I am a happy bunny

There I was, having a cup of tea whilst looking at my blog and reading posts from my reading list, when I came across juanitatortilla's post about the winner of her giveaway. I looked, rubbed my eyes, took a sip of tea, looked again, and it hadn't changed............. it still said lululiz in lalaland!!!! I had won her wonderful giveaway! OMG, I was so excited, just have a look here to see what the giveaway was. Gorgeous, or what?

Then I read Sarah's ( Red Gingham ) post and was delighted to see that my fabrics had made it safely to the other side of the world. And Sarah liked them, yay. I can't wait to see them in her quilt.

Another good thing - For the last few days, I had been halfheartedly looking for the bulk of my ribbons, which I had put somewhere in a safe place. You know, one of those places you think you are bound to remember, and never do, lol. I had some ribbons, mostly christmassy ones, in a drawer, but I knew I had a whole lot more, just couldn't remember where! And I really wanted to find them before I started making the lavender hearts and door hangers and pretty little lavender sachets etc etc. And lo and behold, this morning I finally found them. In a box which I had looked at at least two dozen times but not opened because it was in a cupboard with lots of photo albums, slide reels etc. Most of the ribbons are not really suitable for what I wanted, but I found some which could be useful, what do you think?


I also found a few bits of braid and bobble trim -


Oooh, and this really pretty cord trim to edge little pincushions with, or little sachets -


And how about this wide braid trim? It just screams 60s -


Sadly, the lavender I have been waiting for all week still hasn't turned up, so I can't make anything before the fair on Sunday. Ah well, I'll make some for the next one. Right now all I am going to make is a cup of tea!
xx

Don't I have anything better to do?

YES! Only about a million things, but then sometimes you start the day with the best intentions and somehow get totally sidetracked. I was such a good girl to start with, I was cutting the soap log I had made yesterday BEFORE 7am this morning, photographed the soaps, racked the soaps for curing, checked new blog posts on my reading list, saw my crochet instructions on the desk, and thats when things started to go wrong. I know I have some 70s Burda magazines ( German sewing magazines, with a few craft pages as well ), and I am so sure there are lots of lovely crochet projects in them. Darned if I know where the little b........ are though. So I started looking through bookshelves, boxes, more shelves, and I kept finding these lovely, interesting bits and pieces, french fashion magazines from the late 40s and early 50s, 50s and 60s dress patterns, fabulous old embroidery magazines, anything but the stuff I was looking for. It has taken me hours so far, checking out everything else I found, I mean, there could have been crochet patterns or some other interesting stuff in there, right?

Ah well, I thought I might as well take a few piccies of the things I found, they really are quite fascinating. So here are the pics, not much in the way of 70s crochet, but amusing nevertheless.

These wonderful embroidery patterns are French. You have probably seen those beautiful old French linen sheets with the fabulous embroidered initials, and these sort of broadsheet fold-out magazines supplied the patterns


This cut work design would have probably been used on the neckline of nightdresses or on the legs of those fabulous bloomers


Just a pretty floral design for a little table centre perhaps


I had to laugh when I saw this design called " Camping ". Isn't it great, little piggies, well, making pigs of themselves at the picnic, lol.


And these little ducks are just adorable


I also found a whole bunch of late 40s/early50s fashion magazines called Le Petit Echo de la Mode. Just look at these fabulous dresses and lingerie


And just how cute is this apron? I want it, I really really want it!


This is what all the best dressed kids would take on holiday -


Sigh, I wish I could wear dresses like that, don't have the waist for those anymore, lol -


The next lot of pics are from a 1950s magazine -

I love these tops, aren't they just so pretty?


Do you have a little doggie, by any chance? Fancy making him/her a little coat?


Thse next two pics take me straight back to my childhood. I seem to remember having a skirt similar to the one the little girl is wearing, and I know that somewhere I have a photo of one of my brothers wearing a very similar knitted outfit!


I have some vintage French dress patterns as well, shame I don't have the figure to make use of them anymore


I had one of these capes when I was a teenager and I loved it, my mummy had made it for me


And on to the 70s! These are from a 1973 Womans Own magazine.

