Vintage at the Village Hall - Blandford Forum, Monday 14th

Hhhh Hmmm mind if I creep back in?

Sorry all has been quiet around here for several weeks. If you're a Facebooker you'll know quiet meant busy. I've been squirrelling away some makes and treasures ready for this lovely event on Monday.

 Vintage at the Village Hall promises to be a fantastic event - I've seen the stall holder list! Also free drop in crochet workshops 10-2pm and Pearl Lowe will be signing her book from midday. So what reason is there not to come along? Ok well perhaps you live too far away or have to go to work...
So in no particular order some recent makes that will be coming along with me.

 Lavender hearts

 Birdy brooches

 Booty bags (for taking treasure home in)

 Lovely old canisters

 A little bit of utility china

 Autumn bags

 in bold floral barkcloth

 Cute cushions

 

 and of course a suitcase or two (or maybe three or four)

 I loved last years Puppies & Kittens so much one I had to do another

If you do come along be sure to say hello. I'll be the tired looking one in the corner!

x



Just a little bit nostalgic

Hands up who had one of these Fisher Price televisions?

My friend did and I loved it. She also had the Fisher Price record player. How I loved that too.

This month my little shop unit has taken on a toy theme. Not intentionally just a lot seem to have come my way recently.

 I love all the old boxes. 

 I'd never seen a Skedoodle before. It works on the same principle as Etch-a Sketch (which I did have and adored) but there is a joystick to doodle on the dome with.

A pair of telephones in their original box.

 My sporty corner was short lived as someone came and bought the lot in one go. I was pleased to have got the tennis bag as I bought an almost identical one last Autumn for my eldest Jammer's birthday. She doesn't carry such a vintage racquet in hers though!

 More childhood bits and bobs.

A whole host of books.

 This lot date from 1920 onwards

 I had a quick flick and became engrossed.

Back soon with some makes to share but a busy family weekend here.

x



Topping up the bags

Thank you for all your positive comments about the bags I made last week and also your support of independent high street shops.

I wasn't expecting them to be snapped up so quickly but as Mother's Day is only a week or so away I used my days off at the start of the week to top up.

 Three more in all my favourite fabrics and colours. I'm not much good at making anything I don't like which results in me wanting to keep everything!

Apologies for the rubbishy photos but by the time I get home from work it's dark!

I love the shapes and colours in this 1950s cotton.

 I shall be hard pushed to part with the final petals bag. It was the first to sell last week and I've not got enough fabric left to make any more now.

 This one in painterly squares barkcloth woukld match most of my greeny bluey clothes....

 ...is there a limit on how many bags you can have?

Thank you lovely readers who purchased the last batch. They are on their way!

These three have just gone in my etsy shop for the time being but should probably go to Custard Hall on Saturday ready for Mother's Day shoppers.



Cushion making, it's Monkey Business

My best sellers at Custard Hall have been cushions. I just popped in today and found another two have gone off to new homes.

This month I've been topping up with a few more in vintage children's fabrics. I adore this barkcloth with blue koalas and monkeys playing on a bamboo type plant. It's really unusual and I've not seen it before. One of these has already sold in my etsy shop and is off to New Zealand.

Do you like my monkeys? I have a huge soft spot for old toys and these two I've had ages and wont be parting with. There's a boxful under my bed. I'll show you some more another day.

I only had a small piece of this animal fabric and with spring on the way thought it was time to use it.

 I've backed it in green wool.

 This pink toy fabric has been sat in my stash for ages and the need for cushion replenishment meant it's finally got to the top of the pile!

 Backed in pink wool.

Just some of the cushions I've made this year!

If there's anything you fancy pop over to my etsy shop.

 I've stocked up on fabrics today and got some more projects planned for half term, but looking at this lot possibly not cushions!

Have a lovely week.

x



Honiton

Last Tuesday I took a little journey westwards. Through every kind of weather - rain, sleet, hailstones, sun, wind and snow when I arrived in Honiton. See if you can guess where I went...

 Yes the Honiton Textile, Costume and Decorative Items Fair. This little chair caught my eye. I love anything nursery sized or to do with childhood nostalgia.

 I was pleased to see Liz The Washerwoman and picked up some bits and bobs from her. Tatty old Ladybird books for 50p each that will find themselves getting the suitcase treatment at some point as well as a great apron I've got plans for.

Both the above pictures are of Liz's lovely stock and she also has a doubly useful blog - good to read but also the biggest calendar of vintage and textile fairs you could wish for.

 I was intrigued by the necklaces from Barmy Buttons and after trying them on settled for a double sided one - turquoises on one side and then flip it over for a new blue look on the other.

Whilst I was ambling I was approached by Alice from the Homes & Antiques stall. Alice promotes the magazine through attending vintage events and writing them up on the H&A website. She asked to take my picture (yikes!) with my purchases.

 It is no longer an apron but not quite anything else yet!



Swapping again

After enjoying LaaLaa's Advent Swap so much I thought to myself I could get into this sending gifts to strangers lark. Luckily for me Ada at Vintage Sheet Addict was organising a swap between makers. The second bit of luckiness was heading my way in the form of Penelope from L is for Love. Penelope was my partner and offered to crochet me a pair of fingerless gloves in my favourite colour. Hmmm wonder what that might be...

In return I'd offered to make Penelope a cushion and she immediately spied this one in my Etsy shop. I must admit I was a tad relieved when she replied with her choice so quickly. I'd have felt rather embarassed had she not liked anything I had on offer!

As the cushion was a bit of a doddle having already been made I also made Penelope this lavender heart to match.

Last week I was very ridiculously over the top excited to hear the gloves were ready.

Time to package up the goodies and they each headed East and Westward along the coast to their new owners.

This evening I came home to a lovely surprise. A carefully wrapped bluey green kind of surprise with a mermaid badge.

 I opened the little extra first, one of my favourite brooches from Acorn & Will.

 Then on to the biggy... I am thrilled to bits. My gloves are such a stunning colour and made from lovely cotton feeling yarn.

 I wanted to wear them all evening but did have to take them off to cook. I thought frying onions was probably not the way to treat them!

Now I can't wait to put them on in the morning. I'm on a training course and today there was no heating which will be the perfect excuse to wear them all day tomorrow. I've even got the perfect dress to accessorize them...

Penelope, I couldn't have asked for anything nicer. I love them, thank you so much .

xxx