Emily's adventures in Tintin I

Thank you for your comments on my last post. It's funny how everyone remembers their first car and I'm pleased to see I'm not the only one who names them!

Yesterday was our first proper trip out in Tintin. Being a blue car I decided he'd look his best by the sea so in the morning we headed off to West Bay for some better photos...

He had many an admiring glance and attracted much attention in the carpark.

As usual we had Emily Button tagging along. She thought Tintin was a much prettier car for photos and posed happily in the sun much to the amusement of passers by.

Gorgeous car, gorgeous day, gorgeous sky

I'm so chuffed with this photo.

More cheery colours.

Tintin plays with the boats.



So, where next Tintin?

It started with a Citroen

I must start by explaining this is a post of many parts. I started writing it a fortnight ago and kept saving it as I wasn't sure how it would end.

Part 1

Many moons ago when before I learnt to drive I bought this as my first car. This was the only photo I could find of him, taken after a very wet trip to Cornwall. I remember trying to plug all the leaks as I drove! Well he didn't last long. A weetabixed chassis put paid to him and he lived out his days in my dad's garage being robbed of doors, being home to a litter of feral kittens and eventually a wasps nest in the driver's seat!

But they kept on coming... the 2CVs, not the kittens and wasps. I met Mr Jam and he had to have one, then we decided we needed a van, then we needed a 'spare one' and so it went on... in fact I've never driven a boring old 'normal' car.

You can spot a couple littering our neighbourhood last winter!

The attraction? I hear you ask. Well predominantly it's a shape thing. The strokable curves, the cheerful 'face', the minimal interior, I could go on but I wont.

Having dug out a picture of my very first car I set myself the challenge of finding a photo of all the rest to show you. Whilst I'm busy scanning and reminiscing, fate strikes and costs me a fortune.

Part 2

I hear from a 2CV friend and we talk 2CVs and realise we're both watching the same one on Ebay. Trouble is he's just bought one that day so perhaps it should be mine... and my current Charlie's bodywork is pretty disastrous... and this one is local - a Dorset 2CV... and he can take a look at it for me... and it's blue! So I spend the next day dreaming, checking Ebay, checking again to make sure it's still there, then again 10 minutes later just in case.

So two days later the deal is done whilst we're on the beach. I've agreed to buy it over the phone and sell Charlie to my friend who WILL love and look after him better than I have.

Part 3

So here's the change on the drive this week. The less observant neighbour could almost be excused for not even noticing!

 Meet Tintin! He is the shinier, stronger, quieter and generally less rusty/mossy version of Charlie. I've been waiting all week for the V5 so I can tax and drive him. Today was going to be his big day out but sadly he stayed on the drive until I got home from Honiton and found the V5 waiting. So now he's ready for an adventure. We're thinking West Bay tomorrow. Somewhere to take some nicer photos. I realised doing the 2CV collage I only take photos of my cars when they go and are usually way past their best!

So the lesson is either take the photos straight away or look after the car. A tricky one but I'm pledging to do both! Did you hear that?

The COD one!

Anyone for an old COD? That's chest of drawers to you!

Whenever I view auctions I always jot down abbreviations in my notebook. Hence, chests of drawers are affectionately known as CODs in our house. Anyway we decided we needed a bit of a revamp at my shop. Furniture had become a bit thin on the ground and to be honest it's the big items that pay my rent not cushions and lavender bags!

 So I sent Mr Jam off to the local auction under instruction to get us some cod. He dutifully came home with a van full and I seem to have been painting ever since.

Can you spot cheeky Little Jam in the photos of the shop!

big cod

little cod

middle sized cod

pine cod

and other assorted furniture!

This has meant I can dispense with the trestle tables that were taking up valuable space and be able to display my smalls on top of the cods.

I've also got a house full of beds at the moment so hope by the end of the week to have given the shop a complete makeover. The best news of all is that the centre now has heating - hurrah no more freezing whilst chatting to customers.

Just a sneaky peak for you of some of the vintage spring fabrics I've looked out of the loft for making later this week!

And the fridge is looking even more cheery now the daffs are out!

I loved all your chazza comments last week! Back with photos of 'the gorgeous new blue one' in a few days. It's arrived - oh and no it's definitely NOT a baby!...

x

Want to see my drawers?

No not those drawers!

My wardrobe drawers.

