Patsy's New Clothes A Saunette and Other Strange Items

 Here is Patsy in the smart new outfit I bought for her on eBay. I added the little stand up collar and lent her some jewels to wear. The red tinsel stains are now hidden but a comment on my previous post recommended Clearasil for the stains and I will try that. Sadly Patsy's eyes have suffered a bit over the years.

 Found this pic. on Google and this is exactly how I received my Patsy for Christmas 1952. Unfortunately I lost the name of the person who owns this pic. and can't find it again. I think you are a doll expert in the U.K. If this pic. is yours please let me know so I can credit you.

 I was watching one of those American shows and they were making fun of the shopping channel and some of the strange items to be bought. Then they talked about the Saunette. So it must be back. My mother had one and here is an add on the back of 'New Idea' magazine November 1965. Look at the list of ailments it can cure. Decimal currency came here in 1966 so the price is in old money. Daughter S has the magazine and brought it with her on Mother's day last Sunday.

 And here is my mother in her very own Saunette in March 1966. Did mum see the add and wanted one? She did like gadgets. And what happened to it, did it cure whatever mum bought it for? I can't remember now. Strange how a topic can be seen on TV and it brings back such memories. Mum died long ago so I will never know what happened to her Saunette.

 Many years ago I had an Aunt who lived in another state and always sent such strange gifts. One birthday she sent this box and I fell in love with it. It's an old cigar box painted and lined with pretty fabric. DaughterS had it for years and brought it back on Mother's day. Inside was a paper blouse I had made but not finished at high school many years ago. I remember we had to draft a pattern, then cut it out out and make it in paper. I hated doing this and I have never drafted another pattern in my life. My mark for this was 13/20, surprising as I didn't finish it and the other sleeve still has the original pins rusted in. Wish I had been taught something more useful in high school.

Another doll house. I was donating stuff at the back of the Salvos when I spotted this and asked why it was tossed in a corner with old junk. Was told it was being thrown out. Shock!! Horror!! it was only dirty and they were throwing it out! I gave a couple of dollars for it and the house was placed in my car. The doll house is solid wood and a perfect 1/12 scale and will have a new life when papered, painted and carpeted. The Salvos might get it back when I have finished with it though I don't think they deserve it. I don't think I have space to keep it.

Bought this old Coronation transfer on eBay and took a week off from my Teresa Gil Queen to stitch it. Was lucky enough to find a round frame at the markets and a space on the wall.

George V Child's Tea Set and Lots More

 A child's tea set from the Coronation of George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Still in the original box. An amazing find on eBay in the U.K  and I love having it an my collection.

 Finished decorating my latest doll house, this one has a more Royal theme. I used some of my precious coronation wallpaper and I made the curtains and bedspread from Charles and Diana wedding fabric from 1981. A William and Kate engagement picture hangs on the wall.

 The rest of the house is furnished from the doll house I sent to the op shop. I only have space for 3 houses, the stairs make a good display unit for my small collection of Limoges miniatures.

 All these papers are 12th scale doll house size papers bought on eBay and scattered around various rooms.

Update on chairs. No law states my chairs must all match so I covered 2 to match the curtains and 2 with London fabric I bought from the Cath Kidston shop at Covent Garden some years ago. I only bought half a metre so have at last found a use for it.

 I bought this pillowcase a few weeks ago thinking it was perfect for me. Charlotte thinks it was meant for her. After a long battle we have agreed to share. Charlotte is having her turn.

The first stitches are in my Teresa Gil challenge, I couldn't wait till next year. Lots of half stitches back stitching and beading to be done.
The beads and more hard to find threads I bought from Lucy at www.threadedneedle.com.au who has been a great help. I still have 3 lots of beads on order

Prince George Cross Stitch and Doll houses

 Still dithering about which large Prince George Sampler to stitch. I do like the Riverdrift one and might buy it. Meanwhile I found this mini  Pr George ornament and the much larger Queen cross stitch on Etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AdLeones  I have started the Queen already, easy enough to stitch and should look impressive when complete. I had to hide a lot of UFO stuff away to start this one.

 Another mini cushion from Sheena Rogers. One or both the mini x stitches could be used in one of my doll houses, either as a floor rug, wall hanging or part of a bed quilt.

 A doll house portrait of the new parents with baby George.

 Remember this doll house? Sadly waiting to be renovated for at least 2 years now while others have come and gone or sometimes stayed. It somehow didn't inspire me and I could no longer 'see' what to do with it.
It went to the op shop this week, I hope it can find a happy new home.

