Treasure

Thank you for all your comments on my last post, amazing how like minded we all are about craft room paraphernalia.  My dear husband is not doing too well at the moment his rheumatoid arthritis has flared up once again and walking is difficult.  His arms and hands have swollen this time round too making the slightest task difficult.  Rest is the answer at the moment, so our weekend was spent quietly catching up with some films that we had recorded and enjoying some good food. 

I did have a  quick stroll around the local car boot sale Saturday and was so glad that I did as I found the perfect match for a china set that I had bought a couple of weeks ago.  To say that I was thrilled is an understatement.

 

It was dirty unwanted and in dire need of some attention, I bought it straight home and gave it a good wash and a new home.   50p was not a lot to give, I went straight into the craft room and immediately made a hot pad for it.

 

 

Already to go, once again someone's rubbish has become a treasure.  I also managed to pick up some skittles for when the children visit.

 

 

A bargain for £1.  Two punches were also purchased for 20p each.

 

 

Finally some Christmas stamps for 50p.

 

 

We are spending another quiet day today so I have caught up with the laundry and we intend to catch up with a little reading.  Before I go I thought I would take you on a tour of the garden.  I love this time of year when there is so much colour.

 

 

The marigolds are looking amazing, we are thrilled with them as we grew them from seed.  We use them as  a deterrent for pests and co plant them with tomatoes.  It really does seem to work.

 

 

The lilies are just starting to bloom, they always make us a smile as they were a gift from our eldest daughter.  We can see them as we look out of the dining room window, so as we look out we always think of her.

 

 

The daisy is such a treat and reliably comes back each year.

 

 

 

 

The flowers on the chives are just coming to the end but they have been a real delight adding a beautiful shade of lilac to the patio.

 

 

We have several pots of lavender, the scent is amazing adding another dimension to the senses especially after the rain.

 

 

We have the odd pot of poppies here and there that seem to have self seeded into other pots.  Weeds seem to have taken over in a couple of the pots too, they definitely need some attention.  We certainly are blessed with the treasure that Mother Nature provides.  What treasure is growing in your garden?

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five on Friday - Craft Room Treasure

I woke this morning to the news that we have voted to leave the EU, for those that do not know we had a referendum yesterday to decide in a democratic process where our future lies.  Interesting times ahead.

Another busy week in the garden popping in and out in between torrential showers trying to keep on top of the huge weeds.  We are now starting to reap the rewards of our hard work and are harvesting  salads as we need them, the spring onions are a delight.

As is normal for a Friday I am once again joining Amy over at Love Made My Home for the weekly get together.  This week I am sharing five more treasures from my craft room, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

One

Is a wonderful pair of wooden  knitting needles, they were given to me as a gift and it was suggested that they were mid century.

 

They were made by Abel Morrall, which is a famous Redditch company.

 

 

If only they could talk, it would be lovely to know what had been knitted using these beautiful needles.

 

Two

 

Another wooden article is a darning mushroom.

 

 

I love that its looks so well used, a skill that is not often used these days.

 

 

Three

 

Sewing machine needles, they are American and were brought back from one of my trips to Renninger's Antique Centre Mount Dora.  Such a beautiful wooden case made by The Boye Needle Co.

 

 

Always a bonus when the memories of buying or receiving the article are so good.  I certainly have some amazing treasured memories of Mount Dora in Florida.

 

Four

 

A hem marker is another treasure that takes pride of place in Mamas Mercantile, it has never been used by me but it is certainly cherished.

 

 

The wood is beautiful and interestingly has a few pencil markings so it has certainly been used, how many hems have been altered over the years?

 

 

Five

 

Finally a rack of cotton spools, the rack appears to have been home made but what I love is the cotton spools, they are a real delight.

 

 

Five treasures that are a wonderful addition and enhance my craft room.

 

 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  My plan is to get my shopping done today and catch up with some housework.  We will browse the local paper later to establish which fetes and such are on this weekend always a nice time of year for local events.

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Arrival of Summer...

We had such a beautiful red sky last night and so as the old saying goes "Red sky at night, Shepherds delight!" we decided to do a car boot sale this morning.

 

After all the sorting and sifting throughout the house, loft, sheds and workshops we certainly had a lot to get rid of.  There wasn't a lot of sellers but I suppose that made it easier to sell there wasn't a lot of competition.  We certainly had a nice morning, chatting and laughing and best of all making money out of things we no longer wanted.  We still have enough to do another one, so maybe next week if the weather holds.  I intend to catch up with everyone and then put my feet up with a cuppa and my Homemaker magazine that has just arrived, a subscription gift from our daughter.  We call it the gift that keeps on giving.  Then its back to the grindstone as I need to make soup for Dad and alter some pyjamas for him that he had for Fathers day.  No rest for the wicked!!!!

