A Micro Shuffle

My life is a continuous shuffle at the moment, we are forever moving stuff from one place to another so we can proceed with the renovations, which jump from one part of the house to another. I seem to be forever trying to fit the same amount of stuff into an ever decreasing space, so yes a lot of it goes into my work rooms.
After my frustrating hunt for the red and purple beads the other day, I decided to apply the same principal to some of my stuff. All my ribbons, lace, braids and beads were scattered among the pile of containers and boxes you see below, which were scattered in different cupboards and shelves.

 So I armed myself with a stack of zip top bags and set to sorting it all out into colours and managed to condense it to this. The black box is what I now get my fruit and veg in as I have become a very happy Aussie Farmers Direct customer, so now I will get one of these a week and I'm sure I can put them to good use before I have to start recycling them.

 The black box is full of all the bags you see below, each big bag contains a smaller bag full of beads etc. and there is plenty of room to add more if need be.
The red tin contains all the used jewellery my friends have kindly donated to be "upcycled" as Wilma so nicely put it on Tag Tuesday and the little japanese box contains "special" bits

I have always organised my stuff according to type, ie ribbons, lace braids, bead etc. never by colour, which when you think about it, makes much more sense. Maybe I will end up with a black box for each colour and put a larger collection of stuff into each. I will have to cover those lovely yellow lids though!

Ok time for a coffee and then onto my Tag for Tuesday.

A Good Vintage

This weeks theme for Tag Tuesday was vintage, not something I really do, so I took a different approach and made a little mixed media tag of a Green Man who ensures a good crop of grapes to produce "A Good Vintage"

So I sculpted a little face, about 1 1/2" long for my green man and coloured him up a bit with pastel pencils and acrylic paint for the eyes, which are terrible by the way, my eyes just don't cope with tiny detail anymore, should have gone out into the bight daylight and I may have done a better job, sorry no pics, forgot to take any.

 I made the grape vine leaves from some hand dyed scrim and Aleene's fabric stiffener. I treated myself to a Joggles order the other week and thought I would try this fabric stiffener as it was also used in an online workshop that I haven't done yet. To be honest I prefer the Powertex I already have, it soaks into the fabric much better and doesn't leave a shiny finish like the Aleenes does, but thats what the tags are all about, trying new techniques and products. I also coiled some strips of fabric around a wooden skewer cover in cling film to make the tendrils.

 Then came a frustrating hunt for the purple and red beads I knew I had somewhere! Threaded these onto some fine green wire then just twisted them around till they look a bit like bunches of grapes.

  I had a box board (chip board) tag already cut and tested out my new craft mat and blending tool from my Joggles order along with the distress inks and a bit of moon shadow spray to colour up the tag.
Finally I made up the label using inkscape and printed out on the computer, used some rusty hinge and frayed burlap and a gold pen to finish it off.

So there he is. There are some amazing tags over on Tag Tuesday so pop over and have a look at all the lovely tags there .

Tag Tuesday on Friday

Just a quickie, managed to get my tag done although a bit late. Having great fun with these! Not much else happening here as it's tennis time so a lot of lounge laying and tea drinking going on, trying to cut down on the coffee :0

Can you guess the theme for this week, not my original plan, but it's growing on me.

Snow Games and a Present

Here is my second tag for Tag Tuesday, the theme was snow games and it was a good excuse to get out to my work room and use my sewing machine for the first time in what seems ages. I am really enjoying the challenge of making a tag each week, it's not a huge project and allows you to have a play with new materials or techniques. I already have next weeks planned and may even start it today!

The last few days I have been waging war with some Indian Myna birds that have been treating the chickens coop like a drive through, or fly through restaurant. It started off with a pair of them, which I could put up with, then, of course they had babies, three! The other morning I walked out there and word must have got around to the aunts, uncles and cousins as there must have been a dozen off them, poor chooks didn't know what way to turn. They were managing to get through nearly a whole feeder full of pellets too. So I dragged out the bird netting I bought for the garden and with a bit of imaginative tying and stringing, think I have defeated them. A couple snuck in, but haven't been back since they realised how difficult it was to leave again, with me hot on their tail shouting and waving my arms around like a mad women. So the poor chooks must feel like they are in Colditz.

