Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Not Much Stitching . . . but . . .

Good Wednesday Afternoon dear friends & readers
There has been not much stitching g0ing on here at my funny ol' Threadbear Life of late  ... (or none actually)
.  .  .  but .  .  .

as well as signs of spring popping up at last  .  .  .  there have been other things going on 


I have always admired these painted Agee Jars that I see on the web & in some stores but their prices are enough to frighten me off
Likewise, the cost of proper actual Glass Paint was rather scarey & offputting
So I thought I might have an attempt using my trusty test pots

Amulet on the left & Pale Rose on the right
I found the paint went onto the glassware really easily & I gave them 2 coats
The only thing you need to remember is they are decorative & should probably not be washed ... although I think a wipe-over would not do them any harm
When dry I lightly sanded the wording on the jars to make it stand out


These little potted baby's tears plants had sat over winter sloowwly growing so it was time to plant them up into other containers

After painting & planting the old kettle in this post here, I decided to try a "baby version" using this old op-shop aluminium teapot 


I drilled a single hole in the bottom for drainage & when planted, I "doiley-fied" it with a tiny crochet doiley

As the lid had a small steam hole in it, I attached it to the pot with some bakers twine . . . I think its rather cute


Also these vintage china cups & one polka dot coffee mug got some baby's tears planted in them
These are all going for sale in the Cottage.


I was given a box full of - well ...  junk really.  
 Inside were a few old books, a couple of them had their covers missing, so I thought I might try my hand at some book bundles . . .
Once again, I have seen these done before but at huge prices & I didn't think they would be too difficult


I have to admit, I really enjoyed the whole process of putting these together.
I found some images on good old Uncle Google which I printed off & then parisiene essence dyed
Remember to always tear the edges of your paper, not cut with scissors as this leaves a blunt edge.


The tatty spines of the books I covered with some old pages & some music pages ... modern day music pages, once again made to look "antique" by spraying with a cold parisiene essence mixture
I also sanded the spines & edges of the books, when the glue was dry.

All bound together with some lace & a couple of charms or a key
These make great bookends or just look very vintage-chic sitting by themselves
My Mr doesn't understand the whole concept of book bundles & wonders why you don't actually get to read them ??!!

These little four-legged creatures above are the reason there has been no stitching done of late
Circumstances at the farm have changed & I have been called upon to help quite a bit recently.
I am hoping this will not be for too much longer.

Now I must confess we have started some bad habits in our house & one of them was allowing little Miss Pippi to sleep in her basket on the table.
It was just easier when she was unwell & since then, I have never not yet re-trained her 
(Oh I will.... I promise !!!!)

When she is not lying horizontal in her basket  (which she is rapidly outgrowing)  then she likes to sit & watch me prepare the meals in the kitchen

 I chat away to her as I do this & she watches every move I make & looks at me as if to say "oh really, is that right??"

However, fat Black - who has always been more of a couch cat, has decided the table is quite a nice place to sit beside Mum & "supervise" her when she crafts . . .

. . . perhaps "help her" with her book bundles
Come summer . . . we I have some serious retraining to do !!!!

I thought I would share this delightful photo of my grandson Alec that I took recently


He is now 4 months old & is such a bundle of joy ... he is also going quite blonde like both of his parents are.
After winter I have been closing my Cottage for one day a week (a Monday) & I try to get out to visit my wee grandson each Monday.
His little face certainly lights up my day.

Thanks so very much for visiting today dear friends & readers,
I hope the rest of the week is kind to you all
with much love & friendship,
Julie, Fat Black & Miss Pippi
x0x0x0x0

26 comments:

  1. Love those Agree jars. Don't they look spiffy painted, with the names sanded a little. Oh how happy those plants look in their pretty containers...and those books....Wow oh Wow...they are gorgeous, Julie. What a brilliant idea. My goodness your cats are friendly. They certainly like to be kept in the know, don't they. AND....your gorgeous Alex, he is adorable. My how he has grown. I love the blue and white hexie quilt he is laying on.....just beautiful! It seems to me it is all happening around your farm....those itty bitty calves are very sweet!

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  2. Julie you say you haven't done much but you have. Forever industrious with beautiful results. How beautiful Alec is. He looks so snuggly buggly. Stupid words I know but they seem right for such a beautiful photo. Hugs Shirley

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  3. Hi Julie...What a gorgeous post and such a pleasure to read. I love the jars and your kettles and tea cups look beautiful all planted up. The photos of the cats are just so cute...I lost both of my cats a couple of years ago and miss them terribly and although I would dearly love another feline friend we now live on a busy main road and it wouldn't be fair. Your grandson is adorable and the hexie quilt is stunning....pretty blues and whites, my favaourite combination.

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  4. your grandson is delightful, the farm side of life is interesting, you must be an early riser and hard worker with so much to tend to. all your crafts look pretty, you have been very busy.

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  5. Hi Julier,your garden is looking lovely and wow you amaze me my friend with your talent,the things you make are exquisite,you are so clever,and how adorable is your little GS,what a cutie xx

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  6. When l got to the bottom of your post Julie....
    I thought...'Oh! Julie's got another pussy~cat'...
    But! No! It's your lovely grandson Alec.
    Goodness he looks great, and growing fast.
    I must say l love babies and young kids..Well,
    l used to be one you see! :).

    Pippi and Blackie...HeHe! You'll 'never' train a pussy
    cat...It will do exactly what it wants to, and sleep
    exactly where it wants to! And Pippi and basket just
    seem to go together!
    And, Blackie seems to be looking up and saying...
    'Training...We'll see about that'. Bless!x

    The kettles look nice to...I've a couple of small watering
    cans planted up on the dinning room table. One with chillies,
    and one with lemons, just pips l planted a year ago, and up
    they've come, 4inches high!
    Love plants around my home...Had a burfday last weekend of
    course...Well..I have one every year...And, someone gave me a
    lovely Orchid...colour...Pink..of course! My second most favourite
    flower...Pansies being the first...! :>).

