It's been a strange old week!

First up I intended to post more often but it's been a strange old week!

I got to it with vigour last weekend sorting my sewing area then on Monday I got to sorting my desk and admin, this was a huge job. I hate filing, and particularly in Nov and Dec I'm too busy for admin/filing so it all gets totally out of hand to the point where I was avoiding working at my desk cos it was such a mess! Every bit of paperwork I got I just piled up on top of the last lot, but on Monday I worked til 9pm just to get it sorted. It was really bad, here are some before and after pics!

Depressing huh?

And breathe......

It's so nice to have it tidy!

Then as some of you may recall I said I needed to do some part time 'paid' work this year in an effort to get my debts in order. So on Tuesday I went to work for someone for just 4 hours, then on Wednesday I went to work for someone else for a whole day!!

Then yesterday morning I woke up and felt blumming dreadful.

So I spent all day in PJs, the day went so quickly and I just didn't feel better, today the same, I'm not terrible but not well enough to get on with anything, I'm so annoyed! I have so many things I want to get on with but I'm not stupid enough to just battle on, I know if I rest it won't last as long and I won't feel so bad, but grrrrrr it's frustrating!

I've got a busy and odd week coming up too so need to feel better pretty damn quick. I have a fabulous to do list which hasn't got done, I hate getting ill, it's awfully inconvenient.

Anyway hope you're all well!!

I was inspired!

I was so inspired by my new sewing space that I blogged about yesterday that I went straight up there after breakfast!

I had in mind a couple of things I wanted to do and guess what I did both!

First up, I wanted to make a cover for my Kindle which was a Christmas present. I can't believe something that expensive comes without at least a basic cover but that's another story altogether. Anyway obviously I didn't have a pattern or anything so I just made something up, I knew I needed a lining, a stiffener and some nice fabric for the cover. I used a scrap I had from my living room curtains, so I used that rather than use something new, just in case I messed up! Here at the pics of the process!!

First up fabric & lining cut

Next up attaching the stiffener to the barkcloth fabric

AND the finished product with a very cute button on, which looks like it doesn't quite match in the picture, but believe me in real life it does look very nice.

This is the back of the Kindle cover

And just to prove it IS a Kindle cover!!

And lastly, looking very stylish on my bedside cabinet!

Once I'd finished that I decide to embark on a project I've been meaning to for ages. I had a really sturdy nice 50's footstool that I use all the time - I'm short and it's not comfortable for me to sit on the sofa with my feet on the floor, I can't quite reach! Anyway we've had the stool for years and it is very much worse for wear now. I wanted to cover it in the same barkcloth as I've used above as this matches our living room curtains. I've never done anything like this before, so just played it by ear again, eeek!

Here it is you can see how nice it is.

But it's so wrecked!

So I took the legs off and took it apart and this is what I was left with, not what I expected at all!

It actually didn't even take long to end up with this!

It's not perfect, I learnt some lessons as I was going it, but I'm pretty pleased with it.

I'm tempted to go back upstairs and try something else but both those projects required some brain power and I'm not sure I could work anything else out today!!

So there we go I've kickstarted the sewing big style. I will make clothes but I want to kick start my weight loss before I start making clothes again. So the next couple of months will be mostky crafty sewing and then hopefully I'll start the clothes making.

Oh and talking about resolutions I'm pleased to say I've had an alcohol free, food treat free weekend YAY!

New Year New Start!

I feel like this twice a year, in January and in September, that right lets get this show on the road and get organised feeling. January I know everyone does, September must stem from going back to school, yep still feeling it even at 44!!

Anyway, as you saw in my last post one of my new years resolutions was to sew more. I started really thinking about why I don't, I have fab material, I have the ability, ok I don't always have the time but who does? Yet still I haven't. I hope I've figured it out, my new sewing area which I started to set up in Summer was a disaster, so today I set about starting to get it organised.

First up though, some fabric I've bought in the last 6 months, all at bargain basement prices and I mean bargain basement prices!!

