Sunday, March 20, 2022

Carrots, Fireplaces & Contrary Cats

Greetings lovely friends & readers

It has been another busy week but Oh I am loving these March Autumn days with the chilly mornings & evenings ... I just adore them 💖

I came across this Carrot Treat Bag tutorial free on the Internet & thought what a wonderful idea they would be to make for my Grandchildren & pop a few Easter goodies in.  I was able to get 3 made up using orange & green fabrics already in my stash & thought they looked wonderful with the Easter tags I made in my last post.


 The only thing I needed to buy - besides the choccy - was 1 metre each of green & orange ribbon. 

(The Bunnie tag is to pop away for a rabbit I hope to sew one day)

Then yesterday an Order arrived in the post from Love from Seventeen.  I often buy their seasonal tags to attach to gifts so the wee rabbits will be perfect tied around my Carrot treat bags. 


We have had Tradesmen here most days this past week as we had our old fireplace removed & a new one fitted.  

This is what the cavity looked like once the old one was removed - I did paint around the edges before the new                                                                       one went in.

While I was doing this I observed all the colours the fireplace had been.  When we first moved in 20 + years ago I had thought it was a muddy cream colour but looking at this now I see it was more a dirty pink.  I remember when everyone had gone to bed late one night I found a tin of British Racing Green paint in The Mr's shed & painted it green.  I could not get the pink colour clean no matter now much I scrubbed it.  Then it was a dark burgundy for awhile before I lightened it in this Post * here *


It is a process now to change a fireplace.  Once the old one is removed you cannot fit the new one until a Building Inspector has checked the cavity first.  Here is Blackie checking out the new firebox & telling me there is no need to send a Building Inspector out - he can do just as good a job at checking everything 😉!!




Here is our lovely new firebox.  We have a fan fitted in the bottom grill so this had to be wired in by an Electrician. Tomorrow at 8 am the Slate man is coming as the Hearth needs to be an inch wider to get our building consent.  As you can imagine Miss Pip is beside herself with all these Tradies here every single day & not impressed at all !!


I went to pick up a presciption last week & noticed a new Op Shop in the old Bank building - an SPCA one.  So I went for a look & a purchase as it would be incredibly rude of me not to support them 😉
I came away with the plant stand for $10 - the lovely vintage fabric above left was $2 & $3, & the plaster cherubs were $4 each.  


While the men were fitting the fireplace & I was keeping out of their way, I painted the plant stand with 2 coats of chalk paint - Antique White.  I will show you in my next post what I have used it for.


Some self seeded tomatoes have gone wild in my veggie garden & this is what I am picking every 2nd day.  The cherry ones are especially sweet & delicious. 


I took Sid to our little local Park last Tuesday & he wanted me to take a photo of the clouds - they were so fluffy & wonderful that day & the sky was Oh so blue 💙

Whilst I was still keeping-out-of-tradies-way I made up another batch of miracle spray. You can find the recipe * here *  This is all I use for my cleaning - it is wonderful & a batch lasts me a very long time.


Lastly dear friends -  I had left my (undies!!) drawer open while rushing out the door to an early appointment.  Upon arriving home I found a certain ginger being curled up sound asleep in it.  I posted this photo on Instagram & it got so many lovely comments.  The next day I was contacted by a PetModels Inc. Company telling me they were interested in pets like this & would I be willing to work with them??

And Yes there were ginger hairs all through my "smalls" 😐

Thank You Very much but No Thank You!!  This little ginger friend is already HIGH MAINTENANCE ENOUGH without the thought of modelling going to her tiny fluffy head!!  And she is so contrary I could imagine the whole thing being a complete nightmare!!   So not a word has been mentioned to her about it 😉

Thank You So Very Much for your visits here today dear friends,

I hope the coming week treats you well - remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to you All,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x

25 comments:

