In love with Vintage

Is it Spring yet? For a couple of days last week it sure felt like it. Heck, a couple of days I even went out without a coat. The clear clear skies and longer days produced a belter of a sunset on Thursday. This is the view from the bedroom window. Beautiful, non? My photography is shocking, I know. But I love the pinks and purples behind the black silhouette of the bare trees. 

Just lovely. A few trees have some tiny blossoms and buds already, so hopefully only a few more weeks of gloom and this will be a regular sight.

 On Saturday we went to view a house, then bimbled around town before heading to the Truly Madly Vintage vintage and handmade fair. It was just fab. Lots of goodies from Truly Madly Vintage, a stall selling lovely felted goodies, some vintage cake stands, jewellery and even a crochet stall. My fave was Sparrow & Nightingale's goodies though- lovely cushions and treats made from vintage fabrics. We purchased this cushion for a bargain £12. So cute! We've been wanting an owl cushion for ages. It looks lovely, don't you think?

 The Main Purchase though was this vintage dress. It was very expensive- I can't afford it really but I am selling a bunch of stuff on eBay at the moment so that will pay for this. A late 1940s dress with cherry blossom print. It fits as though it was made for me. Or least it will when I have lost a few more pounds. It swooshes. It swishes. It makes me feel a million dollars. It has cute little buttons on the collar and little piped pockets, too.

 I couldn't wait to get it home and try it with my red patent belt and forest green suede peep toes. I feel like a movie star! Also at the vintage fair was Plum Fairy- gorgeous vintage china and tea parties. The cake was magnificent, and the tea didn't stop coming. Sugar lumps, dainty teacups and lovely teapots. Delightful.

 All the goodies at the vintage fair were so inspirational, and got me thinking. I have been struggling to find clothes lately, all the shops seem to cater to younger, thinner models than I. And let's face it, the vintage homeware has been creeping in for ages. So I decided to take up the Dottie Angel challenge of the utmost kind.

With the help of blogland and Make, do & Mend, family members and crafty friends, I think I can do it. Of course when moving day eventually comes we will need a new sofa (from the big blue Swedish place), but besides that new purchase, I intend to thrift, make and upcycle around Inverleith for the foreseeable. Home-made, second-hand or vintage, that is my new criteria when it comes to my clothes and home. Okay, I'm realistic, there will be certain things I need from new. But here it is: the challenge set by Tif. Please go check out her blog Dottie Angel, on my sidebar. I'm sure you'll come around to her way of thinking. 

So, TMV, MDM, Second Time Around, Odds and Sods and eBay- you'll be seeing a lot more of me. And as for the charity shops of Essex. Watch out, here I come.

Oh, and I'm also thinking about Dottie Angel camp. Aldeburgh and vintage crafting? I'd be in heaven.

Purly Queen

 Hello again. It's another grey, rainy day here in my corner of the world. So rainy that the postman has left his bike at home and is delivering by car! It's been like this for days. The grey creeps in, you know? Makes me feel very lacklustre. Especially as me and the baby bear have a cold. Yuck. I felt it coming on Sunday, by Monday night I was a rough old zombie. But I did managed to complete my first freelance commission despite Albie hanging off my leg all day. Albie is still clingy and whingy, he must be feeling bad still. His numerous failed attempts at walking are not helping the situation- he tumbles and every slight upsets him. So it's been hardcore motherhood despite a deadline and a cold.

 

However the little things continue to keep my spirits up. Hugs and sloppy kisses from Albie, his funny singing, a perfectly weekend-ish weekend. This lovely fish bowl of hyacinths came courtesy of D, when he came back from a haircut on Saturday. Lovely, non? I wish I could smell them. My nose is so blocked I can smell and taste very little. Last night I made a jalfrezi (a Jamie Oliver recipe from the 20 Minute Meals app) to clear the nostrils and tingle the tastebuds. It was yummy. I think chillies are addictive? It could have been hotter, though it was pretty hot.

 My valentines roses are still going, with the lovely velvety petals curling out, which I think looks so dramatic.

Some magazines I have barely had a chance to read.

 I hope Spring will be on the way soon. I love this feature in the March Country Living- all about Spring flowers! I love April/May in Chelmsford. The cherry blossom, magnolia and crocuses all appear. At the moment it's deep purple tulips and snowdrops poking through the gloom. Maybe when it stops raining I will take Albie over the road to the Tower Gardens- it's lovely in the Spring. Daffodils next! 

