Lily.....

Beautiful Lilys from the supermarket this week.

They were tight buds and have burst open in the last 24 hours.

Love the stamens!!

The perfume divine!!

Such a Spring like day here today. I hope it's here to stay!

This Week......

I have been having a lovely time in the sewing room making lots of new bags. If all goes well I will be putting some things into my Etsy shop hopefully before our Internet usage disappears for the month.

I had one huge cutting session yesterday afternoon, so onto the stitching. I so enjoy my time I get sewing.



Now, could someone please explain something to me. The people who live behind us have just recently moved in. They quite obviously are both at work all day and then never make it outside even on the weekends. Now my problem is this. Why do people like this get a puppy, not one but two. These puppies never get played with, walked or bathed. They must be getting fed, but that's about it. Now, these little fellows must be bored out of their brains. They are chewing everything in sight. Yesterday, they dug under our fence and hauled this 20 metres of dripper line completely onto their side and by the time we found it, they had chewed every fitting on it.



I brought it to these people's attention this morning. They were embarrassed and most helpful in wanting to help fix it BUT I still don't understand!!! Rant over!!!!

The pots are coming along beautifully. Hundreds of little buds. I am picking them off at the moment but will let them run into a riot of colour in the next couple of weeks. I still have them all grouped together for ease of watering. Can't wait to "decorate" the outside with them!

I had a heap of fun at the garden centre one morning this week. This little corner was very untidy and ordinary. I had a great time choosing some plants and redoing this area. It has a very purple theme now. Polygala, viola, status and dianthus.

I love primula and have planted heaps of them. Look at these little lovelies just putting up their first flowers.

We've had two birthdays here in the last week. Alexandra turned 12 last Thursday. She had a lovely day and really enjoyed her very big girl gifts - a Pandora bracelet and a Country Road bag. Both very special things that she so wanted.

Yesterday Mitchell turned sweet 16. My beautiful boy is growing up too quickly. Here in Australia he was eligible to try for his Learners Permit. He missed out yesterday, but was successful today. I think they should provide a years worth of hair colours for the mothers of these children. I will be grey for sure with this one behind the wheel. I think he wants his first lesson this afternoon!! Now he has to complete one year with 100 hours of logged driving practice before he can go for his practical test. Good in lots of ways, an absolute pain in many others. Mitchell has also just signed a School based apprenticeship in baking. He will go to school four days each week and then to work one day to begin his trade.

Off to get my boy off the bus now - and have that first driving lesson!!!

Bunting, Bunnies & More.....

I've been busy in the sewing room having heaps of fun with fabric. So far I've made bunting,

Bunnies,

Handbags, Peg Bags, Covered Coat Hangers, Covered Journals, Gardening Aprons, Fabric Covered Push Pins, Vintage Doiley Magnets and Frilly Aprons!!

If my internet wasn't on go slow until the weekend I would show you more, but it is just too painful to load the pics!!

I won't even try to get any on Etsy yet! Too hard. I've booked a stall at a Fine Food and Craft weekend in Pittsworth which is a small country town near where I live. This is happening in early October, so may just keep making stock until then. There is also a possibility of doing a Farmers Market early September too - so may give Etsy a miss until then!!

We are having the most beautiful weather. Almost as though Spring is here already. Mother Nature is sure to give us some more winter though. The garden is doing beautifully. On the weekend I planted lots of lovelies into the vege patch too. Lettuce, Beetroot, Spinach, Pea seeds, Mint, Lemon Balm, Spring Onions, Chives, Thyme, Celery and Potatoes!! I have left heaps of room to add beans, corn and tomatoes in a few weeks when hopefully we won't get any more surprise Jack Frost!

This week has been a difficult one with a young boy from Mitchells' school sustaining an horrific head injury while training for football. He was placed on life support after being rushed to Brisbane hospital. On Sunday his family was with him as he went to be with Jesus. My boys have been so saddened by the loss of this beautiful boy. Also, last week my cousin Symon was hit by a car while riding his motor bike between his work and college. His leg is broken in 7 places below his right knee. Please pray for Symon as he undergoes reconstructive surgery this weekend and then endures the many long months of rehabilitation that he will require. Please keep his wife Melanie and their dear little baby Elliot in your thoughts as well.

A Lovely Prize......

I was the very lucky recipient of a pattern from Evonne from Hilltop House.

Very cute party bags. Aren't the appliques just so sweet that Evonne has designed

for the front of the bags.

Thank you Evonne for such a lovely prize in your giveaway.

What a lovely surprise in the post box today!!

Cosy......

A little while ago while rummaging in a local "treasure shop", I came across this little piece of loveliness.

I didn't look anything like this when I found it though. Dirty, stained and discarded and in two pieces. I couldn't work out whether it had never been finished off or whether it had been loved and used so much that the crochet work that may have held it together had fallen to pieces.

I brought it home - gave it a good old soaking and pieced it together with some pretty lace and a little piece of the perfect coloured green velvet ribbon.

The embroidery is just beautiful and would have taken hours to do - there's more on the back!

It fits my enamel tea pot perfectly - it's not exactly "cosy" as it's just the embroidered fabric and is not padded.

Sweet just the same!!

Missing Them.......

Last Thursday I took my dear Dad and Mum to the airport. They have have gone on a fantastic trip to Europe and won't be home until September!!!

Today they are travelling to Vienna!!! I am soooooooo jealous!!! They've already been to Germany and Austria.


Luckily for me Mum stocked my freezer up with her delicious soup before she went away - perfect for these very cold winter days we are having.

You can see on the left there I have had a big baking session this week too - jam drops, chocolate slice, Anzacs and chocolate cake.

Some more production in the sewing room - just waiting for the sun to appear to take some pics. Off to make some bunting now!!

Spring Preparation.......

Winter has well and truly arrived. We have had a cold and windy weekend. Quite productive in the garden though. I rugged up in my beanie and coat and ventured out into the garden. I wanted to get all my pots planted up with seedlings ready for a colourful Spring garden.



This large pot was filled with water and was home to some fish. I am not sure what happened but it suddenly lost all of its water. We filled it with soil and now has a Cumquat tree planted in it. I had a Cumquat a few years ago, but it didn't survive the shift of house. I hope I get a lovely crop of fruit so that I can make some marmalade. Maybe I will have to wait until next Spring.



We are tossing around the idea of entering the garden in the local cometition again this year. We have planted around thirty pots up with lots of different pretties. Pansies, violas, allysum, dwarf stocks, lots of primula, lobeila. I just love pots of flowers around my back garden and dotted in the garden beds. At the moment I just have them grouped together for the ease of watering. When they are established I will be able to create some lovely displays.

I just love this big builders tool box. I bought it a while ago with the plan for a beautiful Spring display. I drilled some holes in the bottom for drainage. Primula, allysum and lobeila in that one!

I've enjoyed some time baking this morning and also applying for some more positions. I know the right one will come along at the right time - just wondering how long though!!

I've had a great week making some things to hopefully sell. It's lovely using up all the beautiful fabrics and lace I have had for awhile - what a great excuse to have to purchase more eventually.

One more application to attend to and then off to sew.