Putting my foot in it (and then everywhere else)

Yesterday was rather a mixed day. 

I decided to spray my skip find - red.  Here is the "before" picture:

All well and good you'd think.  Not so, dear readers.  In between bouts of spraying, I spent much of my time wiping red footprints off the kitchen floor.  Note to self, must put down more newspaper when spraying (and must stop being so clumsy - I ruined two pairs of perfectly decent socks in the process). 

When I wasn't wiping down the kitchen floor, I was busy stepping in horse manure (thank you Mr J and P for that), walking it up the stairs and into virtually every room in the house and then wondering what the horrid smell was and then when I realised, scrubbing the stairs and mopping every room in the house - grrrrrrr.

Blimey, I was knackered after all that.  Anyway, enough of that do you want to see the hangity hang shelfy thingy in all its red glory?  Here it is:

Earlier in the week I discovered that I'd WON a giveway by the lovely Pene on Scrap my Mid Life Crisis.  Wanna see?

Lovely aren't they?  Thank you Pene so much.  Unfortunately, Little Miss J and P has comandeered both the love hearts and the doggie - boo hoo.

The rather wonderful Sarah at Modern Country Style has tagged me, so here, folks are my answers to the following questions:

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A Postman.

What do you like most about where you live?

We're close to Epping Forest and not too far from London Town - so best of both worlds really.

If you could only rescue three things from your house what would they be?

I'm struggling with this one.  OK, the external hard drive with rather a lot of photos on it, my ipod touch and a photo of my mum and dad.

What's your favourite book?

Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy.  At around 1400 pages, I felt very sad when I'd finished it - it was like I'd lost an old friend.  Excellent book.


What's your favourite room in your house?

Probably the bedroom - I love going to bed early and snuggling in my bed either reading my book or reading blogs on my ipod touch!  In fact, sometimes Mr J and P and I sit there side by side in bed playing with our devices (I bet you wondered what I was going to say then) - we' re soooo the modern couple!!


What's your favourite joke?

I never remember jokes - so I haven't got a favourite but this one's quite funny methinks:

What's the difference between a kangaroo and a kangaroot?  A kangaroo is a marsupial and a kangaroot is a Geordie stuck in a lift.
OR, if you don't know what a Geordie is (a person from the north east of England with a lovely accent):  What's yellow and hides in Afghanistan?  The Talibanana.

What would you most like to change about your house?

Well, it's the garden I would most like to change.  I'd prefer a much bigger one!

Do you believe in love at first sight?

I've never fallen in love at first sight but Mr J and P has - and it was with me!!!  So, yes, I believe it does happen!

OK folks, the rules say I have to tag 4 lovely peeps.  Here they are:

Angela at Bounty Huntress

Nic at Woodbank Crafts

Jo at Hesta Nesta

Twiggy at The World of TwiggyPeasticks

It's totally up to you guys if you want to take part (you don't have to if you don't want to) and you can make up your own questions to pass on.  I'm sticking with these questions as my brain has come to a complete stand still today........
Have a good weekend one and all.

A Tray Too Far

It's official, we have too many trays in our house.  They are stored on their side on the kitchen work top and occasionally come crashing down destroying everything in their wake (two bowls and the kitchen scales to date).  The last time this happened, earlier this week, Mr J and P grunted at me crossly - as if it was my fault we had too many trays - and I had to assure him that I would sort through the trays and clear out those excess to need.  So, 8 trays have become..........7.   Here are some of the more interesting ones:

Love the pattern on these:

Another orange, brown and yellow one - one of my favourite colour combos:

I love this one with its wickerwork surround and handles.  The tray surface is a lovely bright yellow, which unfortunately hasn't shown up well in this piccy, and has a pretty starburst pattern.

This tray belongs to Mr J and P which he bought back in the day when he collected royal paraphernelia (oh yes he did).  Tray   tres charmant n'est pas? (notice the subtle play on words):

Mr J and P's royal souvenir collection used to consist of postcards, magazines, jigsaw puzzles, books - you name it - he had a lot of it.  Which reminds me of the time he went to Oxfam to donate a Princess Margaret biography.  The lady in charge refused to accept it saying "Do you think anyone would ever want to read this?".  Poor Mr J and P scuttled off home rather red -faced, tail firmly between his legs.  That'll teach him to collect royal rubbish that no-one wants!    Aaah bless...

