EAST LYNNE COTTAGE

2010-02-16T06:25:00.002+10:00

I drew the winners last night, but we had a few storms here and I needed to turn off my computer. I did manage to email the winners and I've heard back from 2 of them already. They were-
Lois (USA)- Birds, Flowers and Crafts, who won the pincushion.
Annie (England) - Annie's Antics, who won the beaded dragon fob.
Ksenia (Moldova) - My Little Creative World, who won the beaded butterfly fob.

Thank You so much to everyone who took part in any way and a Very Big Thank You to Lisa Swifka who once again organised this amazing event.
I'm really looking forward to going through the list of bloggers at my leisure and checking out their wonderful blogs. There are many very talented people amongst them.

2010-02-15T20:10:00.003+10:00

Comments for this post are now closed and I will be drawing 3 winners from the 180 bloggers that have visited for OWOH. I will post the winners later on tonight.

2010-02-07T15:39:00.010+10:00

'A MAGIC CARPET RIDE'
I'm a little late but I've decided to take part in One World One Heart.
In the words of Lisa Swifka, who created the event in 2007, "The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way." From 85-90 participants in 2007, many countries represented and numerous friendships made, this year there are well over 1,000 who are taking part in this huge event.

For the first draw, I'm offering a OOAK pincushion similar to the one above. The second and third draws will be for the beaded fobs below. To be eligible to win, you must have a blog and leave a comment on this post. If you should win,please make sure there is a way for me to link back to you or leave me your email address. The cutoff time for posting comments will be 8pm EST on February 15th. and I will post the winners names here that evening. Best of luck.

2010-01-03T19:05:00.004+10:00

Wishing you all a Very Happy, Peaceful, Safe and Prosperous 2010. So far, we are having a very wet New Year, which is just fantastic, as we were in desperate need of some decent rain.
I've finally managed to post a pic of the needlebook that I made Leanne for a recent swap. The pincushion and teabag folder were added as part of an RAK (Random Act of Kindness), a way of randomly passing something nice along to someone whether it be something handmade or unwanted craft materials. I downloaded a photo of the lovely needlebook I received from Linda in an earlier post.

Hope Everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a fairly quiet one. Here is a crazy patched Christmas stocking I made Diane for a swap. The little Christmas tree ornaments were made for me by Judy in the same swap.

2009-12-17T13:13:00.003+10:00

Well, I've almost finished off my swaps for this year. I've taken pics of some but can't post anything as I don't know if they've been received as yet.
Just listening to some Christmas Pan pipes on CD. Lovely music.

Don't you just love this pic I took of our kittens a while back? They're all staring intently at a crow, that still visits our verandah several times a day to see what food our dog has left. The poor old crow is usually pestered no end by a pair of willy wagtails, that along with the crows and magpies, nest in our garden.
You can still see the broken screen where our big tabby cat Lilly, got her head jammed as a youngster. I had to hold her very still that day, whilst my daughter cut the steel mesh with the bolt cutters. We now have about 18 ins of clear perspex screwed to the bottom of the door.

Above are my zucchini plants, which are just starting to produce. To the left is some rhubarb. I planted my vege garden this year on the Eastern side of our house, so it only gets the morning sun. It would be nigh on impossible to grow anything from scratch here that would be subjected to the very hot afternoon sun. We've still had no decent rain, only thunder, and it's mostly the established trees and plants that are just surviving. We're so very lucky that our bore is still holding up well. There were a couple of towns that had run out of their water supply. We're hoping that the meat ants, that have been moving up onto higher ground near our house, are a sign that we're going to have a huge downpour soon. In all the years we've lived here, they've stayed in the same spot, so they've never been a problem at all. I've never seen so many other smaller ants in our home either. I've been thinking I should get our daughter Katrina to bring her car out here for a wash and polish. When she lived at home, it was almost guaranteed to bring on the rain.LOL

2009-11-20T21:09:00.002+10:00

It's been so hot and humid here the past few days. Still no decent rain though, only a bit of thunder and lightning.

Thought I'd show a pic of some of the bags that were made on a special Q.C.W.A. craft day. One of our members, Sally was the tutor. They are made with a black mesh a little like flyscreening. It does come in several other colours, but black is the cheapest. Surprisingly, it's very easy to machine sew. Mine is the floral one on the far right.

2009-11-14T02:09:00.005+10:00

I'm finally back on track after a long break from blogging. I've been very busy at work and I've had a few health issues to resolve, one of them being sleep apnoea which leaves me so exhausted at the end of each working day. I did try a CPap machine, but even though I tried so hard to persevere with it, was very unsuccessful. My osteoarthritis is pretty bad at the moment as well, especially in my right shoulder. But I've just started some new medication which hopefully will relieve the pain and inflammation. Several weeks ago, I had ESWL which is Electric shock wave treatment on my kidney stones, which seems to have been quite successful as I no longer suffer any more pain in my side. Still have to visit the Renal Unit regularly though, as I'm also a non-insulin dependant diabetic and I've been told by a specialist that I'm on the verge of having diabetic kidney nephropathy. Not a very good outlook, so I'll have to be a very good girl as far as diet goes and I guess I really should try to lose some weight, but my main problem with that is not being able to walk a lot like I once used to. I've been seriously thinking of taking up water aerobics though as it's less stressful on joints.

I've tried to keep up with a few swaps. The apron below is the one I made for Kerry. The pink floral and white one, was made for me by Iris.

The pegbag below, I made for Cate, the cushion cover, I received from Margarita and the needlebook was made for me by Linda. I don't always get to take pics of the items I make as I'm often pushed to post them on time.

