Warning – this may bore you!

Are you an Instagram-er? If so consider yourself warned… this post may just bore you to tears! I felt like sharing a random collection of some of my favourite recent Instagram pictures, so to those of you not on Instagram, feel free to read on – hopefully I won’t bore you!

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A favourite outfit. My homemade ombre yellow fimo beads with orange and a pop of turquoise in the form of a homemade bracelet. I had a lovely crafternoon with my mum, my sis and my daughter jewellery making. It was my first go at it ever!

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On the last day of Autumn I picked a wee posy of flowers from my garden.

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Doing a little roadtrip crochet! Oh and if you’re wondering about all the text and pictures on my photos it’s a new app called ‘A beautiful mess’, from the fab blog ‘A beautiful mess’. Super cute app, super addictive and hard (for me) not to go OTT with it!

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I’ve done a little gluten free baking lately. My sweet sis found this great recipe for a pastry-less frangipani tart. Very delicious, very dangerous to start making them… visit THIS RECIPE at your own risk!

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Like I said, going a bit nuts with the new app!

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Just a bit! Really love these last two blankets off the hook. So cute and soooooo excited to be sending them to a real life bricks and mortar shop!

IMG_8043This is one of the sweetest smelling roses in my garden. It’s such a delicate shade of buttery lemon that deepens a little in Autumn. It’s a David Austin called ‘The Pilgrim’ and my hubby calls it ‘John Wayne’ which I think is a bit cute!

IMG_8050 This photo was taken off a picture from a funeral program. The classic racer is a distant relative and this photo is really really really old. I thought such cool looking dude on his bike deserved sharing.

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The knitted blanket I’ve been knitting forEVER! I discovered a #%$@ hole in it and it was a rather nasty one. So I had a go at salvaging it by threading a long circular needle along every stitch below the hole. The raw chocolate (delicious and good for you!) was my reward for doing it right or my commiseration for stuffing it up. The hope was that I would unravel it to this point then simply continue knitting…

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As I had only seen this method in a picture somewhere, and I didn’t look up how to do it properly, I found out the hard way that it’s pretty important what part of the stitch you thread the needle in. As I unravelled the needle just lifted off the bulk of the knitting! With a massive chunk of blanket still knitted and loose loops where the needle is meant to go, I sat very carefully, and slowly, one by one, picked up every single stitch… all 163 of them! I’ll get back to knitting some more of this blanket at some stage!

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More pretty flowers… have I mentioned just how much I love flowers? I relate to this quote on a favourite blog, Floret - ‘More than anything I must have flowers, always, always.’ Monet.

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I seriously LOVE this tall forest! It’s near where I go walking and never ceases to blow me away!

IMG_8325I’ve also been playing with another new app – Pro HDR. My dear dad told me about this one. He’s a photography wizz! Actually he’s a techno wizz… and a walking talking calculator and encyclopedia. Let’s just say he’s pretty darn clever and he told me about this app only last week. My hubby has since named it the ‘Pain in the arse butt’ app because on our walk last week I just about stopped every few feet to take another photo with this new app.

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I’ll try to explain what’s so special about this app… This photo is a good example…. Normally a picture like this would turn out one of two ways. With a washed out, bleached out sky, and the tree in true colour. Or with the tree silhouetted and the sky in true colour. This app produces a photo where ALL the colours are true and no bits get washed out or silhouetted. It’s pretty cool!

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Ok so are you still there? I haven’t lost you yet? This last one is of my two current projects. A bright colourful woven stitch blanket, and a pure white vintage fan ripple stitch. The white is pure cotton and the blues pure wool.

Hopefully I’ll be back with some finished projects soon… Just gotta slow life down a bit as I’m having trouble keeping up. Life is busy and I’m doing lots, as you can see! But not churning out finished projects at the pace I used to. Tis all good though. life really is sweet…. and in the meantime, there’s always Instagram.

Hope your day is filled with happy pics and pretty views and crafty moments and yummy eats.

I’m off to devour another frangipani tart….ssshhhh… it’s only my 2nd…. this afternoon!

New Belts hot off the press!

Reblogged from Stockman Leathercraft:

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I've just created a brand new design for a Ladies belt. It's more of the fashion style, that my wife tells me, ALL the women are wearing!

Ladies Fashion Adjustable Leather Two Tone Patterned Belt with Solid Brass Horseshoe Buckle.

Yep that right ladies, this belt can change from as small as a 84cm to as large as a 100cm size.

Read more… 120 more words

Sharing the new belts my husband has made... they are lovely! And adjustable! Gotta love a belt that moves with you don't you think? I've got my order in....