Music of the Moment: An Occasional Post

The Best of the Mamas and the Papas

I have a tendency (some uncharitable people say that I should put the word "annoying" in front of "tendency") to play certain albums and songs over and over again ad nauseum until even I have been known to get heartily sick of them. Anyway, at the moment I can't stop playing The Best of the Mamas and the Papas.




In fact, I've been playing it BC and AC - that's Before California and After California (see post here in case you haven't a clue what I'm going on about). Mr J and P says that this post should be entitled "Calfornia Droning" as it is just an excuse to go on about our trip to California - not true, dear readers.


Anyway, back to the Mamas and the Papas. The gorgeous harmonies, so rich and multi-layered, and Mama Cass' beautiful voice - aaaah lovely. I can't stop singing, very loudly, (another tendency of mine) to all my favourites: California Dreaming, Monday Monday, I Saw Her Again Last Night, Dedicated to the One I Love, Look Through My Window, 12.30 (Young Girls are Coming to the Canyon) etc etc.


Makes me want to don a kaftan and wave my arms in the air like I just don't care......

How 'bout this for a "fascinating" fact. Their first album If you Can Believe your Eyes and Ears originally had the cover below featuring the group in a bathroom sitting in a bath with a loo in the corner. Unfortunately, the album with this cover was pulled from stores after the toilet was declared "indecent"!! Yes. Really.

For some bathroom frolics, check out this video of the band with some groovy dancers gyrating in bathtubs (fully clothed I hasten to add) to the strains for California Dreaming. Classic.

Here's some I made earlier....

As this blog is supposedly about a "mishmash of crafting" (see header), I thought I'd show you some stuff that I made earlier this year just before I started blogging.

No sniggering at the back if you please.

My knitting exploits began with two coffee pot cosies. The one on the left is entitled "Double pom pom delight" and the other one is "A posie of pompoms". Yes, I gave them names... does anyone else do that?

A toilet roll cosy complete with pompom:

I would have liked to have made one of those poodle toilet roll cosies (yes, really) but I don't think my knitting skills quite stretch to one of those. Take a look at these three little beauties which I found on the internet. Stunning (if a little odd) aren't they?

And good grief, get a load of these, a veritable feast of knitted toilet roll cosies (they're nothing to do with me, I hasten to add, all from the internet):

Anyway, I've gone off on a little tangent. Here's another knitted fancy from moi: a not to be sneezed at tissue box cosy also complete with pompoms (Mr J and P made me say that - sorry):

I tried my hand at felting - you know bunging woollen clothes in a washing machine on high and bob's yer uncle - boiled wool or felt. Here is a felt wreath that I made:

There are lots of tutorials on how to make these wreaths on the internet. I cut small squares and threaded them on a wire coat hanger which I fashioned into a circle and voila!

I also made cushion covers from felted jumpers - one from an old moth-eaten aran jumper of mine and a beige ribbed affair. The two large cushion covers were made from vintage silk scarves and the little one at the front - the flocked pink ensemble - was made from a small piece of material that I got for pennies at a jumble sale. I know what you're thinking - that there really aren't enough cushions on that sofa. You're right, I need to make lots more.

More of that flocked pink material which I used to cover the lid of a sewing stool, one of Mr J and P's family heirlooms:

Have you nodded off? We're nearly done.

I made this snake draught excluder from a pair of old curtains that I picked up from a jumble:

From the same material this is a pear door stop, filled with a bag of rice and topped with a felted stalk and leaf!

Phew.... that's it, you'll be relieved to hear. Blimey, I was quite the busy little bee once.

TTFN.

I was right - Godammit!

Disaster has struck in my cosy little charity shopping world. I refer back to a previous rant here about my favourite charity shop (which I visit EVERY day) where I heard whisperings about a "new manager" and "changes". Well, there is a new manager and changes have occurred - big time. Gone are the boxes of scarves, fabric, pillow slips, knitting needles, wool, sewing patterns etc which I used to love rummaging through and in their place are racks and racks of clothes (horrid and overpriced) and a diminished in size bric-a-brac section which is dominated by (horrid) glassware. Some of the clothes are "new" with tags on. If I wanted to buy new clothes I'd go to a shop which sells new clothes for God's sake. In fact our local Bernardos, it seems to me, sells nothing but "new" clothes- very unsatisfactory.

OK, I'm working myself up into a frenzy here - I'll stop moaning now, promise. Take a look instead at this little lot that I got recently on a chazzing trip:

Mmmmmm, don't they all look gorgeous on my Rosali duvet cover courtesy of IKEA? The lovely burnt orange Witney blanket was £1.99.

