September Update

Posted on September 18, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

Well, I’ve managed to let another twenty odd days slip by without a post. So much for good intentions!

We’ve said ‘Farewell’ to YD’s beloved Stanley

No longer the beautiful chap pictured above just 18 months ago, time had taken it’s toll quickly as it does with our pets. In such a short time Stan became aged and worn out and emaciated – it was time to let him go. It was a hard decision for YD to make and I am so proud of her that she was able to hold him and tend him in his final moments.

Two days later I celebrated my birthday with a five day pyjama party with my daughters. We don’t often get to spend time altogether, just us and this five day hiatus seems to have become an annual event. I love it!

Every winter I go through the same old routine of wishing for something I don’t have. It’s all got to do with independence and stability and even while I know what causes it, it is difficult and challenging to endure the dissatisfaction that rises up with the results of the choices I have made in my life. While in the throes of these unresolved emotions from the past I forget that I am taken care of and have a perfectly habitable home to live in and that I am loved and cared for far more than I have any right to expect.

Then September arrives and the fog lifts as mysteriously as it arrives. When I was young I used to struggle with depression over this time, now I just get somewhat vaguely dissatisfied with what is. It dissipates really quickly. My birthday marks the return of contentment and I can settle into another nine months of perfect happiness. Isn’t life strange!

Any how, once we get to September the urge to nest where I am becomes strong again and I usually have a big move around and clean up and refocus.

Yes, that is the rear end of Siddy lying in his new favourite position where he can keep an eye on the street and growl softly at all passers by. Orlando’s cushion is unoccupied as he is currently sitting in the tiny courtyard garden getting some vitamin D.

As part of my resurrection this year I made the double wall art you see here

I painted the edges of some old unsuccessful canvases, pasted a panel of wallpaper down the centre of them and collaged cut out parts of the wallpaper to one side. The other side is taped with some fancy tape and stippled randomly with a leaf template and some matching paint. It’s quite effective and hides to a great degree the tired interior of this rented flat.

Orlando, who thought the canvas was a splendid new seat, has left his mark permanently beneath one hanging……. After this photo was taken the cat was evicted and another thick coat of white paint was applied and left to dry ……………

I returned some time later to find this

………….. footprints marked his progress over the canvas and the kitchen counter tops and the cooker top and the window sill …………….

So as you can see I have not been entirely idle – it does want to be Spring after all, even though old Father Winter keeps doubling back for a last roar. I’ve started planting my flower garden at the front door.

For those of you who know us well, you know we live in a tiny house with an even tinier out-door space. Last year the tiny courtyard garden had all the press – the even tinier front door garden has never existed before and this is the start of it

As you can see there is not a drop of soil to be seen so everything will be growing in tubs, planters and pots. Most of what is laid out here ready for planting comes from the local garden centre including the planted up and ‘trellised’ jasmine. I love jasmine – I think you can never have enough of the beautifully scented stuff. I am proud to say the ‘trellis’ is entirely the result of my ingenuity fiddling about with a $10 assortment of plasticised tomato stakes. Hopefully it will stay stable as the Jasmine winds her way up it!

Yesterday the temperature was 21 C we went for our morning walk and Siddy checked out the daffodils that now cover the bank between the park and the petanque club.

And I’m so thrilled – I’ve had some orders for light catchers. The next few days are going to be focused on bead creations.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

A Postal Woopsie & A Winner

Posted on August 13, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

Thank you all so very much for the many and most helpful comments on the new shop window – I spent the ensuing days making changes as fast as I could and I think the perusing and information gathering is much better as a result. There are still a few additions and changes to be made, but nothing major.

I even made a sale which thrilled me no end – even though there ensued a most embarrassing postal misadventure as a result…… Do you want the whole story?

I was super busy and trapped at home waiting for the super-fast broadband installation scoping man to arrive – and surprise, surprise he didn’t…… [that’s a whole other post!]

I had a pile of mittens still waiting to get to the post office, the raspberry and yellow light catchers to get off to their new homes and a mounting sense of frustration that I was going to miss the post again……

Enter Stage R the most amenable and helpful Youngest Daughter, Official Photographer and newbie blogger, Danella Joy. Already stressed to the max with the health of her aged and ailing cat, an upcoming week away and what to do if dear cat’s demise and week away collide and needing to get to her night shift on time after a vet consultation, she still volunteered to visit the post office along the way and get my parcels sent off.

