Moving on...

Goodness me, if I had known that my last post was going to reach several thousand people, many of whom hijacked my blog as a way of venting their spleen, and even reached one of the people I wrote about, I might have taken more time with my words and not just jabbered away and pressed 'publish.'

I'm pleased to see that the nation feels so passionately about interiors.
But REALLY. Was that post more important than the ones it has surpassed in terms of popularity in which I showed off the cupboard doors I had spent WEEKS on? No.
Was it greater than learning how to paint on glass? Certainly not.
More riveting than an experimental wood bleaching process that took a REALLY long time? I think not.
So let's draw a line under it now.


Moving on...
I found a bag of patchwork pieces in a charity shop and a small piece of completed patchwork. I snapped it up as I love that kind of thing. Only when I got it home did I realise quite how special this was...

The fabrics are all so very vintage!

What do you think? 1940's?

1950's?

They're all so fresh and bright from having been kept in a bag for sixty or seventy years.

It would be criminal not to keep this quilt going and use up those hexagons.

 I started a quilt of my own quite some time ago. I cut out lots of squares in delicious sludgey tones. Then I realised my squares were too small so they sit languishing in the loft. Perhaps in seventy years, someone will find them and get very excited over them.


Welcome back to all the bloggers in my sidebar. I took you all  off and missed too many posts.  No more layout tinkering.

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Fond farewells...

Our visitors have gone and I've been slowly wading through the mountain of washing and ironing that four extra sleepers in the house create. I'm one of those people who irons sheets so it takes a while. Luckily the weather has been kind and great for drying.

We had a lovely time with them. They went into London every day to do the touristy things. They've done more than I have which is shameful as we're only half an hour away and I spent many years there. The kids (10 and 7) had never seen a hedgehog before as they don't have them in Australia so she was a source of endless fascination.

Did you know that hedgehogs self annoint? No neither did I. When they eat something particularly exciting like a slug or smell a new smell, they puke all over their spines, contorting their bodies as they do so. It's bad enough watching her rip apart and devour a slug without her vomitting it up all over herself. I mean, I have to pick her up! The kids were groaning, ''that's so GROSS!'' quickly followed by, ''giver her another one!''

(Sorry if you're eating right now...)

Twilight (Gah! That name!) is off to the Hedgehog  Hospital this weekend to be placed in a pen outdoors as part of a slow release program. She is so fat, she can now be released for hibernation. We thought she might be too small in the begining. I'm sure they will find her somewhere safe and happy to live with plenty of slugs.
Anyway, here's my latest before and after...

before

Very hard to photograph!

She bloody bit me!

She's not even sorry...

I've also been busy clearing out the loft for a big eBay cull. So the nice tidy house is no more.

I've not been very creative this week. I'm not sure what my next assault on the house will be. So much to choose from. Headboard, kitchen, armoire, blanket box, wardrobe x2, tv stand, the list goes on.

Seeing as I've nothing remotely clever to show you, I will show you some recent chazzing finds... and unusually they're mostly clothes. Driving has given my wardrobe a new lease of life. I'm no longer governed by comfortable shoes and waterproofs! I always said that if I had a car I would waft about all day in cream cashmere. Well, that's not quite a reality but I was asked where I was going by one of the school mums! Which is a first. I hope Curtise and Vix are proud of me.

I got this folky Monsoon dress from the YMCA. It's like new!

I did try to do an outfit shot but I think you need a tripod or a willing partner and mine was away.

This velvet coat I actually got in the summer at a boot sale but I've been living in it...

 

It's a bit big but I don't mind. I got the little corsage from the vintage kitchenalia lady at the boot sale. 

And this scarf! Love at first sight! I'm looking forward to a chilly morning so I can wear it!

 

I can't knit or crochet but I love the finished articles!

I found this little tin at the boot sale...

Not sure if the 'poudre' is make up or something to do with paint but either way, I'm happy.

Oh yes, I did do one creative thing. I balanced a ginormous wooden spoon on top of the painted window in the dining room.

Giant spoon, 50p at a bootsale in York in the summer.

My husband asked why we needed to balance a spoon on a window.
I pretended not to hear him.

I'll try to get my arse in gear again soon.

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Secondhand score...

I'm so pleased with what I found at a charity shop in York the other day.

It's not just one handmade patchwork curtain...

But a whole pair!

