Silver Spoon Garden Markers

After reading Bunny Tails blog a couple of weeks ago, I loved the idea of the silver spoon garden markers and decided to have a go at making some, so here is what "I" did (more like what "others" did for me!... hey, I organised it all):

I went to our local op-shop and searched through their silver spoons and only found one, so I bought it for .20cents and went home dejected. The next day I showed my boyfriend (BF) the blog and told him I wanted to make these but was unable to buy enough spoons to "play"... he disappeared and came back with a plastic bag with some silver cutlery... a couple of dessert spoons and few soup spoons.... ain't he sweet?...I was ready to play...(I mean with the spoons not my BF!... get your minds out of the gutter!)

Next morning, while I slept, my BF flattened all the spoons. I then took them home and armed with a bottle of Silvo, polished them clean.

The following morning, I took all the spoons to work and sweet talked one of the mechanics to imprint the spoons. I wrote out the list of words I wanted on each spoon.... I had to keep the words no longer than 6 letters each. He returned with all spoons imprinted. While at work, (naughty! aren't I?) I coloured in the letters with black texter, and wiped them clean.

Viola! spoons for my friends and maybe one for myself! ... I feel bad that I can't send a "name" one to a friend in the States, as her name was too long to engrave...sorry Regina!

Without mentioning it, I sent 2 spoons in the mail to my friend Toni at Red Boots.... good move... she emailed me and at the same time wrote about it on her blog... if you click on the above "Red Boots" name, it will take you to her blog and you can see the 2 spoons I sent her...silly me forgot to photograph them before I sent them to her!

I seem to be doing other crafts instead of my much loved patchwork, but hey! why worry?

Until next post..

Cheers...Jewells

More Cooking

When I came home from work today I made this mango cheesecake to take to my boyfriend's place tomorrow night. My daughter gave me the simple recipe... you cheat by buying a frozen sweet pie case... looks yummy. I also made a coconut ice to take with me, BF loves it, but I can't stand it..all that sugar!

and yesterday I came home from work and made this ginger cordial... I got the recipe from a book called "A Year in a Bottle"... full of preserves. This cordial is to be mixed with one part cordial and 4 parts soda water or lemonade. I had to buy root ginger, enough to have 6 tablespoons of grated ginger... why is root ginger so expensive? I had to pay $24.99 a kilo for it...is it hard to grow?
Until next post..
Cheers..Jewells

More wash cloths

I recently celebrated a birthday, and one of the gifts I received from a couple of American friends (along with other craft books) was this knitted wash cloth book, called "Baby Washcloths to Knit". I received the parcel on Friday and I have already knitted 2 of the cloths from it.
They are a rabbit and a duck.. it hasn't photographed too well, but if you click on the photo it becomes bigger and easier to see.

I received another book at Christmas time and have already knitted every cloth out of it.
I intend to make a set of a "wash cloth, tea towel and pot holder" with these...that is a duck set and a bunny set.... was even thinking I might make up these "sets" to sell, so I can buy more cotton and fabric to make more... as I really enjoy making them.

I have used 2 strands (knitted together) of Bendigo 8ply cotton on 4.5mm needles to make these cloths. That sounds very thick, but that equals the 4ply worsted American yarn that the book mentions to use. I found the Bendigo cotton knits up VERY soft and nice.

Until next post.

Cheers..Jewells

Garage Sale Bargains!

Look what I found this weekend while going around the garage sales on Saturday morning!
My SIL is a tow truck driver and I just thought this Tonka tow truck would be so apt for my 16 month old grandson...$5

My 5 year old granddaughter is madly in love with Barbie at the moment, so when this Barbie aeroplane was wanting a new home, I just had to buy it...$8

Then I saw this new idea in books and puzzles...you get to read a story on the left page, while you put together a jig-saw puzzles on the right page. There are 6 puzzles in this book...just love the idea, and so does my granddaughter, as I have bought a few of these books for her already....0.50cents

So, as you can see, I bought all 3 items for under $14!
Now I have to work out how to get them into my luggage, along with other treats, (let alone my clothes) and onto the plane when I fly up to my daughter's place in a couple of weeks time.

