An enjoyable day out with a friend :-)

Good Monday Morning friends,
Hope you all had a lovely weekend and managed to stay warm :-)
As much as I enjoy my cottage a great deal, one of the downsides is the huge tie that it is.  I find myself often fretting whenever I am away from it, who might be calling & I am closed :-(    
  So consequently I dont do alot of things with my friends outside of the property.  I dont go and have "coffees & catch-ups" like alot of them seem to do.  So when I got the opportunity last week to go catch up with a friend who happens to live very far away (in another island) - then it turned out to be a most enjoyable days outing.

A little gift I made for Therle as she has so generously sent me bundles of fabrics over the years

Therle & I met through an online craft swap that we both entered into a couple of christmas's ago.  We were both given swap partners in other countries & both of ours disappeared into cyberspace - never to be heard from again ! !  So the lady organising the swap put us together even tho we were from the same country.  We have kept in touch by email and when her & her husband were coming up to the Waikato for the Field Days, we decided to have a girls day out.
We met up just outside of Hamilton and the 1st place we drove to is Donna Wards Quilt Studio in Frankton - a lovely shop filled to the brim with beautiful fabrics.
We were so busy doing the chatting/ oohing & aahing that I completely forgot to take any photos at this shop :-( typical ! ! 

 We then drove out to Gordonton to the very lovely Grandmothers Garden Store - they even have seats outside for bored husbands to sit in & wait . . . 

 

How inviting does this look ? ? ?

 Now I have to confess that one of the highlights of this store for me most definately was the 2 beautiful dogs wandering around inside the shop - one I think was called Brutus ??  & I am sure the lady called the other one Mac.  Therle asked me if I had found a friend?? as he didnt leave me alone & when I would browse the fabrics I would feel this little warm head gently push itself into my hand . . . 

Brutus (I think??) - my friend :-)

Now who looks like they might be offering free pats ? ? ?

This one was Mac (I think) - the lady had a "treat" in her hands - cant you tell . . .

 I did notice a large beanbag in a sunny spot for them - as you can see, they lead the most stressfull lives.
It was hard to choose fabrics as the choices were so amazing . . 

Yes I'd like one of each please . . .

Therle loved the poppy fabric - bottom right

 From there we travelled across to Cambridge & had lunch in a lovely old converted church with a cafe upstairs.  By this time we were both starving & so once again, I forgot to take any pics of our wonderful lunch.  
Downstairs was a gallery shop & I snapped this lovely pic of a corner with some very gorgeous handmade bags . .

After we had quenched our hunger & thirst I wanted to take Therle to a wonderful shop in Cambridge - Quilters Patch - owned by my friend, Bev Johnson.  Bev has the most amazing array of fabrics to choose from + quilts lining all the walls & it is a lovely open airy shop with something to tempt you at every turn.

 I did love these 2 blocks of the month - Bev has a very good eye for colour combinations.
On her counter I spotted this "interesting"  book . . . 

which Bev pointed out had a very nice write-up in it about my cottage (& so of course a copy had to come home with me . . . )

Hard to read but gives you a general idea . . .

All in all we both had a wonderful days outing - I dropped Therle back at her vehicle to go collect her husband from the Field Days and then came on home on a definate "high" & sat down & looked at all my purchases. 
Now let me share something with you here friends - I need more fabric like I need a hole in the head - & so I had given myself a strict talking to before I ventured out, NOT to buy any more fabric . . .  but as you can see by the photos below . . .   - my willpower needs some serious work done on it  . . . 

the beautiful Singer sewing panel was only $9.00 from Bevs Shop :-)

Gosh what good "soul food" the day was - especially as I dont do it often - it was a real treat & I am still feeling the inspiration I got from looking at all those amazing creations in the shops - plus I am thinking that perhaps Therle needs to accompany her husband to the Field Days next year also  . . .
 (now Therle - if you happen to be reading this - thank you for the wonderful day out & No, I havent gotten to the sewing machine yet! ! !)


Wishing you a creative & inspiring week ahead friends - hope you have enjoyed reading about mine :-)

(a couple of footnotes . . .  my butlers sink has arrived & been installed & so far- okay ! ! - maybe some photos next week,  & also still no sign of missing Willis despite having checked Mr Wolfs kennel & blankies)
Warm wishes, love & friendship,
Julie :-)  X x x x  

Isabella & the case of the missing golly . . .

Hello friends,

Hello, hello everyone :-) how are you all ? ? ?

I hope you have all had a great week & an enjoyable weekend wherever you are. 
 I have found some time - & a tiny space on the dining table - to paint some golly faces this past week, as I needed to replenish my golly stock for the cottage.  I decided to make a couple of Isabellas as I hadnt made any for quite awhile.

