Busy Busy, painting and stitching

When I moved in with Mr C some years ago now he had a little kitchen table that fit perfect in his little kitchen and was not terribly ugly, but not very pretty either. Over 2 years ago now I decided the table needed a face lift, and that is when I painted the legs white and left the table top the original stain colour. But ever since then I have toyed with the idea of painting all my chairs different colours. It was many years ago I first saw this cool little style in one of my fav home magazines. But could I pull it off? Could I find the right colours, the not to bright, not to pastel set I like. Those colours I’ve fondly come to call my muted colours.

Well it took many years of working up the courage. I don’t sand so once painted the chairs would have to stay painted or we would need a new table (not an option). After months of trawling paint stores for those perfect colours I finally found them and so I began the painting of 3 ever so boring chairs.

And they became 3 oh so lovely, delightful chairs, that every time I look at them my heart soars a little with glee at how good they look. But painting is not all I have been up to at Chez Orchard I have also been doing a spot of stitching. I have not done any cross stitch since my first back here, but oh how I love it! It gives you such a sense of peace it really is such a calming art.

I stitched this little babushka for a doll of a friends birthday last month. She turned out just like my head imagined her. Don’t you love when that happens!!! Her colours are so perfect altogether I am quiet besotted with her. You too can stitch one, she is free pattern from here and even comes with friends I think I’ll do one for me too.

Love to all

xx

Crafters Delight

Mr C is off at the gym something he does every weekend, yes he is wonderfully ripped, hehe he’s my sexy muscle man, well whats a girl to do when her partner has gone to the gym, well I should probably do a spot of exercising myself but it tends to just get in the way of the more important things like blogging, lol.

(I will go for a walk, I will go for a walk, I will go for a walk,

ah who am I kidding I WILL make more hexipuffs. and tell you about my crafty delights )

So while Mr C’s away I shall share my 2 crafty excitments I have had this week the first being this

Do you remember my cross stitch well I got it back from the framers on Friday

and I am just so delighted with it

Red being mine and my mums favourite colour I think it just makes it pop.

The perfect frame for this very sentimental piece of art.

The 2nd bit of crafty delight I recieved was a new cabinet

Now I have been meaning to pick this up for a while.

But with no way of transporting it it has been sitting at my sisters

but a wonderful friend with a ute stepped in and picked it up for me

(wonderful friends with utes).

It was my nana’s than my mum’s and now it’s mine

and in a kitchen that has amble cupboard space but no wall space a kitchen dresser just does not go

so i decided I would use it to keep all my craft delights in and organised.

Thats right my crafty bits and bobs are now organised. They are no longer stashed around the house in small hidy holes,

behind, under, beside, on top of.

No now they have a home and I have my very own Crafty Delight Dresser. And yes there is cupboards down the bottom and they are filled with more yarn. hehe.

Yarn obessed

I will use it to make hexipuffs, I will use it to make hexipuffs, I WILL NOT BUY more yarn, ah who are we kidding,

Well a tired little princess is calling so I will have to love you and leave you

oh she just got louder better go the princess is calling

xx

Stitching with Mum.

I have been so excited to share this post with you, but now I sit in front of the Computer I am not sure how to start. I will just jump straight in there. I am opening my heart up to you. Recently my mother passed away, she was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease around June of 2010 she passed away in March of this year, it was a terrible time for all  of my family and her close friends, especially those wonderful people who had helped care for her.

I miss mum all the time, every day I think of something I wish I had of asked her, but what I really miss is that she did not get to grow old wonderfully and enjoy her family for longer and we did not get to enjoy her for longer.

Being crafty I constantly come across women who craft with their mums and I think how lucky they are to still have that very special bond. I remember as a little girl going to craft group with my mum, and now I am a mum I go to craft group. She thought it was great that I taught myself to crochet unfortunately by the time I did this her body was already giving out on her and we could not craft together. I feel a deep regret that I missed this special bond with my mum but I know that she was amazed and ever so proud of the creations I was creating. Before she passed she gave me all of her crafting and sewing bits and bobs, and in a beautiful Alice in Wonderland tin I found this . . .

An unfinished Cross Stitch by mum. Until than I had not thought of doing a cross stitch like this before and it is probably not a design I would choose for myself. I remember my mum starting this work, it was many years ago when I was a little girl, she must have put it aside and forgotten all about it. I couldn’t resist I had to finish it, It would be a project we did together; I would finish her work for her. I couldn’t stop myself stitching, it was so much fun. Every time I looked at it I thought of my mum and it made me feel all warm inside like she was stitching along with me. It has been very therapeutic to be able to do this with my mum and it is now a piece of work I will treasure forever. I plan on getting this framed and it will take pride of place in my Kitchen. I love you Mum. xx

Macarons & a sneak peek.

Friday was our fortnightly craft group. I love craft group, I look forward to it, I count the days till it comes around. A day when I get to gossip, eat sweets and craft my little heart out. It just makes me so warm and fuzzy on the inside. This craft group was at my house and being the school holidays I decided to make macarons. I hear you ‘oh no that’s a big task, ‘  ‘make sure you sift the almond meal’, ‘don’t put too much food colouring in’. The recipe came with a long list of notes that I like to refer to as warnings I was thinking god are these going to work. Mr C had faith in my baking abilities he knew that’d turn out ok, so with that in mind Thursday I started to make macarons and apart for the hour sitting time they were super quick and easy to make. So after making 2 batches and than making the filing I told Mr C that he would soon be able to have a macaron, oh excitement plus! So after all my hard work in the kitchen we both bite into my macarons, and do you know what? They taste great! But we both look at each other and realise we have no idea what they should taste like. Oh well we will just after test them on the girls at craft group.So here they are all set for the real test – do they taste like macarons? The answer was a resounding Yes they taste like macarons and they are good macarons. On the Phone to Mr C and his happy too, phew close one there hehe. They will definitely being made again; I’m craving the great taste as I write now.

Normally at craft group I’m busy crocheting away, but as I have been stitching away on my secret project I decided to keep going as it is so close to finished, I thought I would share a sneak peak of my stitching with you

This cup wasn’t stitched by me it’s just part of the work, all will be revealed soon

This is part of my handy work, I’m having so much fun making all those little crosses, choosing colours.

I bet your wondering who stitched the tea cup, ‘what’s going on’ and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. I’m so excited to let you all know.

xx

Lazy Days

Hi!! It’s school holidays here in Melbourne and we have been being lazy. Pj’s have become the standard attire. Mr C leaves in the morning with us still in our Pj’s and arrives home later with us all in different Pj’s

Though we have been having lazy days here, I have been busy stitching away (can you see the cottons) I’m hoping to be able to reveal to you soon. I’m really excited about my little project and cannot wait to tell you all about it. It’s been so much fun for me.

B has also wanted to learn to stitch too, so we got out some wool and baking paper and his been having a ball.

See you all soon. xx