Friday, April 19, 2013

It's In The Post.......







I've just been trying to hang a load of washing on the line and avoid being whipped in the face with wet pillowcases and tea towels. There's a cold wind blowing today, feels like it's blowing right off the snow and yes, there was snow up at the nearby ski resort last night. 
My fingers were like ice when I had finished.
 Get that, last week we were having 25-28 degs. today it got to a top of 18deg.
Autumn temps are finally kicking in.....

Well, I finally finished my Foxglove tea cosy.
After umming and aahing over fabrics to line it with, I made my choice and I'm  very happy with how it turned out.







The mug belonged to my mum and came to live with me when she passed away......
The quote on the mug reads .......

Beautiful gloves to fit a fox's paw......






I think we have mail.....don't you?
One parcel in the letter box was for No.1.....
guitar strings....boring

The parcel on top was for me......exciting.


This parcel has travelled thousands of miles, over vast oceans and foreign lands......





Pretty paper a Royal Mail sticker an address in Devon.

Now to carefully open and see what's inside.




Oh my, under layers of pretty, pink tissue paper there he is.

'Love-Me-Ted' from Elaine of Ted and Bunny blog








He's an antique, not sure what his exact age is.
 He's being coy and not telling.....yet!

He's balding and worn from love and the passage of time.
He has vintage buttons for eyes.
Elaine has patched him with vintage fabric and beautiful hand embroidered linens. 
She's added buttons and stitching and turned him from something you probably wouldn't look twice at to something that's been given another chance and I've already fallen for his charms.

He's very special, to me.
 He represents everything that's good in people and the way the blogging community came together to help one of our own.

You see Love-Me-Ted was one of the prizes in the raffle held to raise funds for Gretel Parker.
 Wonderfully talented artist and blogger.
I need your help girls......
He needs a name, so all suggestions will be thoughtfully considered.
With the arrival of the cooler weather, I feel I may have to whip up a little jacket and scarf for him as he no longer has his fur coat.





I've been sock shopping this week....
That is shopping for wool to knit my very own socks.
It was one of goals I wanted to achieve this year.
I'm getting there slowly......
The wool is lovely with blues and purples in it.
It speaks to me of Scotland, Heather, blue skies and seas.....
I couldn't resist it 


The book is full of patterns 



Ideas....


And lots of photographs and instructions......
I won't be starting these for a few weeks as I want to finish off my crocheted rug first.

I know there are lots of bloggers who have knitted socks and 
I have been inspired by all of you and I'm hoping that I will 'catch the bug' as well.




This little plate was one of my recent op shop finds.
Love the turquoise trim, it was only $1.00 so of course it had to come home with me.







I'm really loving these Dahlias given to me by a friend last week.
I don't usually go for flowers that are orange/yellow, but these are so vibrant and well, Autumnal (love that word).
 I am really taken with them and may have to ask for a tuber or two.....




And a quick peek at the Liquid Ambers 
(part of No. 1's 21st. pressie)

They are looking beautiful in gold and red, a nice contrast against the red of the Maples along the driveway.
They create quite a splash of colour against the grey/green of the surrounding gum trees.
So there you have it girls.......

A little snapshot of what's been going on here.

Thankyou for all the comments on my last post, it's always nice to have visitors and a big welcome to some new followers too.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, thanks for visiting.

Claire x

35 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this post so much - what a great catch-up it was! I love the foxgloves! And that teddy..... he's so sweet!!!
    Happy Friday!
    Carly
    x

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  2. Still love the tea-cosy...what a wonderful post full of colour!! :0)

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    1. Thanks Ash, lovely to hear from you.
      The Autumn leaves make up for the lack of blooms in the garden at this time of year.

      Claire x

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  3. Those Dahlias are wonderful, and so is that Teddy, there's only us lot who would fall in love with a patched up old teddy bear isn't there!! :) x

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  4. Sweet bear - he's been a while in the post so perhaps you could call him Transit...

    Penny
    x

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  5. What a sweet bear :)
    Lovely tea cosy, love those foxgloves. The tea cosy matches your mug beautifully.
    Emma x

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  6. Congratulations on your win - yes I think Transit is a good name too. Love your foxy tea cosy Claire. We have had high winds here as well, we are now in dire need of a new sheet on one of our poly-tunnels

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    1. Hey Molly, great to hear from you, thanks for visiting.
      Hope you manage to get the new sheet for your poly tunnel soon.
      I imagine you're keen to get the plants growing and ready to plant out.
      Hope it's a lovely, sunny weekend over there.

      Claire x

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  7. I have asked my daughter, and she thinks he should be called Patches. But we also really like the name Renfield. This is a bit hard to explain, but she has a small rabbit with the same name.

    I love your posts, there is always so much in them.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the suggestion, Patches is a very appropriate name and I love Renfield too. Never heard that before......
      Thanks for visiting, always lovely to hear from you.
      Enjoy your weekend,

      Claire x

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  8. Oh my goodness that bear is just so adorable, I think he feels so happy to be loved again.
    Love the tea cozy and your pictures of Autumn.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  9. Your tea cosy looks so wonderful Claire and how wonderful to have a mug that came from you Mum.
    I do love that old bear, the patches, the button eyes, what a treasure. I'm sure you will adore looking at him/her everyday.
    Have a wonderful weekend,
    Anne xx

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Anne, I have a number of mugs that belonged to mum, all special and all get used.
      The bear is very special and I have been wondering how you tell if it's a him or a her, I just assumed it was a him!!
      Hope it's nice and sunny down there after such a cold day yesterday. It's been beautiful here in the NE today.

