While Aaron is away, Karen does play

Et Voila! A neat brick edge to the garden. Not quite completed I have to say as just past the bucket there is about 2 foot that needs to be bricked. But it was 6.30pm, I was finishing in the dark, it starting raining and being winter it was downright cold! Anyway, I have been meaning, like many other things, to get this done for a quite a while now. Aaron has spent a lot of time ever since we moved 3 1/2 year ago, block laying paths and using railway sleepers to create and edge garden beds. The path is gorgeous but as you can see from the photo below, all the dirt and therefore weeds kept skidding down onto it.  Aaron was in Rotorua with Eli for his 13th birthday so I used the time at home to start this and get a couple of other things completed.

When we arrived to our new home there were some bricks around and I have picked up a few more since. These are a hollow brick which means the edge is not so attractive, but I am into free and upcycling so I use what we have. At our old place I got pretty handy with a trowel and mortar but the lack of practise in between shows, this job is no where near as tidy!!. But it's done, or rather started as I have to finish that row and then do the other side. To do that I have to pinch bricks from the other side of the house, which means new edging there, which means completing one job just creates another!!!

I've added my latest photo of Pepper and me. She is soooooo cute!!! We all fight over who gets to cuddle her.

Upcycled jersey to dog bed

Both my son and I had been noticing Pins and articles on using old jersey's or jeans to make dog beds. I was in the local Charity Shop and a gorgeous alpaca jersey, in lovely condition, was just $2. with no one to give it to I also bought two old pillow inners for 50 cents each. Pepper has grown out of her temporary puppy bed, no longer needs to be in plastic for those puppy mistakes, so I went home to make her a new bed.

In her too small bed

Two pillow, jersey and Pepper

Before I started she was already lying all over the jersey and playing with the pillows. No sewing machine required just a needle and some upholstery thread. I stuffed a pillow in with no alteration, to the body of the jersey, and stitched the end closed. I undid the other pillow (or rather I came into the lounge to find Pepper doing it for me) and used it to stuff the arms and neck. Sew the holes closed and a few stitches to hold it all together. Completed in front of the TV that night.

As soon as I put the finished item on the floor she was in it. A very happy dog.
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Bow tie making

Aaron and I are booked to attend Post Modern Jukebox again this year. Last year lots of people whent dressed according to theme and whilst I made a bit of an attempt Aaron did not. This year he wants to go looking the part. He purchased the shirt, trousers and neon pink braces and asked me to make a bow tie to go with it.

We had a vast selection of materials out of my patchwork material stash and Aaron chose this batik. I 

used a pattern I had made boys waistcoats and bow ties from, for my sisters wedding. In the pattern the bows were the same size but I was never happy with that look. So the back bow is about 4mm larger all around than the front. With a good interfacing it sits well. I pulled apart a bow tie from the Charity shop and used it's bits and pieces for the back neck slide. 

Really pleased with the result.

 Here he is rocking the outfit at a charity dinner we went to recently.

Knitted headband and rose

Dredging through all my craft projects to try and get stuff finished! I had forgotten about this headband. My husband and I tramped in winter and I needed something to keep my ears warm. I find a hat too hot tramping. So I started to knit this when I got back. Then I stopped. The knitting had finished but I found it yesterday, not sewn up. I wanted to put a rose or flower on the side but after a couple of attempts I gave up.

My sister came over for a couple of hours with her knitting. Reinspired to finish I found a Youtube video on how to crotchet a flower. Such good instruction. I made a flower in a jiffy, sewed the band and tried it on. No pattern used and am happy with it. 

A couple of notes on the side. Aaron and I took a walk up the Warfedale Track on Sunday. Four hours of very easy terrain and I was beyond jiggered. Aaron said that I was walking but getting nowhere! Goodness it takes a lot to get fitness back. The puppy is still the cutest thing in our house.

late at night all wanting to get in.

An upcycle - sewing for myself

 In my blogging absence I have made a few things, though not many. The absence has reflected my lack of doing and creativity in the craft sphere and feeling completely overloaded and overdone. I've finished my contract and am taking a deep breath, (she says as she is studying at Massey and frantically doing assignments).

A year or so ago my sister gave me some pink merino that she felt was too bright for her and I have used that for the main body. Rather than making new sleeves I chopped sleeve off a grey merino jersey that had holes down the front. I got the sleeve length a bit wrong so I used a bit of elastic, of the correct length, and sewed it down the sleeve seam. This has resulted in a gathered look that I really like.

Pink and grey is my favourite colour combination. The design was taken from a shirt I bought from C.REED. She is the designer of Minx shoes and designs and makes a capsule wardrobe. I was lucky enough to be in store when she was. She's a very interesting and vital person and has a style I like.

For those who follow me on facebook you'll know we have a new puppy - Pepper. She is so gorgeous and giving heaps of pleasure. So I'll finish with a photo of her.
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Woo hoo - A Tramp

Last weekend we had no boys and I have been feeling better so off we went on a tramp. It was amazing!! I cannot describe how being out in the mountains again makes me feel. Mr Awesome enabled it. He was my sherpa and carried the load, he was the cook and he was my guide and water level tester.

Lots of river crossings as we went off route and made a beeline to make it a manageable day for me. Water no higher than the bottom of my shorts (brrr very very cold though). 

 

We got to the hut and Aaron pulled out my knitting. Such a surprise. I always knit tramping as you can do it by candle light, but with Aaron carrying the load he had refused. Et Voila - he sneaked it in. Love him to bits. 

A bit of crafting

I've been completing only a little sewing lately. Mainly a block a month for a quilting block swap. The windmills are for this months swap. The crosses were for February and somewhere there is a photo of the Holly Hobby (aka sunbonnet sue) from March. 

I also went to a charity knitting event at Knit World in Christchurch. A Christchurch midwife is coordinating it as so many babies leave hospital with no wool and they cant regulate their temperature will fleece and synthetics. I made a hat that night and am on my third.

I had an awesome weekend last weekend tramping with Aaron. He had said he wasn't carrying my knitting and then at the hut he pulled it out! What a sweet man and great gesture. So I finished another hat in the hills. 

Having fun out on a buggy with Colleen.

Awesome breakfast in bed. Hot rolls.

Clearing the vege beds for winter.

Three hills in four weekends.

Well last weekend I made it three hills in the month. Eli was at a friends so Jakob and I took Aaron out to experience the off grid hut we stayed at recently.

Lovely to have Aaron home. Last time I walked to the fenceline, this time I walked to the top of the hill on the property which is a 240 metre climb and I did it OK. I considered going up the hill on the neighbouring property but am trying to temper my enthusiasm and be sensible. This was still 100m more than I had done before.

I was really pleased the next day that we had not gone further. I felt not at all the thing so on the way home we did a short flat walk and that was not a success for me. So still struggling with activity two days in a row. But you don't know until you try.

Aaron took this photo of Jakob and me heading back to our accommodation by torch light. The rest of the photos are a few random ones in the hut. The last you need to look hard, but reflected in the secondhand window leaning against the wall is me in my PJ's making coffee in the morning.