Monday Morning Greetings dear friends & readers
My Closing Down Sale has been ticking along nicely & I am so thankful to those that have purchased from me enabling me to reduce my stock considerably
As I have been selling the stock at 50% off I have not at
any time felt sad about this, which makes me feel in my heart this is
100% the right decision for me at this time.
My Closing Down Sale has been ticking along nicely & I am so thankful to those that have purchased from me enabling me to reduce my stock considerably
The Mr has been milking the past month while our worker has time off.
Last week I offered to come & help him ...... this was uncharacteristically generous of me but indeed I had a
method in my madness
Every year The Mr grows Japanese millet at the farm as a supplement feed - some of it gets made into silage & the rest is break fed to the herd.
I knew the herd only had 2 more days left on the millet & I wanted some seed heads to dry .... I find this is a great filler for the bags of citrus potpourri I make up & sell
Last week I offered to come & help him ...... this was uncharacteristically generous of me but indeed I had a
method in my madness
Every year The Mr grows Japanese millet at the farm as a supplement feed - some of it gets made into silage & the rest is break fed to the herd.
I knew the herd only had 2 more days left on the millet & I wanted some seed heads to dry .... I find this is a great filler for the bags of citrus potpourri I make up & sell
Here are the girls enjoying their fresh break of millet while I put up a new electric fence
My photo above shows the seed heads on the plant & then the bunches that I hang to dry at home
The covered area just outside my lounge is nice & dry with good air circulation & the bunches dry really well just here
My dehydrator has been working overtime while I dry trays of oranges off our trees
Although I am no longer selling my citrus potpourri in the Cottage I am supplying this lovely Farm Shop with it
Although I am no longer selling my citrus potpourri in the Cottage I am supplying this lovely Farm Shop with it
The house smelt delicious this weekend while I bagged up another 20 bags to send over to them
I took a large handful of the fresh mixture & filled the vintage scales that sit on my kitchen bench for a splash of colour
Each New Year I begin knitting some new cotton dishcloths for the kitchen & take the older tatty ones as cleaning rags ... this is a tip I learnt from Rhonda's books
I enjoy the repetitiveness of the garter stitch at nights when my eyes are too tired to do anything more intricate
I stitched a simple bookmark on linen to go with my friend Joyce's 70th birthday "chair planter"
The pattern is an early design from Jenny's Stitchery Club ... I hope to stitch up some more bookmarks
for my present box.
I have been picking & drying this years statice .... usually this would be hung for sale in my Cottage but this year
I get to keep it for myself !
I found an old wooden bucket in my sleepout to display the dried bunches in.
It's always a "lucky dip" when I grow statice & this year I didn't get any yellow, but I was equally as happy with the colours that did grow
The pattern is an early design from Jenny's Stitchery Club ... I hope to stitch up some more bookmarks
for my present box.
I have been picking & drying this years statice .... usually this would be hung for sale in my Cottage but this year
I get to keep it for myself !
I found an old wooden bucket in my sleepout to display the dried bunches in.
It's always a "lucky dip" when I grow statice & this year I didn't get any yellow, but I was equally as happy with the colours that did grow
Now if I can just keep Miss Pippi from re-arranging it all, then all will be well !! 😺
Thanks so much for your visits today dear friends
I hope the coming week is good & kind to you all & that you find some creative time in amongst the busy-ness
With much love & friendship to you all,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x
Good morning Julie i was sad to read that your shop was closing down though i do understand that its a lot of work. I always enjoy seeing all the lovely things you make and i love the bags of dried potpourri that you are making,wishing you well with your next adventure in life my friend and i hope you have a wonderful day xx
ReplyDeleteLove the potpourri. It must have been fabulous smelling at your place. Love the knitted cloths. I do the same except i have to have someone knit them for me. Hugs,xx
ReplyDeleteIt’s still Sunday evening here and a cold one at that (I have my bed socks on). I can imagine the wonderful scent in your home, citrus orange, fresh and invigorating. What pretty stitching, I’m so glad you’ll still be making when you close your shop, your creations are so beautiful xx
ReplyDeleteThanks for your lovely comment Cheryl. Yes the oranges certainly does make the house smell nice. Its one of my favourite smells - the orangey citrusy one ... always so fresh. Hope you are keeping warm Cheryl. Xxx
DeleteAnd....a lovely Monday morning to you, lovely Julie. That is wonderful your pretties from your little shop are selling. I wonder, what will you use the building for when everything is gone?? Your home must smell divine with all the citrus potpourri filling the air. Love the photo of it sitting in the vintage scales. Lovely old bucket filled with the Statice. You do find the most incredible 'relics' around your place. Those dischcloths are cool and the book mark, so pretty. Have a wonderful week, lovely lady.