All but one of the packages were wrapped and addressed. One, a set of three mittens and a card from the last giveaway, needed it’s own postal envelope and the address to be written on said envelope.

Hastily I tore off the small pad page that had some addresses written on it, ripped off the unneeded address, threw everything into a handy tote bag and off she raced.

I didn’t realise that the small pad page had an address written both sides, both perfectly framed within the torn off seam.

You know what happened don’t you

Two days later DJ remembered to give me the pile of postal receipts and the card she had not seen in the bag that needed to go with the mittens until it was too late and as she handed over the torn pad page with the address on she froze, turned it over and asked “Where were the mittens going?”

Yes indeedy! Two beautifully written addresses – take your pick. There was a 50/50 chance I guess that the wrong one would be right side up when she scrabbled in the bag to find it and send the mittens away across the ocean. At least they ended up in the right country!

Now I have to get poor Jem to readdress and resend a package she should never have gotten and reimburse that as an added, extra postal cost….. sigh! And Jenny, dear, patient Jenny, you will get your mittens sometime soon 🙂

***************

But now, to happier times.

And what could be happier than a giveaway I hear you cry……….

The names were all written out on strips of carefully cut paper

Piled into my favourite drink dispenser

shaken

stirred

scattered

‘Can we go yet?’

and – chosen!

I’m exhausted says Orlando – these are all winners!

Congratulations Kerry from Love Those ‘Hands At Home’

Which one do you want?

The pink or the blue?

Thank you to everyone who took part – we love giveaways here in Contented Land

and there is sure to be another soon.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

Creating a Light Catcher

Posted on July 12, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

When I showed off some of my latest light catchers in the last post there was a small amount of interest in seeing how I made them. Not having a video camera capable of recording the process I did my best with my point and shoot and, with a bit of help from our Official Photographer when I ran out of hands, there now exists an as-good-as-it can-get photographic record of the process.

So, here we go:

First I rifle through my stash and gather together a pile of beads in my chosen colour. I was feeling ‘green’

I look for interesting shapes, a variety of shades and include glass, semi-precious gemstones, crystal, acrylic and facets wherever possible. I like using gemstones for their power and meaning, facets for their bling factor, shapes for interest and texture and crystals of course are the major source of light refraction. Acrylic beads are also very handy for keeping the weight down – these things can get heavy! I may, or may not, use all of my selection. It just depends.

I choose the hanging chain, recently I have discovered a particularly nice one which I am hoping to use in all future catchers. You can see it lying across the top left of the first photo. You can click on the photos twice to biggify – get the close up view for real!

Tools:

These four pliers are my go to essentials. The most recently added in is the one on the right, a split ring opener. Prior to that I used the pokey tool [official designation] seen at the top right and my finger nails. My left forefinger is covered with scars from puncture wounds – a proper tool was sought and finally found. My life has changed 🙂

Beading wire [I prefer ‘Tiger’s Tail] and quick dry adhesive to help secure the wire ends. Excuse the blurry photos – I find it a real challenge to snap photos while in the creative process – it is often an afterthought and is done on the fly ……….

Here we have the first length begun, I chose a pretty gold speckled green glass twist interspersed with small polished agate rounds

And the second string started, these beads are all acrylic and used for shape and texture. The wire is threaded through the crystal ball and up through the beads. It is pulled through a split ring, wrapped around itself two or three times and then threaded back down through as many beads as possible. These are tiny beads, so it can’t go too far down. Where the wire is poking out and at the top, fast drying adhesive is added to help secure wire and beads together. When the glue is dry I snip off the excess wire and attach the length of chain. If the glue doesn’t catch, or is peeled off, the wire can slip out and the whole thing will eventually collapse – it has happened and I try hard to ensure it won’t happen again!

Next I set about making half a dozen or so tiny little dangly bits. This is a selection of faceted glass or crystal beads for bling factor. I use long eye pins and snip them down as necessary. I make two different sets, three in each.