I'd eventually love to have time (More motivation really)to make enough items to sell online, as many others I know do very successfully. Anyway, I'd best get some more sleep now. The reason I'm up so late - or early (It's actually almost 4am here), is I arrived home from work at 6 pm and flaked on the bed until after 11 pm. Still don't really feel tired again yet, but best make the effort to get some more shuteye, as I have Weekend visitors arriving later this morning.
Bye for now and I'll try and post more often.

2009-05-06T16:09:00.004+10:00

How's this for a magnificent view from your loungeroom windows? I was at this 3-level home recently for a Q.C.W.A. function. There was a circular 10-person lift to take us between floors, full kitchens and theatre rooms on 2 floors and an indoor inground swimming pool on the ground floor. I sure wouldn't want to clean this house, especially all of the windows, but what views.LOL

2009-05-06T15:28:00.005+10:00

PINCUSHION SWAP
Here is a pic of the pincushion I made for a mini swap on a craft group I belong to. It was crazy quilted over a couple of old CDs and is embellished with fibres,charms,shells and beads. The base is hand-dyed wool felt. I also sent my swap partner a handmade card and some of my cinnamon buttons. I received a lovely felt hat pincushion in the same swap. At the present, I am finishing off a peg bag and have signed up for cushion cover and apron swaps and am thinking hard about whether to sign up for an etui swap. Taking part in these swaps does motivate me as there is always a deadline to follow.LOL

2009-04-08T17:07:00.004+10:00

MY RECENT HANDCRAFTING
I thought I'd post a few pics of what I've been making recently. Below are a couple of crocheted rugs and some premmie beanies that I've made for local Hospitals.

Next is a rather prim bunny made from calico that was from a pattern in a Handmade magazine. She has wool felt flowers appliqued onto her skirt. She is also supposed to hold a carrot and have stitching on her paws, but I had to forego these as she was needed for part of our Q.C.W.A. display at the local Agricultural Show. Our branch won the first prize for the clubs display section. I didn't get to the show myself, but hope to get hold of a photo of the display. If I do, I'll post it here, as there are some very talented ladies in our Q.C.W.A. branch.

This third pic is a last minute item I created that unbeknownst to me, was entered in the hand-appliqued section of the show. It actually won 2nd prize. I'd love to tell you who inspired me with a very similar mat, but I'm very sorry, I really can't remember whose blog I saw it on. I'm sure they'll know if they see it here.
This mat was made from hand-dyed wool felt. I used my Ozecraft dyes that I use to dye my silk ribbon and some parisian essence for the brown bunnies. All the dyes, I made sure were colourfast.

2009-02-05T14:13:00.006+10:00

A VISIT TO THE JAPANESE GARDENS
A couple of weekends ago, my daughter Katrina and I spent a lovely day together, although the weather was a little overcast and drizzly.
We spent most of the morning at some of the various beautiful craft spots at Highfields, just a little North of Toowoomba.
We started at The Danish Flower Art Complex, which would have to have one of the best and most varied supplies of beads and jewellery findings available. Next we stopped at The Chocolate Cottage and then The Quilters Angel at The Village Green Highfields, went across the Highway to Jacaranda Manor where we visited Gottabee Country and completed our day at The USQ (University of Southern Queensland) Japanese Gardens. It was my first visit to these beautiful gardens and we had taken some lunch with us. We were able to have a relaxing time watching the birdlife (ducks and ibis), fish and turtles swimming in the huge lakes, before walking around to admire the spectacular plantings in the gardens. I took quite a few photos, also managing to capture a few of the hundreds of flying foxes that hang from some of the taller trees on the perimeter. I can imagine the Gardens to be a wonderful, calm place to study for the students on campus. I'm looking forward to visiting again, maybe in Springtime.

2009-01-19T14:01:00.003+10:00

A NEW YEAR - A NEW BEGINNING

A Happy New Year to everyone.
Above is a pic taken yesterday of my 7 week old Great Great Niece, Ameleah Paige. She brought some joy to our Family after the passing of my Brother in Law to prostate cancer late last year. My niece, Ameleah's Grandmother, has just been diagnosed with breast cancer, so I'm really hoping and praying she recovers after treatment.

2008-09-24T21:37:00.005+10:00

I'M BACK!
It's been far too long between posts. I don't feel I've had anything worth sharing. Will have to remedy that.
Just look at this great craft pack I received last week from Julie at "Simple Stitches". My name was picked from all of those who joined her mailing list last month. There was also a couple of caramel hot chocolate sachets, but they didn't last very long. To visit Julie's blog see the link in my sidebar.
With a few extra prim supplies I have ordered from "Tanyas Prim Thyme Designs", another prim site I love visiting, I've got absolutely no excuse not to begin making some things for Christmas. I recently came across another wonderful prim site called, "Soft In The Head", home of whimsical soft sculptures made in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Links to both of these sites can also be found in my sidebar.

2008-09-24T16:43:00.006+10:00

I've recently had to deal with some health issues of my own, plus those of some close Family members. My SIL's husband, is at present fighting a huge battle with secondaries from prostate cancer. He also has heart problems that in his weakened state, can't be fixed unless the chemotherapy he's having is successful. We're all praying for his recovery.
My niece has to undergo a ductectomy (I think that's what it's called) next month to check that she doesn't have breast cancer, so I'm hoping all will go well for her.
I'm recovering from carpal tunnel release surgery that I had at the beginning of this month. My other health worries are ongoing for the present but will hopefully be nothing too serious.
Below are some photos I took at the weekend of my SIL's bush house and garden. They have regular visits from a couple of pythons, but thankfully not while I was there. I don't mind pythons, but preferably those which are used to being handled, not wild ones.

