Snippets from my Week

Greetings lovely friends & readers

I was delighted yesterday, to collect my newly framed Sampler from my local boutique Framing Shop.

I began stitching this back in June - it is a French General Chafarcani Panel pre-printed on Linen.  There were a set of 4 in the series - I only purchased 1 & now wish I had bought more. 

Really hard to photograph on this rainy dull day

Janet at the Framers helped me choose this frame - new in stock.  I liked that the "plain-ness" of it didn't detract from the stitchery itself & I also really liked the pale pink wash of the wood.

I stitched this using Cottage Garden Thread in the colour "Running Postman".  (Whoever knew that Running Postmen had a colour ???!!!) 😉

Very slowly my Sampler Wall is growing .........................

My dear friend Carolyn was up visiting as her youngest son & his partner have just welcomed a new born baby son.

I buy white bath towels when they are on sale & use these to back my Bibs

I wanted to put together a handmade baby parcel for Carolyn to give them so I went hunting through my stash of fleece & flannelette.  I made 3 bibs using * this * free pattern which my daughter in laws always told me were "the best bibs Ever"!  I made a thick fleece cuddle rug from some gorgeous polar bear fabric & added in a pair of knitted booties.

 

The lockdown dishcloth knitting continues as I slowly use up all my oddments of cotton/bamboo.  I really like using 

* this * free pattern as I find it enjoyable to knit up as well as being a nice size for a dishcloth (not too large, not too small)

My lovely friend Shirley asked me to run up 4 lavender sleep pillows for her. She provided the beautiful Japanese Woven fabrics cut in to 6 x 4 inch squares. Shirley is a wonderful sewer but her machine has thrown a massive wobbly & gone away for major repairs. 

To try & use up some more lemons & oranges, I made a Citrus Slice  & also made The Mr a Weetbix Slice which is his favourite.

As mask wearing is mandatory in our country now, I have had more requests for masks.  I don't especially enjoy making these as I find them very boring & uninspiring to make & lots of people request plain black which probably doesn't help.  The one on the far right (black with scissors) was for my hairdresser which I thought was perfect for her.

Last Tuesday Sid & I planted some "dinosaur gourd seeds" which I hope grow as a certain little boy pushed the seeds in rather deep 😉

We also planted some sunflower seeds as every year I seem to leave this too late & then wish I had. 

My dear friend Sandy left me a deliciously moist Banana & Chocolate Chip loaf in my letter box yesterday - it was such a treat with my coffee this morning. 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend dear friends 

Thank You as always, for your visits here today,

With much love & friendship To You All,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x

Three Upcycled Items = $7 Total

Greetings lovely friends & readers

A couple of months ago I had to travel to Putaruru, a small rural town about 45 minutes inland from where we live ... I had to collect a farming part for The Mr. 

There is an Op Shop in Putaruru called "Paws" (Pet Animal Welfare Shop).  It is dimly lit inside,  everything is just tossed on shelves,  there is very little in the way of displays -  but the prices are Very reasonable - my kind of Op Shop !!  😍

 This old steamer pot (for $2) was the first item I picked up & the lid (which doesn't fit the pot) was $1.  I had an idea in mind for these.

I painted the pot & the lid using Newtons Chalk Paint in the colour Country Green.  Because we are in Lockdown it was very much a matter of using up what I had on hand as there were No shops open to buy supplies.  Once dry I decided to apply some transfers & as you can see I had good assistance in choosing which ones to use. 😉

I tied a thin balsa wood swing tag to the handle once finished.  

I also sprayed the entire thing with 2 coats of clear acrylic varnish in a matt finish.

The pot had to wait two more weeks before our Lockdown Levels changed & I was able to purchase some plants for it.  First I lined the inside with a black rubbish bag as even though it had holes in the bottom I didn't want the water pouring out every time I gave it a drink.

I had visualised white petunias in it but all I was able to get were dark burgundy petunias, which I think will be equally as nice once they bloom.

