A Mid-Winter Christmas Get Together

Welcome dear friends & readers

I see I have a couple of new followers - Welcome to you all 💗

 

It was my turn to host our little craft group & we decided to do a mid-winter Christmas theme for our food & craft item.   Gail had given me the little felt caravan decoration awhile ago & I made up a pattern from it, then cut out & made some kitsets up ... I did various colours, not just red.

In the weeks leading up to our meeting I saved & washed out lots of my catfood tins so we could all have another challenge of what to create from them - I did this last year also.

I made my favorite Sticky Lemon Slice & served this with freshly whipped cream.  I also made Salmon rolls & served hot Sausage rolls with lunch. The ladies all bring a plate, some often bring a sweet & a savoury.  I decided to set my table a bit christmassy & I pulled some items from my decoration boxes over the weekend.  

I set it up quite early & was in the midst of tweaking it & adding some more items when I came inside & found a rather large ginger Christmas decoration plonked on the table 😦😫😵 (!!!)

I lit a Cranberry & Nutmeg Candle & the fragrance was very festive

Here is our Morning-tea table ... Lemon slice, Neenish tarts, Scroggin Slice, Salmon Rolls, Asparagus Rolls ... washed down with mugs of coffee & tea.  I forgot to photograph our Lunch Table but there was hot sausage rolls, savories, & cheese & bacon twists to warm us up on this cold winters day.  If nothing else - we get the food right!

Some of the ladies - we are down to just 6 of us now but I rather prefer the smaller size group.

Although we are all very informal, our general programme is that we have morning tea, clear the table & then craft ... followed by a later lunch & any show-n-tell that anyone has bought along.

  I've forgotten to take a photo of the finished felt caravans but I did snap one of all the ladies happily working away.  There is always lots of chatter & laughter which is so good for the soul.  

My finished pink caravan - I still have to add a bead door handle to the door & embroider a flower.

Last Wednesday I had a Specialist appointment in the city.  Afterwards I drove all the way out to the Daffodil Farm as I wanted to buy some daffodils.  Although I try to get over each year I'd not been for 2 years now.

(Once again, I forgot to snap a photo so this is an older photo from a couple of years ago)

I love coming here - it never fails to cheer me up seeing the paddocks full of yellow smiling faces 💛  I treated myself to a $20 bucket of "seconds" & was lucky enough to get a mixture of different varieties.  

I kept some for myself & gifted a couple of bunches.  Although I am not usually a yellow lover I think the sight of daffy's in the midst of winter just reminds me that spring is not too far away. 

 I also called into Le French Quarter & purchased the dainty green china jug.  I pick fresh parsley each day as I use it in tea's & this wee size is perfect to sit on my kitchen bench.

There is a large sign at the Daffodil farm that says if you put your daff's outside at night they will last longer.  I tried it this time & Yes it really does work.  Here they are on the left the day I purchased them & on the right is today's photo - 7 days later.  They like the cold at night & my house gets too warm with the fire going.  

You can read in * this post * about the soy candles I made for my sister-in-law using crystal dishes from Mum's china cabinet.  Leonie (my sis-in-law) had used them & sent them up asking if I could please refill them for her.  There is a glass tray that they sit on.  I refilled them using Rose & Geranium oils & posted them down with my brother's birthday parcel.  She was delighted with them & loved the fragrance.  

Wishing you a wonderful rest-of-the-week dear friends,

Thank you for your ever-welcome visits here today,

With much love & friendship to you all,

A Tilda Skating Angel

Greetings lovely friends & readers

It is a rainy grey old day here today (I started this post yesterday)  - a good day to switch the fairy lights on.  I nipped out between the showers & picked some fresh daphne stems. 

 

(This is the Tilda book that the Skating Angel pattern is in)

I made my very first Tilda Skating Angel way back in 2018.  You can read about creating her in * this post * ... I made her to go on my craft stall & she sold very rapidly.  At the time I made her I cut another one out for myself - so here I am just 6 short years later finally finishing her. 

The fur for my Angel was originally cut out to sew a Peekaboo bear for Mum.  Mum had chosen the fur,  then changed her mind so the bag of cut-out-pieces sat in my cupboard for a rather long time.  Once I decided to use the pieces of fur for my Angels clothing I had to try & cut around the already-cut-out-shapes of the Peekaboo bear.  This was really tricky & for many of the coat pieces the fur is not going with the direction of the pile, but thankfully you can't notice it. 

Finally, a week ago, my Angel was completed.

   The top part of her coat & her arms are built into the body  - this is common with Tilda patterns.  The skirt of her coat is separate, as is the collar.  This was the most softest fur, a silvery white tipped with grey - just gorgeous but quite bulky & slippery to sew. 

