Two Finds for 2sDay

It's 2s Day and today I don't have a photo with 2 of the same thing, but I have 2 photos of things purchased at the same time. The craft sales are beginning to happen more frequently.  This past Saturday there was a very interesting sale at our farmers' market.  It was the Global Harmony Gift Sale.  This is a fair trade sale where items are made in other countries, sold here and the proceeds sent back to the crafter.  Charities represented this year were Quinte Grannies for Africa, Sleeping Children Around the World, Calcutta Rescue, Quest International and the Patchwork Butterfly Foundation.  The proceeds from the items I purchased go to Calcutta Rescue.

The first is an embroidered card which will be sent to a very good friend.

The second item is a gorgeous shawl made in varying shades of greens (my favourite colour) with accent colours added.  I could not of purchased the yarn for this scarf for the price they were asking.

 As we approach the holiday season I look forward to going to more craft sales.

The Squawking Bluejays

Bluejays always announce when they are swooping into the feeder to grab some peanuts or seeds. They are so beautiful in their colouring, but can be so annoying in the garden.  They squawk when the feeders are empty and they squawk when they are full.  Is there any pleasing these gorgeous birds.
We have an old mailbox that has been converted into a feeder.

What a great place to leave peanuts for the bluejays.

As soon as the peanuts go into the mailbox those bluejays arrive from nowhere and everywhere. I'm sure they have one on watch all the time and it sends out that loud squawk that says "peanuts have arrived".
Besides lots of peanut shells, the bluejays will often leave me something worth picking up - a feather or two.

Here are some of the bluejay feathers I have saved over the years.  I tuck the feathers into the various bird books I have and it is always a thrill to run my fingers over the feathers and imagine the bird they came from.

I'm linking in with Blue Monday today.  Stop by and see some other posts that feature the colour blue.  Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can take a moment to leave a comment and say hi.

Lacy Scarf

During the summer I started a lacy scarf pattern with some yarn that I had won from Nicola when she had a give away on her blog.  This scarf went through a metamorphisis, probably twice.   The pattern I picked out needed more yarn (which I didn't figure out till I had started it), but I could not find any of the same brand in and around where I lived.

I originally started out following the pattern, a rare thing for me!  Then I unravelled it and started it again on larger needles but didn't like how it was turning out.  So, it was time for me to tweek the pattern to what I had.  I narrowed it down to two repeats of the pattern and knitted until I ran out of yarn.

 I love how it turned out as  long, thin scarf that I can double and poke the ends through the loop. Inuky makes a good model for the scarf as it is so hard to take a picture of myself wearing it.

It feels so soft and silky on my neck that I'm waiting for cooler weather to wear it more often. Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can take a moment to leave a comment and say hi.

White Roses

It's time for

and today I'm sharing a collage of the white rose that is still in bloom.This is one of three roses that were gifted to me from a friend.  This one is a hybrid tea rose named John F. Kennedy and is one of the most fragrant bush roses.  I'm thrilled to see these roses blooming as they were planted in the heat and humidity of the summer.   I knew they would need lots of water to survive the transplant but I worried that I was over watering them because of the hot, hot summer.  I'm hoping they will survive the winter and bloom profusely next summer.  Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can take a moment to leave a comment and say hi.

Fall is Blooming

The blooms of Fall have arrived in the garden.

The gorgeous Autumn Joy sedums are in full bloom.

The pink mums with their bright yellow centers are beginning to open up.  There are two large clumps just full of buds which will provide a lot of colour over the next couple of weeks. Enjoy the arrival of Fall. I'm linking to Mosaic Monday with these pink beauties. Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can take a moment to leave a comment and say hi.

The Silent Shadow

 On a lovely sunny afternoon I saw the shadow of the wind chimes hanging close to the wall.  Inside each round shape on the chime is a wooden ball which can be seen in the shadow but not in the photo of the chime itself  The shadow is silent and only the chimes tinkled quietly in the breeze.  I'm linking in to  Shadow Shot Sunday.  Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can take a moment to leave a comment and say hi.

The Snowman and the Acrobat

 For Christmas I received this snowman which is made from birdseed and nuts. My very good friend bought this gift for me and it has certainly provided us with lots of viewing pleasure as the chickadees discovered it.  I decided not to put it out in the winter but save it for the summer months.  I figured if it was out in the winter and fell off the feeder I would lose it in the snow.

 It started out on this spike feeder, which is actually for cobs of corn.  But it seemed to scare the birds away from the feeding platform.  So I decided to hang in off the side of the feeder and then it started to attract a lot of attention, especially from the chickadees.

