sweet february

As we approach the end of February it feels as though all we have done this month is scoff sweet stuff. Not so bad I suppose. After the loved-up chocs and sweeties from Valentines Day the sugar sprinkled highlight of the month has to be Pancake Day, or it’s more forgotten, original name - Shrove Tuesday!

Actually we have pancakes quite often for breakfast at the weekend. And as much as it is a ‘special treat’ for the kids, and they do still get super excited each time, it’s just so simple in both ingredients and method that I don’t know why we just don’t have them every morning............and then I remember!

the duck and the squirrel

Me and the little man finally made it out today for a stroll to the shops. The first day in a while where the autumn weather hasn't consisted of torrential rains and blustery winds. 

Infact it was glorious golden sunshine with a frosty nip in the air so we wrapped warm and headed out on our errands.

When I say shops, I mainly mean the charity shop because it has been yonks since I’ve had a nosy in the window and to be honest I was getting a bit fidgety with lack of charity shop treasures to ooh and ahh at.

But look at these beauties we picked up today. I’m not sure if it was the christmas advert from John Lewis, or the ‘woodland’ theme the little mans bedroom has adopted, but these two little treasures just seemed to call out to me from their rather mundane shelf in the way that many inanimate ornamental types often do to me while shopping…. 

“Take us home and admire our rustic woodland charm”

And so I did and I have!

egg cups

A few weeks ago we went to Ardingly. It's an enormous antique fair thats held a few times a year. It was pretty awesome although sometimes when faced with big enormous 'treasure markets' like that {the little ladies words} I get a bit overwhelmed and ummm and ahhh over too many things so that I can't really make a decision about anything and end up panic buying right at the bitter end, convinced that I've missed a stall with an abundance of 'me' things.

Anyway. My mum collects egg cups, has done for years and now has quite the eclectic collection. I think it's quite a clever thing to collect really, as they don't take up too much room and can be found relatively cheaply. 

So I spotted these egg cups pretty soon into the Ardingly visit and instantly fell in love.

They are 1930's, made by Burleigh and are in perfecto condition. I gave them to mum for Mothers day.

Their minty springyness just makes my heart sing. I love the hand painted tree design and what looks like, can it be - feels like an age since I last saw growing - oh my goodness....are those ...... Daffodils??!

So, enough already with this freezing, snow flurried spring! Myself and the wee ones are off to go see if we can find the sun to warm our goose bumped flesh and put a rosy pink glow on our pale wintry faces.

Happy Easter xxx

lemon, mint, lime & teal

Today has been the coldest day that I've felt in my bones for ages. 

We shuddered and held hands tightly as we quick stepped to school, braving the snowy drifts and icy winds. 

Snow? It is March. MARCH! I tell thee!!!

Anyway, still feeling defiantly springy I'm surrounding myself with springy colours, mothers day daffs and some recent 1970's treasures which have been cheering and brightening these dark wintery days.

Mint green teapot {no mark} £2.50 

J & G Meakin 'Galaxy' casserole pot £2 

Mushroom pot {no mark} £2 

✴ the unintentional vase, part two

I really can't resist looking out for unusual, or unexpected, vessels for pretty florals.

There is something so charming and quirky about filling an old tin can or bottle with a bunch of delicate blooms. 

And such nifty, thrifty chic to boot. 

I found this decanter {cut glass, or dare I wonder, lead crystal, perhaps??} in the local charity shop the other day. 

I only nipped out for cat food. 

It was missing it's stopper which I think contributed towards its very respectable price tag of £1.

I gave it a good clean in hot soapy water and tied a scrap of pointe shoe ribbon around the neck, filling it with the prettiest rose tinted lisianthus.

Keep a look out in charity and junk shops for anything imperfect. That is, missing a lid or a stopper, or a handle or perhaps even has small chips and cracks. They make the loveliest and thriftiest of vases.

In case you are wondering, part one was these pretty milk/cream jugs which I filled with bluebells. Although these are perfectly perfect and are also used for their original purpose, they sometimes like to moonlight as flower vessels! 

Who can blame them?!

Taking part in Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

✴ the torment of inconsistent raisin distribution...and winners

I don't know what it is with baking with my little one that turns me into a highly strung, perfectionist mumma. 

Fanny Craddock crossed with Hyacinth Bucket, but there it is....

"Noooo.....Let mummy pick that up....now, careful, ooopsss...we'll do that bit again.....I'll finish that bit off........shall I do it??........"

