pleased with the end result - pretty & dainty just as I imagined, but still useful & functional

I think this front one in pinks/greens is perhaps my favourite.

How about you ... do you have a favourite ??

One of the things you first see when you walk directly into my odd little house is my dining table.  I usually like to have one of my vintage tablecloths on it & - when seasons permit - a vase of flowers. It is just one of those funny little things that makes me happy . . .

OLD photo  .   .   .     VERY OLD !!!!!

The rest of the house can be a complete schamozzle (& frequently IS) ... but if the table is nice & clear, then all is well with the world ...

Oh how times can change ! ! ! !

this is currently my table by night . . . 

Yes - thats my craft stuff balanced on a tiny corner there !!!!!

And this is currently my table by day . . .

Lady Muck Pippi having a stressful afternoon ! ! **! !

Thank You All so much for popping by today to visit
Its the weekend tomorrow here, so Happy Weekend to you all
I hope its a happy & creative (& healthy) one for us all
with much love & friendship,
Julie, Fat Black & Lady Muck Pippi
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