The chickadees became acrobats as they landed on the snowman, gently swinging back and forth as they enjoyed the seeds.

You can see how the seed is disapearing, along with the arms of the snowman.

There is hardly anything left of the snowman now, so I need to find something else to keep the acrobats happy.

These are the perfect photos for linking with Camera Critters.

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can take a moment to leave a comment and say hi.

Summer Flies

No, this doesn't have anything to do with those pesky flies that I gave a hint about.  And it doesn't have anything to do with how fast the summer seemed to fly by.

Summer flies is a lovely shoulder shawl that I recently completed.

This is a lovely shawl designed by Holly and Ella Knits and you can get a free download of the pattern at Ravelry.

I used a 5 mm circular bamboo needle and Bernat Satin yarn.  The pattern has 7 different sections to it, each with a differnt stitch.  It is an easy to follow pattern which knit up quite quickly.

There is a new pattern coming out soon called Autumn Flutters and I can't wait for it to be released.PS.  I messed up on one row in this pattern and it did affect a bit of the pattern.  But unless you have knitted the pattern or you are the designer you probably won't notice what I did wrong.  I didn't really notice the error till I was almost done and I didn't have the heart to do the froggy stitch.  But when I knit the next one, I'll know where I went wrong. Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can take a moment to leave a comment and say hi.

Beautiful Cards

A short while ago I ordered some cards from Muddy Boot Dreams.

When they arrived I couldn't wait to open the package.

Inside the padded envelope was a tissue wrapped package, and the individually wrapped cards were all inside a ziplock bag.  Such fantastic packaging to protect the gorgeous cards from what ever Canada Post might of decided to do to them.

As it was Canada Post delievered it to the wrong address (my neighbour).  But that is another issue we are having on our road as the delivery person is giving our mail to others.  I guess it is a good way to chat with neighbours, but not a good thing for personal mail to be delivered into the wrong mailbox.  But a complaint has gone in about that.

Back to my cards.

They are absolutely gorgeous and will be loved by whomever I give them too.  I was going to give some as gifts and use others myself, but they are so lovely I just might end up keeping them all.  Jen is the photographer and takes amazing photos and has them printed up as cards, which can be used for celebrations, birthdays or notes.  I was lucky to win a free pack cards as well.

If you want to purchase high quality cards, please stop by Muddy Boot Dreams.  You won't be disappointed.

Thanks Jen.

Off the Needles ... Multnomah

I recently completed the Multnoman shawette and if you like it you can get the pattern here at Hello Knitty for free. I used a  3.25mm bamboo circular needle.  The yarn was by Scheepjeswol Invicta colours of browns, beige and green.

It was a simple pattern to knit, in fact the lower part of the pattern consists of 4 rows which are repeated.  I've done this pattern is other items such as a baby sweater for my granddaughter.  I was looking back to see if I could link to the post but found out I never did blog about that little sweater!  I'll have to remedy that soon.
The multnomah knitted up quickly but I was a bit disappointed in the size of it when finished.  I wish it had been a bit longer.  Now I could remedy that by undoing my cast off row and adding a few more rows of the pattern.  Or I could froggy stitch it all and redo it on larger needles.  Perhaps that will be a winter project.  Or perhaps I'll just get used to it and enjoy it. Have you ever completed a project that you weren't entirely satisified with?

Bug Bookmarker

With the weather on the change you might be spending more time reading or maybe you are making some quick and easy Christmas gifts.

This little bookmark is a great little thing to make and it won't slip out when you pack your book in your bag or carry it from room to room.   I just happened to have some ladybug material in my stash so called it a bug bookmark, but of course you can use any material that you have.

You need a strip of material, 30-32 cm. long and 9-10 cm. wide.  This will make a bookmarker that will fit a paperback sized book or one slightly bigger.  You also need a button that co-ordinates with your material and a mid size hair elasitc1.  Fold the material in half lengthwise, right sides together, and sew a seam around the edges.  Leave one end open so you can turn the material right sides out. 2.  Once the material is facing right way out, top stitch around all the edges, folding in the edge you left open.3. Fold one end of the strip over the hair elastic and sew in place.4.  Sew a bug button on the other end.
The colouring of this button did not come out right as the flash of the camera changed it.Mark your place in the book by stretching the elastic to go over the button.  

 This bookmark won't slip or fall out of your book.  I added a cute little tag as I plan to make some more and give them as gifts.

