Hot diggity dog

I have been stitching some hot diggity dogs these last couple of days. Yes indeedy, hot diggity dogs of the Scottie kind; fashioned from blankets that I have been collecting for a li'l while.

When I was a wee girl, everyone seemed to snuggle under these 100% woollen, seductive and soft bed coverings at night. With doonas being the popular bed covers of choice these days, blankets have been relegated to the linen closet smothered under moth balls, or perhaps donated to the op shops.

Once upon a time one could acquire a blanket for a song but not so now. Is it just my imagination or is it true that op shops these days are  a li'l more expensive than they once were? Some of the prices are not that much cheaper than some of the chain stores. I have discovered an op shop which is run by a high school where a shopping bag can be filled with oodles of goodies for the princely sum of $5!! As I teach kiddos in all matters of fun stitching this op shop is a regular on my "to visit" list.

One has to be quicker than quick in acquiring these woolly bed coverings in an op shop, because as soon as they are put out on the shelves they are quickly swooped upon by the savvy public. I suppose everyone has cottoned on to the versatility of these blankets in all things stitching.

I have collected blankets for a good while now. At The Kim Sharman School of Stitching Excellence, when the kiddos make a quilt more often than not they use blankets as the backing. As I teach quite a few kiddos I am always in need of a blanket, or two, or three on hand, and of course as blankets are lovely and soft they make excellent softies for kids to snuggle up to. My kiddos have fashioned quite a few softies from blankets.

I also love to collect vintage chenille bedspreads, though they are as rare as hen's teeth in Australia. Those of you who live in the USofA are soooo lucky as it seems to me these gloriously coloured and patterned, tufted pretties abound in your flea markets. I always salivate at the lovely chenille designs that appear rather abundantly on Ebay in the USofA.

So......back to the Scottie dogs I have fashioned. They are super quick to stitch and depending on how one embellishes the neck they can be finished in an hour or two.

This Scottie was fashioned from a pretty pink and taupe chenille bedspread that I found at my favourite market. I decided to embellish this doggity dawg with a taupe wide ribbon around the neck, finished with a ruched ribbon flower and a pretty pink button.

Another Scottie made from a chenille bedspread. This time I embellished the collar with snippets from some crochet doilies. Oooh....'tis a bit sweet!

One of the mums of one of my stitching girls asked me if I could use this lovely, old, brightly coloured blanket. Mmmmm....now let me see.....will I or won't I......why of course I swiftly said "yes indeedy", before she could change her generous, benevolent mind. This li'l doggy was super quick to fashion as the only embellishment is a ribbon and a vintage buckle for it's collar.

Another Scottie embellished with ribbon, snippets of lace and crochet doilies.

Four hot diggity dogs all waiting either to be gifted to someone or to go off to market and wag their tails at the madding crowds.

Funnily enough, with all the blankets that I have happened upon over the years, I have never come across the same design or combination of colours. It seems to me there was a plethora of patterns and colours loomed at the Woollen Mills in days of old.

Anyway, with my hot diggity dogs safely ensconced in their kennels it's toodles from me. Hope you all have a lovely weekend filled with a li'l happy stitching.

Linking up with Janine's Wool on Sundays over at Rainbow Hare.

Oh Happy Days

'Tis the Summer holidays down here at the bottom of the world and "Oh Happy Days" it is. With the frenetic pace of Christmas and New Year celebrations all but a memory, life here has settled into a laggard pace. Summer holidays of course means no kiddos' lessons, no lessons to think about, no time constraints for orders for the folk that come aknocking on my bright pink door; and though I have a yo-yo quilt that has to be backed for a customer, days here have been filled with oodles of reading, oodles of relaxation (probably a li'l too much relaxation), enjoying the company of some very dear friends visiting from Sydney, and a li'l stitching.

After waving our very important guests goodbye, over the last couple of days I have been  having a wee bit of fun whirring away on my machine, stitching a li'l free hand machine sketching. I have stitched a few cute li'l stitcheries and framed them in embroidery hoops. They were soooooo easy and sooooooo quick to stitch. I had the best fun stitching these pretties.

Just a li'l birdy singing a happy song. The background for this pretty was an embroidered doily found in my doily stash.

This li'l stitchery is inspired by all things Summer holidays. I would love to hop into an old Kombi van, pulling a cute retro caravan and escape for a while........let's go.........!! Just channelling the hippy gal deep within me....care to join me??

Yes indeedy, the suitcases are packed in readiness to explore over hill and down dale!

Another stitchery on an old doily, oozing all things LOVE!

