Just Be...

Remember this photo? Remember that I entered it into Farmgirl Paint's Thrive Project? Well guess what,

Becky picked my photo as one of the two winners! So exciting! She really loves this photo.

I recieved my prize in the mail this morning.

It's inside this very cute pouch and was accompanied by a very sweet note. I love the note Becky!

This is one side of Becky's business card. I love it so much that I'm going to frame it and put it on display.

It's very special to me. I have to admit that I have a blog crush on Farmgirl Paints. I read every single one of her posts and I love them all. I don't always comment, but when I do, she visits me right back and always leaves an encouraging comment. This girl has a big heart for God. Love it! Love her!

And this is what was inside that pouch.

A cuff, made by Becky. She has her own Etsy shop. You can see other cuffs and things that she makes. She's so creative. I love her paintings especially. I think those are commissioned though.

I love those two words. JUST BE.

Just be happy. Just be content. Just be in the moment. Just be kind. Just be thoughtful. Just be a good wife. Just be the best you.

There's so many ways to finish that sentance.

How would you finish that sentance? Let me know in the comments.

Thank you Becky for my 'words on a cuff'. I love it and will wear it with pride. I'm wearing it now.

Melbourne will love it!

~ Ky x

My Photography Blog

I have been inspired by The Clip Cafe who has a photography blog called Flower Photography. It's a 365 project blog. I wasn't aware that so many people do this, but it seems there are heaps of 365 project blogs out there. Anyway, I've started one today.

I've called it Teacups and Grafitti because I take photos of both those things and everything in between. Plus I think it's a really cool name. (Does saying cool show my age?)

I will post a different photo that I have taken, every day of the year.

I will challenge myself to get better and gain new photography skills.

Today is the first day for my new blog and it is also the 1st Birthday for communal global!

Happy Birthday Communal Global! I look forward to see what you have for us girls in the next 12 months.

~ Ky x

Just Stuff

Following on from yesterdays post, I thought I'd share a few more things I found last week. So exciting! A couple of them were for free.

So, without further ado...

A gorgeous straw? handbag.

A green, glass bottle which came with a white, plastic lid so you can actually keep liquids in it. I don't like the ugly, white lid though. This bottle is sitting on my kitchen bench at the moment until I decide what to use it for. It will probably become a water bottle for the fridge.

Now this trunk was a special surprise from my hubby! He came home with it last week. He spotted it in a pile of someones council pick up rubbish on the side of the road. I was SO excited when he pulled it out of the back of the ute. It needs a bit of a clean and some new hinges, but other than that it's completely usable. Yay! More storage! I love that he gets what I like...old crap, with a story to tell.

This was another freebie. Dad and I picked it up from the side of the road last week. Yes, council pick up is happening in our area too. It's in perfect nick! I can't believe the stuff people throw away. It's a perfectly good mirror, in a perfectly good frame.

Mum and I also picked up a kids wooden table and four wooden chairs. All they need is a sand back and some new paint and they are as good as new. Seriously!

So, I do actually have some little projects to work on. Will show you them when they are finished. Note the orange chairs the trunk is sitting on. Well they are going to have removable chair covers made for them so that they actually look nice. They were also a freebie from one of the schools my hubby is renovating at the moment. Very comfortable, but very ugly. They are our outdoor furniture.

So, better get cracking!

~ Ky x

A Burst of Sunshine on a Dreary Day

I am feeling less than ordinary today. Feeling very far away from my family and closest friends. God always knows when you need a little joy, a little sunshine in your day.

I recieved a parcel in the mail today. Totally unexpected. I pulled this out of the bag. Beautiful wrapping paper. A double layer of wax type paper with pansies, primulas, petunias and leaves between the layers. They are out of Mum's garden and she made this paper herself! Just so pretty!

