I will never have any money!

I would like you to meet the girls, well the Lavender Ladies to be precise! Hilary, Maude and Olivia. Here they are having a chat with Little Ted.

These girls like to have fun and enjoy dressing up. Floral frocks with bird detailing and button accessories, bang on trend! A mane of floral and muslin hair, so jealous! Smelling of Lavender (filled with it, they are). Wire legs and a wire hoop to hang around and chat to friends.

All three living in Etsyland at the moment, all in need of good company, someone who appreciates a girls' fine qualities!

Onto more brooches...... such a pleasure to make.

I also wanted to tell you about my trip to Ludlow yesterday and particularly a wonderful Antiques Emporium zanilady. I adore this centre, it is filled with mostly French antiques and vintage items. Every time I visit there is always something new and wonderful for the home. Well, me being me, I couldn't resist this picture, no way could I have walked away from this. Please forgive dreadful photo, but I just could not lose the reflection. Stunning black background in contrast to the sumptuous colours of the flowers and birds.

Birdies....don't you just love 'em!

And yes, there is more, the last thing I should be doing at the mo is spending money...but I will never have any and especially when I see lovely furniture like the kitchen hutch that came home too. Perfect size, perfect colour, so pleased. Holly reigned me in, as there was more I could have quite happily purchased. Glad she did really, as I would have gone on one massive guilt trip later.

So I haven't finished playing with my new 'hutch' yet, but you get the picture.

Well, after my tales of self indulgencies, I will love you and leave you and thankyou very much for stopping by.

I'm in love

with Muriel. She came to live with us on Monday and we are all so happy and excited about being privileged enough to own her. She is a 1967 Morris Minor. We felt Muriel was the right name for her.
It's like driving a very ancient piece of farm machinery, in comparison to my little run around Corsa.

Rosie and Daisy like her too and look very much at home.

We are looking forward to packing a picnic basket and having great days out, driving our lovely new/old car.

Thanks for stopping by and saying 'hello'.

Summer madness

I hope all is well with you. I'm enjoying these long days, good or bad weather I don't really care, it's the light, the flowers, the bird song that matters to me. But not these pesky little so and so's. In our locality (maybe UK wide?) we have a plague and I mean a plague of Greenfly. They are everywhere in massive million trillion numbers. In the air and smothering tender shoots. Living in the middle of the Uk doesn't usually present itself with too much bother in the insect department. There is the occasional house fly endlessly circling the ceiling lamp. Thunder bugs, I admit can be a nuisance. I have two of those little blighters squashed behind my lap top screen. But as I say, generally, we don't have too much to put up with living in our wonderful temperate zone....but hey, what happened here, who decided that Greenfly should all of a sudden become a biblical plague? Nasty little Greenfly with their sap sucking ways ;-)

Then, of course, being summer time, we have had a few days of sunshine and what comes with sunshine in the good old UK........let's all say it together............ A THUNDERSTORM. Which means flash flooding, over-flowing gutters and every sodding plant in the garden dashed to the ground!

But I'm not down, oh no, I still have the 'brooch making madness'!

One Brooch here for my sis, it's her birthday soon, so this will be part of her pressie.

One for destined for Etsyland..... I used some beautiful, subtle, rosy barkcloth for this one and it was so pretty, I didn't want to cover it up with other snippets.

And another for Etsyland.....

A couple of Greetings Card designs.....

A Textile Collage also residing in Etsyland.... envelope dated 1952 with the most lovely orange and blue stamps. Did my stuff on it, tying in the colour of the stamps with the fabric. Bottom right there is a silk picture......a whisper, a transparent detail, a shadow of a memory of a young girl with her best friend.

