✴ she says...

It's turning chilly, she says.... Not so. Today was glorious. Oh, bank holiday weekend weather, how I doubted you.

At Wisley today, because, well, we thought the weather would be rubbish and didn't plan anything spectacular. Hooray for RHS membership and only a hop skip and a jump away to the gardens of loveliness!!

There was much walking running after an energetic toddler, quack quacks and dribbly chin ice-cream eating, yum. Hello Summer!

I was just in love with this gathering of purple alliums outside the glasshouse. Just shrubbery last time we visited, and now look! I love their fuzzy pompom-ness!

I love that Wisley changes every time I visit.

✴ chilled

Just when you think it's time to paint your toenails, don your flip flops and sup a lovely chilled glass of rosé, the weather turns nasty. Bbbrrrr....woolly socks on , rainy day indoors (it's bank holiday weekend, what did we expect?) and instead I'm reaching for a warming glass of red!

I picked up these two lovelies at my usual charity shop around the corner, one of two that I frequently haunt, to the point that I should be given a loyalty card...

I'm sure these glasses have been on the shelf waving at me for some time but I've ignored their dusty loveliness until the other day. Maybe there was nothing else of any interest there that helped me zone in on these two small crystal goblets. I have an inkling that they are crystal for several reasons; they are reasonably heavy for their small size, there is no mold mark, for instance where two halves of glass have been joined and most importantly, there is a beautiful melodic ding (which is a different pitch on each glass) when tapped. I'm usually a bit wary of anything that hasn't got a price on it (yes, even in a charity shop!) but these were a 'bargain basement' 25p each!!! Joy!

Bottoms up!

More fleamarket loveliness at Sophie's...

✴ my creative space

Hello my name is Sarah and I am a vintage chinaholic.

It's true. I can not stop buying random (but beautiful) pieces of old crockery from the charity shop.

My parents had a Wedgwood set of the Willow pattern dinner service as a wedding gift. 

Not one piece remains...all of it lost or broken. All of it? What were they doing? Smashing it into the fireplace, Greek style?

Anyhow, I remember it, well I think I do. I'm pretty sure I ate sausage and chips off a willow plate as a nipper. So it's a very nostalgic bit of old china for me. 

I want to hang these on the wall with these adhesive plate hangers as seen a while back on Kirstie's Homemade Home.

I think I might want to do something stitchy too or a print of some sort inspired by the Willow pattern. It's so beautiful, don't you think? As is the little tale...

Whilst we sit around the table, Please allow me to relate, The entrancing ancient fable Of "The Willow Pattern Plate."

Every picture tells a story, Like the Willow Pattern Plate, Where two lovers dwelt in glory, And defied paternal hate.

By elopement from the castle You observe upon the ridge, Where the violent old rascal Chases them across the bridge.

Tries to catch the rogue and whip him, 'Ere he steals the daughter fair; But the loving pair outstrip him, Let him languish in despair.

Thrown upon their own resources, In a junk they emigrate, To a splendid little oasis, Near the margin of the plate.

Dwell in peace, whilst unmolested, In most perfect harmony; Till at length they are arrested, by his Nibs' gendarmerie.

Then the tyrant lord appeals to Law and lucre, with their pow'r; Caught, confined, they have their meals too, In that horrid little tow'r.

When the pair are executed, To appease their lord irate, To a pair of doves transmuted, Still they fly upon the plate.

Every picture tells a story, Like the Willow Pattern blue, And true love will reign in glory, To infinity! Adieu      {B.L. Bowers} 

My Creative Space at Kootoyoo 

{ps. Sorry for the gazillion times this was published but something went awry with spacing....Hhmmmmm}

✴ sleepy dreaming...

I want to sleep, a deep satisfying 'during the day' kind of sleep. I want to sink back under the duvet and forget about crayon monitoring, tumble gym and picking crushed raisins from the carpet.

I don't want to get back into my bed....I want to sleepy dream away on a freshly laundered bed of crispy clean and adorably patterned bedding, such as the new organic range from Amy Butler. 

Oh yes, can always rely on Amy to lift ones spirits out of the gloomy blues and into majestic majenta, tangerine, lemon and emerald green.... and how lovely an idea is that yoyo cushion cover....yum!

I also want to lie in bed and sip an undisturbed cup of hot tea, peruse pristine magazines with pages intact and I want to watch something on telly which doesn't involve a super agent bear or talking trains....

