Sorting and folding ...

... will it ever end?  I feel like I have been 'sorting' my house for years and never getting anywhere.  The whole house is in upheaval at the moment as I'm rearranging the kitchen to accommodate a new built in oven (yippeee) so of course, the dining room is a mess too.  The only rooms in the house that are OK are the bathroom and my bedroom - guess I'll just have to enjoy long baths and early bedtimes!

However, I am making progress in the 'craft room' (ignore the fact that all the potential car boot stuff is in the other two bedrooms) I spent a happy hour or so sitting on the floor sorting and folding.  I have a deadline as my youngest will be back soon for a few weeks and I think he'd really like to sleep in his bed!

Hmm, next the pile in the middle of the floor...

I will get there... soon

I only do this to make my big sis feel better.  She too is continually sorting and de-cluttering so I let her come round for a gloat at all my mess and make her feel better - afterall, what are sisters for?

The sun is shining here - go team GB!

Have a great weekend and thanks so much for your comments and hanging in there with me!

Jules

x

To Paint :)

Thank you ladies, advice taken, to paint was definitely the right decision.

It's still not big enough to hold the complete shirt stash but it did give me great pleasure to place them all in the basket.  Sad?  Probably.

Now I need a little lie down, burning the midnight oil whilst watching the Olympic opening ceremony is not good for me.

Hope you are having a great weekend.

Jules

x

p.s. When one replies to comments on blogger do the postees see the replies or do they have to come back to this page to see them?  See how long I've been gone from Blogland?!

To paint or not to paint?

...  well, there's still quite a lot of Annie Sloane paint left - I've made the lining out of some old Laura Ashley fabric (circa 1985 I think, leftover from an Austrian blind I made for the dining room - that certainly dates it!) but I think the paint may have to come out...

what do you think?

Jules

x

A little bit of transformation

I"m making progress, slowly but surely...

 from this pile of old shirts which was hanging about on the spare bed for the past 4 months

I sat in the garden last evening taking off the buttons, collars and cuffs so it would be closer to being used.  This morning I patiently ironed, sorted and folded to achieve a nice neat stash of cotton...

(my sister thinks I've gone from hoarder to nutter with serious OCD - but I think she's just jealous of my stash!)

maybe this will help entice my mojo out of hiding.

Then I got the urge to paint this old veg basket.  It's not very nice today - blowy and grey but fine for painting outside.

Now it looks like this....

Lined with leftover quilt wadding and some very, very old fabric from Next which I used for curtains way back in 1985.  When I do make it into the spare/craft room I'll have at least one new storage basket.  

Come on mojo, come out, come out wherever you are!

Hope the sun is shining on you today.

Jules

x

Phew! It's hot!

Well, it's either a feast or a famine - or should I say a downpour or a heatwave.  Who can tell from one day to the next.  I don't know where last week went but I've suddenly found a little surge of energy.  My creative mojo is not quite what it should be so I've been doing other jobs.  I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the things that need doing so I decided to take the same approach I do with the ironing pile:  start at the top and just keep going.

Unfortunately, I picked the wrong time to re-finish my old dining table.  Taking off 23 years of wax and grime by hand in this heat took a fair amount of elbow grease and gave me a good cardio work out into the bargain!  It almost looks line new.

I felt a tad nostalgic as I sanded away all the pen and paint from the countless hours the boys and their friends and cousins spent at the dining table, drawing Sonic the Hedgehog and the Thundercats ad nauseum but I'm in a de-cluttering frame of mind.

My bedroom has had a little makeover - well, just a fresh lick of paint and a bit of a sort out - I EVEN cleared out under the bed AND vacuumed it.  

My youngest son is home from uni for the Summer and he's just said to me "you're just finding random jobs to do".  I protested with a retort 'no, I'm just finally getting round to doing those jobs that have been bugging me for months now'.  However, he may have a point and the reason my creative mojo is on holiday?  

Well, this may shock you so if you are of the faint-hearted disposition look away now as this is the state of my 'craft room':

Ready?

OMG! I hear you all shriek!  

I couldn't get any further in the room to show you the rest but I think you get the idea?

Everything I've come across so far that was not in its proper home has found a resting place in either the garage or the spare room.  The intention is to get rid of the spare single bed - yes, there is a bed under all of that crap - return my dining room to a dining room and relocate my crafting upstairs.  Now this room has been like this for many months now and is getting worse by the week. I think I may nearly be ready to make a start in here but I might have to have a stiff drink first.  I plan on starting this week so if you don't hear from me in the next week or two send help!

Or maybe I should just take a leaf out this little chap's book and chill out in the sunshine...

