Giveaway competition for YOU. Come on in!

Thank you for previous comments - sorry for the delay.  I have merely been mulling.....it's a blog eat blog world out there!

Here I was going for the: 'pared down, back to basics, decluttered look' in this moderately revamped room -  consisting of basic transposition of shelving from one room to another, 'Cupboard of Wonders' transfer and stuff shoving............

Mary changed into a workaday outfit 'specially

Yes: I think that I have just  about pulled it off..........nearly

Phew!

For a moment there I thought that I might have gone a bit over the top and tried to cram too much stuff on to the shelves but no - pared back minimalism it is.......

What do you think so far?

 Eric.....be careful (a UK joke!)

The room is far from finished so I am being selective in the bits that I show.  There is still 'The Great Wall of Embroideries' to BUILD  around 'The Cupboard of Wonders': this will consist of  a selection of my favourites built up over the decades displayed in  splendid flying formation!!

Lest further shelf building be also needed...............LOL

Logistically it is all a bit tricky - not least to spell

I know...too much stuff but I am slowly working my way through it all.  

I wonder if you can help me?

 Can you please tell me  the colour that I  have painted my table.....(I have forgotten now that I only see in sepia....)?

Only if the correct colour is stated (I will check pre-sepia memory bank) will your name will be put into a very nice (circa 1950) straw hat for a follower giveaway prize. Ho ho

When I draw the names from the hat I will let you know

 I am not after the EXACT colour name mind  ('Saddleback Brown', 'New Bottom Pink' or 'Nose contents Green'...) just the broad colour will suffice (hint - it is  not black!!).

If you would like to be entered into the Giveaway Competition just let me know what colour you think the table is and which one of these two items you would like.


 I might have to turn on the colouriser on for these!

Purse Number One: Made from some lovely 1950s botanical print fabric that I thought showed  nice seasonal colours.

Ah - that's better...

Just the right size for taking your coppers to the Co-op and making a milk purchase perhaps ('Is she of this century....?')

Both sides are the same fabric

Showing bottom as usual....

Sorry that the conkers are a bit dried up by now!

Lined with plain off-white linen

Number Two: Zipped number - suitable for a range of purposes as demonstrated below.

Made from original Swedish fabric - dating from the ?70s (maybe someone can enlighten me) and possibly designed  by Laukkanen - who designed for Almedahls and Rorstrand

I thought perhaps a large pencil case - for large pencils!

I have used my old little doll here to show the scale - now they look like GIANTS!!

If you would rather the 'straightforward' giveaway please let me know - I will understand - honest I will.

Eco Ethel I have NOT forgotten the Limerick competition - I am not sure how much interest there might be globally for it though....if you think that it is a 'go'er' I will revive it.

'There once was an old woman from Wantage,
Who loved all that was vintage,
She bought too much stuff, husband got into a huff,
 That silly old woman from Wantage'.

You try rhyming vintage (mintage, spillage, village....)!

'There once was a woman who loved vintaajh,
Whose collection became rather large,
One day it burst through, right to next door's loo,
So then she had to charge' (for viewing...oh dear I am not very good at this)

Arthur: 'Could do better'
Martha: 'Could do a lot better!'

There once was a young woman from Wold, who adored all that was old,

There once was a young man who did knit, but nothing ever did fit....

'There once  was a 'middle aged' (!) hoarder,
Whose house got into disorder,
She got into a pickle, became very fickle
and then found she had to re-order'

Oh dear...again

 I had actually penned a post with several  limericks but must have deleted it in errata!


PS: I will tell the tale of my lovely £25 Edwardian table when we do the 'REVEAL' of the winners! I won't be posting so much anymore so it will be a few weeks I think.

PPS: Did you notice the tub of PVA glue in the grate - letting the side down.....shocking lack of standards. One day I intend to open up this fireplace again, light a fire, turn on the old radio and snooze beside it....We are fortunate in that all the bedrooms and indeed all the rooms in the house still have their original fireplaces - that is a lot of grates to keep clean!

PPPS: No 'bet hedging' by suggesting colours such as 'reddy blue' or 'greeny pink' or 'blackie white' (I SAID THAT IS WASN'T BLACK!  Did you read the ruddy post?) !!!

PPPPS: I am not colour blind!!!

PPPPPS: Only one entry per follower and no trying the old 'beard and glasses' trick that you tried last time

PPPPPPS: Ejection can be a humiliating experience...sorry that I am sometimes doubly a cross stick (hint, hint)

PPPPPPPS:

Ahem.....

Pear drops on fabrics and fabric with kittens
Bright shiny china and old knitted mittens
Second hand wallpaper tied up with strings
These are a few of my favourite things

Stacks of old linens and mint vintage poodles
Baked cake with chocco and cream that just oodles
Doorknobs and old bells and fairies with wings
These are a few of my favourite things

Girls in old dresses with embroidered  big sashes
Doilies like snowflakes and glued on eye lashes
Em-broidered cloths that then morph into things
These are a few of my favourite things

When the machine bites
When the scissors snip
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite things
And then I don't feel so baaa-aa-a-hh-d

PPPPPPPPPPPPPS: I hope that you sang along

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPS: Pat Pending

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPS: That was me on the flying trapeze in case you were wondering...