  1. Love your treat bags & tags, so cute. Love the plants stand, look forward to seeing what you do with it. Ahh cats what would we do without them. :) Hugs, xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Adorable little carrot bags. Your bunny tags will be perfect for them.
    That is fun to be able to see the color history of your fireplace before the new insert went in. It looks beautiful now! (And I'm sure Blackie does just as good a job as a paid inspector!)
    Nice finds at the new Op Shop. As soon as I saw that plant stand photo, I knew it would be white in the next photo. LOL
    How would it be to have tomatoes just volunteer in your garden like that? I can barely coax them to produce.
    The cat in the undies drawer is really a hoot! And I promise not to tell about the modeling job you turned down on her behalf!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Julie lol your fluffy friend is so funny lol.
    Wow your new heater and surround look fantastic and gee what great finds that you come across I love your plant stand painted white it looks awesome .
    Lovely post Julie thankyou for sharing with us and hope you have a lovely evening 💕

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great carrots. Your new fire box is looking good - what do you burn? We loved our log burner in France, it kept us nice and warm but it is rather a relief to be free of log hauling and all the dust! Nice purchases, the fabric is gorgeous. xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. HaHa! Bless! It's a good job it was'nt Blackie in
    the (undies) draw..you would'nt have seen any (undies)..
    Smalls..??? :O).

    Your certainly getting it all together for Easter Julie..
    Won't be to long..To~day it's the Equinox..Spring begins!
    Next Sunday the clocks go forward an hour..AND..It's
    Mothers Day..! AND..two weeks of sunny warm weather is
    forecast..! Hooooray! :).

    And,,the fire box looks really nice Julie, and with
    Blackie checking it out first, you'll be well pleased!
    Hope to see lots of photos with the furry ones, asleep
    in front of it..! :).

    Well..best get on..supermarket day to~day, pop up in
    a couple of hours when they open..few bits and pieces
    needed..then a quiet Sunday..I hope! :O).
    🍁 🍂 🍃 🍁 🍂 🍃 🍁 🍂 🍃 🍁 🍂 🍃 🍁 🍂 🍃

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your life seems to be so busy , I always love your posts .
    Nice new fire to keep you warm in the winter.
    Ha you have a star in your house , they love sleeping in places they should not BLESS .
    Enjoy your week.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Swanky new fireplace! Looks the business. I'm not going to bother growing tomatoes this year. Last year's effort wasn't worth the faff with not many results. I don't have a greenhouse and I was growing the plants (from seeds of some very expensive tomatoes that I'd previously bought from the farm shop) indoors on my sunny kitchen windowsill but they got so big, the whole window was covered in them and then I got fed up putting them outside every morning and bringing them back in at night! As my neighbour remarked, 'just go to the shop and buy them there'! Loving your new plant table. Hope you're having a good weekend, Julie and feline friends. x

    ReplyDelete
  8. ps, forgot to say, I cut off those little ribbon tags that you get on the insides of knitwear or dresses and use them for fiddly little jobs. I love your Easter treat bags and the dinky stuff you filled them with. x

    ReplyDelete
  9. I let Precious see Miss Pippi in the "unmentionables" drawer as she calls mine with her mouse. But I did not tell her
    Miss Pip has been offered a modeling career, as it would cause much jealousy here, lol. I just saw the instagram yesterday
    and loved seeing the carrots ready for candy. Go from healthy food to choc in a hurry this way. Our tomato choices are
    store boughten from who knows how far south of here. Not tasty so I don't buy. Yours look lovely juicy and tasty. I would imagine the new stove will be more efficient and warmer. We had a wood burning stove insert in our first electric heated house 39 years ago. It is a lot of wood cutting and spitting work but warmer than electric. Now we have had years of enjoying natural gas heat and hope never to go back to fire wood. Lynn and Precious XX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Lynn & Precious. Yes Pippi gets in the "unmentionables drawer" whenever her Mother leaves it open! She thinks every single thing around here is just for her!
      Yes the wood burning fires are alot of work & alot of dust but they sure do warm our home here in the cold winters. Have a wonderful week both of you XX

      Delete
  10. Oh Julie that is so funny about your cat in your undies drawer! Your new fireplace will be so nice and your carrot bags are so cute! It is a beautiful day here. I am starting to try to blog again and posted one last week! I missed it......Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Julie, those little bags are sweet and a thoughtful Easter gift for little ones. Your new fire looks very modern and streamlined. We don't have any fireplaces in our house, I would like a large one if we ever move :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is an adorable photo of your cat. I can see why so many loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Cats do find the most amazing places to sleep don't they?

