Chelsea Blue Whispers

Shop Scenes...

2009-12-21T07:05:00.003+10:00

Hello at last! Now that it is almost Christmas I thought that I had better show everyone what I've been up to. ( I apologise for the not so clear photos as the light was a little strange.)

Well here it is... Cathy and my wonderful shop! We have had so much fun bringing it together.

We have had a lot of very positive responses from all the lovely people that have passed through our doors this past couple of weeks.

Between my ebay finds, Cathy's lovely old, white furniture (which has left Cathy's house a little bare) and careful selection of shop stock we are both very pleased with the look. Well actually we LOVE it and wouldn't mind living there! We even had thoughts of putting mattresses on the floor and projecting movies onto those very nice, large, white walls and having a girls only movie night!

Now I must concentrate on doing some Christmas things. I have only ventured into the Christmas crazed crowds once so far but I did manage to find a few gifts....many more to go though. We at least have a decorated Christmas tree which is most important as we've got to have somewhere to put all those presents!
I will hit the shops again today and tomorrow I will have to get some Christmas cooking done. In theory that is!

Hope Christmas preparations are going well for everyone else. Take care,

2009-11-07T21:21:00.002+10:00

Hello everyone! Such a long time since we've had a chat!
I have been spending an awful lot of time at my little desk making charms in readiness for the shop opening which is now just around the corner. Only a couple of weeks!
It's funny though, the more charms I make , the more I want to make. It is such an enjoyable thing to do. Just as I'm finishing one group of charms I'm already thinking of what ideas that I can come up with for the next.

I haven't been just working though. I have been enjoying the garden immensely. After all it is Spring (all be it the last month). I am so pleased with the garden this year as I managed to get more flowers to grow. Such an arduous task when there hasn't been much rain. I think we have had 90mm in the last 6 months!!! Horrifying! I must have carted thousands of watering can loads of water over these past 6 months to get the flowers to grow and survive.

It is a labour of love. Just to see foxgloves, cornflowers, poppies and hollyhocks flowering is so worth it.

I have also strategically positioned a couple of bird baths where I can see them from my rocking chair when I'm sitting on the verandah. It has been such a joy to see the large variety and number of birds that frequent them. As the surrounding bush gets extremely dry I'm afraid my meagre little birdbaths are the main water supply for many birds. Even the shy emerald doves have paid me a visit. It is so nice to know that I am helping the wild birds through this dry time.

A happy week to everyone.
Smiles,

2009-09-27T22:04:00.002+10:00

I'm ba-aaaack! Sorry I've been missing in action so long. I sort of had some forced time off. You know the story.....the nasty ol' flu creeps up on you when you least expect it and the next thing you know it's two or three weeks later. Yuk! What a horrible flu! I'm all better now though. At least I was well enough to venture out for the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers last weekend.
The flowers in the parks were so beautiful.

I just love to see so many families out and about soaking up the beauty around them. It felt like being in one of the famous European gardens....not that I've been....sigh.....one day...

Tomorrow we are off for a few days camping down at the coast. It will be a nice break before the shop opening (not long now) but I will miss my garden. It was nice sitting in my pink rocking chair in the garden when I was getting over the flu. My primulas flowered really well this year.

A happy week to everyone,

Spring is upon us...

2009-08-21T10:57:00.006+10:00

My garden is already starting to feel very "Springy". This beautiful old tea rose has not stopped flowering all year, even in winter.

The jasmine is covered in buds. I can't wait for its beautiful smell. Nothing says Spring around here more than this heavenly perfume on a warm Spring day.

Colourful nemesias are flowering.....

the shrike thrush with its pretty song.....

and the butterflies with their incredible colours are starting to arrive.

Flowers, birds and butterflies! It is little wonder that we love Spring.

Now all we need is rain to add a little touch of magic.

A happy weekend to everyone

and thanks so much for the lovely comments.

It is so nice to hear from each and every one of you,

Angela.

Ideas

2009-08-05T13:13:00.004+10:00

At last I have time to post!

Well the last couple of weeks have been full indeed.

Cathy and I have been trying to come up with some more ideas for the shop. Things that are different and things that you can't go past. So here's a little sneak peek. These are just the starting point for some of our ideas so you will just have to come to the shop when it opens to see the finished product!

The possibilities are endless. So many ideas, so little time.

The other exciting thing to happen is that my dear son Isaac turned 18 on the 28th of July.

