Christmas Cushion

I just love the retro colours in these fabrics!

Last October we stayed in a Warners Hotel, (the same one featured in to the Manor Born no less!) Well my favourite shop is very close by called Becca's Emporium and I found to my delight she was having a workshop on the Sunday.

So I went to the workshop which included a rummage in the shop to find fabric inspiration. This little combination really caught my eye and I created the templates myself! (not really all that difficult just a few triangles!) The background was some lovely stretchy velour fabric which really gave a lovely wintry feel. The only difficulty was the workshop was held in a very cold room with just a bar heater which needed to be unplugged if we wanted tea! So after cutting out the trees I decided to head home to complete the job!

The velvet material was just the right shade (I bought about 3 meters at a WI auction for a couple of pounds a few months before!) I stitched the stars above and finished the insert. I must say the colour combination is wonderful a nice change from the traditional reds. It was a wonderful project and I found Becca very inspirational, how anyone gets the time to sew with two little boys is amazing to me!

The weather today was amazing, we could not leave the house as there was a thick sheet of ice everywhere! The chooks just slid down their little slope, as if they were on a child's slide it was so funny! They are getting wiser and now spend wet days in their little dirt pen which has a nice roof! I have to admit I did work from home today as the forest roads were simply treacherous! I made up for the disappointment of not getting to work by creating a painting in the shed most of the afternoon with the heating up full blast! I just love winter!

Vintage Apron

I just love the wonderful aprons I see in the advertising of the fifties, so when I saw this gorgeous vintage inspired strawberry fabric, it was just crying out to be made into a gorgeous vintage apron.

I used my gathering foot but unfortunately after attaching the bottom the pocket was not centred! I am not sure about the pocket, so I might remove it. But the apron is wonderful to wear, it is so feminine. Just in time for me to do some Christmas presents!

My gorgeous vintage girl - vintage make over

Dear L is off on a golfing pub tour tonight! Apparently it is an eighteen pub tour dressed in vintage golfing gear! So I tried to give her a little bit of a vintage look. Doesn't she look fab, she liked it so much she is thinking of becoming a vintage girl!

There is a great tutorial on you tube if you fancy having a go yourself. I have already started using the vintage look, as I am an hour glass it really suits my body shape.

Good news, I spoke to my boss and she has organised me to return to work without having to drive. The doc is happy but I can only do part time for a couple of weeks, but I am so thrilled, it is good to get back to normal. Yippee. Maybe I will feel differently at 7am on Monday, but it feels like a step towards the dance floor! I will be tangoing soon!

Saturday Sewing

I simply adore the crochet doilies you can get for pennies in charity shops, so I thought I might use them in my latest project for the sales table at the WI. They give a lovely vintage feel especially if you combine it with linens.

I love making wheat bags, they are so easy to make yet make great presents and are so comforting.

They are just simple rectangles you can make them to any size depending on what you would like to use them for. Long and thin for round your neck, or more square for your tummy.

I fill mine with pearl barley which costs 39p from tesco and I add my own lavender from the garden.

You simply put them in the microwave for one or two minutes depending on the size, the lavender really gives up a lovely relaxing scent as you let the warmth relax tired muscles or they are simply wonderful for period pains.

It is always a good idea to do a double seam, as it stops the wheat from escaping.





When I was a child I always wanted a rag doll, a proper home made doll but I never got one. So I started this rag doll for a competition and run out of time to finish it. She ended up naked in the shed until I found her while I was having a sort out. I decided to give her some clothes. I still have to make her shoes but I like the way she has turned out. I will keep her on a shelf in the shed. At last, after nearly thirty five years, I have my own rag doll!

Bathroom bliss for the goddess!

You might think that cleaning the bathroom would be the opposite for creativity but my Halloween capers gave me an idea!Change your bathroom into a sanctuary for very little cost!

Charity shops are simply brimming with press molded glassware, decanters and bottles. I am a romantic at heart and the idea of pouring bubble bath from a heavy crystal decanter seems deliciously decadent!

So I filled all these delightful bottles with all my gels and potions and I must say it is simply wonderful to pour shampoo out of these vintage bottles rather than the boring plastic ones! (Little tip, if your conditioner is a little bit thick just add a little water to help it run out of the bottle smoothly, after all you are going to add water to it anyway!)






Mr C, ever practical, would tell me it might be difficult to tell shower gel from shampoo when there are no labels, so I used a little of my glass painting out liner to label the bottles and I could not resist adding a little bling!

Bottles of shampoo that advertise the fact you consider you hair to be brittle or especially for coloured hair might not be a great impression to give your friends! I love the words Elixir and Tonic, much nicer than shampoo or conditioner, (easier to fit on the bottle!) and some how more vintage




Even soap can look gorgeous when it sits in a sumptuous glass bowl, I just love the rose candles they sit really nicely among the soap. I love to use candles in the bathroom especially as a wind down after a long day. However, beware that some soaps and gels are very flammable so don't have your candles too near the bath!

Just one last thing, those monthly essentials don't look pretty, so I created this little bag to keep them snug! I just love applique, I made it a little while ago so it isn't as pristine as it could be!

So after all this hard scrubbing to make all things bright and sparkly, I am off to relax in my little home made sanctuary