Inside was a pile of beautiful doilies. My darling Mum found a bunch of them stored in the attic and thought I would be able to put them to good use. I certainly will! I have enough doilies now to make the doily runner I posted about a while back. I have been buying some when I find what I like in op shops, but these ones are so pretty and will look great when I sew them together.

It will be a runner with some family history and more special to me because of that.

Thanks Mum for making my day a little brighter. I love you! xx

~ Ky x

ps. the flowers were fresh so they retain their colour.

The Curtains - Before and After

So I finished the curtains the other day. They were easy peasy. I was all angst about making them for nothing. I guess sewing is like riding a bike, once you learn, you never forget. I did 5 years of Home Ec, so I definately learned how to use a sewing machine and no matter how many years go by between uses, I can still remember how to do everything. Well almost everything. The basics, anyway.

Moving on... I thought you might like to see some before and afters. I have to admit that I'm not totally happy with the curtains. I think I need to make them a little narrower. They are thermal lined which makes them a heavy, stiff fabric which doesn't gather and hang very well. You will see what I mean in the photos. It's very hard to open them as there is too much gather at the top.

Bare windows that have been letting a lot of our heating disappear.

Monkey has never seen me use the sewing machine before. Being a very curious 3 year old, he was right in there a lot of the time. I had to constantly tell him to leave the machine alone. You should have seen the sheer delight on his beautiful face when the bobbin ran out of thread and I had to put some more on. He wanted me to do another one, and another one...

This machine actually belongs to my Mum. It must be at least 30 years old. My sister had it for awhile and now it is living at my house until I buy my own. Mum loves her Bernina. It is a beaut machine! She has been kind enough over the years to lend it to us girls as she has a Janome at her place..

I might add too, that Monkey would lie on the table behind the machine and insisted on pulling out the pins on the curtains as I was sewing. I had to call out the colour of the pin and then he would reach his little hand through the machine and pull it out. It made the process a little slower, but it kept him out of trouble.

Ta- da!

Looks better, huh? This end of the house keeps a lot warmer now that they are up. They will help to keep the hot, western sun at bay in summer too. I didn't really want thermal lined curtains here. I would have loved some heavy lace, but I had to be practical. Oh well...

~ Ky x

Bits and Bobs...little treasures

Monkey and I popped into one of my favourite charity stores this morning. It's the ADRA op shop in Mitchum. They have the most interesting stuff and their prices are so much better than some of the big name op shops. Personally, I think some of the prices that op shops charge for some things are too much. I've picked up many a piece to see what the price is and then put it back down cos I'm not willing to part with that amount of money for something that is secondhand and well used. I know it's for charity, but c'mon...

So, this morning I spotted a sewing table and pulled out the top draw to check it out. It had a utensil tray in it so I pulled that out and underneath were tins with stuff in them and also some other sewing bits and bobs. I asked the ladies how much they wanted for the tins and some of the other stuff. I didn't buy everything, only the things that are useful to me.

These tins once housed 50 cigarettes. Not anymore though. The previous owner used them to store sewing essentials.  She has even etched what was in them on the lids.

Press stud, threads...even nylon thread for mending stockings.

Don't we just throw them out and buy a new pair now when they get a hole in them?

More tins that I will be filling with my own sewing and crafting essentials.

And I found these great little bits and bobs. A little tin, for little stuff, a couple of crochet hooks in a size I don't have, a tape measure, a tin of pins and a cute little stanley knife.

I just had to buy this tin of pins! My mum had/has one. As soon as I saw it I had a strong sense of nostalgia wash over me. There was no way I was going to walk out of the shop without this little gem. Now if only I could get it open.

How cute is this stanley knife? Just for the girls, this one. I couldn't see a man using it. It's not manly at all. It's not really a stanley knife, cos it doesn't have stanley written on it, but I just call all knives like this a stanley knife.

This tea towel is 100% linen and made in Ireland. I'm beginning a collection of good quality tea towels for an Etsy shop idea I have. I've had this idea for a long time, but I'm finally going to do something about it.

