Short break

Just to let you know that I am taking a short break from my blog.  I won't be away for long, I just need to catch my breath.  Because of this I have extended the closing date of my 100th post give away
until the 5th December.  I will be looking at your blogs and might make a comment here or there, honestly I've go too much to say to be silent for too long.  :-)

See you soon,

Anne xx

Changes

I've made a few changes to my blog, obviously! :)  I like to change things around every now and then, and this is what I'm going with for the moment.

I worked on the blog illustrations today and they represent some of the things that are important and have meaning to me.   I sign my pen and water colour illustrations as Damelia (for my Grandma) and use my own name when I paint in oils.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.  May the beautiful and very cold people in the northern hemisphere keep warm and stay safe in your snowy and wintery conditions.  To those in the southern hemisphere, enjoy the sun if it's shining down on you.

I'll leave you with this photo of a rose (Lordly Oberon) I planted in memory of my Aunty when she passed away a few years ago.  It is flowering beautifully although the blossoms are a  little rain damaged now.

Anne  xx

Milking time

Oil painting - "Milking Time"

Farmer brother E. milking the cow with Teddy the cat waiting for his share.

Hope everyone is having a lovely day,

Anne  xx

Help needed - CD storage disaster

Look at this mess, what can I do to make it better?  I'm using these at the moment, but the CD's keep falling out. 

And because they are such a pain, the CD's recently used never seem to get put back in the cupboard.

If there is somebody reading this post who has a solution to solve this problem, please let me know.  I like making things so that would be my preference.  If I could make something out of junk or recycle something, that would be a bonus.

Thanks for your help,

Anne  xx

Craving Mum's food

Last week I had a craving for a simple dessert my Mum made when I was growing up and I think she still makes.  Good old fashioned baked custard.  Of course you can't have baked custard without stewed apples so I made them too.  I like to put a little brown sugar with the apples, a couple of cloves, a sprinkle of cinnamon and sometimes the grated rind of a lemon.

The custard is super easy to make and as we have heaps of eggs from our chooks, it's a yumny way to use them up.

My Mum's Baked Custard

3 eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

600ml milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

nutmeg

Beat the eggs and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add milk and vanilla and beat until combined.  Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle nutmeg on top.  Place the casserole dish in a baking dish with water in and bake in a moderate oven until set.

I'm going to make this again soon.  Just looking at these photos makes me want more. 

As a side note, I used a pair of old hand egg beaters I have stored in the drawer.  I certainly wasn't going to use the electric ones just for making the custard.  Miss C. asked me how long it was since I'd used them and I honestly couldn't remember, but I'm so glad I still have them.  While I was using them I was reminded of my brother (the farming one living in Western Australia), beating cream for Mum when we were kids.  He had flying on his mind and thought he would demonstrate a helicopter taking off while he was beating the cream.  Yes you guessed it, cream splattered everywhere in the kitchen.  Hey cob, you remember that? :)  Just couldn't resist telling that story.

  What childhood food do you crave?

Anne  xx

100th post - Give away time

It's hard to believe I'm up to my 100th post. This blogging business is so much fun, time consuming, yes, but fun. I've met so many wonderful people doing all kinds of interesting things. Some are artists, some are crafters, some are decorators, some love to bake and cook and some talk about life. It's a fascinating world out there and I'm so happy to be a very small part of it. Blogging has challenged me to create more than I ever have before and I love it. It has been very good therapy for me as you will know from this post.

To celebrate this small milestone, I have a give away for you.  As some of you may know, I like to make things.  Things that are practical, helpful and pretty if possible.  So I've made four items that hopefully someone might be interested in receiving, and here they are.

The first item below is called a back sack.  It's made from cotton fabric, lined and is a cross between a back pack and a shoulder bag.  The bag is designed so that when you pull the straps, they act like a drawstring.  This is not my design.  I downloaded it a long time ago but can't find the link now so I can't credit the designer.

Thanks to Miss G. for being my model.

The back sack folds down quite small so you could pop it in your main shopping bag and use it for a spare.

The next item  is a roll up travel pouch for jewellery.  Or maybe even crochet hooks? :)  It's made from cotton and once again I can't take credit for the design, although I have added some of my own decorative touches.  The design came from a craft book my sister-in-law had and I don't have the authors name or title of the book.  Some of the jewellery I've used in this photo for display purposes, I've inherited.  Lucky me, I love old jewellery.