Onto my vintage finds over the last few days. On first glance, these Portugese Costume dolls look, well, like Costume dolls, but on closer inspection they are absolutely wonderful! They are kind of movable/wired and oh so skilfully made, they are a treat to behold. The shoes are leather, all hand stitched. Wired frames have been very well padded and the clothes are so detailed and beautiful. I am so pleased with them. I purchased them to hopefully sell on at the homespun fair, but ................. ;-)

I also bought this little pine box, fairly plain and ordinary on the outside, until you open it up and inside was once someone's watercolour paint box. It is gloriously marked in a hundred subtle shades. A wonderful backdrop for photos of my work and to display pieces at Fairs. Tickled pink with that one.

Five Victoria saucers, with the most delicate floral design.

Crocheting cotton and a bone tatting shuttle.

Finally, this groovy table cloth, 1950's? Love it. Oh so 'on trend' as maryportas would say!

Thank you to everyone once again for your kind comments and thank you for stopping by.x

Gratuitous Promotion

I've been making brooches............

Gift boxes for the brooches. Lots of brooches.......

There is something very enjoyable about putting small fragments together. A cohesive union of small snippets of fabric, paper, imagery, buttons and embroidery.

Some have a feel of days gone by.

Some are a homage to our feathery friends.

To be found in Etsyland.

But most of all, I love makin' 'em!

Thanks for stopping by.x

English Country Gardens

I wanted to tell you about our weekend. You may remember that we have a caravan over in Herefordshire. One of the highlights of the area is a village called Eardisland. It is a stunningly beautiful village and happily for me it had it's annual 'Open Gardens'.

Our chance to look around private gardens and my goodness me, what a treat! I think there were eleven private gardens to visit in all. Here are random pictures that I took yesterday and this morning.

The following garden was so stunning with it's Orangery and thatched wood store/shed/barn that I burst into tears....so overhwelmingly beautiful. My husband looked at me in horror, asking "what on earth is the matter"? I said "I didn't know"!

This is the River Arrow running through Eardisland.

One of the gardens running alongside the river.

A private house and garden too beautiful to describe below. Elegant, sophisticated. Every element, total perfection.

Another 'dream home' and garden.

This garden wasn't 'open' but the front garden was a haze of daisies. So I hastily snapped a pic as we walked by. tut tut

Driving home Mark and I were treated to an air display by the Red Arrows who were performing at cosfordairshow. Breathtaking! The pic below was the vapour trail of a heart that two of the Red Arrows had made.

You can just make them out here......... flying perfection.

You may have noticed that I will be attending the Fair organised by Jane of janeandthehappycrow and Christine, who owns the 'Sea Garden' (a shop designed and made in heaven), Portscatho, Cornwall. 2nd August next. Many of the ladies who did the handmadeandvintagefair at Chipping Sodders a few weeks ago will be attending. It would be brilliant if you could come along. Maybe, have a day or two in Cornwall too???!!!!.. You know, kill two birds with one stone. It's a good excuse to visit Cornwall anyway. I personally cannot wait, really looking forward to it. Also, please make a note of the next Vintage and Handmade Christmas Fair, 14th November next.

Finally, I know I say this at the end of most of my posts, but I never fail to be overwhelmed and thrilled by the kindness shown to me on this blog. Thank you so much, to all of my friends, for all your kindness, loyalty and support. It means so much to me x

Challenges faced

This is where I work, the day job, Fine Art Technician, Print Room at the Faculty of Art at our local College. I work three days a week, very full on, long days. Since I have been based in here, I have learnt a few new printing techniques. One of which has been Screen Printing. I have always wanted to Screen Print and when I started this job, a few months ago, it seemed like a huge mountain to climb, but now I have mastered it, I wonder what I was worried about. Here are a few Screen Prints, that I have made recently.....
this was on brown paper with emulsion paint very thickly applied.

Two colour print. The blue area are actual spring flowers and a bead necklace, I placed on the light sensitive unit to burn the screen. So now I can enjoy Cow Parsley and Lily of the Valley all year!

Another butterfly, in a sketch book.

Not a screen print, just a drawing from the sketch book. I have a box of decaying pinned butterflies and bugs from the early 1900's in my studio, the family won't have it in the house (strangely enough). I think it's beautiful and have used it as the basis for work in this particular sketch book.

