Cushy number!

Seemed like ages since I'd written a blog post and now I see that it is! As it's some time since I did a show and tell I thought I'd share some pictures with you.

I noticed when I was plumping my cushions that my random occasional purchases are sitting together very nicely. Not one for having a matching set of anything I have bought cushions when I have found the right fabric or the right price.

There is no theme or colour combination I particularly look for but I do like the old fifties fabrics - barkcloth or linens.

I recently bought a couple at Spitalfields market and was told by the supplier that she buys feather cushion pads from an online source Marrick and Day who happen to be about half the price of John Lewis so I thought I'd share that nougat with you. Speaking of sharing nougat I should also mention to those who asked about lampshade making (previous post) that there is a company called "needcraft.co.uk" who provide everything necessary for making your own lampshades including the flameproof backing for the fabric or paper you choose to use. I managed to find several drum shades at the car boot yesteday that I will be able to transform.

I'm finding it more and more difficult to find lovely old fabrics but do still turn up the odd nugget like the one top right. Note to self - get sewing machine serviced and make your own cushions!
I really like the cushion with the band of fabric with a buckle detail on it.

and the yellow one with the crackle background.

I've had some luck recently finding old packaging - I've been looking for medical packaging as I often find that nurses and doctors collect such things. Anyone remember Electric Lung Mixture No 14?

Also loved the little Dairy Box that I found yesterday - I don't remember this packaging from the first time round so if you do please let me know. The mother of pearl button is just to show you how small the box is.

I've been asked to supply a new vintage shop locally so am busy trying to find new items and today have been asked to find items for a third shop! If you are local and would like to visit feel free to let me know and I'll send you the details.

And now I must prepare my basket of goodies ready for my weekend workshop with Julie Arkell next Sunday...Life's good right now - oh and Niobe's home too! Yay!

Hope life's good for you right now.

Love Wend

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

Lovely bits...

I found the item above at a charity shop at the beginning of the year and bought it because I loved the fabric and the price wasn't bad either. I was thrilled to bits when I saw the midwives wearing them on "Call the Midwife". I've particularly enjoyed looking and seeing all the things that made me say - I've got one of those! Mirrors, tins, radio etc, etc.

Some of you will remember that I took on a vintage cabinet before Christmas on a trial basis. Well I'm happy to report that things have been going so well I have taken on a unit and things are now going even better. Almost too well - I can't keep up with the sourcing of new items to sell! Perhaps I'm too cheap! I have to spend my weekends runining around antiques fairs, auctions and car boots! My idea of heaven! Always on the look out for for barkcloth and lovely old linens ...

Recently found this fella at a car boot - can't decide whether he is cute or nasty! He spends his days just hanging around amongst the pinnies. Do you like the green one with the black smocking? I love it - beauty in a pinny. I just can't decide what would possess anyone to smock a pinny. Life's just too short!

Oh and I thought I would share my birthday present from Niobe - (a bit late I know). A gorgeous Marshall and Snelgrove hat box. Why don't our boxes and tins look as lovely as this today? This week I have thrown away a dozen chocolate tins at the office. I would have liked to have thought twice about these as the possible collectables of the future but they weren't attractive. Quality Street and Roses used to be in such pretty tins (that will be another post!) but I couldn't bring myself to hang onto those we get today for another 50 years!

I'm sure some of our young designers would relish the opportunity to design for the big companies to bring some life and interest into today's packaging but I suppose they (the companies) are too wedded to their branding!

Have a great weekend!

Love Wend

Ticking 'n tweed

On Sunday I took off for a much anticipated workshop at Hope and Elvis. This one was called Tweed Bags. I've blogged about Louise's workshops before and always have a great time. I always take along my basket loaded with vintage bits and pieces that I've collected to incorporate somehow.
We were able to choose from a selection of styles.



Not restricted to tweed you could use any of a whole shelf full of fabrics to make any of these beauties...



As usual I had the problem of having to make too many decisions - which fabric, which lining, long or short handles, to embellish or not etc, etc...



Louise provides the fabrics, trimmings, equipment etc but it's always lovely to use some of your own bits.



Was I going to be able to turn these fabrics into anything resembling any of these lovely bags?



I chose a charcoal grey suit jacket which I thought would coordinate nicely with a piece of my ticking stripes and perhaps a piece of barkcloth. I'd also taken with me an old Tootal scarf to use. Normally that would be sacrilege but I'd managed to set the tassels on fire when cooking a while back so couldn't wear it anymore. Several hours later - this...



This picture shows the front bottom of a jacket with pocket as one side of the bag



with the reverse being a breast pocket. As it was a breast pocket I used a piece of vintage fabric to masquerade as a pocket handerchief. The lining was the remains of the Tootal scarf with the label being used to embellish the other side. Ticking was incorporated where I didn't have sufficient fabric/or for contrast with barkcloth being added to the handles.

The day was particularly lovely as I met Diane from heartshaped



Diane was so sweet and thoughtful - she had bought her blogging buddies gifts and mine included a bottle of sea glass which she knows I've never maaged to find on the east coast. I was really touched that somebody had bothered to do this for me!

