Focus of attention

I really enjoy going to the dump, you never know what you might find and this little wooden noticeboard was rather lonely and a bargain for £2.00. As you can see a lick of paint can make all the difference. 

It is a great shopping list reminder, but the picture is a bit fuzzy unfortunately due to my lack of height to get a really good shot! 

This photo shows the lovely Tilda characters and all the glittery effect around the frame. It was such fun to do. That is what I love about my home, all these little things around that I love not just because they are pretty, but because I created them. 

Cupcake Mansion

A friend of mine was moving into a flat above a bakery, so I decided to make her a cup cake themed cushion. I love working with tweed, it is simply wonderful fabric to use and does not fray too badly for appliqué. Fabricland was once again my supplier, and the flower fabric was already in my stash as was the cherry button at the top. 

The idea came from a welcome to your new home card I had made her, and I particularly liked the little dormer window at the top of the house. 

I used a black stitched outline to give it the feel of a child's drawing and also created a little sunshine in the clouds. I coloured it a little more using crayons. She was absolutely delighted with the cushion. I think I was too.

A case for vintage re-incarnation

I simply struggle to resist the little napkins and tablecloths that are on the shelves of charity shops for pennies. They are the refugees of an era where families all sat round the dinner table and ate with napkins and linen table cloths. I am so pleased that the crisp white linen table cloths had long gone as my children could never keep their spaghetti on a plate! How they managed to keep the linen in such white pristine condition with no washing machines shows they had skills way beyond my abilities even with my eco bubble samsung! 

I love to find new lives for these poor refugees, and this one is a little needle case. You can gauge how small it is by the size of the stitches. I cut round the appliqué leaving a seam allowance and then used a modern vintage styled fabric that was in keeping, fabricland has lots of different varieties at the moment, all thanks to Kath Kidston. I backed it with the extra stiff iron on interfacing you use to make curtain pelmets it gives the needle book a good solid shape. The button was from my stash, and like everything I remember buying it at one of those craft outlets in Dorset, a small sideline for a potter and so lovely. 

Pink, blue and white

Autumn is the time for warmer textures, and I love the feel of this soft tweed, the colours are so pretty and I think it is only right to have a union Jack cushion in 2012! The bath bombs are ready to use on those dark winter nights, nothing like a bit of strawberry fizz to perk you up. 

I have just hooked out my cord skirts and jumpers, I love this time of year, cosy nights, warm clothes walking in the crisp air with sunshine. A poet once said that Autumn makes every leaf a flower and that is true. It is late coming here, we are already in October and from my window I watch the trees dancing but they are still very green. I have the heating on, and I am wearing my lovely soft velvet coat again. Simple pleasures. 

Apron love

I love all things domestic, I also enjoy wearing clothes that feel good. I was inspired by the fabric when I was sent on a course to London. Near our HQ is a wonderful fabric shop and there was a whole range of lovely heart fabrics in all different sizes. I could imagine it would be the best thing for a fifties inspired apron and bought enough for a project. I don't go that often and I have always regretted the times I have seen something and not bought it! (That is my excuse and I am sticking to it!)

I admit it is hearty! I researched several vintage designs of aprons and there were many fifties aprons that had heart shaped bib sections.

The problem is that sometimes the bib sections don't keep their shape so I re-enforced this with some interfacing, in addition I also re-enforced the front of the tie section so it keeps its width and does not fold over as some tend to do.

I wanted some form rosette on the apron and found this lovely pin from the British heart foundation, very apt in our year of the Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics! 

I love suffolk puffs, (now called yo yo's thanks to our American cousins) I remember making a child's toy at school it was a long caterpillar made from these puffs. My mother would not buy new material for it, so I had to cut up an old dress. I don't think it was finished because it was a very lengthy process, but I am so pleased to see things re-invented and renewed. 

I made the tie nice and big, to create a lovely bow on my bottom! It adds to the appeal of femininity, which is what the fifties era personifies.

