It's curtains for my vintage linens

I've been collecting embroidered tray cloths for a while now.  The plan was to make a patchwork cushion cover with them a la Cath Kidston:

Only I realised I had far too many for one little cushion.  I even had two embroidered tablecloths to play with.  I never used the tablecloths, pretty though they were.  I'm far too much of a domestic slattern to spend time ironing the buggers.

Sooooooooooo, I laid out all the cloths, pinned them together in a pleasing stylee and sewed them up.

Lo and behold I've only gone and made a curtain panel:

Mr Fusspot J and P complained that it was a bit dark with the panel closed:

So I found a bit of lace, tied it like so

and voila! Let there be light (sort of):

Little Miss J and P thinks it looks "odd".  There's nothing like your beloved family to poo-poo one's creative leanings.....

Oh well, perhaps a holiday might put the J and Ps in a better mood.  Yes, we're off to Holland to camp for a few days and then we'll visit our friends in the south.  Yay.  Cannot wait.  See you anon. xx

If a picture paints a thousand words then these don't count at all

The art of photography has always alluded me.

And, so it seems, Mr J and P.

Mr J and P has many talents.  His runner beano vino (see here) may not taste the best but it sure hits the spot (as I know to my cost....er hem...).  His raspberry jam is delish:

 and as for his jar of Rhubarb Love....

Rhubarb Love?  What the heck is that about?  Mr J and P tells me it should be rhubarb jam but he was thinking of me when he wrote it.  Yeah right.

Anyway, here are some pics, courtesy of Mr J and P, of our exciting Saturday at the Rolling Stones (as mentioned in my previous post).

Photo warning:  they're not very good.

This is Temper Trap

These were Palma Violets.  We liked them.

The Stones!

That would be Keith

That's Ron Wood

In the midst of all the lights and bluriness, Mick is wearing a little white dress.  Yes!  He donned one for a couple of numbers.  A little white dress just like the one he wore at Hyde Park in 1969. 

I told you they were rubbish.  Could it have been something to do with the fact that every time Mr J and P went to the bar he kept coming back with 4 pints?....There were just the two of us.....(poor Mr J and P - must have been seeing double).

We both had terrible headaches in the morning.....

Well you have to don't you?

xx

Resistance is futile

Some of you may remember that I've got a ridiculous amount of jars cluttering up our kitchen worktop (see here and here for evidence!).  So, when I saw a set of three 1960s Crown Devon sugar, tea and coffee jars in Oxfam recently for a reasonable £9.99 (I've seen them for sale elsewhere for at least double that), I said to myself sternly  "Loo, you do not need yet another tea, coffee, sugar receptacle.  Walk away.  Walk away now before you do something you may later regret." 

Or words to that effect.

The design is "Carnaby Daisy" and was inspired by Mary Quant

So, I walked away. 

Later, Mr J and P, who had a half day off, rang me from the station to ask whether we needed anything from the supermarket.  I told him that we didn't but could he pop into Oxfam and buy the three vintage looking jars for £9.99 please. 

He did. 

I know, I'm a very bad person indeed. 

In other news, I was very lucky to win Emma-Kate's giveaway recently.  Just look at this beautiful wooden crate that she painted especially for Little Miss J and P. 

Isn't she clever?  Emma-Kate I mean.  You are too, Little Miss J and P, but you are "easily distracted"  (just like your parents) and need to focus more.  Plus you need to spend less time on social media.  Just saying.....

Where the heck was I?  (Perhaps, you could tell that we've recently been to parents' evening..).  Aaah yes, back to Emma-Kate.  I also got these glorious tea towels and fabby nail varnish. 

Thank you Emma-Kate, I love everything and Little Miss has declared the wooden crate "sick" which is high praise indeed.

Before I toddle off, just letting you know that this Saturday, Mr J and P and myself are off to see:

Too excited for words.....

Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend too. xx

What would William Morris say

I like a bit of paper bunting.  Not only is it super easy to do and a perfect craft for the craftily challenged amongst us but it's quick too.  I made this little fella in minutes using off-cuts of vintage wallpaper from Jane at Teawagon Tales. 

Jane uses strips of vintage fabric to wrap her goodies with and I re-used the strip to thread the bunting together.  Genius.  Even if I say so myself.

