Bunting, Peat Pots & Gourds

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Just trying to squeeze in one last post before we wave goodbye to May.

My dear friend Jane asked if I could please make her a white doiley bunting using a mixture of crochet ones & vintage embroidered ones.  Luckily I had a fairly substantial stash 😉 as Jane wanted it 4 metres long.

Bunting is really quite tricky to photograph unless you hang it somewhere.

 

I did send Jane the above photo of Miss Pip very kindly "ironing" the doilies for me ... & promised to pick all the ginger hairs out before giving her the bunting.

Jane was absolutely thrilled with her bunting & I have yet to go visit her & see it hanging up. 💕

On my last visit to Mum's I very briefly caught up with my friend Joy from " the Joy Within ".  Joy presented me with this little kitset above in case I wanted to do some crafting while at Mum's.  The kit included some peat pots, chalk paint, mod-podge & a beautiful selection of serviettes.  Joy holds workshops in her "she shed" where she teaches chalk painting & I had seen the peat pots done but never had a go.  I thought this was so incredibly kind of her.  

Let me tell you dear friends ........ those peat pots are Sooooo addictive!!  

In fact they are so addictive that I found myself driving to Mitre 10 hardware store in the middle of a thunderstorm to purchase more !!!  You just dry brush the chalk paint on & then embellish with the serviettes to your hearts content.  So Much Fun!

I decided to make up a little gift package using 3 of the peat pots for a dear friend.   I filled One with lovely choccies, One with a tiny baby tears plant & the other One I made up a small French Pear Soy Candle into a glass container that just fit perfectly in the pot.

I cut up a cardboard cereal box & covered with scrapbooking paper (& a paper doiley) to sit my 3 peat pots on .......... 

.......... before wrapping the whole thing in cellophane & adding a tag.  I left it in my friends porch to surprise her 😊when she got home.

Way back at the beginning of September in * this post * - Sid & I planted some Dinosaur Gourd seeds.  We finally harvested them last week & below is what we grew from the one packet of seeds.

I'm not too sure why they called them dinosaur gourds but Sid pointed out to me that the long one looked a bit like a Brachiosaurus's neck !

Speaking of Sid ... he had his school disco last week & it was dress up.  He went as a Tiger & his Mum sent me this photo above just before he went out to the Disco.  🐯

Yesterday I had a Baking day.  I made Banana Cake from some bananas that were turning, & then a no-bake Apricot Slice with a delicious cream cheese icing.  I plan to give most of this away as otherwise I am tempted to eat it & those jeans didn't get tight all by themselves Julie !! 😉

I saw the above Verse on Instagram & it really appealed to me.  Things are "very messy & difficult" with matters relating to my Mum of late & I just have to keep going & trust that it will be okay in the end. 

Thank You dear friends - as always - for your visits here today,

Remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to you all,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x

Catching Up ............... Part (3)

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Finally - after this post - I should be all caught up again 😉

Thank You for staying with me through these lengthy Catch Up posts.

Finally today our permit came through so we could light our new fire - & we are currently having a thunderstorm so the timing was perfect !

Last week my dear friend Sandy hosted a Pink Ribbon Morning tea for a small group of friends.  Sandy has hosted these in the past as we like to celebrate the journey back to wellness of our dear friend Pam, who has battled cancer twice.  I always enjoy going out to Sandy's as everything she does is just to exquisite taste & I knew the morning tea would be special.

As expected it was just superb & the pink theme was so perfect & pretty.   💗  Sandy had mixed up a pink drink with soda water & we had pink straws, pink plates, serviettes & even pink coasters.  Pink candles were burning & a large vase of pink flowers.

We enjoyed pink cupcakes, pink macaroons, pink heart marshmallows,  club sandwiches & Sandy had even made shortbread in the pink ribbon logo & iced this with pink icing sprinkled with pink & white hearts 💕  The entire table setting just made you want to smile.

Our get-together's always go by so fast & before we knew it, it was early afternoon.  Upon leaving Sandy presented us each with a beautiful potted Cyclamen.

I am lucky indeed to enjoy such friendships & it's so nice to get together & celebrate as we all lead busy lives & the months go by very fast before we manage to catch up.

