Thursday 31 July 2014

The Divided Self...............Voting now open!




Apologies if you were expecting a discussion regarding ontological security but thank you so much for your exceptionally kind words on previous post. I have had to travel through London several times recently and took my new bag with me: I smiled at everyone I passed on the underground/overground in case it was YOU and we might stop to chat about my bag!!!!!  As it happened I did have some old bag admirers....................but none of the 'Custardsphere' (thank you modflowers) persuasion.

What happened to July.....

This post was sparked by a recent rummage through some china in order to 'prepare'  for the kitchen (steady on - it will be months!) with the photograph above representing my divided self.  I have wittered on many times how I do not possess a discerning palette, indeed my palette accommodates all and sundry (hence a house full of junk, rubbish, tat, tut,  tasteful items).

Just realised that nearly fours years ago to the day I posted this -same old, same old.....


One half  (see below for expansion of terms) of me the one half loving florals and fussiness and the other a more spartan, colourful approach. There may also be other facets (neutral linens and driftwood for example....oh dear) but I am concentrating on these two today....

Sometimes I am a triangle.... pentagon...octagon.....dodecahedron...


The combination above is perfect for elevenses - a mid-morning refresher if you will - giving you some pep for the day ahead.  However afternoon tea (at four) needs a more genteel approach - this is where I reach for the florals and something a little more restful (I would like to nod off at this point...).  Actually the more I think about this perhaps the above would be better for the afternoon when I need perking up!  The floral fabric below was given to me in a charity shop recently : the helper was leaving for pastures new and had put a stash of fabric to one side waiting for me to turn up.  That was very kind especially as I only go there once in a blue moon.  The teapot I bought for £3 the other day and the cup I have had since a teenager.



Which do you prefer? Perhaps both fill you with horror.

 I was going to do a whole series of these (different decades/styles throughout the last century) but just doing these two took ages : I may have become a little distracted with china and fabric along the way.








It is easy to be distracted.   Originally I was going to build this post around this piece of linen - the divided self represented by the same woman in different colours. This is a wonderful design by Thea Tanner


Still has its original label and price tag.


From this I distracted myself with a piece of fabric by Bibbi Swahn.


Some of you might remember that I was lucky enough to buy a long framed piece of this from a charity shop a few years ago.  It has hung in the hall ever since where the cheery faces meet and greet. This is the old post about  Bibbi Swahn



This piece  is a a slightly different colour but also in perfect condition....I was going to cut it up but of course could not bring myself to do so.


From here I then admired these pieces below. 

Are these old Ikea pieces below  do you think? 
 I tried 'blurring' two colour examples...not sure why


I don't think that they are that old : maybe 1980s.

I have seen some Ikea fabric being sold as 1950s original and though Ikea has been going for some time I bought the same fabric I had seen (on t'internet) from Ikea circa 1985 (still have it....hang on.... it is now officially 'old'!).  There is a fair bit of misinformation out there don't you think : just because it says so on the internet it does not mean that it is necessarily true.  
Caveat emptor!

Anyway this cheery design comes in several different colours



As you can see it is easy to be distracted and also with the other things which have been going on at 'Custard Towers'.  Nothing exciting but just busy with life.



PS: Due to the heat there is no 'PS' of note this week!

PPS: Somewhere in the house is my old copy of  'The divided self' - worth ploughing through

PPPS: I hope that you are all able to have some sort of break over the summer. I am heading for some time off next week.

PPPPS: Many thanks to 'mystery' Blogger Mrs K/C who was able to sort out my bra and knicker showdown. I will never purchase such items over the ether again! Many thanks my dear and I hope that one day we will finally meet up. Life has some very queer turn of events indeed.




