Friday 30 November 2012

Scotties & Tartan

Happy St Andrew's Day to ane 'an aw!

 
So, throw another couple of peats turfs on the hearth.
Send the hunter out for the haggis.
Gie the porridge a wee stir wi' a spurtle!


Put an Andy Stewart record on the gramophone.
And pour yoursel' a wee dram o' the uisge beatha (Gaelic for water of life (whisky))!

My St Andrew's Day message for you -


Slàinte!


Love, Liz

Important note - as you can see, I've tried my best to avoid sentiment and stereotype in this post!

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Cross Stitch - Finished!

Ta Da! Tuesday over at Faith Hope and Charity Shopping and it really is a bit of a ta da moment for me because -


(a)      not only did I finish a little bit of cross stitch

but

(b)      I actually pressed it and backed it on the same day!!!!!

 
The only problem is - I can't make up my mind whether to use it as part of a lavender bag or as the front of a little needle book.  Decisions .....!!!!!

 
Pop over to Lakota's blog for lots of wonderful things!

Love, Liz

Saturday 24 November 2012

Vintage Flowers

Vintage embroidered items are getting rarer and rarer in local charity shops, so you can imagine how delighted I was to find this lovely little piece for just 50p!


Its a pretty little table runner, embroidered with flowers at both ends.  It goes beautifully with my vintage Tuscan floral china tea set.

 
Looks as if they were made for each other!

 
Have a great weekend.


Love, Liz

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Bunnies and Bunting

I loved Kylie's post on Lucy Violet Vintage about vintage greetings cards and knew I had some somewhere.  A bit of rummaging and - ta da -I found this little lovely!

 
I think it is from a series called Honey Wood Village by Prue True and published by Noel Tatt of Canterbury- isn't it just too cute.

 
I must have bought it in the early 90s as a birthday card for someone and then couldn't bear to part with it.  Can you blame me?  Probably meant to frame it and didn't get around to it!

 
 
Look at all the wonderful little details, like the bunting and the pretty little outfits the rabbits are dressed in.

 
Must frame it now that I've rediscovered it.

 
Joining in with Ta Da! Tuesday (even though its Wednesday!)!  There's always loads of goodies to see there!

Love, Liz

Sunday 18 November 2012

Multi-coloured Crochet!

Remember all the little crochet squares I  made using little bits of leftover yarn?  Well, I decided to use red as the main colour to join them all together.


This is the result - a blanket which I've put over the back of my sofa!  I absolutely love it - it adds a lovely bit of colour to the room. 

 
Because I've just used up odds and ends, I'm going to add to it when I'm in between other projects so that eventually it is the whole length of the sofa.  I've found that sewing up a row at a time means that when I come to complete a project it is not such a big job.

 
A bit of colour for a dull November Sunday!

 
Love, Liz

Many thanks to those of you who emailed me to let me know that there was a bit of a problem with Friday's post.  I was out all day and didn't notice that it hadn't been added to my blog properly.  Hope you got the chance to read it - eventually!

Friday 16 November 2012

Postcards From the Front

I was amazed by the embroidery in these WW1 postcards.  All hand made, the stitches are incredibly small and embroidered on silk.  My eyes felt the strain just looking closely at the embroidery work.

 
These examples are from a friend's collection. 

 
Some had little pockets where a little greetings card or note could be placed - aren't they amazing?  Seemingly most were embroidered by Belgian and French women and finished off (cut and mounted on card) at factories.

 
They were very popular with men serving at the front to send home to loved ones.  While the cards themselves are lovely I think that the circumstances in which they were sent and received adds poignancy to what we see when we look at them now.   

 
I wonder if they brought comfort? 


 
I wonder how many of them were the last word or gift from a loved one.

 
How beautiful ... and incredibly sad.

 
Love, Liz

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Cheers!


Look at these fabulous vintage champagne glasses!  They are my latest charity shop finds.

 
So pretty with the little flowers, but I'm not so sure about the crazy gold markings!

 
There are even rings of gold around the stem.

 
They almost match the little floral glasses I found a while ago.  You can read all about them here.

 
Cheers!

Linking up with Faith Hope and Charity Shopping for Ta Da!Tuesday.

Love, Liz

Sunday 11 November 2012

Rainbow Knitted Tea Cosy

Needed to knit something bright to counteract the dull days and this is it - a rainbow knitted tea cosy.

 
Used the colours in rainbow order - I always remember the order because of the name Roy G Biv - there are lots of other ways of remembering the colours.

 
Even the inside looks bright and cheery!

 
Hope it has brightened up your day.

 
Love, Liz

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Delicately Pretty

I found these in a charity shop yesterday -

 
Four little fabric 11 " squares - I think they are probably handkerchiefs. I have a feeling that they are vintage.  They are not cotton, but I'm not sure what sort of fabric they are - they are very thin and feel quite silky, but ... hmm!  Any suggestions? 

 
Three of them have the most beautiful patterns and colours.

 
But my favourite is this one - a souvenir from the Channel Islands with lots of little scenic pictures.

 
 
They were only 20p each, and I absolutely love them - so ladylike and delicate!

 
Love, Liz

Monday 5 November 2012

Twisting with Joe Loss and his Orchestra

Oh what wonderful memories finding this LP brought back!

 
I was tidying rummaging in the cupboard and came across a pile of old LPs.  This HMV one -

 Dance to the Top Pops with

Joe Loss and his Orchestra

belonged to my Mum and Dad and dates from 1964.

 
When we were little my brother and I would practice dancing to this record and it was always taken up to my Granny's house on new year's day.  We usually had a party there with all my aunts and uncles.  Granny only liked Scottish music - Kenneth McKellar and Andy Stewart, so this record was played non-stop as it was the only "modern" music in the house!

 
I remember we would have "twisting" competitions (it was a dance - remember?)!  Categories -

 
who could twist the longest without getting a stitch in their side
who could twist the lowest and stay there
who could do that step that looked like you were stubbing out a fag end - the longest - Granny didn't like that one - worried about her carpets! (We didn't really stub ciggies out on her carpet)!!!!

Of course my brother and I always won!

 
Look at the title list - Foxtrot Medley - they've split the tunes up into actual dances! (Perhaps I should send this to "Strictly Come Dancing" - some of their music choices seem a bit strange this year!)


Joe Loss was tremendously popular with my parents' generation and the music is brilliant.  I found a clip on YouTube - have a listen to this track - Shake Medley from this LP - so evocative of those times!

 
Happy days!

Love, Liz

Saturday 3 November 2012

Black Swans and a Potato!

I bought this picture because I loved its retro frame.

 
It was only £1 and girls, as you know, its difficult to find even an empty cheapo pine frame for less than £1.50 in charity shops these days!

 
But, slowly, the picture is growing on me!
 
 
It reminds me of the black swans we saw in New Zealand a few years ago and every time I look at it, I remember the lovely holiday we had there with wonderful friends.

 
It still has the original framer's label attached - Fraser & Son, Dundee.  So, a quick clean up and polish and it will be going on the wall ... that is, when I get my study re-organised and sorted ... whenever that will be!

 
Oh, and on a weird, That's Life 70s note, (no not that weird)!  How abut this potato I was just about to peel last night - gorgeous little heart!

 
Have a great weekend!

Love, Liz