I'll happily sit back and let her paint splodges with carefree abandon.....squidge play dough into mounds of nobbly wonder and dig up parts of the garden with a stick {ok that last one, not that happily...}, but I come over all wobbly when I see a gingerbread leg ripped mercilessly from one and pressed onto the tummy or head of another. And don't get me started on raisin distribution....

I need to get over myself....obviously, the one legged, 3 {raisin} eyed man is going to taste just the same as the others...! Maybe even better!

And so, as we happily scoff our gingerbread walking wounded for afternoon tea, we had a moment to scrunch up some names on paper {including those names wiped from the comments by the mischief making of blogger!!!}, tip them in a small mixing bowl and pulled out three at random.

The winners of Ediths Brooch giveaway are...

Tracey :: Seaweed and Raine :: Lyndel

Well done ladies, I will be in touch.

Apologies to everyone else and thank you all for entering and for indulging my ramblings with your sweet comments aplenty. 

Check back here as I hope to offer up a bit of a freebie for all in the next week or so.

✴ green living

I'm loving the green that surrounds us. Everything is thriving from the fabulous sunshine and although the garden is lacking in colourful blooms {must do better next year...} I'm learning to love the green and the leafy.

Jasmine leaves in a tiny glass bottle and small ribbon-tied bunches of ferns are making my heart sing this week. 

The botanical greeneries and crisp white linen make me think of an Edwardian parlour, I'm not sure why but there it is. 

So gloriously glorious and springy are the green and white hues, a perfectly elegant and cheap way to decorate a room and so very weddingy too! 

There I go again, obsessed with all things weddingy....

All things green....

ferns and jasmine from a shady nook in the garden,

transferware sauce boat from a nearby charity shop and a gift from a thoughtful friend 

{thank you Miss S.}

Burleigh chinese style bowls {x 2} in pale green 'Asiatic Pheasants' pattern, local charity shop £3

home grown and home made pea shoot and walnut pesto, recipe here.

{I used old baby food jars, which are a perfect size for pesto and improvised jampot covers with fairy cake cases!}

More Flea Market Finds here

Also, still time to enter my giveaway I will draw winners next week.

Sorry if you have had trouble commenting, blogger was a bit disturbed last week and I fear I have a lost some comments in the process. Hopefully now normal service is resumed {because wasn't it a pain?!!!}

✴ royaltea

The past couple of days, me and the little lady of the house have been 'at home' to friends calling round for afternoon tea. It has been most delightful. We have supped tea and fine bubbly {for those of age} and dined on delicious savories and home baked nutmeg scones with strawberry jam and fresh cream. Yum.

We have been a bit impressed with our oh so last minute afternoon tea styling with antique embroidered tablecloths and thrifted vintage jugs holding bluebells and wild {or weed?} flowers picked late one night from the 'jungle' before the gardeners mowed them all away the next day. 

We found old rocks, shells and pieces of coral gathered long, long ago from beachcombing trips and now scattered around the garden and thought they'd make pretty good tablecloth weights against the blustery winds that swept though our gloriously sunny days. 

I had forgotten about the heart shaped lump of coral and thought it quite apt and just a bit pretty. 

We watched children play and tickled new babies toes, we chatted about new loves and remembered past high jinks and nights of hilarity, we discussed wedding plans and preceding hen do's and special birthdays soon to be celebrated. 

And with bellies full, glasses drained, teacups gathered and sleepy children heading to 'bedfordshire' we decided that love was most definitely in the air and exciting times are ahead.

I'm wondering if Kate has been scoffing cream tea and laughing with her gal pals and I'm doubting she has a dishwasher to empty and reload...

✴ retro teatime

I'll admit that I'm not usually drawn to 1960's and 70's retro patterned pottery. Which is odd as I love Orla Kiely and her designs are clearly inspired by this era. 

Anyway, this little teapot sang to me from it's box of donated goodness in the corner of the charity shop.

It whispered to me that in it's state of lidless perfection, it would make a wonderful planter. 

I agreed and instantly began to imagine a flurry of trailing vinca pouring over the pot and through the spout. 

And really, what else could you do with a lidless teapot?

Anyway, then the lady found the lid and when I asked the price she sucked her teeth and said.."Oohh...well it is Sadler.....better make it £2.50" and I knew then it was probably sacrosanct to fill it with earth and leave it out in the rain. 

