Rainy Days and Mondays....

All the rain over the last couple of weeks has made me really yearn for a lovely pink polka dot mac I saw in Sainsburys. Well the rain hasn't been letting up and Geordie was sick of my 3 times a day conversation about how much I really NEEDED a pink polka dot mac. So it's now mine and I have worn it every single day over the last 10 days.

It's first outing came last Friday when me and Ms M went to Ramsbottom to look for antiques and charity shop bargains. I found this gorgeous little jug with blossom on which looks really old. All the glaze is crackled and I think it will look gorgeous with some sweet peas in on my kitchen table-cost? £1....bargain.

I also found this lovely big serving plate which looks 1970's to me. I love the pattern and colour and I'll definitely use this rather than put it on a shelf-cost? £2.....another bargain.

Then I found this really sweet spice cabinet with a stained glass door. I'm going to paint the wood in the same lovely duck egg blue paint I did my kitchen table in and clean up the glass and it should look good-cost? £2.....total bargain. 

Ms M bought some lovely things for her shop, chamber pots, vases, tea caddies etc. We are totally different when we go shopping together because she likes to look at the factory names and if there is a chip, a crack or anything missing she's not interested whereas I always tend to gravitate towards the rejects- a dish with the lid missing, a vase on it's own when it should be a pair, I just go for pattern and colour, I don't care if it has no name underneath.

We went in a few vintage clothes shops too and saw some gorgeous dresses and fake fur shawls and jackets-so lovely. We saw so many beautiful things but I'm on such a tight budget at the moment it was strictly window shopping in those shops. As I did the driving, Ms M treated me to coffee and carrot cake in a lovely old-fashioned tea room. Yum!!

As the weather has kept me at home quite a bit, I decided to get some of my 'Work In Progresses' finished. First up was my Attic 24 Little Squares Cushion. I only had to actually sew it up but it's just been sitting there for weeks. Anyway here is the finished project and I'm really pleased with how colourful it looks. It's my first time using the 'join as you go' technique with the little squares and it's so easy I'll definitley do this again.

Next I finished my Owl Doorstop. I'd actually finished all the crocheting weeks ago-it just needed stuffing and sewing up. I ended up putting a kilo of dried chick peas in to weigh him down. He looks so cute and I can't wait to see what the cats think of him (when they all wake up from their giant 12 hour snooze on our bed!)

Anyway, it's Monday tomorrow and back to work so I decided to have a go at making another corsage type brooch but in cotton instead of wool so I can wear it on a cardie for a more Summer-y look. I really like how it turned out as I've not used cotton before and I found it a bit fiddly to crochet with it because it has no stretch in it. I used the Attic 24 pattern and just sewed a circle of felt on the back with a brooch pin on. I can't wait to wear it tomorrow for work. It should cheer up a dreary rainy Manchester Monday.....



Hope everyone has had a good week. xxx

Weekend in Durham....

I had such a lovely weekend in Durham. Geordie wanted to go and look at a 1950's Ford Pop he wants to buy/restore so we decided to go for the weekend as it's a county we know and love very much.

He liked the car....

......we then drove to Barnard Castle and saw David Harper's Antique shop (the guy on Antique Road Trip and every other antique programme on T.V). Geordie wanted to have his photo taken with him but I get really really embarassed in situations like that so a photo of his shop had to do.

Another interesting shop......

Anyway we then went to Bowes Museum and had a walk around the grounds. It is a beautiful place and there were lots of hidden treasures amongst the trees....

We also found this, which we thought was fascinating as we've visited Bowes loads of times and never seen this before in the grounds.....



Another place we visited on our weekend was Egglestone Abbey....

This is looking up into the old spiral stairwell.....you can still see a few stone stairs remaining.

It's really wierd because it's not like any other ruins I've been too because it's just on it's own up a lane in a field next to a load of cows.....

Being a city girl, it's not often you'll see a picture of a cow on this blog!!

When I got home I decided to make my Sara Smith cleaning cloths bunting for my garden-nothing to do with the jubilee mind-I just like bunting. I paid £1.00 for 2 packs of these cloths and cut each cloth into 10 triangles and then hand stitched them onto some blue braid. The good thing about making bunting out of these cloths is I can leave them outside and they won't come to any harm as they are designed for cleaning and washing.