More texture...

The same again with the actual flowers...Buttercups and Cow Parsley screen printed onto a greetings card.

~0~

I made this today. The purse is made of vintage Ticking, with a Cornish theme! I have had Cornwall on my mind quite a bit just lately and hope to visit very soon.


Reverse...

Onto a bit of a Hen's Teeth challenge. I have never put a zip in anything...ever. So like screen printing, it had become a big deal and something I thought I would be never be able accomplish???? (What a sad so and so). Coin Purse frames are hellishly expensive and just for a change too, I thought I ought to conquer my fear of ...de de der....THE ZIP INSERTION. Thank goodness for those kind bloggers out there, that put free tutorials up. With my tongue firmly stuck out and eye brows meeting in the middle, I did manage the 'insertion' with out too much angst and felt really very pleased with myself, I must say ;-)

I have a bit of tweeking to do to the design of the purse. This is quite large nearly 9 x 6" and I think I shall try and make it flat bottomed but generally not bad for a first try. Hark at me, smug so and so!

All comes down to being able to sew in a straight line, which I find almost impossible.

Well, that's me for now. Thank you so much to everyone for stopping by and to those that have left kind comments and everyone with a noreply e mail, as I have not been able to thank you personally. x

If you like food and architecture, you may like this!

Holly was 18 years old last Friday. So Tuesday of this week we all went to Brugge. We were there by 5pm, the sun was shining and I had my husband and two girls with me.

I do adore this fountain group, the mermaid is so incredible.

Pretty Brugge street...

Pretty tasty Brugge beer, with an omlette for dinner.

A walk and onto my favourite sculptures ......Set of 4 bronze sculptures, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Rik Poot, in the garden of the Arentshuis.

View from same area.....

Mmmm....

Everywhere you look in Brugge (as you know) is a treat for the eyes, a picture postcard at every turn.....

Peeled and faded...

Fancy a little ratty tasty treat????? No, me neither!

I did fancy some of the following.....

Most definitely some of these.....

Meant to try this 'best hot chocolate' but unfortunately didn't have time...

A very out of context Shop door handle. Most odd, but I really like it...50's would you say?

Holly's first Cocktail, which she didn't like, so I had to drink it, it was such a chore! She will kill me for including this.

Evening drew in on the first evening, gentle walk round the town and more alcohol consumed..... we went back to our Hotel. It was really strange, as we are so used to everywhere being smoke free in Britain that it came as quite a shock when the public were allowed to smoke in the Hotel and Bar!

Next morning.....elevenses, greedy so and so, but wild horses couldn't have stopped me.

Market was in full swing. My husband was actually bodily pushed out of the way by a very elderly gentleman......Brugge is a dream to walk around. You don't have to cling to your belongings for fear of muggings, you just watch out for physical abuse in the market place by the elderly! (Maybe a lifetime of of rubber necking tourists get you down).

There is a permanent 'Dali' Exhibition just off the Market Square, which Holly and I visited. I am not very keen on Dali's work but Holly wanted to go in because she is attending Art College. She found it very difficult to know what to draw (pics and sculptures in the exhib) in her sketch book because the bloke had a one tracked mind, if you get my drift, still there were elephants on stilts!

The vaulted ceiling of the Exhibition space was painted a stunning blue and the columns gold....very beautiful. I sat and people watched.

View from front of our Hotel.

Inside our Hotel.

View from canal trip....

View from Evening Meal! Helen of cocoaandblankets recommended the 'Passage' restaurant. Very pleased she did too, as the food and ambiance were memorable.

Next morning and a coffee in the market square before leaving to drive home.

Odd that at 10am we are sitting in this fine Market Square and by 6pm we are home, I can never get my head around it.

Thanks for ploughing through this lot with me. I hope you are not too rigid with boredom looking through someone else's holiday snaps, yawn!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.x