Retro shabby chic ....

This morning it is really lovely outside...The sky is blue, not a cloud in sight, no wind and at it looks like it will be a sunny day at last.

I have been up since 3.30am! I couldn't sleep...things turning around in my head. I have been creeping around so as not to wake Charlie.

 At 5am my cat Bloopy came bounding across the fences so pleased to find me sitting in the garden at an early hour. I gave him his breakfast...then...the naughty cat shot upstairs into Charlie's bedroom. I managed to get him out without waking Charlie and shut him in the sun room where he is now fast asleep on a nice clean ironed cushion cover.

I have had tea and coffee in the garden ...read my favourite blogs...looked at face book...read my emails and felt at a loss as to what I could do that was quiet. So..I decided to show you a few photos that I have been meaning to put on for a couple of months.

This is just a little ornament I picked up at my local charity shop. I am not really into ornaments...mostly as I hate dusting. I couldn't resist this at 49p...it is kind of retro, I like the flowers...

This is a little Ikea chest of draws that I bought about eighteen years ago...it is getting a bit scratched now but I still love it. I painted it fifteen years ago and have not been tempted to re paint it which is unusual for me...

I would say my style is shabby chic, although I like a broad range of vintage, antique, rustic and modern alongside retro, French chic,floral and country. Basically...I think that means I like a bit of everything....

I looked up retro...which implies a vintage at least 15-20 years old...

I looked up vintage...a term used to describe items that are more than 20 years old...

Now I know what i am talking about !

I bought the cats above for Charlie as they look like our cat Bloopy... I found them in the charity shop about three months ago 50p each...

Try as I may I can't get a good photo of these tea towels... My auntie Pat gave them to me as a gift, I just adore them. The top one is actually white with a beautiful embroidered bird on it, far to nice to use as a tea towel. I can imagine them all getting grubby with Charlie around, so they have remained in a draw forgotten until I found this photo. I think I may make the embroidered one into a cushion....

 

My mum gave me this Cath Kidston tin...I opened it with glee...only to find there was nothing in it ! There was a cup and saucer inside that my cousin Sue gave my mum....I got the empty tin!

Well ....I do like the tin...the only Cath Kidston item I own, and it will come in useful for something I guess....

The little tree was a reduced Easter find from Salisbury's...I like it on my decorated telly cabinet along with the cats. I must watch out or I shall end up with clutter again, when I promised myself I would only have useful things....

All of these things are from the charity shop as well....I bought a set of six original unused 70's plates for £2.50 !!! I have four of the little pale blue plates which are from Next and cost me £1...and the spotty mugs were in the end of season sale...half price...25p each...and there were five of them. All the china is new and unused....

I know it is very late....but I had to show you the Easter chocolate my parents gave me... I had moaned on face book that this was the first year in my life that I did not get an Easter egg...then I was given these.....

My auntie Pat...bless her heart...also gave me this cushion as she knows I dream of having a camper van....

How on earth can I slim down when mum and dad come over from France laden with goodies...chocolate...biscuit's...cheese and wine....

It is 7am now...time for kettle on and wake up Charlie with what he loves best

....... A nice cup of tea ......

And another excuse for me to sit in the garden x

Embroidery ...buttons ... thrifting and my cat ...

What a lovely spring day...I must admit I could easily have spent the day in the garden.

However tempting.....I had to work. First things first... my car had to go in for it's mot.

 Whilst waiting with fingers crossed that nothing was wrong with it, I went on a continued search for some pea green material. I make owls....I make pussycats...and have been planning in my mind to make some pea green boats........ I have hunted every shop that sells fabric with no luck at all....I have green material, but not pea green...I wonder do they make such a colour....

I did buy some new embroidery threads....I wanted pink, black and white, but found it was actually cheaper to buy an assorted pack. I wonder how long they will stay all neat and tidy...how long before they join the tangled mess with my other threads....

I also bought these cute wooden heart buttons .....

And....after a quick look around the charity shop....I found this....

Well I never....another cat...very similar to the one I bought Charlie. So I bought him for Charlie as well, even though he is not keen on the first one...I like him. He was only 45p !

After a wash and brush up...here is my new stripy cat. Charlie thinks the new one is worse than the first.....I think they are fab.

And here is Bloopy having a snooze on what was my bed throw. He likes how squishy it is...you know..when cats do that pawing thing before they lie down...he purrs so loudly whist pawing it for ages that Charlie and I end up in hysterics. ....

Oh...and my car passed its mot..it just needed new wiper blades.....so all is well...

The owl and the pussycat ........

This is a painting I did some years ago....a rather large painting that I did on fabric....I had it stretched onto a frame and sold it as soon as it was hung in the shop...       

This is the painting in the shop.....

My parents owned the shop which was situated very near the sea front in Eastbourne....I rented it from them and made every thing that I sold myself. I had a work area behind the counter where I painted and prepared my sewing. I did the sewing itself after the shop was closed or when my dad gave me a break.