I had just enough fur left to cut out the 2 circles for her ear muffs - Phew!  The top is craft wire which I've shaped, then covered with velvet ribbon.  I especially loved her fur muff which I edged with lace.  

After I'd finished sewing her I realised she needed some ice skates.   I drew out a cardboard pattern & asked a dear elderly friend to cut them out for me with his scroll saw.  I picked them up last Thursday, sanded them well & then painted them with pumice chalk paint.

I'd originally planned to whitewash the skates but it quickly became clear that the whitewash was not going to adhere to the plywood & I'd need to paint them well - 4 coats each side in fact (!!!)  Finally I was happy with the coverage, then a light sand to finish.  

Using a metal skewer I poked a small hole in the seam of the fur boots & then affixed the pointy part of the skates up into this.  I thought they turned out a perfect size for the boots.

Such poor light inside today that I've decided to photograph her out on the deck table. I was really pleased with my Angel but felt she now needed her own special place to sit. 

This old hatbox has been in the wardrobe in my sleepout for a very long time!  I pulled it out, cleaned it well & removed the broken lid.  Over the weekend I gave it a couple of coats of chalk paint in the colour Old Linen.  It covered really well, drying by the fire between coats.

This is how I work at times - see top right photo.  When I cannot choose or decide upon a transfer I sit them in place & walk past them, sometimes this process takes me a couple of days ... I am very much a visual person.  Finally I chose the one with the red flowers as I felt this complimented her floral skirt.  

I wanted to add a tag to my hatbox so I painted a wooden one, then applied offcuts of the transfer to it, tied it on with thin leather thonging.  Really, really happy with how the hatbox turned out 💗

I'm delighted that I've finally bought my Angel to life after sitting in a bag for 6 years (!!)  She makes an ideal winter decor piece too & I think she will be wonderful amongst my Christmas decor.

It was the final week of school holidays here in New Zealand & my Grandsons came for some of the days.  Sid is always happy to craft but Alec not so much these days & I don't force him.

I'd traced a heart onto some calico & asked Sid if he'd like to draw/decorate the heart for his Mum,  then Granny could sew a backing onto it & we could both stuff it together.  He chose to draw a rainbow & write a message to his Mum on it.  We stuffed this with some wadding & some lavender so it smelt wonderful. He then made an avocado using the same process ... why an avocado I have no idea 😉

I took them both to the skatepark as Alec had his scooter, they kicked soccer balls around & played in the playground.  It was wonderful to have sunshine & blue sky for a couple of hours.  

Dear friends - can you see the Lump under the quilt??  That is Madam Pip who is not receiving any callers today.  Her silly Mother (Yours truly!!) has propped the quilt up with a cushion so she doesn't suffocate.  There are a zillion cosy places to curl up but Oh No - she has chosen this !!!

Thank you for staying with me through this photo heavy/rambly post,

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead dear friends - remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to you all,

Wintery July Days .......................................

Greetings lovely friends & readers

It's the very middle of winter here at the bottom of the world & it's been Chilly.

I started last week off by making a Fridge Drawer Stew.

  I had parsnips & celery going soft in the Fridge Drawer so these got chopped up & tossed in, along with a selection of other veggies. I have lots of silverbeet & spinach ready in the garden so I added a large amount of these to get our greens.  This crockpot full lasted us 3 nights for dinner.

Several months back my dear friend Sandy sent me a photo of her Lounge room rug (left hand pic) & asked me to make her a felt candle mat in these colours.  I slowly stitched away on this & then waited for Sandy's recent birthday to post it to her.  I tucked several other treaty things into the parcel along with the candle mat.

Just this weekend my dear friend Shirley celebrated a special birthday.  I'd bought this china tennis cup/saucer awhile ago in a thrift store with the intention of making Shirley a soy candle in it for her birthday - I knew she loved these colours.  The fragrance is French Pear - another of her favorites (a VeRy lovely fragrance) 💕

To go with the candle I made Shirley a Matches Jar.  I thrift any jars that I think are suitable for these & save them.   Remove the lid, a good wash & then I applied some offcuts of transfers, a ribbon & a charm.  I like to glue the striker to the base of the Jar but also pop one in with the matches. I use my own one of these every single day & love it.  

After I'd made the candle I was putting my box of candle-making supplies away in the top of the cupboard, I leaned back slightly & heard a "snap".  I was so disappointed & cross with myself as I'd been nurturing this orchid flower stem along & watching it develop for weeks.  And I could not blame any furry friends either (!!)

I found this wee doll in my sewing drawer with painted yellow boots. I cannot remember ever painting these boots or making the doll.   I thought she was the sweetest size to fit in my new china shelf & I knew I had a gorgeous piece of red toile fabric that looked just like the pattern on the china.

