The Vintage Magpie

Unbearably Cute...

Ohhh my... this I had to share... how cute is this bear?  I just want to bury my head in his fur!

x

Soggy

So, to get a break we decided to go for a few days camping...

When we left it was torrential rain.  When we arrived at the campsite it was raining.  The next day.. it rained outside and inside the tent..  The following day ... it rained again outside and then more inside the tent.  On the third day the car broke down.  On the fourth day we packed up whilst it was raining, put the 6 man tent which we have now discovered is full of holes in the bin, and came home (after paying a horrendous garage bill to fix the car).

On the last night in the tent, whilst laying on the gravel (as my blow up bed and unblown itself) my husband offered the idea that perhaps it might be better if we got an 8 man tent next year... I said that if I could be bothered to raise my weary bones off my bed of gravel and wade through the sodden 'lounge area' to the cooking utensils I would happily whack him round the head with the broken saucepan.

Next year we are going to stay in a  B&B.

Have a good weekend! xx

DeLorEs, DeliLAh and More ...

I have been trying to spend a bit more time in the studio as I have impending shows coming up in September, October and November, and need to build up some stock!  Meet Delores, or 'Dollie' for short... I have seen a few 'bear' pugs around and have been desperate to make one, and whilst I was in the studio last week I had the pleasure of being introduced to a real pug called  Delores .. and I fell in love with her..so here is her collectable substitute.... a little less expensive to keep than the real thing!

This is Delilah... she is made of a beautiful pale mauve viscose... so soft and vintage looking. 

And then there's these guys...

 

my Golden Boys - again made of a beautiful soft viscose which lends itself to the vintage appeal that I love.

I am working on more new designs for the shows... a fox terrier and greyhound hopefully... oh my, that clock is ticking louder and louder :o

I'm taking a few days off next week, (despite that ticking clock) from blogging and sewing to rest my bones, but I will be back in this space by Friday.

See you then, have a great week xx 

Sharing the love...

What to do when your child looks at you for the tenth time that day over the pile of ironing by your side and says 'Mum ... I'm bored'.

Sit her down with a beautiful ball of wool, share with her your love of knitting, and show her how to knit her first scarf.

Then tell her to come back to you when her knitting is as tall as she is :)

Job's a good 'un :)

Make yourself a large cup of tea, kick back and enjoy the silence.

Happy days.

x

Time Out

We've been busy gadding about over the holidays (which is why I'm am struggling to post more than once a week!), and last week we had a wonderful day out on Dartmoor, with a tent, a stove, some school friends and a picnic.

We gave the kids a scavenger hunt, which we found at The Woodland Trust's Nature Detectives site, a great free site full of things for kids to do over the summer hols... ... so they got into teams and headed off into the woods

and spent a whole afternoon gathering up woodland treasures!

whilst I managed to finish off this great book for bookclub :)  if you get the chance it's a really good read.

they climbed trees..

played in the river

made a sea monster out of a twig ;)

and made their separate team camps!

whilst we watched the Dartmoor life roll by.

Blissful.

Hope you are all enjoying the summer :) xx

Long time, no post

Heh hem.  Hello again my friends. 

We have had a week of settling into the holidays, finding our vacational feet, sorting through bedrooms where we could no longer see the carpet, clearing out old clothes, reading through a years worth of schoolwork, and having a few days away... just resting, and soaking in the countryside and the sea.

We have now found our  holiday rhythm, I think, which is a happy place to be.   Our days are sorted into official days out and official home days which include playtime,  our daily jobs around the house, gathering for lunch, quiet time, and 'being' time... being meaning doing the stuff you love, like baking, drawing, picnic planning, oh and of course the golden time on the TV/DS/Wii -  which no matter how hard I try not to, some days is a lifesaver!  Then gathering for dinner (and I have to confess to being much more lenient with who makes the dinner - anyone that offers (and frankly even the dog is welcome to come up with something) ) and this has led to some interesting offerings!  And then the end of day seems to be a constant surprise of how late three children can actually manage stay up past the time that I called 'bedtime'.  But the rhythm is working, so I let them be....

and, I have managed to squeeze a few hours in at the studio...

when daddy takes over at home ... blissful!!

Oh and... my first doll for Doll Consequences goes off to her next home for another addition..

I couldn't resist giving her some frilly bloomers!

I have to confess, I had one of those heart stopping moments a few days ago, when I went to pack her up and send her on her way.... and she had gone.  Completely disappeared from on top of the box where I had left her.   Some serious questioning of the three little people in this house went on for several days...  and some serious hunting through the house... even the dog looked sheepish.  James had confessed to putting her on the stairs as he had 'come across her sitting on the sofa' but that was all he was prepared to give up.  Three days later, after we had turned the house upside down, I found her... underneath James' bed, wrapped in a blanket .. where he had forgotten he was 'keeping her safe'.    ARRRGGHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!  Don't you just love 'em ? !!!

Have a great week everyone xx