Brr .. Cold Grey Day .. Looking To Summer Makes... and A Cat!

Hello there ..

Brrrrr.. its been a cold grey day today ..

I think my mood has kinda matched the day ...

 It must be pie kinda weather .. and putting the oven on helps warm up the house.

I made a simple veg and meat pie .. 

mostly what veg I had (that needed using up) and a little bit of mince to give it a semblance of a meat pie.

I think any kind a pie is good .. its the pastry isn't it!

Naughty but nice...

The other ..not so glamorous .. peculiar looking thing is a bit of leftover pastry .. spread with the last of the cranberry jelly (so that I could free the fridge of another half used thing .. and wash the jar)

.. sprinkle of brown  sugar and a handful of sultanas ..

and folded over.

Usual thing .. what I had to hand.

Hubby P has bagged it for his 'snap' tomorrow at work.

Who else calls lunch/work snacks 'snap' ..

 I wonder is a northern thing?

So tea was sorted .. what else .. 

I needed to do some kind of work thing .. but wanted to be warm and cosy ..

Hubby P went outside in the workshop ..

 but blow that .. too cold.

 A big box of these dressmaking patterns came in yesterday ... so I had a sort through them .. lots of the 'easy and quick' ones too.

Ideal for the sewing novice .. and I noticed .. good realistic sizes (as in not for stick thin people). 

I sell a lot on the stall quite cheap and cheerful  .. they are so expensive to buy new from the shops

 .. I sorted out a good mixed bunch and thought I would try them on eBay.

I thought people might be looking to summer and easy sewing makes .. little tops ..

 and pretty summery skirts and dresses..

I for one am beginning to miss the warmth of the sun .... and I am wearing so many layers I feel like an onion..

 So that has been me today ...

   

Oh .... and the cat .. with that 'what you up to then' look!

Take care .. keep warm  xx

A Sunshiny Day Of Pretty Growing Things ..

Hello there ..

A lovely sunshiny morning here ..

 just thought I would share it with you..

I had a wander along the front of the house ...

 peeping out of the bottom of the hedge ..

 a row of old boots.

These are the symbols of a life lived with work to provide and feed us ... a good little place..

a little graveyard .. a resting place for our old friends.

 

 Nature has garland them with pretty swathes of moss and flowers bedeck their tops ..

they rest in a pretty place.

 You may ask what I was doing wandering around in the freezing cold .. sunny Yes.. but still cold.

 Well I was doing my everyday jobs ...

 fetching in the milk from the gate ..

 yes we still have a Milkman deliver .. and I treasure him!

 There is nothing like  milk out of a glass milk bottle. Who still has a milkman?

I think they are becoming a rare breed .. such a shame.

And of course the Girls have to have their tit bits .. 

just a bit of old bread today .. and a handful of oats.

The big jug contains fresh water for the Girls.

 So cold the water in the bird bath was frozen hard.

 I filled up the wild bird feeding places ..

 poor little things .. its cold for them.

Mind you yesterday there was a lot of 'Hot Action' going on in the hedge .. as the Gents were pursuing the Ladies ready for spring .. and nests full of babies.

And I found these ... just look how pretty .. 

hiding away in the corner of the garden.

I just had to pick a few for the table ...

 doesn't that pink just brighten your day!

Hope you have had a good day ... any snippets of spring in your garden yet?

xx

Just A Quick Hello ... And Pretty Snowdrops ... To Cheer ..!

Hello there ... 

Just a quick post tonight..

 I just had to share these .. they are so pretty

 Bobbing away in the breeze. 

They are on top of a wall amongst the rough twiggy stems of the brambles ..

Every year they pop up .. without fail ... a little brightness against the grey of the cold landscape.

No snow here ..

Its very cold though ... 

and the log pile is getting smaller by the week ...

 We find what we can .. 

scrounge and forage any .. and all timber ..

 to supplement the logs and keep the wood burner going.

 Too cold to do much out doors .. 

we had to load the van for tomorrow's trading .. and I fished about for some bits to put on eBay.

Just look at this pretty lady..

 

She is one of a collection of Vintage Welsh Lady dollies .. all in need of a bit of TLC .. 

but lovely all the same .

Funny what we find stashed away in tins and boxes.

And who remembers these .. 

I clearly remember having them fastened in my hair .. and being warned 'not to loose them'.

Well that's all for now .. 

Take care  xx

Thrifty Soups And A Bridal Bouquet ..

Hello there .. just a quick catch up

 ... hope you are all well..

 Well its blowing a gale here .. and blimey its cold! 

No snow .. yet.

Buts its the 'Land of The Thrifty Soup' here at Anglesey Allsorts ...

I swear its what keeps me ticking.

I must eat gallons of the stuff... 

Hubby P's .. 

well .. not just that keen .. 

But he knows ....'ITS GOOD FOR HIM' !

