Mushrooms, New Cushions . . . . & A Thrifted Shelf

Greetings lovely friends & readers 💛

Welcome to the month of  August !

 It's been all Yellow Vibes here this past week as I picked jonquils, daffodils, lemons & limes for my kitchen bench.  I like to squeeze some juice into my water glass each day as I enjoy the taste.  

Way back in early 2023 I won an Anthurium Plant in a competition.  It promptly finished flowering & has sulked ever since, sending up not one single bud.  Last week I noticed a flower bud poking out towards the light - this made me so happy to see & I've been enjoying watching it open.  I am hopeful it is happy where I have it situated now & will continue to flower more.  

My friend Gail told me about a project she'd seen where they made mushrooms in cleaned out eggshells.  The idea fixated in my head & I bought a bag of fine cement from Mitre 10 during the school holidays with the intention of making some with the Grandsons.  This didn't happen as I wasn't at all sure what I was doing & figured I had better give it a trial run first myself. 😉 

 I saved my eggshells & washed & dried them out.  I trimmed the edges although in hindsight, this isn't necessary.  

Still not having a clue what I was doing - I mixed up the cement powder in a container with water, unsure of quantities but making my mixture quite "sloppy".  The first batch is above left, the 2nd batch on the right.  

I used twigs from my plum tree for the stalks ... use thicker ones, the first batch were too thin & flimsy.  Once dry (by the fire) they were easily removed from the shells.  

Also in the 2nd batch I poured more in so these mushrooms turned out deeper (much better).

Next came the painting.  I just used what I had on hand, Resene Testpot Hot Chilli.  I gave them two coats & then added the dots with some white poster paint I found.  This was easier than I anticipated.  I gave mine 2 coats matt finish spray varnish as I figured this would protect them more & make them wipeable.  

I have to say ... I'm delighted with how they turned out.  I tied up 2 "bunches" for gifting & the rest I've put in my indoor plants, where the pop of red is just so cheerful.  🍄

I'm thinking of trying some pink ones next - why ever not?  I'm also thinking of trying them in Kinder Surprise Eggs as these might be just that bit larger.

I'd purchased 2 metres of Hessian several months ago in a Spotlight Sale.  I knew I needed to make some new cushion covers for my outdoor cushions & it only took half an hour to sew them up. I also replaced the inners as these were looking flat & out of shape.  

Just look at that None-too-impressed-face !!!

No sooner had I put them on my outdoor seating area to photograph, but along came Madam Pip who very generously tried them out for me & declared them to be Okay but nothing to rave about!!!!  😉  

Longtime readers of my blog may remember back in * this post * where I purchased this sweet little blue china bowl for $8 & planted a baby houseplant in it.  The plant is a Goldfish Plant which grew & grew & now trails the floor.  The youngest furry member of our household insists on playing with these trails, having a wonderful time pulling them off & generally making a big mess!!!

During my recent trip away, I purchased this little shelf in the Taupo SPCA thrift store.  It was $4 but because it was in a box by the door, it was 50% off!!  The shelf was in bad repair & needed a good sanding.  I ended up giving it 3 coats of chalk paint, vintage white & then quite heavily distressed it.

I am so pleased with how it turned out & the plant pot sits perfectly well on it - the plant is now well over 3 feet off ground level & out of reach of any furry paws 🐾😺

Just perfect & all it cost me was $2.00!!

I love it when fellow bloggers share good books they've been reading & thought I might share these 3 above.  I wish I'd read the Mel Robbins one about 30 years ago, I loved the Salt Path & also Jacinda Arderns autobiography.  

I should mention a couple of things ... I know there is controversy now surrounding The Salt Path but I still thoroughly enjoyed her style of writing & the story itself.  Also I read Jacinda's story purely because I am interested in biographies & NOT for any political leanings)

I've sent the pattern I used for the wool blanket seedling pots in my * last post * to a couple of you, & thought I would share it on here as there's been lots of interest.  I made my sides 8 cm but you could easily make them larger. 

Lastly, The Mr sent me this photo through of dear Fluffy Cat at the farm.  She is reclining on his bonnet in the sun.  I thought she was looking really well, despite living wild in the haybarns out there. 

Thank you as always dear friends, for your welcome visits here today,

Sending much love & friendship to you all,