Since the last blog post.........

...................We have had Caitlin's third birthday last Friday (10th August).

Caitlin in her new gardening outfit we bought.

........and of course we cannot forget Liam!

think he was being called in to put shoes on!

Made Caitlin this cardigan which cost virtually nothing!  It was made from left-over King Cole Splash yarn used in other projects and I have enough blue to make Liam one.

Made Caitlin and Liam four 24" cushions and two toy bags from their old curtains!

Put my doubled-up magazines on eBay

Made some Scotch Eggs and Sausage Rolls

and Lemon Tart

(both recipes can be found here)

Restored this Dolly bed which is now in Sally's shop.

The bed was waxed with Lavender Wax Polish instead of being painted, the mattress is covered in ticking and I made the little quilt, the sheets and pillow case was made from an old pillow case, and the blanket from a piece of fleece fabric, and a finishing touch of a little Lavender Heart hanging from the bed head.

Needlework/Embroidery..........

..........Call it what you will! 

When I was at my senior school the needlework lessons were actualy dressmaking lessons.  When I first saw my very first timetable for the first year of my senior school (1967) I saw Needlework, I thought oooh great I love embroidering pretty stitches on cloth - OH how dissappointed I WAS!  Needlework lessons were dressmaking and if we were to turn up with embroidery bits and pieces which I did once you had lines...... I personally could could not understand it but there you go!  I was put off needlework for many years because of this which was a pity because up until then I enjoyed embroidery and fiddling around with the pretty threads, I also had access to "old fashioned" transfers which you cannot buy now only from collectors and ebay etc because of the lead content in the ink!  I don't think they did me any harm.........?

I learnt a few stitches from this little book which belonged to my mum

This is the oldest book in my collection. 

The books themselves are pocket sized and only have about half dozen pages.

Sell By Dates...............a new idea?

We love looking at old advertising.  Alex spotted this advert! 

Cannot see the date.......but the Radio Pictorial magazine was dated 31 May 1935!

(click on picture to enlarge)

The young lad hanging out of the train carriage is Hughie Green. 

He was featured in the ITV1 "The Talent Show Story" last Saturday.

Vintage Needlework Magazine

I already have a copy of this little magazine, which would have been quite expensive at the time.

I love the clear illustraions

My other copy cost £2, this copy was a real bargain and in far better condition too.

This copy cost all of 10p both from charity shops!

Merry Christmas Everybody

Alex collects these old magazines.

These are the latest editions to our collection,

and they make good reading especially the adverts!

These particular two issues are dated

24th July 1936 and 10th December 1937

Stacking storage devices

Mmmmmmmmm..........think I've seen them

in Debenhams kitchen department

and as for the idea for making cakes pretty dusting icing sugar through dollies, I'm

sure I saw that recently on TV - Kirsty I think!!!!!!

In the summer of 1936 you could knit this dress

(If anyone would like the rest of the pattern I would be happy to send it to you)

I love this letter page from 1937
and wonder if every county had their own hotpot

or is it a version of Somerset Hotpot?

as this one seems to be for Taunton!

Most issues there was a page for children

and discovered a word used in todays language

"MICRO"

If you would like to do this Dot-to-dot?

right click on the picture

and save it to one of your files on your computer

Tea Cosy Covers

Have you ever wonder about these Tea Cosy Covers.........? Too thin to keep the tea warm, about as useful as a chocolate teapot............!!!!!
Well the Victorians are to blame. They covered everything from tables and piano legs to well.....tea cosies!
They made a padded plain cosy for the warmth from old blankets or eiderdowns, and had various covers, so if the cover got dirty or stained they were able to wash them, I think it is a clever idea, one cosy lots of covers. Sometimes the china, tea cloth and napkins would all match.

The tea cosy was probably invented by the Duchess of Bedford who invented afternoon tea, because there was a long time between lunch and dinner. Friends were invited for afternoon tea chatted the tea in the pot would get cold.

You will find these tea cosies here with a few other vintage linens.

Friday Bake on a Sunday!

Another Friday Bake on a Sunday! Sometimes Friday afternoons are a bit hectic, so I shall be doing my Friday Bakes between Friday afternoon and Sunday lunchtime. Anyway after being inspired by Simone's Swiss Roll and making one, I remembered the teachers in Domestic Science demonstrating what else could be made from a Swiss Roll cake. And if Mary is reading this blog do you remember this? I remember the teachers using Butter Cream Icing for the cake.


Make a Swiss Roll and turn it out on the a cooling rack and let it get cold, that's where the similarity ends. Mine looks larger than it should because I used three eggs and was going to cook it in three Victoria Sandwich tins but then thought you might like to see how I saw it originally done!

Trim the edges, then cut the cake in to three equal pieces and make a filling. I made mine with 5 oz Mascarpone cheese, about 2oz sifted icing sugar and a half of a small tin of Mandarin segments - drained.

Cream the Icing Sugar and Mascarpone cheese together, then add the drained Mandarins breaking them as them are mixed in

Spread on two layers of cake. Then pile on top of one another.

Looks a bit rustic as usual sorry

Yesterday's charity shop finds in Taunton.
I have always wanted on of these, even saw them in kit form once!

This one was £2.50 - I always say things come to those who wait........

Pretty tablecloth for £2.50 too!

........and this for £1.

Originally 20pence that's inflation for you!

Boot Fair!

Although looking a bit grey we decided we would go to the Boot Fair. We shouldn't go really over the years going to Boot Fairs, Charity Shops, Jumble Sales this has been our downfall! We now have too much STUFF! Not all Vintage and not all Junk! We keep saying we must do a Boot Fair, but when the weather is right we are not ready or visa verse - one day............. However this morning was just right, and I bought yet more stuff!

Taken as we were leaving - we arrived at the allotted time,

but there were loads of cars in the car park to buy!

Sellers set up at 9am, buyers arrive at 9.30!

Two large Tray Cloths £1

Ladybird book 50 pence

Rosie & Jim £2.
When the boys were younger we used to
sit and watch this together.

Two large Tablecloths £4.
Not embroidered yet!
So something I will enjoy doing!

It's come around again.........

My Birthday!

My cards from family and friends

Flowers from my sons

My birthday cake
Erhmmmmm do I have to act my age?
It's...................53

Advent 15

Now I can sit down and decide

what I would like to watch on television

over the Festive Season!

Advent 11

Christmas cards

waiting to be posted!

Advent 9

The stamps for the

Christmas Cards

that need to be sent!

What we wore seventy years ago

Not sure about the matching hat, dress and SOCKS!

They don't package things like they use to!

Now they come in horrible plastic containers!

67 Years ago.............

....................Britain was two years into the war with Germany

This is the Radio Times for this day 67 years ago

Newsround!

Education is not the same!

Believe it or not this was the "Kiddies Corner" Circa March 1934!

Well..I told you you would never guess!

Relay Revels was a free magazine issued monthly to subscribers of Relay Radio. This was in fact the forerunner of today's cable television. It was sold on the basis of being trouble free and a being the most economic and the best way of listening-in! "Rollickers" were apparently the children of subscribers who had their own pages in the magazine (see above) I must admit I had no idea what a rollicker was but according to http://www.dictionary.com/ it is :-
to move or act in a carefree, frolicsome manner; behave in a free, hearty, gay, or jovial way.
Sounds like fun doesn't it, but not sure about the 'gay' bit!