A Close Call ..

Hello my dear friends,

you all know about the critters that visit our garden. Amongst them is a pair of doves that love to sit either in our Maple tree or on the fence closely next to each other.

A few days ago they were sitting in our Maple that is right outside our dining room window enjoying the Spring sun. Just as I walked out of the room suddenly there was a very loud bang on the glass and I knew that a bird had hit the window again. I headed outside, my camera still in my hand from taking photos for Todolwen ...

 ... to find a dove hiding on the ground behind a leg of one my grapevine reindeers, that was leaning against the house wall. Then suddenly a noise behind me made me turn around and there was a huge hawk sitting up in the tree looking down. Now I knew why the dove hit the window ~ it was trying to escape the claws of the hawk. A minute later it flew off but I stayed outside for a while longer to make sure that the dove was OK.

 

 

At first the feathered critter sat there on the fence for a while, recovering from the shock of hitting the glass but ...

 

 

 ... shortly later it perked up again and finally flew off without any serious injury which I was very happy about.

And last but not least ...

... a new photo of our cat Alexia.

I took this from outside our dining room window a week or so ago.

Alexia would have loved to be out there with me but she was only allowed to sit inside at the window that was open ajar. (We don't allow our cats outside on their own for their safety.)

It would be so nice if you would stop by and visit me here at Todolwen sometime soon again,

Until then I hope you are well, and life is treating you kind my dear friends,

Have a peaceful and creative day,


Karen B.

Having Christmas In Mind Already..

Hello my dear friends,

it is not even May yet and Spring is slowly appearing here and I have Christmas in my mind already.

 A few days ago I won a bid on some antique goodies on eBay from the UK and they are on their way to Canada now and I can't wait for them to be here. I am sure I won't be able to wait until the coming fall to start working on my newest idea for Christmas.

I am not going to give too much away already so all I can say is that it involves more of these beautiful pieces ...

... antique Christmas tree candle clips.

These are some of my old tree clips that I still have but new ones are on their way from the other side of the world! But that is all I am going to say right now ... OK, maybe one more thing  ... I am so excited for my new creation idea!

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

Have a peaceful and creative day,


Karen B.
 

More Spring Nests Listed In My Etsy Shop ..

Hello my dear friends,

I have had a little spare time sooner than I thought and have finished the Spring nest that I had found in an unlabelled box. 

Just to give you a little idea of  how these new nests look like ~ here are a few photos ..

 

Spring nest 4

 

Spring nest 5

 

Spring nest 6

 

... and finally ...

 

 

Spring nest 6.

 

These are all now listed in my Esty shop if  would like to take a look.

 

It would be so nice if you were to visit me some time soon again here at Todolwen.

 

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

 

Have a peaceful and creative day,

 

 

Karen B.

A Friend In Need..

Hello my dear friends,

today I have nothing to share but instead a favour to ask.

Last night I received a phone call from my dear friend Leesa in Alberta. We are friends since 14 years after we first meet as army wives in a base in the prairies of Alberta. We never lost touch and even though we haven't seen each other in almost 12 years now, we still are close friends and talk over the phone when life gives us a moment.

 

Last night she told me that she had been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer that morning.

 I already knew something was wrong a week or so ago when she texted me, saying a lot is happening in her life and not all good but I didn't think it was something like this.

 

I am asking you, my dear friends, to please pray for my dear friend Leesa.

 Pray that hopefully she will get well once again after which ever treatment is coming her way.

 

Thank you.

 

Many hugs

 

 

Karen B.

 

 

A Box Without A Lable ...

Hello my dear friends,

sometimes when you declutter, you might find things that you forgot that you had or in my case made. That is what happened to me when I pulled a box without a label from the top of my bookcase in my studio.

  

 

Opening it I was surprised to find it wasn't empty.
(No label ..! ~ Not good.)

 

There were a total of 4 of my not quite finished Spring nests in the box and I can't even remember putting them there. I am planning to list them on Esty hopefully very soon once I have added the feathers and painted the eggs.

Now I am wondering what else I might 'refind' whilst decluttering?! So .. why not stop by and visit me again here at Todolwen some time, I am sure I will have something new to share with you.

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

Have a peaceful and creative day,


Karen B.

 

A New Life As ..

Hello my dear friends,

who would have thought that yet again an old kitchen utensil could be given a new life as something totally different and also much prettier than before?!

I bought this vintage egg holder at a church sale a few years ago and ... 

 

 ... until a few days ago I had really no good idea to use it for but that has all changed now.

 

Together with vintage linen, pieces of tattered doilies, lovely crinkled seam binding and a sparkly button this little tarnished kitchen piece has now become a sewing room treasure.

 

I have taken many photos again so you don't miss a thing but there will be few words from me.

 

This is my latest creation ...

 

... a sewing room helper.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I am so happy with the way this new creation turned out and I hope you are too. At one stage I was so stuck with how to embellish it I almost put it away again but then it all came together in the end.

 

I hope you are well and life is treating you kind.

 

Have a peaceful and creative day,

 

 

Karen B.

 

New Listings In My Etsy Shop .. My Spring Nests

Hello my dear friends,

ever since I have started blogging and almost everything I have made since I started Todolwen is still with me and I hate to say it but my studio is starting to look rather full or better said is rather cluttered and that can only mean one thing ... I need to 'declutter'. Actually I don't like using the word 'declutter' since I think it is a harsh word, I would prefer to say I need to find 'new homes' for my creations.