The 2nd item I purchased from Paws was this wooden box for $1.00

It contained filing cards inside which were surprisingly still in quite good condition.  It had a chip out of the lid which I was able to fill with polyfiller.

  Once again - using up what I had on hand, I painted this with Voodoo Molly Vintage chalk paint (Robins Egg) - two coats.  Then I stenciled this rabbit design to the top using a testpot of white acrylic that I found.  I ended up sanding it back quite a bit as I wasn't especially happy with my stenciling finish initially.

I lined the inside with some cardstock paper & screwed a small file-label holder to the front 💙

It looks perfect amongst some other pastel items on my corner table.

The last item I purchased (for $3) was this heavy old metal stool. I could not resist it & could visualise it already revamped in my mind.

I removed the seat part (with great difficulty) & then set about painting the legs with some Pumice Chalk Paint left over from the drop leaf table I painted Here

Fortunately,  amongst the myriad of things in my stash - I found a piece of thick foam rubber.  I had to get The Mr to help me upholster the seat as it needed an extra pair of hands. I had this Sanderson Oilcloth left over from other projects & I use it sparingly as I adore it.

I absolutely LoVe how this turned out. I painted right over the rubber feet of the stool as I knew I could not get to any Hardware Stores to buy more & I think it turned out just fine. It's actually really comfy to sit on too ! 

I was so chuffed with my 3 upcycled items for the princely sum of $7.00  💗

Thanks so much for staying with me through this waffly post dear friends - I shall leave you with this picture of Blackie.

I walked around my house & I counted Ten different comfy sleeping places  - boxes with blankets in, cushions & folded up cuddly rugs, lined baskets ... just especially for the furry ones !!

And where does he choose to sleep I ask you  . . . . . . . . . . ???

On top of The Mr's electronic keyboard !!!! 😖    No further comment I think  . . . . . . . . . .

Wishing you all a Wonderful Weekend ahead,

With much love & friendship to you All,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0x

A (thrifted) Spring Tablescape

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Welcome to Spring  - my favourite Season of the Year 💗

On the very first day of spring - right on cue - my Magnolia buds burst into bloom.  How wonderful !

Yesterday, while weeding under some shrubs, I pulled these pots of bulbs out ... I had forgotten I had shoved them under there last year when they finished blooming.

Pretty Pots of Tulips & a white Hyacinth which smells divine !!


I was cleaning out my hallway cupboard & came across a plastic bag of doilies that my friend Gail had tossed my way. In the middle of the doilies I pulled out this cross stitch, all screwed up & forlorn looking.

I decided to frame it myself & make up a little Spring Tablescape on my Vintage Singer Sewing Table, which still had its Autumn display on it.

 I have a box full of frames in various sizes & states of repair - left over from the days of running my Craft Cottage.

  

I found this one which was a good size to fit the cross stitch.  I gave the frame 2 coats of paint & then decided to add the small scroll to the top.  I gave the cross stitch a gentle iron to get all the creases out & then framed it using some double sided tape.

I was really pleased how it turned out & the frame fitted it perfectly.

These sad looking little birdhouses were in another box of junk treasures so I gave them the once over with my cream chalk paint too & then added a couple of Transfers & some dried moss.

The lace doiley I displayed on my pedestal stand was thrifted as were the lace cloths I used on the table.

I found some Tilda flowers that I had made a long time ago & displayed them in a thrifted glass bottle ... the flower plate was a thrift store find on my last trip down to Mum's. 

The wool blanket flowers were displayed in another thrifted glass milk bottle.

(I foraged a couple of birds nests)

I dug out the "Spring" Stitchery that I made in this Post  last year.

The China tureen is also a thrift store item & the other few bits were just gathered from around my house.  

Total Cost $ zero !!

And to put the finishing touch to my display ...... I picked my very first vaseful of freesias to sit in a thrifted vase.

On Wednesday I knew my friend Sandy was heading in to town so I left bags of Oranges, Lemons & some Worm tea in my letter box for her to collect on her way past.

She Very kindly left me a delicious Banana Loaf in return & I have been enjoying it with my cups of tea.