I found this lovely Kokka print; a remnant from a lampshade that I fashioned last year. I decided what fun it would be if I stitched a tree and a li'l girl on a swing over the print. I love how my sketching melds into the background.

  

Another free hand stitching I have been spending my days on is a laundry panel for a curtain, that I wanted to make for a doorway leading to the laundry. This panel  measures 63cms x 32cms.

Now, most people would have a door, but then.....I am not like most people. The doorway is a bit tricky to attach a door, so I decided to make a curtain instead. Soooooo much more prettier than a door.

I dived into one of my hat cases filled with embroidered pretties.........

.........and found this gorgeous panel of a basket of flowers to add to my curtain. It is from a 1930 American vintage coverlet that I acquired many a moon ago. Love it!! This panel measures 43cms x 50cms. Love, love, LURVE!

I also added other embroidered pretties to my curtain; together with fabrics from my stash.

Yes indeedy, a well signed 'laundry' entry way for my significant other; just in case he should lose his way enroute to the place where all things are made clean and wearable again!

And.....of course.....why have a boring wooden door when you can have a curtain, singing a song of prettiness!!

For now, that is the end of my free hand stitching but I am quite sure  there will be a li'l more doodling with my machine in the lazy, Summer days to come.

It's toodles from me....hope you are having a happy day filled with a li'l stitching!

'Tis Christmas

I do love Christmas. I love the way our humble abode transforms as if by magic, into a Christmas wonderland for a month. Each year I love to sprinkle a li'l Christmas alchemy, here and there, throughout our home.

Every year I think about changing our tree which I waxed lyrical about here last year; but I always seem to adorn our elegant tree in much the same way year after year. Boring I know, for those of you who love to have a new Christmas-scape every year, but it's just that I have fashioned so many of the ornaments over the years which hold a sentimental place in my heart. So, as long as I am able to clamber up and down the ladder, festooning frivolous fripperies upon the tree, I will continue the annual tradition. Besides the tree is such a handsome one, sitting rather elegantly in the corner of our parlour......why change it.

This year as I decorated the tree, I did so with mixed emotions. As I placed each name on the tree I was only too aware of those who are not 'here' this year. My daughter and her husband are living for a while in San Fransisco. San Fransisco seems such a long, long way away at Christmas time.

And then there is my sweet, sweet sister-in-law who passed away several months ago. As I placed her name on the tree so many thoughts of her and the lovely times we spent together came to mind. Then there is my mum. I wish I could sit on my front porch and enjoy a cuppa and a piece of Christmas cake, reminiscing about old times and have a giggle with her. My mum was the funniest person I have ever known. She had the best sense of humour, filled with fun, wickedness and drollness. Her jolly-ness was contagious; she had a peculiar way of  making the most serious person laugh. Oh I miss her. Does one ever really fill the empty void that only one's mum can fill.....I don't think so.

Our front porch with a pleasant outlook of our garden, is a lovely spot to sit and enjoy a cuppa in the sun. Of course Christmas has to have a li'l vintage charm added to the mix; don't you think.

A few birdies flew in to sit a while and hang about......it seems they love the ambience of our pretty porch and garden. They wanted to share the message of Christmas; the message that it is a season to reflect on the joy, love and peace that our Heavenly Father gifts to us every day.

Remember Dahlia?? She morphed from a simple dolly peg into the fairest fairy of them all. The tale of Dahlia's magical transformation was penned here. Dahlia decided not to spread her feathery, gossamer fairy wings and go to live with the little girls that stitch in the magic sewing room. Oh Dahlia did deliberate for an age, but she much preferred to stay in the purpley, bluey grey house with the bright pink door. After all there are soooooo many pretties to play with and keep her amused all day long.

Yes indeedy, our front porch is one very pretty and blissful place to sit and dream awhile!

And so........the Christmas magic weaves it's enchantment to li'l corners throughout the house.

This lovely wall quilt was gifted to me by my sweet friend with the magic stitching fingers, Miss Vicki of  'A Quilter's Mission" fame. Isn't it beautiful?? 'Tis perfect in every way.....from the gorgeous pretty pastels (I LURVE pretty pastels) to the lovely quote that says "Angels are always watching over me"......love, love, LURVE!! 'Tis a lucky gal that I am!

There has been many a vase of pretty flowers to welcome visitors who have entered the bright pink door, throughout the month of December.

And so….from my home to yours,

may you have a joyous Christmas

as you celebrate with your loved ones.

May it be a season for making beautiful
new memories!

