Thursday, March 10, 2016

Losing Things & Rusting Things

Thursday Greetings dear friends & readers
In the past week I have lost four things . . . .
Actually five things, if you count losing my sanity .  .  .

.  .  .  but The Mr informs me I actually lost this quite sometime ago  (around about the time my sons were teenagers!!)  so I guess you can't really count this.

The four things I have lost include :-
- my purple cardigan
- the rates bill
- one pink slipper
- one dolls arm

Now funnily enough ... you don't actually realise you have lost anything until such time as you go to get the thing & can't find it
As for the rates bill, well No, I did not know I had even lost it until this little letter arrived in the post saying "excuse US but your rates are overdue & we are going to penalise you for being 9 days late"
I was tempted to write my own little letter back saying "well excuse ME but if you actually SAW what we were living in at the moment, you would understand & would not actually charge us ANY RATES AT ALL!!!"
But instead, I sent a cheque off pronto & crossed my fingers that they might overlook the penalty.
(I won't hold my breath though!!!)

Now luckily enough, even though the other things remain missing - I found the dolls arm !!
Which is rather good because I needed it for an order
Christine had phoned me after I made this doll for her in blues, & requested one "in maroons with quite a bit of dusky pink please"
I began this order before christmas but put it aside to fulfill other orders
In between times - & our renovations - I lost the completed dolls arm
The pattern I used is called Millicent by Lynn Hyland of Lil' Blokes  
She is rather a long girl measuring 85cms in length.
Once again, her lower dress is all appliqued dolls ...I was able to make the dolls using fabrics from my scrap stash in a mixture of pinks/maroons



Christine especially loved the dolls hair ... this is hand-dyed mohair which I buy from Annabelles Collections, ... her fibre creations are just the most gorgeous colours
I knew Christine liked the raggedy garland I gave the blue doll so I managed to find one last wooden heart in my junk craft drawer. Unfortunately it was mustard in colour, so I gave it a couple of quick coats using a testpot I had in the cupboard - Resene Persian Red.
Christine was really happy with her order & keen to get Miss Pink Girl home to make friends with Miss Blue Girl.

My friend Elaine moved to her new home over a year ago quite some time ago now .... I had wanted to make her a housewarming gift but something else always cropped up in the way of this.
As I forgot to take a "before" photo .. this is the picture off their website
Just before we started our renovations I had purchased this bucket above from Mitre 10 Mega
It sat outside & I walked past it many times in my day.  I did not like the shiny-ness of it & wanted to somehow "dull it".
The Mr had some acid in his shed which I wiped over it with a rag.  This did serve to dull it somewhat but it also went rather smeary which I wasn't happy with.
I did a quick google search "how to dull galvanised aluminium" & Vinegar popped up on several sites.
So I sat the bucket in an old enamel dish & poured vinegar over it.  
Everytime I walked past it I would turn it a few degrees.
It began to go lovely & rusty. Oh how exciting !!!
"You have ruined that bucket" one of the builders commented to me,
"Oh I know, isn't it wonderful!!??"
The bucket sat outside for a week - we now have moisture in the air with a slight touch of autumn temps
When I was satisfied with the rustiness of it, I ran cold water over it to stop the process as otherwise, My Mr informed me, it might keep rusting away to just a heap of metal!!


Then - much to the builder's amusement & disbelief ... I glued hessian, teadyed lace & a doiley to the outside & then modpodged over it all.
I loved how - when the modpodge dried - the doiley took on a slightly rusty tinge
A couple of embellishments tied on, a potted red geranium & it was ready to gift to Elaine
"You surely can't give someone a rusty old bucket!!!" the Mr informed me
Elaine simply loved it .  .  .  just as I knew she would  :-)

Now listen veerry closely . . . can you hear that ???
It is the sound of silence !!!  Yes indeedy the builders have finished !!
And Thank Goodness too.
Two furry friends who are rather happy there is no longer any banging & clanging all day long !!!!
I told them that even though I had become rather fond of them, I was happy to see them not come here anymore !!!
On their last day I made them my favourite muffins to celebrate.
So now I We wait for the plasterer to do his thing. And then we I paint the room. 
Well friends, thanks for staying with me through a lengthy catch-up post.
I am off to pick up my paintbrush as have been painting the outside of the house, but cannot begin work in this area until afternoon when the sun has gone from it.
Hope you all have a wonderful week - take care, be kind to yourselves & to one another,
sending you much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones
x0x0x0

17 comments:

  1. Oh Julie Miss Pink is adorable... I'm sure she will get on famously with Miss Blue!
    Your fur babies look exhausted! I hope they help you with the painting...;o) hehehe
    And of course the bucket had to be rusty... it looks sooo much better once you waved your magic over it!
    Blessings

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  2. fabulous Miss Pink and the Rusty bucket look great.......don't those blokes get that! Glad you are finding some of the lost things.......sanity..what's that?

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  3. have just caught up! wow miss pink looks fabulous! & so does the rusty bucket!
    am so glad your builders have finished too, can't wait to see the new extensions!
    poor blackie & pippi, they must've thought the world was ending with all the ruckus going on, bet they are so relieved too that it's all finished & things hopefully will be back to normal for you all!
    thanx for sharing

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  4. Shold'nt worry about sanity Julie..!
    I'm mad, daft, weird, strange...(so they say).
    BUT...I have a saying..."I'm the best there is,
    the best there was, and the best there ever will
    be". HeHe! And, that's my excuse! :).

