I was hoping to post lots of sewing adventures this weekend but yesterday morning I woke up with a stinking head cold, so instead I've spent yesterday and so far today in PJs, feeling slightly sorry for myself.
So instead I will post about a couple of true musical greats that passed away this week.
Sorry both of these aren't videos as such as both tracks were looong before video - or shorties as they were known then - were popular but they are great great music!
First up Johnny Otis, if you don't know about this guy, read up about him, what a guy, he worked with a lot of greats, was a real innovator in music and did some amazing things in his life. He's a real musical hero of mine and my husbands, he just touched so much music that we loved.
Next up and probably better know generally is Etta James. What a gal and what a voice.
I love this song, I actually sang it with my band many years ago, but could never recreate that wild Etta James feel!
I'll be back fighting fit soon, I would have carried on with sewing this weekend but I have so much work on at the moment, I need the energy for that!!
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Sorting, Cooking and Sewing!
I love January, I find it a real sorting month. It's a month where nothing much happens so you have a little more time than normal to get things sorted, I also like to get things organised in January as it gives me a good start to the year!
This year has been no different, but I'm making some bigger steps in sorting that I hope will be permanent solutions. I bought some little clear bags from ebay, super cheap, and they have revolutionised my sorting!! I bought them to sort my earrings originally. I had them stored horribly and altogether, stones were forever falling out of earrings and getting lost and I knew I had to do something, so now they are all sorted. This is how it all started eeek
Everything now clearly in little bags, and the advantage of this is, if a stone does come lose it does so inside the bag and doesn't get lost YAY!
Back in storage containers but now not all messed up!!
Then I thought hang on this would be great for my buttons too! I do have them in lovely storage jars which look cute but to be honest everytime I look for buttons I have to tip the whole jar out and search for a matching set, so I went through those too! Yes I know they don't look as pretty in the jar now but much easier to find!
I bought these lovely ones the other week, can't bear to remove them from the card yet, well until I use them.
I'd forgotten about these, love them!
Another tip, if you wear vintage clothes, when they drop to bits and are beyond repair, always remove the buttons before disposing of them. These came from a pair of very cute peddle pushers (capris) that would have fallen apart on wear!
If you're looking for novelty type buttons there are some great modern ones around, I bought these intending to make a tropical blouse with Carmen Miranda influence!!
Something else new I'm trying at the moment are some recipes from this book. As you know I'm vegetarian, but I'm not vegan, I don't really have any desire to be vegan but I've heard great things about this book so wanted to give it a try. I'm sharing just in case anyone out there is veggie/vegan and is looking for inspiration.
I highly recommend this, I've made a couple of recipes from this so far and OMG they were both delicious, not to mention healthy and low in fat, in my book that's a winner! Here's one attempt, Black eye peas and greens, with mashed sweet potato, YUM!!!!
And last but certainly not least, I have been saving hard to buy myself an overlocker (serger to my US friends!!) I was so excited when it arrived yesterday, except I didn't have time to set it up or try it until last night. It took me forever to thread it, boy that is complicated and I gave it a test. I'm so excited that my sewing projects will now have a much more professional finish, can't wait to get going. I'm going to play about with it a bit today, I'm brand new to overlocking so I need to learn how to use it properly before I launch into making something, but I'm super excited about it all!!
Right I'm off to play with my overlocker now......
BTW please excuse all my dark pictures, it's so hard to get good pictures in the depths of winter when it's constantly dark!
This year has been no different, but I'm making some bigger steps in sorting that I hope will be permanent solutions. I bought some little clear bags from ebay, super cheap, and they have revolutionised my sorting!! I bought them to sort my earrings originally. I had them stored horribly and altogether, stones were forever falling out of earrings and getting lost and I knew I had to do something, so now they are all sorted. This is how it all started eeek
Everything now clearly in little bags, and the advantage of this is, if a stone does come lose it does so inside the bag and doesn't get lost YAY!
Back in storage containers but now not all messed up!!
Then I thought hang on this would be great for my buttons too! I do have them in lovely storage jars which look cute but to be honest everytime I look for buttons I have to tip the whole jar out and search for a matching set, so I went through those too! Yes I know they don't look as pretty in the jar now but much easier to find!
