Grow Your Blog Party - Giveaway

Thankyou for visiting my blog.
I love having visitors and your comments are especially
appreciated.

This blog party is an idea of Vicki at

2bagsfull

 

A little bit about myself...
I live in the South Island of New Zealand.  I enjoy gardening, especially when the roses are in full bloom.  The scent, colour and variety are a delight to me.
With four grown children our empty nest suddenly comes alive again when our Grandchildren visit.
We have six and we love their visits, bringing with them the 'joy of life.'

I work with the elderly in a local rest home.  This is voluntary work helping with art and crafts and
other activities.  I love this and feel that I receive more than I give and have lots of laugh as well.

I love the photograpy side of blogging as well.  I am self taught and am not great at it, but I sure
enjoy playing and having a lot enjoyment and a few surpises too!

- Margaret Merrill in my garden.-

a very beautiful rose


This giveaway is a way of saying thankyou to my followers.
Also, I want to encourage others to join in the party fun!

My giveaway includes a some of my  handstitched hearts and a
beautiful vintage doiley to complete the package.

I hope you will join in. Just leave a comment so I can contact you if you win.
The winner will be drawn on February 1st.

 Thankyou for your visit.

Joan

 

My Fathers Hand

Our Australian bottlebrush has flowered beautifully this season.
The seeds are bountiful also.   I flicked some off the branch and have strung them
onto wire as you can see in the photos above.

 

This blurry bee accompanied me in my tabletop project.
I shall gather him up very soon and place him in the garden. 
We don't have enough bees now.  Pretty sad.  Too many
chemicals???

 

My spiralled wire of beads hangs in my kitchen window to dry.
I wonder how they will be when they are dry.
A fun thing to do anyway.
(Dougal our labrador keeps an eye on me)

I headed this posting 'My Fathers Hand.'  The reason being that I refer to my heavenly Father.
He is the one who created all the wonderful plants, flowers etc. that we are able to enjoy.

I am really enjoying 2013 and the new opportunities and ideas that abound.
I hope that you too can enjoy this New Year.

Joan
(be back soon)

Its written on a Rock

Garden Meditation

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Must haves for Flower Girls

"The spring came suddenly, bursting upon the world as a child bursts into a room, with a laugh and a shout and hands full of flowers"

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

Fabric  Flowers.

and so it is....... flowers girls need flowers.
The one above is made as a wristlet for a little three year old flower girl.

May she enjoy being a flowergirl and her day be full of fun.

(I love those words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's...what a mouthfull!  They put a smile on my dial.  I hope they do that for you too.)

Joan

Layered fabric flowers

Pretty in pink.

Organza, net and other soft fabrics.

This girl loves these.
I had a go at making the stamens as well this time.
I hope you enjoy them.

Take care, another weekend is upon us.
We're having a great time with visitors staying and our youngest son arrives home today, for the summer holidays which will be great.
Joan.

Two Crocheted Sculptures on my Windowsill.

I am forever fascinated by sculpted vessels often seen on other blogs etc.
So I decided I would give it a go and loved it.
A large crochet hook and cream wool for the vessel on the left and mixed shades of wool
for the one on the right.  Away I went, shaping as I went until I came up with these two individaul
creations.  Painted with acrylic paints, embellished with beads and they became more like I imagined they would be.  The paint stiffened the wool.  Blue coated wire enhances the smaller one.

A great little project to nurture your creativity.
Will you try it?
Let me know.

Do what you can with what you have, where you are.

~ Theodore Roosevelt ~


Bye for now
Joan

Barrells of fun at local Rest Home.

Two large lidded barrells were donated to this resthome where I help out with activities.
Last week they were brought out of the cupboard and the task of covering them in a de coupage resthome style began.  One is being covered in torn sheet music and the other has a fashion theme from magazine pictures.  The barrells will be used to store hats on completion.  I'm sure they will look classy.




Nobody wanted to be photographed with these works in progress, I wonder why?