    The dolly looks lovely, you always seem to blend
    in the colours so well, and the faces look so nice
    to...!
    And, as for the bucket...Well! That looks great,
    and the doily finishes it off well..!

    Oh! And made sure you find that missing 'pink'
    slipper...You can't wander about with one pink
    slipper...just not done!
    Perhaps one of the builders took it...There are
    some 'funny' builders about..If you know what l
    mean...!!! :).

    I'm amazed at Pippi!x The way she sleeps with her
    legs out the basket...Bless! And, Blackie is certainly
    away with the fairies...!x
    Though l am a bit worried about the 'Rod and Rifle'
    magazine on the table! HeHe!

    Well..Just gone seven over here, time for a second lemon
    tea..Market day in town to~day, pop down later for a wander
    round, see what's about, cup of Costa coffee, then home to
    a few chores! Amen!

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  5. Hate when you know it's there somewhere. Very sweet dolly and I love that pretty bucket...beautiful! I am glad peace reigns for the moment xx

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  6. Ha..ha...that builder is probably way too confused about you and your bucket! It looks fantastic!. Loving Miss Pink too. Gorgeous applique on her dress. She will be great company for Miss Blue. They will be ladies together. The kitties look like they are very happy the builders have left and all is quiet. Roll on plastering and painting

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  7. You must be relieved to see the end in sight, looking forward to the'reveal' I'm amazed that you managed to make anything. Hope your stuff turns up, it's not lost it's just hiding. Enjoy the calm.xx

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  8. An old Irish blessing, "May your losses be few and your finds many..." (ahem). You sound so pleased to have those builders gone, it always seems to take much longer than you think it should doesn't it? Wonderful transformation of the shiny bucket (bet those builders are laughing about the whole thing over a beer or two!) and yout Miss Pink is beautiful! Well done on crafting through the chaos!

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  9. Was thinking I hadn't 'seen' you around for a while,Julie. Miss Pink Girl is FABULOUS, you really made a wonderful job of her and I particularly love her hair!!Hope the renovations went well and can't wait to see a few pics. I hear it's quite hot over there at the moment - a complete contradiction to the weather we're having here but the one good thing is there are definite signs of Spring in the ground and in the air and the mornings are much brighter, as well as the nights being a tad bit longer. So it's all good here! Always great to read your posts, Julie. Have a great weekend.xxx

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  10. I am pleased for you, soon you will have lovely smooth plastered walls and stand admiring the view from your pretty new windows - you have been so patient. I thought your rusty bucket was fun, I would fill it with sand and put candles in it for the patio on a bbq night. The raggedy doll you made has a huge amount of loving work put in, your sewing is so neat and professional. Betty :D

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  11. Miss Pink is very beautiful!! Love the appliqué on her dress and her hair!! Well done on doing what you do with the bucket despite the builder. ....it looks wonderful!! Good to hear the builders have gone....you will have some peace now in your lovely corner of the world. Amazed how Pippi sleeps all hanging out of the basket!! Looking forard to seeing transformation photos. Is there still a hole in the ceiling?

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  12. Haha you are too funny.....what's sanity anyway?? I am in love with that rusty bucket with the pretty embellishments. For one who has lost all semblance of sanity, this is pretty amazing. =) I am so glad your pretty raggedy doll has now two arms...she is very pretty. Hallelujah!! The builders have gone and you now have a lovely new loungeroom, give or take a coat of paint or two. So excited for you. That should help you to find just a little bit of your sanity....once again. Peace reigns once more. Happy painting, Julie!!

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  13. I really Love that bucket and would be very happy to have received that as a gift, it looks gorgeous xo

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  14. So you are getting closer to the end of the building and very soon you will be enjoying your new room. So think of all that space to decorate with all your gorgeous stuff!!! The rust effect looks pretty cool, no wonder your friend loved it. Men? What would they know about craft! You will be excited to know I have become a foster mother for kittens at the SPCA and currently have three babies. I promise I will not be tempted into keeping one or three. So cute and such fun.

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  15. Oh far out! I'm sure we're twins....I have lost a bag of black merino 4 ply wool
    and have been searching for ages. I can't even include any notion of sanity, because
    I don't possess any of that!!! lol I have been looking for that wool for 2 weeks now
    and have only just found it about 2 hours ago. It was right in front of me. lol I love
    what you've done to the bucket, it looks stunning. Had to laugh at your 2 furry helpers,
    they look pooped. Your doll looks gorgeous too. Hope things turn around for you and get
    better. Darn those rotten rates.
    Cheers, Anita.

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  16. Hello Julie,

    Well you are not old then if you have last your purple cardigan, (when I am old I shall wear purple!!!) hope it turns up soon, of course one of the builders could have used it for a rag, hope not. I am sure it will turn up. The doll is absolutely stunning, so much detail it her.Had to smile at your finished rusty bucket and how you got it rusty.

    Love the cat pictures, they look so comfortable.

    Happy days.
    Bev.

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