Sweet Birdy Love

Here We Go Again........

2012-03-05T22:01:00.004+11:00

Hello there my lovelies.........

Am I the only one that thinks Mondays are rolling around just a little bit too fast?

A day at home and sewing was on the agenda. I wanted to whip up a few bits and pieces for my first market of 2012, but somehow I found myself cutting into a recycled woollen blanket and before I knew it a teacosy was taking shape.

Autumn's making it's presence felt inside as well as out.......

'Delicious Autumn, my very soul is wedded to it

and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth

seeking the successive Autumns.'

George Elliot

Does that verse resonate with you too?

I'm happy with the finished result......now what was I meant to be making today!!

Come with me as I take a wander outside in the sunshine......

Let's feast on that beautiful blue sky, you see we nary got a look at it this past week.

It's been raining cats and dogs for the most part.

We've had 296.5mls over the last seven days.The creek's turned into a lake and there's been road closures but overall things are fine in this neck of the woods.

Unfortunately, folk in other parts of the state haven't fared so well

Umbels of Parsnip flowers........beautiful, lime green

This was the first time I had grown Parsnips......love them roasted, the smooth, nutty flavour.

Sadly, they weren't a great success. I have since found out there was too much manure in the soil which caused them to grow into some weird, munted looking thing.

Still the 'bits' I did use were very tasty.

I won't be put off and will try them again .

Once outside, I thought I would do a bit of pruning.

My poor neglected garden was looking a little sad, so half an hour with the secateurs has it looking a little neater and tidier.

The Dahlias are about to finish flowering, so this will be the last bunch I pick.

I love that white/crimson bloom......

It was a surprise buried under some of the foliage.

Tig is enjoying the dry weather, he can get outside and do what cats do best....sleep in weird and wonderful positions!!

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

You know I had a week of being cocooned inside while the rain beat down outside and I loved every minute of it. Hearing it on the roof at night, watching it beat against the window.......I love it all.

The boys were away for the weekend, so early Saturday evening when it was bucketing down.....I made a very important decision.

I decided to light the wood heater.....

I know, I know, it wasn't particularly cold or anything, although it was the weather for long sleeves and slippers but I needed some company and you know a fire is great for bringing a bit of life into the room.

I sat there with a milo and marshmallows and enjoyed the evening twilight......bliss.

So that's a little bit of what I have been doing......nothing too outrageous or even wildly exciting just 'doing the do'.

So what have you all been up to?

Thanks for coming over for a visit, hope you've got time to say 'hi'

Take care,

Claire XX

Stuff, BIts 'n Pieces, This 'n That....✄✄✄

2012-02-26T12:01:00.006+11:00

Hello, how are you all?

Hope you had an enjoyable weekend......

Autumn's on my mind.....

The Maples along the driveway are starting to change.

There's a nip in the morning air, dew on the grass.....

'Every leaf speaks bliss to me....

Fluttering from the Autumn tree'

Emily you said it so well...

I woke this morning to heavy rain......it was lovely lying in bed and listening to it.

Definitely a morning for breakfast in bed....

a mug of tea, toast and home made plum jam, yum...

The boys are away for the weekend, so I can please myself....

When I fed the girls this morning I discovered that a feathered beastie had been visiting the orchard again and been twice as destructive as last week, aaargh!!

He must've known I was having a sleep in!!

Let's turn the clock back to Saturday shall we?...

I had a list of things I wanted to do, I was planning to stitch up a storm. Somehow that storm was downgraded to a mere blip on the weather radar, but I was happy with the end results.

Why am I stitching hottie covers when it's 35 deg?....

Yes, I had the aircon cranking, certainly made it alot more comfortable.

I'm enjoying using the pastel shades in this blanket, very subtle.

I've decided to do a couple of markets next month, so I'm hoping someone else will like these and I won't be bringing them home with me.....

Ok, back to Sunday......when I should've been doing dishes, ironing or vacuuming this morning, I was sitting at the machine stitching a little something.

Not sure what I was aiming for, but I had to get this out of my system before I could do any of the boring stuff.

A scrap of wool, a scrap of fabric and some stitching...

It's not finished, I have been doing a little hand stitching on it this evening.

I think it's turning into a cuff of some sort.

No plans just playing and see what the result is.

There's always the possibility it will end up in the bag of scraps.

Thought you might like to see the view from my sewing room.......

So peaceful watching the rain fall on all that greenery....

The 'Wild Wood' of Silver Birches.....beautifully green and cool in Summer, golden in Autumn and stark, white, papery trunks against the sky in Winter.

Parrots visit and the chooks love scratching in the leaf mulch when I let them out of their run.

The windows are of the wind out variety, shame about the bar in the middle......

No flash.....that way you can't see the mess either side of the machine.

When the inspirations flowing, the tidying up has to wait.

More pin cushions waiting to be stitched up....

The stock for my market stall is growing slowly, which is better than leaving it to a mad rush in the week before, which is usually the way.

Pretty ✽✽✽ .......

-------OoOoOo------

It's been a weekend of mixed weather.

After yesterday's heat today has been extremely damp.

It was looking very Wintry outside, low cloud obscuring the mountains and driving into Big Town it was foggy.

You could imagine it was a pea souper in Winter, except for the fact that the paddocks are brown......it just looks wrong.

I thought I heard a collective sigh from the garden as the rain started to fall.

The plants were looking very droopy and sad last night.

Might be time to get into the garden and pull out a few weeds this week.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

Whatever your week brings, weeding, sewing or doing the 'boring stuff' I hope you find some time to be creative.

Take care,

Claire♡♡♡

Stitchy Happenings and a Vegie Swap Report

2012-02-20T17:01:00.009+11:00

Hello there and welcome to a rather, dull, damp corner of the globe.

Thanks for popping by and if you are visiting from another dull, damp corner I hope I can brighten your day a little.......

Today, was meant to be all about the garden as the sun was hiding and the temp. was low even though we were forecast 30deg.

BUT, somehow, between the dishes and getting ready to start the day, I got side tracked and found myself sitting at the sewing machine.

I seem to have built up a collection of feathers, from chooks to magpies, cockatoos, parrots and anything in between that appeals so........

.....a little pin cushion with a feather using left overs of woollen fabric was calling out to be made.

Why is it that ideas for crafty makes have a habit of popping into my brain when I'm about to go out and won't be able to get to my machine for hours....very frustrating.

Somehow I think there's a fine line between feather and leaf, here's hoping I got it right!!

Feathers one side and some chooky fabric which has been sitting unused in my fabric stash for 3 years or so.

Just need to stuff and stitch it up this evening.

It's a good little project to work on in the evenings when I'm watching TV

......I don't feel so guilty then!!

Do you like to work on a crafty project on when you are watching TV?

Preferably one that doesn't require to much concentration...

More Hottie Huggies in production.....

A little cottage, it's inhabitants sleeping peacefully.

A little saying to go on the back...

Every sleepy boy and girl

in every bed around the world

can hear the stars up in the sky

whispering a lullaby.

Mary Chapin Carpenter

After making the bunnies I thought I would make one more appropriate for a little boy....

I haven't used this blanket to make anything yet, but love

the bluey greens and browns

It definitely had to be a teddy bear and it took me ages to find

the sort of Teddy I wanted.

It all looked hunky dory on paper so I traced the pic onto some fusible 'stuff' which I ironed onto the back of the brown wool.

Cut it out, iron in place and sew it down.

Too easy.

My invisible pen wouldn't work on the fabric so I had to cross my fingers and 'ope like 'eck that it would be OK...