2008-08-06T12:19:00.003+10:00

How's about this lady for a bit of recycling? Don't you love the rug made from old socks?

2008-08-06T11:42:00.003+10:00

I just thought I'd show you a few shots of the Rosalie Gallery Shop. There are crocheted,knitted, felted and woven articles for sale, books written by local authors, hand-crafted jewellery, spoons,stirrers and walking sticks made locally from recycled woods, even local olive oil and preserves,etc.

2008-08-06T10:27:00.005+10:00

ABOUT US - The latest exhibition at our local Rosalie Gallery. A collection of art works, textiles, jewellery, quilting, doll making, photography, scrapbooking, treasures and collections. This represents the diversity of talent and the interests of the volunteers of the Rosalie Gallery.
The group has encouraged arts and cultural activities since the Gallery opened in 2004. They have seen it develop into a "sought after venue" for exhibitions.
I went to the opening of this latest exhibition on Sunday. We were invited to a 'light' 3 course luncheon. I'm sure there must have been well over 100 in attendance. We were treated to a delicious meal.
Below are some of the photos I took on the day.

2008-07-21T18:30:00.004+10:00

QUILTIE SWAP # 2

Above is the quiltie I received from Jo in our second quiltie swap. It's called 'possum in the ginko'. It was painted with paintsticks and has a cute little wooden possum button stitched to it. It is backed with an earthy leaf print and has 2 tiny golden leaf charms stitched to the label.
Below is the quiltie I sent to Jo. I always have a very hard time creating anything a little abstract and always seem to end up embroidering some flowers.

MY GINGER BOY HAVING A NAP

2008-06-02T18:43:00.002+10:00

Below is Myrtle The Marvellous Witch Of The South. I received her from Marilyn in a swap I took part in on The Craft Magazines Forum. Above is Lizzie, a doll I made for Bec in the same swap.

2008-05-04T19:12:00.003+10:00

TEXTURES, TEXTILES AND TREASURES

The exhibition opening this afternoon was a great success. There was a Fashion Parade of some of the wearable art which was very hard to photograph with the number of people present, so I just took some pics of a few of the exhibits before too many arrived. The following was on the catalogue-
"Textures,Textiles and Treasures represents the diversity of talent within Darling Downs Spinners, Weavers, Felters and Wearable art practitioners. Spinning, weaving and hand dyeing are just a few of the skills utilised to create this exhibition."

2008-05-04T17:48:00.004+10:00

2008-05-04T11:27:00.004+10:00

QUILTIE SWAP

Now the recipient of this quiltie has received it, I can post a pic here. It went all the way to Di in England. Hence the chosen subject, Aussie wildflowers. I started with a crazy-pieced block and mostly free-embroidered the flowers with DMC threads and silk ribbon. I was happiest with the way the waratah in the centre turned out.

Later today or tomorrow, I will hopefully be posting some pics of our latest local Art Gallery opening, which I'm attending this afternoon.

2008-04-25T18:12:00.004+10:00

MY LATEST BARGAINS
The first is a Roslyn fine bone china tea plate. It's # 5 in a series of 6 World Renowned Orchids of Merit. Wonder if I'll ever come across the others? I bought this from Cabarlah Country Markets for $2
The second is a small, very old, Limoges vase. Apparently It originally had a lid, but it still looks fine without it. Thirdly is a small Spode Copelands vase. These were from our local OP Shop and each of them were also only $2. I apologise for my slightly blurred pics.
Next Sunday (4th) I'm going to another of our local Rosalie Art Gallery Openings. This Exhibition will be Fibrearts, some of them wearable, and will include a fashion show. I'm really looking forward to this one as last year's was fantastic and has been the most popular of all the exhibions to date. Will take my camera and hopefully some great pics to post here.

2008-04-19T15:02:00.001+10:00

MY NEW JOB
I thought it was about time I posted. A lot has happened here since January. I am now working as my Doctor's receptionist. Maybe that rainbow I photographed over the surgery back in August last year was my pot of gold. The job isn't full time but it's a fairly busy country practice and how convenient is it being on the property just next door? I'm really enjoying it after being out of the workforce for so long. Although it can get a little hectic at times, it's definately not boring. I find that with less time to spare now, I use it more wisely and seem to get an awful lot more done.

2008-04-19T14:41:00.009+10:00

I was going to post pics of my latest aquisitions, but the batteries in my camera need recharging, so I'll show you the lovely quiltie I received in the mail from Kerry. This quiltie was part of a swap on Craft Magazines Online Forum. The forum was set up by Express Publications who publish Country Craft and Decorating, Handmade, Australian Country Threads, Patchwork and Stitching etc. I've been a member for several years now and have taken part in many swaps. The ladies I've met there both online, and a few in person, are the loveliest, most friendly people who all share a common bond - their love of crafting. Click on the link to the Forum in my sidebar and go check it out for yourselves.

2008-01-21T14:59:00.000+10:00

A BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE

Don't you just love Sam's grin?
I'm very sorry that I've not posted anything for so long. Just before Christmas, I had some abdominal surgery and to tell you the truth, I'm still not feeling 100%. I feel so tired and it's taking me ages getting enough oomph to start crafting again. Our Q.C.W.A. meetings start up again on the 4th of February, so I'm hoping they'll motivate me - We'll be starting our new separate craft day this year with crewel embroidery. Looking forward to that as I find hand-embroidery very relaxing and enjoyable.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas - understandably, mine was a very quiet one.
Only last week, I joined our local Freecycle group. The group was set up for people who want to "recycle" things instead of throwing them away and everything posted must be free. I advertised a monitor and printer I no longer used which was very appreciated by a pensioner who picked it up the following day. I also received a "Steam Dream" steam cleaner in great condition and a huge pile of scrapbooking, stamping and papercraft magazines and 2 Memory Makers books on Scrapbooking. I was rapt.
Here's the link for anyone wanting to join their local group. Just type in your area and country.

