Weekend of Bargains and Wildlife

Every year Doll Club has a huge and very popular Fair and today was the day. One of our talented members knits very detailed bedspreads and clothes for doll houses. This year I was lucky enough to get this one. Done to 1/12 scale on fine needles and cotton so fine hard to belive she can even see what she is knitting, I have watched her so I know it's possible. The pattern is a classic and looks beautiful in my doll house, wish my own bed was as elegant as this. Also knitted by Denise and bought by me, this pretty doll outfit with tiny pearly beads knitted in to the dress and edging the matching shawl. The outfit even included a knitted nappy all so tiny I had trouble tying the bonnet and fastening the buttons at the back. The work is so delicate and the prices so reasonable I can only think it a labour of love.
The length of the dress is only 7cm or 2 and three quarter inches.

Bought a new dress for my old doll too and she is offering me a "thank you" coffee. Emily was helping but she fell asleep halfway through. Would like to say I found this doll at an antique shop but no I have had her since new #* years ago, I think I got her for Christmas 19*!. Is there a slice of cake to go with that coffee? I think I have spent the grocery money again this weekend!

Between markets and fairs I managed to fit in a visit to an op shop and found this bargain bracelet. The coins show the Queen's head one side and crown the other. The bracelet was very dirty when I bought it and hot water and detergent wouldn't shift the dirt and I had no jewellery cleaner so here comes household tip #1025. I soaked the bracelet in Napisan and the dirt fell off, how good is that?? now I want commision from Napisan! The bracelet is on a piece of wallpaper, I bought a whole roll of it at the markets on Saturday to use in a doll house I am renovating.

Not sure what these birds are, they are smaller than sparrows and I hope they don't want to build a nest there, the days are getting hotter and I'll need to lower those blinds. Thought Charlotte and Emily might warn them off but as usual they are asleep.

P.S The birds are swallows.

More little ducklings outside today, they have both parents to guard them and I didn't want to disturb them by getting any closer. The last lot I posted must be very grown up by now.

Visit Gattina at Writer's Cramps for "What Did You Do This Weekend?"

Weekend of Odds and Ends

No this is not my bathroom. Sad as it sounds the highlight of my weekend was buying a craft book published in 1972 at a charity stall. Full instructions are given for the pretty toilet seat and cistern covers below and they are not for the novice crafter so I won't be tempted to try this craft. I've heard the '70s was the decade taste forgot so that could be right. The same book has the pattern for this pretty poodle bottle cover, perhaps to hide the fact you have already drunk the contents or to hide the contents from the drinkers, who knows?

And why not make a cover for that ugly old fry pan, if the neighbours drop in and you did not wash it after last nights fry up, well pop the cover on and all is hidden.

Please email me if you feel you must have the pattern for these retro treasures. Patterns free to the first 250 emailers. Lots more very interesting items in the book I might show at a later date.

From a much earlier decade when women felt obliged to stitch a cover for just about everything these are from my linen collection. Three bag holders for string, in the 2 on the left the string is placed in the bag with the end coming out of the mouth.

A bag for gloves and on the left a holder for matches and on the right a holder for a note book all hand embroidered.

No need to explain the ones below as the have their uses embroidered on them so no mistakes can be made. For example the shoe polish won't be mixed up with the dusters or stockings.

Another match holder, two doyley holders a pot holder cover with embroidered pot holders inside and a pocket for matches at the top. Also two book covers, one with a matching bookmark.

And then we come to my craft. I am making great progress with "The Kiss" so it is unlikely to end up as a UF.O. I need to get it finished as William and Kate could announce their engagemant at any time and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee is getting closer so I must be ready to stitch Royal samplers again.

I hope that in years to come no one will mock my stitching (apologies to the toilet seat cover) and wonder why I didn't spend my time in more noble pursuits. Perhaps learning a second language, studying the Greek classics, learning to play a musical instrument or even how to change the oil in my car, this list could go on but then I wouldn't have time to cross stitch and I don't want to get oil on my hands.

Visit Gattina at Writer's Cramps for "What Did You Do This Weekend?"