Well, it looks like Ted has been overstuffed somewhat.....

No.1 suggested Jenny (Craig) might be able to help him!!

...thanks mate...

I'm not giving up that easily, I'll have another go and get it right.

Come on Ted you sleepy head.

We've had fun playing now

it's time for bed.

The community vegie swap took place on Saturday.

Nice to be part of it as I wasn't doing the Bright market.

I got up early picked 3 bunches of Zinnias, some punnets of mini Roma toms. half a bucket of Nashi pears and some Royal Gala apples.

Packed it into my basket and headed off.

I swapped a bunch of Zinnias for a jar of strawberry jam before I even got there, hehe......

There was plenty of produce,

Zucchinis, Button Squash, more tomatoes apples, plenty of plums,

Spring onions, cucumbers, jars of olives, jam, home made Ginger Beer, Silver beet, herbs, seedlings, seeds and even......

....some cute little Muscovy ducklings and a good home was found for them too.

The wood fired oven had been stoked up on Friday evening and was ready to bake, pizzas, muffins, pies, cakes and even a roast.

It was great to see so many people there with young families enjoying lunch and making new acquaintances.

Trays of Kipfler potato chips which had been baked in the oven and platters of watermelon were passed around.

A successful day for the organisers.......

I came home with my basket full of produce and as it was a little warm I thought I would enjoy a cool drink and try the ginger beer.

I had only turned the lid a smidge when 'BANG' it blew out of my hand and

WHOOSHKA, a metre high fountain of ginger beer shot up into the air!!!

After wiping the benches, mopping the floor and drying the inside of the pendant light I had been standing under....

I sat down to enjoy the inch of ginger beer left in the bottle hehehe.....it was delish.

Didn't realise it would be such a volatile brew...

My mum used to make it when I was a kidlet, I don't recall too many of these incidences.

Sunday morning while we slept peacefully a feathered intruder found our apple trees.

Wouldn't mind too much if it ate the whole piece of fruit, but taking huge chunks out and dropping them on the ground is not

going to endear the feathered marauder to us at all.

Yep, it was a cockatoo, noisy, destructive feathered beastie....

Stay away you're

NOT WELCOME....

-----OOOOO-----

Well, the sun has actually shown it's face through the rain and bathed the hills in a beautiful golden glow and

a full, double rainbow has added to the scene....

The temp, has dropped and I've dragged out my Winter slippies and a long sleeved top, very snuggly.

I'm feeling rather Wintery, better crack on with my granny square blanket. I have let myself get side tracked with the crocheted bunting and it's not really something you can snuggle under on a cold evening...

So that's just a snippet of what I've been up to the last couple of days.

How about you? What's happening in your little nook?

Thanks for all your lovely comments.

I enjoy reading them all and finding out where you are visiting from.

I appreciate you taking the time as well.

I hope you all have a great week, Im off to stuff and stitch some pincushions and drag that granny square blanket out of hiding,

Take care,

Claire ❀❀❀

P.S. If you've made it to the end of this rather long winded post congratulations you deserve a gold sticky star.✮✮✮

Did You Know...........

2012-02-17T13:06:00.008+11:00

It's true........under the silvery moonlight bunnies come out to play...

You have to be very quiet and find a hidey hole from which to observe them.

They're quite shy and will run away if they think people are around.

Moonlight gives everything a magical quality......

Two little cotton tails, looking for some fun....

They best be careful because another creature comes out at night but not to play.....

Ooops, interruption to blogging...a cloud has just burst overhead and the rain is bucketing down. I better check to make sure the garage isn't flooding.

Okay, the storm has moved away a little, taking the lightning and thunder with it.

The garage has a small amount of water in it but nothing to really worry about, phew.

A bit of a sweep later will see it put to rights.

Aw, come on mum, please let me be in the pic?....

I have to send a big thankyou to Alex, she has inspired me to search through my stash of blankets and whip up some hottie covers.

Last ones I made were back in 2010......

I bought this blanket a couple of months ago and hadn't yet snipped into it......

There are so many different colours in it.

It's going to be fun using it for lots of projects.

Earlier this morning I was outside in the sunshine.....topping up the Vitamin D levels.

The Bella Donna Lillies are blooming beautiful and they have a lovely perfume.

Tig's wanting to hog the lime light today!!

Gertrude Jekyll, was also sporting a beautiful bloom.

Tucked away amongst the foliage, I nearly missed it.

Hope the rain hasn't damaged it....

Not hard to guess which chook laid this egg...

A perfectly placed feather ...I couldn't resist taking a pic....

Thought you might like to meet some of the nightlife.

I've learnt over past Summers, that it's worth turning an outside light or two on before you head out into the garden, if you want to avoid walking into a cobweb and it's owner!!

This little beauty was feasting on a grasshopper the other evening,

fortunately I spotted it before walking into the web, which was head height, eek!!

Now I know of it's whereabouts, I will certainly be avoiding it...

-----00000-----

Well, the storm has passed, if the sun comes out it will be rather steamy.....

The local monthly fruit and vegie swap is on tomorrow morning, so I'll be taking in some of our mini roma toms, apples, nashis and sharing the Zinnia love with a bunch or three.

Always interesting to see what others are growing and come home with some different veg. It's also a great way to meet other members of the community.

Well,it's back to the sewing machine more blankets to cut up and stitch back together as hottie covers.

Might throw a load of washing in the machine,now that the sun is showing it's face.

Have a great weekend everyone, thanks for stopping by to say "hi", always great to hear from you.

Claire ✿✿✿

Stitching Up a Storm.............

2012-02-13T15:15:00.007+11:00

Afternoon, how are you all?

As you can see it's a sunny day here and the temp. is forecast to climb into the mid thirties this week......

The last couple of weeks haven't been typical February weather at all...quite cool in fact.

No complaints from me as it's easier living when there's no heat or humidity but the vegie garden needs some heat to do it's thing.....

Yes, you've guessed it, I plugged the machine in this morning, snipped some of that lovely woollen fabric I was gifted recently and made another 'Bgurk" .

Please meet,

Little Red Hen and her chicky.....

She's one proud Mamma, so it's best if you keep your distance as she's very protective of her little one.....

She's not going to let that little chicky out of her sight

I thought we would head outside for some photos as it's such a beautiful day and I've been told my Vitamin D level is a little on the low side,so it's a good opportunity to soak up some rays.

I was a little surprised to hear this news but mulling it over it all adds up.......

I'm not a Summer person so will head for the nearest patch of shade when outside to avoid getting sunburnt and stay cool.

I now spend more time indoors sewing than I do outdoors gardening, that's probably the biggest change in lifestyle.

Anyhoo, time to get outside a little more and enjoy the weather before it heats up too much.

Last Friday the weather decided to tease us with some stormy clouds and the threat of a thunderstorm.

The garden was looking for some rain and I thought here we go.....but no it wasn't to be and someone else got a nice drop of rain.

Beautiful, atmospheric clouds♡

Beauty waiting to unfurl.....

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩

Can you see them?

One evening last week after a storm we had this amazing cloud formation.

It was if someone had waved a paintbrush across the sky picking out a cloud here and there to colour........

♥♥♥

The trees have started to change colour, first the Pistachios and then the Maples along the driveway.

It feels as if we haven't had much Summer really and Autumn is knocking on the door.

You know I'm not going to complain about it......the last of the Winter wood supply has been stacked away in the shed ....thankyou guys.....so we're ready, but surely there's still some heat to come......

The beautiful White Belladonna Lillies are about to burst into bloom...

The bulbs look sad most of the year then it seems suddenly a little green shoot appears.

