my place & yours....show us your shoes

One of the best things about signing up for the utmost challenge is that I have gotten a peak into all sorts of fabulous new blogs & had a nosey at all these interesting snippets of other peoples lives...I think in a life before internet I would have been a bit of a curtain twitcher...

Now over at Punky & Me, the loveliest of lovey type blogs I have enjoyed reading, Vic is hosting a 'my place & yours & this week its 'shoes'.

Well now whilst I love beautiful shoes unfortunately that's where it stops...being almost 6ft & slightly larger than you average cornflake, clumping about in a heavenly pair of Jimmy Choo's would be downright scary...so comfort & kookiness always wins hands down.

BIRKENSTOCKS will always be my my bestest favouritest comfyest shoes,no I do not care that people think they are ugly, clumpy & grim I love them anyway...

BOOTS have always been a definite fly in the ointment, now mostly my calves won't squish into the little devils and much to my dismay, as I would like to have a whole cupboard full of boots. Then these little beauties came tripping along and caught my eye... Fly London oh Fly how I adore these boots and now I find they have made then in GREEN.

How could you I say, don't you know I am on the utmost challenge, its cruel & mean. I will just have to look and dream that my brown boots are in fact green...
 

CONVERSE..goes without saying a staple in any wardrobe

CLOGS... I love to clump about the house in these reddest of shoes, pretending that the days are long and sunny and that I don't live in grim Yorkshire but in fact a lovelier climate where clog wearing is a must.

back on track.....hurry hurry

Right now, last week was a wonderful mamouth charity marathon...and after yesterdays off topic discussion about a certain dress I shall get back to the business of thrift.

 

At times I wonder if I am turning a bit loopy (or a bit more as there is already quite alot of loopiness about my person) as I rush through the door of the age concern shop almost shoving old folk out the way in excitment..(i did restrain myself and held the door open though).

 

Huffing when there is a browser in my fabric, curtain & sheet corner and grabbing wildly just in case another has the idea that they should like to own these little lovlies. Am I the only one who often wishes for the use of a trolley in these abodes...

Quite often I don't bother with the posh charity shops in town (Mary Queen of shops you are a menace) as the new colour coded fashion schemes & primark cast offs at double the price don't tend to send me into a fit of rushing, shoving & grabbing...but i decided whilst waiting for himself to browse the 'new' computer game store that I would have a gander.

 

And such delights it had to share a perfectly small, green & much desired baby hermes sitting all alone on the bottom shelf amongst the Asda cast offs...the grabbing was swift as you can imagine.

 
  

So the Litton has a new friend and both boys can type at the same time thus avoiding hideous fights & bickering 

i absolutely definately had to tell you...

I finally made the lola dress....I know this post should have been sharing all my thrifty finds with all you lovely readers and hopefully inspire you to get out & dig about BUT i positivetly had to show you Miss V in her new dress

 

I drafted the pattern last night & made it this afternoon whilst Miss V had a sleep...as you can see i think she is rather delighted at her new wardrobe item

  
 

 so back on track tomorrow & a gander at my found & hoarded treasures
rachelle xxx 

3.....happy bench monday

helllllooooo happy bench monday one & all...last week was a busy one and far too much thrifting, painting & people in my homity house hogging computer access to get anything bloggy done.

so I'velots to catch up on this week including a post a day if I can manage it! until tomorrow....

rachelle xxx

just a sneaky peak...

it was the opening of a floodgate...the vintage stash has been raided again...and soon I'll have somewhere out the way to sew....joy

just the wall to paint, hooks to hang, fill with stuff & away we go....until then

rachelle xx

good things when the day is grey....

1. happy stool, 2. new sofa, 3. office chair redo, 4. Vintage Lampshades, 5. Wood's Ware Beryl, 6. coathanger love, 7. knitting needle hudle close up, 8. produce-full, 9. Vintage aprons, 10. dottie angel - white christmas, 11. bookcase full of inspiration for the new diggs, 12. Pyrex,Teacups and Cake Plates, 13. Atomic Barkcloth, 14. A cozy corner..., 15. cath birthday bag, 16. vintage recycled 'whatnot' stool...

Just what you need when the 'get off your butt' muse has taken a leave of absence...today I just can't get going so an hour of browsing my fav photos has really worked a treat. Now to get on with a few jobs.

Hope you enjoy

rachelle xx

bench monday

 

Just a quick one to wish everyone a HBM just another chance to catch my vintage paper in all its glory.....

good things come in paper packages

I have been looking for a suitable coat for Miss Violet for sometime now, an unsuccessful search with the exception of a delightful little number in Haarlem but with a £100 price tag was certainly not justifable even for a girl who's too cute.....

