Happy New Year

Wishing you a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2015!

 

 

Toodles...L x ♥

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and all the best to the lovely people who've stopped by to visit my little blog over the last year.  Best wishes to your and your loved ones.

See you in the New Year!

Toodles...L x

:: Friday Smile ::

Beets and Charlie snoozing after a long evening of wrestling....

Happy Weekend!  

Toodles ... L x

Chair Makeover :: Before & After

A little vintage Danish style chair rescued from the aisles of gloom at the flea market.  This poor little chair seemed like it lived at the flea market and would never find a home.  Weeks and months I walked past it and never noticed it, then it caught my eye and I saw the potential. All this little chair needed was some new soft cushions and a burst of colour.  

Now this chair has pride of place in the bay window.

And I'm not the only one who loves it!

Old Sally was in the chair as soon as I added the newly covered cushions and had declared it HER chair.

Dogs rule at our house.  :o)

Toddles....L x

P.S.  Please excuse poor photos, the camera cable is missing again...  :oS

Pickled Beets & Knitting

A little new addition to the family has been assisting our new pup Charlie on his mission to derail any hopes I have to master knitting.  Between the two of them they have destroyed three wooden interchangeable knitting needles and two balls of yarn......grrrrrr......but it's hard to stay mad at a little face like that.   

Introducing Beets!  Son of the cat that broke my ankle, Pickles, nephew to our beloved Cat, Spud.

Toodles......L...x

A Little Piece of Furniture

I'm not sure whether to call this little piece of furniture a cupboard, or a dresser or a hutch?  I'm not sure if it is a toy or what they call a 'salesman sample'.  It has no labels or markings, and only stands about 20 inches tall. It is definitely handmade and it looks old, with rusty old nails and of course smells old.  I found it in the deep dark depths of a flea market and nearly walked past it thinking it would be out of my price range, since I've never seen one I can afford, but I was nicely surprised.  My lovely Big J spent his pennies on it as a treat for me, 'cos he is quite nice like that.

I love the stenciling, which almost looks like it was 'burnt' on? If that is possible?  It was looking rather forlorn, but I've cleaned it with some orange oil, which the wood seem to drink up, added a  few spots of glue where seams were splitting and some tiny hinges to make the doors work again.  It originally had nails on the top and bottom of each door to act as a hinge allowing the doors to swing open, but the wood has split and chipped and they no longer worked or could be replaced.  When I found it the doors were actually nailed shut, so I was nicely surprised to see it has a little shelf!  The bottom of the drawer has a few holes in it, but I thought maybe I'd find some pretty paper and line the drawer and shelves, what do you think?  Perhaps a tiny runner for the top? Or maybe a wee doily?  

Right, I'm off to find a few tiny scraps to decorate my tiny dresser.

Toodles...L x ♥

I Don't Hate It....Driftwood

So I finally finished my latest knitting project.  I have to say, I don't love it, but I don't hate it either.  Considering I knitted/crocheted up this yarn at least five different times, probably more and none of them worked I am finally happy something is done with it.  The pattern was easy peasy, it knitted up super duper fast and it is a lovely lovely pattern that I will definitely make again.  It's not a perfect fit, but it is warm and snugly and I have already worn it once.  Next time I think I will make it a size smaller.  I think the thing is with this yarn is it looked lovely in a ball, but I'm not wild about the colour now it's knitted up.  It isn't as blue as it looked in the ball.  Anyway it's done, my men folk think it looks great and I know I will wear it with pride.  On to the next knitting/crochet project.....

Toodles...L x ♥

P.S. I had planned to add some lovely crochet pockets to my jumper, just to jazz it up a bit, but dog Sally had other ideas. I had one pocket done, a sweet crochet circle with one edge of the circle flattened to make it straight for the top of the pocket(if that makes sense) when unbeknownst to me, Sally popped up onto my knitting chair, stole the last ball of yarn and tangled it into the biggest knot you have ever since.  Apparently she didn't like the yarn either!