A day or two later it's almost 10 inches tall and then the flowers start peeping out of their little green covering........

Next post I'll show you the ugly duckling to swan transformation.

Our Nashis and apples are ready and providing lovely, fresh fruit to snack on.

They're not huge maybe half a dozen bites and they're gone.

Perfect size for filling pockets and munching on as we go for an evening walk......

So what has the week got in store?

More time outside me thinks, shall have a crochet hook in one hand and a gardening fork in the other, just to keep things interesting.

Some more Mamma chooks and chicks, a little more tweaking needed I feel.

If you want to check out some other chickens head over to visit Mimilove.

Karen has just finished a fab commission.....a combination of painting and stitchy creativity which will make you smile

Back into the working week, hope all is well in your little corner of the globe.

Thanks for taking time out to visit and say 'hi', it's always nice to hear from you.

Take care,

Claire ♥♥

I Remember Youoooooo.........

2012-02-06T15:52:00.005+11:00

Hello and welcome to a brand new week.......

It's sunshine and blue sky as far as the eye can see today, but there was a hint of Autumn in the air this morning as I went out to feed the girls...

All you Northern Hemisphere bloggers, I'm picturing you all snuggling down under crocheted blankets with your hands tightly wrapped around mugs of hot chocolate.....partly because I would love to be doing that, but mainly because of the cold temps and weather you've been experiencing.

I hope you are all well and have the fires stoked or the heaters on or just rugging up when out and about.

Better give a little explanation of the above pic.......

I was in need of a bookshelf for storage in the sewing room. So we picked up an 'el cheapo' one at a furniture shop when we were in town yesterday.

I pulled out my little polka dot purse and counted out all my pennies to pay for it.I like to think that I've worked for it and it's a sense of achievement to pay for the things I need.

Last night hubby and No. 1 put it together. There were screws, nails and glue involved.

I smiled to myself thinking this would be interesting......

but they assembled it without any problems, until they realised No. 1 had put the very top piece on upside down.

As there was glue involved there was no way to reverse it. It functions OK but there are holes for screws that you wouldn't normally see, pffft!!

Does it really matter?

Today I have had fun filling the shelves with bits and pieces, but unfortunately this may not be their permanent home as I intend to use the shelves for storing fabric.

Easier to see at a glance what you have rather than rummage through plastic storage bins.

As I sorted through various bags and containers I have rediscovered projects put aside long ago to move onto something else.......

The doll sitting up on the top shelf, I made about 5 years ago. I was very pleased with the way she turned out and love her outfit.

Would like to make her a companion one day.....

I've filled jars with coloured cotton, buttons and brought my sea glass collection out of the dim dark cupboard, so I can enjoy it.

Now back to the boring bit of sorting out.

It feels like one step forward, two steps back as I unearth more 'stuff'.

We're talking years of collecting here girls, so it was always going to be a big job.

Lets' just head outside for a short break in the proceedings and get some fresh air and see what's happening in the garden.

The main colour this year amongst the Zinnias seems to be orange.

Very striking.........

Last year I think it was a deep pink/purple.

The seeds find their way into a variety of places and it's really hard to pull them out when they've put up such a struggle to grow in the gravel path and flower.....

Our pumpkin has rambled across garden beds, wending it's way between tomatoes and capsicum.

It grew from a seed in the compost, so another little experiment left to it's own devices.

There are only 3 pumpkins on it, but they are a decent size and when I saw the price of pumpkin in the supermarket yesterday, I was quite pleased that we had at least 3!!

This variety is Kent and we've found them to be lovely and flavoursome, quite sweet too.

When it's roasted, mmmm...... it's hard to stop eating it.

The mini Roma tomatoes have been the best producer this season.

Eaten straight from the garden, they are lovely and sweet.

I roasted a dish full on Saturday night and I had to walk away from the kitchen after I took them out of the oven as I couldn't stop eating them, yuuuummmyyy.

Love those little, rosy, egg shaped fruit hiding amongst the dark green depths of the tomato foliage.

Don't you just love the smell of a tomato plant when you brush past it?........it smells of Summer...

The front orchard is producing a bumper crop of pears.

They look wonderful hanging from the branches. They are a little way off being ripe but that still doesn't stop the parrots....they're not particularly choosy.

There are plenty to share, just hope they have a lovely flavour.

Last season they looked delicious but had a rather unpleasant flouriness to the texture....such a disappointment.

At least the cows and chooks enjoyed them...

Plums are ready to eat and the birds can't feast on these as they are under netting, hehe.......

I made jam with the plums a couple of years ago and I think there's still some in the pantry, but it may be time to make another batch.

Ok, break's over back to the sorting.

I'm itchin' to get stitchin' again and there's no sewing till the room's sorted, eeek!!

Hopefully,by the end of the week, things will be close to being finished.

-----00000-----

So what have you all been up to today, or over the weekend?....

Was it a project you have been working on or just the usual?

Do tell, I would love to hear.

Thanks for dropping by to visit, lovely to hear from you all.

Take care,

Claire ♥♥

Threads of Happiness

2012-02-03T16:33:00.001+11:00

What do you do with some brightly coloured embroidery thread and a teeny, weeny crochet hook?

You guessed it ladies......

You make teeny, weeny bunting flags.

The bunting love continues here in the Sweet Birdy Love household.

Two storage containers full of beautiful rainbow, candy coloured thread to choose from........♥♥

These little cuties are just as addictive to make, but a teensie tiny bit fiddly as you can imagine.

I find good daylight is necessary in which to make these and I do have to watch what I am doing....

If you would like a tutorial for these little cuties head over and visit Lucy at Attic 24.

Her January 24th blog post will show you how to make them.

Can't do the linky dink thing directly to that post yet!1

A new addition to the kitchen bench today.....

For several years this wonderful tin has been residing out of sight on the top shelf of my walk in pantry........

I looked at it the other day and thought

"why are you not sitting on the bench where I can enjoy you?"

This tin was used as storage for flour when I was a kidlet.

I love the colours, they are some of my favourite combos, so vintage....

It was made in Australia by Willow...... a very rare thing these days, which makes it extra special.

What will I use it for?

Eye candy and that's about it.

It's 10 inches high so would take a lot of buttons to fill it, but then again......

Colour is featuring big time this week...

The poor old Aggies were looking sad and sorry, so on Tuesday evening I chopped their heads off.

3 barrow loads were carted to the rubbish heap, but some made their way inside as they do every Summer.

Here they will stay until they dry off and become a lovely, soft parchment colour.

Cherry red and bright green...♥♥

A surprise pressie the boys bought me back from their weekend away at the Newstead Folk Festival recently.

Hubby saw a local fellow in the main street, he had two pairs of pliers and was bending old fencing wire into shape.

Asked if he could make a chook, no problems........

I love it and am more than happy to have any amount of these girls foraging in my garden.

So to all the crafty/handy blokes out there......well done.

Speaking of handy blokes, No. 1 has asked me 'pretty please' would I post a link to a video he made recently.

He wrote this song last year and has been struggling to find the right title for it.

He would appreciate it if you would have a listen and any suggestions for a title would be great....

I am earning big Brownie points here girls, so if you can help me out in return he'll be happy to do a few extra jobs around the place

That's what I call fair trade.

There are more videos from this session on Youtube, just google Richard Perso Main Street Sessions.....

The week has ended on a cooler note after recent heat and the air con is back in action.

Big cheer.....

A big cheer to all of you clever computer gals who sorted out my wandering ways and got me back on track with the old Blogger interface. Nice to back in my comfort zone, but new skills need to be learnt.