Mask Wearing has become mandatory in my Country now so I decided to make myself a couple of new ones yesterday, using up some scraps of pink floral fabrics. I also made The Mr a plain black one.

I have 2 friends with birthdays soon & I want to post them each a Garden Voucher which I am able to buy using click & collect. I made two hanging heart pockets as I love using these to gift a Voucher inside.  These are made using 

* this great tutorial * from Craft With Fee.  And I reluctantly cut into my treasured Tilda fabrics 💕

Miss Pippi - tucked away where she is NOT supposed to be !!!!! 😖

Thanks So Much for your visits here today dear friends,

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend - remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to you all,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

Lockdown Projects ...........................................

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Lockdown Life continues here at the bottom of the world with our Level 4 Lockdown having been extended until the end of the month.    There is always plenty to do here at Threadbear HQ - though I must admit my energy levels (& enthusiasm) this time round are somewhat diminished.  

 Yesterday I was weeding an area of my garden & could smell the heavenly scent of wild violets - so I picked the sweetest little bunch to enjoy inside 💕

We have a surplus of lemons at the moment - our tree is laden & it's branches bending over.  I swap produce with my neighbour Jenny who gives me free range eggs in exchange for broccoli & worm tea.  Jenny left a dozen eggs in my letter box a couple of days ago so I decided to make a sticky Lemon Slice.

I used * this * recipe here - a recipe from a Cafe, that I had torn out of an old newspaper.  When I make something citrusy I want to really taste the citrus - not just a hint of it.  See the piece missing from the corner .......... I can most certainly attest that This Slice Was DELICIOUS !!!!  😉

Filling some bottles of worm tea for Jenny prompted me to give my worm farm a good clean out. I like to hose down the lids & get rid of any bugs & things every few months. I managed to fill 7 more bottles of worm tea - with spring just around the corner it's time to start liquid feeding plants & potted things again.

I came across a half pot of Resene "Hot Chilli" paint in my cupboard which was timely because my outdoor table & chairs were looking tatty after the winter.

I decided to give them a good scrub & then a coat of paint to freshen them up.

Our weather this week has been more settled & it was quite pleasant painting outside on my deck area.

I am always impressed with how much one good coat can give them a new lease of life.    Now if only the birds will stop using the chairs as perches ..........

I scrubbed out my old kettle, which I painted & stencilled last year & planted a small white paper daisy in this.

Last October on one of my trips to Mum's this drop-leaf tea wagon was waiting for me in her shed.  My sister-in-law had seen it being carted to the road side "free for the taking" & grabbed it for me, along with 2 wooden chairs for herself.

I pulled it out of my sleepout on Thursday, gave it a good wash down & then prepared to paint it with chalk paint in the colour "Pumice".

I started off out on the deck but found it easier to put it on my table upside down & get in all the nooks & crannies.  Yes I had my usual "Supervisor" who rather enjoys watching paint dry !! 😉

Most of it took 3 coats before I was satisfied with my coverage - I had masking taped the castors as I didn't want any paint on these.

I had this gorgeous Iron Orchid Transfer that I planned to cut into & affix to my tea wagon, to take the plain-ness off it.

I had a vision in my mind of flowers cascading across the top & down one of the drop leaves of the table as if someone had thrown a bunch of flowers across it . . . . . . 

I kept having to walk away & then come back to it several times before I was happy with my finish - it was tempting to keep adding more but I tried to restrain myself.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out & just have to give it all a coat of clear wax now to protect it.

I just added a small flower & a leaf to one leg (below)

Last night at the dinner table I was telling The Mr the story of how I came to get the tea wagon - he would have No Idea what I have stashed away in the sleepout nor where I acquired it from.

This morning this little funny appeared in my Inbox - sent from The Mr.  (Yes I must confess I am rather like that at times !!!)

Thank You all So Very Much for your visits here today dear friends,

I hope you are staying safe & well no matter where you may live in the world,

Remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With Much love & friendship to you all,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x