A bit of "a stool thing " ...................

Greetings dearest friends & readers,

Along with the "bit of a thing" that I have for nice soaps, scented candles & vintage wooden chairs .  .  . 
 I also happen to have a "bit of a thing" for stools .... especially slightly vintage ones !!

On her last visit to the area my dear friend Carolyn cleaned out her sons shed.

Amongst the assortment of treasures that she found in his shed was this old wooden stool with a missing *rung*

Carolyn arrived one day & gifted me the stool .  .  . I soon found a piece of dowel exactly the right size to replace the missing rung.

Then - as is usual with me - it sat for several months in my sleepout

I decided I needed a stool for the lounge that I could put my cuppa on at nights when I am sitting stitching 

(the coffee table is a fraction too far to reach & I am usually too lazy tired)

After a good scrub down, I painted the stool with my testpot "pastel rose" .... a lovely soft pink shade

I had originally intended to stencil a doiley on the top but in the end I simply mod-podged a pretty paper doiley with 3 coats to make it wipeable

It is just perfect for my cuppa ... or even for someone to sit on should we require extra seating anytime

I "rescued" these chrome leg stools from the Implement Shed at the farm - there are two of them

I removed the seat top off one stool & took in to my local upholstery man Shane, along with half a metre of oilcloth.

Shane padded the top up a little for me & made a nice new covering for it

A bit of elbow grease & the chrome legs cleaned up well enough so I added 4 new "feet" purchased from Bunnings .  .   then I popped it for sale in my Cottage.

The stool was purchased just yesterday by a lovely customer who squealed with delight when she saw it !!

I look forward to completing the other stool now.

I have been cleaning out my sleepout & have uncovered lots of long forgotten about junk treasures

This candle holder used to be in my lounge, but had been languishing at the back of the sleepout under the window & had gotten a little damp ... hence rust was appearing on the metal "shade"

Luckily most of the surface rust came off when I scrubbed it, so I painted it with 3 coats of chalk paint - vintage white.

To be honest, it was a fair "sod of a thing" to paint, especially the shade part of the candle holder, but I am so glad I persevered . . . 

A light sanding, a pretty pink fragrant candle,  a lace bow, & a key completed the transformation

Likewise, this reproduction hat box was hidden at the back of the sleepout - I had forgotten there was a smaller version hiding inside

I painted them both over several days, then lightly sanded them  - they seemed rather bland looking so after walking past them for a couple of days, I decided to embellish them with some cutouts
Pippi helped me choose which images to use .  .  .

Though she looks like she is asleep, she is in fact, studying the Images !!!!!!   Honestly !!!!!

I mod-podged the images on to the hat boxes & then gave them two extra coats to seal them both 
(as well as repairing the broken handle on the larger one)

Smaller size one above  .  .  .  .
Larger size one below  .  .  .  .

Just perfect for beside my wall unit & they can still be used for storage if necessary

Though my Dad has been gone now for 14 years, thoughts of him often pop into my head when I am doing my little painted revamps.
You see Dad was a painter for most of his life.
My grandson Alec is proving to be quite the painter himself & I often think how much pleasure Alec would've bought Dad had he lived long enough to enjoy him.

These little photos came through from Alec's Daycare & the stories that accompany them tell of how he "tries really hard to put the paint ON TO the paper & not taste it too much!!!"
Incidently the reason he is wearing two hats is because he has a tendency to also put the paint brush in his ear !!!!
Bless you little Alec.

Today our weather has been glorious & you can definately feel a touch of spring in the air

I hope the week is going well for you all dear readers
Thanks so much for visiting here today & the lovely comments you take the time to leave me
with much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0x

This & That ........ (part Two) ........... & a " Visitor "

Wednesday Greetings dear friends & readers,

Once again this past week, I have dabbled in small bursts of creativity.

When our lounge was finished back in June & I filled my revamped wall unit with old china, I sat this old brown cane basket on top of it

The basket was old - I don't remember where it came from now - but it was a good rectangular shape

As I would go rushing about my day I kept glimpsing up at the basket & the thought suddenly occurred to me "I could paint that basket"

So this week, I did just that  .  .  .  .

.  .  .  .   & then I filled it with some silk hydrangea's purchased from Mitre 10 using the last of my birthday money

I LoVeD it !!!  But still I felt it needed something .  .  .

So I sat one evening & stitched up a bunting using some pastel wool blanket offcuts

H O M E . . . .    just right I thought   :-)

I just love my revamped dresser filled with vintage china & oddments

When I sit on the couch of an evening to stitch & watch some T.V  I generally have company of the 4-legged variety

When I am up & down like a yo yo, back & forth to the sewing room for supplies Blackie looks at me as if to say 
"oh for flips sake, would you sit still !!!"
I decided I needed a small pincushion to stay in the lounge at all times with just a few pins & needles in it for my evening stitching.

