Signs of Spring

A glorious Spring "Good Afternoon" to you all dear friends & readers

A couple of days ago, after I turned the calendar over to 1st September, I treated myself to a cheery $2.00 bunch of daffys at my local Supermarket ...

On Special for $2.00 this week at Pak-Save

... & then a $2.00 lace tablecloth at the Animal Care Op Shop on my way home

What better way to welcome spring to my dining room I thought!!!

In amongst the busy-ness of family visiting & stepsons returning home, I had my first group . . .  
... was I ready I hear you asking ???

not on your nellie . . . well let me put it this way ... Thank Goodness it wasn't a Garden Group !!!!

Although I have noticed there are signs of spring popping up all around my garden now ...

The magnolia is about to burst into bloom & I noticed this cute little bluey/purple ground cover was flowering away in my rockery

Quite some months ago (way back in late May in fact) my dear friend Catherine very kindly sent me some seeds from her garden - I love to share seeds with other gardeners myself, & had requested some of the perennial Honeywort (Cerinthe Major) from her, as I was unable to find it anywhere

There is another large pot of honeywort not included in the picture, already been planted in the garden

I used my moon calendar to advise me on planting times & am really happy with my strike rate ... I have several pots of honeywort, some blue woodruff & the other plant I cannot remember the name of (as a bird flew off with my label!!!!!) Thanks so much dear Catherine ... now I will have you waving at me from my garden   :-)

Also, way back in early July I took part in a swap organised by Betty
"From my Home to Yours Swap"
Betty partnered me with Anne from the blog Nana GoGo
Anne & I corresponded & both agreed to just send something relevant to where we live ... after finding a gorgeous kiwiana fabric I decided I wanted to dress an angel doll for Anne

I used a Rosalie Quinlan pattern "Friendship Angel"

This was the package I put together - which took exactly a week to fly all the way across to Scotland - I included a New Zealand teatowel, some notecards & a cake of the handmade soap my friend Pauline makes from her range Infused with Nature

I decided to adorn the angel with a small earing I had in my stash, a delicate paua kiwi ... goodness knows where its "partner" ever went to but it was one of those things I knew I would find a use for one day
It was lovely to get an email from Anne to tell me she was thrilled with her package & just adored her angel.


Recently The Mr sent me off to The Warehouse with his wallet to buy some toys for the kittens (if you please!!!!)

This was the variety I came home with, mice filled with catnip etc ... really quite an unexciting selection truth be told.  The oddest thing is that little Blackie would not have a bar of any of them, but his most favourite toy ever, is pictured just to the right which is actually a calico dolls arm, stolen off my ironing board.
He spends many happy hours tossing it around & if you look real closely at this next pic, you can see he sleeps with it tucked just under him, so Jinxy can't run off with it

Bless their little souls   :-)

There has been very little creativity going on here of late in the Threadbear household.   I did manage to complete some handtowels yesterday afternoon - I had been wondering how to use up these white waffle fabric teatowels I had bought, & quite liked them embellished with some golly fabrics & trims

The Matryoshka doll fabric on the right is a favourite of mine.

I hope to be back in a few days with some completed revamps to show you  :-)
In the meantime I am off to the Vets to collect dear little Jinxy, who had her surgery today (finally after a failed first attempt), so as you can imagine, I am like a "cat on a hot tin roof" today, not settling to very much at all.

dear wee Jinxy - growing up slowly & still as nutty as ever

Thanks to you all so much for stopping by today & visiting,
I hope you are having a lovely afternoon where-ever in the world you might be & whatever season you are celebrating
with much love & friendship,
Julie x0x0

Working (a little), Playing (a little) ... & Colleens Garden

Hello dear friends & readers

Lately there has been a little bit of working & a little bit more playing going on here at my odd little Threadbear corner

We had the scariest storm come through last week & afterwards I found this delicate little nest had fallen from a tree
It almost looked to be woven with lichen & moss.

In the midst of the storm the cats & I tucked ourselves away & stayed by the fire

Note to self .... it is much easier Julie if you paint the boots BEFORE you attach the legs to the bodies !!!!

There were dolls boots to be painted ... each coat dries quickly by the fire,  & of course . . .