Firstly I must confess to a little habit of mine - the chazza run. Let me explain. A chazza run usually happens on one of my days off and involves me dashing from one charity shop to the next as quickly as I can. I'm a dab hand at scanning the rails, checking the china, sniffing the blankets... In fact I can do all ten of Dorchester's chazzas in an hour and get a coffee too.

so let me introduce you to a Christmas prezzie. This top was my present from Mr Jam which made me feel a bit bad as I didn't get him anything. However did he pay the White Stuff loads of dosh for it? No (and no he's not a shoplifter either). It was an impulse buy. Hanging on the rail outside Leonard Cheshire marked at £1!!! Yes just a one, no zeros at all.

I rather like it and when I let you take a peak in my drawers you'll see why. See I have a bit of a turquoisey blue thing going on...

... alongside the green habit...

...and just occasionally I let a smidge of pink and brown in.

So, now you're acquainted with my wardrobe you'll understand the chazza ecstasy I experienced a few weeks ago. I was doing my weekly chazza run. Popped into Feral Cat Care and the lady was cooing over a bag of donations. As I squeezed past (very small shop) she looked me up and down and asked if I'd like to see what she'd just been given. Well I found out what all the cooing was about. A bin bag full of gorgeous clothes from Boden, White Stuff, Monsoon etc. Best of all most of it matched my colour drawers and was my size. She told me I could take my pick at £3 an item! I did have a wicked thought about buying the lot and putting it on Ebay but that would not be in the chazza spirit. So I put a load by and headed for the cashpoint. This is what I bought...

So you see I wear green with turquoise, turquoise with brown, brown with a smidge of pink and pink with green. My wardrobe goes full circle! So a big thank you Mrs Donator whoever you are, you have very good taste. Just keep donating please!

Got a bit carried away with the clothes photographs. I love all the embelishments.

Today I went to Bridport to look at my blue surprise and was not disappointed. I have a half written blog post that the blue 'one' will fit into nicely but will keep you wondering for now...

So for today's bargain - a lovely green linen dress from the Scope shop in Bridport.

Bit chilly for today but got me thinking Spring thoughts so I bought some flowers and bulbs for my fridge.

 And today in the bathroom mirror I'm wearing green and pink (to match?).

Continuing the colour one

More of my favourite colours today in chilly Charmouth. 

 Trying to blow away the germs that have taken my youngest jammer's school by storm.

We waited on the beach for a VIP - very important phonecall.

 Good news of the impulsive blue variety. Hopefully photos to follow soon but I don't want to tempt fate.

 Loved these steps that had been eroded by the sea - a bit like going down stairs after a few too many drinks!

Goodnight!

x

Give me colour

These are the colours I love...

sea colours

mossy colours.

The colours I make with. Decorate with.

Live with.

collect

The colours I wear, almost every day.

More of that another time.

A monthly make and a coffee van

Hello readers and my there have been a lot of you lately! Thank you for all your lovely comments. They are all read and appreciated and Emily Button's have been shared with the little jammers.

It's been a busy couple of days. The jammers are back to school and I'm enjoying two days off all to myself. Mostly I've been painting furniture interspursed with a bit of sewing and listening to my fabby new Tim Booth CD. 

I signed up for The Monthly Make over at Annie the Felt Fairy's blog - as if I needed an excuse to make. I think it should be a weekly make! Anyway here it is my first contribution...

 After deChristmasssing the living room I felt new cushions were in order as it was looking a bit naked and sorry for itself. So I made this bolster from a lovely vintage textured fabric with velvet ends.

 I'm loving these zingy colours at the moment and have got a bit of a thing for vintage plant fabrics too.

So a nice rectangular one with mustard bobble trim edges and backing and a round one with green bobbles too!

Trouble is I don't yet know what else I'll make this month. What if I submit the cushions then make better stuff? You can view everyone's monthly makes here on the Flickr page.

Too busy to stop for a coffee in cafe this week so my trustee little van Mister Magoo brought me one home without spilling a drop! I'm glad he lived up to his design spec of being able to carry a tray of eggs across a ploughed field safely, Mr Citroen would be proud. MM has been a top van this week. He hadn't been out for several weeks so I was delighted when he started without me needing to encourage him with swear words. He then drove nicely delivering furniture and picking up coffee which left me thinking he really should get out more...