Spring has sprung!

Wow, what absolutely brilliant weather we have been having! Let's enjoy it while it lasts..... I've taken advantage of the sunshine by getting a bit of gardening done, digging over my allotment ready to plant it up with veggies and, of course, taking Daisy and Tallulah (my dogs who this site is named after!) for some nice walks.

What better time of year to think about throwing a vintage tea party? I have been busy putting together some more vintage cake stands after the first two I made sold within seconds of putting them on my stall at last month's market! While the sun was shining, I decided to set them all out and take some photos.

Time for tea - and cakes!

Perfect for sweets and treats

They also make quirky jewellery stands!

They are all made from plates and saucers I have discovered on my travels, with some 'leftovers' from my own collection. It's great to see them being put to good use and I am really pleased with the results! Hope you like them too. The small ones are priced £8, the larger are £10 each so very reasonable. I am constantly adding to my collection of china so if you would like to place an order for a personalised cake stand, please contact me and I will source plates in a design or colour scheme of your choice.

I have also started making items ready for the Jubilee and Olympics (or, if you've seen the trailer for the brilliant 'Twenty Twelve',  perhaps we should say the 'Jubilympics'!!). As well as my red, white and blue tea cosy (perfect for a Royal street party), I have made my first batch of Jubilee mini bunting featuring Union Jacks, blue gingham and red fabric, embellished with vintage buttons (£5 for a 6 flag string of bunting). 

Don't forget: Strictly Vintage is in Leicester this SATURDAY 10am - 4pm. This month I am sharing my stall with Rachael from Cascade Boutique so come along and look at her gorgeous vintage inspired costume jewellery. A lot of it has an Alice in Wonderland theme so, along with cake stands, tea cosies and bunting, you can throw your own Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

It's that time again!

Make do and mend....

I've recently been watching 'Superscrimpers' on Channel 4 - what a brilliant series! It has had a bit of a mickey take courtesy of 'Harry Hill's TV Burp' but the whole idea of a prime time programme celebrating the joys of saving money, cutting waste and making things yourself is so refreshing. Some of the tips have been great and I have tried out a few myself. Plus the vintage clips of Pathe news bulletins are very entertaining!

Back in November, I helped out at an event at Whetstone Pastures Farm (where I will be working for the Spring and Summer seasons). A local college brought two busloads of teenagers over two days who were working on a project on World War Two. They were given the 'evacuee' experience, had to wear name tags, dug for victory on the land, planted seeds, made fresh butter from cream and learnt all about rationing, growing veg and what it was really like to live on a farm during wartime from a special guest, who was their age during WW2.

I dressed as a land girl and gave a small presentation on 'Make Do and Mend', talking about reusing old clothes and wool to make into new garments, repairing what you already have and generally being less wasteful, with the help of my trusty hand crank sewing machine. With a display of hand knitted items and vintage knitting and sewing patterns, some of the kids had a go on the machine and I think they found it interesting (!) particularly linking back to the revival of making do and mending for the 21st Century. Great fun had by all!

Vintage sewing machines can be temperamental......!