I have spent some time sorting out my new sewing room and it's slow going but I am making progress.

I am so happy to have my own space and since moving everything off the table and reclaiming it I feel so much happier.........like I lost 10kgs overnight...... now that would make you happy wouldn't it?

Anyhoo, I shall move in there eventually and get back to the sewing thing but for now there's more bunting to be made.

Thankyou all for popping over for a visit, I would love to invite you all over to sit around my tidy table and have a cuppa and some scrummy cake, but for now I shall just send each and everyone of you some blue sky and sunshine wishes for a lovely weekend.

Take care and thanks for visiting.........Claire X

You Can Colour My World.....A TaDah Moment

2012-02-01T23:20:00.003+11:00

Hello ladies, I am sitting here trying not to pull my hair out, as I clicked on the 'new blogger' interfacey button the other day, as you do to see what's what and I can't figure out how to go back to the old blog setting thingamy doosie whatsit.......aaaargh!

Consequently uploading my pics ......one at a time, then they all turn out to be in the opposite order .

So let's work backwards shall we........this was meant to be my Ta dah moment too!!

Okay, a nice little envelope arrived all the way from the UK today.No surprise as it was a recent little etsy purchase.

I have been admiring Celia's work for some time and when I saw one of her latest lino cuts, I just knew it would be the very thing.........

Isn't the picture just beautiful?........It's titled

'the birds' wedding day'

I love it,if you go and visit Celia's blog you can see her post about making this lino cut and printing it.

I am amazed by artists who do this sort of work.

The amount of patience,together with a steady hand and the creative side of things come together to produce wonderful prints.

I have had a go at this and found it not quite as easy as I thought it might be, but no doubt practice helps.

I probably gave up in disgust with myself and went and sewed something!!!

Okay, it's just too late at night to faff about with you blogger, so I shall continue....

This is the envelope that greeted

me when I opened the letter box

a Royal Mail stamp and a lovely

chook stamp. I bought it inside put it

on the bench and got on with my

housework till I could sit down and

open it in my own time...

This back to front thing really

stops things flowing.......

I am having some friends over this evening and love to have vases of flowers around the house. But, as there are only a few roses that have survived the heat and of course my colourful Zinnias I am always on the lookout for new ideas. I was about to put this basket away in my sewing room, it only had a couple of balls of wool in it and then....lightbulb moment...

Fill it up with lots of brightly coloured wool and leave it there in a casual, nonchalant (totally planned) way. Will anyone notice, probably not, but you know, it makes me happy......

The table in my entry is a blank canvas waiting for it's spotlight moment.

As my large vases were already in use, I had to reinvent the wheel, so to speak and I love single flowers in jars/bottles.

I am happy with the effect, once again it will probably go unnoticed, although I have trained No.1 to notice these sorts of things, so I usually get some feedback!!

Look above the flowers ladies.......yes, that's it...my bunting is finally finished, yippee.

I love it.

I finished it last night and then No.1 and I wandered around the room, climbing on top of benches and trying to figure out where it would go. We don't have alot of wall space for hanging things in this room, so it was a wee bit tricky.

We tried the dresser but couldn't get it hanging nicely so eventually gave up but today I was determined to put it up.

It just had to be the dresser so I had another go and tied it to the basket handles and was happy....

Eventually, it will find it's way into the sewing room, but for now it's in the right spot. Hiding around the corner on the right is a bright orange flag and on the left a mauve flag...9 in total.

Ta dah......Happy, happy, happy.........

Righto, I 'm off to bed....I'm sure I'll dream about bunting.

I have already started my next crochet project and it involves a tin can!

Without doubt some of you will know exactly what I am hinting at but when I was having coffee with non crochet friends today, they looked at me in a sad (she's lost her mind) kind of way when I told them I was crocheting a cover for a tin can.....

Ooroo and once again sorry for the weirdy, wonky way this post has turned out.

If any of you clever gals know which button to push (with the sledge hammer!!!!) to put things back the way they were, pleeease share.

Take care and thanks for understanding,

Claire XX

P.S. I must say that I do like being able to change the size of the pics after they've been uploaded!!

Joy Is The Flag Flown High...........

2012-01-31T16:19:00.001+11:00

Hello there and a late welcome to Tuesday.....

I am sitting at the table pictured with the windows open and a beautiful breeze blowing........it's lovely and cool.

Yesterday the rain finally arrived, during Sunday night we had over 30mls, of steady, gentle, quenching rain.

It continued to rain throughout Monday, but the sun did appear and when it did, ooh , it was rather steamy....not nice.

But, today, ah.........breathing a sigh of relief from the heat.

Last night I finished off the flags for my bunting......I was very good and darned in all the ends and gave them a gentle steam press as one or two unruly corners continued to curl up.

Tonight I shall crochet them all together and hang them up.

I had intended to stick with paler colours but couldn't get the mix quite right and when I added some of the brighter shades, whammo ........

It's been hard to stop crocheting these flags they are soooo addictive and a fun project.

I sat in the main street at my favourite cafe drinking coffee and crocheting, much to the amusement of gathered friends!!

Hey you've gotta push the boundaries sometimes, right?.......

My dining table hasn't been this bare/tidy in oh, ......years!!

No.1 said 'it just doesn't look right' and hubby thought he'd come home to the wrong house!!

Gotta love 'em

Stormy skies yesterday......love the inky blue clouds.......

Hoping the rain will come this way......and it did.

Beautiful, cooling, refreshing rain.....

The garden looks renewed today. It had been wilting in the heat and no matter how much you water it, t needs the rain fall to bring it back to life.......

While it rained yesterday, I moved 'stuff' from the dining room table and put it in the spare room.

Yes, that's it above.

No ta dah moment yet.....probably not for quite some time....

Baltic pine (orange) furniture will have to do and you know what I'm over the moon that I have my own space so the furniture, pffft.

Does it really matter?

Not one jot...

I am surprised (ever so slightly) at the amount of 'stuff' I have collected, amassed, found, thrifted..........

I have to find a home for each and every bit, eeek!!

Until it is sorted, or until I can move freely without having to climb over things, I think the sewing thing will be on the back burner.

Crochet will be my craft of choice for the next little while, it's portable and not as messy as the other stuff i 'do'.

I have been drooling over Cecile's crochet at

Eclectic Gipsyland

Oh, the colours she uses and things she makes are wonderful, beautiful little purses, bags, flowers......all sorts of things.

Pop over and have a browse but make yourself a cuppa first and make sure you have a spare hour, you'll need it.

If you've never crocheted before you're going to want to learn after visiting Cecile's blog.

Well, I am off to enjoy this cool weather, maybe I'll do something exciting like the ironing and dream about my next crochet project.

Thanks for popping by, I wish I could package up some blue sky and sunshine for all in the Northern Hemisphere.

Sounds like it's turned rather chilly recently.

Lovely to hear from you and take care,

Claire XXX

Colour, Colour Everywhere

2012-01-27T19:34:00.003+11:00

Hello and welcome, here we are at the end of another week.......

I had hoped to post earlier but.......

It's been very warm here and on Wednesday our air con. decided to play up, aargh!! No one available to look at it till next Monday, so in the meantime I have been trying to 'keep cool and carry on', hehe.....

In between other projects I have been crocheting some bunting.

Little triangles of colour, you can see them stacked together in the basket. Some blocked, some waiting to have 'their curls tamed'

It's been a great portable, little project. Pop a ball of wool and a crochet hook in a plastic bag and take it with me. Trips in the car have been measured not by distance, but by how many flags I can crochet. I can hook up two flags as we head into 'big town'....