And don't you just love thrifty shopping when something seemingly so revered can still only cost £2.50!

{crocheted pot holder from a pattern in Kyuuto! Lacy Crochet}

Flea Market Finds here.

✴ we will repair to our rooms...and consume our fruit in solitude

One of my favourite scenes in Cranford {the BBC adaptation, it only merits a few lines in the book} is the evening when, by candlelight, the sisters Miss Matty and Miss Deborah together with their guest Mary Smith, sit around the table to eat the oranges that Mary has brought for them. They discuss their preferred ways to eat an orange {which seems such an exotic treat for them all} and after much debate, Miss Deborah decides that the act of sucking juice from such an altogether messy fruit is far too unladylike and vulgar and that they had best eat their oranges each of them in their own rooms out of sight from one another. Brilliant.

What on earth would Miss Deborah make of us ladies today. Constantly eating on the go. Shoving a sandwich in as we nip round the house with a hoover....I'll admit to often having a packet of crisps open in my pocket while out shopping....an utter disgrace, I know.

Anyway, I spotted these transferware pieces in my local charity shop during the week. I have a bit of a weakness for transferware and I'm starting to gather an eclectic mish mash of pieces, like this blue, and this green. It's just lovely don't you think? I can so imagine the Jenkyns ladies eating their oranges off such a plate and dish as these. In their own rooms, of course.

Having just had a few weeks of a cough and cold I've been eating a lot of oranges, and Miss Deborah is so very right..."Consuming them is a most incommodious business".

{ red transferware dish £2 and plate £1.50}

more Flea Market Finds here

✴ the tale of the fish and the bird

Once upon a time, in a distant land called 2010, there lived, in a musty old - although surprisingly treasure laden - charity shop, a fish and a bird.

Alone and unloved, there they sat. The fish hidden from view in the large window display, the bird even more so at the back of a dusty shelf, next to a toast rack, behind the shop counter.

And so they waited. In the dead, dark loneliness of night they recounted their past days of glory, the fish as an ashtray, the bird as a sideboard ornament. Would they ever again feel so cherished and worthy.

They feared the worst. And then one day, a rather harassed looking mother pressed her nose to the window of the shop {as she was often inclined to do} and she spotted the fish. Dragging her small child inside she asked to see the fish more closely. The fish could hardly believe his...ermm...ears? 

"Two quid? I'll take it" said the mother. She thought it might make a pretty trinket dish for her 'Nemo' obsessed child. And then on paying she spotted the bird. 

The women of the shop were used to the harassed mother. And her strange ways. They couldn't quite fathom her penchant for kooky old nik naks {not to mention crocheted doilies} for someone so relatively young. Then the harassed, but much happier mother left the shop, with the fish and the bird. And the child, of course.

The bird cried out to be painted, "Oh, cover my chintz and transform my old fashioned-ness...", the mother thought she heard it say. And so she obliged and a new creamy coat with porcelain hues the bird now wears. It occurred to the mother that with his newly painted coat, the bird might just make a perfect mannequin for displaying her handmade jewellery. The bird was delighted, as he had always fancied himself as a bit of a model and had perfected the art of keeping positively still. 

The mother wondered if the fish would like to have a go, but he was more shy than the bird and really couldn't make his mind up whether he should be painted or not......and neither could the mother, she had begun to grow fond of his brassy ways......The end.

{ brass 1950's fish ashtray, £2 :: china bird, £3 :: embroidered linen pillowcase £4 }

Jewellery made by me, yonks ago, forgotten by me, then discovered by me, yesterday!

Flea Market Finds for more tales of treasure.

✴ a place for everything...

...and everything in it's place.

On saturday I had a much longed for day on my own. I had looked forward to it all week and had many plans and grand ideas of lovely things I would spend the day making, away from yoghurty toddler fingers.

Of course, it didn't quite work out as planned. Once laundry had been sorted, the dishwasher emptied, the table tidied, a quick {ok, not so quick} peruse round t'internet, materials and trimmings fussed over... and so on and so forth.....it was lunch time already!! 

I had that much whirring away in my little head I didn't know where to begin. Don't you hate it when that happens?

I did bits of things. A bit more of the tatty linen brooches. A bit of silky yoyo stitching. A bit of flower stitching. A bit of this and a bit of that. But nothing finished. No ticks on the To Do list.

