All sorts of doo dah

I was slowly leafing through box after box of postcards at the boot this morning when a lady came up and offered £80 for the lot. The stallholder and the lady haggled for a bit and then settled on £100. I carried on pulling out what I wanted. Then they remembered I was there which was a bit of a problem for their deal. The stallholder didn't know what to do, so I told them they would have to wait as I there first and I hadn't finished looking. Glad I kept them hanging on as I picked out some real beauties.

A few stalls on and I found this pair smooching away.

A bit more of a wander and a friend of mine spotted these glittery baubles for me. There are beautiful reds and hot pinks in the box too. That makes it three weeks of vintage christmas do dahs.

I had to have this badge just because. Hope nobody gets too bossy around here.

I also brought home a bit of Carltonware and some more china to fill those shelves when I set up shop again.

Lovely Emma of Silver Pebble recently asked me to make her some Happy Days Bunting. She needs it to decorate her summer house as part of the Artists Open Studio's. Well all fifteen triangles have just been hooked and joined together, just need to sew in those ends.

Emma also commissioned me to make her a Dingle Dangle brooch, but one with a wee difference with a leaf or two entwined at the top. So I'm searching out just the right leaf at the moment. I'll show you when all is done and dusted.

Now going forward a day or two - do you want to see what we'll be doing on Sunday?

We'll be at Pugs in the Park. The first ever in Norwich as far as I know. Alfie Blue needs a bit of a polish and I'm hoping to find time to knit him a smart Hells Angels collar cover. Hope there are lots of other daft owners there too.

Bobo Bun in the Sun

The Armed Forces Day Vintage Market on Saturday was in the most beautiful setting. We were in the gardens of the Abbey in Bury St Edmunds. There were tons of trees around, but none gave me any shade. After seven hours of sitting in the full on sun my head had gone to mush and I don't think I made much sense. At one point I was sitting very still, miles away and when I moved the lady at my stall screeched. She'd thought I was a mannequin - probably part of Emmie's clothes stall next to me. Now is it good to be thought of as a mannequin or not, I'm not really sure?

Before the day really got going I did a quick whizz round and found a fabulous pair of curtains. The material is stunning, too good to cut up really, but where will I hang them? Their fate is still being decided.

I kept thinking about this set all day too. Do I need it? Big No I didn't. Did I want it. Mmmm yes. I gave in and home it came.

Home just in time to catch the end of Dr Who and snuggle with my lovelies.

No rest for the naughty shopper as first thing Sunday morning I was dragging the paddling pool out of the log store for a scrub down. It was worth it when we dipped our toes in, before heading off to the grandparents for lunch and a game of tennis in the garden.

Isn't summer just perfect. Hope you all had a loverly weekend too.

Treasure in the Sun

Delphiniums in full bloom, all purpley and blue explosions which I love. With no effort from me they pop up every year, the only problem is they're behind the Buns trampoline so we can't really see them properly unless we go and have a bounce too.

What we can see is all the missing grass covered in rocks and rubble created by these wicked three. Oh - there is also a huge amount of weedage to be removed, maybe one day when I'm bored I'll get round to that job. I love cottage gardens, but gardening gets done as an after thought round here. I'm more of a chop chop hack and leave piles building up here and there kind of gardener.

Now I must show you a few of my treasure finds from Wednesday. It was all of a sudden a tropical Norfolk day and the daft hats were out aswell as a few daft people I was pleased to bump into. A very sociable thing the car boot, even good mornings and how are you from the dealers.

First find was this stinky (reason it's being aired), but pretty plastic cover thingy. I thought my stitching machine might like that to keep the dust out.

Next I found a well behaved thoughtful seagull for Mr Bun.

When I spotted this coffee set by Burleigh I was thrilled the man had been left in charge by his wife as he hadn't a clue about the price. I put the set in my bag quick sharp before she got back and told him he'd undercharged me.

The gorgeous cloth underneath and the mini green cruet set also came back home with me that day.

The strangest thing of all to find on that oh so hot day was yet another box of vintage baubles. All in perfect condition and sparkling away in their glittery finest.

