A Watering Can, A Wheelbarrow ............... & A Hen !!!

Greetings dear friends & readers

When I returned from my trip to Mum's I noticed that my sister in law Leonie, had stashed an old tatty watering can 
in the boot of my car.    
She asked me Please would I paint it for her?
It had been sitting outside with weeds growing in it & was in a sad looking state.

I gave it a good scrub & then let it dry by the fire before attempting to paint it.

Leonie's request was for red so I found some red paint in my supplies & proceeded to paint it on my kitchen bench, drying it by the fire between coats.
It actually took 4 thick coats to cover the black & used up the whole test pot of paint.

Leonie had given me a transfer she had purchased from The Joy Within so I applied this before waxing it.
What a transformation !!! 

A couple of swing tags tied to the handle & it was complete 💕
Leonie is going to sit some white cyclamen in it - I have suggested she just sits the pots inside on something 
& doesn't plant it with soil.

This wooden wheelbarrow below had long been languishing in my woodshed.

We had used it for many years when I worked in town in the Gift Shop to hold "specials" at the shops entrance way.
My friend Gail had decoupaged some gollies onto it at some stage & I think she had painted it brown.
It was in a rather sorry state of affairs!

After a really good scrub & a hose down, I dried it by the fire.
After I had done the first coat I realised I was going to have to sand the decoupaged gollies as their outline was still showing through quite clearly.
I used The Mr's Orbital Sander & gave it a thorough going over.
I felt much happier with it once this was done. 

3 coats later & I was able to apply the transfer I had purchased from Paint Me Vintage

Front & Back Views

I cut a piece of a cardboard box to the shape of the bottom, glued some wadding to this & then covered it with a 
scrap of vintage Sanderson fabric I had.
I affixed this to the base with double sided tape.

For now I have filled it with some lap quilts & some vintage embroidered supper cloths, though I am unsure/undecided of the perfect display for this wheelbarrow.   Perhaps some dried hydrangeas ??
Any suggestions would be most welcome dear readers 😊
I am just so pleased I "rescued it" & it's no longer residing in my woodshed as a home for spiders & other rodents.

My friend Elaine sent me through some photos of a Vintage Cane Hen Carrier she had purchased.

Elaine asked if I had a pattern for a chook or a hen that I could make to sit inside the Hen Carrier by the mesh inserts.
I dug out my rather old & tatty copy of Hettie Hen - this is a doorstop pattern & it has been many years since I have made Hettie now.

Though I used to make them in hessian - Elaine & I decided you would not be able to see the hessian through the mesh so we settled on lighter greens & pinks instead.

I had a pretty green polka dot fabric that I made the body from - this doorstop is weighted with a half a brick so she is good & heavy.
For the shawl I used some gorgeous Tilda fabric 💗

Elaine collected her Hettie Hen last week & was just so delighted.
She sent me a photo but told me she hasn't the heart to put her away in the Hen Carrier, out of view  ......  so for now Hettie gets to sit beside it instead.

I have had my eldest grandson for part of the school holidays - we got some puzzles out of the Library to do as 
he really loves puzzles - he was so proud we were able to complete this 300 piece one.

On one of the days that Sid was also here it poured with rain all day long.
I put an old shower curtain on the floor & bought the sandpit inside for them to play.  
They played really well together but like all boys ... they certainly "had their moments" 😉

No this is not Miss Pippi ...... though I'm sure she would like it to be  !!!!

Thanks as always dear friends, for your visits here today,
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend - I think the sun is even going to make an appearance here for a change.
With much love & friendship to you all,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

Trip to Mum's ..................................... (Part 2)

Greetings dear friends & readers

Thank You all So Much for your very kind birthday wishes in my last post.
The day immediately after my Birthday I travelled down to Mum's - I had not been down since January due to the nationwide Lockdown.

Mount Taranaki was wearing her winter coat & it was certainly chilly down there but also fresh & crisp - different to
 the damp air we get here in the Waikato.


The 5 days at Mum's went by in the blink of an eye & was extremely busy with lots packed into it.

Two of Mum's brothers travelled over for lunch & to catch up with her.  We had Dr's appointments & Lab tests to attend. I took Mum to The Possum Factory at Stratford to buy new slippers. We had all the carpets in her house shampooed.   I cleaned out some cupboards & stocked up on groceries as well as doing several crock pot meals to freeze for her.  I got to visit No Op Shops but there was a special appointment that I had on the Saturday that I was really looking forward to.

I begun following The Joy Within on Facebook & Instagram awhile ago & just LoVe what she creates.
When I read that Joy had opened a "She Shed" on her property to sell her goods from I knew I wanted to visit. 
We had corresponded & Joy had ordered some candles from me so it worked out perfectly to deliver them & visit Joy's store.

As well as selling many upcycled items that Joy has painted & embellished, she also sells the paints, transfers & stencils to do your own repurposing.
Alongside this she runs Workshops from the classroom attached to the Store.

We spent a lovely hour chatting,  sharing ideas & drooling over all her beautiful creations.

I purchased some transfers, some tags, a pot of chalk paint & a set of Tiny Homes for myself 😊


Long time readers of my blog will know I get to visit my talented & very creative friend Claire on the odd occasion when I am down at Mum's.   (Incidently Claire & Joy are Sister-in-laws)
Claire had messaged me & said to "pop out for a quick cuppa if you have an hour free"  ... I was so looking forward 
to catching up with her again.
Little did I know she had secretly organised to hold her monthly craft group meeting while I was there ... as I know the other girls it was such a wonderful catch up again & has been 6 years since I last saw them !!