51 comments:

  1. Such beautiful pictures!! Love all those pretty details!! :) Have a lovely rest of the week!! xo Holly

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you as always my dear Holly
      Best wishes
      jenny

      Delete
  2. You always have the most beautiful fabrics and embroidery. Really love visiting your blog!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why thank you kindly Lynda
      Please call in again
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  3. love them all - nothing wrong with being eclectic! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phew! Glad that I am not alone!
      Thank you for calling in
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  4. I have just the same division! Except mine change with the day/ week.... Have a happy week off, I hope I one day bump into you and your bag! Jane xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope so too Jane
      Have a lovely week
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  5. Thank you for your kind remarks re my hexagon patchwork purse - I am still picking the glue off my fingers!
    I do look forward to reading your blog, and as usual always something to guffaw over -
    An 'old bag' admirer / An old 'bag admirer'
    Or is it me?
    Have a happy week off!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Old bag admirers together!
      Thank you for calling in
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  6. Dear Ms Divisable, given we are often juggling roles and personalities in life being a bit of everything to everybody, I say go for it! Go for a neutral kitchen and then splash around your colour with fabric and china. Or have a different corner, or have a half and half, or have several kitchens, the morning , day and evening scene, or get rid of it all and go minimalist!!!....GASP....what did I just say!!!!!.....sadly my small collection is corralled into my ...what is affectionately known .....cabinet of horrors....but bits have sneaked out and will be seen gathering in the corners of rooms plotting a break out. You do what makes you happy my dear. :-) just don't get yourself on that show...the hoarder next door...:-) sorry if that was off the humour mark, I am fascinated by hoarding and I make no judgements because I teeter on the edge sometimes myself. Anyway time to wrap this essay up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Susan
      I think the kitchen might well be a bit half and half
      My cabinet of horrors is on the brink of collapse and I can no longer close the doors...........something is telling me something.....
      Enjoy the rest of the week
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  7. I'm sorry but you (almost) had me at Mrs. Beeton's All About Cookery - who could resist that (in fact I lost several minutes from reading your post just gazing at the cover, sigh). Anyway, much as I love the right I will not be a conservative fuddyduddy and will vote for the left (makes me a Liberal in Canada or a Democrat in the States) LOL


    But then again I have always been bad at party allegiance - so maybe the right after all :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Jewels
      Thank you for your witty reply!

      Left or right - sometimes we can swing both ways!!!

      Mrs Beeton turns up quite often so I will keep my eyes peeled for another copy
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  8. I love both aspects, of your divided self. Your taste is much like mine. I own loads of 'tastefull' items too!!
    Jacqui xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah yes Jacqui - 'taste' can be a trifle subjective.....
      Thank you for calling in
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  9. You have such pretty things, they are gorgeous
    Julie xxxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Julie
      One day I will have a BIG clear out!
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  10. Such decisions are far too complicated... I would have loved to have seen you sporting your new bag, I am sure you carried it with pride.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed Angie indeed
      More bags to come!
      Thank you for calling in
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  11. Ooh Jenny, I wish I'd seen you on the London underground with your gorgeous bag. I would have swooned (yes, swooned) with excitement!

    So glad you haven't got a discerning palette. It gives us the opportunity to see all your tasteful, wonderful stuff (not tat at all). xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One day Loo - when we are least expecting it we shall bump into each other.
      Many thanks for calling round
      best wishes
      Jenny
      (there might be a bit of tat......)

      Delete
  12. at the risk of appearing a bit of a twit i have just had to look up the meanings of ontological and caveat emptor ..... i must say i'm none the wiser really but impressed that you knew the words in the first place - i can only put this down to my sheltered life and of course the fact that i went to a comprehensive school - i was obviously doing home economics while you were doing latin!!! when i was little i was given a wonderful old theatre to play with - it was great and you could change the scenery in it - i often think how wonderful it would be if we could somehow reduce our rooms down to the size of the theatre to try new looks but i guess that is what you are doing with your divided shelf!!! good luck with your decision i suspect whatever you choose will be brilliant!!! enjoy your break away - happy tra la la ing xx ps i am also impressed by your blurring techniques pps really missing your really long pps's