Split rings are added to both ends

I chose glass pearl balls and faceted hearts to hang at the bottom of three of the mini-danglers The hearts, due to their thickness, have to be hung using chandelier bow ties. These things are the bane of my light-catcher-creative life! They slip out of place whenever the catcher is moved and while I know where and how to put them back in place, the new owner may not. The only alternative I have is to use a large connecting split ring which looks ungainly – so I prefer not to go that route. If you have an alternate suggestion please, I would be so grateful should you care to share it.

Tiny crystal hearts are are attached onto the other mini-danglers and then the two strands are attached to a heavy brass ring.

I thought I had finished and left the catcher hanging above my work table for the night.

Early the next morning I wandered into the room and started to play some more. Before I knew it, there was another strand, a new hanging option and a few baubles added – and never a camera to hand! Here’s what I ended up with:

I found the three ring gold acrylic hanger on-line somewhere and bought ten of them, not realising they were so very – um, gold – I need to spray paint them silver but need warmer weather to do that. It’s hard to see in the photo but there are now two faceted crystal balls and one large faceted crystal pear hanging from the bottom of three strands of beads and chain and assorted baubles. The pear especially doesn’t photograph willingly, but is a beautiful thrower of rainbows! Also no charms have been added yet – I add them especially for the person who will own the catcher.

Trying to show some of the magic with the aid of a cushion and the afternoon sun

Of course, there’s no magic without Siddy

And just for a change, let’s finish this week with the lovely Orlando who would like to offer a teaser – there’s a giveaway coming up………. stay tuned!

Any questions, please ask them. Any suggestions, please do make them.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

………Two Months Later ……

Posted on July 5, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

………. and here I am again. There are various reasons for the long break, not all of them completely acceptable to serious bloggers or even myself. Let’s just say “Life got in the way of blogging!”

It’s been a hard winter here in the Riviera of Antarctica. Part of my city is being claimed back by the wild southern Pacific Ocean or being flood damaged by this new set of climatic conditions. My dream of a cottage by the sea is on hold as it may no longer be a sensible place to consider putting down roots.

My art room has been partially given over to another and my painting hours have temporarily ceased. I have been knitting, crocheting and making light-catchers instead.

Crochet: One Bavarian Stitch Throw of the very giant variety, not finished at the time this was taken, but now complete and waiting for blocking to happen. It is so big it took 300g [6 balls] of yarn to finish the last round.

Mittens: A variety of Mimi’s and Bohemian Mittens are about to begin winging their various ways around the globe to those of you who are still waiting their winnings.

Light-Catchers: Here’s one photographed on a rare fine day in the garden before beginning it’s journey to someone special in the USA

I have made my light-catchers for a few years now – rather sporadically, as I enjoy making them especially for someone. They are my gift of good wishes, good fortune and a little bit of magic woven into beads and charms and crystals for someone special. I like to think of the person I am creating for, then I choose colours and shapes and crystals and charms especially for them. Then it all just weaves itself together.

Light-catchers are extraordinarily difficult to photograph – here are two simpler versions that just happened to be lying around on the work bench, coming to completion

They look nothing very exciting lying around thusly – but hang ’em up and watch the magic happen. A tip for those of you who have a catcher is if you hang them away from the window, maybe further out into the room, somewhere the sun’s rays filter in, even more magic happens!

I can’t leave you without a quick peek at the snoozing buddies – I’m under there somewhere. It took the better part of a year, but we are all together with harmony reigning at last.

Though there is so much more to tell you about, this is all the time we have for now – So, it’s ‘Good Night’ from Siddy

And ‘Good Night!’ from me. Thanks for coming by today, I’m so happy that you did.

Another Week – Another Update!

Posted on May 1, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

Good heavens! It’s the 1st of May already – the year is racing away on me again!

I’ve got a post half written telling you all about the next part of the trip – but life and playing in my art room is getting in the way of my completing it ……..

Thank you for all your supportive words and shared stories around my hearing loss. It’s not 100% cured yet but is showing definite signs of improvement – an old, old friend from long, long ago read the last post and got on his white horse and galloped to my rescue. He is a homeopath in Germany these day [if you are there and need one just let me know, I can recommend him thoroughly] His suggested remedy appears to be working, I’m maybe only a foot or so under water now. On the chiropractic side my body has never felt more well oiled and smooth working – I’m very fond of my chiropractor too, even though he does inflict severe pain whilst aligning the bits!

