When A Bird Sings

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The little stitchery booklet is at the printers

having a reprint run this week !!!

The cover this time will be a soft grey

It is an A6 size of little stitchery designs to place on whatever...

a purse..needlecases... some Christmas things..

You could use the stitchery drawings for a quilt...

PREORDER SPeCIAL ON NOW UNTIL 21 NOV 2013

FOR $10 + POSTAGE...

( Australia $1.50 & International $2.50 & internationals less GST of $1.00  )

You will find the booklet on the website

www.theodoracleave.com under Things to Stitches

A Little Dash of Christmas Spirit

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A dash of Christmas Spirit..

some things now

some things past

copyright Barbara Smith

The Lights are Switched on

 

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The lights on the little tree are switched on..
Very sparkly in the real..
Decorating is a thing...
I just do bits at a time...

CHRISTMAS PLAYTIME

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copyright Barbara Smith 2013

When I took a break yesterday...

those white noodle boxes needed to be moved 

off the table..

I grabbed the twine 

& 

made them look like christmas had begun.

Santa from my 2001 ??/ Christmas book came out as well..

The berries I collect like a blackbird .. I bring them home to my nest

I unpack the wonderful strand of lights... that was successful..

Usually I wind stuff into a knot when I do the "unravelling"

The Berry strand with rusty bells & rusty stars too me back to my country decorating days..

and

my time spent working at Cinnamon Country in Melbourne

Berries & rusty stuff were the most brilliant decor items & still are & they fit with white..glitter..whatever..

The candle is my bit of bling..

The sparkles have slowly worked their way into my world ..

Even to the point of the larger Christmas Santa has had an experiment which I like..

I'll show him off soon !

My tree....

The round metal one is one of the few that travelled with me this time as does Rick's Christmas tree from USA...I need more of them..but they are so rare now.in Australia.  I think it is to do with quarantine laws.

This season the berry strand, the little lights & my bling candle comes from 

MON COEUR in Bendigo..

It is a fabulous time to visit the shop..

as the Christmas decos are up & are exotic as well as some more rustic things..

Maldon has a market & i am taking a good part of the day off to explore it is a home grown & hand made market... the type I began this journey in 1990 

So happy to see these markets come back...I love them !

Then I think Daylesford calls me ..

& maybe I should then meander back via Trentham & Kyneton... 

 look at the land the Cleave's first lived & farmed on in Australia...it calls me...that is my excuse for roaming about gathering inspiration & things for display

New Stories

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Copyright 2013 Barbara Smith

Some New BUTTON STORIES

are now on the web......these were completed yesterday..so fresh as....

This is a little snippet of them

 

The French rabbit in his small variety is in 2...

snowmen..deers and a little sampler...

YESTERDAY...

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Nicole my French friend surprised me with gifts that were lovingly made by her...

I have a divine Millie tag & key ring...

she was that sweet..Miss Millie

And.... look at the purse /bag...

exquisite linens..

my initials cross stitched..

Belle !!!

I was touched by France yesterday !

I felt very special to have these in my mail box.

 

My day with buying a hose did not happen...

I looked & looked & wished I had bought down the adapter thing..for the tap

As one thing you learn living in different states & towns...

all the taps have a personality of their own !

I did not buy anything..

to return home & find I needed to go find some adapter..

It would have disappointed me yesterday.

...these days this is harder to deal with

The rest of that story is for my book ( I have the paper, dividers... & am ready !) 

 

 I did not come home empty handed

I bought a lettuce garden !!!

 

The man who came to construct my new super desk & couple of shelf things

arrived promptly.

and

NOW

this room is transformed...

I have not had a proper desk since I my stuff was on the way to the beach & lots of things that were old broke in the truck crash..

&

I learnt to live without things...

I am still living without a chest of drawers.!

This room is no longer a cluttered look..

But needs working

which will happen after I finish painting buttons & decorations.

When I work I have to decide what has to wait for another moment..

I have learnt to not be able to do things..right now.

I cannot rush the painting..it is steady as I go...

I was thinking of that as I waited for these last pics to load and nipped off to clean my teeth..

It is part of my nature....I appear at times not to see what is going on around me..

but

I am acutely aware as I learnt to read a situation fairly quickly at an early age..

 I am watchful, analytical, & appear calm & ignorant on the surface..

all part of my heritage of an angry man..

But it is useful & it is somewhat hard wired..it is the way I approach the world...

So at times now I use that must do to think some more on what comes next as I paint with a that steady hand & keen eye !

So some time to consider what will fill the shelves I now have !!! will be good.

 Things to fill up !!!

 

A Few adjustments to Christmas

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copyright Barbara Smith  of Theodora Cleave 2013

 

 

When my work is busy busy & I am tied to the table for long long hours ...

My mind wanders & I wonder....

