2020...A New Year, A New Decade

A beautiful New Year welcome to all you lovely lovelies♥ Auld Lang Syne has wafted softly off into the final moments of 2019 and January has arrived. A brand new year, a brand new decade. Here in Australia it has been a devastating beginning to the year. Catastrophic fires are raging; combusting and consuming everything that lay in their path. Nothing thwarts their progress. So, so many towns have been decimated by raging bush fires. It seems the progress of the summer inferno cannot be stopped....they are just too extreme. Although bush fires in Australia are not new during the summer months, this time there are fires raging in every state. Never has this happened before on this scale.  Fires raging all at one time is unprecedented. This year the fires are bigger spreading in multiple directions, engulfing all before them, wherever they will. What is needed is for the heavens to open up, to cut through the dense, smoky canopy and inundate the country with a deluge of drenching rain. But the forecasters say that is not likely to happen for a while yet. 

Though at times my little place has an umbrella of thick smoke looming above, we are fire-free. There are fires here in Tassie, but thus far not to the extent as being experienced in mainland Australia. Would you believe the smoke from Australian fires has wafted over to New Zealand....unbelievable, really. Regardless of what is happening elsewhere, our little garden is  flowering beautiful surprise after beautiful surprise. There is no lack of water here....one of the reasons why we decided to up-sticks from the cacophonous, concrete jungle of Sydney and deposit all our goods and chattels here, in this little corner of the world. As I sit in the garden, to drink in the beauty before me my mind cannot help but wander to those who have no such place to sit, to gather their terrified thoughts and reflect, and be safe. They are caught up in the grief, confusion and displacement of communities that happens when you lose all that you own. At the moment, all they see is the total destruction of their homes, the loss of their animals, their livelihood; some even the loss of loved ones. Also, the Australia fauna whose habitat is the bush, the sweet koalas, kangaroos.....so many have perished. So, so very sad. I read today that 1/3 of Australia is groaning with fires. Hopefully, the  weather conditions will improve  and the exhausted firefighters and volunteers who are on the ground will be able to stop the fiery 'jaws of hell' progress.

My friend, about whom I wrote my thoughts on what our homes mean to each one of us here, is once again packed ready to evacuate at a moment's notice. My friend didn't rebuild but bought another property. The costs and legislation to rebuild where they were was just too prohibitive. Another life long friend of mine evacuated her home that she and her husband built over forty years ago, a couple of days ago and though fires swept up her road, randomly choosing it's targets, everything.....her beautiful home, sheds, caravan etc etc are still standing. Amazing really!! So, very thankful that she and her family can once again go back to her home and pen many more chapters to her home's story. 

Here at my  little place I have begun my new year with the fashioning of a birthday present for a beautiful friend. She and me enjoy birthdays a few weeks apart. Why, we are 'twins'! Twins that only a mother could tell apart. =) I wanted to fashion something specially for her, so I decided upon a bag. A bag oozing pretty, velvety fabrics,  ruched ribbon flowers, swirls and twirls of ribbons, vintage laces and a vintage butterfly broach. My friend is a gal who loves fashion and always looks as if she has just stepped out of  a fancy boutique, where in fact she has time after time, stepped out of an op shop with some gorgeous pretty peeking from her handbag. You see, my beautiful friend is one of those gals who has an intrinsic ability to throw together an ensemble and look like a million dollars. Every time we meet I love to see what delectable outfit she has thrown together. She never fails to make me smile with the outfit she has concocted.

As I wanted to fashion something especially for her, I decided upon a bag. A bag oozing with pretty velvet fabrics, ruched and swirls and twirls of ribbons, vintage laces, tassel fringing  and a pretty butterfly. So, as I always do I gathered together a smattering of pretties that I could perhaps use....to play with, and then when an eye pleasing arrangement magically happened I pinned each pretty down to the bag and began to hand stitch.

My friend loves her little bag. Soon, she has a wedding to attend and her pretty bag will make it's first public appearance. Oh, and about the dress my beautiful friend will wear; why she has found a to-die-for concoction of a Laura Ashley frock in an op shop. And what did she pay for her one-of-a-kind frock?? $200?? $300?? Why.......she paid the princely sum of $10!! Can you believe it!! I truly do not know how she does it!!