We make the main thing, the main thing.  That is, we have lots of fun and laughter.
Often we also have a messy time as seen in the photos. Pack up your troubles,
do something creative and have a good chuckle or laugh.  This is the best therapy ever.
I'm sure you will agree.
 

Canvas Art

First  Time Canvas Artistry.



A black canvas,(photo doesn't show this) old sheet music dyed with
coffee grains, a layered fabric flower, and fluffy white feather.
This is my first attempt at canvas art.
More to come I think!
Its not a great photo. Nevermind, I think you can get the general idea.  I hope so!

Another weekend is nearly upon us.
Lets have a good one!
Joan.

 

A place I call home

 

To me, this says it all.
A beautiful place I call home.

Wow! Photos here again.

 

Summer daisy in the brilliant sunshine.

 

 

 

Californian poppy.

 

 

'Sunny  Honey'

At last!

Well, I have had major issues with postings.  Actually I'm still having them.  I just can't get photos to upload.  A blog without photos just doesn't work!
I know its all to do with google accounts, logging in etc.  I need my son home from university to sort this one. 
Hope to be up and running very soon with some special photos.

Joan.

Its raining, its pouring and I need a few dozen eggs!

With the rain pouring down and puddles in the paddock forming lakes of water about to pour across the road, my Grandchildren and i kept warm and dry inside by the fire.
Then the phone rang.
A friend asking if I thought it was a good idea to travel a distance up the road to buy a few dozen eggs for
some old friends in town?
Well, if you get stuck G. who on earth is going to pull you out?
Was there ever any question to this?

p.s.   I am over people pleasing, especially in conditions like that.
the eggs can wait.

Do you agree?

Bring on the sunshine.
Joan

Slow Down and Enjoy Life

Oamaru  Gardens

Stitch Therapy

 

 

An afternoon of machine stitching with strips of fabric wound round some garden twine was just the therapy I needed after a busy week.   I have seen these made by one or two bloggers and I have been wanting to have a go for a while.  Most use chord of some sort to wind their fabric around.  I didn't have any on hand so I used what was available, i.e. garden twine.  I think it worked just fine.


Another weekend is about to unfold.
I hope it is a good one for you.

Joan.

Dyeing with bee balm

This was once a white shirt.  I felt like some fun today, so gathered up some tired looking
bee balm flowers (red) and one or two pieces of greenery. 
The shirt was pre soaked in vinegar and salt then spread with my plant material, rolled up
tightly and secured. 



The bee balm was happy to provide  some colour for this tired old shirt.
Surprisingly that colour was pink!

Those rusty colours and charcoal grey came from two bulldog clips helping to hold the fabric
in a bundle for the dyeing process.  I like the unplanned contrasts.

The grey/charcoal colouring came from two large paperclips.  They also produced
the rust colouring as well.
The contrast is rather good, I think.

I steamed the shirt, tightly rolled in my dye pot for two hours.
It really was fun way to spend a few hours.

If you want to do something different and feel like playing,  I recommend giving this a go.
Heaps of fun and the results are surprising.  Some colours may not be colourfast but thats all
part of the process.  The colours are interesting and if they don't work first time round you can always have another go using different plant materials and techniques.


I wonder how many of my readers
enjoy dyeing with plants?
Would love to hear from you.
Cheers,
Joan.

Creative Embroidery a Playgound of stitch and colour.

A work in progress.  First begun at the Wanaka Embroidery School.  Now the end is in sight.
What will I do with this?  I'm tempted to frame it.
What do you suggest.? 

You will find my post on the beginning of this project at the  Wanaka Embroidery School
It has been resting for a while.

Enjoy!
Joan

Fabric flowers - made with love.

 

 

Flowers (and other bits) that I have made over time.  Using all sorts of fabric, buttons and trims, lace and so on.  I now have a collection which I call  "fascination flowers.'  Oh yes, and they are made with love. 
I don't know about you, but my favourites are the soft lacey ones in the middle photo.  They were coloured with tea bags to get the tea coloured effect obviously!


Will be back soon,
Our weather is absolutely beautiful right now.  Day after day.
Should be out in the garden amongst the real flowers.

Cheers
Joan.