Freecycle

2007-10-28T15:04:00.001+10:00

MEMORIES OF THE PAST

I've just received a photo of a doll just like the one I had as a child. The pic came in an email from a lovely lady in the UK who identified my doll from a description I'd given her. I was made to give away all of my dolls and a lovely big teddy with growler before we emigrated to Australia back in 1969. I do think that my parents misunderstood how many of our belongings we'd be able to bring and I guess that toys weren't as important as many other items. As it turned out, we actually could have brought nearly everything but a few larger furniture pieces. This photo is the next best thing to having the doll as it brings back many memories. By the way the doll is a Pedigree Pretty Peepers made in 1957. It had jointed legs and a button on its stomach that when pressed would make the doll's eyes turn to the right, then with each successive press, to the left and then the eyes would change from blue to brown

I've also posted a pic of a lovely depression glass rose bowl of my Mother's. It is now missing it's matching glass frog, which would have been about 2 inches high and across. It was broken before I inherited it. If anyone knows where I might find a replacement, I would be most grateful.

2007-09-25T09:42:00.000+10:00

These Apostlebirds (Struthidea Cinerea) would really have to be one of the most intelligent of Aussie birds. Very cheeky too! I took these pics this morning, and by a sheer fluke managed the en flight pic. Apparently they are mudnest builders, so I may have to give them a hand with the lack of mud, as droughts can drastically upset their breeding cycle. I do know I had a flock of them here last Summer, going absolutely ape under a fine sprinkler.
Years ago, we were outside talking, and only a few feet from us, a flock of them encircled one of our cats. Well, the cat sat there just stunned, but the moment he made a slight move, they flew off. Do so wish I'd had my camera handy that day.
Another bird that plays games with the cats is the Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) We have a pair of them that nest on a spotlight on the Western side of our house.
Do hope our little fairy wrens return this year. I have noticed some honeyeaters feeding from the flowers on the aloe vera and grevilleas and also some tiny yellow finches that seem to appear at daybreak.
There are several magpies that nest here each year. Each family has it's own tree. The young left their nests several weeks ago. They never seem to worry us at all, but they're often a problem in public parks when they can be very aggressive around nesting time. Years ago my Mum was dive-bombed by them and ended up with a nasty cut on the bridge of her nose. My husband's cousin had a very tame one that visited them each day. It was an albino, having very pale brown and cream plumage. I just love listening to their songs, and that of the cicada beetles.
One of the peskiest birds would have to be the mudlark or peewee. They make such a mess with their droppings on our vehicles' side view mirrors and continually dive-bomb their reflections in our windows. All I can say is, they must have beaks of steel.LOL

2007-09-25T09:16:00.000+10:00

Wild turnip would just have to be the scourge of the Downs this Spring. Everywhere is clothed in yellow at the present, and although I don't usually suffer from hayfever, I've been sneezing at the drop of a hat.

2007-09-24T09:19:00.001+10:00

CREAMY ONION QUICHE
I found this recipe just the other day and I'd forgotten how good it was. Haven't made it for years.
Pastry
100g/4ozs. plain flour, 50g/2ozs. butter, cut into small pieces, 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon ice cold water, pinch salt.
Rub butter into flour or whizz in a blender, add egg yolk and water. Mix into a dough and roll out to fit a pie or quiche plate. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Filling
2 tablespoons corn or olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 kg/1 lb. 1oz. onions (thinly sliced), 1 tablespoon plain flour, 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk (beaten), 150 ml/5fl. ozs.fresh cream, salt and pepper
Heat oil and butter in frying pan and gently fry onions until soft and golden. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the eggs and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Pour filling into chilled pastry case and bake in a fairly hot oven 200oC (400oF)for 20-25 minutes or until filling is just set and golden brown.

I baked one yesterday had a slice for lunch with some mixed salad. Yummy! It is quite rich, so low fat substitutions could be made. Might try it again one day and try a few variations. Maybe some salmon or chicken.

2007-09-22T03:11:00.000+10:00

The above exhibition is now showing at our local art gallery in Goombungee until the 30th of this month. Last weekend I was lucky enough to pay a visit to see some beautiful new work by three very talented Australian Artists, Abi Thompson, Debbie Dieckmann and Marlene Page.

2007-09-22T03:04:00.000+10:00

2007-09-22T02:44:00.000+10:00

Abi Thompson, a Textile and Mixed Media Artist from Woodonga, crochets gorgeous bird and animal tea cosies, hats and assorted cakes and tarts. This talented artist also creates some very colourful and often amusing paintings.

2007-09-22T02:41:00.001+10:00

Debbie Dieckmann, is a mixed media artist from Millmerran. To see more of her unique

Debbies Heart

2007-09-22T00:47:00.002+10:00

The very talented silk artist in the above picture is Marlene Page from Fremantle. Marlene specialises in handpainted fine wool and silk. To see more of her work go to her website at Healing Circle Silks

2007-08-26T19:22:00.002+10:00

HOW LUCKY AM I?
Look what my sister gave me recently. Her overlocker, which has only been used a few times and has just sat in a cupboard for years. It's very similar to mine which is no longer working, but this one has differential feed. It's just like new. I really appreciated it as I miss not using my old one.
I also scored a Breville breadmaker, again, as new. I have successfully used it to make some dough for pizza bases, but I think I'll have a go at some loaves of bread or rolls this week.

