Miss Buttercup

Miss Buttercup arrived today and I introduced her to my friends, Mr Moneybox Frog and his relations, the Froggy Teapot family who live on my kitchen table.
A bunch of Golden Sunflowers that I was given by "Home Cottage Creations" will also live on my kitchen table for sometime. I found a lovely blue pottery vase and I think it shows them off perfectly.
I must introduct Miss Buttercup to Miss Bluebell as these fairys must have some "wishes" to share.

I just couldn't resist this lovely fairy doll I found at the local Sunday Market. She wobbles her head as it is on a spring. She is dressed in lovely soft see thru material with rosebuds sewn on the bottom.

(Double click on Miss Buttercup for larger view)

Tuber Hybiscus

This looks like a Hybiscus, and is but is called the Tuber Hybiscus because its root is a tuber and shoots up in several stems, instead of a main stems as the common Hybiscus.
One could hardly call a Hybiscus common as it has so many varieties as I am just beginning to learn, since I have regained the gardening bug after putting it aside for my spinning and knitting which I do have, but I needed a change.
The flower only lasts for about a day and folds up, which looks very similar to soft tissue paper.
I just love the brilliant colour of the ruby red and and soft pink.

These plants are deciduous, so will die off during winter. Hopefully they will shoot up again.

I have them in pots so at present I can keep an eye on them. May have to read more information on them.

to keep them growing.

Parrots Breakfast

Guess who we spotting this morning feasting on my Sunflowers. About four Australian King Parrots. Two male and two female birds must have spied my sunflowers and thought WOW christmas breakfast. They had a brilliant red breast and a vivid green back. They hung upside down as they do picking the best tasty bits.
One landed on a small sunflower and down it went.
I do love to see the parrots, so I let them have what nature created for them.
My next door neighbour is wanting one for his birds so I had better cut a head off for him or they may miss out. I wonder if they will return tomorrow morning.?
(double click to see how beautiful they are)

The Australian King Parrot, I checked out from "The Clearemont Field Guide to the Birds of Australia"

I love this book and use it identify the birds in my garden.

Santa Hamish Bear

Don't you just want to cuddle Santa Hamish Bear. What a wonderful job he is doing minding the pelagonia in the pot plant. Im sure he will do a sterling job. Now all I have to do is water it and as I am told by a special gardener lady that if you sprinkle gardeners lime around the edge of the pot (only a teaspoon) every three months the plant with have lovely glossy leaves.
It is this time of the year that we get together with family and friend and wish them all a Very Merry Christmas. That means to you TO.

I am just a lucky lady with all my garden friends, given to me by Santa friends Jo and Jas from Home Cottage Creations.

Garden Animals

I love to have fun in my garden with animals on sticks to create a fun place to be.
Here is a cat, bird and fish given to me from Home Cottage Creations (blog) for Xmas 2008 as they know I am a little wacky.

Miss Bluebell

Please be quiet, I have just seen a lovely fairy, her name is Miss Bluebell, in my garden, she is sitting on a blue mushroom, I guess waiting for her friends to arrive.

This very blue fairy I purchased at the Bellingen Market ( inland from Coffs Harbour) from Willow Wings Faeries. You will know who she is as she is the fairy lady and has wings on her back. Her stall of hand created fantasy faeries in all their soft floating wings, flying or sitting on a log or branch, waiting to help us out with our problems. I have put her on her favorite blue mushroom, surrounded by other beautiful mushrooms given to me by my lovely Santa friends Jo and Jas. Home Cottage Creations

Sunflowers

These Sunflowers have opened up showing off their glorious golden faces.
These were grown from seed after I was looking after my sisters Galahs in a cage and naturally they throw their seeds about, falling into my garden below and as they say form little seeds Sunflowers grow.

Double click to see how beautiful they are.

Whirly Silvester and Tweety Pie

Another addition to my back yard, these Whirly bird (tweety pie) and Whirly-Silvester.
Silvester is on a long stick in the lawn watching my new Fig Tree, hoping he may deter the birds picking my delicious fruit.

Tweety Pie hangs up high in the Strawberry Tree. This tree has very small red berries when ripe and they have a very unusual sweet flavor. The tree helps shade the back yard and has the umbrella shape more than the upright look. When the wind blows they whirl around so fast.

Scarf Exchange from A.W.

What a wonderful surprise to receive back from the headquarters of this years Scarf Exchange Western Australia this scarf, spun, dyed and knitted by
A.W. of Cohuna Victoria.




All my fellow members of the Coffs Harbour received their parcels and there were lots of OOOH and AAARs. What a lovely array of garments, from beanies, to felted bags and scarfs.

Closeup of Sunglass/ Camera Case.

