Do fairies live at the bottom of the garden? Lets have a look.

My daughter, her three children and myself went on a journey.  We had heard that there were fairies at the bottom of the garden at Willow Park.  We weren't sure about this.  We needed to find out for ourselves. 
We have some photos of our journey.  Willow Park is a very big, very beautiful garden quite close to us.  I hope you enjoy our visit.  (I had another beautiful garden photo, but picassa is not letting me have it!) sorry, I'll take those words back.  Its up there!  I do like it.

 We thought this 'wobbly' bridge might take us to where the fairies live, but it was rather scary for us.  So we backtracked and went another way.



Oh so hungry!
This is such a big garden.  It is time to rest and have a bite to eat.  Then we can carry on looking for these fairies.

We must be getting close.  The sign says that fairies dance and share secrets at the bottom of the garden.  I hope that is true. 
Lets wait and see .............

Look what we found at the bottom of the garden!

At last we found a fairy! She was blowing us a kiss.  Doesn't she look beautiful?  And so it is true. There really are fairies at the bottom of the garden at 'Willow Park.'

and she has a friend too!

My style of Peonie - take a look!

I made one or two of these peonies recently. I delighted in how each petal turned out. A little bit of melting and each layer of petals formed a rather delightful flower. It can be worn as a brooch or clipped onto a bag, or whatever takes your fancy.
I plan to have this one listed in my etsy shop 'fibrefun,'  soon. I find the listing procedure looms rather large in my mind. I haven't listed often enough to be familiar with the process. I just need to do more of it. Anyway this is 'my style of peonie.'     You  can see it in my etsy shop

Wishing you all a happy week.

A bunch of daffodils from my garden enhancing the view from the conservatory where many coffees are enjoyed (not all in one day!!!)
I hope your week is a good one!
I'm planning on having a good one too.

Words to Remember Along the Way.

two brothers on their  way to Mt. Cook...

 

“Always remember the future comes one day at a time” Dean Acheson

I couldn't resist posting these.

 

Layers of ruffled fabric and lace 

 

 I had a lot of fun making these .  I love how the colours complement each other.  The lace  softens them and the overall effect is pleasing to the eye.  They are secured to a silver birch wreath.
I hope you enjoy these, they are a favourite of mine.
 

a flower with originality!

Christchurch Earthquake

Many South Islanders awoke about 4.30a.m to the movement of a significant earthquake.  With the light on most of our household rushed to the doorways of our double storied home.
We watched the strong swaying  of a large solid glass lampshade indicating that this was a big earthquake.  This movement lasted for a while.  It took some time to stop after the shaking subsided.
We felt two after shocks.   Canterbury people have felt many of these.
 A brilliantly fine morning belied the drama of the early morning.  There was no obvious structural damage to our home.
Our DVD and another piece of technical equipment fell/slid off our television.  That is all.
We don't want to experience another earthquake such as this one but our experience was minor compered to some people up north.  Personal injury and property loss is not uncommon for them.
My concern is for these people

Treadle Sewing Machine and special memories.

This is my Mothers original treadle sewing machine. She bought it in the early days of her married life.
She often talked about replacing it but never did. She spent many, many hours sewing for herself and for me and my two sisters.
I have to say it caused her a lot of frustration! If I recall correctly the tension was the main problem. Dad was often called to deal to these annoyances.  It tested his patience too! But as always it was duly reset so that Mum could complete the article that she was working on.

There are many, many memories wrapped up in these photos.  The dedication that my mother showed when she cut out and sewed her three daughters a new dress for a special event.  Most often it would be the exciting event of our end of year school concert!

At the end of the day we all went off to bed.  No not Mum.  She had dresses to sew!  Staying up late or 'burning the midnight oil' as she would say.  In the morning there the finished garment would be draped over the end of the  beloved 'singer.'  What a picture!
One down, two to go!

How many more of us have  memories of our mothers lovingly sewing dresses or other items for their families over the last fifty  years.  Doesn't that age me?  Oh yes, but I have much to be thankful for.

My Mothers Singer Sewing Machine has a lot of memories for me.  Mostly good! 
What history and what simplicity.

What memories do you have of this time in our sewing history, I'd love to know about them.
                                                                      
                                                                       x x x x x x x x

Finding Beauty in the Garden.

At days end I couldn't resist photographing these beautifully fragrant violets.

Retro Style Bach at Picton

We made ourselves at home here in surroundings that were reminiscent of the 50's and 60's.