I have many little creations that I really treasure but it is time to let some of them go so I have decided that I will be listing a few of them in my Etsy shop from time to time.

So ... for the first time with Spring finally making it's entrance, I have listed three of my little hand~felted Spring nests in my Etsy shop today.
 

I created these nests last Spring. To embellish the nests I made leaves from wire and book pages, some in the color of green ~ some not at all ~ and stained the edges with ink. The little wooden eggs are painted and speckled. The color I picked for the eggs is one that harmonizes with the different colors in the nests.

 

Here are a few photos so you can recall what they look like ~ I took them yesterday in our backyard in the warmth of the Spring sunshine.

Nest 1 ...

 

 

 

... is a little nest approx. 4 inches wide (without the leaves) and approx. 2 inches tall.

It is made in various green, beige and brown shades. It has book page leaves that have been painted a lovely green color and has two little speckled eggs that live in it amongst the feathers and wool roving.

Nest  2 ...

 

 

 

... is a little nest, approx. 3.5 inches wide (again without the leaves) and approx. 2 inches tall. It too is made in various green, beige and brown shades. It has green book page leaves with little white paper flowers that have a pearl center. Nested inside is a little speckled egg amongst feathers and wool roving. 

 

And finally ...
 

Nest 3 is a little nest ...

 

... approx. 4 inches wide (without the leaves) and approx. 2 inches tall. It made the same way the first two were made and instead of green leaves, I left the book pages original and uncolored but I also embellished  the nest with little white paper flowers that have pearls centers. This nest has again two small speckled eggs nesting in it.

 

If you have a moment why not pop over to my Etsy shop and take a look?!

 

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

 

Have a peaceful and creative day that is filled with sunshine,

 

Karen B.

 

A Sweet Gift ..

Hello my dear friends,

today I would like to share a gift I received from my daughter Ashleigh from one of our outings last week.

It is a small standing mirror. When we saw it in the store first, I was telling her how I think that it would look amazing silver gilded and aged and since she knows how much I love to make things 'mine' she bought it for me as a sweet gift with the thought of me working with on it one day.

 I am going to think about what I could do with it for a while but right now I am going to enjoy it as it is!

 

 

 

I love these little birds looking into the mirror at themselves ~ so sweet!

 

 

 I can't wait for me to be able to start this project .. hopefully that will be soon!
Of course I couldn't resist heading to Michaels already with my 50% off coupon to purchase what I needed.

I bought the smallest packet of silver gilding just in case I don't become a fan of it.
Now all I need is the right idea and time to start.

It would be so nice if you were to come back soon and visit me again here at Todolwen.
 I have new treasures to share with you from this last weekend when church sale season started.

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

Have a peaceful and creative day,


Karen B.  

A Fright..

Hello my dear friends,

I am not sure if I told you that we had a new gas water boiler installed when we did our basement renovation. Ever since we did, I always thought I (at times) could smell a very light gas smell when I would enter the room where the boiler is but I wasn't sure because when the boiler was installed the company checked twice with a gas detector and said everything was in order. Well, it wasn't.

My daughter Caylagh called me downstairs in the early evening and said she thought it smelt like gas and it did but only very slightly so I thought I could leave it and call the gas company next day. I didn't wait that long. I called them out last night at 11 pm after I was sitting in our TV room and from where I sit the is a return vent about 4 feet away and suddenly I thought: 'Is that gas?' ..... and it was!

 

 Within 30 minutes somebody was here. The gentlemen checked everything with a gas detector and actually found a gas leak! He said it wasn't too bad but to be sure he would shut of the gas until the company that installed it could come back and fix the issue.

 

I am so glad I called. I don't even know why I thought of waiting, anything could have happened if enough gas had gathered in the basement room. Silly me ... you never mess with gas!

 

My day was going to be one at home. Maybe I could get something creative done whilst waiting for the gas guy to come. He did come quite early and now everything is fixed again and I am so happy.

I didn't stay in all day after all since there was no need to so I headed out with my older daughter again to the church sale that was still on and of course I couldn't leave without buying a few goodies which I will share with you soon.

Today my 'tree-man' is hopefully coming to take a look at our willow tree 'Salisbury'.

 

 

 When you have a tree as tall as ours it should be checked every two years for weak branches and other things to prevent anything happening and now is the right time of year. I hope he won't have to cut too much off of her.

And last but not least ..

.. we had a new little critter come to visit in our backyard.

I found this little green frog in our pool who needed a little help getting out so that's what I did.

Please do visit me soon again here at Todolwen I have more to share with you very soon.

 

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

 

Have a peaceful and creative day,

 

 

Karen B.

New Ways ..

Hello my dear friends,

I don't know if you have noticed but Todolwen is now on facebook and bloglovin' too!! Yay!

Since I am not very good with 'computery stuff' it took me a few days to actually get my blog linked with facebook and also with bloglovin'. I almost gave up trying to get it to work but now it is done and this way you lovely bloggers have a few more options to follow me on Todolwen.

 

I hope you are well and life is treating you kind.

 

Have a peaceful and creative day,

 

 

Karen B.