Greetings dear friends & readers & welcome to February !!!
I have been lost in a blur these past weeks .... a blur of tummy bugs, root canal dental treatments, break in's & burglaries, more (yes more) abandoned cats ... none of which I want to blog about !!*!!
So I have decided to focus on the positives !!!
Coupled with the problems above, our computer died a death of "natural causes" .... this just left us our Very vintage laptop, which the Mr & I decided was rather like a lazy teenager .............. most days it decided NOT to work at all & then every now & again, it would surprise us completely & work wonderfully!!!!
My lovely friend Jane bought out a gorgeous vintage cane basket that she had been gifted along with a cute retro vintage sheet.
Jane asked me if I could please line the basket using the sheet - her plan was to use it for a work basket
The basket had certainly NOT been this colour when Jane received it but she had scrubbed it well & dried it in the sunshine
Jane asked me if I could please line the basket using the sheet - her plan was to use it for a work basket
I really enjoyed doing this order & used a tutorial very much along the lines of the one I used for my Tilda suitcase in this post
Even Miss Pippi gave it her seal of approval.
As I had miscalculated the lining for the sides I ended up with a small square of the fabric leftover . . .
. . . so I made up a quick "flower pincushion" using the remnant & tied it to the handle with a ribbon.
Jane was delighted with her basket & "especially loved the pincushion"
In early January I had to pop into The Warehouse to buy more cellotape for use in my Cottage
I walked right past the "priced to clear" bin & this little swan caught my eye ... $10 reduced to $4.98
Needless to say, it came home with me as I thought it would suit one of the small babies tears plants I grow in pots in my lounge
After a month sitting on the end of my bath, it is looking established & thriving.
I have been watering the garden & planter pots for my friend Joyce who has been over to Australia for a holiday.
She bought me home a "thank you" gift that she had thrifted in a 2nd hand shop
A gorgeous china pomander .... now funnily enough, without even trying, I have begun a "collection of pomanders" ... I now have five & three of them have been gifted by Joyce.
I came across a glass dish for 50c in the Sallies Op Shop which I thought would be perfect to display my collection on
As the five of them just fit perfectly, I think my collection is complete now !!!
Even Miss Pippi gave it her seal of approval.
As I had miscalculated the lining for the sides I ended up with a small square of the fabric leftover . . .
. . . so I made up a quick "flower pincushion" using the remnant & tied it to the handle with a ribbon.
Jane was delighted with her basket & "especially loved the pincushion"
In early January I had to pop into The Warehouse to buy more cellotape for use in my Cottage
I walked right past the "priced to clear" bin & this little swan caught my eye ... $10 reduced to $4.98
I have been watering the garden & planter pots for my friend Joyce who has been over to Australia for a holiday.
She bought me home a "thank you" gift that she had thrifted in a 2nd hand shop
I came across a glass dish for 50c in the Sallies Op Shop which I thought would be perfect to display my collection on
As the five of them just fit perfectly, I think my collection is complete now !!!
We have had my Uncle staying this week - he has left today & Madam Pippi is happy .... she & her basket are back in "their rightful place" & order is restored again
 |
| Lady Muck sitting on her throne !!!!!!!!! |
One grey day late last month my grandson Alec came out to the farm for a visit with his Daddy
We took him for a ride in the farm buggy which he thought was most exciting even though it poured with rain & the rain came in sideways !!!
Alec speaks 3 words most clearly . . . "No"(usually accompanied with a shake of the head), "more" & "Tractor" (pronounced dactor)
Thank you so much for stopping by today dear friends & readers - I hope February is being kind to you all
I shall get round to visiting you all at your blogs now I am internet-able again
I thought I would leave you with this photo of my old cane pram which is currently planted with Impatiens & thriving ...
with much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0
That is a lovely picture of you and your grandson. Sorry to read about all the things going on, burglary in particular, I hope all is calm now. Betty
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comment Betty, Yes all is much calmer now thank goodness. (Phew) x x x
DeleteI am sorry to hear about the negative things happening Julie but lots of lovely things are happening too, the basket you have lined looks beautiful, so good Miss Pippi is happy again!!! The swan looks beautiful with the plant in it. That is a great photo of you and your family.
