Friday, November 19, 2021

Dinosaurs .......... & Some Christmas Touches 🎄💝

 Greetings lovely friends & readers

Although the past two days have been sunny, the week prior was wet & windy & wild.  Though I am always thankful for any rain at this time of year as it gives the garden such a good drink, the winds were just dreadful.

A vase of spring roses picked before the winds bashed them 💕

On the wettest days these two took up residence on my couch - I was quick enough to toss a cotton sheet over my good quilt & cushions.  As you can see one has the entire length of the couch & one gets to curl up in the little space left over 😉



I had purchased this gorgeous Dinosaur fabric from my local Patchwork Shop just prior to Lockdown. I wanted to make each of my Grandsons a pillowcase for Christmas.  I used this simple tutorial * Here *  which I find fast & effective to make up.

The top left hand photo shows the back of the T-Rex one. This was a cot panel that I cut down to pillowcase size. 


I made Sid a Triceratops Crown & we both coloured it in - he loved it & wore it for two days running before asking me to cut it down for his toy Tiger.  I bury dinosaurs in the sandpit & then he uncovers them using my paint brushes & tells me about the fossils he unearths. 

After he went home on Monday I decided to put my Christmas Tree up & add the lights.  I thought it would fill in several hours the following day while we decorated it together.
Let me tell you friends ... that boy is a trooper.  He had far more stamina & staying power than his Granny did. I wanted to stop after about half an hour & have a cuppa but he kept on going until every single last decoration was on the tree & believe me ... there are alot !!
And he didn't just put them all down at low height either - he climbed on the little stool & spread them around at all different levels.  He did a wonderful job & I was most impressed but most importantly - he loved it !!

And I might add ... we did not even get the felt tree skirt around the tree before Madam Pip came along, curled up on it & promptly went to sleep!!

On my last trip to Mum's I purchased these wooden discs in her local Variety store - $2 for a bag of 10.  I had some Christmas paper serviettes left over from last year so I mod-podged some on to the wooden discs & made lovely tags to tie onto packages for Christmas.  This was such a fun & simple task that I thoroughly enjoyed.


I must be honest & say that the next task was definitely Not fun & enjoyable.    I have loved these shabby twig trees for a long time - they are a free tutorial on Kerryanne's blog.    I just found it so incredibly fiddly & ended up having to spray starch/iron my fabric strips to stop them from all turning towards the back.   I had no cream coloured bells so I painted a rusty bell & I won't go in to detail about how time consuming that task was suffice to say I won't be making anymore of these. 😉



I made a felt matchbox mouse to gift to a friend.   
(This used to be a free downloadable pattern but I can no longer find the link to it.  If anyone should want to make one then email me & I can send you my pattern.) 

I have long admired these teeny tiny stockings that are all over Instagram & finally got around to making myself a set.  I stuffed mine with wadding & then added greenery & pip berries to the tops. These are just pegged on to my Christmas ribbon with tiny pegs from the $2 Shop.  

I made mine up using some primitive duller coloured fabrics but I would rather like to make myself a pink set too 💗



Thank You so much for your ever-welcome visits here today dear friends,
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend - remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other.
With much love & friendship to you all,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0x

20 comments:

  1. Gorgeous roses! Your little Christmas elf did a stirling job. Your tree looks beautiful! I love the palentologist fossil finding jaunts....well done Grandma. Love your tags and cute wee stockings xx

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  2. What a wonderful post Julie, your roses are beautiful, it is a shame we have had so much windy weather and they get bashed around. Love the pillow cases and thank you for the link. Your decorations are beautiful and how is Sid finding fossils! He did a great job with the tree, I hope Granny got to have a cuppa when it was all done. The fabric tree looks beautiful, well done for persevering! Mouse in the matchbox is very cute. How do cats know?? The minute you put down something comfy to sit on there they are!!

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  3. My goodness you would have made the most amazing playgroup leader!!! Sids crown, unearthing dinosaur fossils with a brush in a sandpit! I just love it. Hubby won't have the tree decorated until mid December so I will have to hold out but am going to make a few things while I am waiting. I love it when my neighbours little girl comes in to decorate my tree for me - she's so bossy!

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  4. Oh! Is it Christmas yet..?
    Everything looks wonderful Julie..
    The tree looks amazing..l remember my
    daughter having to stand on a stool to..
    Though l had to lift her up to put the
    fairy on top..! :).

    The material for the pillowcases is amazing
    to..hope it does'nt give them nightmares..! :).
    And the little felt mouse is lovely to..have
    the furry ones seen it yet..!
    I remember pussy~cats love Christmas, we had
    to redecorate our tree nearly every day..during
    the night, they'd runn up and down it, pulling
    the baubles off..HeHe! Good old days..! :O).