Weekend of Bargains

This cane cat bed bought at the markets on Sunday, my first bargain I thought it would be a comfy summer cat bed for one of the girls. Not sure about that look on Charlotte's face; is she thinking 'how nice of you to buy me a new bed at the markets when you are always buying yourself rubbish!' or 'do you really expect me to sleep in a pre-owned 2nd hand cat bed possibly slept in by some old stray?? But Charlotte I made the foam base and covered it myself with pretty bargain (new) fabric. Well that's a start Charlotte, feel the softness off the cushion, you might get to like it.

Look here's Emily willing to at least sit in the bed.

Caught you napping Charlotte, admit it, you do like the bed. Say Thank You.

Handy prize winning hint #907.

An electric knife is perfect for cutting foam of any depth. I already had this piece of foam stashed away so marked the shape of the basket and cut around it. I've had my knife for years and with a good wash it will next cut the Christmas ham

At the market I also bought a large bag of fabric off cuts for a couple of dollars and in the bag was the perfect piece to cover my recliner chair. This is the one chair I'm trying to save from being used as a scratching post by my girls. So far it has been covered by an old sheet and looks awful.

Now it looks like I have turned it into a perfect Granny chair, that's O.K I'm a Granny who loves florals. Could have done with a bit more of the fabric but with clever cutting out I think it look good if no one inspects it too closely. I'll finish the chair tomorrow but for now I think I'll just sit in it for a while.

A Right Royal Mix

Charlotte and Emily refused to do anything interesting for the camera so it's back to the Royals. A collection within a collection, these colourful plastic cups are from the Coronation 1953 or the Royal Visit to Australia 1954. Except the two on the right, they are from the Coronation of George VI 1937 and are bakelite, an early type of plastic. I know there are other colours out there somewhere and hope to add them to my collection one day.

Not sure if the tablecloth below is from the Coronation or 1954 Royal Visit. Made of a type of plastic on flannel I think is oil cloth it shows Elizabeth and Phillip and the flowers in the centre of the cloth show some Australian wildflowers such as wattle and flannel flowers. A very unusual tablecloth for my collection.

A GeorgeVI Coronation sampler this one is machine made tapestry, perhaps from an English mill it was an ebay purchase and I know nothing more about it except I like it and it is very impressive.

Another unusual item is this Coronation brass letter rack bought from an antique fair, the words at the front read. With charm irresistible and happiness serene

A Woman of Britain Yet verily a Queen.

Charles and Diana badges, a new purchase fron ebay arrived this week from a seller in Canada.

Displayed on a paper napkin I almost used to wipe jam from my lips after having tea and scones at a teashop in York after I had been to The Wedding in 1981 then remembered in time to save it as a souvenir.

Just consulted the diary I kept of my Royal trip in 1981 and of my day in York I wrote"Had a nice lunch in one of the tiny old shops,all old wooden beams inside and a tiny twisty staircase upstairs to the toilet" wish I had been more articulate but I know that's where I got the napkin.

Weekend of Luck

Doll Club meeting on Saturday and the usual competitions were held. I entered the 'Doll Chair' section and won first prize with my little Limoges chair. The chair on the left was the prize winner, I could only enter one chair; not the whole set. The win was a nice surprise as there were some very good and some vintage chairs entered. I have a small collection of 'Limoges France' china which has long been overtaken by Royalty. Another piece of very good luck. Rosemarie, a doll club member gave me some royal souvenirs to add to my collection, they belonged to her mother and she knew I could give them a good home. The souvenirs include a Wedgwood money box (left) from the Royal Wedding 1981, an Adams England pottery money box from the Queen's Silver Jubilee 1977 a souvenir tin box that once contained Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate from the 1981 wedding and a Poole Pottery mug.
I had none of these items already in my collection and had never seen money boxes like these two before so am excited to have them in my collection. Also a first day cover from 1998 with Princess Diana stamps Thank You Rosemarie.

Sunday I went to the local Trash and Treasure market where I found neither trash nor treasure, a bit disappointing but fun looking anyway.

