Sunday, May 14, 2023

Before, During & After ........................................

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Welcome to another shiny new month ... May !!

Image from "scraps of us" blog

I have been away down to see my Mum again & returned just in time last week as the road was closed due to another big slip.

- Before -


 Thank you all for your sweet kind comments in my last post about my new seating area with Mum's mohair blanket/new cushions.  I had hardly hit Publish on my post when I walked into the room to discover a certain 4-legged Princess had tossed the cushions on the floor & decided the mohair rug was quite cosy for Her Royal Highness thank you very much!!

I usually try not to light our fire until the month of May.  This year however (in late April) I came inside from gardening one afternoon & decided it was jolly well freezing in my house ... so I pulled my pinecones out & lit it promptly.  It never takes the ginger one long to find the heat.  It will burn now until October as our seasons have changed so much & our springs can be very cold & wet.


Before I headed down to see Mum I had some birthday gifts to make.  I wanted to make candles for my friend Carolyn & also my sister in law.  The crystal glassware was out of Mum's china cabinet so I thought it would be special to make candles to gift to my sister in law in these.  The fragrances are Orange, cinnamon & clove, & smelt wonderful.


In our first Lockdown of 2020 I purchased a punnet of Zinnia Dahlia plants that were not much bigger than my smallest fingernail.  I lovingly nurtured them along until they grew large enough to plant out in my garden.  They grew into the most stunning flowers & each year I remember to collect the heads so I can save the seeds for the following year.  I had pressed some of the flower heads under heavy books so I made up some fancy seed packets to gift to my friend Carolyn, whom I visited on the way down to see Mum.  


Prior to my trip away The Mr came home with this wooden mirror he had picked up in his travels for $20.  It had obviously come off a stand as it had brackets on each side.  Before painting I glued on some efex rubber mouldings to try & tizzy it up a bit.
As you can see I originally started off painting it my usual Vintage White colour but then changed my mind & decided to try a new-to-me colour ... "Linen".  


I loved the finished colour but decided the scrolls needed something to make them "pop".  After the numerous YouTube videos I watch I thought some white wax might be the answer ... problem was I had No white wax.


I decided to make my own version simply by mixing a tablespoon of clear wax with some white chalk paint & stirring well.  It did the trick wonderfully for the small area I wanted it for.  I find if you clear wax the scrolls first, then whatever you apply afterwards will always wipe off easily if you don't like it.  

Love, love my new (old) mirror & the colour is a gorgeous mix of brown & grey undertones, just like the raw linen I am stitching on at present.  

- During -

My brother & sister in law decided to go away for a few days to celebrate her 65th birthday.  I offered to house sit for them & look after their animals as it gave me a chance to visit Mum & also free accomodation now Mum's house has sold.  I had planned to take lots of photos but my time away was just so busy that I barely picked up my phone. 

Each evening I lit the fire & their elderly (deaf) dog Bella comes in at night & sleeps by it.  I had hoped to stitch but the cat in my lap was originally Mum's cat Bubby & she rather liked my lap.  
View from the bottom of the driveway ... & then from the top - out to an oil rig at sea.

My brother owns 40 acres & their house sits way up on the top of a hill with amazing views in every direction (but also lots of wind). 


Longtime readers of my blog will remember the fence my brother built by hand in this post & also in this post - my brother only has one arm after a motorbike accident when he was young. 
He has now built himself a Hothouse - it had to be built really strong to withstand the winds that they get up on the hill.  It was incredible & filled with a large variety of plants already even though he is just getting it underway.   
 

While I was away my lovely friend Claire invited me to a Pink Ribbon morning tea - this is a fundraiser for Breast Cancer that they hold each May.  We had the most delicious cooked breakfast ... & while at the Venue I took some raffle tickets & managed to win a prize.
This lovely wooden bread board & a set of 4 wooden coasters.  

- After - 


Once home again I got Sid to decorate 2 of the coasters - one each for his parents.  He did a lovely job of them & I sprayed each one with 3 coats of clear matt varnish to make them wipeable.  I'll get Alec to decorate the other 2 for his parents.  

While Sid was in hospital I took him an Easter colouring competition that I'd cut out of our local newspaper.  He coloured this in & upon his return home I dropped it in to the venue running the competition - a local Real Estate Agency.  Sid was delighted when they rang to say he had won his age group so I was able to take him in to collect his prize - a $50 gift voucher from a local bookstore/toy shop!!  

The fragrance is Baked Pear - just divine !
I called into Brandy's Botanicals while away as I needed to drop in some dried lavender ... I purchased this beautiful set of fragrant tealite candles & am burning one today in my crystal candle jar.

Phew - well done if you've made it all the way to the end!!
Thank you so very much dear friends, for visiting here today,
I hope the coming week is good & kind to all of you,
With much love & friendship to you all,
Love Julie & the furry ones x0x0x 


23 comments:

  1. This is a lovely post Julie, you have been so busy making lovely things. Your brother is very clever to have made such a sturdy greenhouse for his plants, I would love one like that - clearly he has learned to adapt after his bike accident and must be a very determined kind of personality :) I hope your mum is settled at her new home now and that you will be able to get back to your routine. Betty x

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  2. Well done Julie. I love the mirror and what you did to it. I got two bunches of dried lavender from my niece's wedding the other week. They were the bridesmaids' bouquets. I have every intention of being creative with them
    Bet I don't!lol Hear the weather's quite rough your side of the pond. Keep cosy Julie.xxx

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  3. Wow you do live a busy life , I enjoyed your post so much .
    Your Brother is amazing in what he makes .
    Such a creative family .
    Enjoy a lovely week, hugs June.