When you fold up the pouch, it's kept closed by tying the ribbons as can be seen in the first photo of this post.

The next item is an air freshener sachet (I showed you how I made them  here ), that can be used in the car or anywhere else you'd like, perhaps the wardrobe.  Put some dried lavender flowers, rose petals or cotton wool balls with a few drops of your favourite essential oil into the little calico bag and close.  Put the little bag into the pretty fabric outer bag and hang it wherever you want a nice aroma.

 I've left the ribbon long so you adjust it to suit your needs.

And now for the final item.  I've made bits and pieces of jewellery from time to time, earrings, bracelets, necklaces but never one of these.  It's a little bit quirky and I've used jewellery findings in unusual ways as decoration and added some charms.

It's a kilt pin brooch and quite heavy with all the added bits and pieces, so is probably best worn on a heavy winter scarf or jumper.

The materials used are costume jewellery items found at most craft stores. 

There's a very strong possibility I'll be adding something more to this give away.  Something to surprise you so I'm not telling.

If you would like to enter, leave me a comment telling me something interesting about yourself, anything.  I'd love to know a bit more about you.  If you are a follower, your name will go into the hat twice.  The close off day for entries is 30th November and anyone can enter.  I'll send a parcel anywhere in the world.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day/evening.

Anne xx

One last Christmas decoration idea

About 10 years ago when we had just moved into our brand new house, money was tight and I was looking for colourful, cheerful and cheap ideas to decorate our tree.  This idea originally comes from Better Homes and Gardens magazine (Australia) and was a big hit with all and sundry.  We had a small Christmas tree growing in a pot at the time and the stems were fairly groaning with bounty. 

Materials

 Different coloured tulle

(What I've used is probably better described as netting, it's very rough).

 Ribbon, curling ribbon, twine, whatever takes your fancy.

Treats

Scissors

Tape measure

Start by cutting out squares of tulle about 36cm x 36cm (14" x 14") depending on how much bounty you want each person to consume.  Put your bounty in the middle of the tulle square.

Pull the corners and edges of the tulle in together and gather, holding in one hand.  Tie ribbon (you need a fairly long piece of ribbon) or twine around the centre of the gathered tulle, making sure all the edges are in otherwise the bounty is going to fall right out.  An extra pair of hands would be useful!! :)

Knot and then tie the ribbon in a bow.  Tie another knot at the end of the long tails to form a loop to hang on the tree.

How do you like my impromptu Christmas tree limb? :)

All that remains to be done is have fun with colour schemes and maybe put a name tag on these little treat bags.

They look rather nice grouped together.

You could use cellophane paper for this project or scraps of Christmas fabric too.  Happy crafting.

Anne  xx

A little more Christmas decorating

A couple of years ago while on holiday, I collected some pine and banksia cones which I intended using for some kind of decorating purpose.  They were put in the garage and sat there for a couple of years until hubby decided to clean the garage out.  I asked him not to consign them to the skip and today with the help of some spray paint this is what I did.

These cones were given a lick of gold paint, a little hard to see in this photo.  I only gave them a light spray because I wanted some dark colour to come through.  This will be put on our coffee table in the lounge room which is painted in colours of peacock green, gold and Egyptian red.

These cones were sprayed with white paint and once again just given a light coating.  The paint I used was flat white so I did a very light spray with gold just to add a little bit of life.  You can't see the gold in this photo, but assure you it is there.  This display is in our main kitchen living area which is in colours of dull light gold, antique white, light aqua blues and a feature wall in a colour we mixed ourselves.  It's a deep blue/green, not quite turquoise but along those lines.

I added this little bird I intended for the Christmas tree, but I think he might be staying right here among the cones.

 And what's this I wonder?  Could it be a sneaky peak at something I've made to go in my 100th post giveaway?

Enjoy your evening/day.

Anne xx

Gardening moments

After a very wet, miserable and long winter, my garden is in need of some serious attention.  We are having a spell of warm and sunny days which is beautiful gardening weather.  First on my list was to fertilise the vege garden with good old cow poo and mulch with pea straw.  I love the combination of cow poo and pea straw as it is slowly turning heavy clay soil of my garden into beautiful soil.  One thing I'm not happy about this year is the number of ants that have taken up residence in my garden.  The vege garden is riddled with them, grrr.  Anyway, here are a few photos of what I did yesterday.  The roses were treated with cow poo and pea straw too.  Lets hope they reward me with lovely flowers.

