Shopping With My New Purse

Hello,

It's alway's  nice nice to find a new blog to read and I've recently found a treasure, it's Jenny's from 

"The Custards blogspot"

. It's one of those blog's where you have to have an hour to spare, make a cuppa and read through all the posts as it's so lovely, Jenny makes the nicest bags and purses from old embroidered table cloths so  I asked Jenny if she's make me a purse.

When I opened the beautifully wrapped  parcel, I squealed, the dog barked and a huge smile spread across my face, as there was the most beautiful  handmade purse inside, just look at this,

the front was made from a piece of embroidered cloth, how gorgeous is that???

and the back from a very pretty fabric and  inside it was lined with white damask.

 Jenny also sent me a little cushion that smelt lovely, some suffolk puffs, a button and a badge and a cute pair of knitting needles

So now my purse is full of pennies I'm off to do a bit of shopping as I need a bag to match!!

thank you ever so much Jenny I love my new purse,

Love Lucey x

PS As the lovely Jenny would not accept payment for the purse I've made a donation to Jenny's choice of charity "Breast Cancer" xxx

Dotty About Vintage

Hello,

Hope you all had a lovely bank holiday break the last one for most of us until Christmas, I was in the garden centre on Sunday and they were filling the shelves with Christmas cards, just a tad too early I think!!

Just wanted to tell you about a vintage shop I visited in Whitby called 

"Dotty about Vintage"

It's only a small shop but  well stocked and the prices were very reasonable, I got talking to the owner Trudie a lovely lady, and it seems things are going really well, I got myself a lovely glass jelly mould with a strawberry scented candle in it, I'll be making a jelly in it once the candle has been used,

two pretty covered coat hangers that I'm going to display some of my many brooches on

and some old sewing things to go in my collection, can't wait to visit again.

Saw these doggies enjoying an ice cream 

and  kids/dad's fishing for crabs, I remember us doing this when I was little, good fun that doesn't cost the earth,

there's a few in that bucket.

As we were getting ready to leave we saw a huge billowing of smoke and a loud whistle and as we looked over the wall we saw a train just leaving the station, how lovely to ride through the countryside chugging away on a good old train.....those were the days!!

Love Lucey x

Autumnal Throw.

Morning Girls,

Hope everyone's fine and dandy on this grey sky, fine drizzle sort of  day, not  a good start to the bank holiday weekend is it?

And even worse I have an appointment with the dentist this afternoon as one of my filling's has fallen out, ouch!!  It does help when the dentist is an absolute dish though, but as I'm in my 50's and he's considerably younger he probably does't see me in quite the same way especially not with slaver oozing out of my mouth!!

I've been making a few bits so I thought I'd share them with you.

Love the colour of this wool and I've started on an autumnal throw,  my nephew doesn't believe autumnal is a word and he think's I'm going senile, haha)

nice  for throwing over knees on an chilly  evening, have you noticed how the nights' are starting to get darker now, I've already started  light a few candles around 8 ish .

Covered myself a sewing diary with a Cath Kidston hankie and I embroidered a little doiley to go on the front and wrapped a lovely red spotty ribbon round it, want a peek inside?

I decided to write in here all the things I'm making, take pics of them and also write down the instructions so that everything is together along with fabric samples, the mice and socks are all for a Christmas project

there's pretty pages in there as well.

I got these lovely beads a while ago and threaded them onto some thin rubber to make a bracelet, so easy, I'll be making some more now I know how,

and our new sign arrived  in the post, it's of our favourite place in London, Columbia Road, it looks right at home in the kitchen above the shelves of old bottles and jelly moulds.

Hope you have a great bank holiday weekend whatever the weather.

Love Lucey xx

Rag Rug

"Knit a rag run with giant needles" 

was what the poster said and that's exactly what we did!!

The needles were broom handles so you can imagine how big they were 

and there were boxes of fabric, wool, leather, net, carrier bags, wire flex and  a washing line, in fact you name it and it was there.

The hardest part was getting started but after the first row, depending what you were using, it was quite easy and we spent the day knitting away and at the end we had a small rag rug, 

 

mine measured about 24" x 18" so you can see just how big the needles were.

"ENORMOUS"

It was really good fun, this one was knit with washing line and string

and there's lots of different textures in this one. 

At the end we were asked if we'd leave them to go in an exhibition or we could take them home if we wanted to, I left mine.

Sadly last week my sister's cat Rosie died she was 16 and had suddenly taken ill,  Julie had started a tapestry many moons ago of two cats so she decided to finish it

aw, how sweet is that?

 It looks like they're both wearing tiara's.

I backed it with some pale green blanket to make into a cushion for her.

This will be the first time since I was little that we haven't had a cat in the family and it seems so strange not to have a furry ball wrap itself around your leg as you walk past or a furry cuddle. Rosie had a lovely life and will be missed by all of us.

Lucey x

Stitching With Daisy

Last week I met my friend Daisy in York and we went  to a lovely shop in the Shambles called Flax and Twine for a sewing day

it's a sort of open house where anyone can go on a Monday and do their own thing, we were in the room above the shop and people were coming and going while we sat and sewed away, lunch was included in the price as was the gorgeous lemon drizzle cake and pot of tea in the afternoon...delicious.

Mandy showed me how to make suffolk puffs and  a Julie Arkell style flower,

my first attempt using some pretty fabrics,

and the suffolk puffs, they remind me of little bath hats!

I need to make one more and then stitch them onto this Liberty print bracelet, 

they're all easy to make it's just having the right fabrics in the right colours.

I found some yellow fabric to make into petals for this brooch, I must have about a zillion brooches allready but I do love a petty brooch, and in my eyes you can never have toooooo many!!

Just a couple more petals to make and a nip and a tuck and a pin sewn on the back of this one,  dare I show you just one more???

This one is made out of an old kid glove that was ever so long so I snipped the top off and made a bow,

"a vintage glove"

I'm going to a tea party next week so I shall be wearing this little beauty then.

"Sew" we spent a wonderful  day having  a right good natter, ate some lovely food and sat in room full of bunting and flowers sewing away  in a beautiful old building in York on a warm and sunny Monday in August... the perfect day.

  

It would have been nice to cycle home along country lanes on this lovely bike.

You can see Mandy's blog over at "Daisy Moon blogspot", where she sews  the most beautiful things.

Lucey x

Birthday Wishes

Today was  our lovely daughter Rachel's birthday , how time flies it seems like only yesterday she was a babe in arms and now she's 33, surely that can't be right as I'm only a few years older than that myself....I wish!!

"I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow those candles out"

It's also Lulu's birthday, she's 10, and she had a little "doggie" party this afternoon.

Happy Birthday Girls xxx

I must admit although I'm not a big sports fan I am enjoying the Olympics and I love the idea of the post boxes being painted gold in the towns of the gold medal winners, what a lovely gesture, well done to everyone for taking part in this "green and pleasant land".

Love Lucey x