Garden Journal

Snapshots from our garden. Just because.

1. String of pearls
2. Little Gem, always lovely..even as she becomes brown and tired
3. The first nasturtiam. And just like that Miss Five picked that first little bud even before she opened.
I was watching her out the laundry window and I called out 'noooo' but it was too late. And she handed it to me saying 'I picked it for you Mummy'.
4. Autumn
5. The last of the roses

Good things

1. Orchids
2. Preschool art
3. Homemade muesli bars generously drizzled with dark chocolate
4. Peony Wooden Postcard
5. Happy mail...thank you lovely lady. She was thrilled!
6. Autumn colour
7. Weekend reading


Hope your week has been filled with good things too!

Thrifted

Ages ago I painted this little thifted table for Lulu's room. While I loved it's pink neon legs, I recently came across a second table and thought they'd make a pigeon pair for our space.

 So a new paint job it was! I used half strength 'toasted almond' which I LOVE. I followed this easy peasy recipe for chalkboard paint. After a couple of coats of paint and a light sand in between with the mouse sander, I rubbed some beeswax into which gave it a lovely sealed finish. Regular old chalkboard paint was slappped on top and ta daaahh...new bedside tables. Total cost around $90 with plenty of black chalkboard paint left. I think I need different lamps now which will no doubt cost me a heap more than the bedside tables.

Linking in with Max and the other op shop show offs!

Untitled

School hols are off to a roaring start with a lung infection, two down with a vomiting bug and one sporting a case of head lice.
My mantra this week has been 'this too shall pass'.
Needless to say, there hasn't been a lot of making going on. I am loving this beautiful Autumn weather though. We've been blessed with sunshine but it's jeans and long tops most days. Jeans are my most favourite thing to wear. I've been doing a bit of baking and some pottering in the garden in between mothering our sickies.
Yesterday I brought a little bit of green indoors just for fun!

 Cushion from My Bearded Pigeon

The cupboard, a second hand purchase $40 if my memory serves me right. Fowler jar and cane basket become planter, both thrifted. Botanticals prints torn from a thrifted book. Wooden box, salvaged from the inlaws place. Seaglass collected once upon a time plus some spikey bits collected by Lulu. 

Sometimes it can be the simplest of things that fill my creative cup-a little vignette, a bit of baking, cutting the roses or just taking a few photographs.

Are you on school holidays too?
Do you feel a bit crazy when there isn't any time for making?
How do you squash a bit of creating into a busy day?

Salvaged

While out 'at the farm' I found these rusty old pieces destined for the scrap metal man. They are SO heavy. My fatherinlaw smirked when I lugged them up to the house. I am always finding old junk to take home. Secretly, I think he loves that I love it.

 These old brake drums make a perfect little home for some succulents, I think.

Are you a fellow lover of old crap treasure too? Would you have left these behind? I'd love to know if you have any other wonderful ideas for them.

Smelling the roses

If truth be told my house is a mess at the moment. I have stuff crammed in every nook and cranny. I could show you some photos but maybe you have your own mess (tell me you do) or maybe you don't. You might be one of those super organised people. I am not.

So what to do when feeling overwhelmed by the cleaning, washing, folding, cooking...and that's before I get to the nook and crannies.
You pick flowers. Yep you pick flowers with your littlest love and make a happy space.

Little Miss had a lovely time arranging her flowers and I had a lovely time watching. After she had them carefully arranged in 3 then 4 then 5 jars- I set them up on the dining table on an old piece of wood I had previously salvaged from the wood heap at the inlaws place. It's actually a lovely minty green with a lot of character.

Sometimes arranging some flowers and snapping a few photos is just enough to fill my creative cup!
Now I am off to tackle the mess but every once and a while I'll look over at my happy place and stop to smell the roses.

What is making you happy today?
Do you have roses at your place?
Is your place a mess like mine?

Home sweet home

We arrived home close to midnight but despite the darkness we immediately noticed the growth in our front garden. We left  the end of Winter garden as we departed on our little adventure and now 7 weeks later, Spring is in full force. My favourite season. Our little boy love was born on the first day of Spring and ever since it has been my favourite season.

The next morning I pottered about the garden in my jarmies snapping pictures of this and that.

My dear friend Annie gave me this little cutting and we found it a temporary home in the pot of orchids. It definately needs a home of it's own now!

And the orchids! They make me so very happy.

My mama gave me a pot of orchids many years ago...maybe nearly 20. They came from my Nonna's orchids. I have since split the bulbs time and time again and have gifted some to special friends. The vase also belonged to my Nonna. As a little girl she always said it was for me. Back then, I never particularly loved it, mainly because it has a big chip in the top. These days I love it, chip and all!

 

Daisy's Sweet Tomato Relish

Hello! I made some relish-my first time! It turned out great so I thought I would share the recipe with you. Sort of. I did add a bit more here and there and tasted as I went.
It is loosely based on a recipe that was given to me by a school mum. It's actually her mum's recipe and I first tasted this relish when I bought a jar of it at our school fete last year. It was such a hit at our place that I boldly asked for the recipe.

2kg ripe tomatoes
(I used an assortment of roma, vine tomatoes and cherry tomatoes because that is what  had on hand)
250g brown onion
1 1/2 tbls curry powder
1 1/2 tbls dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups sugar
1 tbls cornflour
white vinegar to barely cover.

Place tomatoes in boiling water and then peel off skins. Cut into pieces.
Cut onions.Place tomatoes and onions in pot and barely cover with white vinegar.
Boil for 5-10 minutes.
Mix curry, mustard, cayenne and cornflour  into a little bit of vinegar. Mix into thin paste.
Add to pot along with sugar and boil for 1 hour, checking and stirring and making sure it does not stick.

Bella LOVES this relish! She is loves it on a meat and salad sandwich, she eats it on toast, she loves it with crackers and cheese and last night she ate it with sour cream and chicken sausages. Yum!

It makes a nice quantity so be sure to pop some in a jar and share it with a lovely friend.

Baby, it's cold outside

In an effort to embrace the season, I made a scarf. I used some scraps of woolen fabric and some vintage sheeting, all thrifted. It was one of those gratifying projects that can be whipped up in one session.
Unlike this wooly number that I started a couple of Winters ago.

 

I cut a bunch of fabrics of varying widths and then stitched them to make a strip. My favorite bit though, is the pretty floral sheeting on the back. It nice and soft...can't have an itchy scarf!

Despite the little loves sporting coughs, runny noses and temps the past few weeks, we had a lovely, relaxing school break. There was crafting aplenty, drawing, cooking, reading, a lot of snuggling on the couch and staying in jamas. 'Fraggle Rock' was the DVD of choice and 'Guess Who' was our favourite board game. Two out three kids have recovered and I am counting down the weeks until Spring.

In other news, I am still plugging away on Ollie's quilt binding. Almost done.

How about you? Have you been making lately? Are you well...I know a lot of you have been sick too. Are you waiting for Spring, like me. Hope you're having a happy week.