Hello!

Last week was rather busy, with plenty to do all day every day.

*I re-scented the air fresheners, ready for winter when I can't have all the windows wide open all day, every day.

​*I made a double batch of Iced Coffee Syrup

​*I made soap for the bathroom (scented green apple so I coloured it a light green - it smells so nice)

​*Wayne and I worked outside every time we had a few minutes to prepare the garden, yard and verandah for winter.
*Moved the raspberry canes to a bigger garden bed. Not the right time, but they seem to have taken the move well so far. Cut them down, it is the right time to be doing this.
*Moved the strawberries to a bigger bed; again, not the right time but they have settled in well in their new home.
*Made some bookmarks for a friend (she uses them as rewards for her students).
*Cooked all our meals from scratch, including three family sized pasta bakes from 2 cups TVP and 1 jar of mince and 2 jars of my homemade tomato sauce.

​*Made a sympathy card.
*Crocheted a daisy dishcloth for the present box.
*Started sour dough

Oh boy! Who doesn't like something for free! 

Tomorrow, 19th April 2023 Stampin' Up! are offering free shipping on all orders over $65AUD.

If you have been checking the Last Chance products (up to a whopping 60% off!) you'll save even more with the free shipping offer.

Or if you have some basics you need to restock, you'll save on postage and beat the price rise if you order before 2nd May 2023.

BUT it's only for 24 hours so........

If you don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I'd love to help you and I'm happy to tell you about my favourite products and how I use them, just ask!

Visit my Stampin Among the Gum Trees shop to see the Last Chance products and while you're there have a look at the online exclusives - they are divine (and I have a workshop coming up using the stunning Irresistible Blooms) 

https://stampinamongthegumtrees.stampinup.net/​

Good morning!

Make it Monday rolls around fast!

Last week was busy in the kitchen, garden and craft room.

I cooked tomatoes down to a nice, thick, yummy consistency to make tomato sauce. I'll use this during the year to make pasta sauce or tomato soup or cacciatore or anything else that required tomatoes.

I finished work on the Irresistible Blooms workshop, can't wait to get that started.

I planted parsnips and turnips. Before planting I soaked the seeds overnight, then sowed them straight into the garden. Root veggies do not like to be transplanted, and I have much better success when I direct sow these veggies. I made sure the soil was well turned over and nice and loose, and gave them a good drink of compost tea. Then I covered them with the hoops and I'm glad I did, the rain has been constant since they went in the ground and those tiny seeds would most definitely have washed away. 

I crocheted a set of make-up scrubbies for the present box.

I crocheted a daisy dishcloth to replace one that was sold in our store.

I crocheted a pot holder for the present box. 

I finished a dishcloth for the present box.

I crocheted a daisy dishcloth and matching pot holder for the present box.

I crocheted another set of scrunchies for the present box.

I went to card group and made cards using scraps. These have already been bagged up to send to the retirement village. 

I harvested volunteered potatoes from the garden. Potatoes were $3.50/kg last week so this is a big saving.

What did you make, bake, sew and grow last week?

Good morning!

Another slow week, but I am slowly getting my energy back thank goodness. This being a slug is so annoying when I see things I want to get done and just don't have the energy. 

A friend blessed me with two overflowing supermarket bags of beautiful Danish cotton yarn and some other yarns. I was so excited, as soon as she opened the first bag my mind was going 100 miles an hour thinking of ways to use it up. It is so soft, and straight away I thought of face wipes and out came the crochet hooks and I started working on a pattern. It crochets up so nicely. It will make beautiful trim for face washers, towels and kitchen towels too.

And then the wool is so soft, that it is perfect for fingerless gloves. I have a project I'm working on to knit up pairs of finglerless gloves for charity. They're quick and easy to knit up and I know from experience warm fingers work better, and just make you feel better. 

This will be my Easter weekend project, I'm hoping to get a few pairs knitted up.

Bought baked beans to restock the pantry.

Bought mince from Costco for $9.99/kg and canned it for the pantry. There are now another 15 pints waiting to be washed and dated before adding to the shelf.

Processed a whole pumpkin into pumpkin soup and canned it for shelf stable winter soup. Hannah brought me a HUGE pumpkin! It was enormous!

Wayne cut it up for me, and I peeled it ready to can for pumpkin soup. It made 16 pints and three quarts! I'm set for pumpkin soup for the winter. Total cost $3 for the pumpkin, the potatoes and onions were from the garden, and the stock was from the freezer.