My bundle of joy!

Just a quickie post:

Which way is up?

I have just taken this photo, and it prompted me to look at Purdy's album from the two years that she has been a part of our family.

She came to us as a 12 week old pup, so soft and utterly adorable. 

We weren't going to let her on the furniture, or upstairs - oh no! she's a dog not a human , dogs stay on the floor - right?

Not my Purdy.......she is my shadow, follows me all over the house - everywhere! I'm afraid to say, she even sleeps on my bed all night.

Someone needs a haircut!

She loves a cuddle

and likes to cuddle me...

she loves the snow....

and the sea...

playing on the sand....

and in the fields.

Purdy is such a pleasure! It took me ages and ages to persuade the OH to let us have a dog - we are so glad he eventually gave in, though he wasn't that keen. But he loves her now and even comes for 'walkies' too!

New items in my shop NOW!

Pretty items in my Folksy shop and Pretty Goods shop

A yukky job!

It's not often I get a yukky soft furnishings job to do, but last Friday I had to work with this......

.....and I really hate touching feathers.


A friend has re-upholstered an arm chair for a friend of hers, but didn't feel confident in making the shaped box cushion in the black velvet the chair is covered in. 
So I was offered the job.
Little did I know what was lurking inside this stiff grey leather cover....

Lots of horrid, ugly feathers had worked their way through the inner cover and were stuck all over it.
The corners of the T-shaped cushion were just stuffed with wads of grey felty stuff.....

My friend's friend, did not want a replacement cushion so I had to use this one and make a new cover for it that would keep the feathers inside.
I used blackout lining - I figured that the feathers would really struggle to get through it.

I slipped the old pad into the front of the new inner cover. Normally I would push it into a back opening, but thought I would get covered in those yukky feathers if I had to force it through such a narrow opening.


Once slip stitched together the new inner cover looked great and slid nicely into the black velvet box cushion I had made earlier.

Now I just need to clear up all the feathers that escaped and blew all over the terrace!

Toast and 'Pay it Forward' Presents

Our quite expensive toaster went POP the other day. I've looked at loads on-line to replace it with - do I go for another pricey one and hope it lasts longer than the three years of the previous one, or do I go for a cheapy?
I'm reluctant to go for one that I will have to throw away, again, as I hate the thought of it laying in a landfill site for ever....
So I have decided to go for this

Super pricey, but it has "Replaceable parts (you don’t throw a Dualit toaster away, we repair it for you!)" as they say on their website.
But I need to do a bit of saving first......so what do we do in the meantime?


We can use this!

Truly vintage,it must be from the 30's or 40's, it has been lurking in the back of the larder for years. But it is in excellent working order and makes fabulous toast, as long as you don't forget to watch it!

Open it out and pop the slices of bread into the flaps, close it up and wait - keep checking, don't let it burn.

Perfect!

Do I really need to buy the Dualit?

Pay it Forward

While I was eating my toast the postman dropped a package through the door.

It was my 'Pay it Forward' gift from Bellaboo at Bellascountry, as I was one of the first three to comment on her Pay it Forward post.

Now I'm taking part....the idea is that participants pass on a little kindness without expecting any reward.

So, I promise to post a little item to the FIRST THREE bloggers to comment on THIS POST..who will then do the same...and keep the kindness moving on.There is no time scale to this...just in the next 365 days!)

Here are the pretty gifts I received from Bellaboo.

prettily wrapped

some ever useful pink spotty CK tissues, some CK bath powder

and a packet of coloured beads (I have an idea for these already).

So, if you want to take part, leave me a comment and the first three will be sent a little gift.

More Pretty Vintage Goods

I've been busy in my workshop today; sorting through my vintage fabrics and lace to make these:

pretty lavender hearts in linen and Edwardian lace, 

and gorgeous floral vintage fabrics.

Then I made these:

little embroidery scissor cases 

from some of my vintage embroidered linen stash

with pretty vintage fabrics on the reverse

Then I thought I'd make some for bigger scissors and shears:

with pretty backs too

I thought I'd get more done, but then my dear daughter came home from school and commandeered my sewing machine for her textiles homework!

Does anyone else have to share their tools and equipment?