My Outdoor Project Day 3 And 4 ..

Hello my dear friends,

Friday and Saturday turned out to be day 3 and 4 and work is going slow but I am OK with that now. Again I reached my goal of 4 feet of the river bed on day 3 but again wanted to do more. The next 4 or 5 feet I started I think are the worst of the entire river bed. This is the part where the pool company dumped excess soil into the river bed and I am having to dig through almost a foot off of a clay/soil mixture to get to the river rock and then dig out the river rock and I am not even going to get started about all the weeds and grass growing on top of all this.

I have changed my tools as well, the garden fork is of no use at this moment and it is a labor intense job on my knees and digging every rock out with a little gardening shovel which has taken me at least 3 hours so far and I finish for the first time in any of my outdoor projects and not completing the task I set myself ~ my knees were begging me not to carry on so I didn't.

 

It became so hot under the sun that I had to get my sun umbrella out again and it helped so much!

This is where I stopped on day 3 ... the heat was too much in the end and I was so worn out. Normally I would push myself but this time I didn't because there is always tomorrow ...

... which was day 4.

 Again the heat and humidity was intense again so I didn't start working until after 4 pm but I did finish the section of the river bed that I wanted to. Unfortunately right at the end I slipped off of a rock and twisted my left ankle, luckily only slightly but enough for it to hurt. This is the ankle that I injured in my fall down my stairs last year ~ so that means a few days of no digging and dragging rocks for me just to make sure things get better. The next step is to move the bridge. This is where I am going to need help for the first time because this little bridge weighs a ton!

 

I must say I can't wait for this project to be finished ~ I will be so happy. Maybe I will start painting my daughter Caylagh's room the next few days ... not quite sure just yet but what ever I do decided to do, I will share with you lovely bloggers again.

 

And until then ... I hope you will visit me soon here at Todolwen again.

 

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

 

Have a peaceful and creative day,

 

 

Karen B.

 

My Etsy Shop And Shipping Costs

Hello my dear friends,

this is just a short note about a mistake I made in my last listing in my Etsy shop.

I try very hard to calculate the shipping cost for the creations I sell on Etsy but at times I do make mistakes.

 

I had over calculated the shipping costs for my fabric pouches but I have now corrected this.

 Unfortunately mistakes happen and to tell you the truth some times it is hard to work with Canada Post. One minute something I have calculated is cheaper than I thought it would be and then another time it is much higher than I thought too and this could all be just about a measurement difference of just under a 1/4 inch of thickness in a padded envelope.

But please be assured that if I ever charge you more than I pay at the post office for the shipping on your order I will ALWAYS refund you the difference. I have just done so a few days ago with two lovely ladies that bought a fabric pouch of mine each.

Please don't let this stop you from thinking of purchasing any creations of mine in the future.

 

Thank you for your understanding.

 

Hugs

 

 

Karen B.

My 'Refound' Victorian Treasure ..

Hello my dear friends,

I am sure you have done this too at least once ... placed something in a 'safe' place or put something away only to find it again after some time and almost being as happy the day you got it first. Well ... this is one of those times.

I had bought this lovely baby gown in the UK whilst I was living there some years ago. It is a handmade Victorian little piece and so pretty. It ended up in my closet for I think a few years now, some where hiding away in the darkest corner and a week ago I 'found' it again!

It is such a lovely little piece made from thicker cotton cloth with embroidery and crochet edges  ~  a true little treasure and I just had to share it with you.

 

 

So much work and love have gone into this little gown. I wonder who made it?... Maybe a Mother-to-be or a Grandmother or Aunt excited for the new arrival of the family!? It would be so neat to know.

 

Now all I need is to find a place to hang it up so I can look at it every day.

 

So ... next time you tidy your closet or your basement, look a little longer because you might just 'refind' one of your hiding treasures too.

 

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

Have a peaceful and creative day,

 

 

Karen B.

My Outdoor Project ~ Day 2

Hello my dear friends,

I was able to spend several hours in my backyard yesterday continuing the work on my river bed. I can't believe how slow it went and it seems that I didn't get much done at all but if I think of how hard the work was ... I know why.

I have no idea know how many rocks I picked up, dug up and moved and then moved back again today but my poor arms won't let me forget. Luckily the weather wasn't too hot so that was something that was good. I am sure this project is actually going to be more hard work than the one I did last year when I landscaped most of my back and front yard and moved more than 200 wheelbarrows of crushed rock.