Today Alfie Blue and I are sat by the open doors enjoying the sun and not enjoying the flies buzzing around. I'm busily stitching and finishing for the Vintage Market in Bury St Edmunds tommorow. As usual cutting it fine as Buns to collect from school soon and still so much to do.

If you happen to be that way please stop by Abbey Gardens and say hello as it promises to be a good day. I hope we can hear the Swing Bands from where we are, but then I think I'm near a friend of mine so a spot of chit chat is due too.

Now enjoy this summer sun we seem to be having and if you're not into the football like me, hope you enjoy finding a space on the beach.

All in a Day

I've fitted as much as I can into the longest day of the year, but still I couldn't quite do it all. Plans to see a friend were scuppered by my poor memory. I'd forgotten I'd said yes to gluing, cutting and crowd control at the Buns school today. Help was needed on a fairly overambitious project - twenty four 7 - 9 year olds copying panels from The Bayeux tapestry. Many had the concentration of a goldfish, can't say I blame them, I'd have been bored by it too.

Time alone meant more making for Bobo Bun. A list of to do's as long as the day itself and a market to get ready for on Saturday. I sat content, surrounded by a ball or two of yarn and caught up with Saturday's Dr Who on the iplayer as I hooked and clicked away.

I also fitted in a spot of garden tidying. Mine happens in bursts when feeding the hens or clearing up dog poo and I end up pulling up a weed or two. Today I found a poorly tree about to collapse so I tied a length of ribbon around it and to another one to pull it upward again. Hidden underneath that saggy tree I found these heavenly scented roses.

Then there was still a wee bit of time left for faffing before collecting the Buns from school. Cushion rearrangement was the activity I settled on.

We ended the day with a meal together, a bonfire which has burnt all night and for the grownups we watched the latest Sherlock Holmes which was a brilliant movie, a wonderful end to a very long day.

Baubles

Thank you so much for your lovely and supportive comments on my last post. It's great to get the backing of a group of people who absolutely get the whole handcrafted thing. One of the reasons I enjoy blogging so much is being part of this community of thrify, crafty, treasure seekers.

I raced up and down the pitches at the car boot this week as I had so many other places I had to be at the same time. Luckily my spotting treasure radar was firmly in place. Everyone here loves the elderly terrier I brought home.

He's a bit bashed and chipped, but that just adds to his appeal.

I found a few more Enid's for the Buns and yet more Greydawn jugs, but best of best of all was hidden in this old worn box.

Which was filled with beautiful handpainted vintage baubles, a couple of plain silver ones and two which I've not seen before.

Close up - aren't they just beautiful?

These are the ones I've not seen before. Small glass bauble flowers with tinsly petals.

In between a day of treasure gathering and then a very busy day at work this feature came out in our local press. It was a fashion shoot using the work of local designers, from bags, dresses to my brooches. I rushed off to the newsagents when I left work to see which brooches had been used in the shoot.

I love my Cheeky Cherries on this floral tea dress.

Three of my Jolly Big Flowers have been pinned to the front of this dress and look stunning. I'm really pleased with how they look and what Emma the journalist has written about Bobo Bun.

It's been a great week and now it's time to start my weekend. Friday is my fabulously long day of making for Bobo Bun as the Buns have drama club after school so no rushing off at 3pm. Lots of plans for today, will they actually happen I wonder?

Have a good time this weekend sun or no sun and see you next week.

Production Line

Hello there to my new followers, thanks for coming along. I'm sorry I haven't popped by to visit you, but for some reason my blog is refusing to show me any links to followers.

Now what a great day I've just had.

A lovely lovely lady who is opening a shop this summer in Norwich called Glory Days asked me a wee while ago if she could buy some of my work to sell there. She came to see me today and placed a pretty large order with me. We managed to talk the hind legs of a donkey or two as well.

It's all very exciting stuff as it is so lovely knowing you aren't fooling yourself by following this urge to make. I knew the shop would be great as she's stocking Hope & Greenwood's sweeties, Kind Hearts Clothing, Acorn & Will and a couple of other makers from our Pick 'n' Mix Market. I'll let you know the opening date and how to find it very soon.

Before she visited I got into full production mode to have enough to show.

At the start of the line.

