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Monday, February 29, 2016

'Being Inspired' ~ Bold and Vibrant ..

Hello my dear friends,

these past few days I have been busy working on one of the elements for my newest creation.

 My 'Being Inspired' project needed some little flowers and I decided to make them myself, instead of  buying them. I had this lovely off-white cotton yarn which I had bought at a church sale some years ago and it was perfect for what I needed it for. Since I love to crochet, I chose to make my little modest violet. After a little while there were about 80 of them laying on the table in front of me. (I think, I got a little carried away once I started.)

They were very lovely but in need of color, something a little dyeing would soon have fixed. I say this so often ... you know, the thing about me and colors and that we don't mix very often but once in a blue moon I will just pick a color and work with it. The very first time I dyed my crochet violets, I used raspberry tea but after a while the color faded. The second time I used Easter egg coloring but that is always a hit and miss with how it might dry. Some times it would dry purple but other times it would turn out pink or blue or all three of them together. This time I decided to use rite fabric dye and it proved to be the right way to go. 

 I was 'brave' and went all out with color ... vibrant and bold!
 It almost felt like my little flowers came alive (figuratively speaking) ~ take a look!


Here the are before their bath of color ...


... and here they are in the new 'dress' ... just love them!

And since I had the fabric dye ready in a bowl, I didn't want to waste it.
Remember waste not, want not! I went on the search of what else I could dye purple and of course one of my favorite things came to mind ... drop cloth, it was a simple must for me. The other thing that was a must for this color bath was seam binding.


Everything just took to the lovely color and each item took to it differently.
The drop cloth was a lighter shade of lilac, where the crochet blossoms and seam binding turned out to be a more vibrant and bold purple. (My fingers ended up being a in between color but they didn't look as pretty as everything else.)

The next step was to make my little violets 'grow' ...


... and I did.


 I made them grow on thin stems of old wire and I am so pleased how they now look.
I have some more to do and then I can start working on the next element to this creation which will be some little leaves for my small blossoms but that will be for another post.

Thank you for stopping by today and visiting me here at Todolwen. Do stop by again if you have a few spare moments and see what else I might just have to share.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Another 'Furry' Photo Shoot ..

Hello my dear friends,

as you all know the critters in my garden have a huge place in my heart and always will.

It seems that every other year there is one squirrel that takes to me. as I take to it. I can get it's attention and the little critter will come, knowing that there will be a few peanuts waiting for it. I don't do this very often because I don't want the creature to get used to being fed by me and I never feed it by hand but throw the nuts onto our deck.

This past week my younger daughter was sick with the flu and I was at home for most of time making sure she was OK. Last Friday I had some time to do 'nothing', so when I saw my little furry friend outside, I quickly grabbed a few tasty treats and my camera. I placed myself at the backdoor and sat there for a little while with the door/screen open about 2 inches. Just enough for my lens to fit through. The little squirrel didn't take long to come and visit me but it kept a safe distance of about 4 feet and I was able to get some very neat photographs.
And that is what I am sharing with all of you today. 







After about ten minutes the peanuts were almost all eaten up and a very happy and chubby squirrel was standing on our deck just long enough ...


... for me to take one last closeup shot. It was then time for me to shut the door again and it was also time for the little furry critter to head back to it's tree and the warmth of it's nest.

You can imagine that it wasn't a very good idea to sit in front of an open door at minus 2 C. I am now paying the price for it with being unwell. I have either caught my daughter's flu or a bad chill which will go away hopefully soon but I am still so pleased with my latest furry photo shoot.

Do stay safe and warm these days ~Winter isn't over just yet. Here in Ontario we are under a Winter storm watch right now and outside the freezing rain is falling.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit me here at Todolwen and do come back some time again.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Monday, February 22, 2016

Things That Make Me Happy ~ My 'Old' Poinsettia ..

Hello my dear friends,

I was gifted a poinsettia by my lovely neighbour Katherine two Christmases ago.



It was such a beautiful plant but after 6 or 7 months all of the sudden it lost all of it's flowers. Shortly after that all it's leaves too and it almost died. It took me some time to get it back to growing again but it has been doing so steadily since then.

 I was busy in my studio a few days ago, when I turned around and saw this ...


... a new tiny flower is growing!


I am so over the moon about this!

I had hoped that it would have had a flower around Christmas time but it never happened. The poinsettia is still a little rough around the edges but hopefully that will get better soon too.

I love it when it's the little things like this. that make me happy and I am so grateful for it.
I wish all of you little things like this. in your lives that make your heart smile.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Being Inspired ..

Hello my dear friends,

I just love being inspired!

Sometime last year I came across a photograph of a very lovely scarf on Pinterest and it stayed in my mind all this time. Something about it captured my creative little senses and I just knew that I wanted to create something that had the same 'feel' to it.

And this is that scarf ...


... didn't I tell you that it was beautiful?!
(Unfortunately I wasn't able to find out who made this lovely piece.)

I love the different colors and textures of the wool/yarn and a picture that came into my mind. It was of a morning at a clearing that lays right at the edge of a forest. The sun is shining on all the colors of nature. Little purple flowers are growing between the freshly grown moss that lays between some rocks. This also could take place in the English countryside, in a cottage garden .. somewhere tucked away in a corner.

Can you see it in your mind?

I didn't want to copy this scarf but did I want to make something that would have the same feel to it which is one the scenes I described to you above. At least that is what I am trying to achieve. As I was thinking of how I could do this, it came to me. There was one way I could try and that was by making something I have done before.

A little bit of shopping had to be done, especially for one thing which is a larger part of this creation and I was so happy when I found exactly what I needed ...


... this old lambswool sweater.