I seem to have terrible trouble trying to get good photos in the bright midday sun.  Sorry about the quality.

Somehow in a few short months, I have managed to rack up 97 posts and with the 100th post not far away, you know what that means.  The 100th post will be a give away post.  I'm not sure what it will be yet, I'm working on it.  Stay tuned.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone,

Anne  xx

The price of "vintage"

Am I a cheapskate or what?  On one of the blogs I follow, a lady has won a give away of a lovely bag/tote, the retail price being $365.00.  Now I guess I'm going to sound jealous here but let me assure you I am not.  What I would like to say is that I can't see the value in the item.  The bag in question is made from an old German grain sack and made into quite a large tote like bag.  Is the value in the old grain sack, the labour hours it took to make (it's looks like a fairly simple design) or the fact that it can be bought from a business that sells "vintage/antique"?

I am not about criticising people who are earning a living, crafting, designing and spending a lot of time building a business.  I'm questioning whether the pricing of such items is over the top because it has the label "vintage or antique" attached to it?  I have similar issues with branded clothes.  They are made in the same sweat shops in China or India as the clothes you can buy in Target or K-mart, are usually the same quality but cost three and four times the amount, sometimes more.

This really does sound like I'm full of sour grapes but I don't understand when it appears someone is taking advantage of an image or idea and then uses that to tack on a huge price.

I may well be misguided and uneducated on this subject and would be interested in the opinion and viewpoints of other people.  Be brave, let me know what you think if you have the time to comment.

Anne

P.S.  I am in no way criticising the concept of give aways on blogs, vintage, antiques, or the lovely lady who won the bag.  It is lovely and she has used it beautifully in her home as a decorative piece.  It's all about the concept.  Just wanted to make that clear.

Pick the difference

Below is a photo of two pairs of glasses.  One pair is from the optometrist (prescription), the other pair are from K-Mart (magnification +2.00).  One pair cost over $300, the other $10.  One pair gives me a headache, one pair does not.  Can you pick which pair are expensive and make my head hurt and which ones are cheap and help me read without getting a headache.

On the left we have the optometrist rubbish, useless waste of money pair and on the right we have the cheap K-Mart pair which do the job.  I'm not happy that the optometrist can get it soooooooooo wrong.  Of course I didn't start getting headaches until the month trial period was up, so I can't get my money back.  Grrrrrrrrr.  (The optometrist I went to is from a very well know "professional" optometrist chain in Australia.  I won't be going to them again).  It's a bit like when your warranty runs out on the washing machine or the fridge and the very next day it breaks down.  Such is life eh?   :-)  Note to self, next time I need stronger glasses, go to K-mart and buy a +2.50 magnification pair and save myself buckets.

Well I think I might be off too make my new glasses a very FUNKY case.

Have a lovely evening or day depending where you live.

Anne  xx

Home made car freshener sachet

Who likes a nice sweet smelling car.  Nothing too overpowering, but something other than stale car smell.  I would be one of those people but I don't care for the smells that come with the hanging car freshener thingies you can by from auto accessory shops or supermarkets.  Here is a little idea I thought of earlier today and decided to make it up straight away.  It's easy, cheap and quick to make.

Materials

calico or muslin (only small amount needed)

craft fabric (only small amount needed)

thread

ribbon and/or cotton twine

scissors

sewing machine

sewing pins

cotton wool balls

essential oils, dried rose petals, dried lavender flowers etc.

I am making two bags and you will see why as we proceed.  Cut out a small squarish or rectangular piece of muslin or calico and a slightly larger piece of craft fabric for sewing into little drawstring sachets as follows.

When sewing the hem for the drawstring, remember to leave a gap so you can thread either your twine or ribbon through.

Tie a knot in your twine to stop the ends disappearing into the hem.  It's happened to me before.  :-(

Make the sachet from your craft fabric the same way.

 Tie that knot.

Your calico or muslin sachet should be smaller than your craft fabric sachet.

Turn the sachets right side out.  Get a couple of cotton wool balls and essential oils you like.  Put a little of the scented oil on the cotton wall balls and put inside the calico or muslin sachet and draw the string tight.  If you are using dried lavender flowers or scented rose petals instead of cotton wool balls, put them in this sachet too.

Then put your calico/muslin sachet into the craft fabric sachet and draw close.