2007-08-26T17:41:00.001+10:00

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
This last week we've had lots of lovely rain. I'm going to start planting some more Summer vegies and hopefully there'll be no late frosts. All of my silverbeet is doing well, although it'll be a few weeks before any of it will be suitable for picking.
I took this photo one morning at about 6.45 am. The building below the rainbow is our neighbour's surgery. She runs a very successful practice from there. It's so convenient for us as we only have to go next door if we need a doctor. A pharmacy has recently opened in a small town about 12kms away and they have free delivery for filled prescriptions. Another of our farming neighbours just a little bit farther away has a dental practice, so we are quite well-serviced here.

2007-08-01T11:55:00.000+10:00

INSPIRATION
This is the book which inspired me to thoughts of painting Australian wildflowers on the cupboard doors. There are some really beautiful designs and I've even used the book as inspiration for embroidery.
Kate Broadfoot also has some gorgeous books published.

2007-08-01T09:37:00.001+10:00

Here are pics of of a glass-doored cupboard I bought from our neighbour's clearing sale. One pic was taken with the blind closed, hence the colour difference.The exterior was painted white, but I've stripped most of it back. I've left the original painted interior. It fits just perfectly on the top of an old floor-standing cupboard that belonged to my parents. My intentions are to one day re-paint sections of both cupboards and try some folk-art on the doors of the bottom one.
Most of my collectables have cost me very little, or sometimes nothing. There are some tiny English Wade china animals on the centre shelf that came in a large box of items from a Lifeline Op Shop. I paid $2 for the whole box. The Wade china hedgehog though, came out of one of my childhood Christmas crackers.(bonbons here in Oz)The little cat coming from our local OP shop and is from Mexico.
The wall-hanging I have on the front of the doors was made for me in a swap I took part in. The saying is so apt.
I also love old bone china cups,saucers and plates. I have a plain white china dinner set with a gold edge that can be mixed and matched with all the odd pieces.
My lovely old 1950s glass cabinet is in need of repair at the present. My ginger cat jumped at a chair which fell backwards into the beautifully rose-etched glass door.
I don't think I'll be able to afford to replace it with anything other than plain glass. Thankfully nothing inside the cabinet was broken.

2007-08-01T08:54:00.001+10:00

TINY TREASURE

Look what I found when I was out watering my garden this morning. This tiny plant is flowering at the base of a standard in a large tub I was given. It's some type of bulb, but what exactly?

2007-07-25T18:39:00.000+10:00

These 2 AGM insulators I rescued from old posts being cut up for firewood on our neighbour's property. I just love collecting pieces like this. I've even kept a few pieces of wire from old posts that were burnt as firewood, simply because they reminded me of insects.

2007-07-25T18:12:00.000+10:00

I'm breaking all records today. Here are 3 more things we dug up in our garden. Just behind our house was the site of the teacher's house,behind that their rubbish tip.Isn't the kewpie doll perfume bottle cute.It has a bakelite lid and is in almost perfect condition.
The ship isn't too good, but considering it's made from lead and has been through a fire,it's still recognisable.I can just make out the name Rex on the end.Another ship and a train didn't fare as well, being almost melted. The other item is a bakelite top from a desk inkwell. There were also pieces of slate and slate pencils.

2007-07-25T15:53:00.001+10:00

We built our home on the site of the old Primary School. It had been built in 1908 and closed in the 60s. When we first moved in, we were digging a vege garden and found a heap of petrified wood,axe heads, fossiled shells etc. all in a fairly small area. I think they were most likely a collection discarded when the School closed. The petrified wood in the pic is just a small sample. Can you see my 'maps of Australia' minus Tasmania? The large piece with the fossilised shells looks like it has some fossilised fern on it, but I've seen some like it in the Brisbane Museum and apparently it is just a type of rock formation.

2007-07-22T16:02:00.000+10:00

I was looking through all my photos the other day and came across this one of myself. I believe I was about 4 at the time so it was probably taken around 1960 or thereabouts. I remember the dress I was wearing was a turquoise blue with white binding and white daisies on the heart-shaped pockets. Most of my clothes back then came from Marks & Spencer, British Home Stores or were ordered from Kay's or Freeman's catalogues.
From the look of my smile, it wasn't long after I'd broken my front teeth. It was Summertime, and I'd been splashing around in our old galvanised bath in the back yard. Our Landlady who lived upstairs, opened a window and threw down a small plastic swan for me to play with. I raced inside to show Mum, and sliding over on the wet lino, I fell and hit my mouth on a wooden stool that Dad had made me. That day is just so clear to me-most probably because of the pain. I also have no trouble at all remembering everything in colour so precisely from back then, yet don't remember many more recent events anywhere near as clearly. Is that a sign of Ageing?My Dad was like that and he was 92. No chance for me.LOL.

2007-06-12T23:30:00.001+10:00

Another 2 bears. One, a Birthday present, the other, a cent sale prize. A good friend of mine organises the cent sale each year in conjunction with a Morning Tea to raise money for the Cancer Fund.
I think that I might try lowering the eyes a little next time.

2007-06-12T20:46:00.000+10:00

It's been quite chilly here, especially in the mornings, but at least after the rain we had, everything is starting to green up. I suppose that frosts will now be a regular occurrence. I believe we've had one good one already, as my lovely big clump of blue agapanthus turned into a flattened brown mess overnight(I lost some to frosts several years ago)I really thought they were supposed to be quite hardy. I'm going to try digging up what little remains of the plant and transplanting either into a pot or to a more protected spot in the garden. The really funny thing is, I have a cherry tomato plant in a tub that is growing in the open, unprotected, and has already been through 2 Winters.

