Wednesday, January 4, 2012

✄.......Sew Far, Sew Good......✄


Welcome to the New Year, another year of blogging and sharing.......
It's been very hot in this neck of the woods, Summer has sapped the energy flow, like a 'kinked' garden hose....
But, I have started sewing 'the dress' above and sew far,sew good.
It's pretty straight forward, so only rudimentary sewing skills needed.
I'm still loving the colours and hope that when it's finished the colour and pattern won't be too overwhelming.
I imagine I will turn a few heads in town....... more for the fact that I am wearing a dress, than for making a fashion statement, hehe....



I have bought my granny square blanket out of hiding and am hooking a few rounds in the evening.

I started this earlier last year, but my enthusiasm resulted in a dose of RSI, ouch.......lesson learnt.
Take it easy, slow but steady wins the race.

Summer isn't really the time to be crocheting a blanket but if I sit under the fan and have the rug off to the side it's quite comfortable and very relaxing once you get into a rhythm.

If I tire of the rug I can always move onto another crochet project, nudge, nudge, wink, wink!!!


Along with the heat, Summer also brings beautiful Gardenias and picking a few for a vase on my bedside table, always feels special.

It's one of life's simple pleasures don't you think?

Even the flowers which are yellowing still emit the most beautiful perfume and as the fan moves the air around, a cloud of scent wafts through the room.


I often wonder about people who have squillions of dollars.
Would they ever grab their secateurs, head out into their perfectly perfect gardens and snip some flowers for a vase on their bedside table.
Or would they pay their minions to do it?
Perhaps they would they ring a designer florist and get a posy delivered......






Ever seen one of these mug covers?

Having coffee with friends this morning I was presented with this little gift.
Everyone knows I pop my saucer on top of my mug to keep my coffee warm.
It really works and I do like a hot coffee.

Anyhoo, a couple of friends spotted this mug cover in a shop selling Japanese knick knacks in Melbourne and instantly thought of me.

We all had a good laugh about it and the little heart, has a groove in it, so you can put a note or whatever in it.
The mug cover is made of soft rubber, it looks like a sink plug and when you push it down in the middle it creates a vacuum and clings to the mug.

I wonder who on earth thought of it.
Not sure if they'll catch on.....what do you think?

-------OOOOO--------

Today has been slightly cooler, a nice reprieve from yesterday's heat.
No matter how much you water the garden, the plants still end up droopy after sitting out in the 39 deg. heat.

Ronna has told me it's going to be -20deg. in Eastern Ontario, Canada and I see you need to hold onto your hat in parts of Scotland.....

I hope the weather hasn't been too extreme where you are.

Thanks for visiting,

Take care,

Claire X


P.S. Happy birthday Rosie, hope you had a nice day and although you drive me crazy at times, I love you sis XX

16 comments:

  1. Hi Claire,
    The dress looks great - can't wait to see it finished.
    Oh to bask in some warmth, we are basking in rain and strong winds!
    Oh, and I have acquired a teapot - measurements on their way to you soon.
    Much love,
    Liz xx

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  2. Love that lid thingy - great idea. Love hearing about warm weather too! We had winds of over 90mph yesterday here in Scotland - got a bit scary! But no damage to my house (so far)! Looking forward to seeing the dress when its finished.
    Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

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  3. I'm looking forward to seeing you model you dress Claire. :)
    I do like the look of the cup warmer. My tea usually goes cold and I'm forever reheating it in the microwave.
    It's great to have cooler weather, I actually felt like doing something today.
    Have a lovely evening,
    Anne xx

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  4. Hi claire, I love that dress pattern, I have been looking for something like that for ages, think I will head to Spotty tomorrow and grab a copy, i have a sewing machine, so it might be time to dust her off! The heat has been intense hasn't it! Luckily a bit cooler here today and very pleasant, the garden is recovering well. Have a great week, julie:) PS I have never seen a coffee cover like that! they make so many cute little things in Japan, don't they!

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  5. The weather has been bonkers here in the south west of the UK. Yesterday we had rain storms and high winds and loads of rainbows as the sun kept peeping through. It was rather odd. My roof has sprung a leak in a different place as a result. Blah.

    Love that dress pattern, looking forward to the reveal.

    That's a fab idea that coffee cup topper. I bet it saves spills too as it sucks on. I could do with one. I always dribble tea up the stairs!

    xxx

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  6. I love flowers by a bedside. Simple pleasures are indeed the best kind.

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  7. I like the idea of being able to make one's own clothes, I tried it briefly once and it was a complete disaster for me.
    Love the sound of those gardenias too, so nice to be able to cut such lovely flowers from your own garden.
    We're still waiting for a roofer to come and sort the roof, fortunately there's not any water coming in despite the rain. More high winds are forecast for later today but just a yellow alert rather than red, phew!
    Happy New Year!
    Anne.

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  8. Hi Claire, I hope you had a great New Year. I have been one of those who has been silently following you blog for quite sometime now and I would like to pass on to you the Liebster Blog Award. Your blog has made me smile, made me laugh and has inspired me. Details are on my blog. Anna :)

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  9. I love gardenias and that dress is really nice. Would love to see the finished result. I haven't done any dressmaking for ages.

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  10. Your dress is going to be lovely, I like the cheery colours. It's very windy here in our part of the UK, some of your warmth would be welcome.
    Happy New Year
    x

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  11. Never mind holding on to our hats.....we had to hold on to our houses!When exactly do you call a hurricane a hurricane rather than just a fierce gale?!!My garden looks like a tornado hit it! All that aside, your dress looks like it will be beautiful when it's finished, Claire and I love the colours you're using for your blanket. I'm listening to the wind howling outside and hoping my silver birch is still intact in the morning, as well as my chimney pot!Have a good weekend. x

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  12. Hello Claire!
    That dress is going to be beautiful...LOVE the fabric choice. Yes, you will turn heads indeed.

    So funny to hear you talk of hot days...it's 27 degrees F here in Virginia...Brrrrr.

    Love your little mug cover. I too use my saucer to keep my coffee hot...like minds.....

    Happy New Year!

    janet xox

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  13. Hellooo!
    The dress is going to be gorge - that fabric's really pretty. I went wild and bought myself a skirt today - wonder if I'll ever be brave enough to wear it?!
    I'm sitting here listening to the wind trying to take the roof off my house...
    Emily x

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  14. I love the colour of your dress, I can't wait to see it finished.

    It's been really windy and rainy in these parts lately, but certainly not as cold as it was this time last year which I'm thankful for.

    Your mug cover would be no use to me as I like to leave hot drinks to cool down a bit before I drink them.

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  15. I hope it cools down a bit for you soon. When it gets hot here in the summers, all I want to do is submerse myself in a pool and stay there til I get all prune-like.
    Your dress is so pretty! Love the greens.
    The mug lid wouldn't work for me. I have to let my tea cool down a bit before I can drink it. I have never figured out how people keep from scalding themselves when it comes straight from the kettle.
    Your big granny square is lovely! I am going to MAKE myself learn how to do that this year, because I know I would love it if I could just figure out how to start the silly center.

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  16. Oh I just love that dress you are making - the green fabric is gorgeous - cant wait to see it all made up! Happy New Year Claire!

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