Thanks Alexander, thanks Tat!! ❤

I’m painting – I did this one as my response to a Life-Book lesson published two weeks back with a most talented lady named Jenny Lee Wentworth. Her approach quite delighted me and I want to do more work with her in the future. I watched her lesson and a few days later sat down and started work without referring back. I still have to go back and see how far off the mark I was. Pretty far I think – but I liked the freedom it offered, even if I did come back into my own way of doing things really strongly….. This was a lesson in coming to form through layers of colour – no outlining or sketching involved. I am wanting to get to a closer resemblance of real people rather than this semi whimsical style – maybe I’m half way in that process………….

This painting is about half finished

Half completed ‘Ms Snail’

As you can see, it’s sitting firmly in its ‘ugly stage’ in this photo. You may be relieved to know she is already looking better, but has a ways to go still. It’s destined for the UK if I like where it gets to by the end – if not it will just get painted over and I’ll start again.

In really exciting news, I got suddenly and most surprisingly presented with a new phone by my YD a couple of days ago. It’s a Samsung Android, the one-before-the-very-latest version. Now I’m a modern woman ………. No more getting into scrapes whilst travelling and having no ability to contact my friends without it being a very long convoluted process involving texts being sent half way round the globe and back again – you know the story…….. I can do it myself now.

If I ever go anywhere ever again…….

It is not the latest super dooper-cooks your breakfast kind of smart phone, but it is an extremely clever and on-to-it kind of smart phone and is probably capable of doing way more than I shall ever require it to do – and it takes really nice photos.

Here’s Siddy peering into it – probably ascertaining if it is edible ….

Siddy King 30 4 15

Look at those eye lashes! And another one

this is his really serious ‘Whatyadoin’ Mumma?’ face.

Now I might actually get around to taking photos for the blog instead of getting where I’m going and saying “Blast, I forgot the camera again!”

If you are up with the play – and why shouldn’t you be? – you may remember I’m knitting a lovely pinkish lacyish shawl with a KAL [Knit-A-Long] group. I mucked it up a bit when I had to frog a row – then two – and oh dear, three …… I’d decided to gussy it up a bit by adding in a deeper pink for contrast along the edging and was undoing a row. Sigh! Now I am waiting for that other colour to arrive. In the meantime I got all carried away with myself and decided to use the Indian Silk on this pattern too….. This is where that is up to. It’s like knitting with a strand of cotton and will take, I am told reliably by Claire who knows about these things, double the amount of 8 row repeats to get a decent sized wrap out of…… but it will be so pretty and light and airy and just a little bit blingy too ….. I just might be spending the entire winter knitting it!

Here’s a tiny shot of the detail – just casually snapped with my new phone you understand…………

And that’s kind of where we are at this week folks – it’s cold and dreary and already winter here in the far south of New Zealand. Orlando is sporting a magnificent thick white undercoat which I take to mean it’s going to be a cold one! When he comes down to ground level I’ll try and capture a shot of him showing his new winter coat ……

And here’s a little bit more of a Siddy-fix for those who love him

Until then – thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

On This & That – and Mitten Winners

Posted on March 23, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

Once again the weeks slip by and my good intentions of getting a blog post written and published keep getting postponed until tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow! Elaine sends me an email ‘…. I’m looking for your latest post …..’ Oh dear. ‘It’s coming.’ I reply. Four days later and here it is. What is it they say – ‘Good things take time’ 🙂

Here is Orlando suffering his morning smooch from Siddy

“Finished smooching now. Breakfast please mumma!”

Even though I am very busy, I have absolutely nothing to show you. I am not painting, everything in that department is on hold for another month. I am crocheting and getting myself organised to take part in a most fab KAL [‘Knit Along’ for the uninitiated] over at Mollie and Claire [Claire’s the knitter, Mollie is the beautiful black lab.] [Claire is also beautiful 🙂 ] I am making my own version of this – this is Claire’s ‘Lace leaf Shawl’ isn’t it gorgeous!

This is my ‘yarn in use’ basket, a laundry hamper really. I will not disclose how much other yarn is tucked away in bags and drawers and boxes for fear it may incriminate me as a yarn hoarder ….

