HomeAbout MeMy EtsyTutorialsContact Me

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Pumpkins Don't Have To Be Orange ...

Hello my dear friends,

pumpkins don't always have to be orange as we all know.

I am not a very 'pink' person but after making my first harvest of new pumpkin pincushions this year and reading an article about a young girl (in Kansas I think it was) growing pink pumpkins, I wanted to see what I could come do myself with that color. I decided to take another look in my chest of drawers to see what I could find. I was lucky! I found some beautiful shaded fabric and right away went to work on making a few more pumpkin pincushions. Now they are done and that is what I am sharing with you today.

Take a look!

From cotton to velvet and linen, all in beautiful shades of  dusty pink.

Pink Pumpkin 1 ...





Pink Pumpkin 2 ...





Pink Pumpkin 3 ...





And again last but not least ...

Pink Pumpkin 4 ...





I couldn't be happier with they way my little dusty pink Autumn fruit have turned out. I love every single one of them because they are all sort of the same but yet different in their own way. These little lovelies are pincushions but they would look just a pretty as what they are ... little pink pumpkins.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by here at Todolwen today. 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.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

More Renovations Going On ...

Hello my dear friends,

we are doing it again ... more renovations.

Not only are we finally fixing up our powder room on the main floor after years of planning on doing so but never gotten to do it but we are also renewing most of the windows on the upper floor too. I hate to say that things are not going as I had hoped so far with the windows. It has been now 3 months now and still no new windows. Three weeks ago it was meant to happen but then it rained for 45 minutes and the installers called and cancelled the appointment on us which didn't make me very happy. Now they are meant to come this Friday morning but rain is again forecasted  so it isn't guarantied that it will happen this time.

My little crafting space looks like this since weeks now.


 I didn't want to put everything back again to only pull everything apart again. 

We are having the window in our master bedroom enlarged and to look a little more like our dining room window. Hopefully it will work out OK. They will have to cut about a foot down from the original opening to make it larger for the new window. Oh my ... I am so worried right now. It seems that every time we have work done on our house or in our garden and it is a bigger job, my husband is away with work so I am on my own with all of it. At times I don't mind but at others I sure do. Please, keep your fingers crossed there will be no problems this time.


This is the 'before' with the original windows as old as our house.

I am hoping that I will be able to share a 'after' picture very soon and that I will still be able to smile after it has been done. I get so stressed out whenever we do renovations, always have done and I think, always will. Like I said ... fingers crossed everyone! ... Thank you!

They next two weeks are going to be so crazy busy for me with all sorts.

Our pool is going to be winterized and so is our underground sprinkler system. Our new garage door needs repairs from when it was installed 9 weeks ago (another waiting game for me) and hopefully the new windows will be getting installed. I am also going to a concert with my older daughter Ashleigh to see Elton John tomorrow and next week I am in Toronto with my younger daughter Caylagh for a concert with Adele! (It was her 16th birthday gift from us) And not to forget that I have a long to-do list of all sorts of things I want to strip and paint before it gets cooler ... like our entire upstairs hallway and foyer amongst many bits and piece of furniture and accessories too. And I also like to be a little more creative with making pincushions and sorts. Oh and last but not least ... Christmas is on it's way too! See, I told you ... it is never ending but at least I won't have time to get bored very soon.

Thank you for taking the time to visit me today and I hope you have enjoyed your short stay.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

My Pumpkin Harvest Continues ...

Hello my dear friends,

as promised yesterday, here are a few more new pumpkins that I have 'harvested'.
These little Autumn fruit are so much fun to make that I find it hard not to make one after the other. Oh dear .. pumpkin mania here at Todolwen?! ... But everything has to come to an end ... soon but not just yet.

And here are my next three pumpkins ...

The are the same as the first three in size, filling and embellishments just the fabric and 'stem' is different again just like the first three.

Pumpkin D ...





Pumpkin E ...