For a regular sized library book I used fabric that was about 45 cm. long.  You can make these any length you wise, just by measuring around your book and adding a bit more for seam allowance. I've been reading a series of books by Laura Childs called The Tea Shop Mysteries.
Enjoy your reading.  Thanks for visiting today.

Seed Gathering

It is time to collect seeds from my garden. I always have an abundance and love to share them with my gardening friends thus creating Friendship Gardens.
Saving seeds and seedpods will give you many seeds to plant in your garden next year. Trading seeds with other gardeners provides you with new plants for the cost of a postage stamp.

Although plants need to be dead headed to ensure continual bloom through the season you can always leave the odd flower to develop into a seedpod. At the end of the season I leave all the flowers to dry out and produce seedpods.  Be sure all seeds are dry before you package them - especially if you are using the mini plastic zip lock bags. Store seeds in a cool location over the winter. Some seeds need to be stored in the refridgerator before germination.
My filing system comprises a 4 quart basket and recycled envelopes. I open my mail on the edge of the envelope and then it can be re-used again. Print the plant name on each envelope and file alphabetically. This makes it easier to find certain types of seeds when it gets to be planting time.  This might not be the prettiest way to store seeds, but it sure works for me. Over the winter this container can be stored down the basement in the cold storage room or in a cool garage (not one where the temperature drops below zero as you don't want those seeds freezing).

But if you really have an over abundance of seeds and you aren't giving any away you can always put the seeds on your bird feeder and see what feathered friends stop by for a snack. For those of you new to seed gathering I have a series of posts with the label Sow then Grow and it will help you identify where to find the seeds, the seedpods, seedlings and seeds of various plants.I do get a lot of requests for my seeds, but unfortunately I can only send to other Canadian gardeners because of postal restrictions.
So get out there and gather seeds and share with your fellow gardeners. What seeds are you gathering and how do you store them?

Angel's Trumpet

It's time for

 and today I'm sharing some photos and seed info on Angel's Trumpet or datura. This is a plant that I haven't grown in my garden for a few years, ever since I found out the blooms and seeds were toxic.   But this year I had a couple of plants that grew unexpectedly.   Don't you just love those volunteer flowers?The white blooms are lovely and open towards the end of the day.

 I love the slight tinge of purple towards the center of the bloom.

 In my part of Canada this is an annual plant.

When the bloom is finished a seed pod starts to develop.

This plant also has the name thorne apple ... which ftis perfectly.

When the seed pod matures and dries out a bit it begins to split open, and inside are masses of tiny black seeds.   If you leave the seed pod on the plant they will disperse themselves all over your garden.  I will snip off the seedpod and take out the seeds.

You can see how tiny the seeds are compared to the Canadian dime.  These seeds were collected from just 2 seedpods.  I don't know if I will plant these seeds next year or give them away to another gardener.

Take a peek at Tootsie's blog and see who else is flaunting flowers on Fridays.
Seed tag

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can take a moment to leave a comment and say hi.

Delish #3 ... veggies in foil packets

 We have loved cooking veggies in foil packets on the bbq this summer.

 Zucchinni, sliced and grilled was a favourite.  I lightly brush each side with olive oil, then put in the foil and grill.  Be sure to flip frequently.

 Home grown beans, sliced, with a dollop of butter or Becel added cooked up a treat on the grill.

 An all time favourite is mushrooms grilled to perfection.

 And who can resist the smell of sweet onions cooking.  The aroma fills the air around the bbq.

You could combine the onions and mushrooms in the same foil packet but by doing them separately you can decide what you want to eat.

Absolutely delish!  Do you have a favourite veggie you grill on the bbq?  Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can take a moment to leave a comment and say hi.

Delish #2 ... potatoes in packets

This summer has been perfect for bbq-ing.   One of our favourite things to do is make foil packets.  Here is a tip on how we cook them.  I'm not sure you would actually call this a recipe. Slice up some of those no dig potatoes and arrange on a piece of foil.  Add a dollop or two of butter, or in my case salt free Becel.  You could add other seasonings as well, but I'm a very plain cook.

Wrap them up and place on the grill.  Turn frequently.  Depending on what else we are cooking, I sometimes par boil the potatoes for a few minutes just to soften them up a bit.  This can be done ahead of time, like in the mornings when it isn't so hot.  You can prepare the foil packets and keep in the fridge till needed.

Here are the before and after photos.  Don't they just make your mouth water?

Absolutely delish!  Coming soon is Delish #3, other veggies in foil packets. Do you have a favourite way to cook potatoes on the bbq? Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can take a moment to leave a comment and say hi.