Is that too much to ask...??

Love from Grumpy Mama. x

{ All images from Amy Butler }

✴ a good vintage

Last night we had a lovely dinner with some even lovelier friends who met just over two years ago at our wedding.....and are now engaged! Awww... don't you just love a well thought out seating plan..!

So I managed to show off some recent vintage finds, a few actually bought that day!

A square patterned plate {Diamond China Ltd} £2

Two tureens with a blue transfer pattern {Crescent China - George Jones and Sons} £4 each

A small blue and gold rimmed jug {Colclough} £1

A "Manchu" blue and white fan jar, missing the lid {Mason's} £2.50

Apart from the Colclough jug, which I think may be 1950's/60's the other items appear to be a bit older, possibly before 1920. I've been doing a bit of research into china back stamps, it seems the term 'Made in England' was used after 1920, beforehand it was just 'England'. Quite fascinating really and good to know when searching the shelves at the charity shop!

More fleamarket finds at Her Library Adventures...

✴ heavenly scents

The lilic tree in the front garden is positively blooming. So much so that it was beginning to cut out light through the front window. As if I needed a reason to pick these beautiful blossoms.

 I love to fill the house with these scented lovelies. There is nothing quite like handpicked flowers from the garden.

✴ my creative space

Today, I love that the sun has shone brightly even if just for the morning and for the hour spent on the swings.  I love to see the little one's beaming face as she flies through the air (er.. not literally..) with the wind in her golden hair and and a beautiful blissful smile on her lovely face.

I love that I keep finding treasures for pence in the nearby charity shops and antique fairs, and the promise of more loveliness to be yet discovered...

I love that during baba nap time I made time for a little fabric printing with some lovely bright pink ink and a favourite stamp, inspired by this book, which I love to browse through...

Tonight I loved curling up with a glass of wine while watching Waitress which is a truly lovely film and just loved discovering the kitchen cleaned and tidied by a much loved husband (mine...)

I don't love that, as always, time has flown, it is far too late to still be up and I will especially not love getting up in the morning...in far too soon a time......sigh........

More creative love at kootoyoo ...

✴ full of grace

I spotted this Italian silk scarf a few weeks ago in a charity shop on the high street but didn't buy it. Then I thought about it, in that way that you do when you wish you'd just got your purse out and given in to temptation. So on friday after a runaround in the park and and on the swings, I popped back into the shop and was delighted to find it still in there, at half price....a delectable £2.50! Yay for waiting - doesn't always pay off but big cheers when it does! It looks like it may be 1950's or 60's and totally reminds me of Grace Kelly, if only I could look so chic wearing it!

More Fleamarket Finds over at Sophies...

image here 

✴ safe and sound

Today I got together with a couple of mamas and nannys and we learnt some skills that all of us hope we will never have to use again...

Child First Aid.

It's one of those things, isn't it, we all know we should know the basics but the thought of imagining a situation in which our child or loved one is in pain, or unconscious or even worse, (palpitations at the thought of this ) not breathing.....is such an unbearable and unimaginable concept that most of us would rather file it away in a box labeled 'Things I'd rather not think about'.

But if an accident occurs, the immediate care and even resuscitation that may be given by a parent, grandparent, friend, neighbour, aunt, sister etc, etc, can be crucial and may even be life saving while waiting for the emergency services to arrive. 

Personally, I want to know what to do in a situation like that. Don't you?

There are many first aid courses, we did ours with Safe and Sound.

Here are some more...

St. John Ambulance 

British Red Cross 

And here is something I had no idea about....Do you know that you can even make an appointment with your local fire department for a home fire risk assessment, in which they will identify any fire risks with in your home and will even help you put together an escape plan in the event of a fire.

Good to know.

Anyway, lecture over, as you were...

✴ my creative space

There is much about the wedding in my space this week. And keeping shh...  

Successful headdress fittings on monday which now, after a little tweaking and finishing off, will be packaged in tissue paper, nestled inside an ivory box and sent to an excited Bride (and bridesmaids!) to be. All to be revealed at a later date...

A new secret commission leads to some more sketching...

And a few new potential clients have instigated a sort through of images...

Sorry for the cloak and dagger but they're a secretive bunch these Brides, and woe betide anybody that spills the beans before the big day!!!

All together now, 'Daaa, da da daaaa...'

Catch the bouquet of creativity (sorry....) at Kootoyoo...

✴ ahem...ahem...without further ado...

