The Runner Is Finished!

Remember ages ago when I said I was going to make a doily runner?

 It wasn't as quick a project as I first thought. I had to decide how to lay them out first. Then pin them together.  Then  start stitching them together. Then look at it critically. Then unpick it all. Then lay it out again . Then pin it again. Then start stitching again...a task which isn't as easy as it sounds. Then speak sternly to the 3 year old several times during all this to keep away and DON'T TOUCH!

Doesn't matter anyway. It's done and dusted!

One project down, roughly 10 more to do!

~ 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.

Another Unplanned, Spontaneous Op Shop Stop

Monkey and I (yes, he's with me A LOT!), happened to drive past a Salvo's store that I hadn't visited before. It's amazing what you find when you go home a different way. It's not like I went home a way that I haven't been before in the hope of happening across an op shop that I haven't been to. I would never do anything like that *tongue firmly planted in cheek*. And yes, I'm well aware I am developing an addiction.  Just add it to the list!

So, let's get on with it, shall we? I'm loving the wire, stack baskets that are now home to some of my shoes. It has cleaned up the bottom of my wardrobe and now it's all tidy and orderly.

Monkey spotted the scales. We've never owned a set of scales. They are Salter. It's a brand that I know is quality. I ummed and ahhed about them, but for $6 I thought they were worth getting.

This red suitcase is my favourite buy of the day. I've had my eye out for an old style suitcase for quite awhile now. I've come across a few, but they've either been in pretty bad shape or way more than I was willing to pay for them. This one was both in good shape and the right price. Six bucks ladies and gentlemen. Not bad for a special place to store all my sewing and crafting things. All those tins and wool and knitting needles and crochet hooks and patterns and fabric etc etc will be stored in here.

It obviously hasn't been used for a few years. It's been almost 9 years since Ansett went bust. I remember because a couple of my friends couldn't make it to our wedding as they had booked their flights with Ansett and couldn't afford to rebook with another airline...and that's the end of that story.

And I shall be off now. The Monkey won't settle for sleep, as usual. It's time for me to force him to go to sleep. By force, I mean get in bed with him so that he can't get out. Just hope I don't fall asleep before he does.

~ Ky x

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.