Happy Birthday Mum!

Happy Birthday to my Mum today

who is 68 today!

I thought I would share with you my favourite photo of her when she was about 15 years old on holiday in Eastbourne.

Her dad had written on the back of the photo:

THE SIGN SAYS ......

'NO PADDLING........EXCEPT FOR FAY!'

Naughty mummy! Typical of my mum and done with a cheeky grin on her face!

And for that reason, this is one of my favourite pictures of her.

I thought I would show the presents I have made for her:

a lovely felt brooch

she loves the colour purple

and

a practical, vintage floral fabric apron which she coveted when  she saw what I had been up to in the crafty stakes. 

I have to be careful when she is around when i'm crafting something new, as she usually buys up all I have and then I have nothing left for my little shop.  Nice  for my products to be admired though!

bee x

p.s. I will do a giveaway winner post on Monday for those who entered.

Vintage Suitcase Makeover

Two little lost suitcases got a bit of tlc .........

 

On a recent treasure hunting afternoon, I spotted these two rather shabby cream 1950's suitcases looking rather sorry for themselves. 

 I fell in love with their shape and thought, 'can I upcycle them in some way'? 

So after a little deliberation, I bought them home with me!

After a good scrub they came up a bit better .....

But I felt they needed a bit more improvement so

I gave them a couple of coats of emulsion.  I used the colour called

James White from Farrow and Ball

and then gave them a buff up with some clear wax which made the paint shine.

On another treasure hunting afternoon, I found this vintage floral wallpaper for 50p and thought it would be great for covering my vintage suitcases with, so ..........

I covered the two suitcases, front and back, with this pretty floral wallpaper.  I stuck it on with wall paper paste as I seemed to have run out of pva.  It worked a treat and the wallpaper was really easy to apply.   

Then I thought they needed something extra!

So I rummaged through my collection of doilies and found these suitable subjects. 

I stuck them on with fabric glue which dries clear.

Here are the beauties in the restored and upcycled glory.

The whole project must have cost me under £5.00 which I love as my pocket money is in limited supply right now!

bee x

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Friday Finds

As the saying goes, 'good things come to those who wait .....'

or is it 'goodies come to those who wait'?

I am beginning to think that vintage finds are like buses,

nothing for a while,

 and then three come along at once.

Look what I've found on my thrifty travels this week ....................

I've wanted some vintage coat hangers for a while,

for display and photographic purposes and

what do I find, not one but two! 

I couldn't believe my luck.

Whilst on my rampaging rummaging,

I also found this beautiful hand held mirror, a plastic replica of the metal ones we used to have. 

The metal paint is wearing off,

revealing the green below and

the embroidery flowers are just a transfer, but I love it all the same.

As for these dinky clogs,

I thought they were so cute I had to buy them to add to my collection of folky items I seem to be unconsciously developing now.

No doubt, they will be appearing in a starring 'blog' role soon!

I hope you like them and all have a great weekend. 

Bee x

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Vintage Sewing Tools of the Trade

Sewing Tools of the Trade

1. Vintage scissor & needle sharpener, 2. thrift score, 3. sewing still life, 4. Grandma's Thimble

To celebrate my love of vintage sewing items,

I found these beautiful photographs on flickr that I thought

do my love of them justice.

A few years ago, I would have gone mad for the latest

fashion but now its vintage all the way .....

Anyone got any vintage sewing or knitting item from the past they can't bear to part with?

Bee x

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