How exciting is that and how old am I?! Isaac is now officially a man....but he'll always be my little boy. Much to his disgust I would imagine. Seems so strange. It doesn't feel THAT long ago that I was 18. I guess it is though.

The afternoon that I made his cake made for an exciting one. It was like a scene out of Masterchef! I only had one and a half hours to make this triple layer, chocolate, coffee cream filled cake complete with chocolate meringues and chocolate coated strawberries. (A combination of several recipes, just to make life hard.) And I did it. The timing was crucial as I had to get the cakes in and out of the oven before I could put the meringues in for the hour they needed and yippee it all went according to plan. What a buzz! I'm sure that I'm meant to work in a restaurant or something. There is nothing better than the adrenaline rush of time pressures and everything coming together at the right time. Oh....now you've all seen another side to me. I always did say that I worked better under pressure. Yes I admit it, I'm one of THOSE people that leave everything to the last minute!

A happy day to everyone,

A Weekend Like Spring

2009-07-13T08:27:00.004+10:00

What a beautiful weekend we have just had. The weather was very much like a perfect Spring day. Just when I was feeling so worn out from all the cold that we have been having Spring came knocking at the door. I think there should be more of those days.

I was planning on making a lot of charms but you don't let beautiful days like those go to waste so I spent most of both days in the garden and only managed to get a few charms made.
In the evening I tried my hand at ebay to see what treasures could be found and I was fortunate enough to find this old, black and white wooden rule. I was so pleased as they are not easy to find here in Australia and I really wanted one for measuring things in the shop....and it HAS to fit into the overall colour scheme of course:) I also bought 500 sterling silver jump rings for a bargain for all the charms I need to make and a sterling silver ball chain necklace for a steal. What a buzz it is bidding on ebay!

:)SMILES,

The Beauty That Surrounds Us

2009-06-18T22:38:00.004+10:00

The more I look around me.....

the more beauty I find.

There are so many lovely things to behold if we stop to take the time.

Sometimes we take the lovely things we have for granted.

See the beautiful treasures that I found at my home.

What do you see?

Smiles,

A New Week

2009-06-15T11:25:00.004+10:00

Here's to a new week!

After a few challenging weeks (raising teenagers, need I say more?), I'm in need of some prettiness.

These are some of the charms that I have been making. These always make me happy.

Now all they need is the solder.

I found a little fairy sleeping in my fern......

......and some beautiful Duchess de Brabant roses to put in my little white jug that I found at the market. Roses always give me a sense of well-being.

Did you see Cathy and my new shoppe blog?......the beginning to our new adventure of opening a shop. It is going to be an exciting and challenging (in a good way) journey.....

Wishing everyone a pretty week too,

Old Postcards

2009-05-27T19:07:00.003+10:00

When John and I were out and about on our anniversary "date", I was fortunate to find these lovely old postcards in one of the antique shops we looked in.
Many a time have I rifled through the box of old postcards on the shop counter but I'm often disappointed as we just don't seem to be able to get many of these sort. More of the garish sort, which I'm sure someone would love but not me.

I had sort of given up looking in the box on other occasions but I think my sixth sense was beckoning to give them just one more look.

Sure glad I listened!

Happy days,

Last Week

2009-05-24T21:07:00.003+10:00

The autumn leaves are really beautiful now and with the lovely rain this past week, they have been falling from the trees in colourful showers.
I just had to show you the pretty roses John gave me on our anniversary.....
a delicate shade of orange sorbet.

The stocks that I planted out a few weeks ago are really getting a grow on and I can't wait to smell their spicy scent. There is no other smell like it....I love it!

Happy days,

Out in the Garden

2009-05-15T07:19:00.014+10:00

What glorious weather we have been having. I love autumn!

I have been out in the garden.....in between running Isaac around and helping Cathy with charms,etc.......planting, watering and pruning. It is the first year in a long time that we have had enough rain to be confident enough to plant flowers for spring.

Now all I have to do is to plant some grape hyacinths in this pretty bowl.

Tomorrow is our 22nd wedding anniversary so we off for an outing today and a lovely lunch.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:28:00.003+10:00

A happy mother's day to each and every mum out there and especially to my dear mum who means so much to me. She is such a special person that I don't know where to start.

She is kind, considerate, loving, always there for me (and everyone else for that matter).

She's an entertainer.....quick with a joke or a funny remark....she's a poet and a romantic.

She's a writer, an artist, a loving grandma and wonderful gardener.