I have not done a display on my coffee table since my Valentine's attempt.    I just got tired of the furry two always sitting amongst my treasures & then I'd clear it all off for Sid to do play dough on Tuesdays ....  I kind of gave up for awhile.  

However last week I decided to do another vignette with lots of candles as I love to burn them through our dark winter months.  I took a piece of advise from my dear friend Claire who said to decorate every spare inch & leave No room for any furry 4-legged beings to sit!   

Lots of Op-shopped junk treasures used for displays !!

I used trays to cover nearly  all the table & then did some candle, plant & vintage book displays on the trays. I really enjoyed this, using up items from my rather large stash.  I was so proud of myself when I'd finished & even made The Mr come & have a look.  (he was not in slightest bit interested)

Well dear friends ............................................. 

you can see how well that worked out for me .......................................................

In case you're wondering .... Yes he IS crying at me because I haven't left him any room to sit !!!!!  😐

Last Sunday my eldest grandson Alec turned the big 7 !! He had a birthday party & his Mum made him a wonderful chocolate mud cake.

Sarah, his Mum had gone to lots of trouble organising games to occupy all the children that came - a lovely mix of both boys & girls.

I especially loved this game above ... seems only yesterday my own boys were playing Pin the tail on the Donkey!  Now its "Pin the tail on the Dinosaur."   I loved seeing where all the tails ended up ... one even completely on the next window frame !!! 😉

Saw this on Instagram & loved it !!

 Thanks again dear friends, for your ever-welcome visits here today,

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend where-ever you are ... be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to You All,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

Catching Up .......... Part (2)

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Here I am still playing "catch up" on my blog posts from my recent trip to Mum's & before that ........

My sister-in-law told me about a new store that had opened about 10 minutes from Mums, out on the Coast road.  As I'm always looking for places to take Mum for a drive I thought it might be nice to drive out & visit it.  

The store is called Brandy's Botanicals  -  the Owner Debbie has had a wonderful barn built on her property in order for her to sell her plants, seeds & other Giftware.

It was really lovely & a wonderful selection with lots to look at plus the Owner was just so lovely & friendly.  

My photos Do Not do it justice - it really was packed to the brim with plants that she had mainly grown all herself - plus a wonderful selection of seeds & some very unusual varieties.

Mum chose this glazed pot & I helped her find the sweet little trailing plant to go in it.

I bought myself 3 small size houseplants as well as 3 packets of seeds & the Owner tossed in the other 2 packets for free 😊

On the subject of houseplants ... I noticed my poor Peace Lily was looking rather root-bound & in need of a re-pot.  I fossicked around under my house & found this old terracotta pot which needed a good scrub with lots of "elbow grease".  It has the odd chip in it but this just adds to the overall effect I feel. 😉

After scrubbing & drying it well I gave it 2 coats of Pumice Chalk Paint & then applied a new transfer that I had ordered from * Here *.  I then sprayed it with 2 coats of matt finish acrylic varnish, just to protect it well.

I gave my Peace Lily a good root prune before repotting it in fresh potting mix.  It just looks so much happier now & will hopefully flower again when spring comes.

Prior to my trip to Mums my dear friend Jane requested a doll order for her Aunts 70th birthday.  Jane knew exactly the pattern she wanted - a Rosalie Quinlan doll called Ruby from an old craft magazine (Homespun I think) 

Jane requested that I make the doll in her Aunt's favourite colours of blues & greens ... "vivid retro florals" was Jane's words.  I was able to find exactly this in my vintage sheet collection, & Jane chose the homespun check for the bloomers.  

In Rosalie's pattern the tag reads "dear Mummy, I love you" but Jane asked me to stitch "Happy 70th Aunty Colleen".  

The pattern has a loop sewn to the dolls hand so she can be hung but is equally as nice sitting on a bed or a chair.  Jane tells me her Aunt Loved the doll & plans to hang her in her sewing room.  💙

We had a stretch of frosts last week & it was Oh So Chilly.  These two spend most of the day tucked up on a blanket on my bed keeping warm together.

