A little bit of progress

Well, that horrid lurgy which seems to have floored lots and lots of people I know floored me as well, and for the last couple of weeks I did not do much more than coughing coughing, coughing and feeling like death warmed up. The last few days have been much better and although the cough persists, I am feeling human again, yay. So I picked up the avocado dyed stuff again, and searched through some antique and vintage quilt pieces to match it. Found one! It is really thick, but I didn't want to mess with it. Decided to make a little needlekeep with it. Nowhere near finished yet, but I thought a little progress report was in order :-) - 

I am enjoying the slow progress of hand stitching, it is quite relaxing and somehow comforting. I might get this finished in a few days, lol. When I say slow, I really mean SLOW :-).

Almost weekend, have a great one wherever you are! Toodlepip xxx

The Oh-La-La Shabby Chic Girls' Club Link Party!

I am sure most of you will know Cindy Adkins from her Whimsical Musings blog, but whilst I was away in France, she also started a new blog, which I found out about as I was working my way through a million and one missed blog posts - The Shabby Chic Girls' Club. And she is having a Linky Party today! For anything shabby chic of French inspired. Oh my, having just spent 2 months in France, I have one or two French inspired photographs, lol. What to show, what to show?

Well, I have decided to show you a few shabby chic lavender sachets and an altered old French glass bottle. Oh, it was so lovely sitting outside my craftavan, doing a little bit of al fresco sewing and crafting -


And when I was feeling peckish? No need to go back to the cottage for a snack, I had plentiful supplies growing right next to the sewing machine -


I made these lavender sachets for Christine with some of the lace found at a vide greniers we both went to -


I finally found some lovely old bottles at a vide greniers, I had been looking for ages but had never been lucky before. Some of the really old ones are too nice to alter, the embossed writing on them is decoration enough, but I had fun with the plain ones. Well, one of them, lol, the others are still awaiting their transformation.

The bottles I found -


and the one I played around with -


Sigh, I want to be back in my little craftavan.

If you would like to see more pics from France, the cottage etc, you will find plenty on the blog, lol.

I am linking this post to the link party, of course

Have a terrific weekend, wherever you are, toodlepip xxx

Another fair to prepare for

I have booked a stall at a two-day fair this weekend, and because it is quite a long way from where we live, I have decided to stay over, to camp in fact. My darling son N, who always goes with me to these fairs, to help set up and take down, and generally keep me company, isn't too impressed with the idea of camping with his mum, lol, and I can't say I blame him. Bless him, the promise of a few Magners, French bread and pepperoni sausage might have just about done the trick of roping him in though. I certainly couldn't cope without him, so I might have to throw in a dinner at his favourite oriental restaurant next week as well.

We'll be leaving Friday afternoon to set up, so now I am frantically getting a few last minute things ready. My long awaited lavender buds have finally turned up today, so now I am VERY busy making a few drawer scenters, lavender sachets, stuff like that, which goes with the soaps etc. I am also taking a few other things with me, vintage huckaback towels, antique French towels, all nicely bathroom themed.

Drawer scenters, made with antique French handspun linen and antique ticking, filled with gorgeous strongly scented lavender buds -


A set of three gorgeous little vintage huckaback towels, two pink, one yellow, and a single one with a very prettily embroidered rose border -


I gotta get back to the sewing machine, got so much more to do! This must be my shortest post, ever, lol. I might add a few more things to the post later on. Til then, toodleloo x