Coasting Along - Happy PPF !

Friday already - yay!

Back in the olden days when I held down a 9 to 5 job, Friday was celebrated because it was the prelude to the weekend.
Now, it's because there's a Party... a Paint Party ... and it's on Fridays!

I've always had a bit of a 'thing' for coasters, and thought I'd have a go at making some.
The local "Cheap as Chips" - type shop were selling cork coasters 6 per pack for $1.99, so I snapped them up.

Here are some pics of the finished coasters. The photo quality is very poor because of the dips and unevenness of the cork coaster.  I've sealed them with a high gloss and can't work out how to photograph without all that light refraction.

Never mind, it's all between friends isn't it.  I love how we can share so freely.
I've also popped in my home-grown process after the pics:

"Roses"

"A Touch of Gold"

"Lilacs of Pink"

"Lollipop Florals"

"Gum Blossoms in the Moonlight"

"Forget Me Nots"

"Potted Gum Blossoms" (my favourite)

"Baby Pink Bottlebrush"

"Wattle"

🎨 The Process:

I made it up as I went along - was too keen (and impatient I guess!) to do any research... still haven't 
😉  

~ Three good coatings of black acrylic (thoroughly dry between each coat)

(... I eventually worked out that a kind of patting-on motion alternating between the flat part and the tip of a size 20 flat brush really gets the paint into the myriad nooks and crannies of the cork) 

~ Then I gave those 3 layers of black a full week to dry.

~ Then I painted the designs.

~ Allowed another full week to dry.

~ Next,  2 layers of clear gloss sealant - leaving several days to dry between each layer. 
(My thinking was that they have to withstand the heat of a cup of hot drink on them, so that's why 
I made sure everything was dry before applying another layer... probably overdid it, but I had the time :D) )

☕ It worked!  Yay!  They can withstand the hottest of hot cuppas! ☕

An extra note, when I do more I shall paint the sides as well - it's hard to keep them free of paint and they can look a little too 'rough' - rustic? around the edges!

🎨🎨🎨

Thank you to Bob Burridge, my inspiration for learning to paint flowers:

Linking up with Eva and Kristin's Paint Party Friday.  

If you'd like to join in, or just pop over for a look at all the gorgeous creativity, you'll be made most welcome ... click on this image:

Not just purl and plain anymore!

I just love taking my time and visiting blogfriends.  There's always something interesting going on out there.

Alongside her many interests, Maria of  The Next Stage blogspot does an enormous amount of knitting for her family, friends and various charities in her area.
She has also kindly shared her easy "I don't do difficult" Wavy Slipstitch Knitting Pattern on her blog.
Here is a link:  The Next Stage: Slipstitches 

When you first enter Maria's blog, one of her beautiful throws is displayed as her header.  The use of the wavy slipstitch really caught my eye - it adds real "oomph".

I can turn out a not too bad purl and plain...  perhaps a moss stitch if pressed, but never could get my mind (or fingers) around a pattern stitch .... UNTIL NOW !!   Yay!  Look what I produced thanks to Maria's thoughtfulness in sharing her talents:

This is what I've done by following Maria's simple instructions and, wow,
am so pleased - the possibilities are endless!!

Saturday Bits n Pieces ~ birding,meditating,de-bogging,knitting,autumning

Just finished restoring deleted comments and other after-effects (as I'm sure every other blogger has too) from Mr Blogger's recent troubles. Hope I've covered everything.  
Thought I'd do an all-in-together sort of post today.  

[As always, clicking on each photo will enlarge them]

~ Capturing a Bower Bird (My Brilliant Plan): It’s been over 2 years since I'd captured a Bower Bird on film (‘digital’ doesn’t sound so dramatic).  
The gorgeous olive green, blue-eyed females who visit our yard, announce their presence with that weird little throat clearing sound and the heavy ‘plop’ in the branches or on the ground.  
Since I didn’t re-grow any more red chillies (their absolute favourites), they head straight for our neighbour’s Pineapple Feijoa tree.  They tuck themselves right inside the branches and I have such a hard time getting the camera to focus.  
Enter My Brilliant Plan…. I pegged some cherry tomatoes to an outer,  more exposed,  branch and waited. 

Come and get it Lady Bower Bird 

The view from our loungeroom window.
The red arrow shows the pegged tomato lure.
All I have to do now is keep watch.... wait!

<^> <^> <^>

~ Meditation: The steady chopping, dicing and slicing of vegies is another way I meditate. Sounds silly? Ah well, it works for me.
Oniony eyes are no problem - we keep them in the frig (a great hint from our daughter) .... um, the onions are kept in the frig, not the ... oh get on with it!!
Invariably, I prepare too much, but I don't think there's such a thing as eating too many vegies!

Stir Fry tonight

<^> <^> <^>

~ Rude Awakening: The other morning we were woken quite early by what sounded like a truck  - right under our bedroom window.  Ha! that's because it was!  
A concrete pump, aiming for the building site across the road, was positioning itself but became bogged in our verge. A heavy fall of rain the previous evening didn't help.


 Many hours were spent trying to chock and drive out.  Of course, I seized the photo opportunity;  well, we were up anyway!

