Shabby Prettiness.....All Ready For Spring!

We had a bit of Sunshine today .... and a pretty blue sky ..... dare we hope Spring is around the corner?

How about these pretty little shabby baskets....

I spotted them in a box at the carboot sale..... just jumbled up with bits and bats of all sorts .... I just think they are so pretty.

They are made from metal/wire and painted a nice 'shabby' cream colour.

The Fellas were busy putting down some bags of blue slate chippings/gravel-y stuff .... we have it all around the house and paths, every now and again it needs replenishing and we have extended the area we sit .... and eat ... and chat ...and everything else! We spend a lot of time outdoors when the weathers is fine.

I was there as chief 'Pointer'..... you know the kind of thing .... 'put that there' .... 'move this here'... very important job .... essential in fact!

As is.... 'Head of Refreshments' .... chief tea maker.

But as you know being a Woman multi-tasking comes easily to me so I 'faffed'.... a Hubby P word you understand ...... other people ..... as I pointed out .... 'designer kinda people' would get paid hundreds of pounds for 'faffing' with baskets, terracotta pots a a few bedding plants!

It takes a bit of faffing to get the right size of pot ... the right combination of pot and basket etc.

To look truly pretty!

I gave the chairs and tables a wash over and moved them to the new seating area .... faffed some more with the little baskets ... and sat in the sun for a while!

All ready for the sunshine and lazy family lunches!

Bye for now xx

All Things Red ... Thrifty Snippet's and Frugal Finds!!

Just a bit of a 'doing' and finding' post .... lots of photo's ...

All things Red this week..

Its got to be my find of the Winter .... don't you just love my new pink eiderdown/quilt/bedspread .... and the lovely ruby red honeycomb blankets, edged so prettily in satin ribbon ...and all for so very little, a real bargain.

But even cheaper than the bedspread .... for free ...

This was a fleece jacket that was given to me, it was the sort with a logo on the front ... you know the sort, a garden centre or some such place. I nice red colour I thought, and good fabric .... so I decided to make it into a hotwater bottle cover ... I need some new covers after the heavy use they get during the cold months.
So I found my homemade pattern .... and cutout the pieces (very simple construction).



The bit of the fleece that was left went into the dogs bed (we have an 'old Girl' who's personal hygiene isn't just what it was ... so I change her bedding often, and just bin it ... I use up all the odd scraps and old clothes as bedding ... works just as well as a fancy dog blanket!).

Bit of a whizz on the old sewing machine...

and here we are ... a perfectly good hotwater bottle cover.
A bit plain so ...

I picked up this rather splendid 'elephant-ish' fabric at the carboot .... turns out it is Ikea fabric... anyway I thought an elephant might cheer up the cover.

So here we are ... pretty little elephant and a bit of chunky running stitch .... just livens it up a bit!
Cheep and Cheerful.

And hows this for a new rug .... original 1950's in excellent condition, stored rolled up in someones attic .... all for £2.

Ideal for cheering up my somewhat worn and tattered carpet ... at least covering the dodgy bits!

At least the dogs approve.

Take care for now x

Nettles For Tea ..... And Shabby Finds!

`

Hello there .... hows the world treating you this week?

It seems so full of doom and gloom ... some poor people are having a dreadful time of it, hope all is well with you.

We've had a busy old time of it ... and a wet one too, seems to have rained a good deal.

Just look what Hubby P found at the Household Auction .... isn't she just delightful ... shabby and pink ..... with such a tale to tell... could she only speak.

Hubby P had bought the little wash stand to sell on ... and I was 'helping' or rather standing around nosing at what he had bought, whilst he was unloading the van ... and I spotted 'her'.

Well ..... I just loved her ... but how on earth could I fit her into my tiny ... rather full little cottage.

After much deliberation we decided that she would fit into the bathroom .... just ... if we removed the bookcase/shelving that was holding all the .... um ... bathroom necessities.

I gave her a good wash down ... and she fits... just!

I may freshen her up a bit ... the whole bathroom is in a desperate need of a lick of paint, but not today.

I'm just getting use to her in the bathroom .... you know how it is .. may need to play around a bit.

***

Today was fairly dry so we spent the day outside, Hubby P had some wood to cut, and we had a general tidy up of the garden ..... everything looks so damp and dreary.

I found these darling little nettles .... just sprouted from the cold damp earth .... Oh Yum! just love the iron rich zingy little things.

There were just a handful, so I gave them a quick rinse .... and added them to some simple vegetable soup I was making ...

Gave them a quick blitz with the blender thingy....

..... and yummy nutritious soup for tea.
They do say Nettles are the Earths natural tonic and cleanser, one of the first plants to appear in early Spring, full of iron and vitamins and other goodies which it has managed to source because of its deep root system.

I didn't just happen across the Nettles... I have a Nettle pot, or old bath .... I just let the nettles grow in it ... keep it free of any other weeds ... and feed the nettles with rich soil now and again.

Its hard to see the nettles in this pic .... I've just 'topped' it up with some fresh rich soil to help bring on the new growth. I treat them as a crop .... and add them to meals to boost the nutritional value .... free frugal and healthy!

Oh .. and for tea .... I know we like to know these things .. hehe .... soup (although Hubby P declined ... I may have to disguise his Nettles a bit better.... maybe in a pie) ... jacket potatoes with lashings of cheese .... simple and tasty!

Looking around the garden the Daffs are on their way up .... not long now.

And here .... just for your delight .... a few Chicken pictures.....

How does she keep so clean and white ... and she's such an old girl.

Chickens, chickens everywhere!

Just a bit of grain .... helps with the yummy eggs!

That's all for now xxx take care xxx

A Treat to Make a Girl Smile!

Hope you are all well ..... life rumbles on here much the same.

Still a bit of the dreary damp weather but .... well... it is February. I'm sure Spring is around the corner.

Just thought I would cheer myself up with a few early bulbs....

I found this delightful little Bunny pot (think it was intended to be for cacti...?) ... how could I resist for 50p ..... and I just love baby blue hyacinths. Bulbs were 60p/pot... very cheap and cheerful...very me!

So here he sits ..... looking out at a very dreary wet day .... but he brings sunshine to my heart!

A couple of nice lengths of Vintage Laura Ashley.... yes... I've been sorting through my stash again.... trying to make room for new fabric.

If anyone is particularly interested in Laura Ashley .... this little lot will be on Ebay soon.

Have a cheery few days ... take care xx