Just Todays Jobs ... Very Hum Drum ...

Hello there ...

just a hum drum sort of day ... housework and all the boring stuff...

A little excitement though ...

The Girls have doubled their production ... two eggs this morning!

Not bad .. if you remember we have only three hens and an ancient cockerel called Rocky... 

They are fed a rather relaxed diet of household scraps .. and a little bought in layers pellets ... I am careful with the bought in stuff ... I like them to fill up on the 'cheaper.. filling' foods first. They get a big bowl of warm mash (veg peelings cooked through with a handful of oats to dry it off) first thing in the morning .. and pellets later in the day ... always try and put them some green stuff in the run ... to peck at.

I suppose they are really more pets than anything ..but nonetheless I can't afford to be feeding them fancy stuff.... they look well enough on their plain diet. 

Having a tidy up .. and I noticed the flower arrangement/thingy was looking tired and ... er .. dead looking.

The Forsythia was still blooming and pretty leaves appearing ... but other greenery was past it.

I gave the vase a good scrub out and filled it with fresh water.

Checking the cut ends of the Forsythia ... it was as I had hoped .. the beginnings of little roots forming .. hopefully If I stick the twigs back in the vase .. in a couple of weeks I can pot up the twigs and have the beginnings of new Forsythia bushes.

I wandered up the garden in search of some fresh greenery ... not a lot to be had.

I settled on a bit of this Ivy growing up a tree ... it will bring a bit of fresh green into the house.

As you can see the Forsythia is still flowering its socks off.

How pretty are these .. 

Just so lovely .. like little ballerinas ...

And the Hellebore's are quietly doing their thing ....

A little flower head had got knocked off  ... so very pretty ... like a little china cup.

I left it in the garden .. for the faeries to play with.

After doll'in about the garden ... for far too long .. house left all upside down ... in the middle of attempting some cleaning ... I remembered these..

Well ... I kinda .. unearthed them ... from the pile of stuff on the table  .. well you know how it is ...

This is a nice little bag of knitting stuff ... someones knitting stash .. I picked up at the car boot.

The bag is a bit too grubby  and will be binned .. I will wash and pair up the knitting needles. I sell lots of needles on my little stall ... my 'sewing/crafting girls' tell me they cost a fortune on the shops.

Mine are nice and cheap and cheerful ..

Often the holiday makers have arrived for a week or two ... and realised they have forgotten their needles ... or they just fancy something to while away the time sat on the beach.

Last week one of my Girls was off to Benidorm for six weeks to escape the cold weather here .. she chose a simple pattern and some needles .. just to pass the time whilst she sat and people watched ...

 Yes!.... she said ..

 it was just like the program on TV!

Anyway enough for now ... going on and on again!

xx

Something Out Of Nothing ... Thrifting .. With Dribs And Drabs ...

Hello there ...

here are a few pic's of today's doings ... and this weekends finds ....

Do you recognise this ... more of the reclaimed 1960's fabric from the other week.

As you know I try and make the most out of everything ... and our choice of lifestyle is quite ... well .. someone described it the other day as 'self sufficient' ... I like to think that we 'march to our own drum' ...

We earn our living by bits and bats ... bit of this .. bit of that .. bits of money coming in from different areas ... all and every penny is welcome .. and all has to be accounted for .. for Mr Tax Man.

So... the fabric above ... although it came from a house clearance .. we had to pay for the clearance .. so the fabric has to earn us something ..

Today when I had a free couple of hours .. Hubby P was out tracking down more stock ...

I sorted through the offcuts of the fabric ... I sell on what is saleable and I save all the little bits. I found this bit big enough for a nice cushion.

It must be my upbringing ... making something out of nothing ... making do...

I remember one Christmas at my Grandmothers ..

My Grandfather was a builder and I suppose there would have been times when work was slack .. money was hard to come by .. but being a child I wouldn't really appreciate that at the time.

But I well remember helping my Gran reach deep into the huge dresser and pull out all her old crystal decanters... china and pretty tins. 

We spent an afternoon baking goodies to fill the tins ... and filled the decanters with homemade wine... then we wrapped them and labelled them  ... Christmas presents for the family.

Looking back now ... she was looking to what she had .. what she could make from what she had ... what little money she had ..had to go on the very basics and non spare for fancy bought presents...