 And here is my main news. I can now KNIT! On Sunday I went over to Make, do & Mend at Truly, Madly, Vintage Home on Moulsham Street and attended the lovely Hannah's first beginner's knitting course. It was so much fun! Just me and Hazel of In a Nutshell drinking tea and knitting. I absolutely loved it! The khaki piece is Sunday's achievement- some practicing with lots of mistakes of course. We learnt to cast on, knit, purl, increase, decrease and cast off! I love it, it's so addictive- maybe even more so than crochet?

 And here is the improved knitting. I spent yesterday afternoon practising and now I have a lot more confidence. Maybe even to try a project soon! Perhaps the house tea cosy from Kirsty's Homemade Home!

I'd like to make a cushion like one I saw in Homes & Antiques- from M&S. I'll knit the cushion cover in moss stitch then crochet the flowers in lots of lovely colours. Hurrah!

After the knitting workshop I went over to Portia's mum's for a roast beef dinner. It was AMAZING. all the trimmings! Albie was very well behaved though he frightened Oscar the dog by being a little too friendly. 

I am hoping to do a few more courses at Make, do & Mend soon- cushion making and maybe even some more knitting one day! Hannah has got loads going on over there- clothes alteration, upholstery, crochet, pottery painting, felting...loads. We're going to look at some houses on Saturday in Moulsham, so it'll be local!

I will have to sign off for now. Albie is causing major mischief- eating the contents of the waste paper basket, chewing the laptop adapter cord, pulling all the CDs off the shelf and using them as a drum.

This afternoon I'm going to make some butternut squash soup, I'll post my recipe up later. And perhaps some banana bread. Nothing like baking on a rainy day! Right, back to work.

Hearts and Flowers

Yesterday was of course St Valentine's Day and I decided to have a very homemade valentines this year. A thrifty valentines, and a valentines that is full of real sentiment and real love.

Do you like my necklace? If you look carefully at my dress you'll see the polka dots are in fact little hearts too. Aaaaah.

And here is the first home-made valentines item. Little valentines cupcakes! Red velvet cupcakes in fact, to celebrate the Saint of luuurrrrve. The recipe is from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, and was a really nice one to bake. The cakes came out PERFECT though my kitchen was a mess of red food colouring and icing sugar afterwards. The frosting is a cream cheese buttercream. NOM. I got this red plate years ago free with a tub of Flora.

The next home-made addition to Inverleith was these crochet hearts, strung across the fireplace in the lounge.
I forget where I got the pattern for these, I've made so many. The pattern is really simple:-

DK yarn and a 4mm hook
Chain 4, then slip stitch to form a ring
Chain 1, then 10 single crochet (or double crochet in UK terms) into ring
Slip stitch into first SC then in second SC, crochet five double crochet (or triple in UK)
One DC into next three stitches, then one half treble crochet into the bottom stitch.
Then reverse the pattern-one DC into next three stitches, five DC into next then slip stitch into top of the now heart.
The final round is in SC again. Chain one, slip stitch into first stitch.
In the next THREE stitches, do two SC. Then one SC into next four stitches.
In the bottom stitch add three SC, then reverse the pattern up the other side:
one SC into next four stitches, then two SC into next three. Slip stitch into the top and fasten off. The string is just a chain, with 15chs between each heart. EASY! And each one takes just five minutes, if that. Apologies to whoever this pattern is written by. Let me know if it's yours and I'll give you a full credit.

I had to take a picture of the baking process. These silicone cupcake cases from Tesco were just too pretty nestled in the muffin pan.

 And here is the final result! Creamy red cakes in their little rubber homes prettily displayed in my wire cake stand. And with a Loveheart popped on top of each cake!

For the rest of the day I made Darryl's favourite Shepherd's Pie, chilled a bottle of Prosecco. He came home from work with an armful of red roses, now proudly displayed on the dining table in a cream vase- they look divine. It's a pity they don't have a scent.

This was my Saturday activity while I waited for viewers coming to see Inverleith. Mmmm Crochet and Country Living- a match made in Heaven? I made some wrist warmers for my friend Nikki. It was her birthday yesterday and she had been hinting for ages that she'd like some. My friend Sarah is next! We went out on Saturday night for dinner, cocktails and boogieing at my fave boogie spot- the Bassment. Nikki eventually arrived dressed as a glamorous flapper girl- drenched in sequins and looking fabulous!