This first one is my favourite as not only is it fabulous & cheap but there is LOADs of it, so lots of options, I will definately make a dress out of it, but what style yet I'm still to decide. The gold is so vibrant in real life, can't believe it's survived so well, it's obviously been stored away, it's definately original and not repro, you can just feel and tell.

There isn't a lot of this next one so I'm just not sure quite what I'm going to do with it, were I thinner I would made a boned strapless top for summer, we'll see, but I couldn't resist, how amazing is that print!

I have a real love of mexican prints, I do have several that I've already made and fabric too, this one is lovely as it's an unusual light green colour and a great print, plus it's a silk type fabric.

This next one is unusual, it's a beautiful print and again there is lots of it, but it's very see through, so it will make a beautiful light summer dress but it will need something underneath otherwise I'll be arrested!!

I love this next one, again there isn't much but it's not a clothes fabric as far as I'm concerned, but it's so beautiful, again it was a steal so I couldn't not buy it, especially with my love of cocktails!! I'll work out what to do with it, in the meantime I'll just love it.

This is just a small selection of what I have and I really need to crack on with sewing so this is what I did today, with before and after shots, eeek! Can you see why this didn't encourage me to sew? To be fair I did start and didn't finish, so it was an ongoing project but who would feel creative in this space?

Horrible huh?

Then suddenly - or rather not so suddenly!!! - it's done!

I still have a way to go but it's a hell of an improvement. As you can see I've got all my material piled up, then the boxes at the bottom contain clothes that are trashed but I want to make patterns from, small pieces of material and a couple of half completed pairs of trousers, bad huh?

I want to put a couple of shelves up above the table and a pin board with ideas etc as well.

I'll take more pictures as I develop the space and tomorrow I'm going to finish my Kindle cover and maybe something else cos I actually want to be in there now!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy New Year to all my lovely friends in blog land!!

Well well well it's been a while but it's also good to have a break from such things.

What have I been up to, well the usual, went to Mum's for Christmas and although the snow didn't cause us any problems, the amount of traffic did, it took us 7 1/2 hours to drive there, and 7 hours to drive back, fortunately in between we got a few days of eating and relaxing!! For those who've been asking mum is doing really well, she hadn't been able to eat properly for so long she is now eating her own body weight in food, when Paul and I were struggling to even breathe cos we were so full, she 'just fancied' some cheese & biscuits!! It's good to see :o)

When I was up there, obviously mum is still recovering so all things were pretty much down to me, so I was rooting around in her kitchen cupboards, not something I normally do, I'm adopted and my mum is gigantic compared to me (she was 5'10 at her tallest, she's shrinking now, I'm 4'11 1/2 the 1/2 is important!) so most of her cupboards I need to get on steps to look in. Anyway I was rooting around and burst our laughing, stuck right at the back of her cupboards were things that should be in a museum! I hasten to add my mum is not a hoarder but my Auntie Marjorie - mum's next door neighbour, not a real aunt but that's what I call her - is a huge hoarder she never throws anything out, and if her real niece insists, sometimes she gives stuff to mum. I've had some fab stuff from her!

First up is this

Yep 1950s or 1960s maybe Household Vegetable Parchment! Yes the price says 2'6, so definately pre 70s and decimilisation in the UK, well you can see it's pre 70s cos of the graphics and you know what there's still plenty in there ha ha! So I've brought it home and it's in the kitchen on display!

Next up, love this

Isn't that the biggest lightbulb you ever saw? Oh stupid me you can't tell the scale, ok believe me it's the biggest lightbulb I ever saw. Mum said, well I could use it, I said mmmm I'd rather you didn't again the price is 8d so pre 70s!!

So that was fun!

We got home had a day of sitting around and then we had to get ready for our friends coming for the New Year.

There were only 4 of us for New Years Eve but it was fun. We had a nice time drinking and chatting. One of our friends despite his love of art deco for homewares, and 40's 50's clothing and style love the 70s too, so in his honour I bought some Babycham and Cherry B! I know both of these were around before the 70s but they totally remind me of the 70s. When we popped them we thought they'd be vile but actually they were both quite nice!!