So I do try and find uses for everything .. and if it can turn a penny ..all the better.

I've put the cushion an ebay .. see if it sells .. if not I will sell it on the stall .. someone somewhere will enjoy a bit of vintage-y on their sofa.

This weekends finds ... not a great deal really ... a few pieces for my Kitchenalia table.

I find a lot of people enjoy looking through the old kitchen stuff .. and its cheap enough to treat yourself ... 'just because' ... Grannie had the very same bread knife/whisk or whatever.

Some rather pretty tins ...and a splendid tea caddy ... oh I wish I had the discipline and patience to use loose tea!

I really cannot keep any more tins ... pretty as they are ...

they can bring a smile to someone elses face.

Hubby P found this beauty ... it is just so tiny and cute .... and remarkably clean .. hardly used I would say ...

Imagine cooking your dinner on this ..

Hubby P has to check all the electrics ... make sure its all safe and whatnot before we can move it on.

It would be just like playing house when you were little ... you would need little pans... and everything....!

So what about this week ... well .. more car booting ...although I think the weather is going to be awful.

I still have more fabric to sort ... maybe some more random cushions...

Still collecting and washing the jars ...thankyou for all the comments ... I do love to read all about your doings ... and all the useful tips are just fab ... we have a whole world full of experience out there ... its so great to share.

Sorry I am a bit rubbish at replying to you all ... life just gets in the way a bit ...  but I do treasure you 'my bloggy girls' as Hubby P calls you.

So cast your eyes around a bit .... if you need a few extra pennies .. what can you do ... what can you make to sell ... find to ebay ... skills can you use?

In the past I have taken in ironing, cleaned houses, packed cards, sewn slippers, made and sold cakes, reared chickens for the table, sold plants at the gate ... there is always something ...

just need a bit of Gran's old fashioned 'get up and go'!

xxx

Vintage Sewing Finds and Thrifty Jars ...

Hello there ....

Busy week here ... gathering stock ... sorting it out for weekend ...

and  some little gems amongst the everyday stuff.

I found this little bundle ... wrapped in old tatty bags at the bottom of a box of old linen ...

My heart skipped a beat ... and that old excitement starts to stir ..

ya know what i mean...

anyone who goes thrifting .. booting .. treasure hunting ... whatever you want to call it .. knows the feeling well.

It had been a sort of a mundane job .. lots of good stock but nothing ... really exciting ... then I pulled out this little treasure..

Some needlewoman .. somewhere ... someone just like us .. 

had spent time making herself this little 'Blotter' .. 

with pretty sprays of flowers ... 

I don't know who she was .. I don't know when it was ..

but ... I 'know' this woman ... she is all of us.

All of us who like to make ... and save .. and sew and make do ..

an ageless .. timeless ...activity.

This little book was with it ... I love this old rustic sort of embroidery .. and I've spent a good deal of time having a read of it.... amazing what you can learn .. there is always something to learn ... how can anyone say life is boring.

The designs in the book reminded me of a piece I did years ago .. I made it into a knitting bag for my mother. 

It has returned to me ... it was just stashed in the cupboard .. now Mum is no longer with us.

I remember so well the making of this ... stitching away when I was expecting my first son .. I had to spend time in hospital and it helped pass the time.

Gosh .. twenty eight years ago .. where does the time go ..

I remember thinking I would use up all the odd skeins of silks .. all the odd colours on it .. it was ideal for mixing and matching ..

always a thrifty mind ...!

The blotter has just been made ... as a kind of simple folder .. using some stiff cardboard ... simple yet effective..

It was stuffed with a whole stack of embroidery transfers .. from the 1950's I would guess .. a lovely collection .. many of them unused.

Pretty crinoline lady with a love letter in her hand ...does he love her true?

And some pretty smart soldiers 'Trooping the Colour'....

Very nice transfers ... I could be tempted to pick up my needle again ... 

But rather than just stash them away ... I will re home them ..my 'sewing girls' will love them .. and I have tried a few on ebay.

In the middle of all this ... bags and boxes scattered throughout the house .. waiting to be sorted ..

Hubby P dumped a bagful of jars on the kitchen floor.

Now I have everyone well trained ... and a friend had saved his empties for me ... in return ... come jamming time .. he gets some returned .. filled with something nice .. 

