Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Beautiful Flowers ...... lots of them !!!



Greetings dear friends & readers 
Just trying to squeeze in one final post before we wave Goodbye to January !!

Beautiful flowers gifted to me by my friend Sally who is now the resident florist at The Hummingbird

A couple of weeks back I pulled a small tissue bundle out of a craft room drawer ...... inside was this collection of beautiful wool flowers, a gift from my friend Donna for my birthday last June, all handknitted by Donna herself


As Mum was staying with me at the time, I admired them, then wrapped them carefully & put them away.
When I rediscovered them I thought to myself .... they would perhaps make a gorgeous cushion !


I cut a large square of plain wool blanket & set about deciding my placement of the various flowers ...... I honestly had no idea of what I was wanting to create


As I pondered this, I had some help from Miss pain in the Pippi .... who tried to help me with my placement



When it became apparent I was still not-quite-sure she went & got Blackie to come & give his 2 cents worth !!!
(Can you just get a teeny inkling of why it takes me so long to jolly well achieve anything around here friends)


In between trying to decide my placement an idea occurred to me ...... why not have them spilling out of 
a large flower pot??!!
I found a woolen offcut & vliesofixed & blanket stitched a flower pot base -  this gave me a good starting point 
I spent a couple of days happily hand stitching my flowers & leaves onto my cushion 
Then I stitched a button closure for the back using odd buttons from my stash
My sewing machine decided it did not wish to sew button holes that day & very nearly went sailing out the window !!!! (the machine that is, not the cushion !!)


As I like my cushions to be stuffed really plumply I ordered an extra large size inner for it ... the cushion is a generous size measuring 48 cms square.


I am thrilled with it & it sits comfortably alongside my barkcloth cushions on the dining room couch
And Yes, I have just finished picking all the cat hairs out of the completed article!!! 😏



Still on the subject of flowers ... I planted this $5 Op Shop Vintage suitcase a couple of weeks ago ... it is to be a birthday gift for a friend next week ... I lined the case with a black rubbish bag prior to planting

I am hoping that by her birthday the flowers are spilling out merrily & putting on a lovely display



Though much has bolted to seed in my veggie garden this hot dry summer, I still have an abundance of tomatoes, cucumbers & courgettes


This was my mornings pick, along with 2 red capsicums that were ready

Finally dear friends, my lillies are putting on a wonderful display around the far end of my house ... when I water in the early evening, their fragrance is heavenly
Thanks so much for your visits today dear friends,
I hope you are managing to stay warm or cool wherever you are in the world.
With much love & friendship to you All
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x

23 comments:

  1. Your cats are beautiful, mine is sat with me whilst I type.

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  2. Hi Julie wow i sure do love your new cushion,good to see you had help,lol.
    Oh boy what a lovely gift to give your friend ,the flowers look beautiful spilling out of the suitcase xx

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  3. What a lovely way to use those flowers up, I'm sure your friend will be thrilled when she sees the pics of the cushion. You really are very clever.
    I love the puss cats helping, I especially like Blackie!

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  4. Fabulous flowers, your and the HummingBirds ones. You know some would think you are lucky to have not one, but two 'Cat Scans' checking out your projects to make sure the are safe, suitable, acceptable etc, etc..........Lovely cushion creation. xx

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  5. I love a post filled with gorgeous flowers! The bouquet, the suitcase full (so clever!), and the lilies all look beautiful. But I have to say that the floral cushion you and your cats created with the gifted flowers is delightful!

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  6. Ha Pippi looks like she is really helping but Blackie just looks unimpressed about the whole placement thing. I love the way those flowers spill out of their pot. What a super clever use of them. The suitcase will make a super present - it's always nice to give something handmade. Karen, Hannah and Baa. xxx

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  7. Brrrr! It's a bit like that over here Julie!
    Much colder this week, though dry, thank
    goodness! :).

    I think it was very wise, to take, Pippi's
    and Blackie's advice on the flowers, the cushion
    turned out lovely! Though, l think maybe Pippi
    would have liked something pretty made to go around
    her neck! Bless!x
    I also had two cushions made me, for Christmas, can't
    remember if l sent them out...! Have to check on that!