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  4. Such a lot going on Julie - love the new mirror. Your brother has done an amazing job with that hot house and many congratulations to Sid! xx

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  5. Another Lovely and amazing post Julie...
    Now! Where shall l start...(three days later)...
    HeHe! Let's start with the very best..Miss Pippi...
    Bless! A pussy~cat on a bed or in front the fire..
    You can't beat it..Lovely..'purr'fectly charming! :).

    The mirror looks lovely to Julie, what you've added
    to it, and the work involved is really lovely...
    A 'reflection' of your lovely work..! :). Well done you!

    And Yes! I remember your brother Julie...and the wall
    he built, a very talented and skillful guy, wish l had a
    fraction of his talent..l'm not to good with my hands,
    though, l'm a 'fantastic' cook..HeHe! "Two eggs, sunny
    side up please"...! :).

    And well done Sid..$50 gift voucher...I remember entering
    my daughter in a similar competition with an Estate Agent....
    many years ago now and she won £5, which they gave
    her as an opening account..!

    Best get on...another lemon tea is called for, with honey and
    lemon of course...Pheasant for Sunday lunch, my friend
    Richard is popping up later, l'm in need of a new mobile....
    So he's gonna help me find one on line....HeHe! More expense!
    💛 🌱 🌸 🌱 💜 🙏 💛 🌱 🌸 🌱 💜 🙏 💛 🌱 🌸 🌱 💜

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  6. My dear girl, as always your transformations and special crafty bits and pieces are just magical. I really mean that. You just make everything so lovely. A special shout out to Sid, how super that he won. I still have a large artwork on my wall that our son did when he was in first year at his first school, he too came first in the school competition. So proud :)

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  7. Well done, Sid. The prize sounds quite a large sum for a little lad - I bet he loved deciding what to get.

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  8. Oh Julie, you make me ready to take a nap after seeing how busy you have been, lol. I hope my nap makes you feel rested. Be sure to let us see what Alec comes up with as Sid's look great. Their mums will be delighted. I bet the Mr. is up to his elbows thinning the new calves into future milkers and possible steers. My furnace still runs in the morn. I am not going to get out of my warm bed, still using flannel sheets, and go into the cold kitchen. But it is turning around for the better and no more cold, just pleasant cool. Hope you had a lovely visit with your Mum and Happy Mother's Day to you.

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    1. Thank you Lynn & Precious. I do feel like taking a nap most days to be honest. But I try not to as I sleep very badly anyway. Yes The Mr is busy with calving - only 50 cows left to calve he tells me. We have thick fog here today & the fire is roaring but I can see some sunshine in the distant hills trying very hard to peek through. Enjoy the week xxx

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  9. looks like a busy and creative month.... I love how the mirror has turned out and the childrens colouring/drawings are always delightful.... they must love coming to play with you.
    Hugz

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  10. Lovely cozy spot for Miss Pippi, your mirror turned out wonderful. My hubby's mum has just gone into a nursing home, so have inherited a few crystal treasures, might have to try my hand at a few soy candles, we need a new cabinet to house it all. Congrats to Sid, love his coasters he decorated.

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  11. What a lovely post. Your brother is a wonder achieving so much with his can do attitude! Those views are stunning. Sid's artwork is great...well done Sid! Giggling over the cushion expelling kitty. DD cat swipes everything off the coffee table if she thinks her dinner request has been ignored lol!

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  12. Just love your posts and catching up with all your doings.

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    1. Thank you so much Kim .. likewise my friend. xx

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  13. That was a wonderful post Julie, I could have kept reading longer!! Miss Pippi sure knows the best place to be! Good you had somewhere to stay while visiting your Mum, it must be very windy on the top of the hill there!! The mirror is stunning after your make over! Sid did so well with his colouring!! Great idea with the coasters.

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  14. Jackie has left a new comment on your post "Before, During & After ........................................":

    You always find the best ways to make something old look new. It must run in your family as your brother seems to be able to build what he needs to and make it strong enough to withstand the winds.

    God bless.

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  15. That was a lovely read Julie.I don't know these pussy cats seem to win all the time, you must be a right push over sweetpea.!Way to go Sid $50 voucher , well done and good on you. He seems to be quite the young artist.Just as well you got back when you did , there are massive problems in NZ at the moment due to weather conditions causing road annialation and closures.

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  16. Tabby cats are so lovely! They always find the heat source! How nice that Mr. Thread finds things like mirrors for you! Aw, Sid! He's darling and very talented! God be with you, sweet Julie!

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  17. I loved following along with your adventures, even though I am quite late to the party.
    Hey, if you are going to have a cheery fire, SOMEbody ought to sit and enjoy it. LOL
    The mirror your hubby brought you turned out great. Very brave of you to try the new color. ;)
    Funny photos of your housesitting (and cat and dog sitting) experience.
    I do remember your brother's fence, and was amazed over it. And now the greenhouse--incredible!
    Congrats to you for winning the breadboard and coasters (so clever of you to have the boys decorate the coasters for their parents), and congrats to Sid for his win!

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  18. Your 4-legged Princess certainly knows how to make herself comfy. Such an amazing view your brother and sister-in-law have. How fabulous Sid won 1st prize. He must be very chuffed that his fabulous colouring-in took the prize. $50...wow! I love the Linen colour. The mirror looks fabulous after your magic has been applied, Julie. I must say, love the mannequin clothed in all the lacey doilies...just gorgeous.

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  19. Hi Julie what a lovely post ,you make the most beautiful gifts,you are very talented my friend. Oh that mirror was a good find ,well done hubby.
    Lol I had to laugh at Pippa claiming the blanket for herself ,lovely that you got to spend time with your mum,take care lovely 🌹🤍🌹

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