I think I have one more Catch Up Post to put together friends,

Thank You for your visits here today - I am off to collect Sid as we have a couple of hours together after school on Tuesdays.

Wishing you all a wonderful rest-of-the-week,

With much love & friendship to you all,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

A Catching Up Post .......... Part (1)

Greetings lovely friends & readers

I have been away down to my Mum's (Yes again!!) & I have lots of blogging to catch up on hence I decided on a couple of "catch up posts".

The Mr snapped this pic last night after he had gone down to shut the cows away ... such a stunning sunset followed by a very chilly night.

I have a new Grandson of the furry variety 😉

My daughter in law found this dear little kitten living wild in the long grass on their rural road.  She caught it & took him to the Vets - he had Cat Flu, Conjunctivitis & a myriad of other things wrong ... rather a sad state of affairs & barely 6 weeks old according to the Vet.

Sarah, my daughter in law, asked me if I had any blankets that I could share with her for the kitten.  I set to & cut up some thrifted cuddlies & also some wool blankets that I had on hand.  I overlocked all the edges of them & then Pippi tried them out for me for "comfort & snug-ability" 😉

Here is the kitten (originally named Felix) after just 10 days of good food, medication & Lots of love & care.  He is trying out the new blanket above right.  My Grandson Alec has now named him Bruno which believe me is alot better than his first choice which was Sharky !!

Such a dear wee thing & full of mischief  ... Bruno has landed on his feet with his new home & will be very much loved & adored.  💙

The week I was away at Mums my youngest Grandson Sid had his last day at Daycare & got to wear the "Leaving Cloak" above left.  Then he had his first week at school, which he loves & just adores his new teacher.  (If you look closely you will notice he has had a haircut before starting school & also you might notice he was wearing his school uniform to Daycare  !!!)

I took a slightly different route down to Mum's this time & went via the City & then around the Coast so I could catch up with two dear friends.  My sister in law Felicity has a Groovy new Coffee Cart & I loved her blackboard verse.

The reason I took the coast road was so I could visit my dear friend Carolyn who had just celebrated a special birthday.  I made her one of Jennifer "Books & Roses" bookmarks to go with * this book * which I had bought for her. 

I knew she had recently had a vintage chair re-upholstered & I decided to make her a Roundie Cushion to sit on her new/old chair.  I had this piece of Vintage Barkcloth fabric in my stash & hoped the colours might be suitable.

Carolyn was absolutely delighted with her gifts & the new cushion just fit perfectly on the chair.  I have given her a copy of the pattern as I thought she might like to make some more.  It is out of my "Granny Chic" Book 

You will be surprised to learn that I only visited One Op Shop on the entire trip!!   I actually called in to Spotlight while in the city & when I came back out to my car I saw there was a Salvation Army Op-Shop right next door so I popped in.

  I noticed this cane chair for $30 & remembered that Mum had asked me if I would take her to buy a chair for her small front porch.  I thought this might be ideal & it was in excellent condition. 

 I walked back to my car, sat in it for 5 minutes & then went back in & bought it.  Mum was delighted with it & can get in & out of it easily - plus it fits well in the small space.  I have traced off a pattern to make her a squab for the seat part.  When she tires of it, I can soon find a space here for it. 😉

Before my trip I found this old muffin tin in my cupboard - a 50 cent find in the Op Shop bargain bin (my favourite place 😉)

I painted it with 2 coats of Pumice Chalk Paint & then lightly distressed it.  I applied these Re-design by Prima knob transfers that I bought ages ago - using a different one for each circle.  

I first saw this idea on * this Youtube video * as I am a subscriber to "Julie's designs & signs" & love what she creates.  Julie used stamps on her muffin pan but I didn't have any stamps & felt the knob transfers fit perfectly. She also decorated the underside of her tin.

I hung it in my kitchen on the old rake that I have hanging there & love how it turned out 💗

You can read my post about the Rake upcycle * Here *

I saw this Verse on Instagram & thought how very true !

Thank you So much for your visits today dear friends ... I will be back soon with Part (2)

Wishing you a wonderful rest-of-the-week,

With much love & friendship to you all,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x