Pressie in the post and bits and bobs

Hi ladies hope you're all well. I've not been blogging for a couple of days felt a bit out of sorts over the weekend so thought I'd just do nothing.
The picture above is of my lovely giveaway pressie I received from Bex at Bexs Buttons . I was so chuffed to get this pretty purse, in the post on Friday. One of Bex's purses with button detail in a grey pin stripe and pretty pink fabric, this will go really well with my new grey handbag. Also some pretty pink button earrings , some other beautiful pearly buttons to add to my collection and a very pretty card, which I'm going to look for an old frame I can paint and put it in. Thanks so much Bex, this little parcel really cheered me up.


This is a little note for Mel at Country in the Town ....guess who forgot to get her washing in last night Mel? Luckily we had no rain so it was nice and dry when I got it in just now.

It is lovely and bright here today although there is a very cold wind. This picture is looking out of our gateway, I took this as I was leaving to take Holly to school this morning.


This is Holly going into school, you can just see her behind the grill I hope. It's a lovely school, a huge victorian ex-miliatry building. Holly loves school and always has. Some days she wants to go in early to go to the guarderie, this is like a school club where children can go before and after school.


These are some of my favourite mirrors. They are all old and made of carved wood with gesso and gilding. I love old mirrors and think they look great together on a wall, not necessarily for looking in but for decoration. Whenever I go to a vide grenier or antiques market I always keep a look out for a pretty mirror. These pictures are a bit dark and probably don't show them at their best.


I thought I'd show you this. I bought this at the antiques market in Limoges. I just loved it. It is an old black and white photo of two ladies sitting in an aeroplane, not a real one, probably from the 1930's. It is behind glass and the frame is although a little shabby very pretty, it is made up of coloured thread with a ribbon to hang it. I looked at it and wondered who these ladies were! Do you do this when you look at old photos, try and imagine who they were and their lifestyle. I do love the 1920's and 30's, the fashion, accessories etc. Do click on the photo to enlarge it.

Enjoy your day ladies.
Take care.
Nickyx

Finally..................!

The little bear at the front is Holly's favourite 'sleepybear'. She's had him since she was a baby he's very loved and could probably do with a bit of re-stuffing. I have already patched his body once with one of her first babygrows and that's worn out too now.


This is just a quickie. I've finally been to the doctor today after having a cough for three weeks, he says it's viral and has given me stuff to take 4 times a day which will also make me sleep to kill the cough (as he put it). I really don't need to be going to sleep in the day so we'll see, also the blood pressure is a bit low and even lower when I stand up hence the dizziness today apparently something to do with said virus. Anyway I won't bore you with all my medical symptons, just to say I'm feeling a little light headed and a glass of wine hasn't passed my lips! - not since Wednesday anyway.

This is just to let you know I have FINALLY finished my first ever crochet project - the blanket which became a cushion for Holly.

I used the fabric I bought at the antiques market for the back and added a pretty dark pink button to finish off. I made the inner myself, ideally it could do with a bit more stuffing but I think Holly will like it because it's all soft and squishy.

I also added a few little crochet flowers (my first attempts also) to the middle of four of the squares just for a bit more prettiness. I've put it on her bed for her to find when she comes home from school. I hope she's pleased with it.

Enjoy your weekend. I'll have to do a post about the fab giveaway I received today from Bex at Bexs Buttons over the weekend when I'm feeling a bit more with it.
Take care all.
Nickyx

Bloggers' Block!!!

Hi ladies, hope you're all well and enjoyed a great Mother's Day. It's not on the same day here in France, but nonetheless I was taken out for a lovely meal on Saturday evening. On Sunday we went over to my mother-in-laws and took her some daffodils and a card, where we had tea and lovely homemade cake. Chocolate victoria sandwich with chocolate butter cream filling - my favourite.

I thought I'd share some photos with you of what will be our bedroom. This will be the top floor, up in the eaves, there will be our bedroom, another room probably for sewing and my other half's fitness stuff, the light is great up here. There will also be a shower room for us. I think this room will be lovely with the old beams showing, the cupboard you can see on the left is the wardrobe Mr. H. has built in under the beam, we bought some old doors from a depot vente, but it will all be painted as you can see. We have painted the walls with Ringwold Ground from Farrow & Ball and the wardrobe will be the same.

I am looking forward to being able to move into this room, it's such a long process also because Mr. H has to work as well, so things have slowed down a lot. We have to put the stairs in to this level, at the moment we use a tall step-ladder to get up there.

Above is looking out through the bedroom door to the rest of this level. Mr.H. has to make a door. The windows have leaded glass in them. We have a few internal windows for borrowed light.

Do any of you ever get bloggers' block. This week has passed very quickly and I have done lots of stuff, but can't think what to write about. I think it's probably because I'm thinking about lots of things at the same time, I have started an Etsy shop so I'm trying to organise that, I've decided that this year I'm going to get my little business off the ground. I'm still making things for my friends' living room, doing the final dog bed cover this morning, and trying to find time to make things for me as well. On Thursday I'm going up to Limoges with a friend and a french friend who would like me to make some curtains for her, so we going to look at fabric. I have to go and measure up for that tomorrow. The weather has been lovely here for the last week probably, so you then feel you need to go outdoors and do things too, I put some seeds into trays the other day so am now waiting patiently for them to pop up.

Do any of you ever have times where you feel so dis-organised, perhaps it's trying to juggle too many things at once, what do you think?
Take care.
Nickyx

A Pouffe!

I went up to the city with Lucy on Friday to buy some more material for the bits and pieces I've been doing for her sitting room. I'll take some photos of the window seat and curtain but every time I go round I forget my camera. This is howI spent Sunday. She asked me to cover a pouffe for her and this is how it came out. I'm pretty pleased with it. Before it had a very frilly floral cover. I should have taken a before and after photo, but wasn't that organised.
I did this yesterday as Lucy has her elderly mum-in-law coming to stay today and wanted it for her to put her feet on.