I bought these lovely ones the other week, can't bear to remove them from the card yet, well until I use them.
I'd forgotten about these, love them!
Another tip, if you wear vintage clothes, when they drop to bits and are beyond repair, always remove the buttons before disposing of them. These came from a pair of very cute peddle pushers (capris) that would have fallen apart on wear!
If you're looking for novelty type buttons there are some great modern ones around, I bought these intending to make a tropical blouse with Carmen Miranda influence!!
Something else new I'm trying at the moment are some recipes from this book. As you know I'm vegetarian, but I'm not vegan, I don't really have any desire to be vegan but I've heard great things about this book so wanted to give it a try. I'm sharing just in case anyone out there is veggie/vegan and is looking for inspiration.
I highly recommend this, I've made a couple of recipes from this so far and OMG they were both delicious, not to mention healthy and low in fat, in my book that's a winner! Here's one attempt, Black eye peas and greens, with mashed sweet potato, YUM!!!!
And last but certainly not least, I have been saving hard to buy myself an overlocker (serger to my US friends!!) I was so excited when it arrived yesterday, except I didn't have time to set it up or try it until last night. It took me forever to thread it, boy that is complicated and I gave it a test. I'm so excited that my sewing projects will now have a much more professional finish, can't wait to get going. I'm going to play about with it a bit today, I'm brand new to overlocking so I need to learn how to use it properly before I launch into making something, but I'm super excited about it all!!
Right I'm off to play with my overlocker now......
BTW please excuse all my dark pictures, it's so hard to get good pictures in the depths of winter when it's constantly dark!
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Weekly Roundup!
Hi all, how's 2012 working out for you so far? It's working how just fine for me, I feel immensely optimistic about this year!
Well as I'm self employed early Jan is inevitably taken up with doing my accounts which should have been done long before now at end of Jan is the deadline, but hey that's how I roll, so that's essentially what I'm up to but I've still got news for you and pictures to share.
First up my resolutions, yes I like resolutions I don't think of them as resolutions I think of them as goals for the year, I also never start the tougher ones on the 1st of Jan, you are so doomed for failure if you do that, well I am I've learnt from experience!!
Now I'm starting to get my dining room back we are going to eat at the table as much as possible, this is something we don't do, mostly as we haven't had the dining room for years as it was the stock room. Here is the table set for New Years Day dinner, we've pretty much eaten all breakfast there and we're having fondue tonight as we have all the ingredients left from over Christmas!
As you can see though it's pretty cramped that's cos this is what the rest of the room still looks like
So not quite a dining room yet but soon. I'm going to be moving all this stuff at some point this month and then stripping of wall paper, re-wallpapering and then painting has to be done. The floor is good. We also found some fab curtains just before Christmas on ebay, we were lucky enough to have a small win on the lottery, well £72 so we bought curtains for the dining room! Here they are I think they look fab with the dinette chair.
We're thinking we might paint the walls grey but we're not sure. We'll see!
One of my other resolutions is to get out and about a bit more and do small things I enjoy, not necessarily things that cost. We had a tough year, personally and financially last year and so this year, although finances are still tight we want to try to just get out of the house sometimes, even if it's just to look around somewhere.
So this weekend we did one of our favourites things. We went rummaging at an Antique market and large antique shop. We didn't find anything in fact the regular antique/craft type fair we go to in Farnham was pretty quiet, I don't blame the traders for not so many being there, after all you're not going to make much in January so it was a little disappointing as we usually find something. Then the church fair that is around the corner where I scored loads of vintage buckles, buttons and material last time wasn't even on! So we decided to visit Bourne Mill Antique centre in Farnham. It's a huge old mill I assume, a really old building packed full of stuff but it is really hard to get around if you're not good on your feet, so Paul went to the cafe for coffee and cake whilst I rummaged. Here are some pics.
It's several floors of real rummaging, I didn't find anything this time, to be honest it's been going downhill a bit lately but in the past we've found some real treasures! It's definitely worth a visit though if you're in the area.
I love the 50s kitchen cabinet and I am in the market for one but I'm not going to pay £265!