    So..only five weeks till Christmas..l really look
    forward to Christmas, one of my favourite times of
    the year...!
    "God rest ye merry gentlemen..." Sorry! Bit to early! :0)
    🎅 🎄 🦌 🎁 ⛄ 🎅 🎄 🦌 🎁 ⛄ 🎅 🎄 🦌 🎁 ⛄ 🎅 🎄 🦌

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  5. Another lovely post of goodies .
    Lovely roses , I still have roses out in mid November !
    Love the tags and the ribbon tree.
    I think I may start Christmas decorating soon.
    Always allot to do at this time of the year.
    Have a fun week with your GS .

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  6. It just goes to show how fast Sid is growing, helping that much with the tree, lol, when you might have made it a 2 day project. It is pretty, by the way. And as usual you are busy sewing so many projects. I do like the ribbon/stick tree, and if you'd said it was easier, I might have tried one. I won't now, I'm not that patient. Of course, I always enjoy seeing Blackie and Miss Pip in the picture. We had our first inch or more of snow, not happy with that. Thanksgiving holiday is just on Thursday, too. Then I'll put up the tree here. Lynn and Precious XX

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    1. Thank You so much Lynn. Yes my little Christmas elf did a wonderful job on the tree & has far more staying power than his Granny has that's for sure ! 😉 The twig tree was fiddly because I could not get my fabrics to stay facing the front & because I am so particular, this just bothered me. I think if you used fabrics that were double sided then this wouldn't matter so much.
      Wishing you a great weekend Lynn & Precious. xx

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  7. Beautiful roses. Love all your projects, looking lovely as always. ahh Miss Pip you make me smile. Well done Sid, the tree looks wonderful. Hugs, xx

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  8. Love those stockings and I think I might make myself a set, as I have so many pieces of Christmas material.

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    1. Thank you Kim. The little stockings were fun & simple to run up. I think they would take you no time at all as you are such a fast sewer. xx

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  9. Such a gorgeous posting. How lucky is Sid and the two cats. And us , for the pleasure it brings. ❤️ 🎄

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  10. Your decorations are lovely. Sid did an awesome job helping you decorate.

    God bless.

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  11. Sid did a wonderful job decorating the tree. It really is beautiful. I just love the little stockings and the tiny mouse. What a neat little gift that will be. You are talented!

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  12. Another fun post... well done Sid - the tree looks fantastic - I wish you lived nearby adn could do some for me!! (except I need a tree first!) I love your lovely tags and stockings - as always lovely ideas beautifully done...
    Hugz

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  13. So much wonderful creativity again, Julie...and that shabby tree, well, I'm glad you persevered because it stole my heart.
    Goodness, cats and their penchant for taking over OUR spaces. Sigh. Sophie-cat moults and moults over everything and some days I feel like all I do is clean up after her.
    You always make Christmas look joyful!! xxx

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  14. Fossil digging...such a motivating fun activity. Great idea it could even be the inspiration to a very interesting career for Sid :-) Great tags and I do believe I have seen those bags of tags in the local discount shop. More inspiration Julie, thank you and I also have some old Xmas serviettes and the Spanish equivalent of mod-podge. Whoopee...I am going to have some fun! Gorgeous Christmas Tree! Keep well. Amanda x

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  15. What a lovely newsy post. The young man did a fantastic job of the tree.

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  16. Hey Julie, your pillowcases are wonderful, your such a great granny, the tree looks awesome, what a great job Sid did, I did mine over the weekend, and now I need a week to recover😂 I think next year it will be a small table tree. Love your tags, stockings and the mouse in the matchbox, I do have that pattern, but it is on the old comp that wont start anymore, not that my fingers would like making it. The shabby twig tree is definitely worth the hassle as it looks lovely. Have a great week Julie. Chris xoxo

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  17. I love your vintage looking roses. They seem right at home in that setting.
    You do such clever things for your dinosaur loving grand! Cute pillowcases with that great fabric, and I really like your idea of the buried dinosaurs and the brushes for "unburying" them. Living within a couple of hours of an area saturated with dinosaur bones, I have seen the men doing that very thing as they chip carefully away at the ancient bones and then brush the bits aside.
    I'd like to be able to hire Sid and his energy to help me get my tree decorated.
    Did Madam Pip ever relinquish her cushion, and let you place it 'neath the tree?
    Very clever gift tags, and I laughed at your story of frustration about that tree. When I look at so many of the detailed projects you have completed with joy, it seemed funny to hear you describe this one in negative terms. So much of what you create with patience seems like it would be fiddly to me. :)
    Adorable matchbox mouse, and I really like your vintage looking garland of stockings!

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  18. Sid IS a Christmas tree trooper alright! What a fantastic job he did while you sat with a cuppa! lol......

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