Showing posts with label Magpie monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Magpie monday. Show all posts

18.3.13

Jumble Bunny

I went to my first ever full on, crazy Jumble Sale at the weekend. I've been meaning to go for ages, but the closest one is always at lunchtime on a saturday, when I'm ferrying kids from matches or to parties. It never worked out before.

I arrived just as the end of a queue was disappearing into the church hall, and parked beside a bored looking man, listening to the radio is his car. Paid my 20p and entered the fray. The hall was heaving: swarms of bargain hunters around every table. It took me 5 minutes to get anywhere near the stuff. Soon realised being really polite was a complete waste of time, so elbowed my way into a slither of space. There were people literally disappearing under piles of jumble in a buying frenzy. Some were throwing clothes/toys/shoes at helpers standing behind, who looked like they'd rather be anywhere else. Started to understand why the guy was in the car.

Easy though to get swept up by it all: I began grabbing anything that looked like it had potential, and worked my way around the room. When the tables ran out, I asked how much for my bundle, '£2 to you', the smiley lady said. Boy, I had no clear idea what I'd got, but £2 sounded brilliant!
And then suddenly I was out in the car park again. Just like that. It was all over so quickly. But what had I bought? Well luckily it wasn't half bad..


A very nice petrol blue Warehouse tunic top - too crinkly at the moment for a decent picture; and a sweet pair of Mini Boden cotton pjs with little embroidered buds. My daughter's size too.


More material to add to a growing fabric mountain - soon to rival my huge hoard of wool.


This one's actually a skirt but I bought it for the patterned cord. Love a bit of cord. I'm gathering up pieces for a little idea I've got in mind.


Didn't spot any jumpers suitable for chopping, but did find this woolly scarf,


and guess what?

Yep. I made another owl. I'm a woman obsessed. Quite sure people are fed up seeing owls on my blog, so thought I'd also have a go at.....a jumble bunny!


...basically an upside down owl with ears...



Linking up with Liz's Magpie Monday and
Ta-dah! Tuesday over at Lakota's

25.2.13

Rolling out the trolley

Jumper chopping has been put on hold for a few days so I can finish doing up my trolley. It's been sitting about in the kitchen for ages and was starting to attract piles of clobber - a spare space doesn't stay spare very long around here.
I knew exactly what I wanted to put on it though, I wanted to cover the trolley in my small collection of vintage knitting patterns. Well it seems such a shame to tuck them away in a drawer.


I've been buying them for the classic and totally fabulous pictures rather than the patterns. Some really are in a league of their own.. in a League of Gentlemen kind of way..


I bought an extra bundle from a charity shop for a pound, and at the counter the lady said, 'You're going to be busy!' I just nodded enthusiastically - didn't feel right to tell her I was sticking them on a piece of furniture.


The trolley came from our local auction and only cost me £2. It did need a thorough clean and a few repairs before I primed and painted it with a chalky emulsion - lovely shade called moonstone grey. Luckily there was enough in the tester pot for two decent coats on the legs and around the edges.


I spent quite a while cutting and arranging the patterns before getting the glue out. One great decoupage tip I was given recently, is to use a piece of kitchen roll to smooth down the picture, gently rubbing over the paper continuously, to push out bubbles and wrinkles. Time-consuming but definitely worth it - plus it reduced anxiety levels.. There are still a few bumps, but shouldn't be noticeable when the sewing machine goes on top and my sewing box has a new home below.


I kept the pieces on the drawer black and white for some of contrast, and picked out plenty of fairisle patterns because I love a bit of fairisle.



Now it just needs a few coats of clear varnish and a good spray of WD-40 on those squeaky old wheels..

14.1.13

Bargain button bracelets

I have a huge collection of buttons. A collection verging on Pearly Queen proportions - and I am especially keen on the shiny, pearly little shell ones that catch the light. I really don't need any more, but a big bag of them for £1.50? Hard to pass up a charity shop button bargain. You could easily pay that for a small card of 6, and they don't take up much room..

So another few hundred to add to the tins (note plural) - a button for every occasion. And quite fun checking through the bag for any beauties.

I'll have to think of something special for the etched ones, and maybe the interesting cross shaped button might work on a choker?


My 5 year old picked out the ones she liked, and rather than put them away, I pinched a wristband idea from a friend that's perfect for showing off your best buttons. It's also good for using up small pieces of braid or lace.


We made some with a felt base and added colourful embroidered trim and our buttons. Lace on felt looks great too, and maybe a few beads or sequins for a little sparkle. I used gold thread to sew the bits onto the bracelets, and to finish off around the button holes.


OK, so I haven't made much of a dent in the pile - but I have been checking out some other use-up-your-massive-hoard-of-buttons ideas online, and there are loads. Do you have any favourites or top button tips? I'd love to hear them.


Found any secondhand lovelies lately?
Plenty of thrifty inspiration over at Liz's Magpie Monday 
and Lakota's Ta-dah! Tuesday 

17.12.12

Something to sew on

My sewing machine has spent most of its life boxed up and tucked away in a dark cupboard corner. I liked knowing it was there, but wasn't falling over myself about actually getting it out.
I've always been more at home with a pair of knitting needles - sewing machines make me a little anxious. Well they did, and then a few months back I thought it was about time I had a proper go - so out it came, and out it stayed until I'd made a sofa colony of owls from secondhand vintage sheets and bedspreads. They winged their way down to a Christmas craft fair in London last week, and sold pretty well.

The thing is, having the sewing machine out all the time is a bit of a pain, because there's nowhere obvious for it to go, and I daren't put it back in the cupboard. Might not come out again.
It's been majorly getting in the way, so I thought a wooden trolley could be the answer - a home on wheels, and there'd be space underneath for material and other bits and bobs.

Amazingly there were FOUR old trolleys at the local auction last week. Unbelievable. This never usually happens when I'm looking for something. And it gets better, because it seems there's not much demand for trolleys - I got mine for just two pounds. So chuffed about that! It has a drawer at the front, which we eventually managed to prise open - sadly no treasure though, just some mouldy old placemats.


So giving it a revamp is one of my after christmas projects...and there's more...because this came in the same lot.

I'd no idea, until I went to collect the trolley! Not the most beautiful bedside table, but it's got potential - and two bits of furniture for two quid can't be bad. Hopefully they'll both look quite different the next time you see them.
And I've just finished my tiny £2 table makeover - a quick sand and then covered the top with some vintage domino cards I picked up at a french street sale in the summer. Far too lovely to be hidden away in a box don't you think?



Linking up with marvellous Magpie Monday 
and Lakota's Ta-dah! Tuesday