I do have other resolutions that I won't share but one that I will is sewing more. I have saved enough to buy myself an overlocker I am busting with joy about this, however as I'm grounded til I get my accounts done I'm not going to buy it til I'm done otherwise it will be shouting at me when I need to be doing my accounts! I'm hoping to get it in time for next weekend as I figure I might finish my accounts tomorrow whoo hoo! The first thing I'm going to sew is not for me. I've gained weight and I need to shed it, I find out about my knee op on Tuesday so fingers crossed that happens quick so I can get back to exercising too. In the meantime I've been promising Paul a number of items so I'm going to get going on those. These are more casual 50s trousers that I'm going to give a go. I also have some great material for a shirt for him. I'll let you see them when I'm done, promise!
Anyway that's what I've been up to. Hope you're all having a great 2012 so far. My accounts phase is not much fun but hey it's got to be done! Once it's done I'll be very happy and crack on with my to do list for 2012!
Well as I'm self employed early Jan is inevitably taken up with doing my accounts which should have been done long before now at end of Jan is the deadline, but hey that's how I roll, so that's essentially what I'm up to but I've still got news for you and pictures to share.
First up my resolutions, yes I like resolutions I don't think of them as resolutions I think of them as goals for the year, I also never start the tougher ones on the 1st of Jan, you are so doomed for failure if you do that, well I am I've learnt from experience!!
Now I'm starting to get my dining room back we are going to eat at the table as much as possible, this is something we don't do, mostly as we haven't had the dining room for years as it was the stock room. Here is the table set for New Years Day dinner, we've pretty much eaten all breakfast there and we're having fondue tonight as we have all the ingredients left from over Christmas!
As you can see though it's pretty cramped that's cos this is what the rest of the room still looks like
So not quite a dining room yet but soon. I'm going to be moving all this stuff at some point this month and then stripping of wall paper, re-wallpapering and then painting has to be done. The floor is good. We also found some fab curtains just before Christmas on ebay, we were lucky enough to have a small win on the lottery, well £72 so we bought curtains for the dining room! Here they are I think they look fab with the dinette chair.
We're thinking we might paint the walls grey but we're not sure. We'll see!
One of my other resolutions is to get out and about a bit more and do small things I enjoy, not necessarily things that cost. We had a tough year, personally and financially last year and so this year, although finances are still tight we want to try to just get out of the house sometimes, even if it's just to look around somewhere.
So this weekend we did one of our favourites things. We went rummaging at an Antique market and large antique shop. We didn't find anything in fact the regular antique/craft type fair we go to in Farnham was pretty quiet, I don't blame the traders for not so many being there, after all you're not going to make much in January so it was a little disappointing as we usually find something. Then the church fair that is around the corner where I scored loads of vintage buckles, buttons and material last time wasn't even on! So we decided to visit Bourne Mill Antique centre in Farnham. It's a huge old mill I assume, a really old building packed full of stuff but it is really hard to get around if you're not good on your feet, so Paul went to the cafe for coffee and cake whilst I rummaged. Here are some pics.
It's several floors of real rummaging, I didn't find anything this time, to be honest it's been going downhill a bit lately but in the past we've found some real treasures! It's definitely worth a visit though if you're in the area.
I love the 50s kitchen cabinet and I am in the market for one but I'm not going to pay £265!
I do have other resolutions that I won't share but one that I will is sewing more. I have saved enough to buy myself an overlocker I am busting with joy about this, however as I'm grounded til I get my accounts done I'm not going to buy it til I'm done otherwise it will be shouting at me when I need to be doing my accounts! I'm hoping to get it in time for next weekend as I figure I might finish my accounts tomorrow whoo hoo! The first thing I'm going to sew is not for me. I've gained weight and I need to shed it, I find out about my knee op on Tuesday so fingers crossed that happens quick so I can get back to exercising too. In the meantime I've been promising Paul a number of items so I'm going to get going on those. These are more casual 50s trousers that I'm going to give a go. I also have some great material for a shirt for him. I'll let you see them when I'm done, promise!
Anyway that's what I've been up to. Hope you're all having a great 2012 so far. My accounts phase is not much fun but hey it's got to be done! Once it's done I'll be very happy and crack on with my to do list for 2012!
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