So thrifty job for today ... I put them into some nice hot soapy water to soak.

I am determined to have a good stash of jars this next year ... mind you I can see the way things are going I shall have .. well .. maybe a few too many.

Not to worry ... I have a cunning plan .... this last year lots of people were asking me if I had any jars to sell ... and I noticed any that were for sale at the car boot sale were snapped up .... lots of folk into this grow your own ... jamming and preserving.

Of course you can't sell them for much ... but I do like to think I am helping with the recycling thing .. and any and all pennies are welcome here.

I go through the jars thoroughly .. any that look a bit dodgy .. lids a bit stained or rusty I put into the recycling bin ... but most of them wash up just fine ...

I like a nice sparkling jar ...

So that's my day .... what thrifty adventures have you had today?

xx

Thrifty Seeds ... A Quick Update..

Hello there ...

just a bit of a catch up ...

We worked today ... cold and damp .. the usual at the moment .... but I have noticed .. 

in the last few days .. longer daylight hours... Hurrah!!

As we stood ... huddled with other stall holders ... early morning mugs of hot coffee in our hands .. the sun sent tentative streaks out across a damp rainy sky ... well before 7 am ... and its well past 5pm when the darkness comes.

The cress seeds I sowed have come up ... 

nice bit of fresh green ... 

nice egg and cress on a sandwich or with a bit of salad.

And today the veggie man had some of these lovely fresh baby potatoes ... all scrubbed ... just ready to be tipped in a pan.

Ideal for tea .. with a nice pork steak and slice of black pudding ...

Bonus/bargain of the day ... this useful little tray the potatoes came in.

How super is this .. what can I use it for?

Well as it happens .. it just accommodates two egg box 'bottoms'... if you know what I mean.

Just the thing for starting off my seeds .. I will just sow a few .. I haven't the space for lots and lots of plants.

I can slide the tray into a poly bag to act as a little propagator.

The seeds I sent for have come ... again a real bargain .. just £2.49 for 7 packs.

They are only small packs .. but as i said .. I only need a few .. ideal for me.

The pack consists of three types of tomatoes (Roma ...Cherry Balconi and Moneymaker) .. two of lettuce ... Lisbon Onions and a cucumber.  

I have lots of other packs 'staples' from last year .. so I should have a good mix of veggies ... it all helps keep the cost down .. and there is nothing like fresh from the garden.

All I need now is a small bag of compost and the seeds can get a start ... 

Lets hope we have a good growing year ... have many of you got your seeds in? ... or is it still a bit early?

xx

Thrifty Chicken .. and Workaday Mirrors...

Hello there ....

Well ... it was blowing a gale and lashing down with rain .. as we set out to work this at 4.30 am ... the sky was very dark and in the beam of our torch light the rain swirled and lashed against all in its path .

As we sat outside the big market shed ... waiting for the stewards to let us drive in ... the van rocked in the high wind ... I was thankful of a flask of hot coffee ...

We must be mad....

Anyway .. the rain didn't keep people away ... and we had a good day ...

as we packed up to come home ... the wind died down ...and the sun came out to play!

I find Sunday trading hard at this time of the year ....

standing around in a cold shed ... the cold creeps into your bones.

So I was glad to have a sit in the chair .. in front of a nice warm fire.

The view out of the window was lovely ... the sun was shining.. 

The trees in the field across..well hedge really .. were full of birds ... twittering away...

These pigeons/doves ?.. had lots to say ...

 I think there was a lot of romantic 'goings on'  ...

just look at these two snuggled up together ... they spent ages just sat bobbing about on that branch.

After a nice bowl of warming soup I had to sort out the meat I had bought from the butcher van ... portion it up .. bag and freeze ... 

I got lots ... when its bad weather and he doesn't sell as much .. the deals are great.

I worked out I got about 66 meals worth of meat for £30 ... big chicken legs .. pork steaks and Cumberland sausage ... well stocked up for a while.

Whilst the butcher was pulling chicken legs out of a box (of just chicken legs) .. he pulled out a small chicken ...

 'Oh ! ' .. says he ... 'a chicken .. want a chicken?'

'Throw it in the bag' says I .... 

so we got a chicken in with the price ..

This went in the oven for tea tonight ... love a chicken ... all that stock ... and chicken soup ... yum!