I purchased this glorious jug of heavenly flowers from the street market on Friday. Their flowers are amazing, Albie loved the colours while I parked him up to choose my blooms. I couldn't resist some hyacinths- the colours and scent of spring. They smell so incredible, it's intoxicating. I also loved these Paper White Narcissus- also a divine scent and they look so fresh and simple. SO pretty.

My blog will be kept short today as my little Albie requires attention. He has been off colour for a few days- lost appetite, very grumpy all the time- as he has a new tooth emerging. His sixth- can you believe it? He's not even nine months yet. This crawling, tooth-growing boy needs to slow down. he'll be a toddler before I know it! It's our nephew Theo's first birthday tomorrow so we're having a little party here at Inverleith on Saturday to celebrate. I can't wait to get the bunting and balloons out! I'll show my cake efforts next week.

Hope your valentines was everything you hoped for

xxx

The Ballad of Nanny Floff

I feel a little sad today. Despite all of our sprucing around Inverleith, we're finding it difficult to sell, and we have now had to say goodbye to two houses we rather stupidly fell in love with as we are in no position to move. I will be sad to leave Inverleith, but the Buster is ever-growing and so is our collection of stuff. And yarn.

Instead of embarking on The Crochet Project List as promised, I was inspired by the tulips to create something new entirely.

 Yes, a new blanket! This is for my dear friend Cecilia's beautiful baby daughter Olivia, whom I am meeting on Thursday. I don't think her blanket will be ready in time, but if I crochet like the wind then just maybe. But very unlikely as I am back to work on some freelance features projects.

 The blanket is in Stylecraft colours again, with cream and yellow stripe interrupted by Meadow and Cerise stripes, edged in Sky and Plum. I love to make baby blankets. They're reasonably quick and it makes me feel warm inside to see a babe snuggled in a handmade blankie.

 These beautiful magazines are the goodies from my trip to London on Saturday. I met up with The Lovely Portia and we went to see the new Cindy Sherman exhibition, and wandered around London in search of the famed RD Franks. Although we found it relatively swiftly it was sadly closed down! We pootled around London, walked past Vogue House (MECCA) and had a spot of lunch at The Diner, a great American diner with possibly the best burger I've ever eaten. Naughty me! With a basket of fries. And a VERY strong magarita. We popped into Wardour News and a few other newsagents in Soho and I picked up these on Portia's recommendation. Oh Comely, which has beautiful dreamy photography and warm, cosy features accompanied by soft photos and lovely illustrations.

 And The Ballad of Nanny Floff, and arty style mag with amazing illustrations and photography. Each feature has a hand-written introduction by the artist and it's lovely stuff. £12 on two magazines....eeeek. Afterwards we went to the Everyman cinema on Baker Street to watch Black Swan. The film was amazing- so tense and beautiful. My heart raced! The cinema was awesome- comfy comfy seats, a small room and a nice bar. I had a big cosmopolitan while I watched the film! And nice popcorn too.

This sight awaited me when I got up to make myself a cheer-yourself-up cuppa. The inside of my 1950s larder cabinet! The colours aren't quite captured right with the harsh flash on my camera. So let's take a closer look.

On the right are some Cath Kidston mugs, a marmite teapot, some Paperchase eggcups, some Whittard spotty cups, and the jug and beakers were made for D by his talented friend Richard. The teacosy was also made for D by another talented friend Emma.

On the left here is a lovely biscuit tin (sadly devoid of biscuits. Perhaps I should do some baking tomorrow?) from Tickety Boo in Chelmsford, my Cath Kidston butter dish and some of my vintage tea sets. The rose one was from a charity shop and the others belonged to D's grandmother. He gave me these when we hadn't been seeing each other very long, and they were in his late father's kitchen. I love to make a proper cup of tea for guests, with my gold Habitat teapot; a gift from when I worked there for the company's 40th birthday.

So anyway, that sight has cheered me right up! I think it could do with some oil cloth to line the shelves. Perhaps Cath Kidston's Provence Rose in green? Yes. Floral loveliness ensues.

I've also just seen a lady in a crochet hat riding up my street on a Pashley bicycle with a wicker basket. This also cheers me immensely, though I wish it were me on that Pashley.

The Obsessions Series: Magazines

Ahhh magazines. I loves them. Magazines play an important part of my life, being a journo and all. I always loved it when my mum came home from the weekly shop with the new Radio Times, I just loved the idea of a new magazine no matter what it was. I loved Smash Hits, Sugar, Bliss and a magazine called Looks as a teen. Then I progressed onto Elle and latterly Vogue. Since I trained as a journalist I'll pretty much read anything I can get my hands on. It's an addiction, and an expensive one at that. You know all about my love for Country Living by now, but here is a little run down of what is currently gracing my coffee table. 