Apparently this was made with a "daisy maker" whatever that was. I wouldn't mind having one of those and giving it a go, it looks really pretty


Nice crochet blanket! With instructions, if you want to give the pattern a go. You should be able to read it if you click on the pic to enlarge it, if not, email me if you want the instructions and I'll scan the page in -


And look at this flower brooch, snazzy or what? Again, with instructions, I am definitely giving this one a go -


And thats all, folks. Now I really really have to get on with other stuff. I have another fair on Sunday and I am so behind with the preparations, arrgghh.

xx

Mishmash post

It has been a beautiful morning here on the Sussex coast, warm and sunny, so it wasn't too much of a hardship to do yet another two hour town walk with a group of German school kids, over here on a school trip. I did get somewhat hot and bothered, phew, the road up to the castle hill is VERY steep, but the wonderful views from the top are so worth it! One of these days I will have to take my camera and do the walk on my own, there are so many lovely things to see in the Old Town.

It did mean, however, that my brain got a little fried in the sunshine and now refuses to co-operate with me, I will probably babble about all sorts of things, lol. Before it gets totally out of hand though, I want to thank Sarah, Red Gingham, for the lovely award she gave me, and the nice things she said about me in her post. Sarah, the package must be about half way by now, surely! See what I mean, these odd little thoughts creep into the post, hmmm, I hope it doesn't get any worse.

Remember I was making those hexagons for a little cushion for the cottage? Well, I got a little carried away with those hexagons, sigh, its just too addictive this crocheting lark, and I am going to end up with such a huuuuuuuge cushion, lol. But I have stopped now, done the half hexagons for the sides, and was just admiring my handiwork, when it dawned on me that not only will I have to sew in about a million bits of thread, I will also have to make a back for this enormous cushion! ARRGGGHHHHH, what on earth possessed me to make so many hexagons???


Right, on to the next thing. I have been making soaps again and it seems I am developing a bit of a cube mania at the moment. I have little tubs with different colours shreds and cubes sitting on my work table, and the temptation to sprinkle, sprinkle is just too great. Still, I really like the look at the moment, so thats alright.


Oooh, ooh, this reminds me, the little game I was playing yesterday. It seems Floss already knows me too well, lol, she guessed straight away that it had something to do with soap. You see, I had made this plain yellowy orangy soap, to shred and cube to put in other soaps ( see above ). But as I was cutting it, it looked so much like a really yummy cheddar to me, I just couldn't resist teasing you a little with it. It just looked too edible, and one could easily have sprinkled that on top of a salad and gotten away with it. Until whoever tucked into it starting foaming at the mouth, that is, lol. Anyway, Floss, email me your addy please, and I shall send you a little prize.

Grand, thats taken care of that, now what else was I going to say? Oh heck, I think I need a cup of tea first, brb, I am off to the kitchen!

Back again. Great, isn't it, how a cup of tea can revive you and put that little bit of sparkle back. And here is something else that adds sparkle to a girl's life - yay, costume jewellery, all sorts of things from Victorian to 1960s, just a few brooches and a couple of necklaces. Most of my other, sort of day-to-day necklaces are hanging up on a couple of coathangers, they don't make jewellery boxes big enough, lol. Hmm, I suppose I could use a suitcase, lol. Ah well, I like them hanging up like that, it makes it so easy to pick one. Anyhoo, back to the sparkly bits, here they are -


Here are a few more pics, first, a lovely little marcasite flower brooch


a leafy one


this is a lovely flowing shape with danglies


and a teeny clip on lapel brooch, not much bigger than my thumbnail


This is a gorgeous big old belt buckle, I love the delicate filigree design -


and a few precious little necklaces -


The next two bits are so beautiful, the top one is another clip on brooch, but really quite big, and below that is the most gorgeous belt buckle -


While I was upstairs in the bedroom, raiding the jewellery, I looked across to the mantelpiece, and this little corner of it, with the Japanese vases, the bridal tiara and the ostrich feathers struck me as so pretty, so here is a pic of that as well -


I am blogged out for today, and starving, and I really ought to get off the computer and do something housewifey. Would looking at my lovely lovely Sarah Smith dusters count as doing something housewifey??? I could put on an apron, I do have some, ermm, which I made when I was a little girl............