Pretty Pillowcases

Following on from my last post, I have been lucky with the charity shops again today! Yes these pretty pillowcases which I found when I popped into my local charity shop while on the way to the post office to post off an amazon parcel I had sold.


The two big ones are proper pillowcases for beds, but the small white one is a pillow/cushion cover and has really lovely lacey embroidery around the edge.

This false hexagon patchwork pillowcase is quite unusual, it looks modern to me, but it has no label inside so I have no idea where its from.



I really like the print in this hexagon...little lilac roses and polka dots.

This is the edging on the cushion cover, the flowers on this are really sweet too, and its in perfect condition.

This one is a bit more retro looking, but I really like the turquoise and purpley colours, and the ruffled edge too! Sadly I don't think I will be using the two pillowcases as pillowcases, I think they shall be cut up and added to the stash!! Its not that I don't like them as pillowcases, just that they really dont go with all my other bedding!

Did you want to know how much they cost for all three? Oh you did? Well they were 50p each! Bargain! When I paid the man in the shop made me laugh he said "sweet dreams" hehe! X

New and Thrifted Fabric

You may remember number 13 on my list of things I want to do was to increase my fabric stash, well this weekend I got working on that and added some vintage and some new fabric to my little stash. I bought half a meter of each of these four fabrics, I rarely buy more than half a meter as I like to get as many different prints as I can for my money! So I got some bright floral, some gingham, some large blue floral and a tiny blue flower print.



I think this one is really cute and would be great for lining bags,or for some bunting...




Big blue flowers to (maybe) go with some vintage fabric further down in this post...



Gingham, always handy to have, perhaps for Union Jack cushions or bag lining...

And this cheerful floral print which could be used for just about anything!

Then in a little charity shop I spotted these two lovely fabrics. There is enough of these to make a couple of tote bags for my blogshop. I especially like the navy blue fabric with the pale roses on, its very pretty indeed. I am usually saying I can never find anything decent in my charity shops, but this was one that I don't usually go in but I had a bit of extra time to waste so I popped in. I shall definatly be going back as I also got two squares of felt for just 20 pence!

I am very happy with my little haul this weekend! But I think this is my fave print of the lot.

This one is very pretty too, I am not sure what this will turn into, but I couldn't leave it behind!

So I can tick that off the list (or maybe just keep working on it!) Got to get stuck in with numbers one and two X

Some Craftiness and Something Achieved

A bit of a late in the day post for me, although I have been on the mac all day doing uni work I

now have enough time to do a proper blog post - and with some pretty photos too, because photos make a blog so much more enjoyable don't you think? I have a few little bits and bobs to show, plus some pretty things just for show, like this photo below. No real reason for it, only that it caught my eye today and I took a photo of it. It is at the end of my bed, my two rosali cushions and my handmade Union Jack cushion. Oh and the quilt, which is still the wrong way up because I love the backing fabric so much and I think it goes really well with the rosali too.

The other end, more florals, and some polka dots too. This duvet set is from Dunelm Mill, and is rather muted for me, usually I am full on clashing floral prints! But I thought that might detract from the quilt so I went for white.





I was doing a bit of tidying and re-arranging and moved this lovely brooch I received in a little swap a while back made by the wonderfully talented Sew Hot Mitmot. I thought it would look good pinned onto the Union Jack cushion.


I love the vintage blue fabric in it, infact I saw a really similar print on a pillowcase in the charity shop today and had to leave it as I had no cash on me. I am thinking I might have to go back tomorrow and see if its still there. There was also a green duvet set in that retro floral print (does anyone know what that sort of fabric is called? The fab Kitschen Pink has a beautiful collection of these sorts of fabrics)

Matches pretty nicely I think, it will stay here a while.

I also posted off a custom order tote bag and a matching floral brooch from my blogshop today to a lovely blogging lady for her daughter's birthday. I really hope it goes down well with the recipient. These are my new handmade labels - what do you think? They are quite simple, I could probably jazz them up a little bit.

Its made from the lovely lilac paisley fabric that you may remember I recieved a while back from a lady on the Shabby Chic Cafe.