In the summer I opened the shop seven days a week, starting at 9 am and closing sometimes as late as 10 pm..holiday makers often had a walk out in the evening. The situation was good as we were near the theatres and some good restaurants where people would take a stroll before returning to their hotel..

I worked in the shop until a week before I had Charlie....He was over a week late and an enormous baby, just under 10 lb... I walked about 20 Min's to the shop and back each day...huge and round. I bought a man's t-shirt for the last two weeks of my pregnancy...it was orange and cheap in a sale, the only thing that would fit me....I think I must have looked like an orange with legs. I returned to work in the shop a week after I had him.

Retro fabrics ... and thrifting ...

Well...we have a little sunshine today...I have a north facing garden and the sun is out at the very end...It is fairly warm, so I can hang my washing out and catch up with it. How Charlie (my 14 year old son) and myself can create so much I have no idea. I'm on my second lot now...but...I have to remember that my washing machine is leaking. It has been for some time now and I can't afford to have it fixed. As long as I put newspaper down and slide a couple of ice cream container lids under it I can catch the water. It is leaking just under the front, about a pint a wash...If I don't remember I will have a stream of water across the kitchen which I always manage to walk in and soak my slippers... 

I found this wonderful retro fabric in the charity shop...two curtains...I have washed them but not ironed them yet...I just wanted to show you.....The old woman who lived in the shoe....and look at all the cute little animals.......I'm not quite sure what to make yet...my mind is ticking over....

I live in a small village just outside Eastbourne...not a lot here...a parade of shops...a station..a Tesco...a beautiful park with a lake and within walking distance of Salisbury's..B&Q..Dunelm mill..a bowling alley....Toby carvery and some other things I am not interested in...

 Getting off the subject !...In the village is a charity shop,about five mins away...needless to say, every time I go out I have a little look inside. I know the people who work there very well now...after eight years living here I know all the people in all the shops very well. This is actually very nice, but the problem can be that a quick nip to the post office 5 mins away can sometimes take an hour or so. I post most every day the things I have sold on eBay and to private customers...I chat to the ladies in the post office...the charity shop...the girls on the checkout in tesco, and if I happen to be at Graham's till...he imparts a wealth of knowledge about which tomatoes to grow... etc...

Big retro style flowers...sometimes I can't bring myself to cut up a large piece of fabric and tend to hoard it....I just stapled this bit to a canvas and sewed on a few sequins. It echos the design of the wallpaper in my hall...

This fabric is comes from a double duvet cover...I wanted to use it as a spare but it was faded at the top so I had to cut it...also stapled to a canvas...

The cat is from the charity shop also...I bought it for Charlie but he thinks it too odd...I like it's oddness....

especially its face.....

I have a very small kitchen...

I would just love to have a big farm house kitchen....not that I am a keen cook...or for that matter, a good cook....but because I want a big pine table where I can sit with family to chat over tea and cakes...where I can sit and sew alongside Charlie whilst he does his lessons...However..I have a tiny kitchen...I ripped out cupboards..put the fridge under the stairs... and had to have my table cut in half to fit it in. I took out more cupboards to fit in my kitchen dresser...my most loved possession.

Some years ago I bought the flower fairy lights just because I fell in love with them, one of those impulse buys ...they sat in their box for a couple of years as I had nowhere to put them...Last year I put them around the top of the dresser...a little ketch...but they look so pretty in the evening...

I think my mum gave me the angel...it has been there about six years along with the peace decoration that I put up one Christmas and never took down... 

Somehow this photo has got a bit stretched...I'm not that thin...my bottom not that flat!! As you can see I have to stand on a chair to put my saucepans away...I'm 5' 5"...average height...My eldest son is 6' 4"...he can stand in the kitchen and put his hand flat on the ceiling. That would be handy for decorating you think...no such luck....

This heart plate was free with tea bags !....When we have special sweets or pretty little cakes I display them on the heart plate. The mug was a charity shop find...unused for a pound....I knew Charlie would love it.

Below are my kitchen curtains...not a good photo I'm afraid...photography is not one of my strong points....along with writing and spelling....thank goodness there is a spell check on here....

It took a while to find the right fabric to go with the wall paper...I found it at 'The old loom mill' where I used to rent an area to sell from....

The tie backs I made from a long necklace that was made from a string cord with little charms and beads threaded on it....I undid the necklace and cut it in half. I cut the gold flowers from a leather off cut and sewed them on back to back catching the string between the stitches. Next I put back the charms and beads and tied  little brass curtain rings on the ends...

This cat is a prised possession as it is one of the few things my son Peter has ever given me...It is made from wood and has been hand painted...a holiday souvenir...I think it is brill !!

A fabric heart I made and decorated with some shiny squeezy paints I bought for Charlie, but I just had to have a go with them...it hangs on an old pine wall cupboard from the local secondhand furniture shop...