Hand Stitching ♥ Map

I have absolutely loved working on this little sewing projects.  Choosing the fabrics I'm in love with at the moment and not worrying one bit I've used them on just about every project I've done lately.  Loved making all those little stitches in the ocean, that look like little ripples of waves.  Just loved it.  Now I just need to find the perfect place to hang it so it can shine.

Toodles...L x ♥

Sunday Smile x 2

My photo taking of late has been pretty crap.  Well to be honest, it's never been great.  It's really been a luck of the 'click'.  So needless to say I was happily surprised to see this beauty when I was downloading photos from my camera late one night.  I don't see many butterflies in my garden and certainly not in late October, so this one made me smile twice, once when I saw it and again when I saw I actually captured it on camera!

Happy Sunday!  May your week be full of happiness and unexpected smiles.

Toodles...L x ♥

Happy 13th Halloween

I have all sorts of posts in my mind, things to talk about things to show, but today I just have to post a Happy 13th Halloween to my boy, Little J who turns a big 13 today. 
Finally a teenager.
Today was the very first Halloween without him! He flitted in briefly for cake, which he got stuck into BEFORE I had a chance to put candles on a sing happy birthday, and the flitted out again for trick or treating - without me! 
The reason for his flittiness and urgency... 
You see, I've been replaced.  
And her name is E.  
And she is very nice.  
And they went off trick or treating without me (but with adult supervision, don't worry).
What a marvelous age this 13 business is.

Happy 13th Halloween Birthday Little J!

And Happy Halloween to you too.

Toodles...L x ♥

:: Autumn ::

Autumn has arrived and I am loving the changing colours of this season.  It's been wet & cold and wet & warm (crazy) and apparently snowing up on our mountain.  This year the colours are beautiful and I am enjoying the cool early nights.  Snuggling in bed and knitting a jumper that actually (fingers crossed) looks like it might work!  

Fifth times a charm, right?

I hope all is well with you and yours.

Toodles....L x ♥

Shells & Sunflowers

Some days, more days than ever these days, life has a tendency to crack my little shell and make me feel more of a nut than ever.  But then the love of family and the wonder of nature make me feel safe again (or maybe I should say sane) in my little shell.

Little J planted this sunflower late in the season and Big J captured this beautiful scene on his way in the door and knew  that his dear old Mum was in desperate need of a smile.

Thank you to my wonderful boys and the beautiful world around me!

Toodles....L  xo

PS - This little nut is in need of a desert island far from the loonies also know as my neighbors....arrggghhhh.....

♥ October ♥

I know, I've been quiet again.  September has slipped by quietly with very few photos on my camera. I've been plodding along day to day, achieving very little it seems, until this weekend.  This weekend saw a flurry of activity....

• I turned the dining room/home office/sewing room into a bomb site....and then back into an almost tidy dining room/home office/sewing room.  Almost tidy, with just a tiny bit of clutter, because it wouldn't be my house without a touch of clutter.
• I started a new/old/new knitting project (no photo yet, don't want to jinx it).  My Paulie Cardigan was nearly finished, just down to one cuff, when I realized that unless I looked like a potato with tooth pick arms it was never going to fit.  While I do possess the potato shape body, getting rounder by the chocolate bar, what I lack is the toothpick arms.  Oh how i wish I had toothpick arms and a toothpick body to go with it....so onward to a new project.  Fingers crossed!
• I've been enjoying the zinnas and sweet peas from the garden, along with a zillion tomatoes.  My first successful year with sweet peas!  Yay for sweet peas, although I am sad I have no sweet pea seed pods growing so I'll have them for next year.  A marketing ploy to make me buy more seeds I am sure.
• Loving this sweet roll top sewing box I won on eBay.  Sorry, no exciting bidding war, just my single bid.  The Mister helped me do a little fix with some wood glue and sand paper and the little top rolls like a dream
• Enjoying the last of the summer flowers in the garden. They'll be gone any day now as the temperatures drop quickly. It is after all October and there will be snow soon.  Big J doesn't believe in snow in October and so I show him this photo. . 
• Our newest edition, Sir Charlies, is settling in well....wellish really.  He cries like a baby whenever I leave, it breaks my heart.  He also escapes anytime I leave, so we've been busy building new gates and fixing fences. It's not working, he can squeeze through anything.  He's fine when anyone else leaves, just me.  He has a fetish for socks, rocks and acorns.  All of which I find rather annoying on the living room rug in the morning, but I rather see the rocks on the rug than listen to him throw them up in the air and crash down on our new wood floors.

