A Boon To A Thrifty Housewife ... And New Shoes!

New shoes.....new shoes.... well not exactly new...pretty vintage really.... but new to me ...so today I've been wear'in um in as they say.

Feet look quite glam .... shame about the face as they say ha ha!

Not a glam day... having to wear my dingy collar... sore neck an all that, at least I'm indoors and not frightening the natives!

  

Bit of thrifty luck yesterday ... a 'boon to a thrifty body' as they say.....

I bought my veg as usual from the market grocer ... and as it was the end of the day he gave me a big bag of mushrooms to 'use up'.

They were looking a bit past their best .... and as he said its better someone eat them up rather than just throw them away... so mushrooms it is for tea.

 

What to do with a large bagfull of free mushrooms....

I consulted the Queen Mum and a made a cuppa..... tis is my favourite mug at the moment. I think everyone must have a favorite mug.... just the right size, shape and ...well the tea just tastes that bit better.

 

I fried up a big pan of the mushrooms with a couple of onions and  a rather bashed looking bit of garlic I found in the bottom of the veg bin.

 

 Fashioned a couple of quiche's with a bit of cheese.... added some of the mushrooms to a bit of stewing steak for tomorrows dinner.... and saved a helping of mushrooms for Richards meal. 

He's not keen on quiche.... whereas Hubby P is a huge fan .... life is full of surprises I find...

 Hubby P doesn't come across as a quieche-y sort of bloke... but there you are!

 

Turned out looking nice and tasty.

 

 Find of the week these cute little beakers ... who remembers these? I think everyone had them at one time ... and nowadays they are quite on trend with their spots.

 

And just look at my pretty flowers ... I just so love flowers.

They were given to me by the couple who sell the veg... I like to think of them as friends ..... 

Hubby P has been 'letting the cat out of the bag' and letting it be known to all and sundry that I have a 'significant' ... as he puts it .... Birthday at the weekend.

 

What he means is I am 50 years old on Saturday ... I really don't mind .... no..honestly!  

Its just a number .... I'm glad I have got so far... and have so many people in my life ... so many to love.

So a small celebration at the weekend ... family and friends ... all relaxed and casual ...plenty of nice food and drink.

And how nice ...how very lovely .... that I have a house with flowers from kindly friends.

xx bye for now  xx

Gathering Now For Winter ...

Lovely and sunny here .... yet the year still turns and I like to prepare as and when i can.

I've been saving the pennies for winter fuel... and today we had a load delivered.... all ready to sit and dry out ready for keeping us toasty warm during the cold months.

 Method in my madness ... I had it delivered whilst we had a strong bit of muscle about to do the carrying...

 

 Hubby P likes to stack the wood ... its akin to poetry for him ....... ...it feeds his soul...

He will tell you how its so important to stack them just so... so they season well .... its just ... well ...one of those satisfying jobs.

The woodshed was well cleared and swept out ready for the new load of wood.... its now half full so I will start saving again and get another load in a few weeks ... we aim to have the shed full to bursting ready for the winter.

Whilst 'we' were stacking the wood I faffed about with the camera ... and made tea ....THE most important job of course!

 I found this little fella in the water trough ... swimming for his life.

 He/she is a May Bug ... big and chunky .... not really got the looks either ... shame ...I'm sure he is a really nice bug .. nice personality and all that.

We dried him off...let him rest a while and let him go.

 This guy had loads of energy ... busy busy... a tiny wild bee filling his pockets to bursting point. He was so ladened it was a wonder he could take off.

So nice to see my 'wild' garden is benefiting the wildlife .... its fairly heaving with birds, bees and whatnot.

I just love the lush green of the garden at the moment... the scent of blossom on the breeze....it makes up for all the cold dreary months.

How does your garden grow? any interesting visitors?

Have a nice weekend... lets hope the sun shines for the Queen!

xx

  

 

Thrifty Pretties....

A day of Prettiness ... with a touch of Thrift ...

Just look at this pretty lace ... to think someone spent precious hours crocheting this to trim their pillowcase.... I wonder if it was made especially for a Brides 'Bottom Drawer' did it begin its life along side the married life of its maker?

 I unpicked it from an old pillowcase I have had for years... I think it came from my Grandmother with other bits and bobs. Anyway the pillowcase is past its useful life ( its off to join Hubby P's rag bag) ....and the lace lives on to charm and delight a little longer.

 

I had a good old day of unpicking and salvaging what I could .... buttons, zips, lace ... its all stashed away for another day.

 I must spend hours with my trusty unpicker ...

 This splendid cushion cover was found at a Car boot sale for pennies ... so pretty. I put it away because I didn't have a cushion pad for it ... so I was pleased when Hubby P came home with some tatty old cushions. He was intending to send them... with all the usual waste, boxes etc ... to the great landfill in the sky. 

I stripped the covers off ... the pads were perfectly clean (some had two or three covers one over another.... I unpicked the zips for future cushion making days... sent the old covers to the ragbag for greasy/paint-y hands.... and popped a cushion pad into the pretty cover.

Being of a certain vintage... the cover does not have a zip or fastenings... its simply slip stitched together. Its hard to imagine now ... but there was a time when Housewives thought nothing of unpicking things to wash them....often by hand .... dry them ....without a dryer ....iron them .... iron heated on the stove?... then sew them back up again!

 And to think she probably embroidered the whole thing in the first place!

And we think we're busy!

Anyway I had a very satisfying day .... and have a pretty cushion to show for it..... hope you all had a good day.

xx Bye for now xx

Jolly Thrifty Bunting...