The tote is lined with the same fabric and has a lilac ribbon on the front for decoration. I really love this fabric, it reminds me so much of eiderdowns. It has a very pretty vintage feel I think.

And my something achieved was this, sewing in my first ever zip, it was just a tester using an old zip and was just as hard as I imagined it would be! Cant quite get my head around the inside out wrong side right side thing.

I think this flowery blue fabric is pretty cute, its vintage, and one of my best charity shop fabric finds!

Practice makes perfect! X

Things I Want To Do ::

I sadly have no craftiness or prettiness to show you today (sorry ladies - feel free to bloghop elsewhere!) but I thought I'd make a list, a list of things I want to do ::

1. Complete my degree with a decent grade

2. Feel that I have done everything I can do get as good a grade as possible

3. Get back into painting canvases.

4. Go to life drawing class with the BF (we used to do this at school together so it would be nice to do it again)

5. Develop my crafting/sewing skills

6. Drive to further away places - be brave!

7. Sell things that I don't need or want anymore

8. Read more - and I mean books not just magazines and blogs!

9. Be less of a procrastinator and more of a do-er

10. Make another patchwork quilt

11. Send some surprise parcels to lovely SCCafe ladies and bloggers

12. Handmake more birthday/Christmas presents for family

13. Increase my fabric stash (this is one of the best ones don't you think?)

14. Swim more, I usually swim every Wednesday but could go more often

15. Figure out what sort of job I want (a hard one)

Hmm think thats it for now, I am sure there is tonnes more I could think of. 

P.S this was just for my own record, sorry to bore you! X

A Parcel from SaraEden

This morning I received a lovely little parcel from Sara Eden which was my giveaway prize that I had won on Sara's blog a while back. The first thing I saw was this gorgeous card...

I am not sure if Sara made this herself or not but I think it is the cutest card I have ever received, just look at the tiny floral bag and crochet flower on the front.

How sweet...

Sara also included some lovely fabric scraps for me to add to my collection, I especially like the rose print one, and the multi coloured polka dots.

And there was also this little parcel wrapped in blue polka dot fabric...

Inside was this adorable mini tote bag made from lovely blue polka dot fabric, its so so sweet!

 

With pretty blue flowery lining and blue buttons for decoration. I absolutely love it, it is so cute!

And a little Easter bag of sewing goodies ::

With lovely blue paisley ribbon, flowers, brooch backs, and a mix of covered fabric buttons and normals buttons for me to play with!

Aren't they gorgeous?

Thankyou so much Sara, I love everything you have sent me and will find it very hard to use the buttons - I want to keep them all for myself! X

Roses and Gingham Bag

Today I thought I'd show you this bag I made as a very special commision for a lovely blogging lady. You may notice that it is made from Roses and Gingham fabric, as is my quilt, which is where the name for my shop came from!

It was really enjoyable to make, and I felt very proud sending it off to its new owner.




I hope I'll be able to add some tote bags to my shop soon, once all that uni work is out of the way! I have one cut out waiting for me to play, which I might get sewn up today when I take a little break from work.




Thanks for all the lovely comments about the bunting cards, I may add some to the shop if I get some time. Keep your eyes peeled!

Hope you all have a lovely day, I will try to get round the blogs and say hello soon! X

Bunting Flag Cards

I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend, I stayed at the BFs at completely forgot to arrange an Easter post for while I was gone. I don't really do anything to celebrate Easter at my house, we don't buy eggs or put up decorations, so to me it was just a long weekend. So sorry about the lack of Eastery photos from me!

I went to see Dancing on Ice : The Tour on Sunday (surprise tickets from the BF) at Wembley Arena which was brilliant, I absolutely loved the show, and the live version was even better! Yesterday was spent finishing off some "odd jobs" and painting at the BFs, but while I was there I also did a bit of crafting, although I can't bring much when I go there, I just brought a few scraps of fabric, some glue and some card, and made these ::


Flag bunting cards.
I got the idea from the lovely Mitmot on the Shabby Chic Cafe and they were great fun and easy to make. I like the fact that they are suitable for male or female birthdays, get well cards, or 'just to say' cards.