ReplyDeleteOh! My goodness Julie...Sounds as though you been
ReplyDeletethrough the wars! The ups and downs of everyday
life...I know the feeling! Still..'Onwards and
Upwards'. :).
Great job on the basket..though l would liked to
have seen Pippi give it the proper seal of approval!
By sleeping in it...! :).
And, the swans lovely, l had a few of them when my Mum
died, l even bought some in charity shops, after a period
of time, l gave them away, friends would see them, and,
said they liked them, so l let them have them as a gift!
All gone now!
So, if you visit my home, and say you like something, more
often than not, you'll go home with it! It's an old Sicilian
tradition as well, a sign of friendship!
And, Alec looks lovely in the dactor..(I always thought that's
what it was always called)...Oh! Well..! Won't be much longer
before he'll be making his get~away in it...! Bless! :0).
And, a lovely wicker pram full of flowers to finish up with....
Made my morning...Off for another lemon tea, then back for another
look see....!x
Oh goodness, it sounds like you have had a tough month. Im sorry to hear. But your right, sometimes we just need to put it behind us and move forward don't we?
ReplyDeleteThat basket is just beautiful!
xx
You know I am sending you hugsxxxx LOVE the photo of you and that wee lad of yours, before you know it he will be too big to sit on your lap! Swans, fabric lined baskets and pretty collections, that's what i love about you, your way of pulling little bits of this and that together into somekind of wonderful! haha...........just like our friendship!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,I am sorry to hear that it's been a rough time for you.
ReplyDeleteWow I love that basket.
hope the next month is much better, gorgeous basket!
ReplyDeleteloved the flower pram too!
hugs to the furry ones & you
thanx for sharing
Thanks so much Selina. I too, loved how the basket turned out. The flower pram always brings a smile to my face!!! I am hoping it lasts quite awhile longer. Hugs to you too Selina xxx
DeleteHello dear Julie, isn't life a trick sometimes! I do hope that the tummies & teeth are settling down again & that you are not feeling too much on edge after the burglary. How awful for you. More kittens- goodness! We've had a run of kittens here too only this time the stray/wild mother cat went to Margaret's to give birth- way up in a "nest" on the back wall. Quite a performance to care for them all & process them. She has kept just one as her lovely white cat Charlie died one night quite unexpectedly under her bedroom window. Ollie is now well settled in, even if a tad wild still.
ReplyDeleteThe basket came out so well didn't it. I am lazy & fold tea towels in to the bottom of mine- all except the basket for Wisp. Good thing for tutorials! Have you had it terribly dry your way too? We have had severe water restrictions, but you know me I'm not about to let my garden die! And then finally rain the last few days & as we went for a wee bike ride around the neighbourhood this evening I could smell a couple of fires going. So peculiar after several 34 degree days last week.
I hope that things settle down for you now. Love the Busy Lizzies in the pram. Aren't they faithful, colour-filled old dependables.
Much love, Catherine x0x0x
Your basket makeover is beautiful. What a great way to bring something back into use.
ReplyDeleteHi sweet Julie! Aw! You are so cute! Pippi is so lovely, too!
ReplyDeleteThe pincushion you added to the basket is fantastic! Brilliant!
I do love your pomanders!
I hope you have a fun Valentine's Day!
