Tatting re-purposed

Here's the prefect way to re-purpose those pretty crochet doilies you can't help buying when ever they turn up in charity shops - or is that just me!  However these two beauties are tatted not crocheted and are just the right size to keep those pesky flying beasties out of my favourite vintage Portmeirion mug.  The tatting is so fine it was difficult to sew the beads on without it showing so I just looked out some crochet thread of the same gauge, knotted them on and the thread ends just seem to blend into the tatting.  (Must try tatting one day!)



This is the very last bottle of 2012 Elderflower Cordial I'd squirreled away at the back of the cupboard, but as its almost time to make the 2013 batch I don't mind breaking into it.  As far as I'm concerned there is nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than homemade cordial with ice.  I've a mind to try rhubarb this year too as this recipe from Sarah Raven looks as easy as my elderflower.........

even with the "help" of my beautiful Titch!

The Fashion Harvest

I'd like to introduce to you a brand new blog created by my talented (and beautiful) niece Faye. If you like fashion, vintage, thrifting and making, you will like this. And if, like me, you are no longer a Dedicated Follower of Fashion, you probably know someone who is. So hop over to The Fashion Harvest and take a look. I'm amazed at how fast Faye has become an expert blogger and she has already picked up a band of Followers - I'm jealous!

Faye is just 16 and has her eyes set on a career in fashion journalism. I think she's already on her way! And looking back at my 16 year old self I can see Faye and I would have had a lot in common. It was 1964 - I'd just started a college course in fashion and textile and spent hours drawing, cutting and stitching clothes using any fabric I could get my hands on. Of course there were no charity (thrift) shops then but we did recycle our clothes. I featured my favourite recycler Capable Kate here last year and many of you seemed to enjoy her then, so I give you three more pages from her notebook today.

Ahhh, those were the days! I loved the drawings of Moira Macgregor - the creator of Capable Kate in Honey magazine, and based my own drawing style on hers. I devoured all the teenage fashion magazines of the time - Honey, 19, Petticoat - and idolised the new designers, Mary Quant, Ossie Clarke, Barbara Hulanicki at Biba, Foale & Tuffin and others. And of course we all wanted to be Twiggy or Patti Boyd or any of the other iconic magazine models of the day.

You have no idea how flipping through my small collection of those old magazines takes me back to that time. They say smells are a memory jogger - and of course they are, but every page brings back such a strong memory I can almost believe I'm 16 again and wearing my op-art black and white dress!!!!! Yes, I'm afraid only half of me was caught in this photo - but I quite like it that way.....

I'm having blogger issues today and have reverted back to the old interface as I've lost this post three times! Shame - the new version has some excellent features.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

.......if you were to look into the crafty spaces of all us makers anyway! At this time of year I start dreaming up plans for my Christmas gift making and it always sounds perfectly possible.... but no matter how organised I think I am, its always Christmas week before I realise it and late nights are required! I have made a few more Christmas List note pads for my next craft fair as they seemed to go down well at the last one.

I managed to get to a car boot sale last Sunday and found some lovely Christmas sheet music for only 30p each! I know White Christmas is the number one classic Christmas musical, and I do love it, but my very favourite is Holiday Inn. I have it on VHS and have watched it literally dozens of times over the years. Who doesn't love Fred's dancing, Bing's crooning and all those glamorous 40's Hollywood dresses and film sets...... I think I'll watch it again tonight!

I also found this 1950s biscuit tin at the boot sale. Perfect for storing Christmas cards until I'm ready to post them. Its in lovely condition - no rusty bits. I made the peg dolls you can see in the photo years ago for work colleagues - I seem to remember I was inspired by photos I'd seen in Country Living magazines. They were easy to copy using dolly pegs bought at our local ironmongers and bits and pieces I already had in my crafty stash. Click on the photo to enlarge and you'll find it easy to create your own versions - which I'd love to see.

Save for Baby

I don't often get the chance to make baby cards and gifts, so I was very happy to make a card for new baby Gruffydd Tomos, born this week to two good friends of my son. Gift making is in progress too. Note: Croeso is Welcome in Welsh.

A good chance too to show you this sweet money box I found in a charity shop some time this summer. I feel its from the 1950s and although it is quite crudely hand painted, I love it as a relic of frugal times gone by. "Save for Baby" is painted on the baby's back alongside the money slot.

Stamps: Papertrey Baby Button Bits and Love Lives Here