Botanical Gardens Visit for Exhibition.

I nearly didn't do a blog today, as nothing much to say but luckily decided to visit the Botanical Gardens and see an exhibition by the Gypsy Art Group. I am getting tired of being on my own, so braved it out to go and visit.

I went early and not a lot around, so I had a bit of a walk before looking. The Garden is beautiful and so well kept by volunteers

This plant was in full flower and took my eye as John had been discussing Bleeding Heart plants the night before. I don't know what it is though.

While looking at plants for sale the crow was at my feet, very friendly and used to being fed. He was answering other crows in the trees also. Very, very black and shiny.

 This was the exhibition, everything from fabric items, knitting, jewellery, art journals etc. All made from the members of the group. I am thinking of joining it as well. 

Taken from their website, wasn't game to do one of my own.

In the end I did get a plant, a couple of cards and some soap, for presents.

Till Next Time.

Finished Decluttering The Craft Room.

I had a nice surprise of my DIL joining Miss P this week, in helping me get the craft room under control. 

I have been working on it for what seems forever a couple hours every week. Sorting and throwing out so much as well. It wasn't till a couple of weeks ago, mid sorting, that I thought I had better take some photos of before, so it doesn't look as messy usually, just normally cluttered. I was opening and closing drawers and cupboards, but you will see the before and after picture. It is so organized now really love it. This room is 8 x 10 feet and an old bedroom.

Before Paper storage

After moving some more in like my cardmaking and shifting other stuff around

Bank of cupboards which is Ikea Kallax system, checking all drawers the drawers insides.

I have also started labeling the drawers. Tickets on the front are to let me know if empty or suitable Inside

My desk is rarely clean although this is exceptional as using it to sort. I need to get in the habit of putting things away, but after going through all this for months, determined never to let it get out of hand again.

Before A Hot Mess

After and so relaxing to sit here.

Below is a Scrap Rack which holds everything little in co-ordinated colours. eg If I wanted something Pink it will be in several plastic pocketed pages. This was swapped around with the drawers, which were gathered from all over the house and now hold pens, pencils, tape and anything flat and small.

Ink Pads, Scrap Rack and Die Cutting machine,

This is up against the Paper Storage cupboard in a Kmart Cube Storage.

I mentioned labelling everything and I got on Flybys Rewards, a little Cricut Joy machine, just for doing that and also making cards. It is very small and I have had to learn a new program "Canva" as it operates by bluetooth only. Pleased to say I have conquered that and started printing on sticky vinyl. 

Only 20cm across.and 20cm depth with the lid down.

With all the decluttering I have been doing it is so nice to have one room finished. Next will be my sewing area at the bottom of the stairs. 

A big thanks to my Scrapbooking DIL for giving ideas after I was bogged down, and sorting many dies into a co-ordinated system. I just needed that last bit of motivation and alternate thinking, to conquer it all.

Till Next Time.

 

 

Dried Bean Disaster & Basting a Quilt

Finally the weather has moved from the hot and sticky into much cooler with rain or light showers. Much easier to live with, and giving us all a break. 

 

The thing is though I think my new lot of dried beans, which like hot( not humid) weather, have succumbed to mould which was not a surprise, but also a strange thing I have to investigate, of lovely green beans drying on the vine to nothing just the outside shell, with no beans inside. I have never known this to happen and will be asking the specialist supplier Seed Freaks in Tasmania, what went wrong. 

Hard to tell but most of these have nothing inside.

It may be hard to see but most of the beans above are just thin dried shells. Not all is lost as the ones below do have some nice plump beans, but the black on them is mould so I won't use these as growing seeds, only soups etc. the green beans themselves look normal.

Not is all lost, still more on the vines, which I will keep a better eye on.

A couple have started growing, so will be interesting when I peel open the rest today. Should I plant them is the question? Generally all look ok to use though, just need more drying out.

The Skinny Version

Last pick on Friday.

Quilting group has gone back this past week but I am waiting to go after my visit to my RA specialist in Brisbane, Wednesday week, so I know what the next step is with these booster injections.

