Birthdays ................................ & "A Dirty Pour"

Greetings dear friends & readers
The birthday gift making continues here at Threadbear
These two wool blanket coathangers were stitched up & posted south last week, for a dear friends birthday.

My eldest grandson Alec turned 3 on May 18th.
I had purchased his gifts awhile ago but wanted to make him some wool blanket slippers to keep his feet warm this winter ... his foot measures 6 inches long - I was able to make these up using fabrics from my scrap bag

These are made using a great pattern that I purchased from twig and tale

We had a wonderful birthday celebration with some daycare friends, Alec's cousin Sid, a new bike 
& a "Finding Dory" cake

One of Alec's requests for his birthday was a batman cape .... this photo arrived in my inbox a couple of nights ago  
I LoVeD the pose & can just imagine the appropriate noises that went along with it!

I have been using up all the remnants of cotton/bamboo in my knitting bag, making up very plain & simple dishcloths

These are enjoyable (& uncomplicated) to knit in the evenings when my eyes are tired

I finished another one while watching the Royal Wedding last weekend .... unfortunately I had a little helper on the couch with me .... The Mr snapped these pics of her "assisting me"

That is me wearing my pink fleecy dressing gown

My friend Gail rang to tell me our next Craft Group Meeting challenge would be to create "a dirty paw"!!
I knew this was a form of artwork so I decided to google it.
While I was busily searching for dirty paw it never even occurred to me that I should be looking for dirty pour !!

I should be honest & say I was none to enthused about this challenge but how wrong I was!!
It was honestly So Much Fun!

We all had to choose 4 - 5 colours that we wanted to use, then these were poured into plastic cups along with 

glue & Floetrol
The cup was then VeRy carefully tipped onto our canvas's
It was so fascinating seeing all the different colour combinations & the effect at the end

The canvas's take approximately a week to dry!

You can see above all the very different canvas's .... I should say the dirty pours!
And this one below is by Yours Truly - just waiting for a coat of clear lacquer on it

While Sid played happily in my pot drawer last Thursday, I made up another batch of Liquid Laundry Detergent 
from the recipe in Rhonda's Book

I always sit my bucket in the bathtub overnight to let the mixture really thicken, before dispensing it into my (Op Shop) collection of glass decanters the next day.

Speaking of Op Shop treasures .... this sweet little glass/silver dish came home with me from the Church Op Shop last week for the princely sum of 50 cents!

It was certainly NOT this colour when I purchased it but a good rub with silver cleaner & it came up shiny.
I had been looking for something to display some small soaps in my bathroom for a very long time & this was perfect.

Though the cat basket has not been on the table since last winter (& I assured The Mr it would NoT be put back there again!!) a certain little fairy has won yet another round!
When The Mr saw this he just shook his head & said nothing!

Have a wonderful week dear friends - be kind to yourselves & to each other,
Thanks so much for your visits here today,
with much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

Pretty Things

Greetings dear friends & readers
Gosh, where did that week slip away to I might well ask??!!

Making pretty things is something I really enjoy.
In fact, if I could, I would make pretty things Every Single Day!
 

My friend & longtime customer Christine, called for a visit & showed me a photo on her phone.

The photo was of the cushion below which Christine had found on the internet while browsing for a cushion for her grandaughter who was turning 4.

She asked if I would be able to make a cushion very similar but her instructions were for me to add pink satin ballet slippers along with the tutu.

Christine requested that the cushion be pink/white, pretty, possibly 3 dimensional & have the wee girls name on it (Hayley)

Also Hayley LoVeS hearts so could I somehow include these please.

I began my applique - still not quite sure what I was doing but just trying to "wing it"
Luckily I found some pink fabric in my stash covered in hearts which I used to applique Hayley's name.
I use a long length of white tulle & gathered this to make the tutu appear 3 dimensional, then added some tulle flowers I already had on hand

My local sewing shop had no diamantes in stock but I did find some sparkly sequins that gave the same effect

I could find no pretty pink ballet themed buttons for the back closure so I found some wooden heart discs in my craft drawer & spray painted these white, before drilling tiny holes to make them into buttons.

I thought they worked out just fine.

Christine was absolutely delighted with her cushion & I have yet to find out what the birthday girl thought of her gift.

The challenge for last month at our Craft Group get together was to make a mannequin using an Op Shop candlestick as the base.
Our instructions/pattern were were from this website *here*
In the bargain box at my local Church Op Shop, I found this old brass candlestick for the princely sum of 20 cents!
I painted it with 2 coats of chalk paint - vintage white, & lightly sanded the edges.