2007-05-07T13:14:00.000+10:00

MY LATEST STITCHERY

I recently took part in another online swap. It was for a needlecase. This was adapted from a design by Joan Gibson in Inspirations magazine issue 23 (1999). I put my own touch to it with the embroidery, which I almost always seem to make up as I go along, occasionally using a water-soluble marking pen. I used mainly DMC threads, a little home-dyed rayon thread , flat gathered silk for the parsley, and a little silk ribbon, embroidering everything onto a small piece of raw silk. A few beads also added for the cumquats, lemons, oranges? The monogram was chain-stitched with one strand of DMC and some gold Kreinik blending filament. The needlecase has a pocket inside to hold scissors or threads.
I find so much inspiration in other peoples work, but always have to add my own individual touches. It's so important though to give due credit to the owner of the original pattern.

2007-03-24T11:22:00.000+10:00

This is my 13 year old Grandson Andrew in his School cadet uniform. I'm so proud of him. His ambition at the moment is to eventually join the Armed forces, but who knows, he might change his mind. He's doing very well at school, so he will probably have quite a few options open to him if he keeps it up.

Here's a vintage 1957 photo of me with my 2 sisters. Sylvia to my right and Joan. They were 19 and 18 when I was born. I've grown up with their children who have always thought of me more as a big sister than an Aunty.
My eldest sister Sylvia passed away just over 10 years ago.
I'll have to try and find a recent picture to post of my sister Joan and myself. The age gap isn't very apparent now, as I am quite grey-haired and don't try to cover it up LOL

2007-03-24T09:43:00.000+10:00

Recently, I've not been getting very much enjoyment from sewing. Just look at the all of my U.F.Os. - 3 bears, 2 gollies, a raggedy, 2 rabbits, a cat, a bag and at least 8 hearts for the Chains of Hearts group.

I have found crocheting very relaxing and rewarding. I've been crocheting beanies for sick and premmie babies. A friend of a friend is the co-ordinator. The knitted and crocheted items going to 3 Toowoomba Hospitals as they are needed.

2007-03-21T08:38:00.000+10:00

REST IN PEACE DEAR ROSIE

This morning we laid our beloved old blue heeler to rest under some gum trees in our backyard. She passed away peacefully during the night. Almost deaf, she was well into her nineties in our terms. We'd had her with us since she was a pup. The above photo was taken when she had the first of her 2 litters of pups. Such a good Mum and a really great worker when we had our cattle, also a wonderful guard dog. She'll be missed so much. Goodbye Rosie.

2007-03-20T12:25:00.000+10:00

Isn't this doll cute? Only a few inches tall, made as a gift for my daughter by the mother of Emi, a Japanese exchange student, this is the male doll. The pics I took of the female (with longer hair and mauve and pink clothing) were very blurred. I'm going to have a go at making them as they are basically stitched from small rectangles of fabric.

2007-03-20T12:09:00.000+10:00

Nap time for our 'Ginge'. Usually just as I'm about to take a good pic of one of the cats they move. Not this time! He must of been in a really deep sleep.

2007-03-20T11:54:00.000+10:00

Aren't these alpacas beautiful? They were on a property at Nanango, Qld. Don't you just love the close-up of the white one? Soooo cute.

2007-03-08T15:14:00.000+10:00

Here are a few pics taken in September last year. On the left a Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Garden Competion winning Garden, above, a grass horse in one of the many Toowoomba parks and on the right, a display of clivias at another prize-winning gardener's home.

2007-03-08T14:08:00.000+10:00

UNKNOWN TREE

Unknown to me that is. Would anyone please be able to tell me what this is? It was about 8ft. high. It was growing in Toowoomba amongst some Aussie natives, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to cultivate it here. Only difference being that Toowoomba has red soil, ours is black and we're unable to grow things like proteas or any acid-loving plants. Sorry the pic is a little blurry.

2007-02-19T13:19:00.000+10:00

Just managed to go over to the new blogger using my daughter's computer. I'm having trouble accessing blogger at all, but I think my modem may be the problem. We now have access to broadband so I think we'll soon be saying goodbye to the old dial-up.
Don't have any pics with me to download so maybe next time.

2006-09-11T20:37:00.000+10:00

Here's a pic of my indoor furbabies,Lillypilly and her son Ginger Meggs. Lil and Ginge had just woken up from a sleep as I took this shot. Boy, Ginge sure does live up to his nameLOL

2006-09-10T21:43:00.000+10:00

I'm still here! Just haven't got around to posting anything for a while.
Well, we've actually had some really good rainfall in this neck of the woods-still teeming down at the moment, in fact.Everything is starting to look lovely and green.Won't be too much longer though, before the mowing starts in earnest.I've been trying to get a headstart on growing some Summer veges.I figure if I start sowing now, I should have something to show by Christmas.Also if this Summer is anywhere near as hot and dry as last year was, it'll eventually get too hot for most
crops to thrive.

2006-08-20T01:33:00.000+10:00

My version of 'Bertha Angel of Buttons' from a pattern in a Homespun Mag. She was made for yet another swap I took part in.

2006-07-19T21:25:00.000+10:00

This is another slightly different version of 'Lalie Rose' I made for my eldest daughter. Above is a golly and mammy I made for a swap. The golly was adapted from 'Luther Golly' in a Homespun Cloth Doll and Bear mag and the mammy was from my pattern I used for the raggedies in an earlier post.

2006-07-15T18:29:00.000+10:00

This windmill is a typical Aussie rural scene. I thought the colours of the land contrasted beautifully with the clear blue sky.
Since early this morning it's been raining. Hope it keeps up.