    Well...I'm waffling again...Nothing new there then...Best get on, oh!
    look the suns out...and my tea cup is empty...!
    Ciao for now...! ooooooO! Love those cats!xx

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  7. Lovely to see your 'doiley-fi-ing' and planting...I want to try fixing some in hoops (doilies not plants!) and Alec is adorable. Happy springtime...it's blackberries and conkers here! xx

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    1. Thank You E.E. The doilies in hoops sounds wonderful :-) .... Yes little Alec is certainly a precious little bundle of joy. Although I said it is springtime here .... it certainly is still wet & very cold !!!! We are looking forward to some warmer temperatures.

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  8. what a wonderful post with all those babies!
    those two cats are just too adorable, 'training, really mum?' LOL
    love those watering cans from the previous post too!
    thanx for sharing

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    Replies
    1. Thank You Selina, I agree totally with you ....I think they (cats) have actually trained ME !!!! If you could see Madam Pippi now stretched out with her leg in the air .... I am sure she rules the roost.

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  9. I love visiting your dwelling place, albeit via the web. Alec is gorgeous! Glad you're indulging yourself with such precious Mondays, Julie. X

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  10. Julie,
    I'm so in love with your grandson Alec. How precious! Can't wait to be a grandma,myself!
    Love the kettle and teapot and those teacups are adorable! You're so talented!
    Hugs, Sue from Cyprus xx

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    Replies
    1. Hello Sue, thanks for your lovely comment ... I am so enjoying being a granny & look forward to the day that little Alec recognises me & enjoys my company as much as I enjoy his. x x x

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  11. Busy as ever Julie, to say you haven't been doing much is an understatement,,,,and feed those four legged babies as well all takes time.
    So love what you have done to the agee jars and the books clever you, will definitely have to come visit very soon, hmmm when I have weaned my four legged babies I think. And Alec's smile is cute and good on you for taking the Mondays off to go visit they grow up so fast these days.
    Hugs xxx
    P.S think Miss Pippi has you wrapped around her paw :-)

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  12. Hi Julie, everything is totally gorgeous, as usual :) I'm v envious that you are having Spring, we are starting autumn here and have a lot of gloom and rain to look forward too I wouldn't mind it so much if I didn't have school runs to do every day! Alec is GORGEOUS, I'd be shutting up shop every day :)
    Jillxo

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  13. Loved popping into your place for a visit Julie...love it all. Your Grandson is totally gorgeous xx

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  14. Beautiful photo of Alec, what a charmer he is :-) Ahh those 4 legged babies being demanding of your time too, huh... good to see you have squeezed in some crafting, love what you have been up to, those book bundles look spectaular. My kids pained me jars as gifts over the years - yes, you need the right paint, my ones lost their paint for years!!!!

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  15. Er......retraining? what for - looks to me - like the team are happy!!!! Ha... ha.... Good luck with trying to change that ........ The flowers look so lovely. Grandma garden here is changing up too with the daffodils etc. So lovely. What a smiled Alec is - gorgeous.

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  16. Forgot to say - the books are very cool and so clever! Really like them.

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  17. Oh Julie, Alec is adorable, no wonder you love your monday visits. I say keep closed on monday permanently!! You sure have been busy with your bits and bobs there, loving your paint colours. Miss P is so cute with her basket antics, retrain? I think not! Garden is blooming and looking gorgeous I bet. Catch you again soon now that the better weather is upon us.

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  18. Hello dear Julie, yes I bet it's a bit on the early to bed side for you just now then. Alec is just adorable! Aren't they just so sweet & fluffy at that age & he is a charmer.
    Thank you so much for freely sharing your crafting inspiration, like you do. So may of your projects are so doable, fun & the results are fabulous. I have just done a large "The Zetland" jar & I'm thrilled with it. I didn't realise it had some nibbles out of the rim near the top but now it doesn't matter in the slightest. Your book stacks are brilliant...I'm sure they'll sell well. What a lovely gift they'd make. Isn't so nice to see the spring flowers emerging. Have a lovely weekend. Much love & friendship, Catherine x0x0x

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  19. Oh I love little Alec's sweet little face, how precious. Loads of gorgeous pics as usual.
    always fun to drop by and visit. Cups must be the vogue right now, I have seen a book
    that is full of recipes to bake small cakes in cups?! How different is that idea!!
    Cheers, Anita.

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  20. I love your photography Julie - very clever.

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  21. OpsyDaisy! I missed this post! Awwwee your grandson is such a cutie, you must be in love. Lovely makes once again. I see Pippi is the Queen of her castle! see you soonxx

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  22. Hello dear Julie
    Such gorgeous Spring flowers in your garden!
    Not much out in my garden it's been so cold, windy and wet, wet, wet! I'm over it!!!
    I love your book stacks - old and tatty is so much more interesting than brand new spic and span!
    Oh your little grandson is adorable - make the most of these precious early months - they grow and develop so fast!
    In no time you'll be showing us photos of him toddling around your garden with you!

    Have a happy weekend - I'm off to Pak'nSave to do my weekly shop - not my favourite pastime!

    Much love and please have an extra cuddle with your gorgeous grandson, just for me!
    Shane xox

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  23. Lovely makes, your new potted plants look beautiful. Your grandson is so gorgeous and your two pusses look so content and happy living with you! xx

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