Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Christmas Wishes Everyone

Greetings dear friends & readers,

This will be my last post for 2019 & I would like to take this opportunity to wish you ALL a most wonderful 
festive season.


I would also like to thank each & every one of you that comes this way - to my little part of cyberspace, reads my ramblings & takes the time to leave me a comment - now & then - just to say Hello & to let me know you have visited 😊
I can't tell you how much it means to me & how much pleasure this little blog of mine brings to me 💛

Last night The Mr had an AGM to attend so I stood in my kitchen while the rain lashed the windows, & finished up some more Christmas Baking as well as packaging some ready for gifting

This year I made my usual Gingernut Bites & Chocolate Fudge Cake, but also made some Mars Bar Slices 
& Chocolate Crackles - some of which I added cute little festive picks to for my grandsons.


My lovely friend & longtime customer Desiree, has a beautiful baby daughter who is about to celebrate her first Christmas

Desiree called to see me in early November with the 3 fat quarters above, asking me to please make a stocking for Gretchen's first Christmas in this colourway
Her only request was Patchwork & perhaps some vintage lace somewhere in it.



I have sewn alot for Desiree & know her taste fairly well so I felt confident adding in the other fabrics to the three 
she had given me.
After I had patchworked the front, I machine appliqued on the letters for Gretchen's name


I found this beautiful vintage cotton lace in my scraps so I added a border of it to the top, then this cute cotton bird tape, which I felt matched the sweet little birds in the fabrics.
The silver charms were sewn on last as I felt they added a nice finishing touch.


 
I also added one of the fabric tags I had made from my Grandson's Advent Calendar Panels
(& a vintage button)



Both front & back were patchworked & a sweet crochet doiley was stitched to both sides.



The "handmade with love" woven ribbon was stitched on the back toe part

I LoVe these colours together & thought it turned out beautiful 💗



A friend messaged me with a late Order after seeing the candles in my last post made using vintage glassware.
I had 3 containers left so made them up into candles for her over the weekend.



Also over the weekend, my lovely neighbor Jenny popped in with the sweet Angel kit above - a gift for some 
pet feeding duties I had done for her.
I was determined to find time to make her up last Sunday - she turned out beautifully & I have hung her on my tree.

It's such a treat to have a kitset & not have to go searching for anything - just enjoy sitting & putting it together.
For anyone interested, the kitset was purchased from * Here *


Yesterday while the weather was wild, these two fought & hissed & spat at each other & left big clumps of fur on the floor - mainly ginger !!
So I was rather surprised to see them tucked up together on the bed last night - when I went to get in !!
Friends again - for now 😉

Wishing you all a safe & joyous Christmas dear friends,
I look forward to sharing more with you in the New Year,
From our Home to Yours - with much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0x



Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Christmas Bits & Bobs

Greetings dear friends & readers 
I hope the week is treating you kindly - the days seem to be going by so very fast!




Last Tuesday when Sid was here we decorated the tree ... Sid grew tired of this task about 1/4 the way through 
so I finished it when he had his afternoon nap

I have been wrapping my gifts as they are either made or bought & putting them under the tree - but once again 
I have to leave a space for the Christmas Fairy who is under the tree yet again this year!

Sid & I made a few decorations together - some for his tree & some for Granny's


Last weekend The Mr was away riding Moto X for two days.  I got alot done. 😊
Not that he necessarily stops me from doing things, but I find not having to make meals & endless cups of tea - I seem to achieve alot more.
I got all my smaller orders completed, including the lavender bags (10) & mothball sachets (20) above

I made a vintage china teacup birdfeeder - an Order for my friend Elaine.
Yes I often do "try them out" in my garden first 😉


I made a batch of soy candles in vintage glassware - some of these are for gifts & some are Orders.
The house smelt delicious - a mixture of Mulled Wine & Calico fragrance oils


My lovely, clever friend Shirley sent me a photo of some beautiful dainty stockings she had made. Shirley had come across a piece of handmade felt that she had made awhile ago & decided to make 6 little stockings with crocheted snowflakes on & silk ribbon bows.

