Guaranteed to make you smile! (if you haven't seen it already)

Granny chic in a lampshade...and the Granny Chic Queen herself

Thought I'd share with you the workshop I went on yesterday at the studio of Louise Presley of Hope and Elvis. Some of you will know that I like to go to these workshops for inspiration and to learn new skills. This one was lamp shade making and given the price of lampshades I decided it might be a worthwhile investment.

We were to be shown how to make one of the little conical shades and a drum shade. (But not before I'd had my usual browse round Louise's studio). We were able to choose our fabric or paper from Louise's wonderful stash but I had taken some barkcloth with me. We actually deconstructed a standard Wilko's lamp shade as these are apparently cheaper than buying the bits and pieces you need from a craft supplier. And then we reconstructed with our choice of fabric. So why did it take all day you ask. Lots of precision cutting and concentration required . This was hard as I was sitting with Two Bones and a Bagle and we had plenty to chat about!

In the end I was quite pleased with my efforts. The tall one was made from part of my stash - a chaise longue loose cover made from barkcloth and painstakingly taken apart. The trim was another bit of something I'd had for years which seemed to just be perfect for a bit of granny chic in a lampshade.

It wasn't until I'd finished that I looked at what other folk had done and I loved these two paper ones - one a comic covered one with a red ribbon hiding the centre fold and the other a vintage sewing pattern bonda webbed onto the plasticised inner sheet which is what makes them fireproof

Louise has just published her new batch of summer courses so if you fancy treating yourself have a look at her website. I'm thrilled to say that I have managed to get on one of the Dottie Angel and Ted and Agnes days! Yes ladies Dottie Angel is coming over to old Blighty for a touch no doubt of grannifying goodness. If anyone wants to help me decorate the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square so that from there she can preach the joys of delectable doilies, shiny clogs and pesky gnomes let me know! Alternatively if you have also been lucky please comment me! (I should add that this particular workshop course sold out in a matter of minutes).

I'm hoping this makes sense to at least some of you! Those who follow Dottie Angel will understand - others may be completely mystified for which I apologise.

Note to self - must get sewing machine serviced and get some practice in.

Love Wend

February already?

I can't believe how time is flying right now. I always find it difficult to blog in January with going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark too. Still its good to see the days are getting just a little bit longer and so I decided to take myself to Newark Antiques fair on Friday to get myself a vintage textile fix together with some of that glorious winter sunshine!

For those who haven't been Newark is the largest antique fair in Europe and it would be easy to spend a whole day there. Unfortunately I had only a couple of hours but I knew what I was looking for so strode past lots of the outdoor stands in search of fabrics. I found a couple of stalls selling old advertising tins and boxes which I always like to see but the tins were expensive. I know that's down to their rarity but then I do seem to be quite lucky in finding them relatively cheaply.



I was looking to find the stall of Liz Von Hasselt - known in blogland as The Washerwoman and veteran of the original Vintage and Handmade Fairs in Chipping Sodbury (not to mention all the other fairs she's invlolved in). I hdan't a clue how I was going to find her stall given the size of Newark but eventually found fabric on a clothes horse beckoning me into a tent.


Over on the table covered in red cloth was all manner of vintage loveliness. Yes it might look like a jumble sale and indeed there was no rhyme or reason to the pricing as far as I could see. The stall holder lives in France and brings his finds over so as you can imagine there were some lovely pieces.
And then behind me I spotted a much nicer display with lots of loveliness!

I'd managed to find the stall I was looking for. Liz had some fabulous fabrics which we spread out and mused over and I took some picture before making my choice.

Imagine my horror on arriving home later to find I had lost the bag with those fabrics in. AAAGGGGH! (Some of you may remember last time I went to Newark I managed to leave an ironing board behind! I get so absorbed I'm in another world)
Another gorgeous stall was Regina Rose who makes treasures from damaged old quilts and extends their life by upcycling them into something new. And now blogger seems to be playing up so I can't upload the pictures of the fabric that did make it home! But I will - along with some of my other recent finds...soon

Hope you are all enjoying the winter scenes and not having too many problems. ..

Love Wend

#

My luck is in!

I've finally got a new role with the same employer so should be safe for another year. (As far as anyone can be). I've moved into the job and am getting used to a new routine. Outside of work I seem to be in mega organisation mode and getting nowhere as something always comes up which takes precedence over what I actually want to do.



A few months ago I spotted these drawers in a landscape designer's office and asked for first refusal if he decided to sell them. I was amazed to get a call last week offering them to me for a very reasonable price. I've wanted some haberdashery drawers for years but knew I could never afford them so decided to go for it!



