The Vintage Magpie now has its own website!! I'm so excited. To view click on the kitty picture at the top right of the screen.
Mr F has spent most of the last 48 hours in front of our computer creating it for me, so I owe him big time. It appears that what he lacks in enthusiasm for DIY :o, he makes up for in technological knowledge! And boy do I love him for that!
If you have a moment, pop over and take a look. I've put the kettle on!
I would love to hear what you think.
x
Being "up with the moment" isn't usually a great description for me, but it appears that the thrill I find from saving the pennies is becoming quite the fashion. You know, like if you leave your old ra-ra skirt in the cupboard long enough you find yourself at the height of fashion all over again. There has been more than one report of late that people are returning to the supermarket brands and shops like Lidl and Asda. I find myself flung, like the rest of the country at the moment, into the pond of watching your money disappear faster than ever and after several latest food shops it has to be said that we are definitely "feeling the pinch".
The food prices are going up and up, and are apparently set to rise by at least 5%, and I am really noticing it lately in our weekly shopping bill. So, ever up for a challenge, I am looking to cut our food bill down! I'm not saying that given the option I would shun being financially bountiful, but alas it is not to be. So I have to enjoy what we do have and indulge in the art of looking after the pennies, so the pounds can look after themselves!
I have gone back to making our own bread (using the bread machine) as I had become a little lazy in this regard of late. However, the bread tastes 10 times better and is well worth the effort. This saves me money in several respects. Firstly, it works out cheaper to make than to buy and secondly I am one of those shoppers who can't stick to the list. I find it impossible in every respect. Remembering to actually bring the list is the first hurdle, and then avoiding all the bargains on the end of the isles... arghhh. I can't do it. This means that when I go out to get a single loaf of bread, I invariably come back with £50 worth of shopping. Bad times. So, I've knocked "going out for a loaf of bread" on the head. We also have our milk delivered by the milkman, which cuts out the "going out for a pint of milk... and then 10 other things whilst I'm there". Good times!
We are lucky enough to be surrounded by people who grow fruit and veg. My dad supplies us with gorgeous rhubarb and raspberries, and we get beautiful eggs from our friends on Dartmoor.
These could not be put in a small, medium or large egg box, the sizes are wonderfully varied but the yolks are all the same, golden..
I'm also now buying the supermarket-own brands for lots of things, most of which we can't really tell the diffference between compared to the named brands. I have got away with most things...except when another brand of ketchup was £1 cheaper than Heinz, according to Mr F this was just taking things a bit too far :o. However we did try Asda baked beans last week and they were lovely. So a few pennies saved there too.
I remember my mum being very good with money. I wish I had inherited her natural talent for budgeting and not spending. She always noted down what she had spent and what she had left. I find it really hard to not spend! And half the time I can't remember what I've spent the money on... It's something I always pick myself up on, I'm a terrible "I've got to have that" shopper, even if it is in a charity shop!
I love to research old cookbooks and books about thriftiness, tips on what to do with leftovers and such like. I find it fascinating. How so much could be made out of so little. I am ashamed to say we waste far too much food in this house, stale bread and half tins of this and that that get left in the fridge too long. But I am determined to pull our respective socks up and start being much more aware of what we could save on.
In one of my books I read that 20-30 years ago the average person spent a third of their wages on food and half of this was on quality meat. We buy our lamb, which is organic, from a farm on Dartmoor. It costs around £55 for half a lamb so this works out cheaper by buying quality in bulk. But we do eat meat or fish most days which does ramp the food bill up a lot, unless Mr F strikes it lucky on the mackerel fishing! I'm thinking about introducing more vegetable and bean based dishes throughout the week and then spending more on quality meat two or three times a week instead.
The hardest thing I find though is keeping everyone in the family happy. I would verge on the vegetarian side of things for most meals if I was only cooking for myself. I love salad, rice and beans etc. Mr F is a meat and two veg man. Issy hates anything with sauce, and unfortunately most kinds of fish. Lauren loves most dinners but hates sandwiches and any fruit, and James changes his mind from one to day to the next about what he likes and doesn't like. It's impossible.
