Wash Day...

To those of you living in the UK, you'll know that we've seen bucket loads of rain over the last couple of weeks. I really haven't bothered trying to be a 1950's starlet by pin curling my hair, as one step out the front door later, I would just look like I'd been dragged through a hedge backwards. Wet, windy weather and curly hair is a very tricky combination! Not even an expertly wrapped headscarf would help! It has rained a lot, but I'm not complaining. Parts of the UK have been under a hosepipe ban, so we need it. They are showers of blessing! So, amidst what feels like the 40 days and 40 nights of Noah, I thought I'd make a cheerful collage as a reminder of hazy sunny days...you know, wash days, the kind where you can step outside with the laundry basket and peg it on the line whilst whistling 'Oh what a beautiful morning'!

A perfect wash day is my favourite kind of day. The sun shines down warm and bright, a little inoffensive breeze is blowing ever so gently through one's cotton dress, and cheer abounds everywhere! On such a day one can always hear the happy chatter of birds in the garden, and somewhere in the distance there is the productive humming of a lawnmower, eagerly chomping on the long grass that signals summer is here. Oh, I do love the smell of freshly cut grass! And of course, on such a day one can inhale the sweetness of honeysuckle and jasmine, or lingering lavender. It's a day when one truly feels happy to be alive, a day that calls for all the senses to be pleasured!

I dream of having a white goose (a friendly one!) in my garden, or a waddling duck...That would make my wash day picture perfect!

It is about 6:45am right now, I have not long got out of bed to the quiet of this Sunday, and guess what I can hear right now? The steady pitter patter of raindrops against the window! Well, today I can still sing 'Oh what a beautiful morning', just for different reasons. After all, summer wash days will get here...eventually!

Happy Sunday to you!
Blessings xxx
Tania♥

Friday Fairy Tales

When I was a little girl, we lived in a tiny town in South Africa, called Zeerust. Back then life was simple. We used to walk to school barefoot, fish for tadpoles in the river, and explore the graveyard whilst making up ghost stories to terrify each other! As it was such a small town, the local library was a stone's throw away from our house. I'll never forget my first trip to the library. It smelled of glue and paper, was serene and quiet, but the best discovery was through it's back windows. Whilst choosing my books, I spotted a crystal clear, blue swimming pool. As it turned out, it was the public pool, and was free to use for all the residents. You can imagine my delight! Every afternoon from then on, was spent either in the pool, or next to it with a good book. This is when I fell in love with Ladybird books. I would read the same fairytales over and over again, and one of my favourites by far was 'The Princess and the Pea'.

I used to love the idea of sleeping on so many mattresses. And I didn't like peas then! The idea of squashing one under all those layers appealed to me in a big way!

I've been wanting to make an applique collage of this quirky tale for some time now, and last night I stayed up until 3:15am doing just that!

Do you have a favourite fairytale that has had a special little nook in your heart since childhood. Do tell us about it! Childhood is so precious. I would love to hear a little about your fond memories!

Happy Friday!

          Tania ♥

A quick 'hello'!

Well, posting has had to take a bit of a back seat to sewing, but I thought I'd check in and say a quick hello! This week has been crazy busy! I cannot believe that half the week has come and gone! Yesterday was spent in the company of my wee little man, wiling away the hours in our Swedish 'playhouse' shop (Ikea as it's more commonly known!), so not a productive day really, but as the saying goes: 'Time enjoyed wasting is not wasted time!' I had lots of laughs with our little Roo, playing house, and did manage to get a little shopping done at least. Today was spent at the helm of my Elna, and my little owl family is coming along nicely.

I hope you have all had a productive week? I'd love to hear what you've been up to, so do drop in for a little chit chat. 'Till next time!

Tania♥

Sundays, books and pudding...

Today was one of those quiet Sundays, the kind where all seems well with the world, everyone seems happy and content, and the sun was shining...well, at intervals, but it was just enough to lift our spirits into thinking that summer is on it's way! We had a little preview of summer a few weeks ago, but the last week has seen scattered showers and nippy cardigan days! As hubby's been working long hours over the last month, we thought a day spent exploring lovely Cambridgeshire was just what a day like today demanded...quality family time! Our travels took us to the quaint little village of Boxworth, one we've frequented before as the 'Golden Ball Inn' offers some of the most scrumptious English pub grub in the area.

Some springtime cheer to welcome visitors...

Sunday roast, followed by...

And...

 

And for the kidlets ice-cream, of course...