 Enjoying the sun?

Its wonderful after all those months of damp dodgy weather ... still I can only take it in small doses.

I'm lucky to have a cool shady house.... the cottage has thick walls and small windows. Warm in winter .. cool in summer.

So this is what I've done today ... but of sun in the garden... bit of Bunting in the house...

 I fancied having a sew .... just... well....as you do, so I thought a bit of bunting would do the trick.... one or two celebrations in the offing... and it will look good in the garden.

Thrifty Bunting of course .... made from some old pillowcases and bits and bobs of trimming stuff I had stashed away.

Lets hope the sun is with us for a while .... it would be nice to have a warm relaxing summer.... 

xx Take care .... bye for now xx

Hubby P At Work.... Valley Car Boot Sale

 

I just thought I would give you a peek into the working life of Hubby P ... the job that gives him so much satisfaction ... obviously being Hubby P it involves a lot of talking ... oops sorry! I mean Networking...

These pic's were taken at the Valley Car Boot Sale where Hubby is based.

Two shipping containers hold most of the stock and are set out a bit like a shop with the treasures handy to see...pick up and have a good old nosey.

A real treasure trove of goodies for the vintage enthusiast. 

 Of course having me as a unpaid consultant ... its just struck me ... that unpaid bit .... umm

Anyway maybe I'd not get away with a paid job .... just way too critical, fussy ..... and I believe the word 'negative' has been used too..

But it does mean I have access to a vintage haberdashery stash...

Buttons and more buttons... and lace..buckles...ribbon..beads..all manner of goodies...

 He manages to find lots of pretties....

... and white linen by the caseful ...

How about some nice china...

 

 ...or the odd shabby cupboard....

Lots of lovely things....

 ....all cheap and cheerful.

And of course always so much to say ..... but a happy chappie!

Hope you enjoyed the pic's.

Oh .... and incase you are at a loose end... we would love to see you... we are at Valley car boot sale (Anglesey)  .... Tuesdays and Thursdays all year round.... selling lots of goodies.. and of course ....having a good old chat!

Just To Say Hello .... A Few Photo's

Hello there .... its been a while... 

I thought I would just dip my toe in Blogland... try and get back into regular posts ... I have missed you all....

Just a bit of an update today ..... 

.... still this obsession with fabric...

yesterday I came accross an old cushion that was destined for the 'great landfill in the sky' .... a wonderfully faded old beauty, so I reclaimed what I could gave it a good wash and press ... and it will live on as part of my patchwork. 

I find it so satisfying ... unpicking and reusing ... or is it 'upcycling' these days.

The summerhouse we were building has come on, all nicely painted up, inside and out. 

 

It still awaits its curtains inside and a snall porch and step on the outside ... I have the curtains cut to size and half sewn ... and I have the curtain tracks ready to go up.... just waiting for a man with a screwdriver and a few spare minutes.

Speaking of spare minutes Hubby P has had very few... his Trading and Restoration work has kept him very busy. He has settled himself and his tools in the old summerhouse ... well up the garden path... almost hidden from view (no more noisy drills humming away outside my window) ... and there he mends and gives new life back to all kinds of lovely things.

  

Its my Birthday soon (shall we say a significant one) and Hubby P has restored this beautiful Victorian bench ... that I may sit and contemplate my garden in comfort.

 He has done such a good job considering it was just a heap of rusty metal and rotting wood when he brought it home.

He so enjoys the restoration side of the work ... he is a happier chap .... I feel it feeds his soul.

The Garden is still loved .... although sadly neglected....

 

I like to call it a wildlife garden these days .... with plenty of 'wildflowers' otherwise known as weeds ... well they all add interest and diversity ... isnt that a trendy word these days .... diversity!

We lost Charlie our cat ... he now resides in the 'big garden in the sky' or more proberably curled up on the 'big sofa in the sky'!

We burried him under the comfry .... comfry is doing well I noticed .... flowering already.

Sad times .... but the upside is we have a lot more birds visiting the garden.

 

So all is well with us .... we are battling on through these tough times .... still on with the thrifty living ... the make do and mend ... and taking good care of our loved ones ....

 ...... hope you are all well .... how does your garden grow? .... any new Thrifty Snippets to share?...

.... do let me know if you are still  'out there'.....

xx Bye for now xx

Ye Olde Cookery Book ....

Hello there everyone .... its been a super day here .... lots of sunshine.
We are hoping for a nice day tomorrow when we sell at the Car Boot sale.
Fingers crossed ..... x

Just a short post .... firstly to thank you all for your comments, its nice to know I'm not just blathering away here to myself ... hehe ..... wouldn't be the first time!

...... and secondly ..... some of you mentioned the cookery book .... I've had it forever.
I think it must have been passed down from one of my Grandmothers I really cant remember..... its travelled with me from kitchen to kitchen.

As you can see its very battered and nowadays its held together by sellotape. It does have a fabric ... linen? .... covering, although that's falling off so the sellotape really does hold it all together.

Cookery Illustrated and Household Management

written by Elizabeth Craig and published in 1936......

So .... that's between the wars then .... fairly old .... its hard to imagine what life was like so far back.

The book gives a glimpse of household 'life' back then ... and what a lot there was for a newly married young woman to learn.

It not only gives advice on food and cooking ... but how to care for silk umbrellas and how to kill bed bugs!
Obviously essential information for every Girl!

How the world has changes .... off to do my Online shop now .... what would Grandma say!

Take care xx