the mediterranean garden of my german girlfriend

My german girlfriend in Andalucia, Southern Spain is a passionate gardener.  She and her hubby bought their property a year before we bought ours. This garden was set up in such a way that it´s easier to maintain.

This garden has varieties of cacti or cactuses as well as different kinds of aloe vera, agaves and most of those plants that love the mediterranean climate such as oleander and bougainvillea.

When her husband was still alive, she used to have so many flowering plants that her garden space of around 1000 sqm is almost used-up.

There is a water tank that gathers the rain and the accumulated water was being used for watering their garden. Water in Spain is so costly, so the watering system they developed somehow reduced their monthly bill.

Her husband, a very industious man passed away a couple of years ago ... now, she has reduced the plants/trees turning it into a low maintenance garden, literally speaking ...almost maintenance free!

We were invited to her house for a coffee and I took the chance to take photos of her beautiful paradise..... 

The garden has a fantastic view towards the mountain and sea. In winter, the peak of that mountain is fully covered with snow. Behind the mountain is the Sierra Nevada and the province of Granada.

The view towards the sea is so breathtaking!

I hope you have enjoyed the pics and the view.

Til next,

Mercy

simply potholders

I have a bunch of potholders at home but can´t recall that I 

have ever crocheted one. The carry-all bag had left over yarn,

 so instead of thinking on what to do with the rest, I thought 

 of turning them into potholders..

While watching the World Cup football between Germany and Portugal,  I started  crocheting the  grey one on the right.

Starting with a chain of 4 to make a round, I used 12 single stitches to finish the 2nd round and continued as in a spiral  all throughout.

  It took me only an hour to finish the rounds as the yarn is thick.

  I ´ve added one round of dark grey  so that edge of the potholder

 gets a contrast.   I did the same with the peach color. 

Single crochet stitch was used all 

  The yarn colors chosen for the bag are almost similar to the

 colors of my kitchen tiles, but this is just a coincidence. 

I´m sure that I will enjoy using these potholders in my kitchen.

Til next, 

Mercy



This post in linked to :
Show & Tell Friday
Feathered Nest Friday - 26

cushion covers - making and collecting

Cushion covers became my passion when I started

the  Blue & white Sampler Quilt I made about a decade ago..

The blue & white ones have been made by me some  years ago and the more they get faded each year,  the more prettier they have become.

My collection keeps growing...I have blogged on the   white on  white ones  (below pic) I made & collected before and still collect, which were mostly quilted but basically with embroideries and laces.

to find more pics and details of the above granny square  cushion covers,  simply click your  

choice below  starting  from left to right..

pillow 1 .... pillow 2 ......    pillow 3, 

crocheted white cushion cover

4 quilted star pillowcases but with different  part templates...

The one on the right was handquilted and the  left one
 was quilted with the machine. 

Thank you for visiting and reading this blog... have a good start of the coming week!


I´m linking this to :
Show & Tell Friday
Feathered Nest Friday - 26
Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Flowers

DIY challenge - a spanish cupboard

It´s not easy to find furnitures in Southern Spain... We had a difficult time searching for spanish style furnitures that we really wanted to have. At some point, we even considered going to Morroco to look for those wood-curved pieces that are andalucian in style.  

Malaga would have been the place to go, but  we didn´t want to drive 60 Km that far. Good that a german friend told us about a new furniture shop that opened recently down the coast.

So we went there and found out that the shop sells vintage furnitures. Upon entering the store and at one glance, we found the furnitures we were looking for.

I fell in love with this old cupboard instantly! I just have to have it and pictured it in my mind that this would be perfect for my small collection of blue & white porcelain!

Although the back of the cupboard had been woodworm infested, it didn´t really bother me because the main frame is intact and is made of hardwood.

 I would have to refurbish it at any rate and the idea of refurbishing made me smile...it´s that kind of challenge I needed for some time now and it was my chance..

When the cupboard was delivered, I went to work right away removing the back of the frame as well as its top which was actually covered with a plywood...

This is how the upper part looked like after removing the back panels.

Our local mason told us that his carpenter friend could provide the panels needed, so I got them alright.

The 1m x 1m panels even cost more than the cupboard itself. The price was ridiculous, but I really didn´t want to drive 60 km to get those panels from Bauhaus. I used ordinary nails to fix the panels and varnish those.

Using a fine sandpaper, I sanded the surface again and again to even the scratches and varnish the whole wood until its color equals the lower part of the cupboard..A spray of transparent acrylic paint did the finish.

The blue & white porcelain set here on display was manufactured in Germany...I guess, I would have to start collecting  andalucian ceramics in (cobalt) blue & white and change the display appropriately.

Thanks for reading me.  Cherrish your Sunday!

Til next, 

Mercy

I´m linking this to : 

Feathered Nest Friday - 26

Show & Tell Friday

A Carry-all Bag

Hello everyone!

I hope all of you are fine and coping with the heat wave. For me, it´s back to reality after 4 weeks of absence in the blogging world. The holiday took me to our 2^nd home in Andalucia, Southern Spain.

  During my holiday, I thought of making a few projects to 

  keep me busy for the next 4 weeks...

For me,  just be lazy or doing nothing is sometimes a "no go" for I easily get bored when my hands aren´t working. 

Besides, crafting is more fun to do especially when

 time slowly passes by.

The first project I´m going to show you is this  crocheted
 carry-all bag.

 A tote bag is always a welcome accessory, a bag that is sturdy enough to carry all those food goodies or things from short errands made during lunch breaks.

 Each skein has 40 grams and I used-up a total of 10 skeins... peach, light grey and dark grey.

 The stitch is so simple, double crochet stitch all the rounds and handles were done in a single crochet stitch.

Then, I lined the bag with a light brown cotton fabric.
Both the yarn and the lining are washable at 30°C.
 My apology for the pic color, took this one during the night.

I´m sure this will be a good carry-all bag which is stylish 

enough even for a city stroll.

I´m linking this post to:

Feathered Nest Friday - 26

Keep on crafting!

xoxo, Mercy