Greetings lovely friends & readers & Welcome to June 💗
Officially the first month of Winter here in the Southern hemisphere.
May it be a wonderful month for us all !
I bought Mum this "Welcome Trough" many years ago from a delightful home-based business just south of me - Tomo Pots. I bought it home with me when I cleared out her house & yesterday I filled it with water & floated some Camellia flowers in it - just like Mum used to do.
I have been looking for a new rug to go in front of my fire for many months now. The previous one came out of the Farm Owners house & was in tatty condition when I received it several years ago. All the ones I looked at cost many hundreds of $$ but I was able to find one online that I liked (for only $85) & it arrived on Tuesday.
I absolutely LoVe it & when my eldest son saw it he commented "it looks like it's a hundred years old". How perfect!!! Even Miss Pip gave it her seal of approval & she almost blended right in with the new rug!
As I had two Orders for mothball sachets I made up another batch earlier this week. These are wonderful to put in your yarn or your woolen clothing & keep the moths away without leaving that nasty lingering camphor smell. I'll put the recipe at the end of my post today in case you would like to make some yourself.
I had a baking day on Monday. I made fruity cereal slice & a new-to-me banana bread recipe as I had a large bunch of bananas turning black. This is the new recipe I used. You can see from the photo above that my eldest son & Alec quickly demolished half of it, still warm from the oven.
Dear Alec won Player of the Day for Soccer last Saturday & he was Oh so proud of his Cup & Certificate.
My dear friend Sandy gave me some plants she no longer wanted & when I had planted them all I discovered this wooden cat under the layers of newspaper in the bottom of the banana box that the plants came in.
I've forgotten to take a "before photo" but it was faded & chipped in a couple of places on the paw. I had the matt black chalk paint out so I gave it a generous coat of paint & it came up beautifully. Well what else could I write on it ... it IS their house & they very generously allow us to reside here too 😉
I used to have a subscription to the Simply Vintage Magazine (4 issues per year) until I could no longer fit them in my bookcase & I cancelled it. I still enjoy pulling them out to re-read from time to time. This Issue No 8 is from 2013 & when I spotted this primitive pumpkin in it, I thought perhaps I could use up some of my autumn toned wool fabrics.
It was simple & fun to make ... I used 8 different fabrics for the wedges in muted autumn tones.
I stamped a tea-dyed tag & made some "curls" from a length of rusty wire. Just wind the wire around a thick knitting needle & slip off.
I had a pair of these silver plated candleholders ($1.50 for the pair) in my stash so I painted one with matt black chalk paint & it was just perfect for the base. You are supposed to use the pumpkin as a scissor holder but I like mine just fine without scissors poked in the top. ✂
I have been continuing on with my dishcloth knitting - at nights when my eyes are tired. I am using up all my small oddments of cotton yarn & making scrappy ones. This free pattern is still my preference as I like a small sized dishcloth that I can squeeze out in one hand.
Every now & again something happens that tugs right at your heartstrings. This was the case yesterday when I attended my Grandson Sid's school Grandparents Day. He very proudly presented me with this below & it bought big tears to my eyes.
How fortuitous dear friends, that I just happened to be wearing my pink shirt & black pants that very day! Please take note of my curly hair, my eye make-up & my slim body (!!!) I shall be putting this in a frame in a special place.
Thank you so very much dear friends, for your visits here today,
Wishing you a wonderful (long) weekend - its King's Birthday Weekend here in New Zealand & the sun is actually out!
Remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,
With much love & friendship to you all,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x
Herbal Moth Ball Sachets: 50 grams dried Rosemary, 50 grams dried Mint, 50 grams dried Thyme, 25 grams Ginseng (tea), 200 grams whole Cloves. Combine mixture & add to muslin bags. I also add a large handful of dried lavender to mine.
Hi ya Julie, love your new rug, we need all new ones in our house to, yes they are a shocking price, congrats to Alec and a lovely description of his granny from Sid. Your pumpkin is adorable, we have the Kings birthday weekend next weekend, sounds so strange saying that, thanks for the mothball recipe.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie what a lovely post ,love those floating flowers and yep your banana cake didn’t last long and I love your new rug.
ReplyDeleteYes grandies have a way at tugging at our heart strings,lol now when I pic you I have a clear pic ,it’s so cute ,I have also closed my blog down Julie but will still keep popping over for a visit 🌹🤍🌹
Wonderful post as always Julie. The new rug is beautiful. Love the projects & oh so true about the cats. I'm ever their servants. lol. maybe i should write something like that on a cat sign i have & hang it on the front door. lol. Wonderful gift from Sid, very precious. Congratulations to Alec for winning player of the day, well done. i must try out the moth ball recipe along with the banana bread.
