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...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Friday, May 31, 2013

Whats up?

This morning when I looked outside I was almost blindsided by something...
The sun!
It's been rainy and drizzly for about a week and a half but seems like FOREVER!
Not only is spring happening outside but here inside the house things are unfurling too...
 my lovely 'mother fern' is growing like a weed..
 ...her fiddle heads are little works of art...
 ...slowly unwinding the winter blues...
 As I stepped through the gates into the garden, I spotted this slithery fellow...
Some people are afraid of snakes but not me...these ones, garter snakes,
are totally harmless. In fact they're really good for your garden since they eat a lot of pests.
Just look at the smile on his face! He's as happy as me to see the sun and feel the warmth on his skin!
 A friend of mine gave me this wicker bench years ago and since
it's decayed too much for sitting in, I couldn't bare to throw it out
so I turned into a 'green bench'...
 Succulents and creeping woolly time growing amongst the moss...
 Earlier in the spring, my sisters oldest girl helped me plant
a memorial garden for her mom...we planted 2 roses; one for
my sister and one for my Aunt who died at Christmas time.
We also planted a bunch of Asiatic lilies (which my sister loved)
 She loved to feed crows and jays so I moved this rusty cut out into her garden...
 My aunt gave me this rose quartz heart after Tracy died so I put it at the base of the rose...
 In other spots, my New Zealand flax has a giant flower bud on it.
It's the first time since I planted it about 6 years ago that I've ever seen a bud
so I'm excited to see what it will look like...
 And the poppies!!!
 How gorgeous are these imitators of crepe paper and ruffly feather hats!!
 The beekeeper was up today checking on the hives and trying to prevent
4 swarm cells from taking off!
Him and his helper had to work really fast to create some new empty hives and
so far so good...they seemed to have settled down by the early afternoon...
 Besides the bees being active, I noticed quite a few butterflies around...
 they love the phlox!

Anyway that's what's happening in my world...how's your garden growing?




 


Song for Friday...

I adore these guys..
Their name alone was what captured me...
'Old Crow Medicine Show'.
 ...and then I heard their sweet,
old timey harmonies with a twist.
Hope you enjoy as well...
Have a great weekend all!


Thursday, May 30, 2013

How to make a wren...

...continued from Wordless Wednesday...
 
How to make a wren:
 
A: First she needs two tiny but strong feet to flit about the forest floor...
B: A compact little body to keep her well hidden...
C: Fine and sturdy wings of strength...
D: Sharp, bright eyes to spot her mate...
 E: An extremely superb and beautiful song...
 F: A mighty brave and curious nature...
G: And most of all, a friend with the perfect place for her to perch...
 
 (This was a commission and is sold but yours are always welcome!)




Sunday, May 26, 2013

A-Thrifting we will go...

Yesterday was my friend Norene's birthday so we decided to do
one of our favorite things and go out to some
of our favorite thrift shops in Brentwood Bay and Sidney.
We've both had 'linens' on the brain so that was our main focus.
You see, you need a focus or you're going to end up coming home with
something like the one cup coffee maker for your car still in it's
original box from the mid '70's...not that there's anything wrong with that!
And sometimes you do come home with those unexpected treasures which
makes it all the more fun...here's what I came home with...
First off WE DID FIND LINENS...this pretty scallop edged tablecloth
perfect for a summer tea party...
 And these small hankies which I want to make into a little summer banner to hang
on the porch...
 or they can be cut in triangles...
I even found one with my initial on it!...
...look at this tiny little one... 
 Norene said it reminded her of going to church on Sundays and they would
bring a tiny little purse with always a little hankie in it...
 I believe these were for men...not so lacy and feminine...more rugged for 'man boogers'...
 I found this nice leafy brass candlestick holder and Norene reminded me
that she found one just like it around Christmas...perfect for handmade beeswax candles!
 I couldn't resist this take on nesting dolls...
 I think I'll give it to my niece when she comes in the summer.
I was always intrigued by them.
When I was a kid my next door neighbour had a Russian one with
about 20 inside! I used to love taking them all out and lining them all up
from the tiniest 1" one to the biggest at about 12" high.
 Speaking of measurements...loved these classic school rulers, made in Canada
with NO METRIC on them!
 The 'Nabob' one dates from 1937 and has the names of all the Kings and Queen of England
up until King George VI...a reminder of Canada's Commonwealth ties...
A little brass bell to add to my collection which hangs in the garden...
 Some books you gotta get just for the title...anybody read this?
 Norene found this one for me...it's from 1915 and is exactly what it says...
It's full of beautiful illustrations of what your chickens, ducks and game birds SHOULD look like...
I imagine some of these breeds are rare now...

 I wonder if it's still the same standards?
I've been to many country fairs and breeders of birds take
this stuff quite seriously...
 Going back a few days ago, I found this cute little retro recipe tin and when
I opened it I had to have it just for the first recipe...
Some of the recipes were hilarious with lots of use of 'canned fruit cocktail',
'Velveeta cheese' and 'Parkay Margerine'.
I gave a few of the choice ones to Norene for her next dinner party to impress her guests!
This picture was a great find a month or so ago.
It's hard to take a good photo of it because of the reflection in the glass but
I love the sepia toned colours and the subject matter.
It's chalk pastel so when I took it out to clean the glass it was VERY delicate.
It's quite large too, about 3 feet long by 18" high...something I just couldn't pass up!
So there you go...a great way to spend a friends birthday without breaking the bank...
Happy thrifting everyone!