Here's another one. This one is made in ...

...Czeckoslovakia! It's 61% cotton and 49% linen. Don't know how they work out those percentages. It amused me, I have to say.

So there you have it. My exciting morning of treasure finding. I might add that all these items, plus 2 viewfinders for the kids cost me the grand total of $18. Not a bad mornings shopping I must say. Do I love a bargain or do I love a bargain???

~ Ky x

Plates 'n Stuff

I came across this lovely plate in an op shop a few days ago. It has been nursing our bananas since it came to live with us. It was the right price, so I snapped it up. Can't go past an old, pretty plate for $5. I am quite sure it will serve me well. I don't even mind that it has a stain in the middle of it, or that the glaze is all cracked. I rather like that look. It's been well used.

This is the makers stamp on the back of it (sorry it's sideways). I thought the sailing ship was cute. Makers stamps really don't mean much to me unless it's something well known like Royal Doulton, Wedgewood, Noritake...you get the idea.

And then there's this bowl and jug set. It's a very cute set that my darling husband nicked from his cousins holiday house (he knows me so well). He also nicked some pottery stuff. Yikes!!! I didn't like that stuff in the 80's and 90's and I certainly don't like it now(he brought them home just in case I wanted them). I thought he'd stopped off at a pottery barn. I REALLY don't like pottery barns. So, I dropped them off at the local Salvo's store...they can have them. Anyway... 

The only stamp this one has on the bottom says JAPAN. That immediately tells you that it's a cheap knock off...made to look like it's collectable. It is a very sweet little set though, so I'm going to keep it.

I'm just not sure what to use it for, so for now it will sit atop my slowly growing collection of old plates. One day I hope to have enough old plates and bowls to be able to set the table with them. You know, shabby chic style. Nothing matching.

Well, better be off now. I have some curtains to try and sew. It's been a few years since I've sewn anything, so I have to go and use my brain to work out how wide to cut the fabric plus add on the seams...aarrrrgh, my brain hurts already. I will show you how I go when they are up. Until then, enjoy your day!

~ Ky x

p.s. The fabric that the plate is sitting on is what I am making the curtains out of.

Doily Table Runner

I came across this doily table runner on The How-To-Gal blog. So I clicked on the link to go to the tutorial and here it is at Ashley Ann. I think it is adorable. I've always liked doilies, but when I have put them around the house under objects I think it just looks cluttered. This totally solves that problem and lets one have their doilies too. This will have to go on my 'To Do' list. I need to find some more doilies first...another good reason to pop into my favourite op shops. Yay!

~ Ky x

Crochet and Knitting

A good friend of mine has started teaching me how to crochet. I've never been interested in learning until recently. I have a dream of making one of those granny blankets from crochet squares. I love them and it would be great to have made one myself. I have to say that being a knitter and then picking up a crochet hook is quite frustrating. Below is a photo of my progress so far. Three rows of loops that took over half an hour to do. It was VERY slow going and I felt like I had very little control over that hook. I slowly got the hang of it, but still need an awful lot of practice to feel comfortable and have a steady flow going.

 

I will not give up the knitting though. I'm not a highly skilled knitter. I only know the basic knit stitch and haven't a clue how to read a pattern, but I am going to learn. My friends mum is a skilled knitter and is very happy to teach me everything I need to know about knitting. Stitches and patterns included. I'm very grateful to her for wanting to help me as I was going to start going to knitting classes and that costs money that isn't really in the budget at the moment. The three of us will be able to get together and knit and crochet to our hearts content.

The squares in the photo below are a few years old now. I haven't done much knitting since the kids came along, but I am very eager to pick up those knitting needles and get back into it. These squares are supposed to become a blanket. I have quite a few more to make before there will be enough to put together for a decent size blanket. I won't be using the green ones because I just don't think it would look good with the other colours.

 I'll have to show you when I finish it.