Despite that pile of yarn, I have ordered some more gorgeous silk yarn from Silk India – I wasn’t going to and then I thought why go to so much trouble to make a beautiful shawl and not do it in the most gorgeous silk yarn ever?

If you are a knitter, come join us. It won’t take long ……. Needles hit yarn on April 1st, but I won’t be starting until I get back from the US in mid April.

I was thinking the hours spent in airport layovers on my upcoming trip could be profitably whiled away by plying my knitting needles – then I remembered that no needles are allowed any more as I might decide to use one as a weapon on some poor pilot and end the flight importunately……. so I shall just have to spend those hours doing nothing crafty – and there are as many hours waiting for planes as there are actually flying! I’m sure withdrawals will set in. Such a waste of potential knitting time!

The suitcase is out of storage and I am sorting through clothes – trying to decide the minimum amount to meet the changeable spring conditions of DC and Virginia and yet not look too shabby while at it…… and trying to fit a few secret extras in without hitting the overweight mark on the suitcase scale!

My suitcase has been decorated in honour of the northern Spring

Thank you to all the folk who took the poll in my last post – it was so good to get your thoughts and opinions!

I even forgot to make the draw for the mittens and in the end read all the comments and, abiding by my own rules, decided that all the folk who indicated they would like a pair for themselves or a little relative would get a pair!*

*Provided they had commented by the time I made that decision on March 15th.

Here is the winners list:

Jenny – 2 pairs for your nieces

Claire – 2 pairs one each for Jessie and Megan

Fran – 1 green pair

Jem – 1 blue & white pair

Lisa – 1 green pair

Kerry – 1 fancy flounced pair

Sharon – 1 orange pair

If you will all bear with me the gloves will arrive on your doorsteps in due course. I thought I would send the Southern Hemisphere ones first seeing as how winter is knocking gently on our doors and send the northern climes ones off slowly over the next three months or so. No postage required, but addresses are if you have never received anything from me before. My email address can be found on the ‘Contact Me’ page.

If you would like yours sooner please just let me know.

Lisa I will personally hand deliver yours 🙂

Here is my daughter ‘modelling’ her new mittens and matching infinity scarf, made for her birthday.

Here is Siddy looking all ‘Bad to the Bone’ in his new winter jacket – especially for Jill

Back View – he did not understand a photo pose that did not have his smiling face in it

So we have this also

Here is the latest picking from my tomato crop – another two bowls like this and we will be done for the year. Not a bug or a mildew or a mark to be seen on any of them. So proud! Companion planting and wicked water tubs rock! Thanks Fran and Robbie!

If I’m not always visiting your blog, or not commenting as much as usual, please forgive me – I am a tad over committed at the moment and just trying to keep on top. Normal service will be resumed soon.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

Growing in a Very Small Garden

Posted on October 30, 2014 by thecontentedcrafter

I have written before about my small flat and uber tiny garden and this year I have attempted to grow more than a few flowers and a couple of lettuces around the edges of my outdoor space. Let’s be very clear about this space I refer to as ‘my tiny courtyard garden’. It is really just a glorified narrow walkway that has been fenced off between the two flats. It measures 180 x 500 cm. One end and one side has a built up narrow garden bed. I say ‘garden bed’ but when I arrived the soil was hard, dry, worm-less and sour. It sported a luxurious growth of oxalis [wood sorrel]. I spent the first year digging kitchen waste in and letting it rot down. I planted a lavender and Boston Ivy and Jasmine to cover the ugly fence.

Everything is growing so nicely – by Autumn 2011 Outdoor Sid sat beneath a flaming canopy of Boston Ivy and was so beautiful

Inspired by the endless tales and photos of abundance that come streaming in from so many of the dearly loved blogs* I follow and educated beyond belief in the arts of ‘water wicked containers’ [‘Wicked’ as in candle-wick not the ‘wicked witch’ as I originally thought – insert red face here!] thanks to the sterling efforts of one narf77, I hit the sales and got myself organised over a period of about three months.

I made lots of compost, purchased two really big self watering and be-wheeled troughs and many small plastic brightly coloured containers and buckets. I made holes all around the sides of the plastic containers about 15 cm up from the bottom, filled the bottom spaces with gravel and filled the rest of the containers up with layers of dried lavender branches, compost and good organic potting soil. I kept buying tubs and making them up until I had no more plants left and coincidentally, no more space left.