A marvellous cook (mum's always whipping up a meal, a slice, a cake or a conserve with little fuss),a friend, a devoted mum and wife and SO MUCH MORE. She's my mum and I wouldn't trade her for anything or anyone.

Love you Mum.

10 Things About Me You May Not Know

2009-04-11T17:25:00.003+10:00

An award has come my way from Sabrina at My Cottage Dream

so now I must let you all in on a few of my secrets.....things that I may not have told you.

1. I am a science nut. As a small child I read a lot of science books and could tell you important things like the life cycle of a fern or plate tectonics or even the habits of a cricket. This is something that I never grew out of and I still am fascinated by anything science related. Needless to say I also did science at uni, became a laboratory technician and ended up working in a seed testing laboratory.
2. I like things to be balanced or lined up. There is nothing worse than going into John's workshop and finding the saw bench running ALMOST parallel to the wall. I could handle 45 degrees BUT ALMOST parallel......EW! Silly I know but none the less annoying.

3. I cry when I hear a beautiful song or see the glory that nature has to offer. Not sad crying but sheer astonishment or amazement at the beauty portrayed by a few words in a song or a beautiful bird.

4. I grew up with three brothers so will have a go at most things, not to be outdone by any boy!

5. I live in a little cottage in a large garden and don't wish for anything bigger.

6. I have been in the Australian Open Garden Scheme several years and enjoyed meeting other keen gardeners immensely. Gardeners truly are a lovely bunch of people and there is certainly no generation gap.

7. I have never been able to grow my nails. They are way too weak and the garden doesn't agree with them.

8. I start a new project before I finish the last one (much to my disgust).

9. I hate killing insects and am a bit of a greenie. I'd rather relocate a spider than kill it.

10. The thing that I'm most scared of is giant stick insects. I can handle spiders and snakes but please don't let that stick insect touch me

Now you know a few of my secrets...shhh...don't tell anyone.

I would love to pass this award on but I'm afraid most people I know are a little award shy so if you would like to play, you could just tell us ten things about yourself. That's always fun.

Take care, Angela.

A Show Full of Colour and Pretty Flowers

2009-03-31T14:15:00.005+10:00

First of all, I must apologize for the large number of photos in this post. It has been quite some time since my last post and I couldn't decide on which photos to post so...
I had some much needed verandah time on the weekend and decided that it could be somewhat prettier than I had had it lately.

There was such a lovely photo of a pretty patio on the last and might I add, VERY LAST, Country Home magazine that made me take a long hard look at my verandah. We do spend a lot of time out there but of late I had let it go somewhat....much to my shame. It is kept fairly tidy but it had no spark, nothing THAT inviting. Now I have a little nook with pretty flowers where John and I sit for our much loved cappuccino time.

I also needed some soothing colours after all the bright colour of the show.

Here is just a sample of the myriad of colour....

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Don't you just love the old "fashionedness"of the displays in the pavilions. It hasn't changed since I was a kid.

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And there are always the lovely farm animals.

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Hope everyone is having a wonderful week. I'm afraid I have been run ragged of late.You see my eldest son, Isaac, has started university and so, one or two times each day we are making the 35 minute journey to the other side of town as he is still on his learner's licence so I have to go with him and do a lot of waiting around....very wearing! He is now up to 91 hours of the 100 hours he has to do before he can go for his provisional licence THEN I won't have to go with him and life can return to normal. What will I do with all that time that I will be getting back?! Start a shop of course! I'm sure you've all heard through my dear friend Cathy's blog that we are going partners in a shop. I am so looking forward to this journey with her. We have the same ideas and the same sort of temperaments so I think it will be wonderful....can't wait.

Happy times, Angela.

Change...

2009-03-03T13:58:00.006+10:00

It was time for a change again! I have just painted my little PINK desk WHITE and am very happy with it. I am also in the process of painting my end wall white. In the process you might ask???? Yes, I did the first coat and ran out of paint!!!! Silly me. I had one of those days that I hadn't done anything much then.....PING.....NEEDED to paint my wall. An hour and a half later, I had washed it down, moved the furniture and applied one coat of paint. Do you have those days when you feel like if you don't do something for yourself the sun will go down and the day will be lost and it would have been just ANOTHER day of housework?

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It was actually the same thing that happened with my desk. A bit of a rush job because I was SUPPOSED to be getting ready to go out somewhere but hey, it turned out well any way.

Now I really need to mend my chair or find another. There have been far too many bottoms on this one. Unless, of course, Goldilocks, was here while we were out!

