HaPPy NeW YeaR !!! 💗 ............... & The Tale Of The Little Red Car 🚩

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Welcome to another bright shiny New Year  💗

Lets hope 2023 is a happy & healthy one for All of Us.

I saw this verse on Instagram & thought how VeRy true & how it certainly does sum things up!  Sometimes the Awful bits go on a bit longer than the Amazing bits but I don't think any of us get to miss those bits out.  Personally I rather like the Ordinary & Mundane bits - the routine parts of life suit me just fine. 

We had a lovely Christmas with Mum in her room at the Resthome. My eldest son joined me, along with my Brother & his wife.  We were amazed the staff had gone to the effort of setting a proper Christmas table for us in Mum's room - just wonderful.  Mum is looking very frail & hardly ate anything but did enjoy the company. 

My eldest son's wife Sarah arrived late Christmas Day from visiting her family further down the Island.  Sarah & Alec were able to visit with Mum on Boxing Day & Alec read Mum a story. 

I took home an old Orange pot on my previous visit to Mum's.  Though I forgot to take a "before pic" I painted it black & then stenciled a Bee onto the side of it.  My sister in law just LoVes black & white pots on her deck area, so I planted a lovely white Impatien into it before gifting it to her.  She was delighted.  🖤

A couple of months back I purchased this wooden blue car from the St Johns Op-shop for $1.50.  When I went up to pay for it the lady said to me "Oh I guess you're buying this for your grandson".    No I was not .. it was for Me!    I had a plan for this little blue car. 

You can faintly see in the right hand pic, I've traced a black square in the back panel - I got my son Kayne to cut this square out for me as I wanted to make another "window".  

I painted the entire car with red chalk paint in the colour Raspberry Beret.  I had not used this colour before but it was the perfect Christmas Red that I was after.  Then I applied some Iron Orchid design transfers that I'd had for a couple of years.  I wanted to make it look Christmassy. 🎄

I poked some greenery & berries in the rear window & then a small size bottlebrush tree in the "new window" in the back.  Originally I painted the wheels black but didn't like them so I painted over them in red.  

Having worked in a Gift Shop for almost 20 years, I do have a tendency to turn every thing into a display.    I could not help myself with the little red car.  I found some miniature rusty tools & then decided to make a sign . . . .

I glued a piece of dowel into an old wooden cotton reel & painted it red, then glued on a wooden disk which I'd painted black ... a couple of cut-up transfers added & then I could write on my sign with chalk.

This little red car prompted an entire new Christmas display.  I used the table that I revamped in * this post * & then added vintage books, bottle brush trees, greenery & berries.  The beautiful Christmas book was a gift from my dear friend Sandy & blended perfectly on my table. 

The tiny red car had lights that came on after I added batteries

Everything was already in my stash apart from the small red car with a tree on top, which I purchased from my local Variety Store. 

A strand of Christmas lights & it looked just like a winter village/ Christmas tree farm.

You see, once upon a time there was a girl named Julie 😉 who drove a little red car for many, many years.   And many a December she actually drove Home with a real Christmas tree sticking out the rear window!! (& two sons in the back!!)    Even after she met The Mr & he eventually purchased an artificial Christmas tree - she still drove that little red car for many years to come. 😊

After fluffing for ages I was finally happy with my Christmas Coffee Table display.  I dragged out my op-shopped silver trays (polished them) & filled with freshly made citrus potpourri.

During the year I collected old amber coloured glassware whenever I saw it in the Op-shops, & I made some of these up into soy candles & displayed on another vintage tray.  I have yet to burn these - I like to let my candles harden for at least a month as they burn much better.

And YES dear friends ... I had the usual scenario  ... hadn't left enough space for a certain 4-legged fairy to plonk herself down on the table !!! How Dare I Indeed ???

This is Her Not Impressed Christmas Face !!!

                                              Thank you as always dear friends, 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