Vogue, of course. I don't buy many fashion magazines any more. This is the December Vogue- lovely design, photography, everything. The December issue is one I always look forward to. It's pure fantasy and I love to indulge my imagination. I also subscribe to Elle but barely get to read it much these days. I get the ASOS magazine through, too, which is a nice little read. Tomorrow my lovely friend Portia is taking me to a place in London called RD Franks, a fashion bookshop that sells magazines from all over the world. Squueeeeee! To say I'm excited is an understatement.

This magazine is a new discovery for me, and this is the new issue. I love it- it's fresh, informative and the shoots are lovely. This is from the Thrifty Chic spread. Scrumptious! I love the colours, the crochet flower cushion and the Cath Kidston Bedding.

This page is LOVELY. Now I need to buy some oilcloth to line the shelves of my old 1950's larder cabinet.

I can't wait to have a dining table with coloured chairs too.

Aaah some food porn. Incredibly good value and beautifully put together magazines. The recipes in Sainsbury's magazine are so reliable and the Waitrose mag has some lovely photography and great features.

And lastly, Country Homes & Interiors. The shoots are beautifully styled. I love this page as yesterday when I was taking the pictures I was drinking tea from my Penguin classics mug (Wuthering Heights) and wearing a tea dress and cosy socks and cardi!



Weekending at Home

It's not very often that we get to just hang out at home and do weekend-type stuff, so this weekend past was a bit of a winner. On Friday night I went out with the girls. We had dinner at Pinchos, a great tapas place which has THE most delicious and not-too-expensive food. We ate chorizo with cannellini beans, silky clams, huge gambas pil pil, soft chicken livers, and the most naughty baked aubergine. And of course we drank a lot of rioja to wash it down. Delicious, and very very bad in terms of The Diet. But I have lost half a stone throughout January so it's a nice reward and I now I don't feel deprived. So I won't need to satisfy my naughty cravings by going to the drive-through after swimming like I did when I was pregnant.

Anyways, on Saturday there was no cleaning left to do, as we had a viewer first thing so I had already cleaned. Lovely! So I baked lemon and poppy seed muffins from the latest issue of Sainsbury's magazine and we had a spot of afternoon tea with my sister and her husband.
On Sunday we had scrambled eggs for breakfast with truffle oil (only one slice- not too naughty!) then D set about marmalading while I went to the supermarket for essential supplies for a roast dinner. This is what I came home to. How lovely! A perfect scene of Englishness.

My Union Jack cake tin full of muffins was from Tesco.

Ahhh, the slicing of the peel. A labour of love; it was very time consuming for D.

But I do love these colours! And it gave off a lovely orange-oil scent which warmed the house as the peel and juice was marmalading. I am pleased to report the results are delicious. Bitter, and warming.

I picked up these tulips at the supermarket too. Two for a fiver! Bargain. The colours are so very 'Spring', I just love that colour green, it looks perfect against the pink and cream flowers. Tulips need a little care when first brought home but boy is it worth it. I love tulips.

Whilst D marmaladed and the Buster had a lovely long afternoon nap, I caught up on some reading and drank tea and ate a muffin! Lovely. It's the first time I have bought Homes & Antiques, and I love it. It will definitely be included in my monthly magazine purchases. I like to stagger them by buying one a week. Then I always have one to look forward to! I love reading the Sunday Times too, though we also get The Observer. But you can't beat the Sunday Times Style supplement for wit, originality and creativity on the fashion front. It's relevant and aspirational at the same time. I've also just begun Margaret Atwood's latest novel The Year of the Flood. Bleak dystopias, interesting female characters and above all amazing writing- I do love Atwood.

After this cosy scene took place I then went back to the kitchen and made roast lamb with roasted winter veg. Delish. Followed by the bestest of all winter puddings- crumble. I made Nigel Slater's plum oat crumble recipe and it was yumma. Sharp plums, sweet rubble topping. I wholeheartedly recommend it, you'll find the recipe here:- http://www.nigelslater.com/recipes_view.asp?nRecipe_ID={4C4106BE-C122-4DA0-8E84-48D6D92CF61C}&nRecipeCat_ID={60B85C5F-A0D8-4982-9C6C-6D5B7781B6CE}&sSrc==