I'm like that you know.  No, not a genius.  I like to keep things just in case they come in handy one day.  I know, I know, it's classic hoarding behaviour.  I mean, what would William Morris, with his  abhorrence of clutter, say...

I'm mentioning William Morris because we recently went to the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, east London:

The Gallery was the finalist and subsequently the winner of the Art Fund Prize
for the Museum of the Year 2013

Like the rubbish blogger I am,  I can't find most of the photos I took to show you *raises eyes to heaven* but it's definitely worth a visit if you're ever in Walthamstow.

Well, we all know that Morris and his cohorts weren't keen on clutter.  His most famous quote being:  "Have nothing in your house which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful".  But he also said this:

Blimey!  What the heck would he say if he saw my clutter-filled home.  I dread to think.

Anyway, opposite the gallery was this: 

A Sally Army "thrift store".  Woo hoo!  A bit of culture followed by charity shopping never goes amiss particularly when the charity shop has a cafe attached.  80p for beans on toast.  Not half bad for London prices.  And even better, I actually struck lucky for the first time in ages.  Hallelujah!

I bought several metres of this lovely blue fabric with red polka dots for £4.99:

This double duvet cover for £2.50 which has become our camping duvet cover:

And KERCHIIIIING!!!  My new skirt.  One whole pound.  Yes, you read right.  One whole pound for this little beauty:

Before I toddle off, if you see this halfwitted individual on top of the London O2 (see my previous post), approach with caution:


I am pulling this face on purpose you know 

 It's an extra small pic and a bit blurry.  I wouldn't want to frighten anyone unnecessarily..... xx

Fun times

Our trip to the Isle of Wight was luvverly. 

There was a lot of body boarding to be done.

But not by me. I sat on the beach doing a big round zero apart from reading and chatting and gazing into the middle distance.  Bliss. 

We encountered a field of frisky bulls.  Scarey.  One minute we had the whole field to ourselves and the next, hundreds of the creatures surrounded Little Miss J and P and myself.  Mr J and P, who was ahead of us and safely in a bull-free field, was calling out "keep calm" safe in the knowledge that nothing would happen to him.  I really wanted to leggit but had to appear "calm" in front of a scared Little Miss J and P.

Anyway, we made it to safety: 

See, I told you they were frisky:

We also met killer sheep.  I kid you not.  When Mr J and P announced that there were some sheep ahead in another field, I thought nothing of it.  Sheep.  Pah!  How wrong was I?  One of the sheep (might have been a ram - not sure) took a dislike to me and kept trying to head butt me.  No pics of that little encounter thankfully.  Mr and Little Miss were laughing far too much to take photos.  I was genuinely scared.  Again!

Then there was the killer goat...  Actually, the goat was completely docile and totally ignored us but just take a look at the horns on that!

Thankfully, we didn't meet this pony...

When we got back from the Isle of Wight, it was my birthday.  Yay!  I got this lovely flap clock from Mr J and P:

and lots of music.  Some old timer music:

and some new:

Yes.  Disclosure (read about them here:).   Notice the difference?  Mr J and P didn't.  The one on the right is Disclosure's cd "Settle", the one on the left is a cd called "Disclosure" by a Dutch band called The Gathering.  I asked for the former and Mr J and P got me the latter by mistake.  The Gathering are described on Amazon as "fusing heavy rock with prog, folk and the ethereal sounds of 1980s".  Quite frankly, it's not for me.  Our Dutch friend described them as "truly awful" and he may well have a point.  Some people just shouldn't be let loose on the internet.  Yes, I mean you, Mr J and P.

I'm very excited because this weekend I'm off to climb this:

Yes, it's the O2 Arena in London.  Who knew you could climb it?  Well, you can and I will.

You climb up on a suspended walkway which is 20 metres above the dome itself.  Gawd help me, I do hope that I won't make a complete and utter fool of myself....

And afterwards - cue mass hysteria - I'm off to see:

Siouxsie Soux.  You really can't get more exciting than that.  Meanwhile, Mr J and P is accompanying our darling daughter to the Rhianna concert in London.  I'll leave you with the thought of Mr J and P at a Rhianna concert.  His work colleagues have apparently crowned him "the coolest dad" but he fears he will be spending Father's Day (the day after) as a mental and emotional wreck.  Bless....