Outside where they will be left.....

Inside, so you can see the colours and size better. I'm really pleased with how they came out and they were so so simple to make. If I had a sewing machine they would have been made in minutes-no hemming, no pinning, just cut and sew.

I decided to have a go at Lucy's Attic 24 May Rose as well this weekend as someone at work gave me some wool in a colour and style I wouldn't normally buy and I was wondering what to do with it. I quite like how it came out......

I just crocheted the rose, two leaves and stitched a vintage button on the front and a brooch pin on the back-it was done in about half an hour. Me and my Mum are hoping to do a craft stall in the autumn so I might make some of these as brooches, I might stitch some onto hair bobbles or slides.....I'm just trying a few things out at the moment and trying to make things I would like to buy if I saw them on a stall. I'd like this pinned on a vintage tweed bag or on my furry jacket......we'll see anyway.

Hope everyone else had a lovely sun-filled, colourful, productive weekend!

xx

Want to get married now!

Well after spending a hideously hot day cooped up in my 7th floor office where the windows only open 2 inches due to Health and Safety, it was lovely to finally get home, make a lovely refreshing cup of earl grey tea and browse through the latest issue of Mollie Makes. If you haven't seen this magazine, you're missing a treat-it's brilliant. Normally there's a lovely free gift of vintage buttons, ribbon, crochet flower kits etc. The free gift this month is a magazine called 'Lets Get Hitched' and it's filled with gorgeous inspirational wedding themes and quirky, vintage stuff.

Look at these wedding invitations? I LOVE these so much.

The Bridesmaids......I really adore this idea, vintage dresses and coloured tights.

The Bride (on the right), I really love this dress and bouquet. This is Elsie Larson whose blog is here. I really love the idea of the birds in the bouquet.

Look at these beauties too....(sorry about the rubbish photo)....these would be perfect for bridesmaids wouldn't they?

Some more beautiful bouquets.

Honestly I really feel like getting married now. :-) xx



My Car Blanket is finished!

I have had a frantic week trying to get my blanket finished. When it actually came down to it, I felt a bit sad to be coming to the end because it's my first blanket and I started it in the winter on those dark evenings and imagined finishing it in time for summer picnics....well hello summer, I've finished!!!

So without further ado.......here it is.

It does look quite a lot brighter in real life and I am so happy with how it turned out! I do like all the random-ness of the different sized squares. I'd probably do things a bit differently colour-wise if I was starting it now but for my first big project, all in all, I'm pleased. Also as it's 100% acrylic, I was a bit worried how it would feel and drape but when it came out of the washer having been drowned in 'Comfort' fabric softener, it feels so soft and beautiful, I was really impressed. 

I realised today as well that as this blanket is intended for Tulip my car, it's quite apt that it is 2 years ago this week that I passed my driving test and got the lovely Tulip!

Here's Oliver giving his expert opinion on the unfinished version before I added the border. It was honestly on the floor for less than 30 seconds while I picked the camera up, and there he was trying it out!!

While I was having a 'big project' trauma, I decided to make myself something quick and satisfying that would only take an hour or two. Having looked at all the stuff in my handbag, I decided my car stereo needed a 'cosy'. Out came the scraps of wool and a couple of hours later........

I haven't had much time for shopping this week but I did have a quick charity shop browse today and got this lovely bright vase for £1.50.

Also these knee socks for £2 which I'm going to makeover (as planned in my previous post)

  

And lastly, my present from Geordie this week (as he did have a good week selling on ebay) was this lovely cool bag from Cath Kidston. I have wanted this for ages but they don't stock them anymore as they have a new one out now. I saw this on ebay and mentioned a few hundred times how much I love it. Anyway when my back was turned, a bid was put on and this morning it arrived in the post......

Oooh I can't wait to go back to work on Monday and take my dinner in this!

Hope everyone else has had a lovely week.

XX

I really love these.....