The drawers have a little divider about 6 cm in so you can fill the front bit with lovely bits and hide all sorts of stuff behind. I have a list of things to put in all the drawers but haven't had chance to fill them all yet. Can't wait!



I have started with a couple though - wooden cotton reel and doilies



I might have to save one for scarves. I've always worn scarves and tend to hang on to them. On my charity shop run last week I found a shop where somebody had clearly disposed of a collection which covered from 50s onwards.



As you can see I bought quite a few although I won't keep all of them. They cost the same whether they were polyester, acetate or silk!



Sorry about all the pictures - I loved them all!



Not sure I can wear this seventies one - but I am tempted!



Hope your Christmas preparations are going better than mine!

Love Wend

Wells

A couple of weekends back I visited Niobe and on the return leg stopped off at Wells. I'd never been before but will certainly return. It is the smallest city in England with a fabulous cathedral (although I didn't get to see inside as I'd missed the start of the service - maybe next time).



Liked the name of this porch - nobody after alms last weekend!



I'm always amazed by the way in which our ancestors managed the feats of getting these huge statues raised so high without the help of todays engineering. Ropes and pulleys - wow!



The cathedral had a delightful clock where its two sentries ring the bell on the hour. A local advised that it was well worth watching so I was glad I was there in time for 12!



Around the perimeter of the cathdral area is a moat with a drawbridge! Absolutely lovely.



Autumn light shining through the trees ...



And a view through the wall of the Bishop's Palace...



What a lovely place - where the grass actually looked like grass. Look at the colour! The greenest grass ever! It's beige where I live!



Wells is also home to the oldest continuously inhabited street in England (from 1340)



Not a satellite dish, not a dustbin, or a TV aerial in sight! Delightful! Like stepping back in time. Of course a quick walk round the back revealed all those things! Need to spend longer in this place!

Oh and Niobe's doing great! What a relief!

In praise of tablecloths and tea towels

Now Niobe is settling at Exeter I'm hoping to find some time to indulge in some admiration of my vintage bits and pieces! Today with all the glorious sunshine I've had the day off work and taken advantage of the great drying weather to wash some of my new tablecloths.



Although these are probably 50 years old I think they still work well today. Love the colours on this and the fine stitches...



edged with cotton lace



Suspect this was stitched by a Scot - or is that too much of a cliche? Either way great thistles!



These four photos look as if they are from different cloths



but they are in fact four corners



of the same cloth.



Found in a charity shop this week. Unfortunately not charity shop prices but I couldn't leave this one behind! Charity shops around here certainly seem to have increased their prices and given their best stuff seems to go on e-bay these days not sure that they can justify some of the prices they are asking for!



Onto a couple of tea towels I've been sent by the lovely people at http://www.all-tea-towels.co.uk. I was asked to choose a couple from their range and in honour of one of our guilty pleasure I chose this unbleached cotton image of the iconic Tunnocks Teacake. (Can you have an iconic teacake? I think so!)



I also chose this one featuring a poster from the 1948 Olympics. This site has a great choice of tea towels should you be in need. They wash well, dry well and for me, more importantly, look good hanging in the kitchen! Have a look at their large range of styles for all tases - not easy to choose!

Hope you're making the most of the glorious weather!

My new companion

I had a lovely time at Northampton's Vintage and Handmade Fair but completely forgot to take any pictures. So I thought I'd share my finds with you.

Do you know what it is? I've been looking for some of these for ages. I only managed to find one but snapped it up straightaway. It'll be known to the flower arrangers amongst you as a flower frog but either you dont see many these days or I'm looking in the wrong places. I suspect there are lots languishing in people's sheds. "And what are you going to do with that thing?" I hear you ask?



Why my dears doesn't it make just the perfect photo holder? I love this picture. Sorry it's not a good picture of a picture but you get the idea. A great snapshot of a little boy, yesteryear, seeing the world from a different angle!



In case I get lonely when Niobe's away at uni this typewriter promises to be "The good companion " in her absence. We'll see!


I haven't tested it yet and don't expect it to work for one minute so it won't come under the useful category. Or will it? I think it too makes a great display stand. It is currently holding the envelope of a letter (posted 1922) to my Great Aunt, who succeeded my Great Grandfather as Registrar of Births and Deaths locally. I don't have the letter, just the envelope but think that's lovely in it's own right.