Not SO Traditional

2009-02-16T15:17:00.004+10:00

How do you know when your VALENTINE knows you?

He gives you PRAWNS instead of chocolates of course!

Don't get me wrong, I do love chocolates, but of late, well, the prawns are a whisker ahead.

Can't seem to get enough of them. AHHHH, true love!

Beautiful roses as well....how spoilt am I?

Beating the Heat!

2009-02-09T13:41:00.002+10:00

It is HOT! Not as hot as down south but hot enough to drive me outside of our little hotbox and into the garden. I have noticed over the years that the best spot in the garden on a hot day is to find the place where the blowflies and King Parrots are chilling out and this is the coolest place to sit. Don't worry, the blowflies leave you alone as they are too hot and bothered to move from their cool leaves on which they sit.

There is only one thing I feel like drinking when it's hot and that I'm afraid to say, is icy cool, coola cordial.REFRESHING! Makes me feel like a kid again.It just hits the spot.
It so lovely out under the trees. I have a few bird baths in the area and so there is the constant twittering of a variety of little and medium sized birds. Even the Eastern Yellow Robin came to visit today. I can also hear something that probably isn't quite as appealing as the dear little birds.....something slithering. As the dogs try to sleep the heat off, they keep an ear tilted in that direction.
Is there a favourite spot of yours to sit and create, sew, read, ponder....
A happy week to everyone and thankyou for your very lovely comments, they are much appreciated and enjoyed,
Angela

A Fresh Coat of Paint

2009-01-20T14:25:00.004+10:00

A change IS as good as a holiday. The healing powers of a fresh coat of paint never ceases to amaze me. We (John, Erica and I) have spent the last week painting Sam and Erica's bedrooms. It feels so much better. Erica went for an all white theme and Sam decided on green. He was actually wanting BLACK (would you believe it!) but I assured him that it was my house too and I could not....under ANY circumstances....come at that-YUK!

The painting was going alright by day four after having to replace windowsills and trim that had been made out of very unsuitable MDF but was much harder than I had anticipated. I think the dry heat didn't help. To cut a long story short, Dad who's a painter by trade and a very fast and efficient one at that, came to the rescue- yet again. In one day (a short one at that) he had transformed our meagre attempts into a masterpiece. SO QUICK! He not only did the final coat on Erica's room but did all the rolling in Sam's room and he redid all the trims and the cupboard doors. Yey!

So, just wanted to say,

Thanks Dad, we really appreciate you and what you have done for us.

Flowers and Paper

2009-01-16T21:57:00.004+10:00

After Christmas when everything has settled down is always a nice time to reflect on the things that I enjoy and things that make me happy in the house.

I had fun making a pretty display out of some of my garden flowers. I love the textures of the flowers and the old paper. I often hesitate when picking flowers for the house at this time of year when it is so hot as they don't last as long as I would like in a vase. They seem to endure the heat better left out in the garden. But, I do like to see their happy smiley faces indoors ,so.....

2009-01-05T08:51:00.002+10:00

Happy New Year

I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to this new year. We had a very nice Christmas with family at our home this year. The weather was very kind....not too hot. I'm afraid that I didn't get many photos as I was a little busy and I forgot to buy an SD card for my daughter's new camera. So of course, my SD card went "missing"!

We are just home from a lovely few days over at the coast. It's always fun to spend some time in the sea but I do like being home as well. It seems with the lead up to Christmas and all that, I haven't been home enough of late.

What does the New Year have in store for you? A new home, a new business venture, a new pet, new year resolutions that may not be kept....? I'm the sort of person that doesn't make new year resolutions. One day at a time is my motto. Life seems pretty good to me so I think I'll just keep going as I am and wait for what might just be around the next corner. I think each day should be enjoyed for what it is and we should make each day count. This might be as simple as relaxing in the beauty of it or perhaps madly working away to create something that we had always imagined. This to me is how dreams come true. I seem to have a lot of dreams coming true lately. That's always good!

When I was younger ( not that I'm old now, but you know what I mean), I was constantly on the go. Having a young family and a new place to make into a home does tend to do that to you. These days I find that stopping and relaxing and enjoying the quiet moments in life has become just as important as the busy, "achieving things" times. Watching the birds, watching a movie with the children, wandering around my garden enjoying the fragrances that hang in the air at dusk....these are the things that I look forward to.

What things are you looking forward to?

Graduation- Where Did Those Twelve Years Go?

