Some of my favourite things..

At the moment these are some of my favourite things:

A very sweet skirt, with lovely embroidered twittering birds! I found this scrunched up at the bottom of a plastic bag with other bits of linen in a thrift shop for 50p

A great find - an original piece of art - found in a thrift shop some years ago, it remains a favourite item, there's always something new to discover when you look again...

An ever changing little corner filled with treasures - including bowls from Anthropologie and a selection of bird skulls :o)

Pretty embroidered cushion

Vintage patchwork knitted blanket, and a Christmas present cushion from my good husband

My white roses from my lovely hubby

A really nice book about growing plants with edible flowers

My latest haul from my favourite charity shop, appropriately in spring colours!

Interestingly, few of my current 'special' things are new; they are mostly pre-loved or hand-made. I am not really a bling girl, nor do I particularly go for the boutique look!

Do you have some special peachy things at the moment?

A rather peachy lampshade

For some time I have had a couple of lampshade skeletons languishing in my crafty room. I picked them up for just a couple of pounds from a charity store, after being inspired to do something 'fabricy' with lampshades following a lovely trip last summer to Charleston House, the home of the Bloomsbury set - an influential group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists, the best known members of which included Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Strachey.

Among the Bohemians: Virginia Woolf (centre) outside a summerhouse with her house guests, economist Maynard Keynes (right) and Angelica Bell, Vanessa Bell and Clive Bell, 1930s.

In 1916 Charleston became the home of the artist Vanessa Bell, her fellow artist (and sometime lover) Duncan Grant, the writer David Garnett, her two young sons and an assortment of animals. The two men were conscientious objectors and had come to do farm work.

picture: photolibrary.com

Conditions at the house were primitive with only the basic plumbing and no gas or electricity, but the three adults gradually decorated the walls with murals and filled the house with their paintings, ceramics and painted furniture. Their work was influenced by Italian fresco painting and post-Impressionist art and the unique ambiance they created is still obvious today. Vanessa was a dab hand with fabrics too, and created curtains and lampshades for various rooms in the house.

My interest in doing something with the lampshade was re-ignited when, for Christmas, I was given Tiff Fussell and Rachelle Blondel's new book, Granny Chic from my rather peachy friend, Gaby. Tiff and Rachelle both love the eclectic mix of granny style fabrics and lace, but often give their crafty creations a modern twist. Granny Chic is a lovely book, and quite sweet in nature, with it's flowery language and retro look.

So I gathered some fabric scraps from my stash, and began winding ripped strips of fabric around the skeleton. You have to be both patient and dexterous! But it soon came together and then it was just a case of sewing a stitch or two in the loose ends of fabric strips to neaten the inside of the shade.

So there...a unique shade for the princely sum of less than £2.50. That's thrifting at its best. You could make a similar stripey lampshade, or use tones of the same colour, or indeed just use a single fabric to match other accessories in the room.

Have a good week

Boys can sew too!

As time is hurtling towards Christmas, it's also time to get creating home made presents for loved ones. BB decided he'd like to have a go at learning to sew on my sewing machine, and so he cracked on with gifts for his grandparents.

Being an 'engine', I thought he might well engage with the sewing machine, and, actually you know, I think it's good for boys to be able to sew! He quickly mastered the art of straight stitching and zig-zagging too.

First of all cutting all the pieces needed for the project

Zaf being his usual helpful self!

Here sewing pieces of fabric together

BB used offcuts from my fabric stash and odd pieces of lace to create something I hope his Grandma and Nana will like! So, obviously, I can't show you the finished items yet!!

I think for a 10 year old computer-mad boy, small projects which he can easily finish, is probably the best option for him. Making presents also teaches him the value of giving, which I hope will bring pleasure and pride to him when he gives his creations away on Christmas day.


I hope a few home made presents make their way under your Christmas tree too!