A Little Help From My Friends

Now, this is a slight change to what I'd normally write about, but I know that the lovely people of Blogland are very cheery and generous souls so I didn't think that it would hurt to digress from usual proceedings just this once...

I've entered Little Treasure into the 'Star of JoJo' competition that the children's company, JoJo Maman Bebe, are currently running. If you happen to be on Facebook and you wouldn't mind casting a vote for LT, we'd all be extremely grateful indeed!

VINTAGE LOVELINESS

Don't forget it's the Vintage and Handmade Fair in Chipping Sodbury tomorrow. DO come and say "hello" if you're in the area!

Normal blogposts will be resumed very soon! Enjoy the sunshine and have lovely weekends one and all.

A Tin of Treasures

My friends and family all know that I love vintage sewing bits and bobs, so every now and again I'm presented with an offering with the words, "I found this and wondered whether you'd like it", to which I reply very quickly, "Ooooo, yes please!" These are the latest additions to my collection of treasure, given to me by my lovely friend Ann.

One of the most exciting things about a tin of treasure is that you never know what you're going to find inside.

I love this tin...it reminds me of my Grandma, who always seemed to have a tin of boiled sweets stashed away in her handbag!

Here are some of things I found in the bigger tin. I love vintage sewing things for their design, the fabulous packaging they come in and for the sheer range of helpful tools and gadgets that were made.

I was really drawn to this gauge as it was obvisously given away with Rinso...and I love things that are linked to advertising.

There were needles galore, all tucked away in their decorative packets and cases.

There really is a needle for everything!

I love the colours and the lovely plastic feel of these pieces.

I'm drawn to ephemera like a moth to a flame, so anything still with their paper packaging is always fabulous!

The tins are now safely tucked away on the shelf in my workroom waiting to be brought out when a project calls for a particular piece of haberdashery or useful tool...or when I just fancy getting the tins out for another rummage through!

In Print

Ever since I was little I've harboured the thought that it would be rather lovely to write a book one day. As a matter of fact, the things I always said I wanted to be when I grew up were either an author or a sweet shop lady (I loved the idea of measuring out sweets and putting them into small paper bags)! Although the sweet shop thing didn't work out, I suppose by being a freelance writer I'm sort of an author?! Oh, and there's also the small matter of writing this blog...which leads me nicely into something I'd like to share with you...

I've always loved creating journals and in a way this blog has become a bit like a journal - documenting places I visit, treasure-seeking adventures I go on, people I meet and things that inspire me. This made me think...wouldn't it be nice to be able to look back on the blog posts I've written and somehow preserve them offline? So, with this in mind I made my first year of blog posts into a book using Blurb... and was so pleased with the result, that I'm now doing it for every year of blogging I do.

It's really easy. Just download the Blurb software on to your computer and use the templates to create your masterpiece. It takes me a long time to finish each book (mainly because my computer's a little over the hill), but it's fabulous when the finished article arrives.

There are lots of different layout templates to use. Just drag and drop the images on to the page and insert the text (I copy and paste it from my blog into each book).




You don't have to put text on every page... sometimes it's nice just to have pictures.


You can even add a 'blurb' (publishing speak for the bit that tells everyone what the book's about!) on to the back cover, just like a real book you'd buy in a bookshop!

There's something rather exciting about publishing your own book (even if you know that only you and your family will probably ever see it!)

I must just add a word of warning though... creating your own books can become really addictive! You could make a book about your summer holiday, things you've made, or even put together favourite sewing projects or stories for your children. I've got far too many ideas buzzing around my head now... where to start?!

A Time to Collect Thoughts...and Inspiration

There's something about a new year that always gets me thinking about all sorts, from the new adventures I'd like to go on, to the books I'd like to read and the things I'd like to make. It's the same every year (and not just for me I'm sure!) I suppose it's the first chance we all get to stop and collect our thoughts after the excitement and busy-ness of the festive season. I'm engrossed in the books I had for Christmas (amongst them Kirstie Allsop's Craft and Cath Kidston's Stitch) as well as the magazine's that have been piled up until I have a spare moment to flick through them. I'm also enjoying walks in the park, watching Little Treasure grow and change before my eyes and the joy of feeding ducks. There's so much to be inspired by!

I thought I'd share some of my ramblings, thoughts and things to inspire here...illustrated with photos I took at the last two Vintage and Handmade Fairs in Chipping Sodbury.

I'm currently having a love affair with patchwork. My first ever textile creation at school was an English pieced patchwork cushion that was made from Laura Ashley ready-cut patchwork pieces (does anyone else remember those?!) and took me a whole term to make. I can remember feeling so proud when it was finished...wobbly stitches and all! I think this is where the seed was sewn (sorry, no pun intended) for what has now become my favourite sewing pastime.

I'm now making a patchwork quilt (all sewn by hand, eek!) out of Mr Treasure's old shirts. It seemed like such a waste to throw them away when it was only the collarts and cuffs that had gone threadbare, so I'm putting my best 'make do and mend' foot forward and creating something new from them for posterity. It's nowhere near as fancy as this gorgeous quilt here, but I'm hoping it'll turn out alright once it's finished (keeping everything crossed!)

Treutmade

Suffolks Puffs are so joyous! They can be made into all sorts, or merely kept safely in a pretty box, to be taken out and admired every now and again.

HenHouse

Donna Flower

Donna's stall is always a feast for the eyes. Over the years I've bought all sorts of fabric treasures from Donna and I think this year I need to be brave enough to just get on and enjoy using some of the bigger pieces I've been stashing away in my fabric drawer.