Still, I am wading through my books such as Cheap As Chips, Better Than Toast and, Not Buying It, My Year Without Shopping and Thrifty Ways for Modern Days. Another on my wish list is How Green Are My Wellies?.
I would love to hear of any other books like this you could recommend. And also any of your tips on saving the pennies and using up leftovers. Then maybe we will have a little bit more money left over for petrol!!
I'm stepping off my soap box now, and going off to bake some rock cakes. These can be a cheaper substitution for the usual chocolate biscuit in the lunch boxes! Can't wait to see their faces :o!!
'Real isn't how you are MADE', said the Skin Horse. 'When a child loves you for a long, long, time not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'
Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit.
I love this quote from The Velveteen Rabbit, which I think I have mentioned before, a truly magical book.
My daughter Lauren often tells me what her favourite teddy, Boo Boo, has been up to whilst she is asleep, the whispers that they have shared together and quite often she will find Boo Boo in a different place in the morning to where she left him when she went to sleep. 'He's been up in the night, mama'.. she will say.
I filled her with wood wool which is a more traditional approach, and sand to give her weight and sagginess. Mabel is already sold, but please feel free to email me if you are interested in ordering a similar rabbit. You can see more pictures of Mabel on my Flickr page.
My next project (hopefully over the weekend) is going to be my first vintage bear. I have lots of ideas I am desperate to try out and the weather here is set to be grim over the weekend, so I might be able to sit the children down in front of a good film for a couple of hours whilst I try and make the ideas in my head a reality with my sewing machine!
Happy Independence Day to all of you over the pond, I hope you have a wonderful time.
Have a lovely weekend whatever you do x
This collection of tins arrived in the post for me today, thank you dearest Ebay! However, my joy was slightly marred by Mr F finding the ebay bill :( Still, how can a girl resist such a glorious collection? .... Really?
Oh they are so pretty, don't you think? I shall take great joy in deciding what to put in them... buttons in this one I think. (Please excuse James' latest paint stain on the tablecloth :o )
This one is an original Jacobs cracker tin... I mean please. Why don't they still come in these wonderful things?
This is all the same tin but with different pictures around the sides. I must confess this one came from the boot sale I went to at the weekend and is one of the my favourites.
For hot chocolate powder... to die for, and this one
and last but not least
How sweet is that? A tin for little sweets. It makes me so cross, all the rubbish packaging we get now for things. Since when did we all stop liking pretty tins and chocolate boxes??? I've no idea. Anyway, talking of sweet..
This drawer is our babies new nest as of yesterday! All four of them fit in amongst the tablecloths (how I do not know) and I have to keep remembering not to shut the blooming thing! So cute...
xx
Last Friday, Issy was off school with a torn ligament in her ankle/foot - so with great joy I handed over the responsibility of the 'Friday Cake'. She took up the challenge with gusto, even agreeing to allow a hindrance eager assistant to join in! As it was such a success (no after photoshots as it didn't last long enough) she asked me if she could share it with you on the blog, so here she goes...
Hello Everyone, here is my recipe...
Ingredients
300g Rich Tea biscuits or any other kind of biscuits.
250g unsalted butter
100g cocoa powder
300g icing suger
3-4 tbs double cream
(Optional) Good handful of halved glace' cherries or rainsins or stoned dates or a mixture of these
You will also need:
A saucepan 1/3rd filled with hot water and a large mixing bowl that will fit into the top.
A 21-23cm spring form or loose-bottomed cake tin.
Method
1. First I lined the cake tin with foil, smoothing it well into the sides. Then I lightly greased the foil with butter.
2. Then I broke the biscuits into small peices and set aside. (Or and easier way I found out is to get another bowl put the biscuits in a plastic bag put the plastic bag in the bowl and smash them with a rolling pin.)
3. After that I sieved the icing suger and cocoa powder and I mixed together in a bowl. Then I set it aside like with the biscuits.