 Isabella is one of my all time favourite golly patterns -she is based on a pattern by Lil blokes in Bendigo, Australia - but I altered the cardigan and also her hair was supposed to be black perle cotton but I visualised her with wild pigtails so I now make her hair from a longish black bear fur.  
A couple of years ago I took one of my Isabella's over the the very clever man at Corrugated Creations in Tirau and he made me a giant corrugated iron Isabella golly - who now resides in my front garden and waves at the passing motorists . . .

she is about 9 foot tall from shoes to pigtails ! !

She is also a great landmark and ideal if you are giving someone directions over the phone . . .  "have you seen the giant girl golly in that crazy ladies front garden on Arapuni Road ?? . . . Well thats where you need to drive to  . . . "


So I managed to complete 2 Isabella gollies - I especially LOVE the one made with the buzzy bee fabric which is a flannel and sooo soft . . .

Love her little buzzy bee toy I managed to pick up in a baby shop . . .

Sorry Isabella I appear to have chopped your head off a fraction . . .

My Mum knits the little cardies for me from 5 ply wool (& does a great job) - this ones little brooch is a pottery gingerbread man.

Sometime ago I had made some "wee Josephine" bodies and never finished dressing them - (another Lil blokes pattern I have altered) - so I fished them out from the bottom of the craft basket and made them some clothing  . . . 

Yes thankyou that feels much better now we are dressed . . .

 As always,  I had been focusing on making girl gollies so decided I needed to do some boys to try to balance it out a bit and found my Willis pattern which I can usually whip up quite quickly . . .

I began to make 2 Willis's and was going along at great paces until I got distracted for a day or two . . . and then when I went to go back to it . . .  one of the half-done Willis's was "missing in action"   ?????

I am here in all my finery but my brother is missing  . . .

I had made one with black striped pants (above) & one with blue striped pants (still missing) - I should note that Willis is only 5 1/2  inches tall by the way   .  .   .   now herein lies the problem - this is my sewing room currently & somewhere in the mess - is a missing half-made Willis  . . . :-(

to be truthfull  that much carpet showing is actually QUITE tidy for me! !  !

To be honest, I have had a very good hunt and no sign of him - so if you should see him at your house (he has on striped blue pants and a red jacket but no bowtie) - please contact me a.s.a.p.  :-)  & I will come & fetch him! !


On a lighter note, I went to speak to the lovely ladies at the Catholic Womens League this past week (just to talk about my cottage & crafting etc) - (& you know how I LOVE to talk) -  I had the most wonderful afternoon - just such a lovely bunch of ladies & this is what they gave me for my time & effort  . . . (which was really NO effort at all) . . .

a most beautiful Heuchera for the garden in lovely autumn tones

I am looking forward to finding a spot in the garden to plant it this coming week.
 
I must mention that Mr Wolf is now feeling much improved and only limps on his sore foot when he happens to notice Mum watching him! !  :-)

Have a wonderful week ahead dear friends - I am meeting up with a friend that lives far away this coming week so am very excited about that :-)

Take care out there & keep warm - wishing you a creative week :-)
Love Julie (& Mr fat fluffy) X x x

Mr Wolf feeling poorly (pawly) . . .

I am feeling sorry for myself today as I have a sore paw & so my mum is letting me sleep inside with my dads sweatshirt over me cos even tho my mum does every single thing for me . . .  I still love my dad the best ! ! !
(I am sure I will be better real soon)
Love from Mr Wolf/fat fluffy X x x x x x

Harvesting Gourds & Keeping warm

Hello friends,
Sorry havent been posting for awhile - its still a bit hectic around here but we are making progress sloowwly . . . 

if I was to make a list of my favourite things, then I would definately write "gourds" on it - I have been growing gourds every year for about 6-7 years now and they are so much a part of who I am - I do sell them at the cottage but even if I didn't, I would still grow them for myself as I love to have baskets full of them around every autumn.   I enjoy the "lucky dip" aspect of seeing what comes up also, as I find the seeds often cross and all sorts of combinations can appear . . .    this year I didn't actually plant ANY gourd seeds as such, as I decided to just leave the patch where I grew last years and see if any came back up.  I took Mr fat fluffy out to the farm to harvest this years crop last weekend . . . 

Hurry up Mum I'm ready to go

 This is what we collected from NOT sowing any seeds . . .  :-)
because I grow them in peat soil, they all need a good wash when I get them home and then put onto trays to dry in the sun . . . 

washing them in my new (cracked) sink

by the way, my new butlers sink is on its way from England apparently - coming by boat, NOT plane (I did ask) - hopefully will be here next week (fingers crossed)! ! !

I didnt get the usual mixed assortment but still some good varieties came up

We have been having some bleak foggy days here in our little part of the Waikato this past week - I took these photos below at 11 in the morning so it shows you how the fog can linger around in these parts, lift for a few hours & then set in again . . . 