Oh dear...not pleased with the mummy paparazzi...

After lunch, we spotted one of my favourite landmarks in Boxworth...

Yes, an old red telephone kiosk! The red telephone box, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom. Sadly, they are in decline, and some have been sold on to be used as decoration in gardens. Some have even been converted into shower cubicles I'm told! This one, is by far my favourite 'conversion'! The residents of Boxworth have turned it into a book exchange, where people can borrow books in exchange for ones they've read and no longer need. It's based on an honesty system, where you can borrow and return books on your own accord. I think it is absolutely charming!

I suppose this idea appeals to me, as I absolutely adore books, and by books I mean paper, bound by a spine and printed with ink! I know I'm probably stuck in a time warp of ignorance towards developing technology, but the idea of a Kindle replacing 'real books', just saddens me! I cannot imagine a world without the smell of book stores, where the quiet invites you to travel to places unknown, knowledge to unearth, experiences to be had! Libraries have always filled me with a sense of comfort, a little corner of the universe where one can escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and where, by the mere turning of a page go on a journey to faraway places.

So, needless to say, this girl was truly happy to find this little red nook of page preservation! Long may it bring joy to the villagers of Boxworth!

Hope your weekend has been a restful, playful one!

Blessings, Tania♥

Pleased as punch!



Wow...I am delighted and super grateful to the lovely Charmaine of Cloth Stitched for nominating me for a Liebster Blog award. This is the first time this has happened, and I am over the moon with it! Charmaine is a quilter extraordinaire, and I admire the lovely work she does.  Thank you so much lovely lady, for blessing me with your kindness. I hope to sow the love elsewhere too, to all the wonderful blog authors out there who inspire me every day!

Tania♥

Friday Fancies...

Hip-hip-hooray! The weekend has arrived in all it's wonderfully 'no-early-mornings-for-two-days' glory! That is of course, if you don't have little children! Our little man is thankfully not a dawn chorus birdie, and is kind and generous towards mummy and daddy in the morning! If, however, one needs to rise early to fit in a spot of weekend thrifting, the saying 'early bird catches the worm' definitely applies. I have learned this many a day, that if treasure is out there, one has to move quick. This applies of course to the boot sale hunt that is a bit of in institution here in the UK at weekends. As it's Friday, I thought I'd share some of my thrifting finds with you to get you in the mood! These are little things that I have collected over time, and that put a smile on my face!

They say diamonds are a girls best friend...I'm partial to pearls...I hasten to add that these beauties are obviously costume jewelry, but lovely nonetheless! A collection built up over time...

A little addition to my ever growing collection of brooches! Like most, I adore flowers, and this one shouted out 'pick me'!

More flowers...The lovely Portmeirion trinket jar now houses hairnets for pin curling days! The vintage brooch is one of my favourite finds ever!

I adore deer, and have started a little collection. There is something about the innocence in their eyes that says 'take me home'! I thought I'd share these with you after seeing Jane's lovely collection on her blog today. Go and take a peek @ all the luck in the world.

For the love of books...and tea...I found this lovely old book, 'Two's Company' in a thrift shop. It was printed in 1949, and is a lovely story about good old fashioned friendship and camaraderie. 

Pretty tea cups are just a thing of beauty...and a weakness of mine! 

Many years ago, when we still lived in London, I would spend many a weekend wandering around Greenwich market. I found a selection of door jewelry which I bought, not quite knowing what I was going to use them for, but I thought they were pretty and decorative. A little while ago I decided to use them as mini frames in my daughter's room, to create a little vignette of inspiring words.

A little reminder...

Words to encourage...

Words to inspire...

A little vignette...

I hope that you will enjoy whatever you have planned this weekend! Blessings, anf happy thrifting to you!

       Tania♥

Nifty little needle books

Hello my dear friends! Well, this week has flown by like a race horse on Derby day! The kids are back at school after the Easter holidays, so at last I'm catching up on the laundry pile, and squeezing in some much needed sewing time! I've been beavering away, working on my own design of little needle books, and so far I've turned out six designs. It's so hard to fit everything in into twenty-four hours! As someone commented on Pinterest: 'I'll sleep when I'm dead!" Well, I am a girl who likes quality duvet time, and one has to be sensible about these things, but I have a feeling that I'll be chained to my Elna for a good chunk of unsociable hours to get all the projects I'm working on done and dusted. Anyhow, back to the little needle books. I've been toying with an idea to make these for some time now, and at last they're coming to life!

Number one...

Number two...