I was hooking and stitching until I was happy and it ended up in one of those baskets further down the line.

Now I've sold to shops before and I've never felt happy with the whole deal. It was either a 40% cut of my profit or sale or return. The whole nature of handmade is that it's time consumming. Anything made with passion and care takes time. This makes it very hard to give over a huge chunk of your hard earned profit to someone else, but then they are getting your work out there for you. Now the best and ideal deal is when an order is placed, paid for up front and the prices paid are agreed between maker and buyer so everyone's happy.

Now I've got quite a few things to get making as well as having enough stock for the summer markets and to get my shops shelves filled. Busy busy as always.

I seem to have finally got my head around production line working too. I've always made each piece and finished it in one go and then moved onto something else as I get distracted easily. Now I've figured out how cutting out and making up all the bits and bobs I need really is a much quicker way of working.

After all this hard work there's always a reward.

At the end of the line Pretty fizz, followed by grown up fizz later on.

Footy with a Spot of Pretty

I have a very unhealthy loathing of football and groan as each four year World Cup cycle comes round. This is not easy for Mr Bun who adores the beauty of the game and it's history. He has run the up's and down's of Brightons Seagulls since he was nine. Sadly for him a hell of lot of downs really.

Last weekend I was told all three Buns were throwing off the shackles of pretty and having a World Cup party on Saturday night.

Remember that barkcloth I got last weekend? Well I made it into a couple of new cushions and snuck a bit of new pretty in to keep my football fans comfy.

Is that a flashing England flag lurking behind my pretty cushion?

Eldest Bun had her hands and face painted. Little Bun got all itchy with hers so it had to come off straight away.

I gave in and joined them when the snacks came out. After a munch or two I soon got a bowl full of granny triangles hooked up. Amazing what you can do in 90 minutes.

No Time for Rushing

If I was of the furry kind I'd be chasing my tail right now. There is such a long list of needs to be doing stuff in my head and on scraps of paper that I don't know quite where to start. Solution fiddle about with your blog and lose a bit of time here saying hello. I have an order to make up for a shop, parcels of orders from lovely customers to send off and I won't even look at the messy rooms - no I'll stay here and fiddle for a while.

When I was wee I had a huge love affair with Mabel Lucie Atwell and Enid B. I could sit and look at the pictures in my annuals and books printed on spongy porridge coloured paper for whole afternoons. Then off for a spot of playing before being called for teatime, bath and bed. Time dragged then I remember - how I wanted to be a grown-up. No one told me it would be so busy when you got bigger.

So now I indulge myself by buying old Mabel tins to smile at while I cook tea for my little ones and roadside sweetpeas that I can smell as I rush past to run their bath.

No one told me either that the magic really starts when you can have your childhood all over again with your own children. That you really need to leave all the list of adult jobs behind and just get on with the business of exploring, laughing and just being.

And while you're doing all of this you never know what beautiful things you might find along the way.

We even found Ken waiting for Barbie at the fair. Well I did - the Bun's said "Ken who?"


Righty 'o off I go to find that list and tick off a job or two.

Have a lovely weekend won't you.

X

Fully Zonked

Lots of Monday plans were planned on Saturday. Time just for me. No one else to consider between the exact hours of 9 am to 3.15 pm for one day only.

Then I woke up completely and utterly zonked. My arms and hands were tired and achey. A self-indulgent, whatever will be kind of day was needed. So no making today, lots of planning, dreaming and biscuit eating was done instead.

We had a great time at Little Vintage Lover yesterday. The crowds came once more, many dressed in their finest vintage garb. I did some good bartering with a bit of Carltonware in exchange for my dream barkcloth fabric and a spot of vintage towelling.

I had another rummage before the doors opened and found this delicious 30's green milk glass set. I have absolutely no room for it whatsoever, but I love it.

Alongside the natter and meeting up with good people, there was a spot of cupcake eating too. Edible butterflies and glittery lips afterwards.

I really appreciated your kind words about my brooches in my last post, thanks for taking the time to leave a word or two. It's a good feeling this making lark. I've always had the itch to glue, cut, stitch and add a bit of sparkle from being little to being not so little. Good to know I'm not alone.