A Return to Simplicity.

Went out to garden the other day to investigate what all the noise was about as it sounded like the movie set of "The Birds". There must have been about 5 or 6 different birds squawking at the same time! Here is what I found!  He looked rather grumpy and I guess I would be too if trying to catch some shut-eye while everyone else is having a party!  Later in the day the Cockatoos came to check out the seed on the front veranda. They are cheeky and always have a lot to say. These birds are very messy eaters, spreading seed from one end to the other.  I'm off to sweep the front veranda and do a little sewing now, hope you all have a lovely day.

While DD and I had a dig around in some old stuff this weekend we came across some real treasures amongst the trash. A great find was some beautiful depression glass items. The rose pattern on this medium bowl is beautiful and it was a bargain from Life Line at $5. This one, while not as cheap, was much bigger! I have been chasing some green pieces for a while now and came upon these beauties. It is still possible to find these beautiful pieces around the place really cheap, but not often now. I don't mind paying a fair price though and love using them when friends drop round for tea! It wasn't all trash and treasure hunting, I did do a little stitching on the weekend as well and finished off my "Preston Bag" by Dawn Hay. Of course while we were out and about we did happen across a craft shop and I finally found a piece of green fabric I liked enough to make up the bag. If you like the bag you can get the pattern here ! Front...

There are lots of people out there with great ideas for upcycling all manner of everyday items. What do you do with these containers from the supermarket? They often come with fruit in them, and sometimes they have biscuits. They come in all shapes and sizes, big and small. Here is what I like to do with them.  They hold all the bits and pieces when I'm working on a project. Scraps and threads while I'm stitching. A container for all the different threads when I machine applique. I choose all my colours first and have them handy where I can grab them quickly to change colours. I even use them in draws to hold different items such as make-up! Here are a couple of other bloggers who love to recycle. Agy and Karen , they have lots of great ideas. What do you do with yours?