 Hate that  my RA injections combined with Covid stuff, is going into my system, but no-one can tell me if this mixture combined with methotrexate tablets, all powerful drugs, is a good mix. So far so good though, but still very wary of it all.

 In the mean time I thought I had better get a move on and Baste this birthday quilt. Normally it is done with pins. Spread the 3 layers, on the floor, or large table, the Backing, Batting, and Quilt top, all smoothed out no wrinkles the start in the middle and pin, roughly 3 or 4 fingers apart in a cross formation to the end then start again in the middle and fill in the rest. At least, I think that is the usual way, not done big ones only little wall hangings.

First of all even if I could find enough floor space I am no way getting down on the floor  too spread it all out let alone to pin it together bit by bit. So I researched hand basing which proved to be so much easier and just as quick. 

3 layers bottom is backing, then wadding, then top layer.

1.There are plenty of you tube videos but basically you get two long boards and fold and smooth as you go, wrapping carefully, the backing fabric, around the first board.

 

2.The second you do the same to the quilt top smoothing and folding as you go.

 

3.The backing one is put down with wrong side up and unwound about an elbow to finger length.

Smoothed out nice and straight.

4.The wadding is then placed on top of this and the bulk of it just goes behind. I was using our dining room table so I placed a chair for it to lie on once the piece came to the end of the table. 

 

 5. The quilt top was then place right side up with a matching length rolled out, and smoothed out as well. Important to have no wrinkles any where as is when pinning. 

Boards on top of each other with batting in the middle.

I used a very thin crotchet cotton for stitching, to use it up,started in the middle, and the stitch is one used in tailoring collars, and parts of suiting in the garment trade. I used... SharonSchamberNet.. as my inspiration.

Each stitch that goes under, joining all fabric together, is the same as a pin, starts at top and goes down, taking a big stitch through all layers, to bottom, then back up depending on the length of thread, no knotting off either.

Some wrinkles are on back but I think I will iron it first then, correct as needed.

Back view

For a first time of doing this very pleased with the result and no pins hanging anywhere which means should I put this aside for a long time, rust could be a problem if I had pins. No crawling around on the floor either, and took about the same time but so much easier, as pins are hard to click together. You could do this way and still use pins, but I would protect the table underneath with something.

Queen Elizabeth Roses.

 Well that is another week gone, 

Till Next Time. 

Mother's Day 2020

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums who read this. Hope despite the current problems that you manage to have a special day. John made me a breakfast tray and included some Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
I heard from No.2 son, and our youngest daughter in America sent me a Bunnings Voucher, she knows me well,  but as yet I haven't heard from any of the other 3 kids, but it is only mid morning and no doubt busy. We can not visit mum in the nursing home of course, and the rule now is to have a flu injection before we are allowed in, when it is open that is. I have not had one since 1970 when I got very, very sick after it as a young girl with my first job, it was given to all of us at work, and I am undecided at what to do.

Queen Elizabeth Roses from the Garden.

 It has been a difficult week with my back, I am trying not to take too many tablets and the tens machine and hot water bottles have been great. My right hip is now down to a constant ache and have done a little bit of gardening  and picked some roses as sitting in the sun has been lovely. I have to sit now as if I get down on my knees, can not get up anymore. I was hoping the infusions I get would fix that but still feeling the arthritis too much. We shall see what my specialist says in July.

Coleous overtaking the rose, one of them needs relocating.

John went to Bunnings so I asked for some Parsley and Rhubarb, the Parsley died and so did my wonderful front garden Rhubarb both rotted out at the base, and were close to each other. The trouble is you buy these in punnets of 6 and who needs 6 parsley plants, even that many rhubarb is a bit over the top. Although rhubarb I can give away so will plant them all. Parsley though will pot up spares and see who wants them.

The pumpkins are still not ready to pick, I am waiting for the stem to die back but they are really yellow now, also have two other Jap pumpkins growing.

I planted some Stocks in the front corner and John cleared the Elderberry out also as the suckers went all over the area. I would like to plant the yellow frangipani there but the other has gotten quite big so not sure about that either.

No more Elderberry

Cleared weeds and old plants, bulbs coming up and planted Stocks.