Whilst the oven was on I chopped up some sunshiny veg ... the colour alone makes me smile.... carrots and butternut squash ... and an onion .. mixed in a bit of oil and easy chili ..

Quickly boiled up the veg peelings for the chickens mash ... too good to waste. 

I still have a big jar of stuffing mix from Approved Food ... lovely stuff.

So I mixed a bit and put a few stuffing balls on top of the veg ... banged it in the oven.

Meanwhile .. the ever industrious Hubby P had gone to pick up some stock.

These lovely mirrors came from an area of our local city ... Bangor is a city .. (we have a cathedral) .. an area where the lovely big houses are listed properties ... some of them were having work done and had no further use of 'big' over mantel mirrors..

All good for us .. these are real beauties ...heavy original silver plate mirrors.

He arrived back .. and I had to have a quick look before it went dark.. this is a smaller one .. and a fireplace surround...

not that you can see too well ... but he said he wasn't lifting them out of the van ... just for a photo .... and then back in again!

You can see how big it is next to Hubby P .... huge .. need a big house for this one..

Wants a clean up of course .. but once Hubby P has worked his magic it will be stunning.

So back inside to the chicken..

lots of meat on it ... to say it was more or less a freebie ...

and of course the carcass for stock .. and soup ... did I mention the soup ... soup ... the best bit even!

So that's been our day ... hope you had a good one ....

xx

Tins Of Vintage-y Loveliness ....On A Dreary Day ...!

Hello there ....

Well its been a dark and dreary day here ...

rain.. rain .. and more rain.

A Girls got a job trying to keep positive and jolly ...

I can feel the dreariness creeping up on me.

The thing is .. i tell myself ... is to look for the positives .. the loveliness .. the harbingers of spring...

They are there if we look closely enough.

Just look at this Forsythia ... I brought these bare twigs in last week ... and with a bit of warmth ... they are doing their thing..

I think its just what I need ... bit of warmth .. bit of sun...

A Girl can have a bit too much of this Winter thing!

Well today's job ... why is it there's always 'todays job' ..?

Well anyway ... yesterday Hubby P brought me this old tin ...

Someones ... friends mother .... its always a long complicated story ... was clearing their mothers attic ...

Along with some furniture Hubby P ...bought the old tin ... he thought it looked interesting.

It looks like it has been part of 'Mothers' sewing stash .. it was full of dressmaking patterns from the 1950's or thereabout. 

Just imagine .. its been sat up there all this time .. like a little time capsule.

So interesting to delve into the tin ... the designs were so glamorous.

Just imagine wearing dresses like this everyday ...  well I couldn't .. it would feel so uncomfortable I'm sure .. and I'd probably need 'sturdy undergarments' to boot.

Mind you .. you would look just fab hopping on a train to the seaside ... or greeting the milkman with a duster in your hand ... of course you would need a suitably frilly .. pretty apron to wear over said fab dress..

And how about this for cocktails ... would this be suitably sleek enough to contain your 'wiggle'?

After much 'faffing around' with them ... I decided to list some on ebay ... Oh how I hate listing on ebay .... boring!

But I thought all the vintage-y girls the Rockabilly's and those young enough to have a 'wiggle' would be able to use them.

And I just had to show you this ...

Lovely 50's floral-y cotton .. it came in the lot from the clearance last week ... a single curtain still with its hooks... but a crumpled dirty rag.

Well ... its washed up well.

It has a lovely softness .. gently faded .. that only years of 'living' can achieve.... being washed .. blown on the washing line .. grubby children's hands .. more washing ... and nightly drawn against the moon and stars ... as the years turned.

Well I have saved three good pieces from it ... I shall have to try and sell some of it .. that 'making a living' thing.

But of course I have a bit for me .. and last week I picked up an old Observers Book of Garden Flowers ... and today I thought this old fabric would look lovely as a jacket for the old book.

Ahhhh a new project .. 

something to keep me amused.. 

So whats keeping you amused at the moment ...?

 I know I am an impatient kinda Girl ... but my seeds I sent for.. Still Haven't Come ... !

I want seeds .. and sun ...

 and seedlings ... and garden ... 

surely it cant be far off!

I will leave you with this little flower ... 
blazing its little socks off ....such a super sunshiny yellow!

xx