Doesn't sound like the best start to the year... hopefully that's all the bad stuff over for you for the year and only good stuff ahead!!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs
Hi Julie, i have been thinking of you & sorry to hear of the horrors, really hope things are improving & you are feeling better. Alec is just gorgeous, love the pic of him wearing his sunnies in the tractor. We have a 18 mth old grandson Cormac & he has bought so much joy to our lives, unfortunately he lives in canberra with his mum & dad ( we are in ballarat) so we dont see him as often as we would like but when we all get together its just wonderful. Take care Julie sending a big hug
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving your lovely comment Sue. Yes things are getting back on track thank you. I can just imagine how much joy your wee grandson brings you - he is the same age as Alec. Those 18 months sure did fly by. Have a wonderful week ahead Sue x x x
DeleteThe basket turned out lovely Julie. Oh dear to all the bad things, you do have to push them away, take a deep breath and get on with something else that is nice. The swan looks lovely with the baby tears plant in it and love the pomanders too. Hugs to you Shirley
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, was wondering where you had got to, goodness life can be a challenge some days/weeks, you have been keeping busy without good old internet, sometimes is is good to step back away from it, your little grandson looks very cool sitting on his nanna, take care Julie. Chris xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteHello Chris, thanks so much, yes I did kind of get lost in the wilderness there for a week or two :-) I am actually ashamed to admit how much I jolly well missed the internet ... makes me wonder how we all managed before we had it !!!
DeleteIt doesn't rain, it pours sometimes doesn't it. Gosh you have had your fill of troubles. 'Tis lovely to have you in the land of blog once again, lovely Julie. Your Alec is growing quickly isn't he. Love the photo of you and he and his daddy in the tractor. What a sweet basket, love the liner and pin cushion you fashioned. China pomanders are lovely; I remember them hanging in my wardrobe when I was a little girl. LOVE the cane pram filled with floral pretties....my heart is beating rather quickly at the sight of it. Hope you have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeleteOh Julie - what a lot of things to cope with. Horrid to think of burglers at your place. Alec is like a real champ in the tractor. A natural! You do such magic with things -love the basket and what you have done with the pomanders. Such a pretty collection. And love, love, love the flowers and the pram!
ReplyDeleteDearest sweet Julie, dreadful things happening in the background of your life, but your spirit soars and shines through to bless US despite it all...you really are the most amazing girl. xxx
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your rough patch...sending positive pants. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you positive pants :-)
DeleteDear Julie,
ReplyDeleteLife can be challenging at times but you seem to handle your dilemmas amazingly. Always positive even though the world is not being kind.
The basket came up beautifully and the little cushion is a wonderful addition. And the pretty swan was a great find. It looks lovely with the baby tears in it.
Those impatiens seem very happy growing in the darling wicker pram. Such a sweet idea.
I love visiting here with you, it is like a breath of fresh air.
Wishing you a great week!
xTania
Oh, what a time you've had!
ReplyDeleteSo glad your computer is working again.
Completely in love with the lined basket and pin cushion.
Your kitties are adorable and I love the pic with your grandson ☺
Hello Yvonne - thanks for your lovely comment. Yes I am ashamed to admit how much I jolly well missed having no internet !!!!!
DeleteOh Julie, not more kittens!! Lucky I didn't visit. I do not like the sound of a break in at all, hope everything is all ok with you. I met a friend of yours the other week in Habitat who introduced herself to me, Jane I think, my mind is full of holes these days. Love your cane pram flowering away. Toebee says hi, I will have to visit you again soon. PS: I made Raspberry and White chocolate muffins yesterday!!
ReplyDeleteGosh Julie there are so many beautiful things in this post I don’t know where to begin.
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of Madam Pippi in her basket and the basket you so kindly ‘up cycled’ for your friend. I love the impatiens in the pram; they don’t look impatient to me :-) and the babies tears in the swan. In fact I love everything! Thank you for sharing so many good things. Happy Valentine’s Day
Thanks so much Barbara. Miss Pippi loves her basket - we are getting some good rain here today & she is tucked up in her basket dreaming away ..... Happy Valentines Day to you too Barbara x x x
DeleteHI Julie - gosh it never rains but it pours does it? Hope all your - not discussed - problems are sorted but it doesn't sound like a happy time. Love what you did with the basket - the pin cushion is the perfect finishing touch! Your little collections of Pomanders, cats and Impatiens are very sweet - as is the photo with young Alec, he looks quite a dag there in the sunnies :-)
ReplyDelete