Though I was really looking forward to doing this challenge I have to admit I did not enjoy it at all.
I could not get my mannequin shape right & she ended up looking more like a grid iron player on steriods, 
even though I had 3 attempts at stuffing & unstuffing her!!
Many times she nearly sailed through the air !!

To disguise a shape that I was not happy with, I overdid it with my embellishments.
I drew her waist in tightly with ribbon then hid this under some tulle & added lace & pearls & anything 
else I could find

The View of the Back

Only four of the ladies took part & here are our different versions above
The mannequins are originally made to be pincushions but I think they would be equally as nice used as brooch holders or jewellery stands.

- Not sure how that next photo sneaked in there sorry friends -


While Sid slept yesterday I quietly cleaned out a sewing room drawer.
 I came across this old tissue box holder, unused for many years & due to the glue hardening the lace & ribbon came away easily

I used my hairdryer on each corner to soften the glue until I was able to lie the box shape out flat.
I had a small piece of this gorgeous Tilda fabric "rabbits & roses" which I used to make a new cover 
for my tired old tissue box

A few trims & lace & it now looks so pretty & useful again.

Thank You all So Much for your visits today dear friends.
Its Friday here & I am very much looking forward to the weekend as we have a 3 year old birthday to celebrate & 3 is Very Important Indeed!!

 With much love & friendship to you all,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x

My New (Old) Chair ........................ & Friendships ............................

Sunday Greetings dearest friends & readers,

My friend Sally must surely be one of the luckiest Thrift Shoppers I know!

She just seems to have the knack of being in the right spot at the right time - & scores the bargains!

Sal managed to purchase two vintage slipper chairs with Sanderson Linen covers at our local Hospice Shop a couple of weeks ago, in pristine condition!
When she sent me a photo of her new acquisitions I cheekily told her that should she ever wish to
 "move one of them on sometime" then I would be happy to assist!

As luck would have it, Sally decided one WAS superfluous to requirements & I was able to purchase it from her.
I adore my new-to-me chair & although it was destined for my bedroom, it has yet to make it past the lounge!
I just have One small rather large problem with my new slipper chair . . . . .

It would seem that someone else adores it also ...... so much so in fact, that when he is Not sleeping on it, there is now a definate dent in the seat!

The soy candle is Green Tea & Ginger fragrance

April & May are busy birthday months for me ...... I have 10 friends & family members celebrating birthdays.
For my friend Donna, who loves upcycling & repurposing, I made this wool blanket coat hanger & soy candle in a vintage enamel dish.
These have already arrived at their destination & were received with great delight!

Though I think I could easily be in the running for "world's slowest knitter" I did manage to finish off another two cotton/bamboo dishcloths this weekend.
These are destined for the present box & another one is now cast on my needles. 

On Friday afternoon I spent time in my kitchen making chocolate truffles.
My friend Sandy had invited me to a "Pink Ribbon Morning Tea" at her home the following morning.
Sandy had decided it would be a nice idea for a group of friends to get together to celebrate the Journey back to wellness of our dear friend Pam, who has battled cancer not once but twice now.
I thought it was such a wonderful idea.

On the Saturday morning I loaded up my car with flowers from The Hummingbird - I had asked Sally to make up a couple of posies for both Sandy & Pam with some touches of pink.
The scented stocks that Sally popped in the posies smelt just gorgeous!

Everything that my friend Sandy turns her hand to is done with such love & attention to detail & I knew her table setting would not disappoint.  There was very much a pink theme & we dined on club sandwiches, savouries & pink cupcakes - all homemade by Sandy. We drank elderflower wine & coffee & chatted away until suddenly we realised ........... it was 2 pm !!

Some flowers in Sandys dining room

As I drove the half hour home, I reflected on how lucky I was to be able to do something like this & spend time with girlfriends.

On my last visit to Mum's I purchased this wooden plaque in a Paint Shop ... I loved the saying but of course once I got it home, I had to embellish it!!!
I tizzied it up with a Tilda fabric bunting & a small crochet flower.

The nights are colder now & its time to make blanket nests on the couch!!

These two above popped in to my mind when I purchased it!

To use up some of the feijoas I gathered last weekend, I made a Feijoa & Coconut Cake this morning.
I love making this recipe when the feijoas are in season.

Well dear friends, I hope the coming week is good & kind to all of us & that May is a good month for you

Thanks so very much for your visits here today,
With much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x