I found Heather's easy to follow tutorial over at

Pink Milk Jewels.

Today I made myself a little helper, she's taking her job of choosing colours for bunting very seriously.

She was inspired by some sweet little fairies Ruth made from the book Scandinavian Stitches by Kajsa Wikman.

It feels like ages since I made something different, my crafting mojo is returning in fits and starts.

I have been busy, turning the spare bedroom into my sewing room.

The boys have been very good helping move furniture out and furniture in.

My 'space' won't be designer material, but, it will be my space where I can leave everything set up and just walk out and shut the door.

We will reclaim the dining room table,oooh, I am looking forward to that.

Earlier this week I received a parcel from Finland a little Etsy purchase.....

I was very pleased to find it waiting for me in the letter box and check out that gorgeous tape........squirrels and acorns.

Inside a brown paper package and a hand stamped card......

Inside the parcel is the necklace I bought from Delila over at

Robin and the Sage.

She lives in a little village in Finland and makes woodland inspired jewellery.

My necklace has a hand made acorn and lovely beads hanging from it.

It will be a piece of jewellery perfect to wear in Autumn and Winter.

I have admired her work and enjoyed reading her blog for quite some time, so......

If you haven't visited Robin and the Sage before, pop over and take a look and be inspired.

So, what have you been inspired by recently?

I would love to know.

-----OOOOO-----

I'm hoping we will get some rain over the next couple of days, the garden will certainly enjoy it and I think I will go outside and do a little rain dance. It's very dry and watering is quite a chore in the evenings.

I also hope to finish off the 'moving' process into my sewing room this week and find a home for everything. I will no doubt be making another trip to the op shop as I continue to have a sort out.

Looking outside there are some stormy clouds gathering, so maybe we will get some rain a little sooner than expected.....fingers and toes crossed!! B

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and thankyou so much for popping by for a visit.

It's always nice to hear from you.

Take care,

Claire X

Goodmorning Sunshine ☀.........

2012-01-20T07:20:00.007+11:00

Good morning or evening depending on where you are and

a big welcome to all my new followers.......

Thanks for popping by for a visit.

I hope all is going well in your crafty corner of the globe.

In between trying to stay cool and some other projects I have been doing a little bit of creating.

A lovely lady by the name of Shirley (also a chook lover) gave me a box full of beautiful woollen fabric samples. She asked if I could make her a chook and she chose these colours.

Shirley has a personality to match her colour choice!

So, here's Rosie, she's a bit like the Queen Mary under full steam, but I am quite happy with the way she turned out and the gusset (these things are the bain marie of my life, hehe...)is a success.

Not sure if she's a one off, but for a very long time,I have been thinking of making one.

Sometimes you just need a little push to get you over the hurdle.

I thought a couple of pics in the garden (where chooks often find themselves!!) was appropriate but the sun has washed out her colours.

She did like being out with the flowers, but not so keen on the bees...

For all of you living in cooler climes I thought some blue sky and sunshine pics of my Sunflowers might brighten a gloomy day for you.

They remind me of a choir, all standing up straight with heads held high.......

A bit of blue sky love ♥ going on here too....

They are putting on a great show at the moment...

...and keeping the bees busy.

You know those little fellas were still out at 8pm last night.

Don't they have a home to go to?....

Love the blue sky against the yellow flowers

...just wonderful

It's been pretty warm here this week and I have been wilting in the heat, so I thought it might be wise to pick the roses and bring them inside where I can enjoy them rather than leave them to burn to a crisp in the sun.

L - R

Mothers' Love, William Morris and at the back

Blue Moon with Lady of Megginch.

I placed the vases throughout the house where I could enjoy them.

A pic of the vegie garden

We had a load of wood delivered.....getting ready early for Winter.

Just needs someone to put it away!!

The beans are producing slowly but steadily, there's plenty of tomatoes on the various plants. The Spring Onions are lovely in salads along with the capsicum and there's quite a few little pumpkins developing on the vine.

There's always something from the garden used in our dinner...

There aren't as many Zinnias as in previous years, but they are doing a wonderful job adding colour to the yard.

Tig is doing what he does best.......

Find a disused carton, curl up and go to sleep.

Ah, it's a cat's life.

-----OOOOO-----

Well,it's been very warm this week although not too hot at night for sleeping.

We were planning to head away for the weekend away but it hasn't happened. That's OK later in the year when we have more time and it's not so hard to get accommodation might be better.......

So, they say a change is as good as a holiday and I got a bee in my bonnet this afternoon and entered the SMB shed.

That's 'secret mens business'....just in case you were wondering.

I roped No.1 in to help and we dragged out an old kitchen table which I intend to use for a sewing table.

I also decided it was time to sell a piece of furniture which had been stored for some years.

I rang the local antique dealer he came around half an hour later, gave me a price loaded it up into his car and off he went.

I now have a few dollars to put towards a 2nd hand storage unit of some sort...

So the spare room, becomes my sewing room once the bed is removed.

I have been talking about doing this for some time, today just happened to be THE day...

And, I am going to reclaim my dining table, yay!!

I hope, your week has ended on a good note and things are going according to plan.

Take care,

Claire X

Surprise, Surprise

2012-01-13T13:42:00.006+11:00

Shortly before Christmas I found a parcel in the letterbox, addressed to me........

I wasn't expecting one so it was a complete surprise when I opened

it up and found the most amazing teacosy inside.

My clever, creative and amazingly talented friend Meralin had whipped this up for me, intending to give it to me before she moved house to another corner of Victoria. But in between packing boxes and house cleaning and all those squillions of jobs you have to do when moving....she never quite got around to finishing it.......

Anyhoo, here it is........

Last year I showed her how to free motion embroider!!

Check out the other side......she even used a recycled blanket inside it...gorgeous green woollen blanketing too.

Those cup cakes look absolutely yummy and Mez has used seed stitch and bullion stitch to make all those little sprinkles on the swirls of frosting.

Knowing Meralin she probably whipped up a batch of these gorgeous cupcakes and took her inspiration from them.

Her skills don't end with the sewing machine, she's a whizz in the kitchen (move over Nigella)an amazing artist..oils, acrylic, pencils, pastels and then there's the knitting.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention gardening and writing children's stories.....her sense of humour is very sharp.

When creative talents were being handed out, she somehow managed to snag more than most, hehe.......

Am I jealous.....no way.

I love knowing such creative people, they're inspirational, motivational and she has been a great supporter of what I do and encouraged me no end and boy do I miss her.

The little bird on the cupcakes is a nod to

Portlandia - "Put a Bird On It"

I saw this clip on Youtube last year, what a hoot.

Not sure if it still available to see but is

"a sendup of the ubiquity of birds in decor"

"what a sad little tote - I know I'll put a bird on it"

You get the picture and I love birds.........

Surprise, surprise.....no birds here.

Flowers and hearts yes.

Slow stitching (embroidery) yes

In the latest edition of Mollie Makes to arrive at the newsagents

there is an article on Vintage Handmade Gifts.

So, I grabbed an old woollen jumper, some embroidery thread and set too......

Now I have to say that this very idea had been forming in my little old brain for some time.

It was put on the 'To Do' list when I had time, but you know how it goes!!

Anyway, Mollie you have given me the rocket I needed to put said plan into action and here we are.

Just need to embroider the other side and gather the top of the cosy and finish it off.

I'm loving the colours, quite a change from what I normally do.

Another beautiful surprise from my garden is the first flower from William Morris......

a delicate, apricot bloom with a lovely fragrance.

