Category Archives: DIY home

Saturday Share – DIY thread keeper

Posted in DIY home, freebies, Saturday Share by

This is a must-have for every stitcher – hand or machine! I keep a tidy pile that I take away every night when I cross stitch or embroider, but it’s completely another story if I take the machine out. Somehow organisation takes a back step to concentration, muttering, ironing, more muttering and (sometimes) a useable end product. I am however very good at curtains – not so good with clothes or more specifically, skirt hems. Handkerchief hems are my friend.

anyway – I saw this on Pintrest and think it’s a must-make. Like, now.

pincushion-thread-catcher

one of the better step-by-step posts is here: http://www.merrimentdesign.com/pincushion-thread-catcher.php

Let me know how yours goes! All going well, I’ll edit a pic in later 🙂

Boxing Day binge

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It’s been a productive Boxing Day. In and out of the shops quickly; I’m the proud new owner of a HP laptop. Really really excited except I forgot to get the extra software. And I haven’t tried to load PSE on it yet.
image

Hit goal by swimming, hung the refurbished coat hook up (stolen from an old school room that was being demolished. I confused tho as I did the work but my handbag won’t fit?), recycled another two bags of unwanted clothing, ocked thru four loads of washing. Don’t worry too much tho, instead of cleaning their rooms to make room for new stash the boys have migrated plenty of stinky undies from under their beds to the laundry basket. No way I’m unemployed yet. Phew.

Frustrated much?

Posted in DIY home, family by

Z (whose chore is to keep their bathroom tidy) has a few issues. Mostly with the Screaming Teen and his casual attitude to the bathroom.
This appeared:

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Ironically Z hasn’t clicked that B has the same issue when it comes to dinner plates being left on the bench…

There are Changes Afoot – NaBloPoMo post one

Posted in DIY home, house - gardens, Journal, NaBloPoMo by

Our bare patch is starting to take on its own identity. During a small break in the weather on Monday (public holiday, so of course it was raining!) Si dug a couple of holes along the inside of the new front fence and I planted the original mandarin (no idea what variety, but at least in the six months since I started nursing it in a pot the root ball has grown to be more than my fist and there are plenty of new shoots) and a Thumbelina Ruby Crunch apple that Sarah DB found for me at Bunnings. It’s perfect, so perfect – it has been pruned in anticipation of the end user wanting to espalier it along a fence, and the dude said that if I was careful, I would have fruit this coming autumn. So excited! However it is like me to jump into something. I have never espalier’d anything previously so am taking a crash Google course.

anticipating these next autumn!

anticipating these next autumn!

my intention is that it looks like the tree on the brick wall

my intention is that it looks like the tree on the brick wall

There are also lots more flowers on my boysenberry brulee. Nom. They are so pretty!

On the other side of the yard a heap of blue metal poles have risen. We inherited a playground from a school the boys attended with the intention that we would put it up in the back yard – then we made plans to sell the house so everything has been sitting around for years. Finally getting there – plans for three platforms. Number one is quite low (our property has a slope) and the ladder/climb wall will get you to the top. From here you will move to Two via the chain/plank swinging bridge. From Two you can skim along to Three via a Flying Fox (if you haven’t figured it out by now, I am not a PC person and my philosophy is that if the kids break an arm, so what? They’ll heal. And Bullrush is good for you. So There). Or you can exit Two via the slide. The exit plan for Three is either back to Two or the Fireman’s Pole. I expect the kids to add the Trampoline to their plans too, and this is more than likely where the broken arm will appear. This side of the house is the opposite to the living area, flanked by the ROW drive on the other side and I never had any glam plans for it at all. It seems right that the kids have their own area but I hope it doesn’t stop the Screaming Teen from moving out eventually!

pardon the scribble - this was version one

pardon the scribble – this was version one

Cleaning Up

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Some time ago, the laundry plumbing at the MIL’s gave up the ghost. We found out when the wall between the laundry & toilet blew up-the skirting board looks awful.

So the plumber has been, and some twit has given her a quote to fix that is so far out it’s not funny. Simon’s solution is that we clear out everything so we can get a clear view. Hence the 7.5 cubic bin on the front lawn. It is amazing how big that space is. If we had the money I’d re-design the space and have a butler’s pantry.

The sprinkling of rain is very welcome – it is hot work in this weather. I’m looking forward to the cricket tonight & some relaxing.