Car Boot Sunday

The warmer weather means our local car boot sales have started. So Sunday mornings can be spent mooching around looking for treasure! And I'm pleased to say that even though Mr D was convinced that all the good stuff would be gone, as it did take us what felt like hours to get out the house, on this occasion he was wrong!

We found a vintage wooden clothes airer

A seventies wooden cheese board,

 The couple who were selling these two items amazed us so much when they said they only wanted £1 for the two things, that we immediately offered to pay more!! But they insisted a pound was fair so eventually we agreed! Then there was the all important fabric find! And let's be honest the thrifting experience wouldn't be complete without a fabric buy!

Proof that the clothes airer will come in handy!

And with this old tonka bought for the boys, and that includes Mr D, who I think was a tad more excited about the buy than the boys, especially as it was another bargain at just £2. We all left the sale very contented. What a wonderful start to a day.

I'm busy blowing bubbles!

The gorgeous sunshine of the last few days has meant a lot of time spent outdoors.

The allotment is finally looking more productive and less like a plot of weeds. The garden has become an extension of our house with meal times being had outside and even the paddling pool has made an appearance. And my time has been spent blowing bubbles!

 

The boys are fascinated with bubbles and I can't blame them. 

Can you ever grow bored of blowing bubbles?

In our house the answer is clearly no!

There's nothing like some scrap!

Let's be honest this sewing lark can get quite expensive. 

All those fat quarters mount up, the wadding, threads, the list is never ending, and with all the great on-line shops around and sites like etsy it's very tempting to keep buying. Of course the end results are more personal and unique than most things you can buy, but making something yourself is usually the more expensive option, so this is where I think thrifted fabrics and re-purposing textiles can play apart.

I love having a rummage through other peoples junk whether in a charity shop, at a car boot or a jumble sale so was delighted a couple of years ago when a friend introduced me to my local scrap store. I'd never heard of the scheme before and didn't realise until recently that there are over 100 scrap stores in the UK and I believe elsewhere in the world. The general idea is that local businesses and people donate safe scrap to their local scrap store who sell it on at a low price to playgroups, schools and the general public, who then in turn reuse and recycle it!
The scrap can be anything from paper to plastic, wool to wire. In the past I have been lucky enough to find 3 rolls of vintage wallpaper that I used here, blank envelopes for handmade cards, and an endless supply of paper and card for the boys to use in their art work! In fact if your children love crafting this is definitely the place to go.

And to my pleasure my local scrapstore also have a whole section dedicated to fabric.

Of all shapes and sizes. Some large like the fabric above which was over a meter in length and I have already used it to make a scarf for myself. Some small pieces perfect for patchwork.

Some floral,

and some vintage, like this double sheet.

And when you think this was all acquired under one roof in one shopping trip it can't be bad.
I'm not sure if the schemes are all run the same way, but at my local store you pay £5 for a years membership and can then fill a supermarket size shopping bag for £1. With larger items like the vintage sheet being also a pound. So what can be better than a fabric fix that's easy on your purse, the enjoyment of finding such a diverse mix of vintage and new, plenty of materials to keep the kids happy and busy and the thought that in your crafting your helping to reduce landfill sites.
If you would like to find out more head over to http://www.childrensscrapstore.co.uk  or follow this link to find one close to you.
Fingers crossed that you may just discover your own little crafting haven.

What wadding !?!

My playtime quilt top is finished, finally! 

In fact if I could only just make a decision on what fabric to use for the backing, oh and decide on a wadding I would have made better progress! I was going to use a plain fabric on the back, maybe pierce it with some of the fabrics used on the front but now I'm wondering whether to go for a patterned print to make the quilt reversible, so when the inevitable happens " is that some baby sick I spy" I can simply turn it over! 

As for wadding the pattern suggests "Fairfield Poly-fil Hi-Loft batting" but I don't think you can get this in the UK so I'm not sure what to use. I've only ever used a bamboo wadding which wouldn't be thick enough, my local quilt shop suggests a 4oz polyester, though they don't have any!! What a great help that was! At least the owner of the quilt looks pleased with it so far, if only she could  help her mummy with all these little dilemmas oh and have a nap occasionally, she may get a quilt to play with before she's walking! 

 

Random Ramblings

I've been given the beautiful blog award by Julie over at forestpoppy. 

It's put a great big smile on my face, so thank you Julie. Her blog is a great read, so it's well worth popping over for a gander. I am now required to reveal 7 random things about myself and to then pass the award on to 2 other bloggers. So here goes;

1. I can't stand shop bought mayonnaise, I even struggle to put a knife in it to spread it on my son's sandwiches  which is unfortunate as my oldest son loves it and can eat it by the spoonful. Even writing about it makes me shiver!

2. Mr D and I collect a lot. Everything from glass vases to vintage radios, 60's and 70's coffee pots to clocks, so much so that Mr D is going to have to shelve out another wall to accommodate it all!

3. Right now as I'm typing this I'm watching Mr D cook us pollack in beer batter. I love being cooked for by Mr D it's a regular Saturday night thing. Though usually its a curry. We both adore spicy food!

4. My favourite curry from an Indian restaurant is Chicken dansak.

5. I also collect cook books. I love cooking and read cook books cover to cover as if they were novels. I have over 80, but will usually find myself going back to Nigel Slater and Jamie Oliver for inspiration. 

6. Mr D and I met in a Nightclub in North Devon. He was on holiday, we met and had a dance and agreed to meet the next day in my local town. I wasn't going to go but a house mate persuaded me to go. So I walked past the meeting point on the opposite side of the road just in case I didn't like what I saw! Mr D was still there even though I was quite late. I liked what I saw and this June it'll be 16 years and three children since we first met! Who said you can't find true love through drunken eyes in a seedy nightclub!! 

 

7. I will never tire of watching my children sleep. I think it is one of the greatest privileges of being a parent.

I've really enjoyed writing these 7 random facts, and would now like to pass the award on to Kelly at Handmade at Home and Dragonfly. I really enjoy reading their blogs and receiving their comments has made blogging all the more addictive to me!