ReplyDeleteI think you have yourself all wrong about being "uncharacteristically generous"........YOU are one of the most generous people I know, you make thoughtful beautiful gifts for people (I know because I have some!) you give of your TIME.......Your citrus potpourri is the best! I LOVE it.
ReplyDeleteYour potpourri looks stunning. I have been lucky to have some of it. The statice looks great inside in the bucket. Have to find that farm shop. Leanne is right, you are a super person to know and I value our friendship.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, I do love that vintage scale and the dried items in it look so pretty! Love your statice in your bucket also. I don't think I have seen that dish cloth pattern before but it is lovely. Is that cotton yarn or what type yarn do you use for dish cloths? Your friend will enjoy the bookmark I am sure! I have not embroidered much but have seen some of the lovely things that Jenny does. Have a good week! Nancy
ReplyDeleteLooks like things are going well. The potpourri looks like it smells wonderful. Julie I wonder if you should remove the photo giving your phone number and details. I am sure your friends are safe reading it, but you might find that someone may take advantage of knowing all of your info.
ReplyDeleteJulie Q
How good would your house smell after making the potpourri, good to hear you got to keep some for your self. The dish cloths look great..new cloths, new year. That statice looks really pretty, I hope Miss Pippi stays away. 😆
ReplyDeleteYou certainly took me back quite a few years Julie..
ReplyDeleteI remember as a boy...and l was once...despite what
people say..!:). When my Mum used to hang things out
to dry and reuse..even my Dad..! :(. oooops!
And..l always thought it looked nice and decorative
to..and l also remember our pussy~cat jumping up and
trying to pull things down! HeHe! Bless!
The colour in your post to~day is wonderful Julie...
Love all the dried things especially the citrus pot
potpourri display..lovely that! :).
Well..just 7:30 over here, mornings are much lighter
now..time for a 2nd lemon tea, off to the bathroom,
to beautify myself..then off to town! Though it's
cold and frosty, but dry at least..! Brrrrr! :0).
I swear I could smell those orange slices! Beautiful! Glad your sale is going well....all the best with it. I love those wonderful cloths and your book mark is so sweet xx
ReplyDeleteHi Julie! I'm glad the shop's closing has been going well and that you continue to feel peaceful about it.
ReplyDeleteI do love statice and I may grow some.
The oranges are gorgeous. I wish I could smell them.
How smart to knit dishcloths every year. YOU are lovely, Miss Bear. I'm so glad I know you.
I had to go back a few posts and read to learn about your decision to close the cottage? How did I miss that?
ReplyDeleteSometimes you just know when it is right for a new chapter, but creativity is in your soul and I know that will not end!
Very interesting to see millet in its original form. :)
Oh, the sight of all those orange slices made my mouth water. I can just imagine the sweet orange fragrance filling the air.
Very sweet little book mark!
I understand the hit-and-miss color thing growing statice. I have grown it for years, and I am always thrilled when I happen to get a plant that gives me a little yellow, peach, or periwinkle--just something to spice up the mix a bit.
I can see your blog is taking a new direction, really interested to see a bit of farmers wife life (putting up the electric fence no less!)
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious riot of colour. The scent of the citrus must be wonderful. Love the colours of the statice.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, glad your not sad at the closing of your cottage, on to bigger and better things so they say, the potpourri in your scales looks fabulous, love your dish cloths, I think even I could manage that kind of knitting, one craft I never picked up from my mum, I was hopeless at it, oh well, take care Julie. Chris xoxo
ReplyDeleteYour home would have smelled amazing when drying the oranges. That's one of my most favourite fragrances...divine.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful way to display your statice, too! Love the bookmark...and so will Joyce. xx
Happy Valentines Day! Hmmmmm.....I can smell the lovely potpurri from here - just like my house smells beautiful with it too! Great that you are still making it and selling it at the farm shop. It's been such funny weather of late I was wondering how it was all going on the farm. Karen, Hannah and Baa. xxx
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely bookmark! your friend will appreciate that
ReplyDeleteLovely to see how it's all going, Julie. It's a good sign that you're not feeling regretful over selling off your lovingly made items. The making of the pot pourri is such a joyful sight - all those little bits and pieces you combine to make such a nice product. And nice to see your fingers are keeping busy!
ReplyDeleteThose helpful cats!! What are we to do with them Julie? I grew and dried Statice this year and got a small amount of yellow but most of mine is like yours in colour. They look fabulous in your wooden bucket. You are closing one door in your life but you know many more will open so keep walking through them and enjoy your new direction in life.
ReplyDelete