 Then I found this one at the Saturday market last week and I feel inspired again,

 I've already removed the stairs to make it easier to paint and paper the stairs and room and the roof has been painted grey. I had thought I might put the stairs in a different place (as per Homes Under The Hammer). Or do I need stairs at all? I could block up the hole in the bedroom floor and so have a larger bedroom. Or the stairs could lead nowhere and be used for display only. I must keep reminding myself that I will not be living in this house and it won't be inspected by the council for safety.

 Stairs for display only. They did lead to the bathroom but I blocked the opening to fit the bathroom suite I wanted.

 This house has no stairs and never did, I haven't missed them.

 The stairs in this one still lead to the bedroom and are also used for display. There are no stairs to the bathroom because that was a later addition. I've also added attic space to this one for storage as I thought the bathroom ceiling too high. In my REAL house, the one I  live in I don't have a basement, cellar, attic or loft. I think I have loft envy so I am pleased to have one in a doll house.

This very pretty crocheted cloth, seen also in the house above is someone's UFO. It came from the op shop in a bag with cottons and the pattern. The pattern is from The Australian Woman's Mirror dated December 25th 1945. I'm so pleased I can find a use for it after all these years.

Crown Tea Cosy and Mothers Day

 I rarely finish anything I start to knit so I am very happy with my finished tea cosy. The pattern was sent to me by Gina in Melbourne and I sent to the U.K to buy the exact colour and type of wool stated.The fun part was finding the jewels. It might not look exactly as the one in the pattern but I think mine is a work of art. For display only, if you want a cup of tea at my place it will be a tea bag tossed in a cup.

 I had a lovely mothers'day on Sunday. I was taken out to lunch and received my favourite gifts of books, wine and flowers. Perfect.

 This might be my best ever gift, it was inside one of the books I received. A bookmark with very clear instructions on how to use it. Please feel free to print this if you need to refer to it again.
Here's a few reasons why you might need these instructions and a bookmark.
1-Do Not dog ear the page-example turn the corner down and ruin the book.
2-Do Not try and remember the page # as you fall asleep. You won't remember the # in the morning, you know you won't.
3-Do Not grab a tissue from the box next to your bed and place inside the book. Have you no class?
4-Do Not use a photo of your child, grandchild or cat/dog/bird etc. It will end up in lost property at the library.
5-I know the last time you used a bookmark you lost it in the bedclothes, have another look there could be more in there by now. Try using a peg to peg your bookmark to your pillow while you read but don't wake up with a peg embedded in your face.
I'm assuming everyone reads in bed like I do, my favourite occupation.

 I've rounded up a small selection of my bookmarks to show, I know I have lots more SOMEWHERE.

 I wish I could say this is my bed, no it's another doll house bed. The cover was made from a doiley and I lined it with pink satin. The pictures over the bed are of Kate and William.

I wish I could this is my car but no. This was outside my local craft shop last week. I don't want to be disloyal to my reliable little car but this one is so cute and in my favourite colour.

Doll House Now Renovated

Remember the old doll house I bought at the OP shop a few weeks. Finished at last.

 Same little house now with windows and a new floor in the attic to make a bedroom. Carpet in the bedroom and living room and lino for kitchen and bathroom. Amazing what paint and wallpaper will do and curtains for the windows. The house is a bit small for 1/12 scale but the furniture is all 1/12 scale and fits well enough.

The living room has a wallpaper frieze, I ran out of wallpaper after a few mistakes.
I did promise to donate this house back to the OP shop when finished. Now I want to keep it, I love it so much. I'm going to compromise, I will keep it for another week to admire then it must go. I don't have the space to keep it or the funds to furnish it. The furniture in the house now belongs to one of the 2 doll houses I've kept and won't be given away with the house. I still have the large 6 room doll house that's been waiting for months to be decorated and moved on so I'll soon forget this one when I give it up.

I like the outside grey and white colours, I bought the grey paint months ago on special then wondered what I was going to do with it. Perfect for this house.

My Crown Jewels and Other Bargains

 I know you've seen this bear before but look at those beautiful sparkly rhinestone (diamond?) earrings she is wearing now. Bought at the op shop for just $3, wish my social life included events where I could wear these precious gems. Looks like Jubilee Bear thinks they're not good enough, well I'll go op shopping on Monday and see if I can find something better.

 I can wear this solid silver, Silver Jubilee bangle and I often do. I couldn't seem to take a very good pic of the bangle, it is very pretty. Hallmarked 1977 it was an ebay purchase. I promised to let the seller know the minute it arrived. I placed the bangle on my wrist, made a cup of tea then tripped and broke my arm and wore the bangle to the emergency dept. Three days later I was able to email the seller who by then must have wondered if I even liked it'.

Went to a local Antique Fair last week, not much Royal stuff for sale but I did buy these bargain brooches.