And again last but not least ...

Pumpkin F ...





I didn't know how much pleasure it could be to make pumpkins at first but I suer do now.
Tomorrow I will be sharing some more of my this year's pumpkin harvest. I got the idea of making them when I read an article about a young girl in Kansas growing pink pumpkins for a good cause. I loved the look of the pink Autumn fruit and just had to create a few of my own.

So make sure you all come back now and visit me again and see what I have been up too.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day. 

Monday, September 26, 2016

My First Pumpkin Harvest Of The Year ...

Hello my dear friends,

I am so busy these days with so many different things not only creatively but also work that needs doing in the house and garden but today it is raining so I have time to share what I am up too. I am busy 'harvesting' my first pumpkins of the year ... pincushion pumpkins!

I picked fabrics of different colors and textures but used the same bits and pieces to give the pumpkins that special touch. Linen, cotton, wool and velvet in some lovely colors were embellished with crinkled seam binding, old crystals from an antique chandelier and last but not least my velvet pumpkin leaves give the pumpkins that final neat touch. Old tarnished silver spoon handles became the stems and each one of them is filled with crushed walnut shells and that only which makes them the perfect pincushions. Of course they also do look lovely just as pumpkins. Just like in real life they are not perfect and not exactly the same but that gives them even more character in my eyes.

And here is my first three pumpkins of this year's 'harvest'!

Pumpkin A ...





Pumpkin B ...





And last but not least ...

Pumpkin C ...





I am really pleased with the way they have all turned out and of course just couldn't resist making more of them. These three will be listed in my Etsy shop at the end of this week with all of the others that I will be 'harvesting' in the next few days. So if you have a few spare moments, why not stop by and visit me again and see what I have been up too?!

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Many New Treasures ...

Hello my dear friends,

I was planning on sharing this post with you a few days ago but things don't always go the way we would like them too. I had started to work in our garden and just got lost in time and didn't get around to sharing it before and therefore you are reading it today.

Due to a little stormy weather the night before we visited the beach of Lake Huron last Sunday, there were many beach treasures to be found. Every other step there was a peace of beach glass just waiting to be picked up. It didn't take long before one of my pockets was full with many pieces of the smooth pieces of broken glass. I also collected some little pebbles and rocks that were neat and a few pieces of driftwood that I couldn't leave behind.


My older daughter found this pebble and she thought it looked like a sail of one of the boats on the lake. 


 That is such a neat thought and it got me thinking about what I could do with some my findings from this walk.

The flea market we went to was very busy and I also found some very neat pieces there and one of them was a 'true' treasure.

It was so lovely walking under the roof of leaves  ...


... with the sun rays peeking through.

In a far corner I saw this sign ...


... and just loved it!

We walked through the ailses of the outdoor market and then finally headed back home after an hour or so. Me with more new treasures in hand.

I found four ...


... of these tarnished chalices.
I love having items like this always around at all times for some reason.


I have never seen a large ball jar lid of this size before, only smaller ones like my old one above it.


Some bits and pieces to use as embellishments on my creations.

And finally ... my 'true' treasure!

I walked past one of the last stalls of the market that had all sorts of old bit and pieces and this one just stood out.






It is a little more quirky than I would normally go for but it too had to come home with me. Back at home, I researched it a little bit more and I discovered the following. It is an ...

... "antique American silver/silverplate figural toothpick holder c. 1880. 
It is a chick's head breaking through the egg with a wishbone base made by the Meriden B. Company #63."

That is an official description that I found on the Internet of this item. Over the many years all it's shiny covering faded away but it is still such neat piece and a true treasure. I am not quite sure about what I am going to do with it just yet. Keep it or use it in a creation? ... That is now the question. I guess, I will just have to wait and see how I make my mind up and that means so will you.

Thank you for stopping by today and spending a little time here at Todolwen and be sure to come back again another time to see what else I might have to share.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.