2006-07-11T13:52:00.001+10:00

This is bushland near Crow's Nest in Queensland. I love the xanthorroea's (speargrass, grass tree, Goonangurra), they do send up a tall spike of creamy white honey-scented flowers that birds go mad for, but I read somewhere they usually do that after a bushfire has gone through.

2006-07-11T13:19:00.000+10:00

Thought it was about time I posted something. I've been very slack lately.
The picture above is of a Christmas Ornament I made for a recent swap I took part in. I'm sorry about the picture quality - this pic was the best of a very bad lot-and even IT is a little blurred.The flower is an SRE poinsettia stiched with ribbon stitch petals and lazy daisy leaves. The centre of the flower is french knots. The year was chain stitched with gold thread. Below
the flower is some beaded ribbon,to the left beaded sequins, a zigzag of bugle beads top right and beaded lace top left.

2006-06-25T17:46:00.000+10:00

Here is a bag I made for a recent swap. It's an enlarged version of a jewellery pouch that my Mum bought me years ago. I used a cream jacquard for the outer bag and pockets and green homespun for the lining. I then used green cebelia crochet cotton for the edging and drawstring cords. The cords were a little long but they can be easily shortened.
I stitched a round pincushion from the jacquard and finished it with some SRE irises and a beaded edging which doesn't show too well in the photo. The pincushion is attached to the centre of the pouch with a velcro dot.

2006-06-23T19:04:00.000+10:00

A CQ RR

The section I embellished on this CQ RR block reminded me a little of tree bark and as it will eventually be returning to U.S.A., I decided to embroider some Aussie wildflowers on it. I began by sketching out a rough design on some paper. Once the placement looked okay to me, I threaded up my needle and started stitching, using what I call my 'freehand' embroidery.
There are some gumnuts and blossoms (eucalytus), bottlebrush (callistemon) and some wattle (acacia). FinallyI added some of our tiny stingless native bees. I stitched all of this with DMC stranded threads using straight stitches, french knots and lazy daisy stitch.
I didn't do any seam treatments as I had already taken up quite a large space and I am only the 2nd of 12 to work on this block.

2006-06-12T20:06:00.000+10:00

CINNAMON DOUGH

Here is the recipe for the cinnamon dough that I used to make the buttons, beads and gingerbread men for the raggedies in the previous post.
Mix 1/2 cup of cornflour, 2 x40g or 50g (1.9 oz.) containers of cinnamon and 1 of ground cloves. Place in bowl and set aside.
Put 1 1/2 cups of applesauce ( either commercial or homemade applesauce or tinned pie apples that have been blended to a puree ) in a saucepan and add 2 sachets of gelatine. Stand for a few minutes then heat, stirring constantly until simmering. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until a dough is formed. Knead well, wrap in plastic and rest for 10 minutes.
Then the fun begins. Either roll out and cut into shapes or hand-mould them as I do. I usually make stars, hearts, gingerbread men and beads, using a skewer or darning needle to make holes for buttons, gift tags or christmas ornaments. Air dry on sheets of greaseproof paper on a rack, turning several times a day or for beads, string on dental floss and hang to dry. I find that the slower they dry, the less cracks will appear, but they can always be patched up with a little moistened dough. The whole house smells lovely during this process.
I have kept buttons made from this dough for years. I think it might keep indefinately if kept dry, a little like bread dough. I once read somewhere that to refresh the lovely smell, just lightly sand and rub with a little clove or spice oil. My buttons, etc. are stored in airtight jars with whole cloves which I buy more cheaply in larger quantities from a local dried flower outlet.
From September, I usually start making old-fashioned pomanders from oranges studded with the cloves and rolled in spices. One year I made miniature pomanders from cumquats and decorated a small Christmas tree with these, cinnamon dough ornaments, raffia bows and topped the tree with a tiny hand-stitched country angel. I gave it as a gift to my best friend who was thrilled with it.

2006-06-06T13:41:00.000+10:00

DOLLS & BEARS
These are some that I've made for various swaps. My first doll was the one that can be seen on top of my craft cupboard in a previous posting. Once I have some very dark brown mohair I will be a little closer to completing her. She reminds me so much of my High School Headmistress LOL.

Above right - "Raggedy Spice"- Her necklace, buttons and the gingerbread man are made from cinnamon dough. The pin was made from a free online pattern ( I think it may have been a 'Mogs Design' )
Above left another Raggedy made from the same pattern for a friend's Birthday.

This teddy was made from mock suede and was supposed to have worn a dress, but I thought 'he' should sport a tie instead. As my swap partner lives in NZ, I embroidered the raw silk tie with Australian wildflowers.

My version of "Lalie Rose" a design by Judy Gray from a Homespun Doll and Bear Mag.

2006-06-05T22:53:00.000+10:00

These are part of another block in the Herb Garden RR. I was very happy with the 'parsley' - I dyed some flat silk thread in the microwave with 'Ozecraft' dye, pulled some threads along one edge until it ruffled up, then stitched it down to form a clump.
I need to have more of a go at different seam treatments, they always seem to be greatly lacking in my work.

2006-06-05T22:04:00.000+10:00

My First CQ
The very first CQ I ever attempted was a Herb Garden RR. Here is a section of a block entitled 'Culpeper's Garden', one of several that I worked on. This was also my first try at SRE and embroidery other than cross stitch.

2006-06-02T20:16:00.000+10:00

Here is another of my recent finds. These wooden cotton reels-69 in all- were languishing in an old cardboard box in a backyard shed.
Tomorrow I plan on checking out our local thrift shop. Haven't been there for a while. I once scored some lovely vintage hankies for 10 cents each and two heavy shot satin evening dresses ideal for CQ. All sorts of interesting things there. Just have to be there at the right time.