ReplyDeleteThe new rug is fabulous, Julie. Just perfect in front of the fire. How sweet your Sid and Alec are. Well done Alec for your soccer award. Why, I think Sid's artwork of you is precious. Cute pumpkin. I always wondered who was the 'boss' of your home. Now it's official.....the feline species rule. =)
ReplyDeleteLots of nice things going on as usual. I love the new rug and the pumpkin is a great make. Great tribute from Sid. xx
ReplyDeleteAlways love reading your fun posts , full of lovely ideas , Thank you hugs June.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cornucopia of delights, Julie. The best of all, though hard to choose just one, is the Grandparents certificate - what a treasure. It's clear from the portrait that you take great pride in your appearance - a lesson to us all.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your King's Birthday weekend and may your sun continue to shine.
Hello Mary! Hello Susan! Hello June! HeHe! :).
ReplyDeleteSeems as though we missed April! Have we...? :).
And look at Miss Pippi trying to make the whole of
her body reach from one side of the new carpet to
the other...And, very nice it is to....! Bless!x
HaHa! Oh! Poor moths...l should imagine a bang over
the head with one of those sachets, would do a moth
a lot of damage..! Poor things! :(.
I have one or two flying round the bedroom, they don't
do any harm, and l've yet to find a hole in any of my
cloths..l love moths as l love butterflies...! Lovely..! :).
And Sid's picture and prose at the bottom there is
truly lovely...and proves he really loves his Granny...
And yes..deserves to be put in a frame..a 'pink' frame!
Did you win the Grandparents Day 100yrs race Julie....
HeHe! You did'nt say...! Bless! :O).
⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽
First off, men. Did your son compliment your new lovely rug or was he taking a swipe at it. And Alec, I hope he played soccer with shoes on and not bare foot, lol. I think Miss Pip has her paw of approval on the rug and the warm stove. I am sure you are glad to have had it replaced and that mess cleared out long ago. You are looking into winter ahead and right this week we are way warmer than normal. It should right itself next week, but our rain is over for the long term. Just as the farmers got the seed in and the soy and corn are 2 inches tall. The crop dusters were flying fast and furious around here 2 weeks ago. Sid did a great job on his art work tribute to his wonderful Granny. Something you will treasurer forever. The pumpkin seeds for our fall crops would just be getting planted as we had frost still on May 17 and the ground is just now getting warm. Lynn and Precious
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Lynn & Precious. I am delighted with the new rug - it is kind of scary buying things like this online but I am just so thrilled with it & the colours in it. Yes I am planning to paint an old frame for Sids artwork & hang it in my sewing room. I hope your weather settles soon for you both. Enjoy the week ahead xx
DeleteLots of lovely things to look at.... I love your new Granny poster - definitely heart tugging! The new rug is just perfect - It's such a thrill when you find exactly what you want.... as always you bring things to new life with a coat of paint and a bit of pretty or scented... Hugz
ReplyDeleteSo much to love on your post Julie. Your sign is perfect and what a bargin rug. Well done to Sid too.
ReplyDeleteLove all the things you do.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Kim. xx
DeleteSuch a beautiful rug. It is just perfect!!!
ReplyDeleteSid did an awesome job of drawing you.
God bless.
Your new rug and fire look so cosy...no wonder it received paws up from Quality Control. Delicious baking. Congratulations to Alec.....well done! Kitty egos will baloon with their very own sign lol! Love your pumpkins. Sid certainly made a beautiful keepsake for his Grannie.....a lovely post xx
ReplyDeleteAw! Such lovely complements, Granny! Those are the most encouraging words, aren't they? Yes, Blackie and Pip DO own the house. Timothy certainly does! He's so fun to spoil. I like your new rug! xo
ReplyDeleteLove your Granny tribute. It's a keeper. I keep all of my 'Nana' stuff. Can't bear to part with any of them though I did have to cull some paintings last week. Only so many rainbows you can fit on the side of your fridge!Love the new rug.xxx
ReplyDeleteA lovely post Julie ♥ Well done to Alec at soccer and a lovely drawing from Sid. Your new rug looks perfect and your fire nice and cosy and warm! Lovely crafting, too :-)
ReplyDeleteYour rug is perfect Julie as is everything else you share with us. What a fantastic little letter written by Sid and love the the artistic flair.Well done Alec, you might become a future N.Z. rep.
ReplyDeleteLovely post Julie, your rug looks like it has been by the fire forever - good to see it has been cat scanned! Alec did well at soccer and Sid wrote a beautiful letter to you! Very touching.The pumpkin looks great as does your knitting. One day I will make that moth repellent recipe!
ReplyDelete