Large amount of fabric which I thought could be the backing for the patchwork picnic blanket I'm planning to make - 49p.


Two Baret Ware tins. The small tin was 80p. The biscuit barrel was £1.50 and is currently being used to store food for our two new guinea pigs Sooty and Squeak - they're so cute!


The piece de resistance has to be a metal detector for £2.99!!


Oh no, I fear that this may become a new obsession. Here's to unearthing lots more treasures, huzzah! Mr J and P says that I was born to be a gold-digger! And on that cheeky note, I'll love you and leave you.

Jumble Jamboree

Well, I hit the jackpot at Saturday's jumble sale. Want to see what I got? Come on then......

Enamel roasting dishes complete with lids. Love the orange but also loving the cream one with its gorgeous green trimming. 30p each.

More enamel and some JAJ Pyrex. Very excited about the Pyrex - my FIRST EVER Pyrex buy (I know, I'm very late on the Pyrex scene). JAJ stands for James A Jobling of Sunderland who started to make Pyrex under licence in the UK in the 20s (it was first marketed in the US in 1915). Older Pyrex is often referred to as JAJ Pyrex by those in the know. These bowls are the "Chelsea" design from the 60s. I'm sure you Pyrex fans are familiar with the website Pyrex Love but if you fancy drooling over more Pyrex specimens then check out The Pyrex Collective
blog with lovely Erin from Yardsale Snoop and Angela the fabulous Bounty Huntress as just two of the many contributors. Anyway, this little lot was 30p.

A Meakin coffee pot (not the prettiest) and a Hornsea coffee jar for 30p each. I know I've said this before, but I must show you my collection of jars one day soon - they're taking over the kitchen.

A box complete with handle and handy compartments. Not a clue what it might have been used for (anyone - any ideas?). I thought it would be perfect for Little Miss J and P's many knick knacks but she refuses to have anything to do with it prefering some IKEA box thing which she expects me to construct grrrr. Does she not appreciate the lovely patina of the wood, its warm tones, the work that some artisan of yesteryear has put into this piece? No chance. £1 it cost me.

A mystery grinding (?) object. Anyone know what it might be used for? 30p.

Mr J and P was very pleased with his glassware. A decanter for £1. Feels like good quality glass (what do I know?). Mr J and P agreed that it should go in the bathroom filled with bubble bath. Classy eh?

A set of six desert dishes with flowers etched on them (they really are much prettier than the photo). £1.

Two large Kilner jars (more bleeding jars). 50p.

Star buy is this never used fireproof china saucepan. The make is Pilivite and it's French no less. Get a load of those lovely colours. 50p.

That's all folks. May your bargain hunting be as fruitful as mine was. Au revoir.

I went all the way to California and all I got was this lousy sweatshirt!

Yes, I know, I'm a BIG disappointment aren't I? And I only bought the sweatshirt for an extra layer as somebody had told us that it got cold camping in the Yosemite National Park at night (and they were right - down to about 10C in places).

Problem was I was too busy:

cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge (hidden below by sea mist!) in San Francisco:



Seeing the tallest trees in the world:



Visiting the oldest living things in the world (more trees) - some as old as 4000 years:





Camping in the hottest place on earth - Death Valley:



Scuba diving:



Rafting:



Surfing (just look at Mr J and P go - the theme to Hawaii 5-0 just springs to mind doesn't it?):



Whale watching (or rather feeling immensely sea sick in my case) - we glimpsed the largest living thing - a blue whale (no photos, those darn blue whales move rather too quickly).

Now if you're still with me and haven't switched off in disgust at my measly efforts at thrift shopping, I have to admit I'm exaggerating slightly when I say that the UCLA sweatshirt was the ONLY thing I bought from the magnificent thrift stores that I did visit. On our second to last day in California, I visited the Thrift Centre in Santa Cruz (yes I did say CENTRE) yes, not some piddling shop or even store but a CENTRE. Two floors of....STUFF (actually two floors is not unusual in thrift stores). Plus EVERYTHING was HALF PRICE that day (that's not unusual either). So I did manage to find..... (don't get too excited everyone...):



a large piece of fabulous crimplene (50 cents; about 30p) which I hope to incorporate into some patchwork ensemble (well, it was going to be a patchwork picnic blanket but by the time I get round to doing it, it will probably be deepest winter). And......



some barkcloth cafe style curtains complete with cheery yellow curtain rings ($4; about £2something).

Hope you all had a lovely summer. Can't wait to catch up with all my favourite bloggers. Ta-ra dear readers.