Sunday, July 14, 2013

Some completions

Hello there dear friends & readers

This past week has seen a few "little" completions


Yes the Cottage is Open again - at last :-)
A lovely friend called in from Taranaki last week & she said it looked "bigger & lighter" - how my heart sang !!!!
Shall I perhaps tell you about the lady the next day who said "where did you actually paint as it looks the same as last time I came???!!!  ....  no maybe we wont mention her!!

I am very happy with it & although it is difficult to do wonderful displays with the small space that I have, I feel it is lighter & fresher & also feels more spacious to me :-)



I will just dot photos about as I chat to you ...

the fireplace mantle  - I did not paint this lovely old wood surround, just oiled it

The shelf below is new, or should I say old, & revamped plus the mirror behind it was a friends throw-out I rescued ...


It gives some height to my displays ...



The stand below was black & I painted it with leftover wall paint




shelf destined for the dump "before" . . . 


same shelf "after" . . . 


New curtains made from old length of lace that I have had for far too many years to remember . . .



The golly corner - tall ladder has been painted cream - was dark green

My vintage pram filled with baby knitting

Okay thats all for now  ... just a quick skim around the room with my funny ol' camera ... now what do you think, please be honest???  And while we are at it here dear friends ... please promise me something else ... if I should EVER mention to you again any thoughts or ideas about painting the Cottage, please do me an immense favour, & reach into your screen & give me a good clip around the head, remind me of the huge headache it was & how I vowed & declared NEVER EVER AGAIN!!!!!!  I am counting on you to remember for me please !!!!

A couple of other little completions this past week - in between finishing off the Cottage - this lovely lady was another naked body in my sewing room which I dressed with tea-dyed calico clothing 


She is a Julie Love "Golly J" design & is called Best Friend  - I love the little ceramic button on her bag (a Nicki Tervo design)


Also I completed this rather large cushion from my vintage blanket stash 


It was another half-finished project taking up space in my sewing room :-)
These lovely handtowels & embroidered lavender bags were my final completion on the sewing front ...



And lastly, this box was calling out for a revamp 


So while I was painting the last shelf for the Cottage, I flicked some wax & paint over it & then lined it with some leftover scrapbooking paper - it came up so much nicer I thought :-)



Well folks I am off to fill the wood basket - as I type this I can feel the temperature dropping & it is getting cold again - we had a small peek of sunshine this morning but now its gone.
Wishing you all a great rest of the weekend & all the very best for the week ahead - hope you find some creative time in your week


some time to sit & stitch or some time in your craft room maybe ...



The above 3 pics are taken in my friend Sally's gorgeous home - her craft room makes you never want to leave :-)
Thanks so much for popping by,
much love/hugs/friendship,
Julie x0x0

10 comments:

  1. squeal another post! I LOVE your posts, always worth the visit! I need to come soon for another fix of your company & wonderful shop, everything looks perfect. I see the big lot of tea dyed calico got put to some use, she looks fabulous. My comments of all I see & love would leave no room for anyone else's comments.
    If you hadn't said, I would have left thinking they were pics of your craft room.....yumo!
    Rug up, it's chilly in the north, so it must be down your neck of the woods!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh Julie it does look light and full of love.
    So many goodies I spotted. You do so much with the space you have, thru the pics I would think it was huge.
    That prim golly is gorgeous, Oh I love her dress and bag.
    Well I would say I would love to curl up with that fox pillow on her couch. How cute!
    You have been one busy lady for sure and what lovely things you have done. Such a weight must be lifted from your shoulders on that cottage.
    Now curl up in front of the fire and rest a bit before the yard work that is to come, ;)
    Sending you warm thoughts
    Amy

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Julie,

    Congratulations on your painting and getting all the goodies back into the Cottage, it looks very enticing. Maybe your neighbour needs new glasses!
    Love the now not so naked lady, she is rather special.
    Your friends craft room is lovely too, I loved her cross stitch, can you remember the whole quote as the top part is out of the photo.
    Enjoy your newly painted Cottage.

    Happy days.
    Bev.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Julie, well done you to push on through with the task!! I seem start out on such projects with great enthusiasm & flag after a while at the enormity of the task...it's always so much more work than I imagine & inevitably there is a mountain of stuff to move about at the same time. so yip..I'll be here to remind you...just no punching ok. You seem to do so well at fielding the unlikely, thoughtless comments. I am so glad that you do actually mention them as I have had a few incidents lately that have really thrown at me, like the lady that bought some walnuts last week, shelled them for a sick friend, wasn't happy, at all, to say the least with the number of duds she encountered & wrote the rudest note ever & put it in our letter box the next day. No contact details so we couldn't put it right..yuk it felt awful!!
    All your lovely stock is wonderfully displayed. When I worked at Port'o'Call they started in a very tiny shop & that was what made it so charming...crammed full displays were just the best..made it all the more enchanting. Just wasn't the same when the shop got bigger.
    The lace over the window is a lovely effect & the shelves with their paint up look so much more charming as does the box...such a difference..so much more appealing, fresh & clean.
    You are so inspiringly industrious.
    No chance of doing a single thing in the garden just yet..it'll just have to wait, I guess.
    Much love...you can relax now that it's all done..phew x0x0x

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love visiting your cottage through your blog... such a feast for the eyes. Love your little dolly too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Now I could say byrn the paintbrush but then you couldn't work your magic on your smaller items!! It looks great Julie - it sure looks worth the effort! Your displays are such a feast :-) Your lastest Golly is quite a lady in all her finery. Hope you have a great week!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lots of lovely corners filled with pretty things, the paintwork must have taken you ages - I think you did a great job. Your new golly is very luxuriously dressed. Betty

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gorgeous Julie-can't wait to come visit again! I love it! As for the lady who couldn't see the difference she wouldn't notice detail if it hit her in the tail! I see the difference and love the new displays-well done! So much eye candy.
    Michelle.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Julie,
    You've done a wonderful job on the cottage. By the sounds of things
    you won't forget the work it took to paint that cottage, you will
    probably just clip yourself in the head!! lol. It looks inviting and
    lovely.
    Cheers, Anita.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh Julie, your posts are always so inspiring. The cottage looks wonderful and I love all your new displays and makes. I love how you reuse items and make them so beautiful, just lovely. xx

    ReplyDelete

Hello, & thank you for taking the time to comment on my posts - I read and appreciate each and every one of your comments :-)
I always prefer to reply to your comments by email unless you are a no-reply-blogger in which case I will reply to your comments in this section here. Thanks so much for stopping by to read & comment on my blog x0x