I like this picture on the left.  The two fellows - who'd been working hard all morning to de-bog the concrete pump, now had the job of restoring our verge.
Beyond them, two neighbouhood dogs chose that moment to square off at each other.
The fellow in the background obviously wanted to join in and share with the shovel work, but he just had to take another phone call.
Doesn't take a lot to keep us amused!

<^> <^> <^>

~ Knitting: Way back nearly to the dawn of time, I started knitting aimlessly.  I would cast on some stitches and just knit.  Bright colours really appealed.  Made quite a few cushions, not all square ones; MD worked out a pattern for round cushions, but I only ever made one - for our son, lucky man!! ;-). His lounge needed a bit of comfying-up, so an assortment  went to live with him – as well as a throw rug, also brightly coloured. 

When our granddaughters were only littlies,  I made them bejeweled cushions – sewed on everything that glittered.  Not your comfiest type of cushion, however, as with our son, they still have them today much to my delight! 

With the weather getting cooler, I’m thinking it’s time to bring the needles and wool out and pop them next to my lounge chair again.  

Ah ha! Surprise! There's something on the
needles already .... hmmmm, now,
wonder who's next on the list for a cushion?

<^> <^> <^>

~ Autumnal: A little vision of Autumn on the ground in our garden. 

  An Autumn scene from over our fence. Thank you neighbour!

<^> <^> <^>

~ Gotcha!: Sucess! Lady Bower Bird took the bait (er.. tomatoes).  

I had a lot of fun taking these shots too.  Still learning on the zoom lens, and am thrilled to have got these.  

<^><^><^>

Have a relaxing weekend everyone

<^><^><^>

Bean Bag Stuffed .... but its still hungry!!

Thanks very much to those kind bloggers, one and all, for giving suggestions, tips, encouragement, and laughs in regard to our bean bag making. A real team effort !


MD announced the final plan of action would be to leave a small hole open at the top of the lining and cover, peel back and anchor the edges with pegs.
Cut just a small corner of the plastic bag containing the poly beans, thrust the plastic bag as far into the bean bag as possible. So that is what we did. We held it very firmly and, very gently, shook the plastic bag to encourage a downward flow of beans.


It worked!! Yay. 
It should be said, however, that this was definitely a job for 2 people and, as we found, attention could not stray for even a micro-second.... those poly beans were just waiting to float up and out. In the end, only a tiny amount escaped because someone (and she shall remain nameless) moved.

We now find we've created the "Biggest Bean Bag in the Universe"!!  2 x 500g bags of poly beans are not enough.  So, off  into town tomorrow for more .... will seek out that shop assistant and bore her senseless with tales of our victory.


On to the second bean bag now, following a downsized width adjustment to the panels. 


Next weekend we'll go for a picnic ;-) 
Cheers :D

The Bean Bag Blues .... advice desperately sought

I thought it'd be nice to make a couple of bean bags for extra seating/lolling/relaxing by loved ones when they visit. 


So far so good.... 
Innocently I began. 
MD drafted a pattern. 
I've sewn endless seams on both the lining and cover, all the while not realising what, apparently, dangerous territory I would soon be entering. 

We purchased the polystyrene beans yesterday. I asked the Spotlight shop assistant whether there were any tricks to filling the bag with poly beans.  She drew in a breath, adjusted her glasses and cackled  "stand in a bath and do it... and" (with an evil glint in her eye) "make sure you have your vacuum cleaner handy".


It's also apparent that we are at risk from choking by inhaling them and suffocation from the plastic bag that contains them.


[a quivering] LOL ... What to do? We don't have a bath - it's just a cottage, a shower only!


Please, does anyone have any advice/tips up their sleeve as to how a bean bag can be stuffed without unleashing the fury of unrestrained poly beans throughout our home? 


Any advice will be gratefully received.

This is on my mind

This poor unfinished wild bush girl has been sitting around being ignored by me for far too long.

~ my contribution to the This is on my mind photo feature organised by Rhonda Jean on her Down to Earth  blogspot

clickclack clickclak - how cool is that!

~ found this while rabbiting through Stewart's My Veggie Garden blog. Thanks Stewart.  He'd found it on Jacqui's Life in the Dome, and I thought it was just so cool I'm sharing it out too. 


An extraordinary group of elderly Tasmanians have stitched, knitted and crocheted an entire house and garden to produce a life-sized recreation of a 1950s home.
Here is a direct link to the story on the ABC (thanks Aunty !)


The point is clearly shown that  you're never too old - I say "yay" to that ....  
check it out, definitely worth a look!

there's a bear in there

~ introducing DG Bear. He carries out a most important job in our home - we always know where the mobile phone is!

DG was born out of my Husband's very old, partly "threadbear", dressing gown when it was replaced with a newer, warmer model. 

He looks a little startled in this pic, I think the camera flash gave him a bit of a shock.  

~ this is Theodore.  I made him for my Sister and he's been with her for many years.  She sent this recent pic to show how he's doing. As you can see, he's a bit worn and his stitches are showing but he's a tough old bear.  Theodore still enjoys reading the paper every morning, however, he thinks his eyes aren't the best sometimes. My Sister just re-positions the glasses on his face and then he can see again.

~ I taught myself to make bears from various library books and had fun putting my "take" on the results.  It was during a fairly isolated time for us, far away from our family. My Husband was working and I needed something to do in between temping assignments. My bears made great presents for family and friends. They all seem to still hold pride of place in their various adoptive homes!