This mosaic was a gift from my friend Alison when I moved in....eight years ago...goodness I have been here a long time now and still have not got it the way I would like it.....

 

I put this photo on so that you could see my wallpaper more clearly. I just love this paper...it is a gold that sometimes looks silver, and a teal blue....I know at first it seems a strange paper for a kitchen but everyone remarks on how great it is....When I am in this room I feel like I'm inside a big present that has been wrapped inside out.......

 

Handmade cat and owl cushions....

Everything is a bit slow going at the moment...it is that time of year when businesses are quiet.....it is cold and miserable outside....and we are all looking forward to spring .

Personally I can't stand being cold, as soon as the sun shines I my brain seems to wake up and I feel motivated again.

I am trying to find a suitable on line shop...I only want a little one that is easy to manage...that I can link to my blog. I have been selling on eBay for five years but I find it far to expensive to run....listing....selling ....and paypal fees can at quiet times come to more than I am actually selling. Setting everything up is taking far longer than I thought it would...I am feeling frustrated by the whole thing.

I have designed a couple of cushions that have been going around in my head for a while...I made the patterns and tried them out to make sure they worked....I made the cat cushion from my fleece jacket that was feeling a bit tight after all that Christmas food...I put a zip in the back and made an inner cushion pad....I am very pleased with it, now I just need to find the right fabrics so that I can make some to sell...

 

Owls are very 70s and there are some nice cushion designs for sale on ebay and in shops...I was tempted to but one from eBay but I did not like the face so I have designed my own...The fabric I used is from my own stash...unused original 70s fabric that I thought was ideal as the design was reminiscent of feathers...I machine embroidered the eyes over two delicate flowers that I printed and appliqued them on. He  has a zip in the back and I lined him, placing a layer of wadding between the layers to give the whole thing more body and a better feel. The wings also have wadding inserted..I made an inner pad and feel very pleased with the outcome...He has a home on and old chair by the front door....

The way I work is probably a bit back to front ! I spend a lot of time looking for beautiful, quality fabrics for my work....but I like to buy remnants and ends of rolls so that I can keep my prices down...I don't design something and then but the fabric to make it from....I have the fabric and then think...what can I make from this...

Sometimes I have to wait before I can make up my patterns...for the right material and I like to make each thing unique in some way...I never make identical items.

My handmade gifts are loved....

I was sent these photos from one of my customers who is now one of my friends.....This is her beautiful daughter with a black cat that was given just before Christmas....Apparently she takes it everywhere....

The cat has been named Miss Perfect , and has visited Father Christmas and The Snow Queen.....

Just after Christmas Alison bought another cat...a pink one,

and for some reason her pet cat has taken a liking to it....

Along with the pink cat she also asked for a kitten in a bag that her cat carries around in its mouth , I would love to see a photo of that.......

When given this mermaid apparently Allison's daughter said....."I don't like it....I LOVE IT !"

Below is her other pet cat with some of the dolls.....

Our beautiful black cat...Bloopy...

This is our cat Bloopy....well he is Charlie's cat really, but I look after him and Charlie gets the cuddles.......

Charlie asked me to crochet this blanket as a gift for Bloopy last Christmas......However....his preferred sleeping seems to be anywhere that I want to sit.....the second I get up he jumps on and refuses to move, digging his claws in the seat..............

This is the original cat toy that I made as a gift for Charlie about seven years ago....His name is ...Bloopy cat !!!....Charlie asked me to make him a kitten....the kitten is called Bloopy kitten !!

Children are so funny when it comes to choosing names.........We love these toys and will keep them for any little ones that visit....

Such a sweet little kitten....

Handmade gift...I love you...fabric cat dolls...

I was asked to make some pink I love you cats....the ones I made before Christmas were in colours suitable for boys or girls.....I sold out of them. So I have made these as I was asked and sold one to the lady who requested them....Little girls just love pink !  When I was little I wanted every thing purple...and I must admit it is still my favourite colour in any shade.

These cats are about 24 cm tall..they always seem to vary for some reason....the faces are printed and I did the words in various ways in order to make the all individual....

Handmade gifts...girls applique cat tote bags...

This is how I make my patterns...it all starts as apicture in my head...then I cut paper to the size I want, adding seam allowences etc..I make notes on the pattern so that I will remember everything at a later date...I cut out the shapes and juggle it all around untill I am happy with the design...then I cut it from fabric....It takes me longer to choose the fabrics and trimmings than it does to sew the item up...I want everything to be as perfect as possible.

I made four different bags by altering the placement of the design...

These bags are lined in white cotton curtain weight fabric with a little pink rosebud design. I put wadding between the lining and main fabric to make the squishy and add body...The bottom corners are squared off..and the handles have been inserted and top stitched three times to make them as child proof as possible....They measure  width 31 cm...depth Not including the handle..25cm...just the right size for a little girl...

I put one of my cats in this bag to give an idea of the size.