Surrounding him is Mothers Love, hehe.....

The Zinnias continue to add colour to the garden...

Still loving those beautiful, bright, clear colours.

Surprise,surprise this year the Lillium sent up not one but two shoots

Obviously from a little bulblet and I thought they were difficult things to grow!!

It's very happy in it's spot in the garden and has rewarded me with two stems full of gorgeous flowers.

I will bring one stem inside where it will continue to flower and put on a lovely show for some weeks and the second stem I will give to my sister.

I daren't leave them outside in the heat and weather, plus I can't smell their gorgeous perfume if I'm not out there too.

Well after 2 1⁄2 weeks away playing at a festival in Queensland and gigging, No. 1 returned home last night.

A surprise for Tigger who is always up for a cuddle.

He doesn't seem to mind that Rich has just gotten up bed hair 'n all.

Despite the fact that there is 'stuff' strewn through out the house , it's great to have him home again. As I type he's back on the freeway heading to Canberra for a gig tonight. He will return sometime over the weekend and have the pleasure of putting all that 'stuff ' away!!

Hubby flew in last Sunday, so my two weeks of peace and quiet have come to an end, hehe...

Did you know that Peanut butter M &M's make cute little flowers too.

Sadly, these ones don't multiply .....

once they are gone they are gone.

If you've never tried them, hunt them down, they are worth the effort.

Peanut butter and chocolate a wonderful combination. Just don't forget to hide them from the rest of the family in your crochet bag or your tumble dryer!!

Another lovely surprise I received last week is the Liebster Blog award from Anna over at Esme Rudy.

Thankyou very much for that Anna.

As there are soooo many wonderful blogs out there, I always find it hard to pick just 5 to hand the award on to.

I think you all deserve a gold, sticky star for being such a creative lot.

Pop over to Anna's blog and say "hi" and read about her forays into the world of crochet and crafting.

-------00000------

Well, another week has passed, hope it's been a good one for you all wherever you are.

We have had topsy, turvy weather here for Summer......19deg.on Wednesday with snow up in the mountains. High winds as well and it was quite a surprise to hear a loud crack and then watch a tree fall down on the verge and block the road.

It is starting to warm a little today, but is still very pleasant.

I hope you all have a great weekend, thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment, ☎

Till next time,take care,

Claire X

It's In The Bag......well almost

2012-01-06T17:39:00.006+11:00

A little project on the side is always good when you hit a snag, don't you think?......

The dress was coming along swimmingly, when suddenly out of nowhere there was a hiccup....

just one,

very small,

quite ladylike really,

but until I could figure it out, I needed a distraction.

An easy, peasy make, that would keep the crafty vibe alive but not cause any hiccups!!

It couldn't get much easier than sewing two rectangles of fabric together.

Because I love this green floral fabric so much, I had bought an extra metre and thought it would make a great bag to keep my crochet in.

I'm very happy with how it has turned out, although if I make another I will tweak it a little.

I love the gingham lining, it was going to be polka dots but I didn't have quite enough fabric, so gingham it is and it looks nice and cheery....

There's a spot for 3 crochet hooks and a pocket for some scissors or some chokky, hehe.....

Good place to hide your chokky stash, the family would never think to look in your crochet bag would they?

There's room for my rug......

hopefully not for much longer as I sit and hook a round or two in the evenings...

It's growing ever so slowly.

Earlier this week a bubble/cardboard/paper wrapped parcel arrived in my letter box.

In it were a couple of books I had ordered from New Zealand and I had been waiting patiently!! for them....

'The Story of My Ruin' and' I know A Garden' by Marion Cran.

They are lovely books, written back in the 1930's telling of her gardening exploits and of renovating old homes in England.

She was also the first gardening radio broadcaster.....

It was a completely different era, with gentler ways.

Who would've thought that a book purchased for 50 cents from a jumble stall at a school fete, would turn into a journey that has given me hours of enjoyment.......

There may be a little less crochet taking place in the evenings now!!

I'm also swooning over those David Austin roses...

Lady of Megginch♥♥

And to end the week, here is my first op shop find for the year.

A lovely woollen blanket, with lots of colours,

MAUVE

BLUE

GREEN

LEMON

PINK

I haven't seen one like this before and hesitated before I bought it BUT I have plans which I am a little bit excited about, as it feels like my sewing mojo may be returning.

In my defence I would like to say that I was at the op shop dropping off bags and boxes of bits and pieces that I can live without.

I was having a little clear out, so when something new comes in, something old has to go.

So, 2 'new to me' books arrived and out went a bag of magazines and 4 books, along with a bag of clothes and some kitchen ware, yay...

It feels great decluttering....

-----00000-----

You can see how much the countryside has dried out in the last little while....less green and more brown, but a beautiful, blue

sky, in the last photo.

We are in for another warm day tomorrow, but hopefully some rain on Sunday which will be lovely.

I hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you are and thank you to everyone who left a lovely, encouraging comment on my previous post.

It's always great to hear from you and a big thanks to Georgia over at Little Blue Mouse for her advice on my hiccups!!

Have a great weekend everyone and take care,

Claire X

P.S. Silly me, forgot to say that Emma over at Lemons for Lemonade is hosting a fab giveaway for those of you who would like to learn how to crochet. Lots of great things to get you 'hooked'

(I just had to , sorry!)

It's open till the 31st. January and she will post worldwide.

Pop on over read her January 4th post and throw you name in the hat and good luck!

✄.......Sew Far, Sew Good......✄

2012-01-04T17:26:00.005+11:00

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

Hold On To Your Sunhats...........

2011-12-30T20:21:00.005+11:00

Hello there and welcome to my last post for 2011...

Can we be on the verge of a new year already?

Not too many words you'll get the picture,so to speak.

But remember, not a word to anyone...

Escapades late at night.....

The first event.....

I do hope those bike riders appreciate the effort to 'pretty' up the boring, old bike racks...

A last wander around the garden, the sun is on the wane.

The temperature has dropped, it's quite pleasant out.

This sunny specimen is creating quite a show in the garden and keeping the bees busy......

It's a beauty and my girls are going to enjoy those seeds in a couple of months time.

Beautiful baubles on a tree, red, shiny and very tasty.

Eaten straight from the tree, the warm juice dribbling down your chin and running down your arm.....

Gertrude Jekyll, she was planted quite late in the season and I held my breath as she slowly took root and sent out the first tentative shoots.

She's a hardy thing and now here she is in all her glory and a beautiful perfume to boot.

Nearby are the Daylillies, blink and you'll miss them, they are aptly named.

Burnt orange and crimson red.....

Matching the warm weather we are experiencing at the moment.

We're in for a hot New Years Eve and more heat to follow.

Summer had to arrive at some stage.......

The Tomatoes are ripening and beans are coming on, zucchinis are turning into marrows if I don't check them every day.

The garden is where it's all happening at the moment......

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

I hope you all enjoyed the recent festivities and didn't over do it.

I'd like to wish you all a happy, healthy and creative 2012.

Thankyou all for stopping by to say 'hello', leaving a comment or becoming a follower.

You are all very welcome, it's nice to have visitors.....

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

We Have A Winner Folks............

2011-12-22T20:14:00.008+11:00

Take one top hat when No.1 son isn't looking.

Preferably, while he's not wearing it as he has been known to chase people down who try and run off with it..........

Write down names on pieces of paper and place in upturned hat.

On the appointed day, just after finishing breakfast ask random person (aka hubby) to pull three names out of the hat.

And here they are in drawn order.........