 All you want to do is sit inside by this  . . . 

 Eat things like this  . . . 

Banana cake & malt fudge slice - yummy ! ! !

 Fight for space beside THIS . . . 

 And make things like this . . . 

2 hettie hen doorstops made from hessian

I have also been doing a little knitting and managed to finish some cotton dishcloths I had begun quite awhile ago and never completed . . . 

this is about the limit to my knitting abilities ! !

Quite a few birthdays ago my friend gave me a lovely golly plate & - without intending to - a bit of a collection began, & this week a trademe purchase turned up in the mail . . . 

Just look at that face - how wonderful ! ! !

 I now have 3 golly plates and someone once told me - once you have 3 of anything, you have a collection?!

Love the little triangle shaped picanniny one - another trademe purchase

 I am thinking of perhaps displaying them in my new kitchen area but need to sort some wall space out first.


This weekend is a long weekend here in N.Z. - Queens birthday weekend - Happy Birthday to Her Majesty - hope its a happy one. :-) Have a lovely long weekend out there friends and if you are travelling, drive safely & take care. 

 Keep warm & try to relax . . .  be back real soon.
Love Julie :-)
X x x x x x x x

Sloooowwwly we progress . . .

Hello friends,

Well we are making slow but steady progress on our kitchen renovations :-)
We have had quite a few hiccups along the way  . . . 

One of my most favourite things in the whole kitchen was my brand spanking new butlers sink (I have coveted one of these for longer than I can remember) -

 I came home from work one night to discover we now had water in this part of the house so I could wash the dishes that night ! ! !  How exciting ! ! ! 
When I had finished washing the dishes in my new sink for the very first time, I pulled the plug only to discover my new sink had all cracked in the bottom ! ! ! I cried.  Lots :-(

We now have power back in this part of the house so cooking has resumed . . . 

 
Even though the fridge is in the dining room still . . . 

And in the midst of all this chaos and activity, I have managed to find time to do some craft work (truth be told I have been banished from the kitchen area many times this past week  . . .)

 I found time (& a tiny space on the dining table) to paint some boots onto some dollies legs . . . 

finish some lovely bright golly tea-towels . . . 

& whip up a horseshoe for a dear friend whose son is getting married in Fiji in a couple of weeks.

While I have had my head down and my tail up . . .  I haven't ventured outside very much and so,  - when I did take a walk down the garden yesterday, I couldn't believe how autumn had suddenly set in & the colours in the garden . . . 

the japanese maple turning red. . .

 I see we have persimmons almost ready - & I took this lovely photo of the cherry blossom tree losing its leaves - which prompted me to go hunting for my rake - 

 

Love the cottage in the background in the autumn shadows! !

Still as yet,  -  not found  :-)


Wishing you all a great weekend out there friends, will keep you posted as we make progress - (& try to keep our sanity in tact).  Many thanks for all your encouraging comments last post.
Love & hugs,
Julie X x x

 

a short intermission

Hello friends,
I am just taking a short little intermission  for about a week or 2 as we are in the midst of some alterations here and this is what we are currently living with . . . .  

We decided to put in some new kitchen units . . .  simple enough I thought  . . .  take the old ones out, put the new ones in  . . .   hark at me (you foolish woman)  ! ! ! !  When will you realise???  - NOTHING is ever simple around here  . . .

when the old units came off  . . .  so too did most of the wall linings  . . .
plus we closed in an old door that we rarely used  . . .    to give me room for a pantry . . .

this is currently "my kitchen cupboards" - all packed away neatly and tidily in the spare room - everything in order and easy to find things  . . . .such an organised system really  . . . ! ! ! * * ! !

Can you believe someone asked me for a can of peaches out of here the other night????  I almost had a seizure!!!!

but don't despair,  as we happen to have a really good site supervisor who is a right pain in the rear and gets in everyones way and keeps lying down on the job is doing a wonderful job of keeping on task and making sure everyone gets the measurements right and stays focused and doesnt take breaks at all . . .

incidently the plaster was still WET! ! !

He never down tools anytime and makes sure he reads through the plans thoroughly  . .

All in all he puts in a long hard days work . . .   with no real breaks in between  (definately NO sleeping on the job ) . . .and I can assure you all this hard work is extremely exhausting to a 4-legged site supervisor  . . .

Just resting my eyelids for a wee minute as the sun was very bright ...& Mum has just finished picking all the dried plaster out of my fur . . .(cant understand why she was soooo huffy??)

And so I HOPE to be back next time with some pictures of my new kitchen units after I have caught my breath, and the site supervisor has had a wee rest from all his hard work!!!!

Have a great week dear friends and hope you are all good out there and taking care.

Love Julie  X X x x x   :-)

(a short note - this post has been edited by the 4-legged site supervisor to explain more truthfully the extent of his job description )