The kitchen - room for one only.

Hang your hat on a peg. Just remember which is yours!

Handmade Beads on a Bookcover.

I made these denim and paper beads some time ago.   Along with some wooden beads, they give this bookcover an interesting finish.  I enjoy the view out this window too!

Coffee Time

Coffee time at my place.
Oh, how I love my 10 o'clock coffee!

Spring is Coming!

Snowdrops in my garden tell me that spring is coming!

Fabric Journal Cover

Mini cushions handsewn to form a journal cover.

Mini cushions sewn together.

My completed journal cover.
Thanks to Teesha Moore for her inspiration.
My effort is not 'arty' like Teeshas but I am happy with it.
Sometimes its about keeping it simple
http://teeshascircus.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-cool-fabric-art.html.

At long last! My etsy shop is open!

fibrefun  is here! 
after a time of wonder, it is finally here..............

'fibrefun'   is now up and running.  Setting up the online shop seemed to take soooo long!
It is finally up there and all I need do is tweek it a little bit.   It certainly is a learning curve but I'm hoping it will be a good one.

Etsy is an online place where many handcrafters and others advertise and sell their items worldwide.
It is very, very, popular.  Growing like a mushroom I would think.

You can click the little picture in the right hand sidebar.  That will take you to 'fibrefun' my new etsy shop.
Cheers, and have fun.
Joan.

Words to think about...............

"You can't climb uphill if you're

 thinking downhill thoughts!"

Look!....... there's a ship out my wndow!

We stayed in Picton (the top of the South Island) recently.  We booked an online bach which featured fantastic views out of the lounge window.  We enjoyed this view several times a day when a Cook Strait Ferry journeyed its way from Picton to Wellingon or vice versa.

There were many fishing and leisure boats  travelling back and forth as well. Together they created a panoramic picture out our window where we could sit and enjoy it all.

Felted Wool and Silk Vessel - a rainy day project

Below is some carded unwashed wool and the silk I used in my first felt vessel.

I had a lot of fun with this.  I think there will be more  coming up.

The vessel is quite thick at the bottom because I felted a small doiley into the base.

Apart from the thickness it does  not show much from this angle.

Here is a look at the base and there is the lovely design of that doiley I was talking about!

My finished article.  I like the way the light shows through at the top showing

the interesting texture.  Isn't wool so amazing.  So much can be done with it!

Unfortunately cows are everywhere around here.  It is hard to find many sheep at all.

The Tumbleweeds of our Lives...........

I receive a newsletter from an American businesswoman who has developed a very successful business.
She sounds like a nice lady too.
Today she talks about when our lives get out of control and we aren't in a good place within our selves.
In other words, where did the happiness go??
Anyway she related this to a tumbleweed.  In New Zealand we don't have any/many of these but we know what these things are.  Given the right conditions they blow all over the place gathering more weeds to make a large out of control ball of weeds.
 This photo says more than a thousand words.

Lets not let our lives get out of control like this!

Nature Study in my Backyard

Inside view of a dandelion seed head.

A seed head about to deliver its seads in our backyard  and beyond

The Dandelion is an amazing nature study when you stop and take a look at it.

I don't like the plant growing in my garden, but I do wonder at the beauty of the seed head.
It is brilliantly made with countless seed heads growing in an amazing pattern to form a ball.
These seedheads are making sure that this plant is not going to die out in a hurry!
The seeds are very soft. Watching them fly away when the breeze or wind comes to carry them to a place where they lie
until it is time for them to begin to grow into a new plant is one of natures spectacles.

It is no wonder that many fibre artists have focused on the dandelion seedhead as part
of their artistry.
- My posting 'Rainy Day stitching'  just below includes a dandelion seedhead. -

Hard Hearted - Soft Hearted

This little handsewn heart reminds me of the importance of having a soft heart.  To me that means

being kind and thoughtful to others.  The world can be very rugged at times.  It is important that I keep coming back to that 'soft place.'   A place of feeling and connection.

A place of love.

 

I found this little heart on one of my walks. The shape of course is very appealing  but it is cold to touch.  It reminds me that it is very important to keep coming from a soft, caring place in my daily life. It is so easy to allow our hearts to be hardened by life events. If my heart becomes hardened then that means I will not be coming from a good place and I doubt that I would be much fun to live with!
I want to be a woman who loves and cares for others and is not afraid to stand up and speak for those who may not be able to do so. 
Lets make the most of today!

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