2008-11-23T15:16:00.005+10:00

I finally realize what Mum was talking about when she said, "Enjoy the children while they're little as they don't stay that way for long".Here is a photo of my dear little Isaac when he was at kindergarten. How on earth could he be old enough to have just finished twelve years of school? But that, he has.

Last Wednesday night was formal night for Isaac. The lead up was quite exciting- buying Isaac's first suit, arranging flowers and a cool car, choosing just the right shoes. He was quite certain that he wanted to get everything just right for his lovely girlfriend and date, Chiara.

Photo: Toowoomba Chronicle

Chiara looked very beautiful in her exquisite dress and her hair was
amazing. They looked so nice together.

Such a happy and fun occasion. There were so many pretty girls in beautiful dresses, dashing young men in stylish suits and flash cars. It almost felt like Hollywood.

Then on Friday, Isaac had his graduation ceremony. He has done remarkably well at school with surprisingly little effort and is going on to do an IT degree.

We are so very proud of him as he is also a very caring, affectionate and responsible young man who has an incredible imagination that keeps life interesting. As a little boy he was very well spoken from a very early age and would go out of his way to speak to anyone who had an ear to hear. I use to have to allow more time whilst out shopping as Isaac would often spend a lot of time talking to elderly gentlemen. Everyone who new him said he was an old soul. His doctor thought that he would end up in politics. As he has gotten older though he has become more reserved and isn't the chatterbox he once was.

Congratulations on your graduation Isaac, you have done so well!Love to you and may your future bring you all the happiness you deserve, Mum and Dad.

I Did It!

2008-11-04T15:52:00.004+10:00

You may recall a couple of posts ago my hesitation at chopping off these beautiful artichoke buds to eat. Well....I did it! I did however leave the largest, most juiciest bud to flower. I just HAD to.

Now I am looking forward to cooking these up in some garlic butter and serving with some feta and spinach pie.

I'll let you all know how it goes. I've only cooked artichokes once before and they were delicious, so here's hoping! *Bon apetite*

Shabby Find

2008-10-27T08:49:00.005+10:00

Wandered over to our local markets yesterday and found this wonderfully pink, shabby, cane rocking chair. The stall that I bought it from (should have a picture!) is full of all manner of shabby things in the prettiest colours. Beautiful old tablecloths, china and pieces of furniture. I could honestly say that I love everything she sells.

I spotted the rocking chair from afar and was immediately drawn to it. I didn't have to think twice when John said, "Do you want to get it?" YEY!

It is going to live on our little back, shady deck but we are in the process of painting it so I thought it would be lovely to sit in up in the top garden....AND it sure was!

Garden Sanctuary

2008-10-23T15:50:00.009+10:00

Garden Sanctuary
You who walk,

Maybe with troubled thoughts,

Come, enter here and rest;

And may the sweet serenity of growing things,

And the heavenly,peace

Be mirrored in they soul.

-Doxis M. Palmer

There are certain times of the day when the garden takes on a SOUL of it's own. You know what I mean? A quiet calm comes over it. A stillness. Even when there is a gentle breeze. It's usually in the late hours of the day or the first few hours when the sun has been up just a little while and before the sun's rays are getting a little too hot just before midday.

It's these times that I love most in the garden. Only too happy to take the long way around back to the house after getting my first load of washing on the line for the day.

Sometimes it's good for the soul to take the long way.

Good Rain and Gardens

2008-10-13T11:48:00.003+10:00

I'm sure that everyone knows by now that once spring comes AND we have had some good rain, I can't help but post about the garden.
Everything is starting to flourish now. We had just started to get very dry here and I was starting to get a little sad about my poor plants trying to push out their new spring growth with no moisture to support it. Some years the new growth has been scorched off....VERY SAD!
It seems by these photos that I only grow pink flowers but you can be sure that I have a garden full of every imaginable colour.
Down in the picking garden, the globe artichokes are starting to look very architectural with their deeply cut large grey leaves. It so exciting when they start to bud but I must confess that I find it very hard to pick the main bud to eat as the flowers are so miraculous. A giant purple thistle!

They do taste good though done in garlic butter. Oh the dilemma!

Yesterday I finally managed to mulch the vegetables to keep that lovely rain in the ground for a little longer. It really makes a difference especially when the temperature starts to soar.

The young bean plants are getting a real grow on now and the herbs are looking nice and fresh.

Back to the garden for me. Have a happy week, A.