Thank you for popping by my little place♥️ It is a place I hope, that each time you visit throughout this new year, a little beauty may be sprinkled into your day. As I sit here reflecting on these past few days I am reminded, I know not what tomorrow will bring. I know not what this year will bring. I know not what this decade will leave at my bright pink, front door. But this I know, I have God's grace to sustain me each moment of each new day.

If you are so inclined please keep those who are suffering such hardships, sadness and calamitous events, down here at the  bottom of the world, in your thoughts and prayers. There are several more months of summer down here, with no forecast of rain on the horizon. I fear it is going to be a very long, very dry and very hot summer.

Until the next time.......

Linking up this week to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching as it is Sunday and I think I am in the mood to twirl and swirl a few lengths of  luscious ribbon and fashion some pretty flowers and leaves for my next new pretty.

Playing Dress Ups

Hello all you lovely lovelies. A beautiful welcome to you.♥ This last little whiIe I have been in the mood for a little playing. Yes, I have been in the mood for a little dressing up. Though, in saying this I haven't dived headfirst into a bottomless trunk of swanky dresses and costumes, accessorised with swirls and swirls of beaded necklaces, nor indeed high heel shoes; as I did when I was a child.  The dress ups I have been in the mood for is a little tarting up; a little dressing up of a plain denim, white jacket.

I found this jacket in an op shop a few seasons ago with every intention of wearing it in all its 'white-ness', perhaps teamed with a pair of jeans or white pants....or a dress. But you know what, I decided this jacket could perhaps look rather spiffy with a smattering of fabrics, fun trims and a few bits and bobs.

As I always do when I am thinking of a little playing, I gathered together some pretty Japanese lawn fabrics that were in my stash, together with a few laces and pretty ribbons. I always seem to gather together a slather of pretties when I embark on tarting up a pretty; much too many really, because I never seem to use all that is front of me. I just like to have them all before me so I can play and see what combinations I dream up. 

So let the playing begin.

I hand stitched fabric to the front yokes cutting the fabric to roughly fit the shape of each yoke, trimming and snipping the fabric, and turning under a tiny hem as I stitched along. The collar is bordered with trim I made from one of the fabrics. As the buttons were fairly pedestrian and didn't appeal to me, I snipped around the 'snap' buttons which unfortunately left rather noticeable holes. Not to worry. This tiny problem was resolved by the covering of the holes with fabric. I covered the buttonhole side with the same fabric as well. After completing all the hand stitching of each fabric piece I then top stitched with the sewing machine. With the addition of vintage buttons and an assortment of laces and ribbons to the sleeves, my 'little plain Jane' jacket has morphed into an original which cannot be replicated. Did I ever tell you I love to wear clothing that cannot be bought off the rack......well, I do. =)

Yep.....I am rather taken with my little pretty.  It's been a welcome change over this last little while to fashion something other than a  quilt. I always get a sense of satisfaction when  a rather plain article of clothing which can be seen everywhere, is transformed by the adding of a few pretties. My tarted up lovely is all ready to be seen out and about this Spring. I am just waiting for the temperature to rise a notch or two.......or thirty! I haven't quite packed away my Winter woollies just yet. Come to think of it, here in Tassie one can never really pack one's woollies away for the season. A woolly or two always needs to be on hand when the weather decides to throw a little tantrum, venting it's displeasure on us mere mortals. One cannot get too comfortable with the warmth of Spring and Summer. There is always a chilly day or two just waiting around that bend in my country road.

Thank you for your sweet visit♥ Thank you for popping by and reading my stuff and nonsense. It is  Sunday morning here and I am off for a little country drive over hill and dale, to then wander around a bric a brac market with my beautiful friend, Trish and her daughter, Holly (my sewing gal).  Why, I might even unearth a  pretty that is just waiting for a little tarting up. You just never know your luck in a small country town. It will be a beautiful drive because wherever the eyes look there are thousands and thousands of Daffodils showing off in all their gloriousness. Yes indeedy, Spring is 'bustin out all over' way down here at the bottom of the world. 'Tis so, so very pretty!

Until the next time...........

Linking up this week to Kathy's, Slow Sunday Stitching and Alycia at Alycia Quilts