I wanted to go up as much as possible, but preliminary investigation made it obvious I was not going to be able to hammer in some trellis to the house walls or to hang baskets from those same walls. They are stucco and not very good stucco either. The windows are aluminium and there is virtually no good wood available to use as an anchor. Back to the drawing board.

A wander around Bunnings found me standing in front of a random collection of green plastic stakes attractively wrapped in a single piece of cardboard proclaiming themselves tomato tripods. I bought one and took it home to play with. It was perfect – three stakes with one end sharply pointed, nine cross bars to attach the stakes together either as a triangle or in a straight line and fitting perfectly into my big troughs and around the outside of my larger plastic tubs. I raced back and bought five more.

While my courtyard currently looks like a harbour full of sailing ships with sails furled it won’t be too long before all kinds of yummy things and pretty things are scrambling all over the place. I hope.

To join in with the things already flourishing in the garden – the lavender and Boston Ivy and gorgeous Jasmine that falls over Outdoor Sid’s head, I have planted three different tomatoes, two heirlooms and one not. Strawberries and petunias are planted about them as companions. Ten lettuces of different varieties, arugula, perpetual spinach, silver beet [chard], celery, broccoli and cauliflower. There is also a bucket full of peas [bit worried about these, not a lot of room for them to go up or out really]

Herbs include parsley, oregano. thyme, mint and nepeta [catmint] joining the Bay tree in a pot.

There are three hanging baskets on the fence holding sweet peas and strawberries and lobelia, petunias and alyssum for pretty colour. There are buckets of pansies scattered about on the shadier side and getting ready to grace the front step when ready.

For good luck I threw a handful of nasturtium seeds into the garden as well – but Orlando rebelled and sat on top of most of them as they germinated. He’s lost most of his sun bathing spots and is reduced to communing with Outdoor Sid’s companion cat

Or sitting atop the fence and dreaming of days gone by when he had an outdoor space to call his own and there was no helpful little puppy bounding about. Poor Orlando!

Helpful puppy

I seem to have made my own little eco-system in this tiny enclosed space and everything is growing like crazy. I’ll post a follow up in a month just to see how it’s doing.

I’m already eating lettuce, spinach and arugula. The herbs are all in second or third year and still producing. I would have liked to put in some cucumbers and capsicums, but ran out of space. Maybe next year.

*For those of you who may be interested in my gardening inspirations I follow these bloggers closely and all have been most generous with their inspirations, advice and thoughtful comments.

Fran at The Road to Serendipity

Alys at Gardening Nirvana

Robbie at Palm Rae Urban Potager

Wendy at Quarter-Acre Lifestyle

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

In Which Siddy Has a Haircut

Posted on October 8, 2014 by thecontentedcrafter

No posts for almost a month and then two in two days – nothing like variety to keep us on our toes!

Yesterday I mentioned that Siddy was at the groomers. So many of you wanted to see the new look Siddy – were you one of them? Well then, read on – or if you are pushed for time, just skip down to the pictures.

I wrote my last post while Siddy was away on a little adventure of his own. I dropped him off at Mudpuppy at 12.30 with instructions to retrieve him at 4pm. I was a tad concerned, this little guy is nearly always with me, or waiting in the car for me or with his favourite aunt………..

I felt like one of those overprotective, hovering mothers who were so bothersome when I was a teacher.

I needn’t have concerned myself! My raggedy little fella disappeared off quite happily with his new best friend and I wandered off, noticing an odd absence besides me.

When last you saw Siddy, he looked like this

Or, in a slightly more elegant pose

Our blogging buddy Boomdeeadda did something very clever with this photo on her iphone, but unfortunately I couldn’t copy it over to here – suffice to say Siddy began to speak English, with a slight Canadian accent, in a tone that sounded exactly like the one he would have if he could actually speak!

He’s such a cute little guy, his mouth is so expressive, but you rarely see his beautiful round black eyes. He is a rotund, fast moving, joyful ball of energy with rippling waves of long hair.

Or he was.