It's been a bit hectic and sleep deprived around here, hence the slight delay in picking a giveaway winner. Anyway at last I can reveal that Little Ted Canvas was picked out as the winner and will receive a collection of handmade goodies, including a 'Tickety Bow' brooch, vintage button hair grips and a 'Union' pin/lavender cushion...

My eager assistant also picked out three runners up who will be sent some vintage button hair grips;

Cupcakes and Biscuits 

From little Things 

Melbourne Epicure 

Be sure to email me with your addresses so I can get your goodies in the post...

{sassybats@hotmail.com}

Thanks to everyone who entered and all who stop by here and comment. It means so much to me and I love to read your comments and visit your creative worlds.

Thank you. x

✴ votes for cake

After dragging my weary and slightly confused head out to vote on thursday, imagine my delight to stumble upon a garage sale right across from the church where the polling station was.

Not such a bad day after all....

I like that the old couple had seized upon the opportunity of passing voter trade to host the sale...clever.

There wasn't much there to tug at my purse strings, except these three cake tins/jelly moulds. Fab find. £2...Sold.

Kugelhopf (made in the largest of the tins) 

and a vase of Cow Parsley ('thrifted' from the nearby fields on a walk home from the pub!)

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

By the way, I've been sooooo busy and have another hectic day tomorrow so I will pick a winner for the Giveaway on tuesday, so if you haven't done so already, you still have time to enter. 

More fleamarket finds over here...

✴ my creative space

Vintage buttons and Liberty fabric binding is all about my space, making pretty button/bow hair grips.

I can't seem to get enough of Liberty fabrics at the moment. They seem to be everywhere and so very much epitomise those very British 'Famous Five' style summer picnics of lashings of ginger beer, bike rides and rain...

Lashings of creative spaces at Kootoyoo...

There is still time to enter my giveaway here...

✴ {french} fancy a change?

I'm fussing about with layouts and the dreaded html again!!!

I should be sorting the laundry, making dinner, that sort of thing...Hhmmmm....

Once you start fussing....

Anyhoo. I'm not sure yet. I like the look of large images as seen on lots of other blogs but I'm wary of that 'I'm really SHOUTING at you' sort of thing. I don't want to scare anybody off.

I helped out one summer, before starting Uni, at The National Library for the Blind. As well as all of the braille books they also have a selection of large print editions. I used to borrow the odd book to read and it was a bit like the author had been shouting very loudly at me once I'd finished the page...

It was a bit exhausting!

✴ très chic, grandma!

This week I have grabbed for myself, from the local charity shop, a beautiful stash of granny chic loveliness; doilies, tray cloths, tablecloths and antimacassars. Oh and some lovely screen printed fabric that has a look of some Sanderson fabric my mum covered the settees with in the '70's.

I've already got several ideas for the re-modeling and up-cycling of these.

I'm thinking cushion covers, aprons, bags and general 'shabby chic'ing!

One is already so perfect for a vintage pinny it's like it was meant to be.

More Fleamarket Finds at Her Library Adventures.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway here.

✴ may day, may day : GIVEAWAY!!!

It's two years ago today that I started wittering away here to anyone who would listen.

Ok, so I maybe took a bit of a sabbatical for ... erm....one of those years but I was away, busy creating my biggest and best project to date......and she thanks me by calling me Daddy!!!!?
Thank you for all your comments, for stopping by and having a cup of tea (metaphorically speaking) and cheering me up and boosting my confidence with your lovely sentiments and words of wisdom.
So, to say ta, I'm having a bit of a giveaway. My very first (about time...)!
A bag of magical mysterious delights......
Well.....not literally magical....or that mysterious.....but delightful none the less.
A goodie bag of handmade goodness, from me, to you.
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment here, telling me about your May Day weekend pursuits. What are you up to or what have you done this weekend? What does May Day mean to you?
Perhaps you're heading out to a good old fashioned village fair and a dance around the maypole?
Or maybe you like to spend the bank holiday weekend nestling under the duvet and slouching around the house (hmmm...if only).
This weekend I'm hoping to fit in a visit to a farm, sunday lunch with friends and hopefully a long overdue visit to the V&A (Quilts - finally!). All, as always, dependent on weather.
Oh and I'm sending much love to a May Day Bride.

Anybody, anywhere can enter. I'll draw a winner out of the proverbial hat in a weeks time.
Until then, have a fabulous weekend.
xxx