Colouring in

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last six months or so, you will have noticed that the latest craze is colouring in for adults.  Why should the children have all the fun?

I thought it was a lovely idea but decided that it wasn't for me and would take up too much of my precious time which should be put towards other, more productive, pursuits.  That didn't stop me buying colouring books for others however.  I admired their efforts and ignored their attempts to persuade me to join the fun as it was so 'relaxing'.

Then one day as I was pottering around blogland I came across this download.  We Are Scout is a lovely blog and has many other printables.  You might have to subscribe to download them.

Little houses!  I can never resist them, whether they be to collect (as in miniatures), embroider, make into a quilt, photograph and now, it seems, to colour in.  And guess what - it is relaxing, therapeutic, meditative, restorative and, therefore, probably beneficial and, yes, I probably should be doing something else but, you know what, it is FUN.

 This little bird will be my next project  - all in the name of doing something beneficial for my health!

Making progress.

Somewhere new

I love discovering somewhere new.  I picked up this flyer for little leaf co in the fabric shop, of all places, but immediately thought that it was worth a visit and I was not disappointed.  Tucked away in a little warehouse it was full of beautiful indoor plants and gorgeous pots, all displayed with great creativity.

I thought these hanging jelly mould pots were so pretty but I will need to think of a place to hang one if it is going to live with me.

A jelly mould pot may not have come home with me but it was impossible to leave empty-handed and here is my purchase.

I hope I can keep it looking so healthy.

Making rope

If I saved all the fabric scraps I generate from my quilt making, I wouldn't be able to get into my sewing room.  However, I do save some and often wonder why I do as I rarely use them.   Then I saw this idea to use up scraps and thought I would try it.  I was immediately hooked as the process is very addictive and easy to do while watching TV.  Added to which the end result just looks SO pretty.

I started with a bag of scraps.

Which I cut/ripped up into narrow strips and, after a bit of twisting and turning, turned them into fabric rope.

My old wooden bobbin, which has been sitting in the sewing room for a long time looking decorative, but without much purpose, turned out to be the ideal place to house my finished rope.

I think it is really pretty and so colourful.

Once finished, the rope is incredibly strong and I am sure there would be a lot of uses for it. One that comes to mind is to use it for wrapping brown paper parcels.  For the moment, I am happy to enjoy looking at it as I find it so appealing.

Now my bobbin has a purpose and looks so pretty on the shelf.

I do love the internet for all the wonderful ideas and inspiration it provides.  In years gone by I would have happily paid for a class to learn how to do this.  Now it seems that everything is accessible with a few clicks and the generosity of a lot of people willing to share their good ideas.

Putting out fires?

After much searching, I found these little fire engines and a digger for the little boys.

A fire engine each for the twins (in an attempt to avoid any arguments), and a digger for little C.  In actual fact, the fire engines might be needed to put out the fire which will occur if the twins decide they would prefer their coins to come packaged in a digger.

I found a lot of papercraft cars, trucks etc but some of them involved a great deal of effort to assemble and I was looking for something quick and easy.

These took only a couple of minutes to print, fold and fill with chocolate coins.

I hope they like them and if they are demolished in the process of getting to the treats inside then it doesn't matter.

Pleased to report that no fires had to be extinguished and all seemed happy with their respective fire engines and digger.

Strawberry time

The strawberries are delicious at this time of the year and when I discovered these little strawberry treat boxes I immediately thought of two little girls who might like a delicious treat.

I filled them with chocolate coins, a must have at Christmas time.

 My strawberries didn't take too long to make but they took even less time to demolish once the girls discovered there was a treat inside the boxes.

Now I am on the lookout for paper diggers or trucks as I know three little boys who also deserve a Christmas treat.

Happy Christmas to all from the cut cloth.
Di

Watercolour fun

If I was a painter, I would paint in watercolours. I love their faded beauty and the way they portray an impression rather than a precise image. Unfortunately I am not and doubt I ever will be a painter, but I can take photos and by using an app I have discovered, I can effortlessly transform my photos into watercolour paintings.

In my mind, flowers make the perfect watercolour picture, but I wondered if other images would also transform as well.  These coloured threads did.

This one is my favourite.  I think they would  make lovely note or greeting cards.

The app I is used is called Waterlogue.  It is very addictive.

Keeping our cool

Here in Perth, summer is hanging on tenaciously and we are doing everything we can to keep cool.

My latest attempt in this regard is this delicious watermelon drink.  The ingredients couldn't be simpler: watermelon  and coconut water (I used about 3 cups of watermelon and 250 mls of coconut water, but you can vary this according to taste).  You can use plain coconut water, or a flavoured one.  I used mango and it gave the drink an extra dimension.  Throw everything in the blender with lots of ice.

So refreshing.

Minimal Christmas

Of necessity, our Christmas decorations this year are minimal.  However, I have been determined (hip surgery or not) to make a little Christmas village since I saw the idea last Christmas.  It would make a beautiful mantel decoration, but as I don't have a fireplace or a mantel, it sits happily on a benchtop.

As the day progresses and night falls, our little village turns into a winter wonderland.

So much to do and a chicken update

Do I have any readers left?  I doubt it after such a long hiatus.  For those who have remained (thanks Mum!) I send my apologies.   The truth is I am having hip surgery in less than two weeks and I have a to do list as long as both my arms before the big day.  Being so close to Christmas means that all my Christmas shopping and cooking has to be finished as well as a thousand other little jobs.  I suppose that in the grand scheme of things if nothing got done it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I know that I will be able to relax more when I am home again if I can look at that list and see a line  drawn through each item.

I have been wanting to update you on the chickens.  Mandy's little chickens have grown and moved into a very grand chicken house.

 Now they have begun to lay, much to the excitement of two little girls.

In this case it is very definitely a case of the chicken coming before the egg.

Paper dolls

I downloaded these adorable paper dolls for our little girls to play with and they had so much fun with them I downloaded some for myself.

They come with pretty dresses to wear,

and they have lots of friends.

They like to play with their toys,

and they love to put on their best dresses and have a tea party.

It seems you are never too old to play with paper dolls!

Do you like my first attempt at an animated photo? I don't think Hollywood will come calling anytime soon, but it was a lot of fun to do.