I had the usual assistance of the furry variety 😐

She is dressed entirely from fabrics & trims already in my stash - a tiny piece of raspberry coloured linen became her bodice & another cream offcut for her bloomers.  I just love the toile fabric of her skirt.  I am sure she is an old pattern by Wendy Briggs of Country Friends designs.

I think she looks right at home amongst my new/old red transferware china  💗

Don't you think her skirt matches the china pattern so well dear friends ??

As it's school holidays here in New Zealand, Alec came for the day last Friday.  We baked in the morning (banana bread & chocolate crackles) & then after lunch we went & saw the movie Twisters.  I kept the smaller banana loaf & sent Alec home with all the rest of the baking because .......................... it's better he consumes it than me!!

I had the loveliest visit from my sweet friend Sally yesterday - we don't see alot of each other nowadays as she works long hours.  She gifted me this Gorgeous book above which I have been devouring ... along with the sweetest little duck egg blue coloured jug which I am going to pop some daphne stems into.  

Using some birthday money I treated myself to a new dressing gown in Bed Bath & Beyonds winter sale.  

Correction ... I treated Pippi to a new dressing gown 😯😫 (!!)

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead dear friends - remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to you all, 

A Birthday, A Soap-Dish & ............ "A Speckledy Tree"

 Greetings lovely friends & readers

On the very last day of June I celebrated another birthday 💗

64 years around the sun (!!) Goodness me ... where did those years go to I wonder ??

We had a simple family lunch to celebrate because our nights close in early now & many family members had work early the next day.  I made nibbles, we ordered in pizzas & my eldest daughter-in-law made me a birthday cake ... well two in fact!

Sarah made me a carrot cake first but was unhappy with how it didn't rise much, so she then baked an orange cake which rose about double the size.  I can indeed testify that both cakes were delicious & at 64 years old I have decided I rather enjoy cake (!!)  

The orange cake was decorated with rosemary flowers,  she put 6 candles on it & I got to blow them out.

I was very spoilt & received some wonderful gifts from family & friends including a beautiful pair of handknitted socks in Tilda colours. 

Alec & his family presented me with a large gift wrapped box - it's fragile he told me!   I carefully opened it & inside was the most stunning set of Crown Lynn china-ware in a gorgeous muted red.  Alec's Mum frequents the Retro markets & had seen this previously. I'd mentioned at one time how I struggled to find red transferware & she remembered seeing this set so went back the next month & purchased it - from a dear older couple who had it still in its original box.  

Some of the pieces are faded slightly but it is in immaculate condition with no chips or cracks - I was just speechless.

This then led me to spend the next 3 days (I work slower now) bringing in a shelf that I used to use for display in my craft cottage & setting it all up in my Lounge so I could display the china-ware but still get to use it also.

      This was a simple pine shelf that I had previously white-washed with watered down left-over white house paint.

All the pretties ............  💗💕

I used the old lace curtains from my cottage to line the shelves.  I just adore all my pink china tucked in amongst the faded reds.  

My former sister in law called in last week - we hadn't seen each other for a long time but we keep in touch & have remained great friends.  She gave me a card with money in & instructions to "buy something pretty"  ... so I purchased a beautiful soy candle (on sale) & this enamel teapot in my favorite sage green colourway.  The candles fragrance is Palo Santo & it is just so lovely ... the description says "a smooth woody blend of tobacco leaf, smokey cedarwood & leather" 

I found this thrifted silver dish in my craft room cupboard. It was the perfect size for a soap dish which I was needing for my kitchen.  I decided to paint it with the Resene Paddock colour that I'd used on some other kitchen items.  In order to get the paint to stick to the shiny surface I gave it an initial coat of cream chalk paint. This worked well ... otherwise the acrylic paint would've had nothing to adhere to, would've gone on streaky & not dried well.

It came out very green so I went over it with white wax which toned it down nicely & bought out the flower details.

It's just the ideal size to hold my kitchen soap & doesn't take up valuable bench space that I don't really have.

When we laid Mum's ashes to rest back in February I remembered her always telling us "don't forget I want to go with your Father under the Speckledy tree".  There is a large variegated shrub where Dad's ashes were & she always called this The Speckledy Tree.  I hadn't realised that my daughter-in-law had taken a couple of cuttings from the shrub when we were there & has managed to get them to take root in a pot. I was delighted when she presented me with one & it even has another leaf beginning to form at the tip.  I will let it get a lot bigger in the pot before I plant it in the garden.

We have had cold frosty mornings this past week, a couple of -1 degrees, but sunny days with blue skies.  Here we have a-meeting-of-the-unemployed all lined up on the deck keeping their respective distances & solving the worlds problems (!!!) 😉

Thank you all so much for visiting here today dear friends,

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead - remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to you all,