It is a period where women were able to wear very feminine clothes, together with new materials becoming available so much happened to change the lives of the Brits from the deprivation of war to the optimistic 60's. I am going on a fashion lecture about this era as it is a particular interest of mine.

The skirt section is a half circle and it feels lovely as it sways around, it reminds me of a gypsy skirt I had in my dressing up box as a child. I think we should all dress up still! 

It is one of those things that I can simply slip on and indulge in a little baking imagining I am Doris Day! it makes me feel wonderful, just like a little girl again! Now that can't be bad can it?

Vintage Basket Revamp

I adore charity shops, not only do they suit my budget, but I find they are teeming with things that inspire me.

Take this little lovely basket, I admit now that I have a wicker fetish I simply love them and have many baskets in all shapes and forms. I think it is the tactile nature of them, similar to wood it has a living appeal.

I think this basket harps back to either fifties or forties, the colours seem to be right and someone has taken good care of it so I wanted to re-vamp it in tune with its nature.

I made an inner bag using vintage style Kath Kidstonesque fabric from Fabricland. I love the combination of reds and greens, who says they should never be seen eh?

It makes the basket a little more useful as I can keep my purse in it and not have it on show while I am shopping.

I made the little bow on the side to match my stripy fifties dress I was wearing to Goodwood revival.

I could not resist adding the bobble ribbon round the rim, and the strawberries were fun to do which was a good job because the day I finished it someone's dog chewed one off! They are hand stitched and it always surprises me how relaxing hand sewing can be. I used some red suiting I had left over and some green felt that I had made from an old blanket. I also filled the strawberries with some rice to give them a little weight. The buttons are from a new range Tilda has brought out they are designed for scrapbooking, but they were perfect for this because they are so tiny!

As with all things the project grew a little, I glue gunned the edge of the liner to the basket to fix it in place otherwise it would constantly sag. I also added lovely velvet ribbon round the handles as I found the handles cut in when the basket was full.

I love it, especially shopping with it it is so pretty.

If you would like to make some strawberries of your own, leave your email address in the comments box and I will send it to you.

Playing dress up

Remember the dressing up box you had as a child, the sheer pleasure of wearing something that felt wonderful, like a big circular skirt? or the dress that made you feel like a fairy princess? It is a sad thing that as adults we rarely get the chance to dress up! Goodwood revival is one of those great opportunities to dress up and have fun!

What delighted me is that there are so many people dressed up, and smiling! Clothes were from all periods from sequinned from the twenties, the grace of the thirties, with satin and fur, and the utilitarian 40's. I personally love the fifties, mostly because I have an hourglass figure and it suits my frame.

What I noticed was that everyone was having fun, most people had dressed up and there were not just beautiful dresses but hats and gloves too. I never miss a chance to wear a hat, but the weather was very draughty, I nearly lost it a couple of times!

There is so much to see, not just fantastic cars but lots of vintage clothing stores and motorbikes. There was even a vintage tesco with all the goods packaged in vintage labels!

The racing was exciting, if noisy and we also spent some time looking at the cars in the pits! There was even a whole group dressed like the guys from Dad's Army and very good they looked too.

These are my fellow Belle's, we all met up for a spot of lunch. Three of the girls had made their own dresses, and it was so lovely to see them! The sun came out in the afternoon and it became Glorious Goodwood. I put my head in the dancing tent, and watched a little of the lindy hop, it is so good to see it this setting, it felt so authentic, especially as the big band was live music. It was a shame that I did not see any familiar faces otherwise I might have have been tempted to have a dance or two. 

We spent a little time in the Kenwood Kitchen seeing demonstrations, I love my kenwood, Andy brought it along with him when he moved in. I really do think he looks like a farmer, but an adorable one! 

After 6 hours we were both feeling a little footsore but happy, there was still much more to see, but we were too tired! Will definitely have to go again next year... just enough time to plan my next outfit!