And then there were three...

And a few more...

For the love of butterflies...

These have been so much fun to make! I suppose it's because it's a little like scrapbooking, but in fabric form. Since I starting sewing in earnest, I've not devoted much time to scrapbooking, and I really do miss paper crafting! But, all in good time hey?

Just a quick post today, but will hopefully have a good old chinwag soon! Blessings to you wherever you are!

      Tania♥

'Owl' get there...eventually...

I woke up today with a new surge of enthusiasm to put my dear old Elna through it's paces, and to sew up a storm! I knew exactly what project I wanted to tackle today, as I'm preparing for a May Day Fair, and I have a list as long as my arm of what still needs to be done! Now, why is it that today of all days, I couldn't get into the swing of things? I new what I wanted to do, but ended up doing a lot of unpicking, and feeling frustrated as I just couldn't seem to get the little things right. I had planned to make at least ten of these little owl keyrings/bookbag buddies, but made just three!

Do you sometimes get your needles, thread and knickers in a knot when things don't quite go according to plan? Just me then? Anyhow, I suppose three is better than none, and there is always tomorrow...(And tonight! Planning to burn the midnight oil!)

Number 2...

And then there were three...

So, I would love to stay a while and chat, but as you can see, I need to be a wise old owl and get cracking with the sewing! Don't worry though, owl be back! (Sorry couldn't resist!)

Blessings, Tania ♥

The journey to vintage...

Where to begin?

You all know that I'm a vintage gal at heart, and that I'm a lot more at home in frocks! It has taken me a long time to embrace this passion for vintage fashion, to the point where I can wear it on an every day basis, and not just when events require it! I'm a long way off being a 24/7 vintage fashionista! But, like a lot of you out there, living in a modern world, it can sometimes seem daunting to let go and let the Rita, Vivien or Audrey inside you loose! I know that certain elements of bygone era's appeal to different people, and I'm definitely more a 40's/50's follower. I always thought that the 1950's was my favourite time in history for feminine fashion, but I find that as I explore my inner vixen, that I'm equally drawn to the silhouettes from the 1940's.

Now, if you like the idea of vintage or retro clothing, and don't quite know how to wear it, stick with me, and I'd like to share with you a little of my journey and how it kicked off for me. Let's talk basics first. What exactly is classed as retro, and what is vintage? These words are casually thrown around, and sometimes used to describe fashion items, without paying attention to the real age of the item. Let me just clarify one thing: I am by no means hung up on the use or so-called misuse of the buzz word, 'vintage'. I merely adhere to a rough guide, that would class a fashion item which is older than 25 years (these days even 20), as being vintage. Anything a hundred years or older is antique, or period. So, for all you die-hard 80's fans, that would mean one cannot really refer to any 1980's clothing as vintage! As for the word 'retro', it is used to refer to something that is new, but made in an older style, so perhaps 'vintage looking'.

I, for one, am really fascinated by the history of clothes, single items, and where they've come from. My knowledge is quite limited, but I long to learn more, as history is something that defines certain styles and lends meaning to garments. Although I truly love authentic vintage, it won't stop me from wearing reproductions, or vintage inspired items. I like to take different elements from different era's, and to incorporate them into my existing wardrobe. I do find that I am becoming more confident to wear things that clearly aren't from the High Street, and perhaps considered 'quirky' by some!

My advice to anyone who would like to try out vintage, but don't know where to start, is to experiment with accessories as a starting point. I did just that by starting off wearing brooches, scarfs or shoes...

A few vintage inspired items...scarf (1980's)...shoes, new but reminiscent of vintage styles...

A great place to incorporate vintage style, is hair. I have tried a few things...

A romantic, period updo...(Still practising this one!)

A pin curl setting overnight, then brushed out for soft curls...

I then proceeded to wear some lovely (in my opinion, and that's what matters!) dresses I had found on my thrifting journeys.

A very colourful E-bay find...

This quirky number from Rehab Vintage ...

My latest find...I love the vibrant colours in this little number...(Worn with full petticoat for a 5o's silhouette.)

With sensible shoes for the school run...

...or maybe not...(and minus the petticoat)

The best piece of advice that I can give you? Don't take yourself to seriously! Have fun with it! Remember what it was like when you were little and played dress-up? No one judged you for getting it wrong, and the sky was the limit. Adopt a little of that attitude, and above all else, ALWAYS WEAR A SMILE! Without this, you may as well be naked! And on that note...

...just for laughs!

Happiness to you!

Tania♥