      Claire x

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  10. Well, I was thinking that Parker would be the right name for your teddy....such a sweet guy!!!
    Your tea cosy is splendid!!!
    xxxxx Ale

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  11. He should have a name suggestive of faded splendour ... hmmm ....

    That tea cosy is delightful, and the trim really makes the flowers pop. A lovely mug too.

    Your sock book looks wonderful (though it causes me to remember, with a guilty twinge, that I have yet to finish my first second sock). If you do decide to go for stripes, be sure to check out TechKnitter's Jogless Stripe post here:

    http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2007/01/jogless-stripes.html

    Those dahlias are amazing - like vibrant undersea creatures.

    Have a wonderful weekend, Claire! :)

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  12. wow- that teacosy! I can really see now that Ted has landed in a home that will suit his personality PERFECTLY.
    Thank YOU so much for being part of this caring community
    with love
    Elaine

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  13. what a lovely post full of so many wonderful things, I love the tea cosy and the bear is delightful. Like you I wanted to master socks - the first one was just about ok but the the second is half done and mishapen and I haven't the heart to start again so I have put it somewhere safe for another day x

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  14. Ted is adorable...I have a teddy bear collection too....love the colours of Autumn that you guys get...we not so much here in Perth. xxx

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  15. Hi Claire - lovely-jubbly 'makes' as always! Have been a little absent but hopefully back in blog-land now :) Poor ted will get a cold without a scarf I think! So glad you have got Ann Budd's book - you will LOVE sock-making, I'm sure!
    Alison xx

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  16. Adorable much pre-loved bear. How about Fred Bear ! x

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for visiting and the comment and name suggestion.
      Hope you have a great week...

      Claire :}

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  17. What an adorable bear Claire! Isn't it fun receiving presents from the other side of the world :-) I love the wool you chose to make socks of. Never made socks myself before. I guess I am more of a crochet person ;-)

    While autumn begins in NZ our spring is finally on it's way.

    Happy weekend!

    Madelief x

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  18. Foxgloves are lovely, I was desperately trying to find mine in the back of a border in our old garden, before the new people moved in, but to no avail, as they weren't up yet...gutted, I had bought some White ones which were stunning....I love th common ones in th hedgerows too, but I must buy some more white ones for the garden, they are definitely a favourite.
    Your ted is lovely, how about his origin, Devon, for a name?

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    Replies
    1. Hey Faith, shame you couldn't take your Foxgloves with you.......they are such stately flowers .
      Oh, to have them growing wild around the countryside......so Beatrix Potter!
      I am looking forward to a better display next season and hopefully it won't be as hot.
      Thanks for the name suggestion for Ted, that's a great idea.
      Enjoy your week and so nice to hear from you.

      Claire X

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  19. Oh, Claire, foxglove tea cosy is truly fabulous! Love the little bees on it too.
    What a special gift the teddy was for you. I also think the name, Devon, would suit him.
    Have you had any frosts yet? We've had two very light frosty mornings this weekend. How about that .. snow in the alps already? I think it will be an early winter for us.
    After our visitors depart (2 weeks time) I'll be eager to get back to the Op Shopping. Will let you know in advance before I come up the hill again. Would be lovely to meet for coffee/tea.
    Susan x

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    1. Hey Susan, thanks for the lovely comment.
      No we haven't had any frosts yet, or at least not that I've noticed.
      Friday was freezing with that wind. I thought the days would be a lot cooler by now.
      Yes, let me know when you are next up this way, it would be nice to catch up.
      Enjoy your visitors......

      Claire x

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  20. Wonderful Tea cozy, and that quote too. I've always wanted to see Giverny,
    I hear it looks different at every time of year ; I do have the cookbook with all the foods they made, boy did they live well.
    Amazing dahlias, Claude would love them!
    xx
    julie

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  21. So much here to see and wonder at! Love the pot of glowing flowers, and the changing colours on your maple. And the quote about the gloves for fox paws .... so cute. The tea cozy looks amazing too. But the teddy bear takes the cake! He's so tattered looking, but still holds a soft twinkle in his eye. I love choosing names ... what about Tatters, or Parker, and I also like the Devon suggestion. His name should be meaningful after all the years he's been through. Good luck with your naming, and have a wonderful week. Wendy

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  22. hi Claire, lovely to hear from you!!! such a nice post, catching up on all your goings on..yes, we have lots of guitar and ukulele strings arriving in the post these days too!! that tea cozy really is too wonderful. stay warm xx

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    1. Hey Mezz, thanks for visiting, always great to hear from you.
      Guitar strings.......always get disappointed when I realise the parcel isn't for me, hehe.
      But this time, woo hoo.......
      Got the wood stove going, certainly makes the kitchen the ♥ of the home in the cooler months.

      Claire X

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  23. Lots of lovely photos! THe bear is so sweet, and I love the colourful leaves, and of course your great work!

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    1. Thanks Natalie, loving Ted a nice addition to the house hold.
      Autumn is really putting on a display now........stunning colours.

      Thanks for visiting,

      Claire x

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  24. I LOVE your tea cozy and that very special bear to love. I'm also enjoying the Autumn leaves.

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  25. What a handsome chap your patched up bear is. Whatever you call him I think it needs to be something with gravitas.

    The teacosy is perfect :D

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  26. As ever your finished tea cosy is fabulous, I love the foxgloves.
    Those dahlias are gorgeous, such neon colours.

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