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. My dear Lynne
      Thank you so much for your kind comment on my recent blog post. I am now worried that I give the 'wrong' impression - but I am scooting over to assure you that I am of 'regular stock'. Both my parents left school at 14 with no qualifications - we had a relatively poor childhood, make do and mend always, growing our own veg out of necessity (not a trend), shared a single bed (four to a small bedroom) with one of my sisters until she finally left home, had one holiday as a child (to Yarmouth in a borrowed caravan and my dad said never again) and was very, very aware of having little money. It was a constant worry but mum made all our clothes/coats/underwear so we were always well clothed. We lived out in the sticks with no telly but the radio was always on so I learnt a lot of stuff through that I think. I didn't really mix with any other children until I started school and that was a big shock. I went to the local comprehensive too : 40+ to the class and many of the teachers were ex-grammar and I remember being belittled for not knowing stuff and that has stuck with me to this day (hence a 'showing off' on the blog sometimes perhaps and standing up for the underdog). I left school without any A levels ( I ran away to France...yet another long story) and then suddenly woke up and realised that without qualifications I would get nowhere. I left home at 18 - worked in operating theatres and studied by night - I memorised complete books and worked and worked and worked. To cut a long story short I eventually completed a BSc, RGN, MSc and several post-grad. qualifications since then and never looked back. All five of us children have done 'well' with not the 'best' start in life (though pales in comparison to the world problems) . We often talk about how that happened but I think that it was just hard work - our parents knew next to nothing about the world of higher education - though they did want us to do well. I remember sitting in our 'other room' (so-called because we only had that and the kitchen) with a broken Bic biro trying to make sense of the UCAS form!

      Anyway I am very, very, very nosy and will look up anything that I don't know much about (last night it was Israeli/ Russian relations - just because !). My second sister up is indeed fluent in Latin and she studied Chinese and Russian at university - she is incredibly gifted in the language department and taught herself Icelandic because she thought it seemed interesting. Her children are tri-lingual and I failed my French GCSE...... I only know about caveat emptor because in my first year of my degree I studied O Level Law to fill in my time (and at one point I was going to go into medical law) and 'The Divided Self' because I studied psychology in my second year! I knew that one day it would all come in handy!

      Phew if you have read this I will be amazed Lynne but I wanted to assure that I wasn't as pompous as I sound!

      Carpe Diem!!!!!

      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  13. oh heck mrs i didn't mean to sound as if i was in any way angry with you - this blog is so lovely and i really enjoy reading it and having a laugh - i was really only echoing the great paul someone (can't remember his silly name!!!) on "have i got news for you" when he says things like he was doing woodwork while something was being taught at school because he feels a bit inferior!!!! i was just simply saying that i didn't know what the words meant and had to look them up - i really wasn't accusing you of being a snob!!!! oh heck i am so sorry and will double read in future any of my comments!!!! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My dear Lynne - not in the slightest bit angry!

      Arthur says that I am now showing my true colours and that I am an inverted snob. Apologies from me is what is needed. Please let 's 'do tea' and exchange tablecloths
      Best wishes
      Jenny
      Please call back I will feel awful

      Delete
    2. crikey - if you knew me i am the least confrontational person in the world - please don't worry - it was obviously my fault in the first place BUT i didn't mean any harm - tablecloths do not need to be exchanged ha ha!!!! have a good weekend xxx

      Delete
    3. My dear Lynne
      My BFF
      Have a lovely week
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  14. loving your taste in china, the tea set reminds me of a set my mum still got. You collect some really nice fabrics that always tell a story in the print x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds lovely
      Take care and rest when (and whilst) you can
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  15. Jenny, I looked at this post yesterday, but did not have a chance to leave a comment. Returning today, I found many interesting comments have already been left, and also a biographical comment from you.

    All this makes me very glad that I waited until today to comment. I love the look of each of your stylish arrangements. I gravitate to the cozy version in most of my crowded (does cosy embrace crowded or is it the other way around) apartment. The Scandinavian style is one that I encourage in my really tiny kitchen space. Its brightness seems a good ingredient to keeping that space neat.

    I guess that reveals me also as a bit of a divided self. Perhaps this is inevitable as one's decades mount up.

    How I wish to have had the pleasure of encountering you on the Tube, or even a NYC subway train or station platform. I would definitely have admired that embroidered bag, knowing that it was unique.

    Best wishes on your time off. I've recently reduced my official workweek to three days, which is giving me so much more opportunity to pursue other interests, as the saying goes. Great fun, and very full days that almost equal being on vacation every week.

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  16. Decisions, decisions...I must say I love both looks, I'd do a neutral backdrop then start the day with one look and end it with the other! That being said, one can't really have two sets of curtains...or can they? Hmm, this is a conundrum of sorts, you must show us the other mood boards as well...! Chrissie x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Chrissie
      Thank you for calling in
      I will do some others when time allow
      As you say it is not too bad a decision to make!
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  17. Both looks are great. Can't decide which one I like best. They both have such a different feel. Love the 70s teapot in combination with the fabric in the background, but the colourful chintz pattern on your other photo and the divine teacup are very pretty too.....