Peach Blossom and Sea Breeze

Just a quick little post to show you a couple of finished projects…

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Peach Blossom Blanket.
100% Cotton, Crochet.

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Who knew it would take me 14 crocheted flowers before I found one I liked? I won’t tell you how long it took me to decide on the arrangement of them either! But I’m pleased that I fluffed about with them so long as I think the finished blanket looks quite sweet… and it could have easily gone the other way. There’s just the one bunch of flowers on this blanket in the corner. The body of the blanket is blanket stitch and I took the edge out with a couple of rows of a lacey type chain stitch then a few rows of single crochet, finished with a delicate little picot.

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Sea Breeze Blanket.
100% Cotton, Crochet.

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I’m totally in love with this colour combination. The grey acts like a neutral colour against a pop of blue green colours. It looks so fresh and colourful, yet not too bright and in your face. If a refreshing sea breeze had colours, I reckon they’d be like these. Of course you can’t go wrong with the classic granny stitch either. I love a basic stitch like this to show off the colours and stripes in this blanket. There’s a border at the top and the bottom of colours, plus at the top there’s a row of single crochet in each colour to finish it.

Wow… 2 projects down, it’s been a busy week in the crochet department! These blankets are both for an order that I’m super excited about. Now I can start some new projects I’ve been itching to get to, and I just love that feeling. Time to go ponder over some potential yarn colours and ideas…

Hope your days are filled with refreshing sea breezes, pretty peach blossoms and plenty of time to ponder your next crafty project.

Autumn Crochet

It’s been a while… but I’ve been busy… more crazy busy than usual… or maybe just more crazy? Who knows!
I do have lots of pretty pictures for you though…
I’ll start with some pretty flowers from my garden…
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The flowers are slowing down as winter nears, but there are still so many pretties in the garden to pop into a posy… I love the autumn silver birch branches and rose hips… And I love that the roses seem to become more intense in their colour as Autumn passes…

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This is in amongst the Cherry Tree Grove at my favourite gardens… Spec.tac.u.lar no?!
I must say walking between two rows of cherry trees… in full blown autumn glory… with the breeze gently blowing… autumn leaves raining down… tumbling along the ground as the wind gently moves them along… is quite the magical experience… twas sublime!

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A panoramic of the Cherry Tree Grove.

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Another sweet Cherry Tree path in the gardens… This one is a bit special… It leads to Serenity Point… and it was my wedding aisle… many moons ago… in an Autumn from another decade!

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It’s not all orangey shades in the gardens though… there are many green and golden paths to enjoy also… like under this big old Tulip Tree.

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Where one can find the most enormous Tulip Tree leaves… This one was as big as my face!

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And the pretty little Ginkgo Biloba trees are fast becoming a strong Autumn favourite. The gorgeous leaf shape and it’s delicious lime green turning golden yellow is quite the sight to behold.

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Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me and blow me away with her stunning colours…

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and pretty leaves looking totally divine in the late afternoon sunlight…

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is there a better sunlight than late afternoon?

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on pretty Autumn leaves?
I don’t think so.

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Apart from taking a gazillion photos on my Autumn walks, I have managed to finish a few crocheted projects too.

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This “Pink Sprinkles” blanket is for an order and I do love a little random unexpectedness in my blankies… as you can see!

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I also crocheted a pure silk scarf using a simple ladder stitch…

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It’s not a warmth scarf, more of a decorative pop of the most gorgeous Duck Egg Blue colour… Feather light and silky… twas perfect for my sweet mum on Mothers Day…

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My current project is for an order and is coming up a treat! Blanket stitch is, not surprisingly, perfect for a blanket as it’s the same both sides… It’s also a fairly solid stitch with no real gaps to speak of and super easy to remember…

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It has the cutest bubbly like texture too making it very snuggle-worthy!

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I shall leave you with one last Autumn picture… The peace I draw from these gardens every time I walk there is wonderful… I heard something on the radio the other day about how important it is to connect, walk, be in, be around – nature. Even just looking at a picture of a tree does something to your brain… in a positive way… in a relaxing and calming way… don’t quote me on this, I’m not great at recalling the details, just remembered how they said how good it is for you… Which I already knew just because of how much I get out of my walks… but it was interesting to hear that ‘they’ have done some sort of scientific tests on this to prove it’s a fact… not just in my imagination!