Currently .. in the pan .. 

we have a Thrifty Soup made from the veggie leftovers from last nights tea (carrots, parsnips and cauliflower) ...  a sprinkle of dried onion flakes, the water the veg was cooked in (veg stock) and the last bit of gravy. 

All was mixed up with a bit more water... 

and a couple of handfuls of lentils added .. 

twas simmered for a good while

 (whilst I washed up)

 .. I had a taste .. it was a bit insipid ... 

so I added a good two tablespoonfuls of powdered Oxtail soup.

Gave it a bit of a wiz with the stick blender .. 

and there we have it .. a tasty warming soup.

 At the moment I am working my way through this huge tub of Oxtail soup mix .. 

its a catering size tub.

Bought from Approved Foods last winter ... 

a great buy .. I just use it as above to thicken and add a bit of oomph to my rather random soups.

I've just finished a catering pack of 

'Vegetable Vending Soup'

 .. that was great for .. well .. obviously .. veggie soups.

Approved Foods are great for this sort of thing .. I've just spent an hour or so perusing their site to replenish my cupboards. 

I haven't been there for a while .. and when I checked .. I had a free delivery code (on the side bar/basket bit) ... maybe  its because I hadn't ordered for a bit .. don't know .. but I'm not complaining.

I put an order in for soups, gravies etc ..
 and Basmati rice ..99p for 5kgs .. !

There are some real bargains there if you look carefully.. and buy wisely .. 
I am careful not to be led astray into the sweets and biscuits!

Now .. just look at this lovely lot of glitzy .. glittery stuff...

 A young woman approached me a while ago ..  and whilst admiring the vintage brooches I was selling .. she asked me if I could make her a Brooch Bouquet for her Wedding.

Now I can honestly say I hadn't heard of them until she mentioned it.

But I thought it would be an interesting project ..
 so we worked together on sourcing the jewels, ribbons and flowers .. all the colours of her themed wedding.

 I think this idea may have come from America ... tradition being that the Bride asks her friends and family to give her a piece of jewelry .. brooches .. odd earrings .. odd beads .. broken necklaces even... to make up the bouquet.

Some may be expensive items (she will have some financial security/she could sell them if need be) ..or some may be old family pieces .. passed through the family ..

you get the idea.

Of course the bouquet will not wilt ..it can be kept .. treasured .. and when the Bride looks at it down the years ..  she sees the love and support of her friends and family.

 A nice idea ..

Anyway I got my trusty glue gun out and made a start .. I just hope she likes it.

I wont show you pics of the bouquet until after the wedding .. it all has to be under wraps until the big day ... but of course .. that's how it should be.

A nice little project .. for someones special day.

And this made my day today ... 

Three eggs ... the days must be lengthening ... three out of the four Girls are laying.

I must say George is keeping them very happy !

Anyway enough of me .. do take care .. 
the wind and rain is just dreadful here .. 
I think I will go hide under the bedclothes.

Bye for now.

Gosh .. Awful Rainy Day .. It Must Be January ..

Hello there ....

Gosh its wet out there ...

This is where I have spent the day ... in my little work corner ... looking out at the never ending rain...

Just don't look at the grimy windows .. and I've just noticed a cobweb or two ...

well .. I don't have any pretentious ideas of a Country Living house ...

I'm afraid you get it as it comes here .. all in the rough .. all very real... ha ha!

So this is what I have been doing.. bit of eBay .... trying to earn a few pennies ..

I think we are all finding it a bit of a pinch at this time of the year...

The days seem long dark and often dismal .. and the bills start falling on the mat.

But its no good going into a decline ... there are always ways of making a few extra pennies.. or trading for goods ..in my time I have done allsorts to swell the coffers ..

Little jobs like ironing for people.. baking/making meals ..cleaning.. sewing/repairs ..dog walking..gardening ... even milking goats..

And of course there are lots of on line sale sites nowadays ... but in the old days cards in shop windows were a good way of moving on your outgrown prams, clothes etc .. or newspapers for sale ads.

I had a spell making up Christmas cards .. and sewing slippers as an outworker/homeworker for factories..

hard work but I could do it when the children were in bed and it helped bring in some extra money.

So eBay it was today .. no real hardship .. it was warm and dry .. and I had some music to sing along to. 

What did I list?

well a few vintage-y bits .. and some useful everyday things.

 Thought you might like to see the vintage-y bits and bobs .. 

of course there are more on the eBay site .. too much to put on here

(there is an eBay link on my side bar just below the pic of me ( if you fancy a look).

These are from a bag full of 1930's millinery flowers we found last summer .. I had kept them for me ... to do 'something' with ... they are so pretty.

But I have to be realistic .. they are just sat in a box collecting dust .. so off they go ..

