Interior color to light up the winter days.....

Sunny yellow jonquils and lemons from my garden in a glass jug.

backyard lemons and children's art arranged in a row along the kitchen windowsill.

Old cake tins.

 

 Hand knitted aran scarf in red wool.

It's been so cold here, night time temperatures reaching 2 degrees. 

My fingers are cold as I type , so I won't be here long.

It's back into the living room where I can warm up, 

Winter is a time when the interior really needs a shot of color,

and the garden provides us with some relief. 

Yellow jonquils paired with branches of lemon brighten up my living room.
Fresh red checks in the kitchen, yellow lemons from the garden ..... just what
our living quarters need at this time of the year.

Winter seems to me a perfect opportunity to knit, so the challenge came

 when I knitted this aran scarf recently. Nothing beats hand knitted garments. 

They take time but, being of superior quality, 

it will last a long time yet, and that makes good ecological sense.

brrrr, I'm out of here.......

Hand spun wash cloths and other home comforts

Been knitting of late, with organic cotton yarn by Heirloom. 

I really like the muted natural colors, and the yarn is incredibly soft,

it feels so natural to the touch. These wash cloths are knitted in basic garter stitch ,

running on the diagonal , giving the wash cloth a distinct look. The edges are dotted with

 and eyelet trim. These are now available , along with other items through my shop on Etsy.

Taking risks.....

It's been a while since I last posted and for good reason. I've started a new business venture and have been busy creating all things wholesome and handmade. Drop in and have a look at my new blog -

Eco As Anything

 'The Shack' in my backyard. Watercolor on paper. 2011

Andrea

Living the grass roots life.

'The Shack Out The Back'

...is a special place for me. It's only a humble little out-house, with no electricity and no running water. One of the glass windows was missing so I had to replace it with some heavy duty clear plastic. Does the job fine and keeps out rain and weather. All  my paintings are stored here and I also paint sometimes in here, if not outdoors. I refused a traditional washing line in favour of an ad -hoc line made of branches and string. ....the backyard vista looks poetic in my eyes.

I've been renovating small kitchen items. A once dark blue enamelware vase has taken on a fresh look in white enamel paint. Looks really nice now filled with fresh hydrangeas from the garden.

.......very old canisters covered in layers of paint , scrubbed backto reveal the shiny metal beneath. I did this without the need for chemicals, by submerging them in boiling water for 15 minutes and then, scraping away the paint. Revealing some of the original labels which probably date back to early 1900's australian . I decided to leave some of this original paintwork on the tins which now gleam.

We are enjoying a cooler spell here in Melbourne, after the onslaught of heat last week. With temperatures reaching 40 degrees, I escaped outside and painted in the shade. We have no air - conditioning in this home,  

but a fan does suffice, coupled with the occasional drenching with water. Have no desire to pump up the electricity usage when the over- use of electricity is part to blame for the extreme temperatures facing us in this day and age. Australia's early settlers managed , and so can we.