I think it too makes a great display stand. It is currently holding the envelope of a letter (posted 1922) to my Great Aunt, who succeeded my Great Grandfather as Registrar of Births and Deaths locally. I don't have the letter, just the envelope but think that's lovely in it's own right.



Later this week I'm expecting distant cousins interested in family history coming to visit. I think they will like this little vignette incorporating her photo...

The power of the text message

I have an old mobile and am always having to delete texts to enable me to send others becasue I retain too many special or funny ones. But today I decided that I would actually put some of Niobe's onto a document so I could save them and clear them off my phone. Now I've typed them up I see them as a small snapshot of our relationship and I'm glad I've done it. Here are some of my favourites from the last couple of years...

Just been talking to Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee! Strange. X

Glad you’ve not crashed yet! Xxx

Crazy rain!!!! I’m wearing flipflops!

Dalai Lama on the bus! X

I need you. I’ve never had so much to do :( xx

Mum I’m so sorry, I don’t want to ruin your evening which I hope you’re enjoying but I took the opportunity of you not being there to practice on the sewing machine as I was going to use it for your xmas present. I think the needle has snapped or something. So sorry. If I remember correctly this always used to happen in textiles and didn’t seem to be too much of a problem. I’ll pay for what it takes to fix it. Sorry I shouldn’t have used it without your permission I just wanted to practice as I really wanted to make you something for xmas. Love you xxx

I’VE FINALLY MADE MY FIRST EVER BATCH OF BUTTERFLY CAKES!!

Also I could really have done with a chat today, just to let you know – not to make you feel bad or anything xx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY I LOVE YOU MASSES YOU OLD DRUNKxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (it was my 50th!)

Overnight in a cold tent I have a hoody on and socks but must admit the socks have let me down.
:( xx

Come soon, I’m cold, xx

I’m moving to the sea.x

Just had a career lesson. Want to open a tea shop in Southwold. Xx

Why is it that people say something & it goes in one ear and out the other. But then someone else says it and you believe them? Not a rhetorical question. I’d like an answer. LY.xx

What happened to the bacon butties?

I need a hug when I get home. Xx

Hi Mum. I missed you today. It’s been raining all day and all my stuff is soaking . :( Walked so far today. I am dead. I needed you in my pocket earlier :( xxx

The pocket reference is to a message I gave when she was little - that if she was ever alone and afraid and needed me all she had to do was put her hand in her pocket and squeeze very hard and she should be able to feel me squeezing back and know what she had to do next. And nobody would know...I didn't expect her to be doing it for so many years!

Does anyone else do this? I'm hoping she won't mind my sharing these!

I took my vintage bike to Edinburgh but hadn't bargained for the hills and cobbles - it wasn't long before I decided feet were safer (if slower) than wheels.



Obviously I couldn't go without my car boot fix and was amazed at the subterranean car boot held four floors below ground level in a car park. It was quite surreal - very dark, very hot, very busy and quite weird. But I did manage to find a few bits and pieces particularly liking the little Susie Cooper plate on the right and the unsorted box of buttons. I paid more for these than I normally would but as I said - it was dark but I thought I could see some Art Deco ones - I wasn't disappointed!



I love looking at independent shops in other cities and wasn't disappointed although there weren't as many as I would have liked. I liked this plate found in one such store along with other similar ones. It can only be used for display as the image is merely decoupaged on but I can think of plates and images I could combine for my wall...Might have a go!



I discovered that there was an Anthropologie store too so had to take some pics - I do love their display ideas



What do you think to the jelly mould chandelier - fun - yes. Price over £900. So you probably won't be buying one. Still - great idea for the holiday weekend - empty the kitchen cupboards and see what you can do with a few bits of wire and some redundant stuff! Plus bling...Images to be posted on Monday please!



Love the display round the mirror ...



and I'd been wondering what to do with my stash of chair legs and other assorted bits of furniture...



and why didn't I think of adding odd spoons to piles of old books?



But it wasn't all vintage. Edinburgh was a real assault on the senses. It really is a cultural bubble with lots and lots to see and do. I didn't know the work of David Mach but the exhibition poster drew me in with its collaged image



followed by this amazing tryptych of larger than lif sized crucifixions in the window of the gallery made of...



coat hangers. Lots and lots of them - I had to take a closer shot to share with you. Quite amazing. As were the collages. This is a huge exhibiton over several floors with over 40 large scale collages based on the anniversary of the King James VI bible. One floor has been taken over as the artist's studio and you can watch him and his team working from lots of boxes of itemised images to make these works.



Next time I'll choose a different week when they also have the book festival...and certainly won't bother taking a selection of high heels!