    Hope we will be able to meet one day. Let me know whenever you visit Rotterdam!

    Happy weekend!

    Madelief x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah then we are very similar indeed Madelief! Such decisions to make in a day
      One day it would be lovely to meet - I will let you know if ever I am in Rotterdam and similarly if you are ever in this part of the world
      Enjoy the rest of the week
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  18. Those linens are so cheerful and pretty. I never would of thought that those "vintage" linens were Ikea and not actual vintage. They are great. I am like you. Some days I prefer pretty and floral and some days the colorful and more mod designs. Your photos are gorgeous.

    xo Danielle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words Danielle
      Not sure if those fabrics are Ikea but they look (or rather 'feel') newer than they look to me. Might be wrong of course!
      Thank you for calling in
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  19. Dear Jenny, the one that makes my heart beat fast and vow never to be a minimalist is the floral fussy one,you were GIVEN that material!!!!! Good luck with all that entails in remodelling a kitchen, look forward very much to seeing the results.Wishing you a happy weekend Pam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Pam
      I had no idea - I had you down as a minimalist my dear!!!!!!!
      Kitchen is slow but given the troubles in the world I have so much to be grateful for indeed
      I hope that you are having a lovely week
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  20. Love your taste in everything you've posted Jenny...keep up the good work :) x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dawwww - thank you Barbara
      Have a lovely week
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  21. What a wonderful post, as ever. I prefer the cheerier, more vibrant one on the left. But am thrilled you got such an amazing teapot for just £3.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Arthur - I hope that you are well
      That teapot was 'good' buy....so it 'had' to be bought....'tis my undoing.......
      Thank you for calling
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  22. Entering The Custardsphere is always an experience !

    Anyway, here are some musings: the teacup on the right is interesting because it reminds me of the illustrations of Anne Rochester, an artist from the early 20th century who I seem to be noticing more and more. Oh, and I love the fabric with the Lingon jar on. It doesn't seem that long ago that lingonberries were supposed to be the new super fruit, a preventer of weight gain. Do nutritionists still think that? Anyway, i'm glad my mum didn't have that fabric when I was a young teenager because I would have found it nigh on impossible stopping myself drawing a K in front of the L in black felt-tip ! Anyway, I have to admit, that fabric and the Bibbi Swahn one has totally transformed my opinion of IKEA, a shop I usually try to avoid.
    Btw, will there be a future post called The Divided Shelf - a useful guide for the multifaceted collector who wants to display their different collections of stuff without it all getting jumbled up ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello again and thank you so much for calling in. Also thank you for introducing me to someone new - Anne Rochester - I will have to look her up.
      I like the link to the multifacted collector - good idea.
      Have a lovely week
      Best wishes
      Jenny
      PS: Saw some Ethel Larcombe books in Oxfam today but I did NOT buy them! Must be slipping in my old age!

      Delete
  23. Having eclectic taste makes a person interesting I reckon. Love the bright one on the left. Definitely my favourite but then maybe I could be swayed! Oh and Thea Tanner. My heart missed a beat when I saw that beautiful print. I love it ... Bee xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Bea and thank you for calling in
      Thea Tanner did some lovely designs = keep a look out as these things turn up in unexpected places
      Have a lovely week
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  24. Well of course, I know exactly what you mean about your different tastes. I like so many different styles & eras and get carried away with so many different collections, etc. etc. I sometimes rationalise by thinking 'Good design is good design, whatever the style'. But then the kitsch side of me likes bad design too. So I probably have even less discrimination than you! Or are we just open-minded and eclectic?

    No need for more thanks on the 'ladies unmentionables', but yes, one day we must meet in 'real life'! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My dear Elaine
      I still remember 'that' postcard - one of the strangest ever in the history of postcards! Bad/good who knows which is which and what is what. Let us be open-minded together

      Unmentionables mainly returned.....oh dear
      Have a lovely week
      Best wishes
      Jenny

      Delete
  25. As a child of the 70's the retro look is comforting and what I would vote for, especially in the kitchen!

    ReplyDelete