At 4 pm I returned to Mudpuppy and the groomer came out holding a blindingly white pup in her arms. For a brief moment I didn’t recognise my boy, then he leapt from her arms into mine and there he was – all short hair, clean and sweet smelling and so very, very soft.

My puppy has beautiful, expressive, deep set eyes framed by long black eyelashes

My puppy is very happy!

He is very happy to be out of his thick, long coat and now no longer simply jumps about the room – he flies!

Orlando is NOT pleased. But he’ll get over himself soon enough.

I am very mindful of the fact that when you have a pup as happy as this one, so in the moment and so enchanted with every aspect of his life – some of it has to rub off on you. Magic!!

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

After the Party & The Winner

Posted on September 12, 2014 by thecontentedcrafter

I had such a wonderful birthday week – and it featured so many lovely messages and gifts from my friends in this blogging community and on face book that I almost became speechless. To you all, each and every one of you who so loyally read and comment and interact and join in the spirit of this blog – a huge heartfelt thank you and a great big bear hug 🙂 You all really made my week overflow with your warmth and kindness and generosity.

Here is my birthday cake – well, more of a rather lovely birthday dessert really, the recipe for which, I think [I hope I remember this correctly] came to me via the lovely Fran. It is made with dates and nuts and bananas and coconut and cacao and surrounded with these dear tiny peanut butter chocolates which were a tiny bit fiddly to make, but unbelievably scrummy and I shall be making many more of them 🙂

And here is the delightful Siddy waiting for his piece

While the mail man was kept busy bringing interesting and unexpected packages to the door for the birthday event, there were also little packages arriving with items for the ‘Dangler of International Happiness’ I now have items from Australia and Tasmania [yes I know, but it is a different land mass], the UK and Canada. I’m not showing anything yet as there will be a wee competition held for the unveiling – but my it is going to be so pretty! And I wish I had taken photos of the gorgeous soaps and creams all wrapped up in lace that the lovely Wendy sent – but suffice to say that when she remembers her recipe for the face cream I shall be among the first customers – it is so soft and creamy and delightful!!

When the door bell chimed in the middle of my birthday I was stuck ungracefully beneath a furry pile of puppy and cat. My youngest daughter said to me – you have to go get that. By the time I had disengaged myself and opened the door there was no-one there, but a beautiful bouquet of white flowers lay in front of the screen door. “Good God!” I exclaimed. “I brought you flowers my child” said a cheerful, disembodied voice. “Thank you God!” I replied.

It wasn’t actually God who sent me a bouquet of white roses and lilies and orchids for my special day – it was the lovely Alys. Here’s me holding the bouquet looking somewhat befuddled, over-whelmed and over-come and in need of a hair cut!

And, as Alys noted, that’s Siddy attempting his first photo bombing.

Throughout the birthday week, which was spent primarily with my favourite people in the whole world – my two daughters – the puppy was pretty much the centre of attention. Then Orlando decided it was time to give up his hunger strike and join in. He began to reclaim all his pampered cat rights and climbed down from his table of discontent and returned to sleeping on the bed, sitting on chairs and knees and generally being sociable again. Whilst nobody ever remembered to photograph anything we were treated to some lovely moments as my birthday wish came true and my pets began to spend companionable time together.

They now share a bed, a chair, my knee. I snapped this early this morning surreptitiously so as not to disturb the early morning bathing ritual.

And now for your viewing pleasure here is Siddy, his aunt YD and me as filmed by the lovely ED who was experimenting with slo-mo on her iphone camera

One of my birthday gifts was a kick start for my vegetable garden. It included a large bag of organic compost, salady and herby seedlings and yesterday I made a big mess in the tiny courtyard and got started

We are going up folks – I have no idea how it will turn out, but I discovered some most handy contraptions at Bunnings which have the advantage of being both flexible and affordable. They can be used as a trellis or a tripod and will be most handy for the likes of tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and maybe even some sweet peas just because I love them. I’m also hoping to get some hanging baskets in but not sure what might grow best in them – any suggestions?

Today the mail man brought me my gold card – I am now an official OAP – rolling on the floor, holding my sides, roaring with laughter! I can ride the buses for free and go half price to the movies. Whoo-hoo!!

And now here [rather belatedly, for which I am not sorry as it is due to the extortionate amount of partying that has been going on round here] is the announcement you really came by for – the winner of an assortment of postcard size prints of my mixed media paintings.

