Hello Again! A lovely Day Here On Anglesey....

Its a lovely day here on Anglesey so I thought i would take a few photographs and try and get back into the Blogging thing ...... i have really missed you all.

Sorry i have been away so long .... nothing really amiss.... just life sometimes gets in the way of the best intentions. We have had our share of lifes ups and downs .... Weddings, the sad death of Hubby P's Mother, Children moving away and the 'getting going' of Hubby P's new buisness venture.
Hubby P is keeping 'Bread on the Table' with his Trading buisness .... Vintage and Collectables dont ya know!
And just to be a Real Trader ... he has bought a van ....

And of course its a Big White Van ..... real white van man stuff!
(I have to have a little portable step to get in and out ... its so big/tall ... and I've only little legs! I feel a bit like the Queen .. bless her! )

Of course all my time has gone to helping with the buisness ... all hands on deck ..... its our livelyhood we are talking about ... and things were a bit lean over the early months. Its a good job we have had practise of the Thrifty lifestyle.

I must say its lots of fun .... hard work and tiring ... but fun. We find lots of interesting things and of course I want to keep them all ....

Some of them just have to come home ... if only for a little while and then we sell them on.

We managed to do some jobs around the house, and the cottage is freshly resplendant in a new coat of paint..... how do you like the pinky PINK look!

The lads were a bit unsure but hey .... I got the paint real cheap and anyway I just love the colour, nice and warm looking.

Let me know what you think .... is it a bit extream? Am I turning into a mad old woman.... or is it too late?

Is'nt this a nice little picture .... horse and foal in the field opposite the cottage.

Again this was bought as stock .... but could you believe it someone pinched the fuel cap lid (or something .. Hubby P knows about these things!) whilst it was on display so its unsafe to use .... never mind .... looks nice in my garden where it can happily weather its life away!

The poppies are looking just wonderful .... although dont look too closely the garden is dreadfully overgrown .... needs weeding when a have a spare hour or two.

Very pretty but a lot of it wild flowers .. otherwise known as weeds!

I do so like all the old and rusty .... could be said of Hubby P some cold damp mornings!

I will leave you with a couple of pretty flowers ....

xx Take care xx Bye for now xx

The Lentil Lads!!

Say 'Hello' to the Lentil Lads!

No.... I've not been slacking ... I know its been a while since my last post ... but I've been a tad busy .... just work stuff ... just the boring scraping a crust stuff.

But anyway! ..... the exciting news is that we are to have a 'Special Occasion' in the family .... end of May.

This requires the attendance of a gang of Likely Lentil Lads .... well the request was - something handmade ... a bit different than the usual 'Favours' given to Guests to take home.

So here we are ... the beginnings of the gang ...

Its been a bit of a 'make it up as you go along.... with what you have' .... but then that's how I like to work, bit of a challenge. And then of course there is the whole 'green-y' thing about reuse, recycle, make do and mend etc ... so these little lads are very trendy in their own way.

I found a good piece of rough towelling type fabric for the bodies, made a simple shape and filled them with ..... you guessed it .... Lentils (on offer at Lidl's)..... nice and cheap .. make a nice soup if you are desperate!

I wanted a Beany Toy type of feel to them, and it seems to work a treat ... and as Hubby P says it brings them alive ..... Gives them a Pulse! ..... Yeh I know .. haha ... get it lentils... pulse!

They are all individuals .... like you and I ... no two are alike, some are taking the occasion very seriously and adhering to the dress code ... to the letter!

Others .... well you know the kind.. a bit wayward, a bit funky... they have their own slant on the dress code, it all adds to the colour and the fun.

Here's a bit of a funky guy .... Neville works in advertising during the day .... likes to go clubbing.

Give us a twirl.....

Nice footwork!

As you can see I'm only up to four at the moment ..... had a lentil crisis and had to visit Lidl!

But there will be a whole gang by the time I have finished ..... for the end of May .... so ..

no pressure then!

I'm off to stuff a bunny ...... bye for now!

xxx take care xxx

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

When's A Mug...More Than Just A Mug?

So... when is a Mug more than just a mug? .... well for me its when its a delightful Retro-y little trio like these.

We were having a bit of a Mug crisis here in the Allsorts household...mostly due to me dropping them on a regular basis (due to arm-y...neck-y injury problem) ...and Hubby P dropping the picnic box this morning...in the dark, as we set off for Carboot...and smashing another two!

So how pleased was I to spot these real retro 70's style mugs on an old ladies stall...and for the princely sum of only 50p each.

Cheap and cheerful....that's me.

At that price I won't be afraid of using them....chances are I will drop them at some point, although they are a bit sturdier than the china ones I usually favor.

I bought these too, sorry the pic's a bit blurred, anyone know what this pattern is called?

I use to have the canisters and tins and whatnot in this pattern, can't say I have ever seen the mugs before.

I do like blue and white....its so kinda 'fresh' looking.

And Fabric.....

how could I leave this piece behind... a seasoned stallholder had put this aside for me....he's quite aware of my passion for old fabrics.....although its quite beyond his understanding...but then again he is a Man! (so I think we can forgive him! lol)

Its a new unused length of what I think is 1950's lightweight cotton... just so cute with the little bunnies...... so Easter-ish.

The colours are so fresh and bright, and it has that crisp starch-y feel of new fabric.



A largish piece so I have done the usual thing..... shared it between me (for my stash... maybe an Easter project) and put a bit on Ebay to recoup some pennies.

Now lets see.... what can I make with these cheeky little bunnies?

xx Take care for now xx nite nite xx