. . .  I had supervision to make sure I stayed on task  !!!

A customer requested some hostess gifts to take on her overseas trip - she loved the kiwiana fabrics featuring kiwi's, native birds & the Pohutakawa flowers

So I made her some handtowels, spice mats & covered notebooks using these gorgeous fabrics

A couple of years ago I made a name bunting for my friend Sandy's lovely daughter Abby. 
 Last month Abby requested a further 2 name buntings for her flatmates - Laura who loves purples ...

. . . and Ashleigh who adores lime greens . . . 

I really enjoyed making these for Abby - they are presently flying down to the lower part of the South Island

Playing . . .
My friend Gail ordered this rustic cabinet for her Gift Shop - however when it arrived one pane of glass was completely shattered & the other cracked right through - she was in a dilema as it was going to cost her to freight it back again ... so she offered to sell it to me at under cost price ...(which I jumped at as I just adored it!!)

It is hard to see but I have removed the shattered glass on the right hand door & the left hand door has a crack in the very top left hand corner 

I removed all the glass, went hunting in The Mr's farm shed & found some old chicken wire, complete with chook droppings, hay, dead mouse skeleton etc ... all for good effect !!!
I cut out 2 squares, scrubbed them well, then staple gunned them inside the door frames 

I just love my new (old) rustic cabinet in the corner of my dining area

The Mr's comment was "so when are you going to strip all that old paint off & oil the bare wood ???!!!"    
Hmmm . . .

This checked lampshade needed some trim to finish it off but I could only buy a stark white bobble trim ...
 so I dunked it in warm (not hot) parisian essence & managed to get a nice light caramel colour - 
(I did a "test run" using 2 bobbles first in a tea cup ... before dunking the whole lot)

Keep this in mind if you are ever wanting to change a white trim. 
 I find this works for most whites & you can control the depth of the shade you want by how much parisian essence you add ... from brown to just a slight off white ... the first 2 bobbles I tried grabbed at the mixture & went very brown so I just rinsed them under the cold tap.

Colleen's Garden:
I belong to a group in my rural area called Good Neighbours.  Although they meet once a month, this month was the first meeting I had managed to attend all year.
I especially wanted to go as it was held at Colleens home, not far from me.
I first posted about Colleen's garden here last year
I just adore visiting her garden with my camera - come join me on a little tour if you wish ...

Colleen & her husband David planted over 3,000 daffodil bulbs last year but they were still coming into full bloom when I visited last week

Some friendly ducks also wandered along to greet us

One of the definate highlights is Colleens swan, Elizabeth, who came to say Hello . . .

I love how you round a corner in the path & the little rustic Cottage appears in view across the pond . . . 
My son Kayne built the Cottage about 8 years ago as a gift from Colleen to her husband

Thanks so much for joining me today folks - I hope you enjoyed your little virtual tour of Colleens beautiful property

I hope you find some creative time in the coming week
Jinxy has been being rather umm ... "creative" in the lounge this morning . . .

Just helping Mum do some new displays . . . 

Thanks so much for your visits & the lovely comments you always leave me
with much love & friendship,
Julie x0x0

Absolute Chaos Somedays ...

Hello dear friends & readers,

Gosh, where did July go to I ask you ??
I have just realised I have yet to turn two of my calendars over into August!!

There are definite signs of spring being just around the corner & things are coming to life in the garden ...

I replanted my two vege beds just after my return from the South Island at the beginning of May ...
(when my moon calendar told me it was very good planting time)

Finally we are getting some rewards & enjoying broccoli, cabbage or silverbeet with our dinner each night

Although the garden around the pond needs some serious care & attention, the fish are happy & the first daffy's are bursting into flower

We have  new Thyme, Chives, Marjoram, Bergamot but the Aloe Vera is not a new plant

I emptied out my old concrete wash tubs as the herbs had gone all woody . . . & replanted with some fresh new ones

There has been very little craft activity going on lately - but I did manage to finally complete the old tool carrier that I was attempting to paint last post ... with a little bit of help of course ...