I did take a few photos to share with you today and hopefully the next time I share a post about my outdoor project I will have much more done.

 

So many weeds just waiting for me to start and you can't even see the storm drain at all just yet.

 

My trusty garden fork and other garden helpers were all there to help me ...

 

... get this job done right!

 

At last ... all stone are picked out and up, and now...

 

... time for the new landscaping fabric and then ...

... all the rocks back in their place.

 

Believe it or not but what you see in this photos took me about 4 hours or a little more of work and it's only 6 feet that are now done. I have at least 50 feet or more to go!

Wish me luck that I will feel good enough to continue today ... which I am hoping I will.


And last but not least ...

... unfortunately I am not taking part in this years "Where bloggers create" which I am sad about and it is such a shame. I am going to do my best to take part in the next one and I am hoping that the wonderful Karen Valentine will host another amazing event like this next year again! So today I am marking my calendar for this time next year already!

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

Have a peaceful and creative day,


Karen B.
 

Speckeled Eggs ....

Hello my dear friends,

I don't know how I could have forgotten to share these little beauties with you.

I contacted Petite Michelle Louise and she was so sweet and made a custom order of her amazing little clay eggs for me.

 

 

These are so sweet.

I love how they are in a little packet all tucked away safe in Spanish moss and the label is so pretty too.

 

If you are lucky as I am and own a nest from the sweet and oh-so talented Vicki from 2 bags full, you will find that you already have some of these little gems right there with you.

 

All I have to do is to find the right creation to make for them to find a new little home in. When that will happen I am not sure of, but whenever I have created it I will share it here on Todolwen.

 

It is so nice for you to visit me here at Todolwen and it would be nice to see you here again some time in the future.

 

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

 

Have a peaceful and creative day,

 

 

Karen B.

 

 

 

 

My Outdoor Project ~ Day 1

Hello my dear friends,

little did I realize how many weeds were living  in my riverbed and around my willow tree until yesterday.

 I had decided it was time to start working on my outdoor project for this summer and it seemed to be a good day to do so, since it had rained the day before so the ground was soft. I didn't think of how hot and humid it would be so I didn't last very long. I was out there for I think 3 hours or just over and then had to stop because I was just too warm. I am not even sure if a big difference can be seen already in my before and after photos from my first day but I will share then with you anyways.

 

Before I started weeding ...

 

 

... and after.

OK ... you can see a difference after all there is at least that.

 

Again before ...

 

 

... 3 hours of hard work!

 No ... doesn't look that much better on this side of the riverbed.

 

I am a little disappointed that I didn't get more done and I am hoping that I will be able to work on it in the next few days again but nothing is for certain yet. Our weather is really playing up ... it is hot and very humid and it rains almost every day here now and I must say I am not one for standing in the rain and weeding. I really didn't think that pulling weeds would be hard work ... well, I was wrong because it is and the real work hasn't even started yet which is removing the rock and replacing the landscaping fabric ... oh dear what have I let myself in for?!

 

I will keep you up to date with how things are going. I don't think that they will go as fast as I would like them to so I don't think I will be posting every day about this project. I am just hoping it will go at a good pace and well.

 

One good thing on the other hand the weather again has done for me ...

 

 

... it has made my yellow lilies bloom outside my kitchen window and they are looking so lovely.

 

And last but note least ...

 

I would like to say a huge 'thank you' to all of you that support me when I need it.

Thank you for all your kind words, thoughts and especially understanding when I made the decision about not posting free tutorials anymore on Todolwen.

 

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

 

Have a peaceful and creative day,

 

 

Karen B.  

 

Now Listed ... My Fabric Pouches

Hello my dear friends,

just a short note to let you know that all six of my fabric pouches are now listed in my Etsy shop. 

 

  

If you would like to see more just pop over at my right sidebar and click on my Etsy shop ~ the link will take you right there.

And last but not least ...

... I just couldn't resist taking a few more photos of some of the flowers in my garden and sharing them with you because ...

 

 

... I just love their beauty!

 

My lavender is now in full bloom and looks stunning.

I even found these three little mushrooms living in my lawn ... too cute!

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

Have a peaceful and creative day,


Karen B.