So imagine my joy when this beauty plonked on my doorstep this morning

I have subscribed to Ottobre magazine for a couple of years now & whilst a little expensive the cost will definately pay off once Miss V grows a little as all the best patterns seem to be for 2+

Anyway back to the coat plans, my excitment bubbling over when I realised that it was in fact Miss V's size I had a rumage in the stash and have found some rather nice looking tweed & a great Liberty print for the lining. Although the rest of the family isn't adhering to the challenge rules I try to apply them to the clan whenever possible, so making the coat makes me very happy . So watch this space and I'll post again when I've got started....
 
 

vintage wallpaper out of the cupboard...

Now part of this years challenge is to use up some various stashes that I am prone to hiding around the place..one of my beloved, most treasured stash is my thrifted vintage wallpapers.

Today I carefully pasted some onto a little corner of the landing, a corner that is often neglected due to its inability to do anything useful....so now it has something to add to our home.

Its the proud owner of this, my absolute favourite orginal screenprinted on paper not much thicker than newsprint vintage wallpaper....rescued from deep within the age concern store, the messy isle where not many care to tread, but hidden there are the best treasures.

polly...please put the kettle on

a very quick post to say hello to Polly...who is refusing to make a late  night cuppa hmmmm. In a bid to get ahead of of the game I have started a wee stash of handmade goodness to gift on various occasions although I have a feeling that when a certain young lady spies a certain new addition to the family that a claim will be made and there will be no giving her away to anyone...

By the way Polly came from a book I picked up in New York last year called 'Softies - Only a Mother Could Love' a simply wonderful collection of oddities to create and be loved...Polly's creator can be found here - neststudio.typepad.com

and not forgetting...the pink tutu

I have been so carried away with my ramblings across the road at ted and agnes 365 I thought I'd better have a bit of a catch up over here... Today hasn't seen much progress as yet but I did manage to capture this wee cutie

Violets new favourite thrifted pink tutu luckily she didn't want to put her red coat on this morning as unfortunately there is a whiff of bag lady (or baby even) starting to emerge.....
 

pillows, stools & other such ramblings....

Today my plans have been well & truly scuppered...I was going to spend the day stitching some lovely new cushion covers with the newest edition to the fabric pile but no my sewing area has been stolen by a laptop & a 7hr conference call...pphhhhhtttt!

 

so this delight will have to wait until there is a gap in the calender of jobs 'to do'...so today will mostly be sorting out piles of things, keeping warm & trying to be productive.

Now there has been a little stool envy in this abode after seeing the loveliest stool apparel created by dottie's mr hook.

To ensure that my under dressed stools didn't feel too left out I decided to use the time staying up late glued to Prison Break to make up for my lack of care and attention...

So here is my stool, suitably dressed and as proud as its transatlantic friend.

I do however have on my desirable list, stuck up in a place (fridge door) for all to see & not to be missed... the glamorous originator of these stool outfits. The perfect piece to brighten any day.

created by Ingrid over at Wood & Wool stool should you be so inclined to adorn your home with one of these treasures....I am seriously hoping that my hinting will be taken seriously and since the man works in the Netherlands during the week would be pleasantly surprised that something maybe arranged on the sly.....we shall see

anyway am off to shuffle some papers about in a bid to do something useful...

rachelle (('.'))  
 

bench monday

for sometime now I have been a fan of this monday quirkiness and there are all the fantastic shots over here at the Flickr group..

So here is my first contribution to the bench monday fun....

Hope you all are having, had a great Monday

rachelle x

ps who spotted the new  (well vintage) fabric I just bagged for my cushion project..more on that tomorrow.....

first thrifty visit in weeks

Now i have been having quite a few withdrawal twitchings regarding my visits to my favourite age concern shop...SO Friday was the first in 2010 & what a haul...and as an added bonus they were having an 'everything half price sale' how cool is that....

even though I am on this utmost challenge I got to hit the January Sales!!! A little bit of woods ware...a few slips, a pile of pillowcases, an interesting doll which will make an appearance later when she has had a bit of a makeover & I can prise her from Violets firm grip

and included in my big bags of happiness was this delightful olive green tupperware box, ideal for saving all manner of thifted goodness.

So all in all a very pleasant Friday and as for the weekend well with all this snow there's nothing like a couple of days slothing on the sofa with several baskets of wool, crochet hook & a number of plans!

rachelle x

who has lost their mittens.....

me that's who.... I have looked high and low and can only surmise that i have left them somewhere abandoned and alone.

So I have chosen these 2 colours from my wool stash which all of a sudden has become very dear to me when I think it has to last a whole 365 days.....anyway

one knitted and it other half is on its way so those frozen fingers will be toasty & warm, that is as long as Stanley doesn't take a fancy to them and stash them somewhere for future chewing...

I have also been having a bit of a cushion stock take. Now I do like my feather cushions but with my OH suffering from various wool, animal & feather allergies I have to keep them to a minimum (due to the menage of animals & woolly blankets i have to compromise a bit..ppphhhffftt) So I have 3 rather nice sized oblong cushions to cover and have just bagged myself some delightful 50's fabric which will see 2 of them right but am toying with the idea of crocheting a cover for the other...the jury is out on this decision but with much pondering on how much wool it will devour i am sure a decision will be reached at some point!
 

rachelle x

shed chic....