 

I have been on a mission with the sewing machine, making a few bits and pieces.  Bibs always go down well and I have altered a pattern I use to give it a little more length, ready for weaning.  So far I have three made but there are another 5 cut out ready to go.

 

 

I actually made myself something, which is a rarity.  I made myself  a shopper, perfect for a trip to town as carrier bags are no longer given as standard practise we now have to pay for bags here in the UK.

 

 

I loved the strawberries on the fabric, perfect for the season and it certainly made me smile.  I thought I would look for some fabric in my stash ready to make another one for the Autumn.

 

I have made a cushion for Lily/Daisy's playroom, they love all of the Disney Princess's since their trip to Disneyworld.

 

 

We have also made them a pin board so that we can laminate some photos of them with the Disney Princess's, the perfect accessory.

 

 

Finally I pickled some beetroot, we have had such an abundance of beetroot it would otherwise have been wasted.

 

 

The kettle is calling so I am off for a nice afternoon tea, hopefully there are scones in the tin.  Finally we are seeing a little bit of Summer which includes the sun.  How are you spending these sunny days?

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Fabric Inspiration

Fathers Day was a joy, spending quality time with my dear Dad means a lot I am blessed that we were able to enjoy a afternoon tea together.  My sweet husband was overloaded with cards, pictures from the Grandchildren and gifts he was certainly spoilt.

Last week I had a massive clear out of the craft room and came across a whole box full of Christmas fabric.   I was inspired as soon as I saw it and immediately set to making some mug rugs that Sheila who blogs at Life's Too Short To Iron Tea Towels had made and linked to a wonderful tutorial on YouTube.

 

A simple but effective make using 6 5" squares.

 

 

Tied with some natural twine in a set of four, with a added tag left over from last year it now makes an attractive gift.

 

 

I stitched some fabric on plain tea towels to line a couple of small hampers.

 

 

Using the snowman fabric and some oddments of fleece, bibs have been made for the holiday season.

 

 

An apron has been made using a vintage pattern ready for one of Granny's little helpers.  Red velvet ribbon was using for the binding which gives it quite a luxurious feel.

 

 

Quite amazing how you can be inspired by seeing fabric.  Whilst it may seem a little early for some making Christmas gifts in June I actually do not like to put myself under pressure, so work all year round gift making for all occasions.

 

Go on admit it, you have started looking for inspiration for Christmas...

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

Five on Friday - Bobbins

I have had a busy week, hence the lack of posts.  The rain and awful weather kept me indoors and so I managed to achieve so much.  One of the main tasks was the craft room, I have such a love for all things crafty that I have become a bit of a collector.  Whilst on the one hand that is fine, the room was starting to look cluttered and unloved which is the opposite of what I feel about this room.  I have sorted all the patterns and stored them properly.  The fabric and yarn has been sorted and I was realistic about what I would use, so some will find new homes.  The storage in there is now so much more effective.  A job well done I feel.

I am once again joining Amy over at lovemademyhome.blogspot.co.uk/ for the weekly get together.  Pop over and see what everyone has been up to.  My five this week are bobbins/spools that adorn the craft room.

One

 

I am presuming that these bobbins are used for some sort of weaving as they are wound with wool.  I would be happy for you to correct me if you know what they are.  I bought them back from America, so I am also presuming that they were American.  There are no markings on them that I can see.

 

Two

 

Again bobbins that I presume are for weaving, they are blank but look very similar to those above, although this time I did buy them in Scotland.

 

 

They are about 8" long and have the same top as the ones from America.

 

Three

 

 

I am guessing that these are some sort of industrial bobbin as they are quite large and heavy, the biggest one is about 12" tall.

 

Four

 

 

These are bobbins that hold thread, the large one at the front is cotton the yellow one is silk.  I have no idea what they were used for I am presuming the large one is industrial.

 

Five

 

 

Now these I do know about, they are lace bobbins.  I spent several hours on youtube following a tutorial and I am able to thread the bobbin and do a test patch.  Some of them are quite old and I am sure have many a tale to tell.

 

 

I do have a pattern book and dream of one day been able to achieve something, there are courses that you can go on but nothing local.  The lace bobbins in the case all have spangles which all tell a story about the lace maker, I find it fascinating.

 

 

These are some oddments that I use to practise threading.   Some have great markings to commemorate events in the lace makers life.  They tell their own story.

 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

 

See you soon.