The veggie garden has had a bit of a clear out, the cucumbers were just out of control and taking over everything so I've pulled all but one out. Those great big white things are supposed to be German pickling cucumbers! I was expecting something small and GREEN and the green ones are supposed to be lebanese, but there almost definitely your common garden variety, covered in prickles and full of big seeds. Heres just a few jars of pickles, but really how many can you eat! The girls have had a bit more liberation this week and have enjoyed digging up what is left and finishing off the lettuce. I will have to get stuck into it and plant up some more stuff, but not to day, it's too hot!

Finally, my Christmas present from my Mum arrived yesterday, she always sends such lovely things and this year I received two beautiful pendants. Thanks Mum :)

Tag Tuesday - Snow

Well I managed the first Tag Tuesday, because I had made this tag just before christmas to test out the new cat. The theme was snow so this one was just fine as it is all frosty and snowflakes. I will try and get into my workroom for the next one which is Snow Sports and Games. It's a little hard to get into the real spirit of this one as our weather has finally decided to be summer like, in fact the sun has shone for 3 whole days and it is starting to get HOT. After a very cool start to summer here, the weather people are now saying we are in for a scorcher, can't wait! am not a fan of the heat, particularly as we don't have an air con yet.

Go and have a look at all the wonderful tags at Tag Tuesday, they are all absolutely brilliant.
I'm off to make a birthday cake before it gets too hot to put the oven on.

The End of One and the Beginning of the Next

A quick update on the last couple of months. We finally got away from the house renovations for a weekend and went to Bungonia National Park and Caves. It was pretty hot and very dry but oh so good to get a way for a few days and have a change of scenery.

 I planted up my veggie bed on the 29th October, I only know this as the photo has the date on it, I have a hard job knowing what day of the week it is! I always have a laugh at the back of the seed packets when it says harvest in 4 -6 weeks or whatever. I always think it will take much longer.

But here is the garden today, some of the veggies are nearly done, going to seed in fact. The cucumbers have gone mad and I have them coming out of my ears. Have made some bread and butter cucumbers already and will make some cucumber relish today (maybe).
I have very interesting shaped lettuces as every now and then, I weaken and let the girls out of their end of the garden for a roam. They head straight for the lettuce and give them a severe haircut.

 I managed to persuade Steve that a blackcat was a MUST HAVE item so had an early christmas present. Isn't it a splendid looking beast. For christmas day christmas, if you get me, got some big mats and extension tables to add to it's amazing cutting abilities.

 I made biscotti for christmas presents again this year, but with the help of the cat, gave them some special wrapping, a bit better than the usual cellophane tied with ribbon.

Yesterday we spent a lovely afternoon up the river. My daughter and partner got themselves a boat this year so now we can all go out together. There were plenty of small bass around to keep us entertained for the afternoon, but it was just nice to be out in such beautiful surroundings.

With the festive season and birthdays all but over, it is now back to some hard graft on the house. My lovely new cat and the printer I had for my birthday will be packed away while we build the office. Hopefully the laundry will be done asap as getting a bit sick of hand washing now, my poor old machine in the garage gave up a few weeks before christmas, and although I have a new machine sitting in its box, it needs a place to go before I can use it. As tempted as I sometimes am to put it in the garage, I will be patient and pretend that hand washing is a pleasing mediative sort of activity, HA.

This year my resolution was to make no resolutions. I have decided not to make grand plans and try and organise so much to be done in a day, but start each day with a general idea of what I might get done and be content with what I achieve, hence the maybe with my relish making.

I have joined  Tag Tuesday  it will be interesting to see how many tags I manage to achieve in between building but I will give it a go. I have the first one ready so thats got to be a good start!

Wishing those that visit here a wonderful year.