Shirley asked me to fashion her "a coathanger of sorts" to hang them on.

I had a lace covered cream satin coathanger already made so I added a wooden snowflake to it - sprayed first with some cream spray paint.


I made some holly shaped leaves from felt for each end along with gold bells & embellishments to compliment the bells Shirley had stitched to her stockings.

When I delivered the coathanger to Shirley I thought it looked So Stunning I could quite easily have bought it 
right back home with me!!


I decided to do a quick paint/upcycle on this old wooden stool to use in my bedroom.
I have to do these projects when The Mr is not here because he does not like me painting the native wood.
The colour is Old Linen (chalkpaint) & I covered it with some leftover curtain fabric.



Though my eyes are tired at night, I still like to sit & knit either dishcloths or cotton scrubby cloths,
Blackie tucks up right beside me these evenings - he is feeling rather tired himself from all the Christmas prep 
he has still to do 😉 !!

Thanks as always for your lovely visits here today dear friends,
I hope the lead up to Christmas is going well for you all,
With much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Advent Calendars & Train Trips .........................................


December Greetings dear friends & readers

About 5 years ago I bought some sets of novelty pegs in a half price sale.
I had originally intended using the pegs to make Advent Calendars to sell at Christmas time in my Craft Cottage.
This idea never came to fruition.

Last month, when a box fell off a shelf in my sewing room - out tumbled the pegs ..... perhaps I could make Advent Calendars for my Grandsons ??

These wooden "trees" were purchased last year from The Warehouse - once again at half marked price so 
instead of being $20 each, I got the 2 for $20
There were only 15 round hooks in each tree - so I carefully unscrewed these


I hot glued the novelty pegs onto my trees, making sure to cover the holes & also to evenly space out my 24 pegs.

While down at Mum's last month I came across a Photocopy Shop closing down with all her plain wooden letters for 50c each.
I purchased my grandson's names & once home, I painted them with a testpot of chalk paint I found in my cupboard ... Imperial Red - the perfect Christmas red  💗


When dry I hot glued my letters to the star on the top of the tree.


My local Patchwork Shop StitchinStuff was selling these lovely printed panels with little stockings on so I purchased 
a different one for each of my Grandsons

Now believe me dear friends - sewing all those teeny tiny stockings was not terribly much fun at all ðŸ˜‰ !!
As the girl in the Patchwork Shop said to me "the first 3 are great fun & then after that it's just plain fiddly"
And I had 48 to sew !!

Each one was backed with a red/white spot fabric I found in my stash 

The Panel I used for Alec's advent stockings reminded me very much of French General fabrics 💕

During the process of making all 48 stockings, as well as working on my Orders ...... I somehow lost 
Numbers 16 & 23 !!  I could NoT BeLieVe it !! 
It took me 3 days to find them in amongst the mess that my sewing room is in creative space that I work in 😉
So I decided to make a small pouch that the stockings could be kept in when they are un-pegged each day

I used the same red spot fabric & the edges of the stocking panels had these lovely fabric tags on them, so I stitched one on each pouch.

My next task was taking one stocking & heading off to my local Variety Store to find treats small enough to fit into the stockings.

I decided to wrap each days surprise in red tissue as I had visions of Alec peeking in all the stockings to see 
what was in them.
48 tiny packages later & I was finished !! Phew !!


Last Sunday, the 1st December I packed up a picnic lunch &  took my grandson's & their families to the
 Hamilton Miniature Train Park



The day was warm & windy & we just had the bestest time together


We rode the trains & we picnicked & the little ones rode bikes, blew bubbles & told stories to each other

The Park has many big established trees that are just wonderful to picnic under.
I also gifted my Grandsons their Advent Calendars & watched with pleasure as they each opened Day 1.

Well dear friends I am currently working on my very last Order 😊
Thanks So Much for your visits here today - I hope the coming week is good & kind to you all,
With much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones
x0x0x0x