How can I make things as beautiful but simpler..

or

maybe I think I'll do this when it is quite...

And so I did both this time...

Asked for some modifications to the

EVERYDAY ANGEL 7cm Decoration

I had the froth & fluff design removed from the outer frame & now slim line like the latest designs..

I do like her in this way...

For the Deer Friends it has no trees ( maybe I'll add some or do a new design later )

and

The Big deer button has been sized into a frame...

Why didn't I think of this earlier ??????

I did some painting on them yesterday & have hung them out on a small tree

this morning.

I like the way they hang on the trees ...

They will go on the web later

( I have had a call & well friends do need to catch up..sometimes before breakfast..)

Because I was mucking around with decorations LOL

So I have shortened my day a bit...

Posting soon & then a man arrives to construct some flat pak furniture for my office this arvo...... so excited..!

I also have French Rabbit button...he is busy bouncing about in a button story scene with snowmen....he will be out later today or tonight...

and the resized shop thread keeper has been done ...

along with a big home sweet home with threads in mind.  I am going to send those to the suggestion maker for her input.

Totally lost track of it all here... so best go do these chores

&

buy a new hose... I sit in the bush... & grass is very tall right at the back fence

& as it is crown land no one is responsible..NO ONE it seems.

 

Scissor tree sample on red...

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 copyright Barbara Smith of Theodora Cleave 2013

 

Julie has done a wonderful stitched version of the Scissor Tree Button Story

on the Red French General fabric 

Update ... The French Rabbit has arrived.....he'll be on the web soon. 

Also a big deer in a fine frame circle as is the everyday angel and deer friends..

.....just playing with colours ....

Oh yes there are some very sweet small button stories added last night to the web....

 

Pear tree Sample in flet

I was waiting for my physio today & managed to finish of the felt sample

of the

Pear Tree Button Story

 (I added an extra button because it was in the bag of stuff I took with me)

 

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reading from THEODORA'S BUTTON STORIES

www.theodoracleave.com   copyright B Smith do not copy thank you

 

A small peak...of what is on the www.theodoracleave.com in button stories

or

about to go on the web....

Some will be just bags of buttons to do the most simplest of layouts...

or

to swap about with the trees & buttons...

but

only some buttons fit or look nice..

I have done the trials.... 

So gather a button story from the web...

and the buttons that will go with this..

Take out your linen or linen mix fabric..calico...a mild print...( so you can see the stitching.. felt & dyed wool ...

make simple projects...

like gift bags, stockings, needleholders..adhere to mache boxes.. frame.

 

****

I have a frame I found last week at Daylesford for a really great price under $20

and it has a blue distressed frame.

I think the pear tree with the tweeny blue bird will fit perfectly into this frame

I want to try this sample in a linen style fabric...

I have pulled out a muddy brown with gorgeous weave ...

just the green shade of thread for the stem will be the challenge...

then

I also want to use some blue wool felt

I found when I visited Mrs Martin's Quilt shop recently

That will I think look  stunning with the tree & pears & tweeny blue bird..

 

****

The scissor tree...

I think a linen..

or

maybe the red I found at Lil Blokes yesterday from the French general range..

.plain & thicker cotton but soft...

Maybe do the tree story ..then take out those new found scallop scissor for a trim around

before placing it onto a bag...

A gift for sewing friend.?

 

&&&&&&&&

 

The stocking....

ummm what fabric ????

Oh maybe just the creamy white  linen/cotton mix

Add some red & green threads to the design...

sew on the bright buttons...

stitch up the stocking ..maybe use those scallop scissors & leave edges showing

Perhaps fossick in the huge jar of ric rac & ribbons...

to add to the top...

Then stitch...you could do this by hand in red thread & back stitch or running stitch..

or be quick & machine ..red cotton perhaps ?

These are simple & the layout for the stocking is in the packaging..

So make more !!!

Add different buttons...

Do a couple of mini scissors ..

&

a sewing machine..

 write an appropriate word..

****

there is one more new story on the web

that is a wreath

with the new robin button & the dinky star.

But I have run out of time....

maybe I will continue this later...in the next post

if it is not too boring for you all????

Barb xx

 

NEW BUTTON STORIES

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I have gathered the fabric, threads & some buttons & some hand dyed wool

ready for my sample stitcher

to

do the NEW Button stories.

These are on the web under button stories...

4..

2 trees

one with pears & a tweeny blue bird 

another with mini French scissors & heart..

These can also be interchanged...with tweeny buttons and the dinky stars fit as well.

There is a wreath with the latest robin bird & a dinky star

and

there is a gorgeous stocking with stitched wreath..holly & 2 red tweeny birds

These designs can also use other buttons in my collection

So use one design but have different button features & change colour of threads & fabrics & also think of felt or dyed wool..

possibilities

go to www.theodoracleave.com