Looking Out My Back Door

Hi and welcome to my home! 

I'd love to show you around.

 

Spring has been a long time coming here on Canada's west coast but I think it's finally here! 

So now I can watch the hummingbirds at the feeder,

count the evening grosbeaks bathing,

and chase the deer out of my garden.

Flowers are blooming on the deck,

and in my back yard.

 
We live next to green space so our yard feels very private.

 This is the view from my back door.
(It looks like a long ways down, but it's only one floor.)

 

 

My husband Ben built this stream and pond several years ago,

 

 

and made this heron out of a rusty car hood.

We found this old baby carriage and now it holds snapdragons.

(We love rusty things.)

Hubby is great at repurposing things...

he turned this tree branch into a handrail leading down to the lower level of the garden.

 

Here's the waterfall he built, moving all those rocks into place.

Now he has back problems... go figure.

There are goldfish in the pond but they usually hide when they see me coming.

 We planted these trees when we built our house about 20 years ago.

Now they shade most of our yard.

This is a corner of our front yard.

Ben loves rusty chains so they hang everywhere.

He tiled this mosaic on our deck table--he's really quite creative!

Thank you so much for dropping by!

Come back again soon!

Free Pattern--Little Lambs Garland

Here's a sweet little wooly lamb garland to welcome spring into your home.

And it's easy and fun to make!

First, take a lid about 3" wide and trace around it onto a double layer of muslin.  

Make 3 circles at least 1/2" apart.

Pin the circles together and stitch around them on the traced lines, leaving about 1 1/2" open.

Cut out 1/4" beyond the traced line.

Turn the circles right side out.

Draw an oval about 3/4" wide and 1" long onto a piece of freezer paper.

Center the oval above the circle opening and about 1/2" from the edge.

Iron the freezer paper onto the circle.

Trace around each oval and remove the freezer paper.

Stuff with polyfil.

Thread a long needle and knot one end.

Bring the needle up through the opening and through the inside, coming out at the top of the oval.

Take a little stitch to the right and bring the needle inside through the polyfil close to the start of the first stitch.

Take a second small stitch down the left side of the oval and come up at the bottom of the stitch on the right side.  (If you've ever made sculpted noses on dolls, this is the same thing.)

Pull the stitches together a little bit, just to make the face 3 dimensional.

Repeat all the way to the bottom of the oval and knot off your thread inside the circle.

Cut a 3" long piece of black chenille stem and form into an upside-down "U".

Insert the rounded part of the stem into the opening on the circle.

Hand-stitch the opening closed.

Paint the inside of the oval black and let dry.

Sand the oval a little bit with fine sandpaper.

Take bits of wool and use a medium felting needle to poke the wool into the muslin, everywhere except the face.  

(If you don't have wool available, I sell it on my website).

Paint a scrap of muslin black on both sides and let dry.

Sand with fine sandpaper.

Cut 3 pieces from the scrap, each about 1/2" x 2".

Round off the short ends.

Pinch the center and stitch to the top of the face.

Cut some rusty wire about 30" long and poke through the side of one of the sheep, coming out the other side. 

Thread the 3 sheep onto the wire.

Tear 4 lengths of homespun, each about 1/2" x 6" and knot on the wire between the sheep.

Twist the ends of the wire wherever you want to hang your wooly garland.

Done!

Loving the Creative Life

Can it possibly be April already?

Time is flying and I feel so very blessed to be able to spend my days doing what I love.
This past week I've been making all kinds of fun things to sell at the Vintage Market coming up in June and on consignment throughout the year at Creekside Home Decor here in Abbotsford.

Here's a sampling of what you can expect to see.

Of course, there'll be an assortment of penny rugs,

make-do's and pinkeeps,

fabric-covered boxes and grungy jars,

cloth-covered journals,

shabby signs,

puzzle balls and old-time pincushions,

and a few things to make you smile.

If you see something you like but can't make it out this way to shop, I'm always happy to custom-create for you--just give me a call!

Vintage Market--Save the Date!!

Besides quilting, one of my other favourite pastimes is searching for primitive treasures for my home.  So I was very excited when I got an email from Leah and Barb at The Olde Farmhouse to be an exhibitor at their first ever Vintage Market!

I'll be selling stuff I've made and collected over the years and I'm sure there'll be lots of other treasures for you.

If you're in the neighbourhood, please drop by and say hi!