    The carrot bags are so cute.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your updated fireplace looks lovely and I love the carrot bags, such a clever idea. I weed and fertilize and water and baby my tomato plants and yours just grow all by themselves? Lucky you! Laughed out loud reading about your princess cat being offered a modeling career. I think you were right choosing to keep her in the dark about that offer. Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  15. How funny about the at modelling lol
    I love the carrot bags, so clever, and I can't wait to see what you do with the plant stand!
    Jillxo

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your posts are always filled with fun things to see. I love it! The carrot bags and bunny tags are adorable. Lucky little grandchildren you have. They will be so excited. I love your beautiful old dresser. Can't blame your little Ginger for curling up inside. So many pretty things. So you're not going to mention her modeling offer?? :) I don't blame you. Also like you new firebox and the painted fireplace. You do such a good job with everything you touch.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Isn't it amazing what you find when you remove things that have been there for a long time? Such a lovely replacement for the fireplace and winter is not far off. I laugh at little miss ginger all rolled up there. Our little Frank has eaten my knitting patterns. lol

    ReplyDelete
  18. You have been busy, nice new firebox for upcoming winter. I only use miracle spray too.... love it and need to do another lot in a week or two. looking forward to seeing your plant stand makeover...
    Hugz

    ReplyDelete
  19. Gorgeous makes, that little table is very cute! Miss Pippi....she's a character, at least she didn't walk off with your undies :-) The new fireplace looks great. I think I have seen your fireplace surround about 3 different colours from different visits over the years. Did Megan give you the cleaner 'recipe'? She gave it to me years ago...such a nice smell. Sid is a wise nature loving dude to get you to capture those soft pretty clouds.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Imdo love those sweet carrit bags and bunny tags! Your new fireplace looks fab! Very generous of you to support the new op shop lol! Great treasure unearthed as your reward I am very envious of your cherry tomatoes....I try but seem to constantly battling fungal diseases! Yes I think,perhqps its wise to keep the modelling gig quiet from your cat diva lol!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Love your carrot bags, and the bunny tags are so cute, your fireplace will look awesome when its all finished Julie.Love the op shop finds to. Chris xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  22. There is obviously never a quiet moment then with your furry friends. You do know they like to leave their mark everywhere...as in absolutely everywhere. Willie our cat used to always sit on top of my freshly ironed clothes where ever I put them! tch! Such loveliness Julie and so many adorable makes. I DO like your new fireplace. I miss having a lovely log fire. What gorgeous finds from that op shop. I remember the op shops in Australia I thoroughly enjoyed rummaging in those shops but annoyed I couldn't fit many of the things I saw in my case. Thanks to your inspiration I have just given a makeover to an old mirror that a friend was going to throw out. I used what I had in my bits and pieces hoard to do it. It isn't so sophisticated as your wonderful makeovers but it's a start :-). I have posted about it on my blog. Take care Amanda x

    ReplyDelete
  23. Your carrot bags are very cute as are those bunnie tags. The new fire box looks great. We have a stand alone one and it certainly keeps the place warm. More lovely op shop finds. What a ceheky puss. Obviously your undies drawer was very comfortable! xx

    ReplyDelete

Hello, & thank you for taking the time to comment on my posts - I read and appreciate each and every one of your comments :-)
I always prefer to reply to your comments by email unless you are a no-reply-blogger in which case I will reply to your comments in this section here. Thanks so much for stopping by to read & comment on my blog x0x