Made My Own

Very popular these days is art done on canvases or wooden planks, that have an old rustic look to them, that have little sayings on them like 'if you're looking for a sign this is it' or the house rules or place names. While at first I thought they were rather nice and 'oh how I would like one but which one to choose', now I'm seeing them everywhere and they have become quite common and not so enjoyable to me as everyone has one. So I made my own.

I purchased a black canvas (which was on special, even better) wrote out on a piece of paper what I was planning to put on it and got busy. I decided to put the names of places we have visited in New Zealand. By using places we have been it would mean so much more to us.

I pulled out the Cuttlebug machine, bright coloured paper and the alphabet dies and started cutting.

As I cut letters and formed words I placed them on the canvas. Pirongia was first on and in the middle. This is where we live and it needed to be big and bold.

                                   

While I was still cutting out the words and placing them on the canvas, Master 12 came by flapping something, got a little too close and look what happened.

                                   

At first I yelled (very briefly) then I saw the funny side of it and just laughed. Trust him to do something like that! Luckily I had taken a photo so I could put it all back to how I had it. Amazingly I didn't loose any of the dots of the i's either.

When I was happy with the layout (again!) I got the Xyron sticker maker and started to feed the letters through it one place at a time and then stick them on the board. If you are into crafting one of these Xyron machines are so, so useful. This is the smallest but so easy to use, easily moved around, stored and refills of the sticky rolls come in either repositionable or permanent. Not only can you put paper or card through them but also ribbon, lace and probably much more that I haven't even thought about.

Once it was all stuck down I got the Mod Podge out to seal it and give it a finished look. This was the scary part. The Mod Podge is white and even though you know it will dry clear it's still scary to smear it all over your hard work. There is always 'what if' sitting in the back of your mind.

                                      

Of course it dried clear! How silly of me to worry. So after about three coats I deemed it done and onto the the wall it went. It is in our dining area where we all spend quite a bit of time and not just for eating.

                                      

                                      

Broody Buttercup

My lovely Buff Sussex hen is broody. She wants to be a mum and she is very determined to be one. Buttercup will sit on any egg and becomes very grumpy with us when we move her to collect the eggs. She doesn't care that we don't have a rooster and that the eggs would never hatch, all she knows is that her hormones are telling her to sit and keep them warm.

At the weekend DH and I drew up plans to build her a little coop all of her own and then we would get some fertilised eggs for her to sit on and do her thing. We were driving to the local hardware shop to buy the wood and bits and pieces when I noticed in the junk shop yard something that looked just like a coop. "STOP the car and turn around" I yelled and sure enough there it was, all made and only $80.

Bargain!!! Perfect!!! And it has wheels to make it easier to move around!

We loaded it into the back of the car and took it home. We decided a modification to the top of the run would be a good idea. A solid roof helps keep the ground under it dry and gives protection from the sun. We already had a bit of plywood so some hinges, screws and a latch was all we needed. I made contact with a lovely lady who lives not too far from us about some eggs so the next day after DH did the necessary adjustments we popped Buttercup in it while we went to get the eggs.

I only wanted a couple of eggs as Buttercup has already been sitting for a couple of weeks and I didn't want to buy lots only to have her give up and the eggs be wasted. The lovely egg lady gave me two eggs to try and didn't charge me as she isn't sure of fertility. We popped them under Buttercup and she seems very happy.

So, hopefully in two weeks time (they have already spent a week in an incubator) we will have two little chicks. Rhode Island Red is the breed just like Charlotte was. So exciting, I hope it all goes to plan.

Blanket for a New Baby

Six months ago my Mother-in-Law (who I shall refer to as Granny which is what the other grandchildren called her) passed away. Her daughter was at the time, three months pregnant and so Grandmother and Grandchild were to never meet.

Granny was a spinner and weaver and when she and Pops had their little farm she would spin, dye, knit and weave the wool from their sheep. Like any crafter she had a stash; a stash of yarn. After her death I was allowed to take four big boxes of yarn home. There are all sorts in those boxes. Two of the boxes hold woolen yarn on cones which I understand was from carpet manufacturers. The other two boxes had store bought yarn, wool that Granny had bought from other spinners and the best of all, wool that she had spun herself.

As soon as I learnt that my sister-in-law was pregnant I knew I had to crochet something for the baby with her Granny's wool. I had three colours to play with but chose the off-white and the teal. The brown would be ok for a boy but as I didn't know if baby was a girl or a boy I figured the teal and off-white would be safe.

I decided to make a blanket. The hardest part was choosing the design. I decided that squares would be the way to go as I could then control the width and length depending on how many squares the wool was going give me. I consulted my trusty book, 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton.

 After much page turning I settled on one block, number 86 Sunray.

I made 15 of each colour then slip-stitched them together. Not a bad size for a baby, it would fit in the cot and on a big bed later as a throw. I can't remember which book I eventually chose the border from but here it is all finished.

Not all of the off-white was from the same batch. There is some slight colour variation and some are fluffier than other squares. I also had to keep an eye on the yarn thickness.

Yesterday we all went to Auckland for the childrens orthodontic appointments. We were also able to fit in a visit to the newest member of our extended family. That's right, a beautiful baby girl was born a week and a half ago at home which was not planned. She was a week early and in a great hurry to meet us all. She is so tiny. It's hard to believe that my three were once that small. Here she is being held by my big girl.

                                      

The gift was received by my sister-in-law with tears (which started me off) when I told her the blanket was made with her mum's wool. A gift greatly appreciated and Baby will be wrapped in love.

I also had to make a little toy to go with it, of course I did.

                                      

Same colours too and just the right size for a baby.