Spring?

I know, I know, boring to talk about the weather but it has been such a fabulous day, 18C and sun, sun, sun.

Ate breakfast on the verandah today and this was on my table
These orchids often have the tattiest looking foliage and then from bare sticks, kapow!

Things that amused me today.

Maybe I am easily amused but this amused me.
Recently I have been following this blog http://etegamibydosankodebbie.blogspot.com/ and decided that I would try out the elegant art of Etegami. This lead to a trip to the art supply store in search of a bamboo pen.
The thing that amused me was the barcode on this ancient instrument, 100% bamboo , which has managed for centuries without a barcode.! Almost you could say an anachronism. Anyway, looking forward to trying it out and being frustrated at not being able to do as well as the inimitable Debbie. (Still looking for the washi paper postcards though.
Just to be going on with here is an image of my latest drawing,?collage? for my greeting cards. Hope you approve.

It's a pink day!

The sun is shining after a couple of very gloomy months and the garden is showing it's true colours. To celebrate this happy day I searched out some of my beautiful pink succulents which have coloured up beautifully in the cold. Okay, so some of them are a little more on the mauve side but they feel pink!
The top one is very much larger and more vigorous than the others and is I think my favourite.
Another reason to celebrate: I have sold some of my cards and a monkey today, all in a good cause.
With Spring approaching I will have to get serious about having a market stall somewhere to sell off all of the things I have been making this winter.

A green day.

Not much happening here today at "Casa Chaos", just mooching around my very damp garden and noticing the shades of green. Green flowers don't get the recognition they deserve, I love them and I found a couple  to photograph as well as some interesting greenish-white succulents. The first is zantedeschia "Green Goddess", a very robust and welcome addition to my pond where it sucks up the fish poo and grows like a weed! Of course it is not a true flower but a modified leaf. Thanks to Jan's friend Alan for the cutting.

The second rather snail eaten beauty is a common old orchid which I have had for years and which is the sole survivor of the the virus attack of a few years ago which destroyed all of my other orchids.

Moving away from flowers we have the variegated version of the common old jade plant or 'money tree' of Feng shui fame...hasn't worked for me I'm afraid and I have both kinds as well as all their cousins!
Lastly this is an image of an aeonium which turns this very pale shade in the winter giving the impression from a distance of greenish flowers. The rain has been constant this winter and on the days it doesn't rain it is gloomy, can't wait for summer.

Everybody needs good neighbours part 2

Recently I have had my darling mum staying with me. Normally she lives in the bush but she is having some big health issues at the moment and needs tests done in the big city.  We are all hoping for good news but in the meantime, bouquets to my neighbours who have been kindness itself in their concern.
Betty,( who alleges she loves animals more than most people) came by the other day and gave mum this retro style jacket she knitted and is suitable to be worn as a bed jacket if she has to go to hospital. Many hours of work have gone into it and we really appreciate it, thanks Bet.

Another friend and neighbour Cathy  gave her some nifty socks after she complained that it was hard to find the type she likes and Jan (remember Jan who bakes? ) and her mother have been a great support to me with their concern (and lamingtons!). My daughter in law has also been keeping us in bunches of beautiful roses for her stay here and these have cheered her up heaps.
Modeling the jacket is my granddaughter

Yesterday we had a lovely afternoon tea with these great people and the three granddaughters entertained them with a hastily rehearsed "Three Little Maids are We" from the Mikado as they served tea in their kimono. Lots of fun and giggles, not too serious but  hopefully just what the doctor ordered.
The table decorated by the girls and I looked lovely, (sorry about the quality of the pics) oh, the
pretty napkins we folded into origami cranes were another Jan gift, what did I tell you? they are super people.

Fascinator

Well, a few weeks ago a friend asked me to create a fun fascinator, you-all know what they are? just a piece of whimsy to wear on your head instead of a hat. Well, this is what I came up with just using stuff I had on hand. The photos are lousy but it was pretty cute if I say so myself!

I took a length of tulle, gathered it and anchored it to a hair comb. Then  I made some simple flowers (you could use purchased ones) and stained them with watercolour paints to blend in. The final touch was an origami crane using matching paper and some feathers all glued together with hot glue ( drizzled a bit over the flowers to give a bit of sparkle) and voila!
I'm sure the goddess Artemis never wore a fascinator but she kindly offered to model it for me. (Doesn't look happy though does she?)

Teeny tiny toys

Some people work big, some people work small and some work tiny http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns/christmas-tree-decorations/ is where I saw how to make these cute tiny toys. They are winging their way overseas to Singapore to my fourth granddaughter along with their little house tote bag. Hope you like them sweety!

A succulent obsession

Not food but plants, succulents are so easy to propagate and sometimes easy to grow so they fulfill many criteria, easy cheap and interesting.

Easy and cheap are both important to me because I have found them an ideal way to raise money for charity. This last year I wasn't able to have an annual sale  of plants as I usually do but they are still sitting in my yard growing their little hearts out and if I want I can just snap bits off and double the number I have to sell in the spring. To give you an idea of the variety you can get and the gorgeous colours (especially in the winter) here is a shot of some of my 'breeders', the ones I keep to take leaves and stems off. The Professor (my husband) hereinafter referred to as 'the Prof' thinks it is getting out of hand, but as I point out they are minimal care and don't mind a little neglect if I am out of action. My only problem now is there is nowhere to walk in the garden and some of the pots are literally climbing the walls. (Did I mention my bromeliad habit?)

Barbie goes retro!

Here is Barbie in her latest creations, polka dots and full skirt sooo 60's. Hey a girl can never have enough clothes right? Oh wait, 'bed hair' wasn't fashionable 'til much later, sorry, a bit anachronistic there. The blond barbie is a bit more together, a longer skirt too, obviously not a tart like the other one.

Card update

Well, it certainly is "crafty" weather. A little bit of rain and a maximum of only 22 C. Winter is coming!
Thought I would try out another card idea, yes I do like red. One padded and one not.  One day I will take the plunge and try to actually sell my cards online. Is it worth the trouble? Sold some of my monkeys through them being featured in a catalogue and it was quite a lot of work with emailing info etc and then trucking down to the post office to send them. The other question is will folk actually like them enough to buy?

Anyone who stumbles over this blog might like to give me any thoughts they have on selling online and maybe any experiences. Just a mass of insecurities aren't I?