So now the New Year has come around, I've been thinking about my resolutions, and reading a lot of your resolutions too!

I have a few but I usually don't start them until the 2nd week of Jan, too much pressure after you'll eaten your own body weight in chocolate for a couple of weeks! I give myself a week to get my head straight and then I start

So here goes

1. I know everyone says lose weight but really I NEED to, I will never diet as such again, done that all my life and have lost weight, put more on, lost, put more on, I'm done with that but this year I should like to lose some weight.
2. Start to pay off some debt, I'm going to work really hard this year to make a dent in out debts, I'm sick of them, I won't get them cleared but we could be in a better place at the beginning of next year than this year!
3. Start working my way through my fabric stash and make myself some clothes, I have some fabulous material, love sewing and being creative yet I've let it fall by the wayside.
4. Also we promised ourselves we'd go to museums and art exhibitions more, we love it when we do it, and we don't do it enough.

So in conclusion more food for the soul, less food for the body!!

Has is really been that long?

Since I talked to you lovely people!!

So sorry, busy time of year for me but I am now officially on my holidays, well there may not be many advantages to being self-employed but one of them is that you decide when you finish for Christmas, which to be fair is decided on last posting day really!

It's unlikely I'll post again before Christmas as I'm driving up North to see my mum. Well I'm hoping to, if you're in the UK you know the problems, if you're not, we've been having some quite incredibly extreme weather for the UK this December and I know lots of other countries have worse but it's not usual for us and we really don't cope well with it, sadly.

Please keep your fingers crossed for my journey which I'm going to try for tomorrow.

I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year. It's been a joy to get to know you all this year and I hope we get to know each other even better next year!


And to end the year I'll have one of whatever he's having!!

I do love shoes!!

Don't we all? I have no idea where the obsession with shoes come from with women but I don't know many who don't love shoes - although I do know a few.

Anyway my loves of shoes knows no bounds, I have plenty of shoes and I have no money to spend on shoes yet when I see new arrivals from Rocket Originals, I spend my day trying to work out how to make some money to buy these beauties!!

Rocket Originals have not just one but two new arrivals, it's almost too much to bear!!

I was lucky enough to see pictures of both of these when they were getting samples made and I couldn't contain my excitement, but now they are here I can finally show you them. Get a hanky because you will drool!

First up a new sandal called Lana, so sexy and classy, I WANT!

http://www.rocketoriginals.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=LANA

Beautiful styling, tied ankle strap, cute bow on the front, a colour that will go with nearly everything, what more could a gal want?

Next up is Mitzi, I really really really love these.

http://www.rocketoriginals.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=MITZI

It's hard to find nice repro every day comfy shoes and these will be my go to shoes for being comfortable and stylish!

So there you have it more lovely things to spend your money on, I know where my money will be going!!

Just like buses.....

No blog posts for weeks then 2 come long at once!!

Actually I've wanted to do this since I found out about this new website at the Rhythm Riot.

I was talking to a lovely lady called Mary, who I've known for a long time but don't know her very well, something quite common on our scene, you get to know lots of people are you've all been around for years but you rarely have intimate conversations so you get to know people over many years!

Anyway Mary has an amazing knowledge about vintage jewellery, she really knows her stuff, in fact she told a friend - who I won't name unless she wants to name herself - that a brooch she was wearing was actually rare and worth about £400!! My friend was so shocked, mind you it's a lovely lovely brooch.

So let me get to the point, Mary has launched Vintage Inspirations a fabulous website selling vintage jewellery, she has lots on there and I know has more stock to list.  She's a lovely lady and as I said very knowledgeable so you know you are getting quality.

Here are a few of the most fabulous pieces on there at the moment!

Nice huh? Give them a visit, I'm sure you'll find something that you love, oh and did I say her prices are really reasonable too!