I absolutely love long socks and I almost swooned with delight when I saw these. The are from an Irish company called Avoca (who do beautiful soaps as well!!!) You can buy them from the internet but I found them in a lovely shop in Haworth and as the shop also stocks Cath Kidston, I spent a lovely half hour browsing and touching and day dreaming. 

I want all of these, I just need them all sooooo much. Geordie suggested I customise my Primark socks until I win the lottery and do you know what? Thats not a bad idea.......  ;-) xx 

Morrissey, Morrissey, Morrissey.......

Oh my god!!!!! Excitement!!!! We have tickets for Morrissey!!!!!! I nearly had a heart attack trying to buy tickets, I had 2 phones and my laptop going-I looked like one of those Wall street traders shouting 'Buy,Sell,Buy'. Anyway tickets are bought now so I can relax. I have travelled all over to see Morrissey so I am soooo happy this time he will only be a 10 minute tram journey away.

After I had calmed down on friday, I noticed these on my kitchen table, Geordie found them in the 'hideous cupboard under the srairs'. I have got no idea where they came from or what they were doing in my 'hideous cupboard under the stairs'. Geordie has never seen them before either! I do like them though and squealed with delight on finding them.....

I haven't been doing much to blog about recently as no sooner did I recover from my virus (which made me feel rough for about 3 weeks) when I started to feel ill again. I actually realised I'd been ill every month since last November. I decided to really take it easy for a couple of weeks and went to bed early every night and got loads of sleep, I bought some vitamin C, zinc and echinacea drops, loads of fruit, salad and vegetables, and tried to keep my stress levels really low. Geordie is an angel when I feel low because he was making me my tea so I could eat when I came in from work, and he made me a flask of hot water, honey and lemon every morning to take to work. It seems to be working up to now anyway because fingers crossed I've started to feel a bit better and more like my old self.

Anyway speaking of Geordie, he has been working away on restoring his lovely 1978 MGB GT. He loves restoring classic cars and we have had loads of Beetles, Mini's, a VW campervan and loads of motorbikes. I am trying desperately to finish my car blanket so we can take it to the classic car shows in the summer in the MG with our lovely picnic hamper.

I know it's only an MG not an E-type jag but I always feel a bit decadent and movie star-ish when we go out in it and I think Geordie should be wearing a velvet smoking jacket and smoking a pipe.

Off for another early night now but hopefully I'll be back to my old knitting, crocheting, vintage hunting, craft loving, shopaholic, colourful self soon.

xxx

Geordie the skip rat....

Look what Geordie found in a skip near a friend of ours?

It's really solid and chunky. I'm going to paint it and put it on the landing as a linen / bedding box. We're really short of storage in this house and this is just so perfect (or it will be when I've finished with it). The only reason I can think of for it being in a skip is that there is a small ink stain on the top but once I've sanded and painted it it will be fine.

Tonight I decided to look at all the squares I was crocheting for my Babette Car blanket that I started in February and have neglected after an initial flurry of activity. I laid all the pieces out and realised it won't take many more squares as I'm planning on putting quite a thick border on it. This blanket is to take out in the car for sitting on at classic car shows and picnics so I must get it finished in the next couple of months. When I look at it, I really wish I'd gone for a brighter yellow instead of that pale one but never mind. Also all the wool is acrylic and some of it feels a bit 'squeaky' but I wanted it to be hard wearing and machine washable so I'm sure it will be ok when it all comes together.

I finally finished my Easter chicks too so they are being hand delivered with chocolate and hard cash tomorrow.....(and yes I know the pink one has a bent leg-I think it's cute and quirky but I'm not sure my super critical niece will agree!)

I also made this on Friday for my antiques friend Ms M who has a bit of a boiled egg / vintage egg cup obsession. It was her birthday and since she left work we made a pact not to buy birthday presents for each other anymore as she is trying to start her business up and is on a strict budget. I just couldn't do it so I told her it didn't count as I made it.

 

In the end it was good karma because one of her friends saw it and asked if I could make her a hat in a similar style....and she wants to pay for it!!!! I feel a bit wierd about it as when I've made things in the past I've always done it for nothing so we'll see.....

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter.

xx