Well, I hope you enjoy a little bit of a peaceful calming vibe from looking at my pictures of nature… at the least I hope I haven’t bored you to tears! Maybe it’s inspired you to go look at a tree? Or take a walk in your local gardens? Or even down the street? Where in the world are you? Are you enjoying an Autumn or a Spring? Either way, I wish you peaceful moments and lovely vistas of whatever it is that brings you bliss… May the bliss be with you! Teeheehee…

Beach Fans, Pink Hearts and Autumn Love

I thought I’d pop in to show you what I’ve been working on…

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Beach Fans Blanket
100% Cotton, Crochet.

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I just love this pattern and I love these colours together! The yarn is all from Bendigo Woollen Mills and crochets up a treat.

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I like the texture and ripples of the pattern, and I’ve repeated the ripple effect in the border by crocheting into the back of the stitch there too. (that’s how the ripple is created in the main pattern, in case you were curious).
This blanket is for an order and it will be going into a shop that’s not open yet… so exciting! I’ll be sure to let you know the shop details when it’s open!

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Here’s a sneak peek at the other blanket I’ve just finished. This blanket is 100% cotton too, except for the random sprinkling of pink hearts which are in 100% wool.

I’ve been crocheting a great deal of late… So much so that my shoulders, arms, wrists, hands, and thumbs are a wee bit weary and achy! I’ve been making sure I walk it out at my favourite gardens… you know looking silly walking and swinging my arms about! (Lucky there’s not many people around hey?) It’s not hard to make myself walk it out at the moment as I absolutely love Autumn, and the gardens are in the peak of their Autumn glory right now. I know I shared a picture of the gorgeous red colours a couple of posts back, well check how beautiful and sunshiney the golden hues are….

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How can you not feel utter joy walking along a stunning golden path like that I ask you? The tree I’m standing under is a Tulip Tree and is absolutely majestic! It’s huge, has an amazing shape, lovely detailed bark, and pretty coloured tulip shaped leaves.

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Ok, I just had to go and find this photo to show you the whole Tulip Tree in all it’s glory. It’s majestic right? That’s my hubby walking along in front to give you an idea of the size of it.

I shall leave you with another favourite picture at the moment (from my Instagram)… A sweet little posy of flowers, all from my garden.
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The last 3 photo’s are taken with my iphone and I promise I will stop bombing my posts and Instagram with Autumn glory photos soon… as soon as Autumn is over that is!
Oh how I do love the gorgeous colours of Autumn.
In the meantime, I hope your day is filled with Autumnal hues that make your heart sing.

Mint Flowers & Mint Willow

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Dove Cottage Posy, all from my garden.

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I like my posies a bit wild and rambling like my garden. (By the way – my idea of rambling is on the verge of out of control)

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In the posy is Princess de Monaco Roses, Mt Shasta Roses, Mothers Love Roses, Plumbago, Lime Verbena, Granny Smith Apple Tree, and Mint. The mint in my garden is very special. Not only is it delicious and used often for Mojitos and Smoothies and Flower posies, but it came from a very special place. The original mint plant grew in my Nana’s garden. My Nana is my Mum’s Mum’s Mum. My Grandma gave me a cutting of the mint. My Grandma is my Mum’s Mum (Nana’s daughter – following?). Sadly both these amazing ladies have passed on. So this mint is not only a delight to enjoy but also a lovely connection to the great ladies in my family. And this posy of flowers is for my mum, hence the Mothers Love Rose inclusion too. Have you ever seen a more delicate shade of pink in a rose? It is sublime!

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This posy had a scent to knock your socks off. The mint, the lime verbena and the roses – sweet and fresh. I love the flowering tips of the mint and verbena too – especially the fluffy mint ones, they are quite unusual I think. I must admit, the posy was put together in about 5 minutes flat, sorry mum! Just one of those snap decisions as I saw the roses in the morning and knew the rain of the day would ruin them by the time I got home from work. I also new that one of my favourite blogs Floret, is doing a project called The Seasonal Bouquet Project. This is where the lovely Erin (from Floret) and Jennie (from Love ‘n Fresh, another sweet flower blog) are posting pictures of AMAZING bouquets each week. You can add you own bouquet of flowers to a link and join along, but all the ingredients from your bouquet must be sourced within 25 miles from your home. Well I think all mine were within 25 steps from my front door so I decided to join in.

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And remember these hearts from my last post? Well they were part of a special little order I’ve sent off to a sweetly named shop called ‘Mint Willow Studio‘. I’m super excited about this new part of the adventure for ‘bear loves dove’ and can’t wait to see where it leads me. I only wish I didn’t live so far away from the shop so I could go visit it for real! In the meantime a virtual visit will have to do.

Hope you find some minty fresh goodness and pretty floral beauty in your day today!