We had a fun day out at the shops, looking at fabric, trying on clothes, lunch was very nice - great homemade quiche and salad with a bread roll in a boulangerie/café , with an expresso to finish off. I have to say I was very good and only window shopped.


It's been a lovely day here today warm, sun shining, birds singing, daffodils out in flower - all very springlike. By the way we're forecast snow next week apparently, so I won't put my winter woollies away just yet. I've hung the washing on the line and it's dried, how satisfying is that. I really do need to get out more, getting excited because the washing has dried outside - I don't know! I've just baked a cake ready for when Holly and Olly get home from school, it was going to be chocolate but turned into lemon, fancied a change.

Right, I'm off to get the washing in.
Take care.
Nickyx

An Award - thanks Pixiedust

Hi all, just would like to say huge thank you to Pixiedust at Faerienuff for my award. I have to list 7 things I love and pass it on to 7 other bloggers .... so here goes - not in any particular order...

1. I love chocolate victoria sandwich with chocolate butter cream (on the top and in the middle).
2. I love lilies and their smell.
3. I love the self satisfied feeling you get when you're making something and it all comes together well in the end.
4. I love fairy lights.
5. I love getting up in the morning when the sky is blue and the sun is warm and shining.
6. I love the wonder of a huge full moon.
7. I love my children and family.

I'm going to pass this on to:-

Mel at Country in the Town
Rosey at Agapanthas and Goldsworthy
Bex at Bexs Buttons
Isabelle at Suzy's Vintage Attic
Ali at Message in a teacup tales from Betty & Violet
Gemma at Deravelled
Sam at SilkieSue

Enjoy your day.
Take care.
Nickyx

Just a few pics!!

Daffodils are so jolly and look like they're smiling.


My vintage curtain pole ends, I love gilded things like old mirrors and these, they're so pretty particularly when they're worn a little.

A piece of vintage toile de jouy I have hanging on my wall because I can't bring myself to cut it up.

This is the card my sister gave me when Holly was born, it is now framed and hangs in her bedroom, I love the words.

Finally, Holly's first pair of shoes, they're so cute. It helps you not to forget how tiny they were.
Enjoy your day, I'm off to get ready now as I'm going fabric shopping with Lucy.
Take care.
Nickyx

Catching up!!!....

Hi, thought I'd better catch up as it's been a week since my last post. It seems to have gone by so quickly. I don't know whether it's because it was Holly's last week of the half term holidays or not but it flew by. I went to visit my sister Tuesday morning with Holly to catch up as they'd just got back from their hoiday in Australia. Wednesday afternoon was at Lucy's with her french neighbour, Marie, for our weekly french/english session which of course includes cups of tea and homemade cakes. I spent Thursday tidying up the room where we keep all our stuff. There is still stuff in boxes up there from when we moved over here along with 'stock' for our antiques business. Spent a few hours trying to get some sort of order, but I'm sure the other half will shortly go up there looking for something and it will be a total mess again. Friday went to do the food shopping and Lucy and her husband came round in the evening as it was her birthday, a bottle of champagne and some wine later finally fell into bed.

You ladies are so productive on the blogging front, I've had two days where I haven't had a chance to catch up and boy is there a lot to catch up on. I shall sit and have a read this evening I think.

I'm making brooches at the moment. Here are three I made last week, my own little bits of textile art. The one above and below (same one just different coloured backgrounds) is made using all vintage fabrics. A little fine cotton with embroidery on it for the base, then some old broderie anglaise, a heart of provencal print cotton and on top of that a heart of vintage linen and finally some black silk velvet ribbon. Then I stitched on some little beads. All hand stitched and finished with a piece of felt on the back to make it all neat. If you click on the photos they enlarge so you can see the detail.



The brooch above is again mostly vintage fabric, the cream fabric is very fine with some very pretty embroidery on it, this fabric is so fine and pretty I wonder if it was for a wedding dress, as the pieces I have are sleeve shaped and the embroidery fits the shape, rather than be embroidered all over and the sleeve just cut from the fabric. I have hand stitched a hem at the bottom and pulled it up to make a little ruffled skirt effect. Again I have teamed this with some of the provencal print and the black silk velvet ribbon. My other half said he thought it had a 30's feel to it. I then added the little bits of black ribbon with the hearts and some pretty little beads to catch the light.

In case any of you were wondering what had happened about the crochet blanket which turned into a floor cushion for Holly I thought I'd give you an update. I've been looking for some fabric to back it with and hooray! on Sunday we went to the antiques market and I found this rather pretty floral fabric which picks up the colours of the crochet really well, I thought. So hey ho... Holly will very soon have her cushion. I think I'll have to make my own pad for this one.

Well Holly's just got back from school and I'd better go and get her some tea as it's the violin lesson tonight.

Take care...
Nickyx

Old tie-back, beads and a brooch!

It was a lovely afternoon on Saturday, so we went out for a drive, look what I found. A beautiful old tie back VERY shabby but still very chic. I loved the way it had faded to a soft golden colour. I love old tie backs and after having spent a night in the freezer I hung it on the end of the curtain pole in the bedroom where I think it looks very lovely.


I found the old tape too, only €1 and a little glass bottle of beads all different shapes and sizes, I couldn't really leave those behind, they're sure to come in for one project of another.
Finally, this is the brooch I started making the other day. I finished it off with some lace and a little hand stitching. I stitched a piece of felt on the back to stiffen it slightly and to attach the brooch pin to. I'm pretty pleased with it and it looks nice on my woolly jacket. What do you think?

Enjoy your Monday.
Take care.
Nickyx