Until next post.
Cheers...Jewells

Frangipani's are a blooming

This frangipani was already growing strongly when I bought my home. It is situated on a corner of my house and it has to be heavily pruned every couple of years as it keeps fighting with the eaves of the house. This is the normal white with yellow variety that is well known, and well photographed.



For a person who doesn't lift a finger in the garden, these plants just keep on growing, like this "fruit salad" frangipani. I bought this a few years ago. Last year it produced one clump of flowers and plenty of leaves, but this year it is covered in flowers as well as leaves.



Tonight, I have reduced a blouse from a large size to a medium size. I bought the blouse in an op-shop as I really liked it, but it was too large for me, so I decided to re size it.... I mean to say, it cost me a whole $2 at the op-shop, and I didn't want to be wasteful! I also sewed 2 pot holders with 2 layers of pure wool onkaperinga blankets as the wadding... now I must do the ironing....sigh!

Until next post..

Cheers...Jewells

Sewing at Last!

I have been at my boyfriend's place for the weekend and I took my sewing machine, tool box full of my sewing "must haves" and a bag with my cut out pieces of fabric... BF (boyfriend) wondered if I was there for longer than 2 nights!
My BF is a dairy farmer and while he was milking the cows on Saturday afternoon, I sat down to the sewing machine and sewed part of my Easter gift to my grandson. 2 pairs of pyjamas.



My grandson is just over 1 year old and is lactose intolerant, therefore can't eat Easter eggs, so in keeping with my idea of giving hand made gifts, and knowing my daughter is horrified with that idea, I thought I would try to make something he needs and she would appreciate.

I bought this fabric in an op-shop (it stank, sorry, it smelt of moth balls, so I washed it and washed it and washed it, lastly with dethol in the water to get rid of the smell), anyway I didn't realise, even though it is fleecy one side, the other side is shiny like satin... so after I made them I ironed the transfers on them to take the shiny look off it a tad.... did it work???...nah..who an I kidding???... ah well, he won't be out in the public eye in them.

Until nest post.
Cheers..Jewells

Bargain Shopping plus a Funny Thing at Work

Look what I bought today from our local op-shop (charity shop)... all 100% cotton and now washed and on the line drying.
The first was a bargain at $2 for 4 metres! I had to buy it for "maybe" a backing for a quilt (that I haven't even started yet) for my Grandson. Wouldn't you have done the same?... hey fabric doesn't go off!



The second lot was marked at $1 for the lot, again all 100% cotton. I just "love" blue...my favourite colour.



Now, the funny thing at work... I work with all men, I am the only female there (I am the secretary), anyways, I just read an email that made me laugh and one of the men wanted to know what was so funny. It just happened to be morning tea time, so everyone was sitting down in the chairs, while I was nearby in my open office... so I read out that "an average man's "willie" is 3 times the size of his thumb"...deadly silence... so I took a look over at the circle of men, and they were all looking down at their extended thumbs, and the expressions on their faces told many stories.. and DAMN! I didn't have my camera!

Until next post..

Cheers...Jewells

I'm Inspired! Read on...

I have just started reading this book: Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey and even though I am not very far into it, I have decided to go by her suggestion of talking about some of my day to day things.



I got conned into crocheting around this rug by a lady who lives next door to where I work. So last night and today during my lunch hour I crocheted around the outside. This lady knits the squares then begs people into sewing them together, then crocheting around them. Well an elderly lady mangled them together, cutting off the ends, not threading them in, and caused some knitting to unravel. I was nearly throwing up with the choice of colours, as she wants to give it as a new born baby gift...OMG! I have photographed it with "Teddy Bear" from Straussman fame, and even poor Teddy has a shocked look on his face!



This welcome wool parcel arrived today. It is 10ply wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills. Pictured also shows the jumper I intend to knit with it for my boyfriend for his birthday in September. If I start now, I might get it done in time...he is over 6 foot tall, so there is quite a lot of knitting to do!



Until next post..

Cheers...Jewells

No takers for freebee

Looks like no-one wants the knitted garments :-(
If no-one contacts me before Friday morning Eastern Standard Day Light Savings Australian time, I will take them to the local Charity shop and give them the 2 garments.

So you have just over 24 hours to put your hand up for them

Until next post.

Cheers...Jewells