walking in my garden

Gardenning, Renovating and Op shopping

 As you can see by the heading of this post, I have been busy but there is not much time for artistic pursuits just now.

After plenty of rain and now some warm weather the garden is looking splendid.

 We are also doing some renovations around the house as we look forward to retiring sometime next year.

The posts that support our stairway are a little in need of attention so we have propped the area up to ensure it is safe and the post which is pictured is now gone. 

I have managed some op shopping and was really taken with this pretty plate, along with quite a lot of other goodies.

With some luck I might pick up a needle and thread in the next day or two.

 

picking up the threads

I am sure my threads go out while I am sleeping and then hop back into the boxes all out of order.

Tonight I am sorting them and wondering how many greens one needs.  Really, I still have trouble picking just the right one for a particular leaf, or blade of grass.  

The pic at the top of the collage is created in photoshop from the image directly below it.  

Little pinnies for little twinnies

This week I ordered a pattern by phone.  I had previously seen a post by Karyn at this blog
I have known Karyn for several years now and I know she was thrilled to be offered work at a wool shop.    On her blog she recently showed a pic of the apron she had made and it was just the thing I wanted.  The little twins I mind need some little pinnies to keep their clothes clean.

Anyway I rang Karyn and ordered the pattern and two pieces of laminated fabric. Now I need some time to make these up.

Thanks Karyn - it is just what I wanted. 

bargain shopping

As I mentioned in a previous post I bought a small loom at the op shop last week.

I am hoping to do some interesting things with this little piece of equipment.  In the meantime it is on the top of the cupboard because I need to finish off a few other things.

If you have used such a device I would be interested to know what you made with it.

I have posted about my other purchases here
This is a collaborative blog about op shopping with lots of different people shopping in different parts of Melbourne.

 

spring in the garden

Rose Tutorial

I think this tutorial  is especially good.

research and relaxation

Most Saturdays will see us at the Mornington Library stocking up on reading material for the week.  I usually just borrow magazines because they are easy to pick up and put down during a busy day.  This morning, however, I decided on some gorgeous books and thought I would share the titles with you.  

They range from gardening and ho tand crafts.

The first is Backyard Blueprints by David Stevens.  Lots of good garden ideas in this one.

Next is Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell.  I thought this might have some ideas for using the things I have been buying lately.

Yesterday I bought a small loom so The Woven Bag by Noreen Crone-Findlay has some projects to experiment with.

Another garden book: Australia's Best Gardens edited by Gary Takle.  This one is way beyond anything we could afford but has some good ideas to borrow.

Now for the craft lover.  The Paper Crafter's Bible by Elizabeth Moad.  This one looks great but I haven't even opened the cover yet.

Last but by no means least is Art Marking, collections and obsessions by Lynne Perrella.  It is described on the cover:

An Intimate Exploration of the mixed-media work and collections of 35 artists.

This last book is fabulous - especially interesting if you dabble in mixed media or if you are an obsessive collector.

I hope you have enjoyed my trip to the library.  I would love to know what you are reading this week.

 

Friday evening

 Today I had a quick trip to some op shops and picked up these treasures from the Salvos in Tyabb Road
Mornington.

Beautiful hand made and embroidered doileys: especially love the cross stitch Christmas one.

They also had lots of pieces that had been commenced but not completed.

It is difficult to take a good photo of these.

This one looks particularly interesting.  

I cannot help wondering who started these pieces.

 

Of course I had to have these gorgeous hankies.  Some of them have exquisite fine lace while others are beautifully embroidered.

In addition to these lovely things I managed to find some other bargains while I was out.  Some mirrors for downstairs, a dolls house for the twins (for their second birthday) and a small weaving loom.  These items are still in the car but I will photograph them some time.

I am beginning to accumulate lots of stuff so some will find their way to ebay eventually to make room for the things I most want to keep.  Selling the occasional item on ebay means I can buy some more things for my textile adventures.  Win Win.

nectarine - thread painting

I have been sorting through my stash of stitching and supplies and today I came across this thread painted nectarine which I did some years ago. Unfortunately I cannot remember who designed this but I think it was a project in an Inspirations magazine.  Now I have to decide what to do with it.

back to basics

After a day of sunshine and time spent outdoors it is raining again now.

We are watching an old episode of Miss Marple and I have been sketching some ideas for a new creation. 

 It is a simple design that I will probably paint onto some evelon and then stitch and embellish.

Well that is the plan at the moment.

I find sketching to be really relaxing and it helps to keep a record of what I am thinking about.

 

A lot of what I sketch doesn't

make it out of the sketchbook but it is still useful as an exercise.

As spring approaches there is plenty in the garden to be inspired by.

purple pieces

 I have been away from my blog for a little while but am back again now.

At last I have finished the 40 day creativity experiment piece.

Although the challenge was to work on a piece for at least a minute each day for 40 days, I didn't manage to work on this everyday.

My time and enthusiasm was somewhat curbed by several visits to doctors and a short stay in hospital over the past few weeks.

Fortunately there was good news at the end of it all but the uncertainty did take a heavy toll.  If it wasn't for a very understanding doctor who understood my anxiety and my dear friend Linda who listened to me when I needed to talk I am not sure how I would have coped.  It is times of great stress that you know who you can truly count on.  Thanks Linda.

As a result my creative urges have been pushed to one side and although I have been reading blogs I haven't felt much like commenting.

Today was a beautiful spring day and it is amazing how a little sunshine can put the smile back.

Anyway the second pic is of  prostanthera ovalifolia native mint bush which is in bloom in our garden at present.

Kookaburra

paper roses

this looks like a lot of fun.

I thought you might like this link.  Enjoy 

spring