I had purchased it quite some months ago from the Animal Care Op Shop - it had been $18 but the lady told me I could have it for $10 as it had sat for quite awhile

It was a nice solid piece but under about an inch of grime, so a good scrub, a light sand, a wax & 2 thick coats of paint ... (slapped on while the rascals were sleeping)

Then I added some embellishments ... my favourite part  :-)

As someone had engraved quite deeply the initials "J C" in one end, I mod podged some doilies over each end ...

I padded the base by covering a piece of corrugated cardboard with  thick wadding & then covering this with some vintage floral fabric

I was really happy with the end result ...

I am actually finding it quite difficult to spend time in my sewing room of late ...
 the 4 legged rascals appear to have claimed it as their own

When Little Blackie is not asleep on the ironing board, he is underneath it !!!

Little Jinxy spends a great deal of time up here ... cos if you look real closely in the distance of my photo, you will see the neighbours goat grazing the road verge ... most fascinating indeed!!!

We decided little Blackie was now big enough to go into the Vets for a "little operation" as he was becoming quite an aggressive tom cat.  However, getting him in the cage was another story altogether ... we had been trying for over 2 weeks & in the end I borrowed my friend Jan's bigger cage. I finally succeeded this week but OH the pandemonium when I shut the door!!!  After I had secured it, while waiting for The Mr to come & collect him, I snapped these photos of Jinxy "assisting him to escape" . . .
Warning ... these photos may be disturbing to some folk!!!

Honestly friends, it is such absolute chaos around here somedays ... I just have to try to make light of it & laugh or I fear I shall go quietly insane!!!
I must add that little Blackie has returned & is none the worse for his "little surgery" & now allows me to pat him & even purred this morning for the first time ever (yes I know ... such is my life!!!!)

Thanks so much for popping by today - I shall be back soon with some more creativity - fingers crossed!!!

A wee rest, thats what we all need,
with much love & friendship to you all,
Julie, Jinxy & Blackie x0x0x

This Week I Learnt . . . .

Happy Weekend to you dear friends & readers

This week I learnt lots of things . . . 

"so long as you learn from your mistakes girl ... that is the important thing ... so long as you learn"

(wise words my dear old Dad always said to me)

Potted Hyacinths on my deck  -  big sniff now

This week I learnt . . .

if you are going to pop into town (even briefly) it pays NOT to leave your sewing room door open for certain 4-legged friends to check out & "test run" a few things 

This week I made Louise Cake for The Mr ... it is one of his favourites 

However - even though the recipe says to use Raspberry Jam - I should have used Strawberry Jam. 

He informed me he wouldn't eat a single piece as it had raspberry jam in it ...

This week I learnt . . . 

. . .  that no matter how many pieces of Louise cake you stuff in your mouth ... it doesn't actually make you feel any better ... or any less cross with The Mr !!!!

This week I learnt . . .  

that no matter where in the house you choose to do your painting ... invariably you are going to have a little helper

. . . down on the floor or . . . 

. . .  way up high on the bench . . . 

Yep I think its sanded enough now Mum - nice & smooth

2 cute little vintage distressed shelves

- some wooden Op Shop purchases given the wax & paint treatment, & now stock for the Cottage -

small vintage distressed nesting table

This week I learnt . . . 
that even though we are only just past the absolute middle of winter ...
 there are already signs of life appearing in the garden 

white daphne, white hellebore (winter rose) & red tulips in bloom

This week I learnt . . .
 that when you decide to close the Cottage for a couple of weeks ... just putting the "Closed" sign out does not actually mean a single thing . . .  they will still drive in & say "oh! are you closed??" ... 
you need to actually shut the gate & preferably vacate the property !!!

This week, even though I did not get near my sewing machine, I did manage to complete some painted revamps

I was really pleased with how this wooden trug turned out - it would make a lovely work basket or perhaps to hold magazines - it is a nice generous size ...

This week I learnt . . .
that when you let the kittens outside for the first time & they go missing for the entire day ... that knot in your stomach will NOT go away by scoffing an entire large block of chocolate in one sitting!!!

3 of my fur granbabies - Nika, Feebie & Sonic the cat - photo from Sarah, my daughter in law  :-)

Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead dear friends

thanks SO much for your visit today - I wonder what I will learn next week ???

with much love & friendship,
Julie x0x0x