 
So there we have it.  

The pumpkin month is upon us and it is almost list summer never happened.  

Why does time go by so fast these days?

 

I do hope all is well with you.  

Thank you for stopping by, I shall be back.

 

Toodles..L x ♥

When?

I'm not sure anymore how to tell the difference between nostalgia or homesickness.  Can you be homesick after 23 years? 

Do I miss my childhood or that distinctive smell of the West Australian bush?  It's always the first thing that hits me when I go home.

 

Is it still ok for me to call Australia home after all these years? 

 

One of those days I'm afraid.

 

Sh*t it might be one of those weeks!

 

Not sure where this little stitching project is going to take me, but it was inspired by this - a terrible case of the wanties when the coffers are empty.

 

Toodles....L x ♥

 

P.S.  Is autumn in the air where you are?  Or are you enjoying the delights of spring?

P.P.S.  I do hope all is well with you and thank you for stopping by.

:: WIP Wednesday ::

School is back in after a long summer break and the dreaded homework is back....ugh....Grade 7 homework ....double UGHHHHHH!  The pain of which is lessened by a new patchy WIP and another fabulous machine saved from the flea market shelves do doomed.  A little tinkering, some help from Mr Google and of all things a little warmth from my hair dryer and this beauty is back in action.  Sews like a dream.  I LOVE vintage machines.

Toodle Pip!!!!!

This Month....August....

Well it seems August is almost gone, in fact I woke today and felt sad I had missed blogging before the end of the month. I was happy when I sat down at the computer to see I was wrong!  It seems that summer has slipped away quickly this year (again) and I've had little time to blog, although things have been relatively quiet this year.  

I've been harvesting the garden, enjoying the flowers and of course indulging in my sewing machine obsession.  My latest find, is by far my best bargain both in price and performance.  This machine sewing (Singer 27, sorry no photo) sews like a dream and on it's first day home I treadled away and whipped up a little runner for it.

Although I have another treadle machine, which works, I've never actually made anything on one before.  I never could quite master the treadle action and my bum ankle last year did nothing to help.  However, this machine is a dream to treadle and I'm hoping it could be considered a form of exercise?  Anyway, this machine is quickly becoming by far my favorite!

In addition to harvesting hoards of tomatoes from the garden (and Big J making delicious spaghetti sauce), this year we've managed our first pumpkins!  I know they are a bit early to pick, but the vine got some blight and died, so we've got three in already.  I'm so excited, but I don't hold much hope they will last till Halloween for pumpkin carving.

As the summer has whizzed by, we've made a few runs down the big city to visit the in-laws and run Big J back and forth to the airport.  Not my favorite way to spend 6 precious weekend hours, but each trip involves me pleading with the Mister to stop for vital supplies of Orangina.  Just to lessen the pain of those hours in the car.  Until this last run I always thought it was an American drink, since it was the first drink I ever had on my first trip to the USA over 27 years ago.  Come to find out I was wrong, which would explain why my American friends looked so puzzled every time I ranted about how much I love it.  Doesn't explain why I lived so close to France for three years and never tasted a drop while I was there.  Odd.  Anyway, now I'm washing my collection of cute little Orangina bottles and deciding just how many empties I need to keep.  All of them?  ☺

Well I just wanted to swing by before the month was out and say 'hi'! I haven't abandoned this little space just yet and I'm a little cross at myself for not blogging more.

Do hope you are all keeping well!  Thank you for stopping by, must run, it's a long weekend over here and I need to make the most of every second.

Toodles...L x ♥