The Desk

This is my computer 'desk' at the moment. My daughter's toy kitchen. It's not an ideal desk, but it's doing the job for now.
I have begun looking for a desk to put in this corner of the loungeroom. My own little desk to put my computer on. I have been looking in vintage stores, op shops, second hand shops and even an antique shop. I found the perfect desk in the antique shop, but of course it was more than I was willing to pay.
Yes, I could probably find one in Ikea or one of the other furniture chain stores, but I have in mind the kind of desk I want. Something already used, with a bit of character. Something vintage. A wood desk or small table would be perfect.
When I find 'the one' I will show you. Until then I will have fun looking.

Here's to Twenty Ten!

The new year is upon us...again. They seem to go faster and faster. Is time actually speeding up?
I'm glad it's a new year. I love a new year. The hope of a fresh start. The anticipation of new projects. The anticipation of self growth. The hope that something REALLY good will happen this year.
I have things I want to do this year. Some of them are the same plans that I had a year ago and never quite motivated myself to do them. I'm determined to do them this year. Life is passing me by, and I'm letting it. I'm tired of wasting my potential. Time for me to grab it and hang on for the ride.

Updates

Just a quick update on the book I'm reading at the moment. Well, I actually stopped reading it for a few weeks, but picked it up again last night. Quite frankly, I'm terrified for my Angel and the pressures she is going to be facing as a teenage girl. If you are a parent or a teacher you really need to read this book.
I will talk more about it when I've finished reading it. Hopefully in the next week or so.



Now, an update on the desk project. I've decided to scrap it altogether. The end.

Another Desk Update

I am sitting at my little desk as I type on my laptop. It's just perfect as a desk for me to sit at. There is no photo to accompany this post as I still haven't sanded and painted it. I know, I know, I'm the worlds greatest procrastinator. I still haven't bought the things I need to do this little project. My darling brother has told me what I need to buy, but I feel a little lost in big, old Bunnings looking for what I need. Maybe I will go today and have a look and I might even ask for some help. Anyway, watch this space because it will happen and you will see a photo of the finished product...one day.

Butterflies of Love

My Mum is a very talented lady when it comes to things of the art and craft nature. She recently finished a unique canvas that now hangs proudly in Angels bedroom. A gift of love from her Nana. It is a most beautiful butterfly that any little girl would love to have decorating her room.

Mum has painted the butterfly on the canvas, and if you look closely, you will notice pieces of dyed eggshell that Mum made and has individually glued to the wings of the butterfly. There are also seed beads scattered throughout the shell pieces. The head and body are made from tissue paper and then lacquered. The body has pink jewels glued on. Then to finish off the overall look of the piece, some cute little butterflies bought from the shops, fluttering around the big butterfly. You are so talented and creative Mum!

My Angel will treasure it for years to come, and maybe one day, when she is older, she will truly appreciate the time and painstaking effort that has gone into this one of a kind piece.

Update

I'm updating the progress of my desk project. There is no progress. I have been suffering from a sinus infection all week and have not been up to doing anything on the desk. Actually, early in the week while I wasn't too bad, I took out all the drawer components, so now it is ready to sand and prepare for painting. Hopefully by next week I will be well enough to get on with it. I can't wait until it is finished.

My Project

I have had this set of drawers since I was about 10 years old. It is made from good old pine and has served me well. Unfortunately, last year a couple of the drawers gave up the ghost and has rendered the dresser as useless. I will, however, save it's life from becoming landfill. My plan is to turn it into a desk.

I will do this by removing all existing bits and pieces that have anything to do with drawers. Sand the whole thing, then paint it some shade of white and presto, a cute little desk that will become most useful I'm sure.

I have been meaning to do this for a very long time, but of course haven't gotten around to it. This week is the week I do it though, so hopefully, this time next week I will be putting up a photo of the finished product. Then I have a couple of other pieces of furniture I want to do too...