This little wooden goblet - 50 cents from the OpShop - fit the bill perfectly

Because I was too lazy busy to sand the heavy laquer off it, I decided I had better paint it using chalk paint .... no prep required
I gave it a coat with off-white, two coats of my pale duck egg test pot, then lightly sanded it when dry
I waxed it before making the pincushion as did not want to get wax on my fabric

A scrap of Tilda fabric, some left over embellishments & the job was complete ... just nice & compact to stay in the lounge at all times

Last time my dear friend Leeanne came for a visit, she opened her car boot & removed two old prams !!
My heart skipped several beats !!!
Her instructions were " do what you like with them ... restore them, sell them, gift them or dump them "

This one was the worst of the two ... its base was full of borer ...
so I decided to plant it with pansies  !!

Which is exactly what I did yesterday ....
... after lining the pram with two black rubbish bags & filling with potting mix.
 I look forward to them growing & filling the pram up with their cheerful faces

Thank You So Much Leeanne  :-)

This past week we have had an unexpected "visitor" 

The dearest little cat - abandoned & starving - appeared hiding in the roll of old carpet that is sitting on my deck.
I wish I had taken her photo the day she arrived,  her ribs were so prominent & her eyes so weepy.
After a couple of days of food, she became THE most affectionate little girl ever & I found her a wonderful home with the girl who milks for us at the farm.
Though I was sad to see her go, I was happy that she was going to a family that would cherish her & care for her.
They have named her "Serenity".

We have a metal pit at the corner of our road, just past our depot yard - it is a constant battle with folk dropping cats & kittens off there. Honestly abandonment is one of the  very worst crimes - I would not ever want to catch anyone in the act, I doubt I could be held responsible for my actions.

And as for my two . . . .

Well, while Blackie could not have cared less, lets just say Madam Pippi is relieved that she no longer has any competition for "baby of the house" & is resting up due to her nose being so severely put "out of joint" !!!!

Thanks so very much for your visit today dear friends & readers,
I hope the rest of the week is good & kind to you all,
with much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

This & That . . . . (part One)

Greetings dear friends & readers,

This past week or more, has seen little bursts of creativity in different areas .  .  .

I was looking at this sweet doiley that I was gifted in this post & decided it seemed such a shame to sit things on it & cover it up.

I decided to frame it instead

I found a pair of these cheap wooden frames in my sewing cupboard ... purchased on special from The Warehouse

I gave one of them a lick of paint & then lightly sanded/distressed the edges

 I searched for a nice piece of scrapbooking paper to mount the doiley onto but nothing was forthcoming.

As it was the weekend & I wanted this project finished yesterday I simply stretched a pretty piece of Tilda fabric over the back board & then attached the doiley onto it with double-sided tape
Once framed I loved it ... apologies for the ray of light in the top of the frame ...it is that rarely seen thing these days ...sunlight !!

This vintage cane basket was in the rafters of Mums shed holding some old rubbish bits & bobs of hers.

She asked me to clear the rafters out for her so I acquired the basket in return - I liked that it was a generous size & thought it would make a good workbasket

I scrubbed the basket & dried it thoroughly by the fire ... then I padded & lined the base with a pretty Sanderson linen fabric

I have popped the workbasket for sale in the Cottage

My dear friend Leeanne gifted me this sweet framed stitchery (amongst other goodies) for my birthday

I loved it so much that I wanted to add a little collection of stitcheries to it

After making some inquiries with Leeanne, I was able to purchase some of the gorgeous wooden frames from The Country Yard ... a veerry wonderful store that is on my wishlist to visit oneday.

I reduced a couple of the little stitcheries from Jenny of elephantz Stitchery Club & have so far completed this dear little bird one

I always love the names of the Cottage Garden Threads ... the one I used for my stitchery was called "Running Postman" !!

These wooden angel wings were my only christmas decoration purchase last December ... I loved them so much that I chose not to pack them away after christmas .  .  .  .

.   .  .  . but this week I decided they needed "distressing/shabby-ing" .  .  .  .

.  .  .  . before hanging on my lounge wall

A large new Retirement Complex has been developed in our town called Highfield Country Estate

This year, right in the middle of the large establishment, they built a magnificent Community Centre called The Lodge.

I was asked to go & teach some craft classes at The Lodge, in the special multi-purpose craft room built within the complex.

Last month I had 8 ladies attend & we made teacup or coffee mug pincushions

The ladies had a wonderful time & at the end of the session, they all had completed a pincushion to take home with them

We have been having some finer days at long last, but our nights here are still especially chilly

Pippi & Blackie like to me to build them a little nest of cuddly rugs & they tuck up together on the couch to stay warm during the nights.
I hope you are all managing to stay warm or cool dear readers - where ever you are
Thanks so much for your visit today - I shall be back again soon with Part Two.
Happy Week to you all
with much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0