Twenty-five names written on cut up strips of paper

Placed in my favourite coffee mug

Vigorously shaken, stirred and tipped over

And the winner is ta – daaaaaaaa

The lovely Lady Gallivanta from the shaken but not stirred City of Christchurch.

Gallivanta, will you go to the ‘Contact Me’ page below the lovely Orlando’s photo at the top of the blog and send me your address please and then I shall mail off to you as speedily as possible a small assortment of postcards.

To the rest of you, my lovely ethersphere friends, thank you for coming by today, I love that you did 🙂

Hanging Out For Spring

Posted on August 28, 2014 by thecontentedcrafter

Days run one into the other. I busy myself in the kitchen with my bubbling jars and bottles of ferments; my micro-greens, pots of porridge and mashed veggies for the puppy and some for me too. I trip over the little puppy that waddles about on the floor at my feet, waiting for any tid-bits that may inadvertently fall his way. I walk the puppy, play with the puppy, spend hours just watching the puppy attacking life with unmitigated joy. I cuddle the cat and mollify the cat. I confide to the cat that the puppy will soon enough slow down, calm down and become less joyful about life. I don’t really believe this, but it helps Orlando cope. I think about the garden I am going to make, but do little more than prepare compost for the soil and dig it in. I clean up and cart back out to the garden the compost the puppy has gleefully dug up and brought inside. I am often invited by the puppy to check out his potty area which he has just used thereby justifying a treat for being a ‘clever boy’. I fixed up the bedroom I didn’t really like and made it a little more acceptable to me – you may remember this horrid wall paper that I am stuck with. I don’t see it any more as the pretty colours on the duvet take my eye instead.

I hung some sturdier privacy curtains in my front window that also just happen to be very pretty and filter the morning sun in a lovely way.

These photos are especially for Alys who asked to see them. They are calico with a cut embroidery design through them and a deep crochet cotton hem finished with beads.

My approaching birthday has intruded into my life again this year. I struggle for about two months ahead of the date, it is the body and buried memories and emotions recalling a traumatic beginning. I published a post about it last year, but don’t feel inclined to write the second chapter just yet. I am used to these annual blues now, and cope quite well I think – but this year I definitely lost my creative ability. I struggled with my commitments and had no desire to push through and just get on with painting something – anything.

So, I spent little time in my art room – but enough to make a few bookmarks and finish three organisers for my Etsy Store. I have planned a painting – got a few bits ready for it, but haven’t actually started it yet. My daily cards went out the window ages back and I am happy to concede defeat on that one!

Here are the organisers

Here are some of the bookmarks – they are destined for a Little Free Library in California.

I made a lazy susan for my washi tapes and glues and purchased, at a considerable discount of 60%, a long longed for laminating machine – which made me make the bookmarks 🙂

I have spent hours filling in forms and organising copies and finding a JP to witness it all for me. I am about to retire. I can claim my pension and cash in my KiwiSaver. I am going to buy a car. I have been without a car for over a year, reliant on my daughters generosity and on-line shopping. I want to go to the sea with my puppy and take drives into the countryside. I need to get out a bit more – I have cabin fever.

I am hanging out for Spring. Not that it has been a hard winter – it hasn’t. The icy antarctic blasts were irregular and interspersed with surprisingly balmy days. Daffodils are out already, some trees are flowering and some are budding. I’m hanging out for September to start because then I step out of my pre-birthday blues and return to my usual self. My girls and I will spend a week together and kick start my new year off in fine fashion. I’m looking forward to that – I’m ready for it!

To celebrate my milestone birthday, in conjunction with my anonymous friend, I am offering another giveaway. Just some postcard sized prints of some paintings this time – but great for giving away, writing notes on or using as book marks 🙂

If you leave a comment, you get your name in the coffee cup. Closing date is September 6th. Please leave a comment – I love to know what you think.

We went off for our usual walk this morning, prior to publishing this post. Siddy came home with a little something that he found along the way and this is what I caught on camera [and I have to say that my rug is not that dirty – it just is not very photogenic!]

Yes, he found a baby’s dummy – pacifier to you foreign types – and what’s more he knows how to use it!