We had a divine afternoon tea (forgot to take any pics unfortunately as was so busy eating) ... & the girls even gave me gorgeous surprise birthday gifts 💕

Claire had made me a bird tree & a matching bird house - she had constructed the tree herself, painted & decoupaged it & then made 6 Tilda birds to hang from the "branches".
I was So spoilt ....  & quite speechless. It was honestly the loveliest afternoon, but all too soon our visit was up & 
it was time for me to head back to Mum's.

I have often posted photos of Claires stunning home over my blogging years - I just adore it so.
I think what I love the most is how she has filled it with her vintage & handcrafted treasures & made it just so special.
I think Claire would do this even if she lived in a hay barn !!!
She just has the unique knack of putting things together that make my heart beat a little bit faster.

The quilt on the right is a recent completion .... vintage linens & Liberty squares ... Just stunning!!!

She always has new projects & quilts completed to show me & I try really, really hard ... but I can never quite manage to get them into my car without her noticing 😉

You can click on the pics to enlarge them if you wish.

Claire has been doing a mini quilt a month, all with a different theme - Love, love them all !!!  💗
The top left one is dedicated to her brother Chris,  who was tragically killed in a car accident in February.

A corner of her kitchen bench above left

The dresser above was dark brown & Claire has recently chalk painted it. 

When I got home again I put together this little vignette with some of my gifts.
Leeanne had made the mini quilt from leftover blocks when she made me the 16 patch quilt in my last post - it fits
 just perfectly on my spindle leg table.

Whenever I go away Miss Pippi frets & hardly eats & spends most of her time tucked right down on my side of the bed.
This was one of the pics The Mr sent through to my phone.

Have a wonderful weekend dear friends !!
Thanks as always, for your visits here today - be kind to yourselves & to each other.
With much love & friendship to you all,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

Celebrating the Big Six O ............ (Part 1)

Greetings dear friends & readers & Welcome to July
I have been away from blogland & have somehow lost the past 3 weeks.

Hello July - you Wintery Old Month !!

I celebrated a milestone birthday when I turned 60 on the very last day of June.
A decade ago, The Mr put on a 50th birthday party for me as I had never had a birthday party in my entire life.
I well remember us outside struggling to erect a marquee in the wind & the rain & wondering to myself if perhaps we were both a little bit insane.
I decided not to repeat the performance this birthday. 😉

A handful of my close girlfriends had asked me to celebrate with them so I decided to put on an impromptu finger food lunch & invite them here.
I enjoy being home these wintery days with the fire roaring & the house cosy.

The Mr ordered my favourite cake in the whole world - Carrot Cake 💗

The Mr organised a surprise birthday cake for me from our local Bakery.
When it arrived in its grand box & we unpacked it - it read "Happy 60th Birthday Julia "
I quickly grabbed my long doll needle & my tweezers & refashioned the "a" into a "e"

I kept all the food on a separate trestle table which meant the girls could help themselves & graze as they pleased 
& I wasn't running around waiting on everyone as I am inclined to do 😉

Alot of it was pre-prepared ahead of time - easy slices & balls & fudges

There were platters of savoury food too but I have forgotten to photograph everything

We had a lovely time together chatting & laughing & drinking tea & bubbles & toasting to the second half of 2020 hopefully being better than the first half !! (Pandemics & suchlike !!)

(My friend Sally snapped this pic)

The entire time we were at the dining table Miss Pip sat at this door with her sour face on ... she would not come in but just wanted to ensure we felt guilty about her being out in the cold & starving 😟

Dinner time was a very casual relaxed event with my sons & their families sharing it with us.
We ordered gourmet pizzas & tapas from this local Restaurant & the food was divine & almost everything got eaten - even by the little ones.

Books, Choccy, Wine & relish & tea gifts .... a beautiful Flower Carpet Rose & even a pot of chalk paint !!!

I was thoroughly spoilt this birthday by dear friends & family & received some most special & wonderful gifts - such an assortment of goodies - it has been like Christmas for me 💕

The pansies top left have grown since I took this pic

Gorgeous soy Candles, face scrubbers & a possum duster !!  Room diffusers & a wonderful knitting book

My neighbour dropped me off a dozen fresh eggs from her chooks & my dear friend Carolyn, who travelled up for my birthday - crafted me this stunning mosaic garden ring which reads "Life is a Garden"
(My photo is not doing it justice this grey overcast day)

Eldest son & his family gifted me an old fashioned Lilac Tree which I have always wanted in my garden

Beautiful cards including handmade ones from the grandsons


Although we had my celebrations on the Saturday, my actual birthday fell on the Tuesday.

This package from my dear friend Leeanne - had sat in my wardrobe for a few days & when I opened it on my actual birthday  - I must confess I shed a few tears (happy tears!!)
Leeanne had created the most beautiful 16 patch quilt for me - a full bed size in gorgeous fabrics & then custom quilted it & posted it all the way down to me !!

The quilt has a flange binding, which I love & the cutest label on the back from a vintage doiley

When I put it on my bed to take some pics, Miss Pippi immediately tested it out for me for "comfort & snugability" 😉
She informs me it definately passed the test !!!
I shall treasure this quilt for the rest of my days - Thank You So Much Leeanne.

I consider one of my greatest achievements in my 60 years on this earth is the special dear friends I have acquired 
& hold dear to me  💗

I have been away down to my Mum's so I will write a "Part 2" catch-up post in a couple of days,
Thanks for stopping by today - wishing you all a wonderful weekend dear friends,
With much love & friendship to you all,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0