Once the sweater was found (my foundation to this creation), I could continue looking for other bits and pieces that I needed which was wool/yarn in the right colors.


The search didn't have to go further than our guest bedroom where my old tin chest was living. It is full of all sorts of wool and yarn in different colors and textures. I just had to pick the ones that would be perfect for this project.


And these were the ones I chose to use.
(I am sure some of you already know where this is going! ..)

I am already busy working on this project since a little while now but it is far from finished. I will though give you a tiny sneak peek today.



This is all I am going to share with all of you today.

 There is more than one element to this creation and I have to make each one from scratch which is somewhat time consuming but also trail and error and not to forget a lot of fun. There will be a little more searching for a few other bits and pieces that are needed and I can't wait for it to be finished. I am just hoping it will look like the picture in my mind. I am not sure when it will be done but I will be sharing a few more sneak peeks along the way of me making it.

So, do stop by from time to time again and see what I have been up too. You never know what I just might have to share.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Just Add Snow ~ Part 2 ..

Hello my dear friends,

this is the second part of my 'Just Add Snow' walk.
I had planned to share it yesterday but we had some issues with our Internet service.

Arriving back where the ducks were, I saw this sign. I must had overlooked it last time I was here.
Our city is trying to make things work out between the beavers that live in our city and the trees and homeowners and I really hope this project will be a success.


As soon as I walked up to where the it was the easiest for the ducks to get on the embankment, they all came to feast on the grain I had brought them again.


Some of them walked and some of them flew. I have always wished to capture a bird in flight in one of my photographs and this time I did. Not once but several times I was able to get a photograph of a duck flying and landing and I am beyond happy about it.






These were two different female ducks that flew and landed close to where I was standing.
I didn't even know that I had captured these images until I got home. It was just too bright to see the images on my screen at the time, so I just stood there 'clicking away' and hoping for the best. 



An amazing photo even though I wasn't too happy how it came to be. 
A lady came down the path with her dog that wasn't on a lead, which is a by-law of our city. The dog just went for the ducks, chasing them all up and into the safety of the cold water.  I made her aware that her dog should be on a lead at all times and she apologized, then secured him and left the park. 


After recovering from their scare, some of the ducks slowly came back out of the water ...


... but others preferred the safety of the ice.



The creek was so beautiful as I walked towards the pond ...


... which was now completely frozen and covered with snow. 
You couldn't make out where the water started and where the land ended so I stayed a little further back not wanting to take a dip in the freezing water.


Walking back some of the ducks flew towards the rustling of my plastic bag the held the grain, ...


... again making one of my little dreams of capturing a bird in flight come true.


This little one tried to get to the food by heading into the deepest part of the snow. Just like me, she found it hard at times to move in the deep snow, so she lay there resting for a moment before trying again.



I emptied my bag of the last bits and pieces for the feathered critters and before heading home for the day, I didn't miss the chance of taking a few last photos of some of the lovely mallard ducks in their cold and icy surroundings.





I hope you have enjoyed walking with me again.

I am looking forward to my next walk some time soon. Not sure if it will the same walk or if I will venture out somewhere new and maybe you will join me and walk with me again.

Thank you for taking the time to visit me here at Todolwen. It is always so nice when you do.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Just Add Snow ~ Part 1 ..

Hello my dear friends,

today's post is all about the walk I love to take but this time snow was added.
( I did yet again accidentally hit the publish button before this post was finished ~ sigh!)

  We have had a lot of snow falling the day or two before Valentine's Day and it had been gray and cold but that wasn't so for this day. No doubt I just had to do my little walk again. Off I went, in hand a bag of duck food and of course my camera.

There was a lot of snow on the ground but the sky was the brightest of sky blues and the sun was standing high and shining with all it's glory. To tell you the truth, several of the photos that I am sharing with you in today's posts (yes, there will be two again) were actually taken without me even seeing what my lens was capturing, that is how bright it was.

Things looked quite different with so much snow on the ground and it also had gotten much colder to the point that the pond was completely frozen and the creek only had small openings in places where the ducks could swim but I knew it would be so worth being outside.

I did the exact same walk I did a few days ago but this time I headed to the little bridge first and at then end of my walk I visited the ducks.


It was almost like this tree was bowing and welcoming me to the park this time.


Everything had a thick layer of snow that looked like big puffs of pure white cotton ...


... and the sun made everything sparkle with it's bright rays.


A little Christmas tree standing happily in it's elements and looking so lovely at the side of the entrance to the park.



This time creek was framed by the new snow and little frozen islands stood now where the rocks lay in the water.


There was something so special walking down the path again ...


... which today only a small walk way in the snow.




Branches hanging in the ice cold water of the creek had started to make little floating ice islands.


Where a few days ago the water was flowing fast and noisily now a complete silence had taken over. The creek was completely frozen in some places.





Walking through deeper snow took a little longer than it normally would but the beautiful scenery made up for it.



At times I was up to my knees in snow, going throw the brush and bushes in search of lovely things to see but it was so worth seeing everything looking so magical.


Here again the ice didn't take over the cold water like in other places ...


... and the the air was filled with the noise of the water skipping the stones.
( I so love that noise.)


Again everything that touched the water turned into a frozen sculpture almost like you were in the fairy tail ' The Snowqueen'.

At last one of my favorite places ... I was standing on the little wooden bridge.


The view ... as always stunning!



Just like last time, heading back made you feel like you were on a different path and walk and ...



... I just couldn't resist taking another photo of a pine cone again.


In a few places I patted the snow down and left some bird seeds for the little birds I could hear singing their song high up in the trees.


Back at where I had started my walk ... 


... and time to feed the ducks.

Later on today I will be sharing the second part of 'Just Add Snow' with all of you.
I hope so far you have enjoyed walking with me again.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.