Shabby Chic Course Finished work

Again the results of the Shabby Chic course at Waimea College are fantastic.

I love all the creativity and I am inspired every time by the finished work.

Each course is different, I teach the same techniques, but the outcomes are always so unique.

All the pieces in the photographs were items found in recycle or op shops and are now beautiful restored with care, patience and love.

Piano Stool distressed and covered with French fabric.

Transfer image from the "Graphics Fairy" website onto a trolley with a background crackle.

Transfer image onto a wooden distressed clock, the numbers are just gilded.

Beautiful distressed tray with a rose transfer image.

Decoupaged fairy inside a frosted vase

A copper vase gilded

A old wooden tray decoupaged and antiqued, love it!

This rose is not painted on, but done with the transfer technique using wrapping paper.

The next course starts in August at Waimea College,Richmond, Nelson.
I also travel to teach workshops in Shabby Chic, for more information, email me.

Our dog

Our Kelpie dog Phoebe lived till she was 13 years old and the photographs of her in this bog post are from her when she was 12 years old.

She passed away just before Christmas and we missed her so much during the Christmas time, because she was such a part of our family for so long and she had a gentle loving nature.

Kelpies are intelligent dogs and Phoebe had many ways of telling you how she felt and also who she liked or not liked.

She loved my old neighbours who made a fuss of her and sometimes she would sneak of from our property and went  to visit the neighbours for a treat. Often she ended up sleeping under their table or on their front porch and my neighbour phoned to tell me were Phoebe spend her afternoon.

When they moved and new people lived next door, she quickly realized  they were not given her treats, so she stayed home.

Only to discover that the old neighbours visited people across the road, so Phoebe recognized the sound of the car and of she went to visit them across the road. Luckily we live in a quiet cul de sac with not a lot of traffic.

I think she will always be a part of our life,we miss her heaps and the company of a great dog.

Slowly we are looking for a new dog, will it be a puppy again or a rescue dog.

We hope Phoebe will give us a little sign from dog heaven, who knows, to make the right choice.

Little winter bouquets and a nice lunch

Every month we organize a lunch for our seniors in the Hills Community Church Cafe. This month we had 3 different soups and filled bread rolls and for desert apple crumble with cream and ice cream.
June is winter in New Zealand and because of having less flowers in the garden I made little winter bouquets of some of the scrubs and the last flowering plants in the garden.
My daughter Rachel helped me and we used children books pages to display the bouquets in.

 The theme of the morning was story telling and a local artist David Kemp came to tell a story about  how the early settlers came to the Nelson area and how they lived after arriving at the shores of  Nelson.

We had a lovely morning and many enjoyed the company and the food.