I also met Lyn from everyday life, Nik - Diane's 'lurker' friend, and Debs from Two bones and a bagle. Debs helps Louise at the workshops - what a great job - surrounded by all that loveliness!



I can never resist taking pictures of the studio where Louise sells some of her lovely finds





and will confess to picking up a couple of pieces of Pink Utility - oh and a piece of yellow. Well - just look at the picture in my side bar - I obviously needed more didn't I?

Now looking forward to the Vintage and Handmade fair in Northampton on Saturday - hope to see some of you there!

Love Wend

Vintage at the Southbank

Last week I was excited as a small child waiting for Vintage at the Southbank. I had no intention of paying £60 to enter the Southbank Centre holding, what would no doubt have been, a great party with all the dressed up visitors and great music but I decided that I couldn't miss the FREE bits!

This is hardly the approach you would expect but London has brought the seaside to the city



with a row of brightly coloured beach huts with inspired interiors and other seaside effects placed along the riverside.



Each was designed by an artist



this one being inspired by a Lucienne Day design.





I had particularly wanted to visit the Vintage Village so for all you vintage lovers I'll share one or two of my favourite bits starting with the Horrckses tent...



Horrockses linens, famous from yesteryear used the occasion to launch their bedding range based on the old designs.

They also had displays of their old dress designs loaned by a collector.



The linens are going to be available through large department stores - House of Frazer etc. I can see these selling well!





Cath Kidston used the event to launch their autumn range. I'm afraid I'm not a fan of her new designs but do like to see the vintage items that have been sourced.



The peg bags and shoppers looked great hung up together



There were lots of great stalls with fabulous items but it wouldn't have been easy for the stallholders. They had had to pay hundreds of pounds for their stands so needed to sell a lot of stock to break even. I suspect that some will have struggled...

Crown paints launched their new range of colours -vintage of course! I couldn't find a paint chart but will be making enquiries. (What did we do before "Vintage" preceding any word suggested the item was more special than its non vintage counterpart?) That reminds me - I think I have some vintage items in my fridge - other than the cheese in which it's a good thing!

There were lots of other things to do with food from around the world, a roof top garden on top of the Southbank building,





the Peter Blake bus



and table tennis like you've never seen it before...



using a leather covered table with a "net" of old furniture books



and get this - a table covered with ping pong balls. This lady clearly has on her passport the occupation of ping pong ball gluer.

And I didn't have a clue how to play on this table



but this young lady was having fun!

Oh and the clothes, the hair dos (I so have to master the victory roll hair do), the miles of bunting. the dancing in the street , and the pure and simple fun that people were having were wonderful to behold. It was great and probably very shallow of me) to forget everything else going on in the world and just enjoy being part of something happy!

I should add I'm having a lot of problems posting comments - according to the system I'm not recognised! I am still checking out your posts and hoping that Blogger will sort itself out soon.

Have you seen this man? Spotted at Snape Maltings while on holiday camping in Suffolk last week. This was a very welcome break after the pressure cooker environment I've been enjoying no enduring for the last few weeks while Niobe has been taking her A levels. I will just say to all similar Mums - "and Breathe"!



These stripes are on the possibly most photographed beach hut in the country in Southwold. Niobe wanted a "last" camping holiday before she goes away to Uni.
My bones are starting to resent this form of self abuse and cried "enough" as I tried to raise myself from the air bed each morning resmebling the actions of a beached whale. Still the weather made up for it!



Southwold's beach huts are notorious - as much for the cost as for their colour with some going for £70000 (yes seventy thousand).



I have to say though I rather like the dark more brooding huts found just across the river at Walberswick and can imagine myself whiling away the hours in a Virginia Woolf "Room of my own" type way.



Especially one like this - equipped right down to the East coast essential item - a hot water bottle for the beach! Why had I never thought of that!



Having some time way gave me the chance to sit down quietly and finally work out how to crochet a ripple - I've been going to a crochet class for several week over the spring but realised that the only way to get it is to PRACTISE. So with the sun blazing out at 5.30 I got in with it and cracked it. The biggest decision I had to make in my jamas was - what colour next?



I managed to track down a great car boot in Kessingland not far away and had some great finds - fabrics, art deco Barribal playing cards, little Kodak Brownie camera and a big old Peak Freans biscuit tin.



Not to mention this fabulous wooden hat box? It still has some battered old labels on it and is a great size. Niobe was a bit taken aback as I referred to it as my bedside cabinet in the tent. It worked a treat for my specs and lamp at night!



I'll let you have a closer look at my fabric finds - loving this grey and pink floral barkcloth



and then I found this piece - as new. Wow. Can't beat it - that feeling you get after a successful car boot! Who needs abseiling, paragliding, for their adrenaline fix? Not me!

Hope you're all enjoying these summery days. Hopefully I'll find some time to get round some of your lovely blogs soon - but that will be after the OFSTED inspection. As chair of governors I'm up before the inspectors this morning. Best go and brace myself!