I find this Case so versatile, I personally use a small version for my camera. I put it around my neck and know that I have less chance of dropping my camera before and after I use it.
It is around my neck. Others like it because they carry their sunglasses, or their reading glasses. They know where they are. Looks good too.
How about when you are cooking and have to use those glasses to read the recipe book and dont want to put them down and loose them. They are around your neck.
My Mum uses hers when sitting down knitting or doing her craft work. Pops in her scissors, tape measure and her thead which you generally can't remember where you put it and can even put a sewing needle and a few pins on the outside.
I have used another for meetings, when I need a small notepad and biro to jot down things as my memory isnt as good as I would like it to be. Got a cold and no pockets for the hanky or tissues and dont want to carry a bag. Its around your neck. Even an IPod. or water bottle. (depending on size) I can make one of your favorite colour, design if you have one, and of course size. Big, Wide, Small, Buttoned, or Hang around the neck.
They are so soft, durable, and washable. Handwash separately in luke warm water with wool wash or detergent. rinse, squeeze moisture out and shape. Dry in the shade. May be ironed with a cloth covering.

Closeup Mobile Phone Case

This is case that I carry my Mobile Phone in. So soft yet it gives great protection.
Easy to undo the button and get the phone out when it rings.
So many uses, Camera, Store Credit Cards, Taro Cards for protection, Playing Cards, Tissues to keep them clean, Note book and pen.

It is Hand washable if you get any mishaps in your hand bags.
As with all felted products, best to wash separately, in luke warm water and wool wash. rinse, squeeze moisure out and reshape if necessary and dry in the shade. May be ironed with a cloth covering.

Prefelt to felted

From this stage when you have the cases formed into their shape and added the embellishments ready for them to be worked on with lots of elbow grease, hot water and detergent they make their amazing change into thick durable but soft brighty coloured cases.


For the finishing touches you have to find a button that suits, sew it on plus the loop that goes around the button that has to be sewn on also.

Above is a photo of the before, and below is the after "all finished". They always look different to what you first image. Lots of embellishments show up whilst others blend in. I always like to see a bit of glitter and a bit of mohair, thats not to say I do them all the same. All are different.

Process of Felting

Ok it looks a mess, but that what happens when you first have a felting project.
You have to find from your stash of embellishments, yarns, mohair, silk, rayon, spun yarn.


Then there is the coloured fleece, so into your stash again and the creative side hopefully happens.

Whirly-flower

I found this whirly-flower at the local nursery, and just had to have it.
It is so bright, orange with outline of red.
and it just whirls around and around in the wind.

Hybiscus Flamingo Star

This lovely double hybiscus opened today and I couldnt believe how delicate it is.

Potty about Flowers

I just love to see the bright flowers of the geranium/pelagonias hanging from the baskets.
I also went potty and found these great black buckets (yes buckets) from Bunnings. I made a few holes for drainage and now they also are very portable. Lift and handle and take to where every the sun shines.

Pigs Can Fly

This Little Pink Piggy just loves the wind and you want to see her fly .

Dedication to Pepe & Twiggy

This photo was taken 2001 when both my cats Pepe (ginger boy) and Twiggy (female siamese) . Pepe would catch a mouse and take it in the bathroom and drop it in the bath as he knew it couldnt climb out and he would have his bit of fun with it. Twiggy would watch on with excitement.

It was my two saddest days this year 2008, 12th June when Pepe and 21st October for Twiggy when I had to say goodbye to them.
They were the love of my life and brought great laughter in to my life which only a cat, or animal lover will tell you that they bring. May they rest in Peace. Pepe and Twiggy

Hybiscus Hollys Pride

I was so excited to see this beautiful bloom on my hybiscus plant.
When I had purchased this hybiscus I crossed my fingers, hoping it would grow.
The size of the bloom is amazing, bigger than my hand and the colour is from a tangerine to a peach.


By looking at the plant it has many blooms ready to open and many buds.
I did give it a good boost of fertilizer and we have had plenty of rain.
I have planted a couple more hybiscus but different variety in my front garden and they have also produced beautiful flowers but not a big as the Hollys Pride.
Plus I have three that I have put in pots awaiting a place for me to find for them to rest.

Spring Time

What a lovely time of the year. Time to put the knitting away and get out doors into the garden. My theme of colour is red, pinks and mauve.
Early in the year I purchased a collection of Crimson fantasy, Mandevilla plants in pots and suddenly got the urge to plant in the ground and then cover with lovely mulch to stop the weeds.



I couldnt resist these two pots of varigated soft pink and varigated mauve and white geranium pelargonium which I found at Bunnings.





What a lucky find this beautiful child statue, I have positioned it outside my front door and when I sit outside admiring my garden she always comes in view.