 These were found just last week .. so very pretty .. the colours don't show up too well on the photos .. 
but they are truly lovely ... feather corsage type trimming-y things.

They are made up of layers of different feathers which are wired together ... I think they were used to brighten up the hat bands of Trilby's and whatnot.

They could be used for allsorts of crafty things .. or just nice to display ..

of course I want to KEEP EVERYTHING ...! 

  (but Hubby P ... well .. 'feels' that's not being 'Grown up' ... and we do need money to buy.. stuff!)

Today I pulled this piece of fabric out of a case  .. 

I thought it might sell .. quite retro looking ... well it is vintage .. the real thing .. I think I reclaimed it from some curtains.

I've had enough eBay for today .. I will list it tomorrow .. and find some more likely items ...

Onwards and Upwards as they say.

So what have you been doing ... any good Thrifty money making tips?

Bye for now x

I've Had Enough Of It Now .... Too Much Sitting Around ..Onwards and Upwards With The Thrifty Crusade.!

Hello there ... 

Hope the festive few days was all you had hoped it would be.

We had a nice break .. nice company .. nice food .. all very nice.

(Do you like my pretty Christmas Roses ... a little Christmas Day posy from a Gentleman friend .. blooming like crazy in his garden...)

But to be honest .. I've had enough of it .. there is only so much sitting around a Girl can do ... 

I find it all a bit boring.

 So this morning I took down the Christmas cards .. lots of pretty ones this year .. such a waste just to put them in the recycling bin.

How about a Thrifty Snippet .... not had one for a few weeks ... 

and I know we all love Thrifty Snippets...

 I cut the front of the card from the backs .. 

and any part of the design/picture that lends itself to a Gift Tag shape ... is cut into a gift tag.

I found a bit of odd blue embroidery thread and poked some through the 'tags' ready for attaching to next years gifts.

I only cut a few tags .. enough for next year .. 

And the rest of the scrap card ... backs of cards etc .. any plain blank pieces I keep for my shopping lists and whatnot. 

I find they are an ideal size to slip in my bag .. and sturdier .. they don't crumple up in the bottom of the bag as flimsy paper has a habit of doing. 

Me .. being me .. and a bit 'obsessive' as Hubby P would have it .. or 'careful' ... as I like to think.

I have a list in my hand as I shop and as I put things in the trolley I write the price on my list and add up as I go along .. stiff card is easier to use/write on than paper.

After all I have only so much money in my purse .. my intention was to spend just X amount .. 

so a Girl has to do her sums ... 

or else a Girl ends up in a right pickle with her money ...ha ha!

So Thrifty it is folks .. lets try and hit the New Year running .. with as few a debts as possible ..

New Year.. New start ...

So lets share our Thrifty Snippets .. and aim for a Healthier and Wealthier New Year...

XX

George .. Dresser And Cristmas Wreath Thriftiness..

 Hello there ...

Well.. yes .. a very busy day here today.

But first of all .. thank you for all the nice comments about George .. I will pass them on to him.

He is indeed a light Sussex .. he was raised .. from an egg ... by my Aunt who lives over the hill ..

There were a few cockerels in the batch .. and of course they needed re homing ... 

more than one in a run and they fight like crazy.

When she first asked if we could take one I said unfortunately .. No .. we had our dear old Rocky ..

Ancient as he was .. he still saw himself as a gladiator .. and there would have been trouble.

Sadly we lost Rocky .. as age takes us all .. he just faded away.

George was still looking for a home so we offered to take him.

He is quite at home and romancing the Girls ... who knows what spring may bring!

The weather today was awful .. so Hubby P decided to work at home rather than try and trade ...

He has so much to do ... there is always so much to do..

 More bits of the rustic pine dresser .. ready to be fitted..

 A glittery Hubby P trying the doors for size ...

He's not always just so shiny .. the flash on the camera caught the fluorescent strips on his 'allovers'....!

Dresser is coming on nicely ... I have found some nice rustic .. make do and mend-y type handles for the doors ... 

 Hubby P made them from spoons years ago.

I do love a handmade thrifty thing!

Speaking of which ... I found this in a box of house clearance stuff.

 Quite pretty in itself ... but I thought it would look quite nice as a wreath ... 

with a bit of greenery around it.

I had a foray into the wet garden and pulled a handful of branches from the manky looking leylandi tree in the hedge .. 

and a couple of sprigs of Ivy from off the wall ...

 nothing fancy at all ...its all I could find really.

 I fastened them around the pine cone 'wreath' with sewing cotton and a needle ... and yes ..

 you guessed it .. because it twas all I could find.

A few bits of bright ribbon added a burst of colour ... 

and I thought .. well that will do.

After all its just going outside to brighten up the doorway .. 

it will get blown about by the wind.. and rained on ...

 it will be fine.

A fine Thrifty Thing .. twill do us nicely ..!

Take care .. Bye for now x