The linings have to be removed as they are too far gone but the curtains are just grand, they just need a good wash.

I'm so excited by their discovery! I might try one at the kitchen window? Or I could piece them together and make a quilt? Or a door curtain for the hall? Or chop them up and make a skirt like Vix's? I love her skirt! But would I wear it? I'm not as brave as Vix. Ooh decisions, decisions...

And the best part was the price. They were £5!  As I paid the lady said, ''I only put them out this morning!''
And that is why I never walk past a charity shop! You never know what they'll have and the good stuff goes fast!

We had two exquisite and genuine Radley handbags donated to our shop the other day! I priced them high and they had both sold before I made it back upstairs. (When I say ''high'' someone still got an absolute bargain!)

Gotta love charity shops!

Funky Junks Party junk

Knick of Time Tuesday

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Norah Wellings sailor doll...

I found something really cool today. This little doll:

I got it for 15p in a charity shop in town. I could tell it was old but I didn't know much about Norah Wellings. A short while on the interweb told me that these sailor dolls were made to be sold on the cruise liners before World War 2 and they bore the ships names on their hats.

RMS Carinthia made her maiden voyage in 1925 from Liverpool to New York. She was part of the Cunard White Star Line. She stopped being a cruise liner in 1939 when she was converted into an armed merchant cruiser and was torpedoed and sank the following year with a loss of 4 lives. The fact that the ship took 36 hours to sink probably is the reason only four died I would imagine.

A huge amount of these sailor dolls were made by Norah Wellings who started her working life with Chad Valley before starting her own company with her brother. Some are more valuable than others. I don't know if they score more points if the boat came to a sticky end.

 This one has it's original label and is in very good condition. I would imagine it's worth rather more than 15p. When I find out and sell it, the charity shop will recieve a decent donation. It is a childrens charity after all.

Don't you just love charity shops? You never know what you're going to find and what you can learn. And where else can you get anything for 15p?!!

Linking with Me and My Shadow: Magpie Monday

and Blackbird has Spoken: Op shop show off

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Bedside/Telephone table in milk paint

Remember this?

A shabby little bedside/telephone table from the Salvation Army shop.

A bit of milk paint (Homestead House in Canada - Champlain) and waxing and now it's like this

 

 

Roses for Hakan! (David Austen -Queen of Sweden) I think they may be the last blooms of the year.



I had trouble with the distressing as there was something lumpy on the sandpaper and it scratched weird marks in the paint. I had to repaint it. Once you embrace the fact that you're not going to get an opaque coverage then using the milk paint is fine. And once the wax is on it always looks so much better.
I like to stipple the dark wax on with an old paintbrush as it adds another dimension to the final texture. A kind of speckledy finish.
And as usual, in my haste to finish it, I dark waxed at night and spent this morning scrubbing half of it off. I can hear my mothers voice. ''A monkey would've learnt by now!''

Delighted to be linking up with
From My Front Porch Yo Yours

And
Miss Mustard Seed

And
The Rose Garden in Malevick; Saturday show off

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Topsham, Devon and beautiful furniture

 Just got back from a quick trip to Devon to see family, friends and the sea. And of course a bit of coastal town charity shopping!

 We stayed with family at Topsham where I met Karen from 'The White Approach' at a vintage sale. It was funny, I read her lovely blog http://thewhiteapproach.blogspot.co.uk/ and I know she mentions Topsham sometimes but I was surprised to see her sign up and went to say ''Hello''. That's the first blogger I've met!

These images of painted furniture are from the Topsham Museum which is well worth a visit! I could find space for any of these!

 The sweetest cooker ever.

 I am SO doing this to my stairs some day!

 Funny how these are desirable again.

 I found the most awesome thing in a charity shop down there, which I'll show you another time...
The train passed right by the Reading Festival on the way home and we could see all the tents and stages which was pretty cool. Then sooo many people got on our train, it was standing room only all the way to London and they STANK of urine and beer! Eew! And we had been feeling smug, travelling on the bank holiday morning, we kind of thought we'd have the train to ourselves!

Now I'm having a hyperactive spell and ripping the tiles off the kitchen walls whilst simultaneously painting the ceiling and a wardrobe that's blocking up the dining room.  The mountain of ironing and name label sewing can wait...


Linking up with http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/2012/08/treasure-hunt-thursday-71-highlights.html

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