 I was laughed at for buying this piece of bargain kitsch but I do love horses and coaches. I'm sure this is Marie Antoinette going to a Ball.

 Janet's Royalty Rooms have closed and her collection is for sale. The price is rumoured to be $350,000  The local council won't buy it and keep it this area so it might go north of Sydney. Janet hopes the collection will stay in Australia. No, I can't buy it and I don't have Janet's outgoing personality to help me run it.

 Another doll's house, this was at the op shop for only $5 so how could I resist? Just big enough for some 1/12 scale furniture I will put some windows in the back, where those small holes are and another floor below the attic.

 Yes Charlotte I know I haven't worked on that doll house yet but I broke my arm remember so don't be too hard on me. Look I bought some wallpaper at the op shop so I will start soon.

A market bargain to brag about, this plate was $2. I called him Prince Valiant and put the plate in a box and forgot it for a while. When I found it again I saw the tiny letters Cinq-Mars on the side. looked that up on google and there he was (I love google) He was Henri Ruze' d'Effiat Marquis de Cinq-Mars. Henri was a friend of Louis XIII but was beheaded at age 22,for conspiring against the King, at Lyon in 1642 though his mother begged Cardinal Richelieu for his life. The Castle of Cinq-Mars is now a Bed and Breakfast and Conference centre.

Coronation Year 1937 Sampler and More from the Markets

 

 This is a 1937 sampler with a story to tell . Eileen, a blog follower in America emailed me and told me it was on Craig's List in America which I think might be a bit like Gumtree here. I emailed the seller Sue, who was more than willing to sell to me. Lots of emails later and I had it in my possesion. When I removed the glued on cardboard backing I found the name and address of the stitcher on a piece of tape. Margaret Hood of Springvale rd Ayr Scotland. So this sampler has gone from Scotland to America and now has a happy home with me in Australia. I think Margaret might have stitched this as a school project. The sampler was donated to a church sale, didn't sell and Sue was selling it on Craig's List on behalf of her church. I must say thanks to Margaret, Eileen and Sue for this sampler I now have on my wall.

 Yesterday I went to my local flea market and bought NOTHING! Today I went a bit furthur to a much trendier market in a trendy little town with prices to match. Not much at the market but there is a shop in this town I love and the only place I know apart from ebay where I can buy Laurel Burch bags. Well I really really needed a new bag And now they sell Laurel Burch Scarves too. I admit I lost my head a bit but it is my birthday this week  so I bought both with hardly a glance at price tags.

 Some of the Laurel Burch bags I already have but these are getting a bit shabby and worn, that's why a new bag was a must. I am never seen out without a cat bag of some sort.

 Doll house furniture I bought at the market and cakes are a market must have. In the trendy town in the trendy newsagent I found a magazine I haven't seen before with more Jubilee souvenirs to make.
Best of all, at the same shop where I bought the bag and scarf I bought new scissors. I should have made more of a feature of these. They were expensive and a good made in Italy brand. I ruined all my cheap scissors cutting carpet for the dolls'house. These new ones must only be used for fabric and must be hidden from everyone including me. I tend to grab any scissors available and use in the garden, the kitchen or anywhere then wonder why they are blunt.



  

 The main highway goes right through this trendy little town and today hundreds of motor bikes went through while I was there. The roar of bikes was deafening and wave after wave of bikes kept coming. My photographic skills don't allow me to show more bikes, you will have to take my word that there were hundreds. Fun to watch even if a bit noisey.






 No one was rude to me today Charlotte, everyone at the markets and in the trendy town was out to have a good day in the sun. Even the trendy dogs, and there were a lot of those. But Charlotte will be ready to help me out with tips on how to deal with rude people should the need arise.



Doll House Updates

 Remember that doll house I bought at the markets last Easter? At last I have finished the renovations and this little house is rescued and ready to be moved on. I don't have space to keep it and will give it to the op shop and hope the house finds a happy new home. I squared off the round top windows so they didn't look as if pigeons should fly in.

 Inside it has been painted, the floor covered and the top room has wallpaper as I think that should be a bedroom, the lower floor has vinyl  ready for a kitchen.

Already waiting is another market find ready for redecoration. This will be my fifth doll house restoration and I have space to keep two, so unless I find a spare room in my 'crowed with royal stuff' house', this one will go to the op shop too. All these houses are the right size for 1/12 scale furniture. 

 This is the doll house I shared with my two sisters when I was a child in 19??.
My younger sister now has the house  and it still has some of  it's original furniture. We all had a turn of having the house for our children but sister M had the most daughters and grandaughters so the house is still a very popular and loved house.