Donna Flower

Lovely, lovely, lovely! So many gorgeous colours and patterns. I should really have a good sort of my own fabric stash, find something I fancy making and then crack on with it. I will...I really will!

Donna Flower

I just love buttons! There's something fabulous about getting lost in the simple pleasure of sorting through a button jar. I think having a bit of time for what could be categorised as 'frivolous' is important. It's all about taking time out for the small things.

Canvas and Cloth

I love vintage reels of thread, especially Sylko ones, which come in such a wonderful array of colours with fabulously evocative names. I think the threads in this photo look great together. My friend Kathleen is an absolute whizz at putting together the most wonderful combinations of colours in her work. I think this year I will try being bolder in my colour choices in all aspects of life!

Hen's Teeth

If there was a 'Bestest Designer in the Whole Wide World and Bringer of Great Joy' award, it would absolutely have to go to Viv. Her creations make me smile from ear to ear whenever I see them. I've got a little collection of Viv's brooches and purses, as well as one of her birdy needlecases and I just love them all! Viv's just announced that she's going to start running workshops - hoorah, hoorah, hoorah!

Sallie and James Ead

The Devil Makes Work

The Devil Makes Work

Hoorah for tweed! I think Woo's owls are rather fabulous.

There's something wonderful about rummaging for treasure. It's all about the thrill of the chase and the thought that in the next box, drawer or corner could be lurking something fabulous just waiting to be discovered. Treasure seeking is certainly high on my 2012 'to do' list!

Cowboys and Custard

Catching up with old friends and making news ones...definitely good for the soul.

Canvas and Cloth

With this cold weather we're having at the moment, it's definitely a good excuse to curl up in the warm with books, Blogland and a mug of hot chocolate!

Stay warm everyone...and I hope you find much to be inspired by in 2012!

Hello 2012, Hello Blogland Once More!

Happy new year everyone! I hope you've all had a fabulous festive season.

Oh, how I've missed blogging! Can it really have been so long since I last tapped out a post? Where on earth does the time go? In my case, it's been taken up with the fun and rather time-consuming business of looking after a little one (who has now learnt to crawl and is busily trying to pull herself up on to her feet)! Even though being a mum is the best job in the world I've missed being part of Blogland - not only writing my own posts but also reading about everyone else's adventures. With the dawning of 2012 came a promise to myself that I'd try to carve out a bit of regular time when I could indulge in a spot of blogging. So, here I am...back in Blogland and hoping that you'll pop by and say "hello" once more.

It was such a gloriously sunny morning on Friday that Little Treasure and I braved the slightly crisp January air and went to the park. It's a popular little haven in amongst suburbia and there were lots of other little folk there enjoying the sunshine too.

I love this 'bench'. It's made from a tree trunk and has all sorts of creatures carved into it.

New things often spring up in the park and the latest things we've spotted are some rather lovely sculptures (this being one of them). They fit in perfectly next to the nature pond. A bit of trivia for you - for those who remember the TV series 'Butterflies' (starring Wendy Craig), this pond is the one she used to sit by in the programme (as it was filmed in our neck of the woods)!

Little Treasure loves seeing the ducks and gets very excited whenever we get near the duck pond. I was always asking my parents if we could go and feed our local ducks when I was little and I have a funny feeling Little Treasure won't be any different!

I loved the way the light caught the leaves. Such a lovely rich colour.

Two of Little Treasure's beloved ducks happily soaking up the sun.

After all the excitement of the sun, leaves and duck pond, Little Treasure couldn't keep her eyes open and drifted off to the sounds of quacking ducks splashing about on their pond. Little folk are so peaceful when they're asleep, aren't they?!

Sew to Speak

Things around here have been rather busy of late. Is it really a month since I last posted anything? Where does the time go?! Well, actually, I know where my evenings and weekends have gone recently... stitching pieces to go in The Wednesday Group's very first exhibition, which is on now until Sunday (25th).

The Wednesday Group are: Kathleen, Anni, Grace, Ann, Judy, Lindsay, Alison, Lois and yours truly.

It's been great fun planning it all over the last six months or so. The exhibition's a culmination of lots of hard work and bucket loads of laughter, discussions, get-togethers and, of course...cake! We even made it into one of our local newspapers on Monday.

Here's a sneaky peek at some of the pieces on show in our exhibition. The first three are some of my pieces...

'She Saw Life as an Adventure'

'Sewing was her Passion'

'She Liked to Keep the Little Things'

There are two rooms bursting with all of the things we've made. This is one of them, with 'Plaster Woman' (as we've come to call her) keeping an eye on things!

Alison always creates thought-provoking pieces. I find this one, all about military losses in recent overseas conflicts, particularly poignant.

For the first nine months of the group's existence, we set ourselves the challenge of creating postcard-sized pieces on particular themes. Here are all of our favourites, put together for all to see for the very first time.

Another group challenge was to create a piece based on vintage pianola rolls that Lois gave us all for Christmas. We've all come up with completely different ideas and it's been really exciting to see everyone's finished creations. This is Anni's. She had a pianola roll featuring a foxtrot to work with!

One of Kathleen's colourful and whimsical creations.

A vintage-inspired piece by Grace, based on an old postcard she found.

Judy's hand-stitching looks like a pen and ink drawing.

Lindsay's pianola roll was called 'Scarf Dance', which was just the ticket for her as she's also a bit of a whizz at belly-dancing!

This has been a mere taster of what's on show and there's oodles more to see! If you're intrigued and want to know more about The Wednesday Group, or our exhibition, pop over to the group's blog here. Oh, and do come and see us at the Weavers Gallery in Ledbury if you're in the area!