    The fruit and the flowers look lovely to...Lillies were
    my Mums favourite flowers, though more the Madonna lily,
    as in Sicily the lily is the flower most commonly associated
    with funeral services as they symbolize the innocence that has
    been stored to the soul of the departed. ...!

    Great post Julie as always, full of colour, it's a quarter to eight
    over here, just getting light, time for a bit of breakfast, have
    to start the day with a fry up...then l'm ready for day ahead! :0).

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  8. Your cushion is just beautiful Julie..love how you have the flowers spilling out of the pot. Great pictures of your helpers!! The suitcase looks amazing with the flowers in it, will be a wonderful present. The produce from the garden looks great too, can almost smell the flowers from here!! Lovely post.

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  9. I love your new cushion and I am glad you managed to get it right with all that supervision lol! Your suitcase of blooms is such a beautiful gift xx

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  10. Oh my, those gorgeous crochet flowers gifted to you are beautiful. The cushion you stitched with them as the stars is gorgeous. Oh how well I relate to wanting to throw the sewing machine out of window for not participating in the making of buttonholes! Love the suitcase filled with the beautiful flowers; such a fabulous gift. Your garden is blooming wonderfully. Ain't Summer grand!! =)

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  11. very clever with the cushion, must've been all that 'help & advice' from the furry ones! lol
    love the suit case planter & am sure your friend will love it too!
    you are so clever & creative!
    thanx for sharing

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  12. Such a clever girl you are Julie!

    That cushion is just gorgeous! I love the big size too...I also love your supervisors :)

    I would have never thought in a million years to plant flowers in an old case, how pretty they look. Your friend is going to love it!

    Your lillies are so pretty in bloom, wish I could grow flowers like that. I am working on building up my front garden with manure and mulch so I can attempt to grow pretty flowers too. With the hot weather lately I do not like my chances.

    Take care,

    xTania

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  13. What a gorgeous show of colour along with two cute kitties but your cushion is to die for and only you could have designed that. Xxx

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  14. An awesome post that has me smiling.:)

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  15. Julie, you have such wonderful creative ideas. The flower pot looks just perfect with the knitted flowers spilling over the top, I don't know why the cats thought they had to supervise you. And the suitcase is utterly charming, (in the UK this would last about a week as the heavens would open and it would be ruined) I'm sure your friend will be thrilled with it.

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  16. Love your cushion. Such a wonderful idea. Just love the suitcase full of flowers. You know you have me looking for things like that now to turn into flower boxes. :) :). Hugs,xx PS. thanks for the smile.

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  17. Hi Julie, your cushion is just lovely & looks beautiful sitting on your lounge. So pleased your machine didn't have it's own adventure sailing through the window :-). The lillies, can just imagine the fragrance.
    Have a lovely day, hugs Sue xxx

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  18. I have been tidying my sewing room and thought I wonder if Julie has posted this week so I checked and sure enough! So I whizzed to the kitchen made some lunch and a cuppa and sat down to enjoy your post. Love the cushion what a clever girl you are I believe you must have magic fingers whatever you create is beautiful! And I'm pleased to see your helpers are earning their keep! Keep safe with the stormy weather, hope we get the rain but the wind we can do without!

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  19. Hi Julie, fabulous cushion, I never would of thought of that in a million years, your so clever, your helpers are so cute. hehe I got chuckle reading your comment about your sewing machine, how many times I have wanted to throw mine, temperamental things they can be. Would love to find an old suitcase and put flowers in it, but alas no green thumbs here, so I will just enjoy pics of yours. Have a great week or however long before your next post, take care. Chris xoxo

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  20. Yoir cushion is bright and vibrant, i love it, what a great use of those lovely flowers.

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  21. I am slow catching up to commenting on blogs. I am trying to get over a cold and cough which slows me down even more! That Pippi is quite a little helper! Your pillow turned out just gorgeous! I hope your friend just loved that flowr filled suitcase! I know I would! Nancy

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  23. How would you ever get anything done if it wasn't for those cats!! I love how they must be involved, I so understand as mine do pretty much the same, well Toebee certainly does. Man that cushion turned out perfect, and your garden I bet is looking magical. Mine is enjoying all the rain.

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