The reason I have made two sachets is to stop any essential oil potentially staining the outer fabric.  If you are using dried lavender flowers or scented dried rose petals, you have less chance of them spilling in your car too.
All that remains to do is find a spot in your car to hang your sachet.  When the lovely smell of your sachet starts to fade, either add a few more drops of essential oil to your cotton wool or replace rose petals or lavender.  We aren't chucking anything away here.  At the very least it will be a couple cotton wool balls a few times a year or rose petals and lavender which can be put back on the garden or a pot plant if you don't have a garden.

Please excuse the lousy photo, the sun was just too bright and shows up every little speck of dust, fluff and hair.   These little sachets might make a nice Christmas stocking stuffer.  Perhaps they could also be made for the men in your life fathers, brothers, hubbies, partners, sons, nephews, uncles, brothers-in-law, grandfathers (have I forgotten anyone?), by using a masculine fabric and scent.

Before I go I've got a little tip for you.  When I'm doing my vacuuming, I put a cotton wool ball that has a few drops of essential oil on it into the vacuum cleaner and then as I'm going about the house, instead of any yucky smells like dog hair etc., I have a nice essential oil smell.

Bye for now,

Anne  xx

Thank you and a bit about blogging

In the last couple of days I've been given two blog awards.  I would like to thank Cheryl at  Time to Craft
for the Versatile Blogger award and Terrie at Creative Haven
for the Beautiful Blogger award.  I appreciate my blog being thought worthy enough to receive these awards but to be quite honest, I don't really know what to do now.  You see I blog for a number of reasons, none of which include being given awards.  As I'm still fairly new to the blogging world, I'm not sure of blogging protocol when it comes to awards.

I'm not really sure how to go about expressing myself here, so bear with me if you will as I struggle to tell you what's on my mind.  Let me first say how much I appreciate Cheryl and Terrie passing the awards my way.  I'm surprised and delighted.  Bearing that in mind, I'm hesitant to keep the ball rolling and pass on the awards, not because I can't find anyone worthy of such awards, it's more like how can I not pass awards on to everyone I follow and it's many.  Far more than on my blog roll, I haven't updated it recently.  I just can't show favouritism, because everyone I read, I read for a purpose.  Either their blog is beautiful, interesting, creative, gorgeous, helpful, inspiring, makes me think, enlightens me, encourages me, broadens my outlook, uplifts me, helps me to love the people in the world even more, gives me friendship and companionship, and so much, much more.  Some blogs give me all that and then some more, but I can't show any favouritism because they all make a positive impact on me in different ways and for that I THANK EVERYONE OF YOU!!!

So I'm wondering if I might graciously thank Cheryl and Terrie for their appreciation of my blog and leave it at that.  I would also like to share one very important reason why I blog and love reading all yours.  I suffer depression and anxiety.  If you've read my other blog 'Standing Up While Falling Down', you will already know all about this not so wonderful part of my life and I don't want to go into that on this blog.  However I would like to say that blogging has helped me get through some very nasty times I've had this past winter.  I started blogging in July after first reading about Lucy
over at Attic 24.  Her blog was/is inspirational, a bright, beautiful, colourful light in a very dark hole in which I sometimes live.  I found Lucy through Kathreen at  http://whipup.net 
who had a link to one Lucy's fantastic crochet projects.  So that is where blogging all started for me.  And it helps me on so many levels, too many to list here today.  I started my own blog because I thought I might have something to offer, something to share with all the beautiful people out in blog land who very generously share their ideas, creativity, love, humour, life and even sad times with us all.

At the risk of boring you too much more with my words, thank you to each and everyone of you who read my blog, to my followers, I'm amazed and very happy you do.  :-)  I hope my thoughts on this subject make sense and I certainly hope I've offended no one, I just don't want to be seen as unappreciative.

Have a fantastic day everyone,

Anne xx

White and neutral style Christmas baubles

As you can see I've been on a creating frenzy the past few days.  I wanted to try something a little different when it came to making some more baubles and I know there are many people who favour decorating their houses with whites, off whites and neutral colours.  Using bits and pieces I already have I came up with the following baubles.

Materials

hessian 

unbleached calico

embroidery anglaise

vintage ric rac inherited from my mum-in-law

vintage bias binding also inherited from mum-in-law

vintage lace

ribbon

braid

poly styrene foam balls

sew pins (of course)

scissors

I didn't use all the materials shown above but it shows a selection of what you could use.  The photos below show baubles at different stages of construction using the same method as my previous post.

 The finished baubles.

Have a lovely day everyone.

Anne