After the market I went to a nearby Quilt show, never sure if I feel inspired or depressed by the shows. The Quilts are beautiful and so much work has gone into them I feel I want to rush home and start my own using my stash of cat fabric. Then I feel depressed because mine will never be as good and would I even finish such a project? So I pick up my cross stitch and continue to plan the quilt masterpiece in my head. The quilt below got my vote as best in show because I love the rows of houses and the colours.

Gattina is asking "What Did You Do This Weekend?" Go over to Writer's Cramps and take a look.

New Collection Additions

Gina over at Patra's Place spotted the Coronation hair pins at a haberdashery shop in Melbourne and very generously thought of me. The middle pin has a crown and lucky for me all the pins are in place and perfect. Gina then found the perfect card to post them in with a picture of a Birman cat on the front. I'm sure Charlotte must have done modelling in her younger days; she says not! Thank you Gina, I love the card of hair pins, at the moment displayed on my dressing table. A new apron for my collection with a design of koookaburras. A 1950's design and even has the price of 1shilling and threepence pencilled on the side. Complete but not made up, when I received it I saw it was machine embroidered, not sure if the ebay seller knew this, I am still very pleased with the apron and happy to have it in my collection.

The apron on the left was bought at an op. shop this week, it's almost identical to one bought years ago from another op. shop so I'm showing the back of that one. Both aprons have hand embroidered flowers.

Had to have a cat in the mix, here is Emily already under the doona warming up my bed for me.

Only problem is the weather has warmed up a lot so I would rather not have a pre-warmed bed but don't want to hurt Emily's feelings by telling her.

Weekend of the Freebie and Gloomy Introspection

First I'll explain about the freebie. I went into my local pharmacy to buy some Panadol. No I didn't have a headache but discovered the painkillers I had were two years past the use by date. I am not a regular at this pharmacy and as I was walking out the door I saw this yellow cat on display. Stopped to admire the cat, no price displayed so the assistant said she would find out the price. The pharmacist came from the back of the shop, said I could have cat, suitable thanks followed, and I left the shop. Then the question came into my head????

1. Had the cat been there so long no one else has even looked at it and the shop was glad to get rid of it.

2. Do I look like some sort af mad cat woman?? Yes I was carrying a cat shopping bag and cat wallet and might have had a few cat hairs on me so was I given the cat so I would leave quietly and not scare paying customers away?

3. Did the assistant suspect I might stage a hold-up with a weapon hidden in my cat shopping bag and demand all the corn plasters or something equally boring tipped into my cat bag.?

4. Would this trick have worked as well if I had admired an expensive bottle of perfume.?

I could go on with more conspiracy theories but I want to go and play with my new toy.Adoring Swains. Shakespeare ends with the line To Her let us garlands Bring but chocs and wine are O.K too

SWINE
Holiday weekend here and the start of the swimming season but it has rained all weekend and I was going to post about the gloomy Victorian poetry I have been reading, I'll leave that for another day. Fran over at Being Me wrote about the name she would have liked. I am going to write about my name which is Sylvia. A name I like and have had for a very long time. But the next person who says to me "who is Sylvia? what is she"? without knowing the rest of the words or that it was written by Shakespeare- Well here are some more of the words-

That all our swains commend her

Holy fair and wise is she

The heavens such grace did lend her

That she adored might be..

Having said that I can't be bothered with adoring swains hanging around and will chase them off with my broomstick. Adoring swains often turn out to be useless and I know Charlotte and Emily won't like them. I have tried to explain the concept of adoring swains to them but I have a feeling they are mixing them up with swines and swans. The girls have seen swans, the closest they get to a swine is a ham sandwich so here are some pics to help anyone else who is confused.

SWANS

Oh dear this post is all out of order and not as clever and witty as I hoped. My computer tech. support (grandson) is away on holiday and I must struggle on alone. I hope anyone who reads this can make sense of it all. Come back soon Family you are needed!!!!


Gattina at Writers Cramps is hosting "What Did You Do This Weekend?" and I am joining in.