A little white van ploughed its way up the snowy road today to deliver me my long awaited book (ordered way before my challenge began you must understand)..

Its a really jolly little book and has some great ideas for small spaces and i think that you could even squeeze this tiny gem into a backyard if you so desire...

 

 
Now it has been said that I collect sheds like some women collect shoes & handbags....not that there is anything wrong with these items, in fact I am quite partial to them myself, but I do like a nice shed.These 2 house my studio & storage...

There are another 2 in my collection, one that has been handed over to the men folk in the household for mountain bike tinkering and storage and this poor little broken chap who is due to be replaced in the summer...

with a nice cabin type building that will provide a much needed space for the family, a sometime extra bed for our visitors to rest their weary heads and an outdoor type space to avoid the constant summer rain that is Yorkshire.

Imagine all the thifty goodness I'll be able to fit inside......

rachelle x

flea market style

this is a book that I will definitely be dipping into for inspiration over the coming year.

I have always admired Emily's eye & the way she mixes up all those nostalgic treats that are with us from childhood.

I think my love of 'flea market' things came from the many hours spent traipsing round junk shops, boot fairs and the really boring 'auto-jumbles' with my Dad. It was often a sunday morning treat as 'in them days' only the 'local' village shop opened briefly in the afternoon to sell off it mouldy provisions and of course the DIY stores another passion of mine....but anyway swiftly moving on

My favourite style from the book is one that has all things floral as its main focal point

I still have no decent stash to speak of as much time has been spent trying to find these loveliest of fabrics but the have so far alluded me, maybe this will be the year of bark-cloth floral enlightenment!

 

As for the snow lovely as it is there are hours of thrifty finding to be had and I've not even been inside a charity shop since before christmas.....my feet are tapping, fingers twitching....

rachelle x 

today is the day........

 
stated for all the world to see....one whole year, 365 days to go....but as in Tiff's challenge there are a few exceptions

1. undergarments and such....

Unless these turn up brand new, security sealed & in my size at the charity shop I shall not be indulging in these reuseable items and the same applies to tights as in these sub zero temps we've had the joy of experiencing...one needs to keep warm & rubbing in deep heat & geting up close to the radiator isn't going to cut it! I will promise to endeavour to darn my woolies within an inch of their life but when all said and done new it shall be. As for socks the same applies unless the sock god gets greedy I should be okay.

2. paint...

now when your house is almost 400 years old keeping paint on the walls is a bit of an ongoing cause...so like the forth bridge, as soon as I've finished it is time to start again so I will allow myself 'ONE' pot of Farrow & Ball cornforth white each month (this does help to keep the plaster on the walls rather than the floor)...this does not mean various other exciting colours that i may just stumble across the stash will have to see me through.

3. gifts....

I am more than happy to recieve second-hand or esp handmade but some people (mainly himself) have issues with the purchasing of such items so I will accept new gifts as it would be rude not too!!

So there it is, all can bear witness to my pledge and keep me on the straight an narrow. I shall be scribbling my progress on this blog to keep myself from drifting from the path & hopefully enteraining you all

rachelle x

a challenging year

Just a quick note to say hello & welcome to my new adventure....'a challenge of the utmost kind' starting on the 4th January I will be writing about the up's & down's of this dottiest of journey's.

So grab a stool...crocheted cushion of course, a cuppa, slice of sweetie goodness and lets get going.

see you soon.......

rachelle x

new year...new challenge

So another year whisks past, I do hope one & all had lovely crimbo & NY celebrations, I have been extremely slack when it comes to blogging in 2009 but have a bundle of various reasons, excuses and other such nonsense....anyway I've decided that New Year needs some new challenges.

I've been dipping into Tiff's 'dottie angel' blog adventures for sometime now and apart from bringing a smile on the greyest of days with her peachy perfect ramblings have been greatly impressed with her dedication to  'the challenge of the up-most kind' even keeping the faith when the call of the yarn shop whispered to her in those quiet moments...tapping her on the shoulder, calling out her name....so I have been toying with the idea of joining her on her quest for sometime now and procrastinate no more shall I.(Well since I got my new boots for christmas.....)

So from the 4th Jan 2010 the 2nd birthday of this blog I will be pledging my pledgy thing to this challenge and laying out the rules I tend to inflict on myself over here. I have decided to keep this venture separate to my usual blogging as I am not insisting that the rest of the clan follow suit.

This probably means things will be even quieter here for now but I will pop in with the odd howdie dodie post now and again + pics of the boys & violet up to mischief as ever, oh and the family gatherings & holidays & high days & any other useless info we want to share & save for posterity....and not forgetting stanley obviously

So see you all soon (and you can stop scoffing now little sister of mine I can & must stay away from the wool/fabric temptation if I am to succeed!)
 

ps.....the 50p age concern wallpaper is pretty yummy in my opinion!!