A Festival of Flowers

Spring in Tassie is an intoxicating season filled with many an efflorescent delight. The sun-kissed ground awakens with a festival of flowers, all abloom with their unique beauty and delicious fragrance. Each flower captivating in it's own exceptional beauty; with no thought of jostling for singular attention, nor competing with the floral pretty sitting next to it.....it just blooms!

We have are own festival of flowers happening  around our li'l ole humble abode at the moment, but out in the wider community there have been some spectacular open gardens to enjoy over the last couple of weekends. One such 'open garden' my good husband and my good self found ourselves inextricably drawn to, was Woolmers Estate. Woolmers Estate is a national rose garden and has the finest collection of historic roses in the southern hemisphere, ranging from the earliest European and China roses through to roses of the 21st century.

For one weekend each year, they hold an open garden event which is dubbed "The Festival of Roses". And...what a festival it is! It is truly breathtaking! There are over 5,000 roses! Over the weekend, "The Festival of Roses" is designed to capture roses in their first flush of bloom; the sights and scents are truly intoxicating! To wander through the secret gardens, the li'l nook and crannies, is to experience an eye-popping sense of wonderment.

To start the day in the right frame of mind and to feed the inner man (and woman) we breakfasted at one of our favourite cafes and lo and behold, what should greet us but  an expanse of the most delicious, climbing Pierre de Ronsard roses. They trailed across an 8 metre wall, all blooming in their transcendent glory! The Pierre de Ronsard would have to be one of my favourite roses. I love the way this pretty rose slowly opens, revealing layer upon layer of diaphanous, petticoat petals. We have one of these climbing beauties in our garden.......oh how I wish mine looked like these. Oh......and the 200 year old brick wall and building ain't half bad either.

After drinking in the beauty of the Pierre De Ronsards, and with my husband dragging me away, our tin lizzie headed to Woolmers Estate to savor "The Festival of Roses".

Arriving at Woolmers Estate the fun of the festival was in full swing. There were many stalls offering delicious food, fine wine, hand crafted jewellery, books, plants, fresh veggies, honey, antiques & collectables, the odd vintage set of wheels or two, musical entertainment plus much more. There were oodles of people enjoying the ambience; enjoying a picnic on the beautiful lawns under the shade of gigantic Maple trees.

My husband took a shine to the vintage cars that were on display. How cute is this van? I really, really need it!! I really, really do!!

Mmmm....yes please!

I would have loved to have taken a few of these rusted pretties home.....

Oh....I took the 'rusty fella' home with me!!

Though there were secret gardens of Spring blooms i.e. lupins, foxgloves, delphiniums, clematis etc etc, and a lovely kitchen garden; not to mention glorious old buildings i.e. barns, settlers' cottages, conservatories, houses that typify a bygone era; Woolmers Estate at this time of the year is all about the roses.

This rose arbor is 80 metres in length and 5 metres wide which is planted with 72 Westerland climbing roses. Simply stunning!

As far as the eye could see, there was rose after rose after rose;  an evocative, impressionist canvas. In my mind's eye I caught a glimpse of Monet in his painter's garb, painting 'plein-air' amongst the rose bushes.

Yes indeedy, the Festival of Roses at Woolmers Estate is truly the most magnificent rose garden I have ever visited.

After wandering around for hours becoming dizzy from  overload of the senses, we sat awhile under the shade of the centuries old Maple trees and just soaked in the spectacular atmosphere of this amazing place. Who needs a chair when one can lean one's back against a beautiful tree, rest awhile and look up at the sun-filled sky dancing with filtered light, through the canopy of an ancient tree?? 

Not I!!

As I alluded to in the beginning of this post, our li'l garden is abloom with it's own efflorescence. Our garden is the gift that keeps giving. There is always someone to gift a vase or two of pretty flowers....and of course there is our li'l ole abode in which to fill, with many a pretty blossom. Who needs a florist when one lives with the 'gardener'? Which is just as well, because here in this far rural outpost, it is a tad problematic to whip on down to the local florist and buy a bunch of floral delight!

Yes indeedy, me thinks you cannot beat the Pierre de Ronsard rose for it's sheer old fashioned beauty and sweet fragrance!

Wisterias, Lupins, Daisies, Lilacs, Granny Bonnets, Irises, Roses, Rhododendrons, Pansies, Jasmines, Foxgloves, Peonies....just to name a few. Spring time in our garden is quite sublime! Do forgive me for the overdose of floralicious delight. I just wanted to leave you with a li'l floral pretty or two, to convey a sense of Spring; to help you skip through your week.

Peonies for thee!! Have a lovely, floralicious week everyone!