Freecycle and finds

The weekend before last was bright and sunny round these parts and there was just a small car boot sale at a local school .... couldn't resist could I ???

The very first seller had mountains of children's toys and baby activities so I dived in ..... I came away with some lovely toys including the Fisher Price Peek a Blocks Press and Go Train, Tomy Discovery Stack, Pop n Tumble, wooden puzzles and a gift set from Emma Bridgewater in the Men at Work series.

They were all in perfect condition and still in the boxes .... all for a grand total of £15 ..... the train on it's own is £29.99 in Toys R US  and we all know how much the Bridgewater costs so I was well pleased.

On the next stall I spied a print from one of my favourite artists Faye Whittaker .... her studies of Edwardian children are charming. I was just about to buy it when the stall holder said she had two more so I came away with 3 for a fiver and one of them is a limited edition signed by the artist.

My final bargain that day was a boxed set of game, DVD and book of Going on a Bear Hunt (one of our favourites) and for the first time in my life I haggled upwards, if such a thing is possible, the lady only asked £1 and it is pristine .... even I couldn't take it for that price and gave her £3 instead.

Then yesterday on Freecycle someone was offering some old embroidery and crochet magazines and I was very lucky to be selected to give them a new home.  Just take a look at these

They are almost 100 years old ..... the blue competition slip in one of them states that entries have to be in by 10th June 1916 ..... how marvelous is that and what a prize ..... £130 in 400 awards which is the equivalent of almost £37,000 today measured against average earnings.

I love old textiles so I'm really going to enjoy reading through these ... the advertisements are fantastic too.

I'm having a giveaway .....

No particular reason. It's not my birthday or a blogisversary but it is Monday, the school holidays are fast approaching (stand by your beds mums!), it's my grand-daughter Ellie's 5th birthday this week and her new baby brother is due in two weeks!

Here is what is on offer ..... ....... one of the shoulder bags that I have been making from re-cycled vintage embroidered fabric. This one was a table cover in a previous life ..... I have lined it with Laura Ashley Abbeville fabric and it has a vintage button from the collection sent to me by Mary Poppins in a recent SSC swap.

All you have to do is leave me a comment and pass the word to your bloggy friends. I will get my Ellie to pick a name from a hat this next next Monday the 20th July. Good luck everyone.

Unfinished business ......

Look what I found tucked away in a pile of old magazines ....... to think that somebody started to work on this back in 1947 and didn't get very far ..... what happened to make them stop? I must admit I have a tendency to start different things and then not finish them till a later date. Perhaps this just got hidden and forgotten about. The Woman's Own Magazine it came from is dated Friday November 21st 1947 .... the day after Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten.

I am not sure what to do with it ..... to keep it, finish it or find a collector of Royal Memorabilia .... does anyone else have a suggestion - clean ones please :-)

Show off Sunday again .........

It has been a glorious day here in Bedfordshire .... perfect for my favourite pastime (I know how sad) .... there is nothing I like more than wandering round a field in the middle of open English countryside and rummaging around in other people's junk!!!!

Here are today's finds:

A set of cross stitch books, a knitting books and the Knitter's Bible

A fantastic DMC holdall complete with embroidery threads, hoops and cross stitch projects ..... a Laura Ashley light switch cover, a set of table mats & coasters with views of Cornwall, a Debbie Bliss Knitting for Children book and two books about knitting squares for throws and Afghans, a print from one of my favourite artists Jack Vettriano

Molly with her new toy ... she has been very enthusiastic about this as my shin bones will testify !!

Ellie chose this green felt bag for herself (along with several other things that she has taken home with her), a lovely set of Ice Cream Sundae spoons and a collection of red buttons

A hand embroidered table cover

What's at the bottom of your garden ................

Look what's growing in mine - I love rhubarb and think it is very under-rated - my first batch will be going into a crumble tomorrow morning .......

Now for the linens I purchased at the auction yesterday - I have had a lovely day - pegged the first lot out at 7.30 this morning and have spent most of the day washing, pegging out, starching and ironing it - the last batch is ready for tomorrow. It is amazing that two dirty old boxes of what initially looks like rags can be transformed into such lovelies with a little TLC ............

Tray cloths, doilies, table covers, a cute little pram pillowcase with an embroidered teddy, most are hand embroidered with cut work on some - crinoline lady, flowers, oriental designs ..

There is also a little hand-made baby bib, a white cotton blouson top with crochet front panel, an Sanderson floral fabric table runner