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPS: 'She'd fly through air with the greatest of ease....'

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPS: I have never been a great fan of bare back riding myself - no - I shall stick with the trapeze if that's ok


Tra La La........................................








Arthur: 'Does anyone know what she is going on about........?'

Martha: 'Some will see what is in front of them I think'


THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR ENTRIES - THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED AND YOUR ENTRIES ARE BEING COUNTED AND DOUBLE CHECKED AND VERIFIED AND RE-CHECKED!

50s fabric, nice pots and the kindliness of shops!

Thank you for kind words regarding My Darling.  I did have a 'gardening' post lined up as it is Chelsea week but this one has muscled in ahead of time.

You may recall the: 'Shop that never opens - which now opens more often than it used to' shop?  

YOU DON'T!!! 

Crikey!!

Well, that shop was not open again the other week but the shop keepers were busy loading their lorry and I spotted  a nice glass lampshade in their window and they kindly said that I could buy it.  I did not have any money so said that I would walk to the Co-op, get some money out, come back and pay in about ten minutes.  

Ten minutes later when I returned they and the lorry were....... gone!

Crikey again!!

Mmmmmm

Two weeks later I was walking past again and again the couple were loading their lorry.  We repeated the previous conversation and again I scuttled to the Co-op (I usually only have small change on me - a bit like the Queen!).  

I went a bit faster than last time....

Quick march back

Phew - they were still there.

An hour later........

We had had a very long chat.  

I find it amazing what complete strangers tell me and they shared great deal of poignant stuff.  People have the most interesting lives.

Anyway.....

I bought some old curtains.....

'Hang on - we thought she was buying a lampshade.  What happened there?'

'Hang on these aren't  curtains either!!!!'

More of this in a minute...

If you thought Mr Langford's was packed....

This is a place that always has a wonderful shop display and seldom anything for sale

This shop knocks spots off CK any day of the week in my opinion. This is my sort of shop

So, back to the curtain fabric that I bought - £15 so a bit pricey but lots of fabric and I wanted it for a specific something.....

I don't have much in the way of fabric....

Here it is drying on the line

Perfect colours I think

When I made the cushions for the front I didn't have quite the right fabric for the sixth cushion.  If you wait long enough the right stuff will appear.

Like magico

 After our long chat I was given this lovely dish - just because.  Isn't that kind.  Isn't the dish super

Handle close up

And it goes nicely with the fabric

More handle photos....!

Made in Norway in the 60s I think

 Fair exchange is no robbery so, by way of thanks, I made this zipped purse and popped it in the shop's letter box the next day (it was not open of course!)

 Pleased with zip insertion (using No.2 Vintage sewing machine with zipper foot) !

I still haven't used this original 1950s wallpaper.....one day....  thought that it matches this purse nicely!

And this is the cushion....at last (showing a few stray threads)

And plenty of fabric left for lots of other things.

Also just adding in this little purse that someone might recognise - a 'just because present' from me ...Nice to meet up with you Shelley.

I wonder which island Shelley lives on.....

 Whilst we are chatting about shops giving things away....

I was walking home a while ago and there was a local house clearance van parked in the road - in the back was a plastic bag full of old hangers all in a range of ice cream colours.  When I got home I rang their shop and asked if the hangers were for sale (in great need of painted hangers that particular day...). 

 I was told that I could hop in the back of the van and take them! 

 "Take them!!! I can't do that someone will think I am stealing!"  

"Don't worry then madam - we will delivery them to you".  

An hour later they arrived!

They would not accept any money (they told me that they have HUNDREDS of hangers every year....) so I made a donation to charity. 

 Everyone's a winner!

I am not fond of plastic hangers (unless they are those nice old children's ones)  or indeed wire ones - I like a nice old robust wooden one so this is what we have always used.  Here are Bronte's dresses again all lined up on nice wooden hangers

I realise that wire and plastic hangers hang nice and flat but wooden ones are the best for me - especially if they have a nice bit of  advertising writing on them or a painting is even better (when the children were little they had little images painted on them - not sure where they are now).  I also like ones that 'do' something, fold up in half for example or have an extra hanger bit to them or ones especially for trousers. We also have plenty of vintage fabric covered ones, crocheted ones (so you didn't really need those painted ones did you Jenny....) and of course I have used them for many a peg bag in the past. Oh and some nice hanger/clothes embroidered covers.  Can a plastic hanger do all of that?  I don't think so.

Any hanger collectors out there?

Smiley, happy people

In a world where such vile things are happening let each of us do an act of kindness

PS: Interview this afternoon and this morning I am writing an essay utilising thematic analysis....no sewing