I'll add a message on the front depending on what the card is for. While I was there I also made a couple more brooches which are now for sale in my blogshop.

Sadly this week I have got to knuckle down and get some work done for uni so that will probably be the last bit of crafting for a bit, although I'd much rather be making things than doing uni work of course. Then I shall have to start thinking about jobs, what do I want to do with my life....god knows! X

Todays Flowers

Just a few new buys to show today, I am trying to be good at the moment and not make too many expensive or unecessary purchases, but I allowed myself two things from Tesco at the weekend.

Firstly these pretty rosey napkins which I think I will be using for some sort of decoupage project or other. I just chucked them on my bed to photograph them, but looking at them now the rose seems very similar to the rosali print one on my duvet. I think Tesco have woken up to the fact that we want pretty shabby chic goodies to browse when we are doing the shopping! There was also some lovely (and very CK) looking mugs in there in pale pink and blue, but I really don't need any more mugs, as much as I loved them!

I also got this, which was £1.50 I think, very pretty and very "of the moment" with the Union Jack print, well done Tesco, top marks for you! I am one of these strange people who really likes going to the supermarket, actually I love it. (I know, I know I have a problem!) I love hunting for foody bargains, looking at the magazines, the seasonal aisle, homeware. Getting the free Tesco/Asda magazine are also positives! Just as good as any mag you'd find on the shelves I think. Anyone else feel like this or is it just me?

Other flowery things at the moment include some more brooches I have made for my blogshop which I have added to today, including some made from CK and LA fabrics. I have loads of ideas whirling around in my head about what to make, what fabrics to chose, I find the hardest part is the pricing of things.

I have also finished a little tote bag commision I had from a very lovely blogging lady, but as she has not seen it yet I wont spoil the surprise, just give a little hint instead!

You know who you are! And it will be posted off to you A.S.A.P.

Hope you are all having a lovely day and can I just say a big thankyou to everyone for your lovely comments, and to those who have bought a little brooch from me. I like the idea that they are being spread about the UK to their new homes. X

Pretty In Prima

Thanks so much to everyone who left such lovely comments yesterday wishing me luck with the blogshop! We shall see how it goes!

Today I thought I'd share some photos from a magazine that I've never read before (but I'm sure some of you have) :: Prima. The May issue is the "Best of British" issue and has some lovely page styling. Some very pretty vintage and shabby chic things too.

I especially like this spread above :: "True Brit Style" its got a lovely picnic hamper with retro flask, bunting in the trees, and this gorgeous daybed filled with beautiful floral quilts and cushions. Hopefully you should be able to click on these to see more detail.

Some cheerful and colourful tea towels hanging on the line. I like the Union Jack one, its from Catherine Colebrook who's website is just gorgeous (definitely worth a little browse if you have the time!)

Then another pretty bed with these funky LOVE pillowcases and floral quilt from An Angel At My Table which is just stunning.

The magazine also has a craft page with some small projects. These are this months projects :: "Pretty Hearts", "Easy Lampshade", "Trimmed pillowcases" and "Applique Towels" all styled with pretty rosey material (and even some Cath Kidston too)

I really like the towel idea, I think that would pretty up some cheap plain towels and add a bit of colour to them too. And I am thinking that I will be using the "Trimmed Pillowcases" tutorial to edge the plain white pillowcases that the lovely Bloomin' Myrtle sent me a few weeks ago. And I have just the fabric in mind too!

I really liked the style of this page too "Afternoon Tea" how traditionally British!

There is also a recipe for Strawberry Jam too - not that I am brave enough to attempt it!

A page on "Fashion Fixes", e.g Make Do and Mend with tips such as "if you lose an earing, don't throw away the remaining one - use it as a brooch to turn a simple dress into a striking one."

Oh, and a bit of British fashion too - anyone else taken a shine to that Union Jack umbrella? Is that going to far?!

Hope you enjoyed the browse. X