First name drawn was

Emma from Lemons for Lemonade

followed by

Jacquie from Bunny Mummy

and

last but not least

Alison from Tweed Thoughts.

Jacquie and Alison, I have been following their blogs for some time, but Emma's blog is quite new to me.

I found her blog when she wrote a post late November about a pub she visited The Gwdihw in Cardiff which had a lot of owl ornaments.......

We 'chatted' a bit and there was a funny little story unfolding which she posted about recently.

If you haven't 'met' these crafty talented ladies, click on the links and say 'hi'........

It's a stormy evening here .......

Grey skies with the hint of a rainbow.

No rain for us, but someone, somewhere is getting wet.

Screeching Cockatoos, disturbed from their roost, wheeling across the leaden sky.

This is the same view but a different angle.

You can see how things have dried out, but there is still some greenery around.

Yes, we have ripe tomatoes before Christmas, yay....

These are meant to be cherry tomatoes, but they are hoouge.

You can't beat the taste of a homegrown tommie...

My favourite Summer flowers....Zinnias.

The first for the season.

A little red Robin or three came to live in my garden courtesy

of my talented, artistic friend Ella.

She used some above ground pool, corrugated metal and pop riveted some wings and legs to the body.

Sorry about the dark pick , but the wind had whipped up and it was getting late.

I still have to show you the wonderful tea cosy I received from another friend......next time.

It was quite a different story last night......

A beautiful sunset and a freshly washed piece of fabric drying on the line.

I spied this fabric at Spotlight yesterday and had to buy it.

I love the vintagy colours, very CK I thought.

Hopefully it will be put to good use very soon.

Sharing a meal with a friend.....Tigger and Mrs Kafups

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

Thank you all for entering my first ever giveaway, I've had a lot fun reading about your blog reading habits and welcome to all my new followers.

Well I do hope you've all had a great week, not too hectic........

We're heading towards a warm weekend with 32deg. forecast for Christmas day and a possible thunderstorm.

Wherever you are and however you spend Christmas day I hope you enjoy the time spent with family and friends.

Till next time, take care

Claire X

JOY and HAPPINESS

2011-12-19T14:27:00.009+11:00

Hello and welcome to another week.......

Just wanted to share with you some of the things that are making me smile right now and bringing a touch of happiness and a smidgen of joy into the world of Sweet Birdy Love.

Op shop finds......for just a few dollars I came away with a bag of beaut vintage buttons.

Gorgeous colours and patterns.

Some lovely green vintage Ric Rac made in Czechoslovakia, still on the original card and for a few dollars more some great beads.

Sparkly, shiny, in lovely pinks, greens and amber.

I have plans for the beads, a little bit of play time over the holidays, fingers crossed and tongue in the correct position and hopefully I'll have something interesting to show you.....

Vintage buttons = JOY

Sometimes it only takes a couple of dollars.

Other times no money at all.......

Toadstool love is in full swing here.

These little specimens are 'growing' quite happily in the

Wild Wood of Silver Birches......

I'm predicting a few more might pop up here and there.

Fresh berries = JOY

Picked straight from the garden......

They are starting to slow down a little but there will be more in a few weeks time.

In the meantime they have been frozen, turned into jam, given away, eaten and enjoyed.

Christmas shopping was completed here over a month ago....

No fighting your way through crowds of shoppers.

No driving round in circles looking for a car park.

One catalogue, many gifts to choose from.

Giving to those who have little or nothing brings great JOY

TEAR Australia

Visit the website and browse through the catalogue you're bound to find something that will make a huge difference to someones life.

If it all gets too stressful take a leaf out of Tigger's book and 'chill out'......

-----OOOOO-----

I had my last market for the year on Saturday and I am

pleased to say it was my best ever ......

Consequently, I didn't have enough stock to hold my stall on Sunday at the local market.

But hey, I think that's a good problem to have.

Over the holidays I would like to try my hand at a few different projects and hopefully learn some new skills.

I will post the successes and hint at the failures....

Of which there may be a few,hehe.......

I have some wonderful things to show you next post.

Gifts from clever, talented friends who never cease to amaze me with their creativeness.

I will also be drawing the winner of my giveaway on Thursday morning as I have my breakfast.......

There is still time to enter if you haven't already, please read the previous post for details.

Till then take care,

Claire X

THANKYOU IT'S BEEN A 'HOOT'.............

2011-12-08T13:44:00.008+11:00

Some things take a while to sink in.....you know what I mean?

I love owls as do alot of others, so the question is 'why haven't I been making any owlie things?'

Who knows apart from the fact it can take awhile for the penny to drop.

I think I was just too caught up in one of the hundreds of other ideas that invade my brain.....

So I have just finished and I mean JUST finished these owls.

Ladies they are hot off the press, still smoking, hehe......

Who doesn't love having an owl or two, or three or even four, perched in a nearby tree?!!

We often hear the Boobook owls calling across the valley at night.

A sound that makes me very happy as I drift off into the Land of Nod.

Not only are these little owls cute but............

They're also useful for holding your needles.........

Yes, these little fellas are sewing needle books.

Lots of bright polka dots along with felt a bit of stitching, some buttons for eyes and there you have it.

And guess what I'm giving 3 of them away, so keep on reading if you're interested.

I'm also giving away this little pendant I bought at the market last Saturday.

Told you I had something in mind for it, didn't I.........

I made a little pouch for it to travel in, to keep it nice and safe..........

I really had fun making this little pouch and it reminded me of when I was a child handsewing bits of fabric together to make 'things' for my dolls or myself.

Details of the Giveaway at the end of this post, but let's take a turn around the garden and see what's blooming.

The Chinese Star Jasmine is putting on an awesome display. It's been growing in this pot since we moved here 9 years ago. This is the best season yet, due to the rain. We all know how much more the garden appreciates natural rain compared to hand watering...........

If you are not familiar with this plant it has a beautiful perfume which fills the air in the warm weather and is just divine.............

Grows quite happily in the garden or in a pot.

The beautiful Buddleia is in bloom.

I love this plant, the honey perfume is heavenly.

Unfortunately, all the flowers are on the new growth at the top of the shrub which is about 5 metres high. Hopefully, we'll get some blooms lower down so I can pick an armful and bring them inside...

Further along in the shrubbery the Dahlias are starting to bloom.

The bright orange of this cactus Dahlia certainly makes a splash against all the surrounding greenery.

Along the driveway we have the ubiquitous 'aggies' or agapanthus.

They're hardy, they survived the drought and are frost hardy, so obviously they are a good choice to line the driveway.

They have just popped out of their little papery coverings and are about to open up fully.

Purple and green another great colour combo.

As you can see the countryside is starting to dry off as the temps rise.

Still quite green but Summer is creeping in.

There is rain due over the next day or so. It will give the 'lawn', lol a good drink and freshen up the garden.

Fingers crossed for more than half a dozen drops!

Now, remember last post I was talking about doing a bit of yarnbombing, ssssh!!!!

No words needed, it's self explanatory......

Dressed in black complete with beanie (took it off 'cos that would look suspicious and it was just too hot!!) my accomplice who shall remain nameless came into town with me.

He held the torch and the crochet while I stitched as fast as I could.

The old time dance was ending so there were cars around and we were trying not to look conspicuous!!

Mind you two people loitering in town late at night, always looks conspicuous, specially when you are dress in black!!

I haven't heard any comments yet, I do hope someone has noticed but there it is.

FYI I used a size6 hook and double yarn so it would hook up quickly.

I did a nice little picot edging at one end and a shell edge at the other end, just to give it that certain touch, hehe.........