4. Then I put the saucepan of hot/cold water over a low heat and brought it to a gentle simmmer.
5. Next I cut the butter (which I found was quite hard!) into small cubes and put it into the large mixing bowl. Now place the this bowl over the saucepan of water until the butter was completely melted. But the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
6. Then keep the bowl over a gentle heat, I added the sugar and cocoa mixture, two to three tablespoons at a time, I had to stir vigorously but carefully, into the melted butter. But I had to make sure that the mixture doesn't get to hot.
7. After I had to remove the bowl from the heat (don't forget to turn it off!) and, using a wooden spoon, I had to beat in the cream.
I now had a rich chocolaty sauce.. yum!
8. Then I had to add the biscuit peices to the chocolate mix and any optional ingredients you decided to have such as cherries, etc. Then I stirred with the wooden spoon until it was all coated with the yummmy chocolate sauce.
9. Next I scraped the chocolaty-biscuity mixture into the lined cake tin, pressing down with the back of the wooden spoon. Then I folded the excess foil gently over the top.
10. Finally I put the delicious looking cake into the refrigerator for 1-2hrs until it is set. Then I chilled it for at least 4 hours or if possible over night. When it was finished I served it in small cubes but if you want to you can serve it in thin slices.
Enjoy.
Love Isabel x
Oh I wish you could smell this rose. The pungent sent is filling the room, just beautiful. Its called 'Zephirin Drouhin', a climbing rose. I know this not because I am some kind of gardening whizz, but because the label is still on the plant!! I bought it at a farmer's market a while ago, when it looked a bit sorry for itself, but a bit of tlc, heaps of local horse manure and lots of pleasant chats as we pass and it is blooming!
and this beautiful bunch I picked up for £1.50 at the car boot sale I went to on Sunday. I love local freshly cut flowers. Aren't they wonderful?
Go on, take a sniff!
x
The kittens have made their way downstairs this weekend. Up until now, they have been happily playing away in Isabel's room and waiting for mummy to come and feed them.. But Friday night Maggie, seen above, ventured down the stairs.. swiftly followed by the other three.
Florence (the jack russell) came as quite a surprise to an unsuspecting Maggie.
Then someone found somewhere to hide...
and the fun began..
How cute are they? Oh, and their smell is just the same.. baby kitten... to die for.
I hope these photos made you smile on a Monday!
xxx
This morning I finally made a long overdue trip to my beloved Totnes. And as expected I had a wonderful haul from the open air market and the flea market. Above you see my long desired crochet lace shelf edging - for £2! As I write this post I have positioned myself opposite it,
so I can look up and gaze at the my newly adourned dresser. Ahhh, how
I love vintage crochet.
Next up, some fabric cut-offs all down to £1 each, some vintage glass 1930's buttons which I splashed out on for the next batch of rabbits, some vintage lace, gorgeous cottons and a batch of authentic old keys to add a touch of vintage to my larger rabbits and bears. And as if that wasn't enough to make a girl beam from ear to ear ....
I picked up this gorgeous green basket complete with red lining and matching headscarf for £3.
The material hanging out of it was another bargain at £2. Too much goodness, I know. I'm going to have to lie down, in preparation for my first boot sale of the year (shocking record I know) on Sunday.
Stand by for some more serious haulage next week!
Have a great weekend x
A while ago the lovely Janet Clare sent me the rabbit patch you see here on this cushion.
Janet's free embroidery skills are beyond compare! I love this little rabbit so much and have been determined to get it off my inspiration line and onto a cushion cover ever since it arrived!
I used some linen that I had and then some linen patches from a delicious bag of linen goodies that I bought from the Selvedge stall at the craft show I had just been to.
I then covered some buttons and used a strip of linen tape down the back to strengthen the panel where the button holes go.
I am so pleased the rabbit patch now has a place to be displayed.... thanks Janet x
I thought I'd introduce you to Agnes. Agnes is another of my smaller bunnies, and is one of the first that I have stuffed with woodwool instead of polyfil, for a more traditional look.
Although its quite difficult to work with, it made her head much more easy to mold into shape.
I then hand-dyed the polka dot fabric to give it a more aged appearance.
And then dressed her in a little wool mohair romper suit.
She is sitting happily at my desk with her bags packed, ready to go off to Louise later in the week. I shan't be too sorry, the endless chatter is giving me a slight headache!