When the mr and the little one returned home I was feeling a wee bit sorry for myself. In that a whole day had passed and I had achieved very little. And that was that day, gone.

I had a little rant. Yes, I did.

Waaa....it's not fair I don't have any space to call my own....why can't I use your office too, it's not fair.....Waaaaa, woe is me.......me, me, me, me, me.....Waaaa........ etc etc.....

To which mr h replied a calm, Yes, of course. We'll buy you a new desk, we'll get rid of some bits of furniture, I'll clear a space......No problem. 

Gosh don't you just hate it when men respond to your wailing in a positive and productive manner?! 

So  I have a new desk {ok still in it's box but we're getting there..} and a new space to create a mess and not have to eat dinner around...Don't get me wrong, it'll be tight in there, but it'll do until the house is done.

I picked up these little baskets and old utensils tray which has been 'shabby chic-ed' in a rustic painted sort of way, from my local antique market on a quick shop late on sunday. They are just so perfectly pretty for storing all my unfinished bits and pieces and I've spent a few stolen moments today sorting and tidying all my creative mess. I'm going to make little basket inserts out of the spotty fabric which was  a bargain buy from the local charity shop just before christmas. But I think I'll save that for another day!

Apologies for the ridiculous length of this post but I'm a bit poorly with a horrible chest infection and can't be bothered to cut and paste images together in a montage way so just put them all in as are - sorry!

My space has taken on quite vintage vibe of late and so I'm linking this post to both Flea Market Finds and My Creative Space. This week is all about multi-tasking!

I'm off for an early bed, night night {cough...splutter...}x

✴ unfinished embroidery

Quite a while ago I bought a mixed lot of vintage linens and doilies. In amongst them was this embroidered cloth, unfinished by the stitcher and now a faded brown colour from many years of storage. Even several dips in biotex couldn't revive it's former pallor. It was doubtful I was ever going to finish the embroidery, and really, would it even be that pretty if I did? What to do. 

After much deliberation, constant digging it out from my vintage linen stash...and then putting it back again, I eventually decided to take the plunge and just do something, anything with it.

Those with a nervous disposition should turn away now because I went at it brazenly with a pair of scissors and cut it into many tiny circles for covered buttons. There, done, breathe.

I hope the stitcher doesn't mind. I thought it should start a new life as some pretty brooches and finally get to see the light of day and possibly enjoy some small adoration for its embroidered beauty. 

Most people would probably refer to this as a musty bit of old tat, this antique linen, once a treasured pastime and which for some reason was abandoned in its stitchery completeness. 

Maybe now at last, it can be moved to the pile of finished projects.

Erm...when I get round to finishing the brooches.....which I will, I will, I promise.........

{...coughs sheepishly...}

More finished and unfinished loveliness can be seen over at Kootoyoo.

✴ precious metals

{silver card tray, £5}

{pearl knot clip earrings, 50p}

A magpies haul of shiny metals from the local charity shop this week.

The brooch and earrings will be fashioned into new vintage style headdresses and I  had hoped that the silver tarnished card tray might well prove to be a precious metal of sorts. 

I had been practicing my 'pleasantly shocked' face and picked out an Antiques Roadshow appropriate outfit. I think I may have got a bit carried away. 

It clearly isn't real silver. There is a slight copper tone over the pattern which would hint at years of exuberant Brasso scrubbing by an eager maid, I'm guessing that if you owned and used a card tray, that you probably had staff...It's such a piece that depicts a bygone era, don't you think?

The custom of 'calling' in Victorian society and the etiquette of leaving a calling card for the lady of the house. 

Texting just seems so crass in comparison!

{goldtone pearl brooch, 50p}

Here is the method I used for cleaning the tarnish from the silver tray. It should work well for silver, silver plated and EPNS {but not best for gemstones and pearls} although care should always be taken when cleaning antique treasures.

Even though this is an eco cleaning method, there is a slight sulphurous odour during the cleaning process so it's best to do in a ventilated room or even better outside.

• Line a large bowl with aluminum tin foil.
• Sprinkle over 3 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda.
• Place pieces to be cleaned on top.
• Pour over freshly boiled water from the kettle to just cover pieces.
• Leave to soak for 10-15 minutes.
• Remove and buff gently with a dry clean cloth, tea towel or silver polishing cloth.
• See your silvery bits sparkle in the sunshine....or, under a very bright light....

Flea Market Finds here