Hubby thinks I'm barking and he's probably right, but hey, we got some good laughs out of it and that's what it was all about.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Ok, this giveaway has been a long time coming.

I never had giveaways at milestones.......

100 followers

100 posts

1 year of blogging etc. etc.

I didn't want to just because everyone else did.

But now the time is right, we are heading towards the end of the year and I just want to say THANKYOU

to each and everyone of you who pops by to read my ramblings, whether you comment or not.

You have been encouraging, helpful with computer/blog issues (Cuckoo, Tanya Anne and Alison),

inspiring, motivating and all those good things.

Like everyone else who blogs, I really enjoy this community of people some of whom I have had the pleasure to meet (Tanya, Lee, Chris) but the majority I haven't.

Thanks for sharing your lives, makes, ideas, the good, the bad and occasionally the ugly, hehe.......

It's been such fun and whilst I think my blog can be rather pedestrian at times, I don't have all the fancy bits and pieces that are available due to my dinosaur computer skills you keep coming back, so Thankyou

Ok, let's get to the nitty gritty.

First name drawn out of No. 1's top hat will receive the pendant in it's unique little travel pouch, plus an owl needle book.

2nd name drawn will receive an owl sewing needle book as will the 3rd name drawn

(No.1 told me I couldn't have two prizes the same, but I said

"who are you the giveaway police!!" )

I will also add some other bits and pieces to these prizes but that's a 'Bgurk' surprise.

What do you have to do?

Just leave a comment, maybe you should give me two colour options for the owl just in case!!

There is a question I would like to ask

I'm just curious about your blog reading habits.........

Do you check out "Blog Lists' on other blogs or click on comments that are interesting to find out a bit more about who wrote it?

Are you a blog hopper or stick with your favourites and don't venture to far from home?

This giveaway is open to all and sundry from Tangambalanga (say that 3 times fast) to Timbuktu (which is actually in Mali/Africa)

Whether you are a follower or not, blogger or not, commenter or lurker, please de-lurk and say 'hi'

I won't bite, promise........ despite the fact hubby thinks I'm 'barking'

If you mention this on your blog please let me know for another ' bite of the cherry'

The giveaway will close at my brekky time 7.30am on Thursday December 22nd..............

Please make sure I can link back to you or leave your email in the comment or I will have to redraw.

The winners will receive their prizes after Christmas.........

So once again thankyou for taking the time to drop by and say 'hi', nice to hear from you it's been a 'HOOT', oops, just had to, sorry........

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

To Market, To Market..........

2011-12-04T22:15:00.006+11:00

Recognise any of the above patterns?

Maybe you had a plate, saucer or cup with one of these patterns on it.........

This is the work of Robyn Steele one of the stall holders at the market I attended on Saturday.

She takes broken crockery and turns it into wonderful ceramic pendants.

She goes by the name of Five Poppies but as yet doesn't have a website, but her email is

steelero@gmail.com

Her kids are trying to talk her into getting a website up and running and I certainly hope she does.

Beryl is Robyn's mum, so naturally she had to make this little pendant.

I think it's a great idea...........

I had a lovely chat with Robyn.

It's always nice to catch up with other crafty types and talk about what you make and swap ideas...........

It was a gorgeous day and there seemed to be plenty of people coming along to the market.

It always turns out to be a bit of a social outing as well..........

It was a difficult decision and I ummed and aahed for ages before deciding on this cute little house pendant.........

It has come home with me and I have something in mind for it, so stay tuned.........

Something else I spied at the market were....

these gorgeous padded coathangers.

Now this is only one part of one of four tables full of coathangers for sale.

Seriously, there were hundreds of them, adult and children's coathangers.

They are beautifully made and I would love to see the fabric stash belonging to these crafty ladies.

Two sisters were running the stall and unfortunately I didn't get their names, but I did get.....

Two gorgeous red and white coathangers.

Of course it had to be polka dots and gingham was the other obvious choice.

These were actually a little swap......one of my Bgurk brooches for two coathangers.

I just love doing that sort of thing.

When it was time to pack up I didn't really want to, I was having such a pleasant time.

I also met another local lady by the name of Sue she had been talked into sharing a stall with some of her friends.

Sue makes lots of wonderful things, fabric bags, cute as a button knitted hats for kids, and jewellery amongst other things.

It was her first time selling at a market and I think it was quite a learning curve for her.

We did another swap a pair of her earrings which I had been admiring for my Nest brooch....

Once again we had a lovely chat about markets and creating and it was really enjoyable.

So Sue if you do read this, it was so nice to meet you and I hope I see you at another local market on a stall of your own very soon.

The trip home only takes about 40 minutes but as I drove through Tarrawingee I had to stop and take a pic of the local pub The Plough Inn.

It was looking a treat on this gorgeous day, pots of flowering petunias out the front.

I have been driving past it for the last couple of years thinking I must stop and take a photo.

Well, I suddenly found myself pulling up in front of it and jumping out of the car, camera in hand.

This pub was built in 1864 by Hopton Nolan and is still in the Nolan family almost 150 years later.

I think part of the appeal to me is the 'Englishness' of it........

Another stop to photograph what we refer to as 'the Billabong' just outside of Beechworth.

It's quite an expanse of water, I don't think it's particularly deep, but during the drought the water level dropped dramatically.

With all the rain we had over the past twelve months it's filled up again and is a haven for ducks and other waterbirds.

There are lots of little islands with tufty grass and reeds growing up out of them

Great reflections.......I wish I could've climbed through the fence and gotten a bit closer, but as I only had my little pocked camera with me, I decided not to.

Plus just having summer sandals on my feet, I thought my outdoor boots were needed just in case I encountered some to the local wildlife!!

The last stop on the trip home....Beechworth.

I can't go though without stopping and popping into a couple of my favourite shops.....unfortunately I was too late for the op shops, they had already closed.

But I did discover someone had been doing a little bit of 'Yarnbombing' yay !!

Hooray, someone has finally done it.

I wonder if they snuck into town in the dead of night and sewed it over the railing.

I would sooo love to do that here in my little town...........I think I shall head into town in the morning with my tape measure in my pocket and scout out a few possibilities.

I think No. 1 might be in on this too, he seemed to like the idea of a bit of Yarnbombing around

the place.

Wouldn't everyone get a surprise to see a crocheted cover over a tree branch or lamp post, but ssssssh, don't tell anyone I'm thinking about it.

Might need some help with the crocheting too....

A close encounter with some local wildlife, just before I got home.

Love the red nose, it looks just like a great big Maraschino Cherry, yum

So glad it stayed put and didn't run out onto the road..............

You have to admit it looks pretty cute.

And just for good measure a pic from the garden, or orchard actually.........

The Feijoas are flowering and they look stunning..

The combination of deep pink and red is just gorgeous and all those little bristly bits, remind me of little bottle brushes.

Looks like we're in for a good crop come March 2012.

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

Well, the jam making continues as the berries ripen here. No doubt there will be another batch on the go this week, just as well I have a good supply of glass jars.

The days are rolling into each other and it's a bit like Ground Hog day sometimes, but the weather has been good, despite a very warm and humid day Tuesday. We did have a storm, plenty of thunder and a wonderful lightning show, but not a drop of rain. At least it cooled down enough to have a blanket on at night and get a good sleep.

It's very windy this evening and I even pulled a fleece jacket out of the wardrobe to keep warm.

So that's a little sneak peek at what I've been doing over the weekend.

I hope you've all had an enjoyable weekend what ever you did.

Thanks for stopping by and saying "Hi" always great to hear from you,

Till next time,

Claire X