Basically though I have just been sitting and making my dolls, really need to move faster with them, doing a bit of quilting, and listening to the audio books. Not a lot of housework either, everything just seems too hard at the moment.

Not finished need to add ribons in hair and shoes.

Till Next Time Stay Safe.

Cutting Down The Mulberry.

This week I started to cut down the tall mulberry limbs that grow every year. Normally I have used them to make my french style stick fences. This dries out the wood and then the following year they are my kindling for starting the fire. This year I just cut it all up. John also helped me out and cut the tree down to 3 main limbs. Hopefully it will grow back but the tree had so many twists and turns it was a bit of a mess.

Mulberry Tree in Background.

Mulberry Tree Now

Branches waiting to be carried to the top level.

 I dragged all the branches up to the top level and cut them up, leaves and all ready for drying out. Eventually we will use these for the fire but not this year.

The strawberry bed is finished, and seem to be growing all right. Not sure whether to add a few more.
Left the tomato bush there as it has quite a few cherry tomatoes on.

The bottom area always gets out of control as I tend not to go down there much. So as usual it was a mess and this week filled the bin with all the weeds. My sister gave me some fish along with a bucket full of heads and tails, which I planted deep with some cow manure over the top before filling in with the soil. I marked the spots and have ordered more roses. I know, I know don't need any more but was reading up on old fashioned roses and how they are much easier to grow than the newer varieties, which tend to be high maintenance. These date back to the 1800's plus and often named after Mrs. somebody or Duchess somebody. Be a funny conversations if two rose enthusiasts started talking about how Duchess Somebody is not looking too good compared to Mrs Somebody. Haha.

New Rose Garden with fish parts buried underneath. 

There has been some nasty weeds growing from the land behind us, which is only dealt with every now and then so getting into our garden. Resorted in John  spraying them something I never do, but getting to the bottom of this is the only way to control them.

 I pass this lime tree every time I go into the back and they are certainly getting big. Really thick skins though.

As much as I want to get rid of the pool, the waterlilies still look lovely.

I try and spend an hour every morning in the garden before tackling the housework or decluttering. The afternoon is for my craft, usually my dolls, because by then I have mostly run out of energy, so the days are settling into routine.

 I have also started listening to The Dragonriders Of Pern one of my favorite book series, by Anne McCaffrey, as I sew, You Tube has quite a few of  them in audible, so if you like Sci Fi stuff  this is the list of recommended reading  or listening in this case, how she wrote them, rather than in chronological order.

Dragon Riders of Pern Book List.

and this is the first book on youtube, but be warned I find them addictive.

Hope everyone is managing to keep busy in lock down.


Till Next Time.

Sorting Out the Craft Room

I haven't been out in the garden much as it has been lightly raining most of the week here and slowly but surely I have been going through all my craft room items. Since everything was taken out to put the new cupboards in, I thought that this was a good time.
 Inspiration from  Totally Tiffany Organizing Challenge has been what I have tried to follow week by week. This is the 2nd time round for me but with so much stuff and so little time, nothing is done quickly.

Catalogue of dies for shapes.

This time I have been doing a catalogue of products. So for about three weeks now I have been cutting out all my dies and sticking them into a book, two books actually one for words and  alphabets and the other for flowers.

The ones that are alphabets on my  long dies I just took a photo of, much easier which I did for my stamps as well.

Saved a lot of time with the stamps doing it like this.

These are all very old ones. 

The new cling type I have on plastic sheets in a book so I can just flip through them.
The colours of things took ages even though I haven't a lot it does tell me what they look like when used.

Green page

I am fitting everything easily into my new cupboards and labelling as I go, it is going to take a while, and eventually I hope to make cards to sell, as well as do more scrapbooking of the children's books, before they get much older, and of our holidays as well.

Behind me at my corner desk is the above cupboard that John built, it is holding all the paper and bigger things, need more work on it but I am getting there.

Doesn't look this neat anymore lol. 

Current state of cupboards, but I am forever changing where things go. 

This is going to be my winter project, we will see how much I get done. Have you set yourself up with a major project, for the next few months?

Till Next Time.