2006-06-02T19:50:00.000+10:00

Well, Winter is officially here and don't we know it! The wind started blowing a gale this morning. All it succeeds in doing is drying out our soil still further and absolutely no sign of any rain in the near future. If they weren't on water restrictions, I'd get my daughter to wash and polish her car (used to always work without fail)

2006-05-30T00:07:00.000+10:00

My Most Recent CQ
Thought it was about time I posted pics of some of my CQ and other crafts. These are part of a combined effort wallhanging which can be viewed in full here http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7171/753/640/Hearts%20for%20Jan%20028.jpg

2006-05-29T21:27:00.000+10:00

The first day of June (This Thursday) is officially the start of our Winter here in Australia. It's been quite chilly. We've had an occasional frost but are still in very sore need of some decent rain - Any Rain! Our neighbour's dam, quite a large one, which was once stocked with young fish and full of crayfish, is now just a small mudhole.
Here are some pics I took at Perseverance Dam last month. You can see in both pics just how low the water levels have dropped. The area in the foreground of the top picture is where the water used to run over the spillway, which is off to the far right.
Apparently towards the end of construction on the Dam, it rained so heavily that it filled before
some of the earthmoving machinery was taken out and it remains on the Dam floor to this day. It'll soon be on full view again if we don't have some rain very soon.

2006-05-23T19:08:00.000+10:00

WINTER'S ALMOST UPON US
The few spatters of rain we received last night were just enough to put a nip in the air today.
Here's a pic of the only patch of green on our block, ( apart from the grass over the septic drain) a very young crop of lucerne (alfalfa) watered from our bore.

2006-05-23T17:57:00.000+10:00

MY CRAFT CUPBOARD
This cupboard had been left for years in an old barn and was about to be taken to the rubbish tip by a neighbour when I saw it's future potential and rescued it ( much to my Husband's disgust).
Along with it's battered appearance,it also had quite a few coats of paint on it, so rather than spend heaps of money and time stripping off the many layers, I decided to just give it a good clean up and repaint it. I slapped on a couple of coats of some leftover paint and when dry, gave it the Midas Touch. This was achieved by spraying inexpensive gold aerosol paint onto some old newspaper and using a dry brush to pick it up and splotch it randomly over the cupboard. I then found an old handle for the door and a key ( in my Husband's shed ) which I gave the finishing touch of a small gold tassel. The 2 cherubs were a later find from a thriftshop ( they are only made of plastic, but co-incidentally happened to match the cupboard colours) and were so easy to attach, having holes for hanging on their bases. They cost me a whole 20 cents. I now have a very useful and I think quite attractive cupboard to store just some of my crafting supplies and at very little cost. I do hope I still have a little of that paint left, as I need to touch up the inside of that left-hand door.
I get so much satisfaction from recycling items that others might see as rubbish. As the old saying goes "One man's junk is another man's treasure" or should that now be in these politically correct times, "One person's junk is another person's treasure".

2006-05-23T00:39:00.000+10:00

Early last year, I found this tablecloth at our local Refuse Tip. Would you believe someone had actually been using it as a grease rag. I so wish now that I'd taken pics of it in it's sorry state. It was absolutely covered in black grease. Well, with the help of some Morning Fresh washing up liquid, Sunlight laundry soap and a final soaking in some Napisan, I finally managed to remove all the grime with very little fading to the colours of the embroidery.
It has a little damage to the lace on the top right, in a couple of spots the cloth has come adrift from the edging and is very slightly frayed and a few stitches here and there may need replacing ( Maybe I really shouldn't be attempting any repairs - any advice would be most welcome.) Made of a very good quality linen, I am just so pleased that it can now be preserved as a very small part of Australia's Sewing History. I love vintage linen and now have a small collection, mostly bought from thrift shops or flea markets. Stained or damaged linen can often be utilised in Crazy Quilting or other sewing projects instead of being discarded as is too often the case.

2006-05-21T19:39:00.000+10:00

Just thought I'd show you the results of some experimentation in dyeing. I had a small reel of rayon crochet thread and it had an almost identical twist and sheen to some Edmar thread I had. I dyed it as I do with silk ribbon, in the microwave using Ozecraft dyes. Unlike the silk ribbon though, I didn't dry it on paper towels in the microwave, but hung it to dry naturally on my verandah. I found that each bundle of about 10-12 thread lengths had to be knotted together at each end as it is very prone to unravelling especially when subjected to the rinsing process. I was very happy with the results as I've saved myself quite a bit of money. One of the greens and a mauve are very subtly variegated but I don't think it shows too well in the pic. The green on the far left is a silk thread.

2006-05-21T15:55:00.000+10:00

More 'Fibreworks' pics

2006-05-21T14:00:00.000+10:00

Here are a few pics of the 'Fibreworks' Exhibition.

2006-05-21T03:53:00.000+10:00

WELCOME TO MY BLOG
For my first posting, I thought I'd tell you about the Rosalie Gallery in Goombungee. A small town just 8 kms from where I live. Each month there is a different exhibition. This month's was entitled 'Fibre Works' a celebration of fibre. The felted items on display illustrated traditional methods, nuno, modern, artistic pictorial and needlesculpture. There were woven articles including delicate silk scarves, garments and everyday items. Other crafts on display included latch hooking, patchwork both crazy and sane, knitting, crochet and bobbin and knitted lace.
There may be a felting workshop starting up quite soon, as there were so many expressions of interest from those attending the exhibition ( including Yours Truly of course ) so here's hoping!