  

What do you think?

Have a great week.

Jules

x

Yoohooo - is there anyone still out there?

I have been a very, very bad blogger, not having posted since last year!!  Crikey, where has the time gone?  I got very bogged down at the end of the year mostly from too much travelling and a heavy workload.  I just didn't have the energy to do much at all except slump on the sofa.

This year has been much better, not so much travel and time to spend at home.  I haven't been very crafty except for making a quilt as a wedding present for a very dear friend.  It was a labour of love, finished 4 hours before the wedding and the cause of many callouses on my finger and thumb.  But well worth the effort as the bride loves it.

My sister is now considering divorce and re-marriage so she too can have a wedding quilt!  I thought that was a bit drastic so have promised her one for Christmas.

I'm now waiting for her decision on colour and patch shape so in the mean time I have been messing about with bits and bobs, not really knowing what to get on with....

Yoyos?  So tiny they look like little puff buttons - no idea what I'm going to do with them.

Maybe some more patchwork?  Use up the leftovers...

Maybe some smaller hexagons......

Ooh, maybe knitting the lovely lace collar in this new Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace book? 

Well, after many attempts and much cursing because I couldn't successfully backtrack. When I made a mistake I had to pull it all back to the beginning so I think I'll just get on with this little baby blanket in simple trebles, made from Debbie Bliss Rialto 4 ply - so lovely to work with.

And I might make a few more owlets to go with this little parliament.

One more thing to show you which I had forgotten about.  I made this quilt as a Christmas present - a new departure to work in so few 'colours' but was pleased with the result.  It was in chunky wool so it's super warm and soft.

I shan't mention the weather - what can I say?  Garden has gone bonkers, veg patch is a washout but it made for some very interesting footwear at the wedding as the marquee was flooded...

but every cloud and all that....

One of three stunning rainbows we had amidst the hail, torrential rain, thunder, lightning and sunshine.  Just think we were lucky not to end up with foot rot!

Jules 

x

Rio de Janeiro in the Spring

I'm about to head off again for Malaysia and Australia so thought I'd better get a bit up to date!  I've only been home for 5 days and I've been non-stop all week.  Today I've been doing my bit for the war effort baking cakes and brownies for the Whistle Stop Cafe at Reed's for war weekend.

I'll miss it this year as I have to leave very early tomorrow but in true Brit fashion I'm doing my bit.  I nipped into Pickering today for supplies and the place was already teeming with soldiers and folk dressed up in their 1940s finery.

Last week I popped back to Rio for a week - as you do :)  It was a much quieter trip and I limited the number of Caipirinha I imbibed and also the amount of food I consumed as I really cannot afford to buy a whole new wardrobe in the next size up!  I have to tell you, I felt a little like a celebrity as I sat in the airport waiting for my flight home - two little girls, after casting surreptitious glances in my direction for some time they sidled over and gabbled away to me in Portuguese about the crochet I was doing... and then, someone else took my photo!  Clearly, crochet is mych celebrated in Brazil as shown by the wares on the street market on Copacabana beach

Maybe I should make myself one of these... certainly wouldn't miss me in a crowd!

I did treat myself to an original Panama hat though

I was very glad about my purchase as we strolled through the botanical gardens as it was baking hot, despite being mostly shady.  The orchid house was like a greenhouse despite being open sided

I took a bazillion photos but I won't bore you with them all but I would recommend the place for a visit.  Plenty to look at and a lovely atmosphere

Gorgeous palms and clear blue skies

I love the way the trees grow along the beach front - I guess they are searching for sun as they are mostly in the shade of the high rise buildings that line the beach

Another very familiar site in Rio

Graffiti on every available space - most of it very artistic if sometimes a bit gruesome at times when depicting the problems of the drug trade.

And of course, Christ the Redeemer is looking at you from wherever you are - there he is just a spec in the distance on the top of the mountain 

I took a long walk along the beach and around the back streets on the Sunday morning which was very colourful - chillies anyone?

Fruit and veg...

oh the sea.... so inviting

The place is so mountainous that land is at a premium but they make their gardens wherever they can

I loved this doorway which also quite typical of the older buildings

This is where all the rich and famous stay in Rio - I tried to find out how much a room is but there were no tariffs on the website.... Justin Bieber was there this weekend although I didn't see him - just hoards of young girls milling around wearing Justin t-shirts

All I managed to do in the way of crafting were a few granny squares for a Christmas blanket.  Now I have to decide what to take with me to do on the long, long flights I have over the next three weekends.... maybe some sewing this time as it'll be a bit hot for crochet.

Wishing you all good health and happiness.  

Jules

x