Not Waving, but Drowning....

in Stuff!

Do you know what I mean?

Stuff!!!! Everywhere!!! And most of it belongs to me!!

I am in a constant state of frustration - everytime I want something in my tiny sewing room I have to move twenty four other things to get it and then put them all back to use the thing!!!

Well, that's not quite true actually, usually they don't get put back - but simply slide to the floor in a sad heap in way that makes me want to join them!

My constant moaning about the state of things has had a bit of an impact on lovely S. however, and although he had already agreed that when he had finished his book, I could swap rooms with him and have the lovely front room which is currently his office with all of it's SPACE!! this seemed such an interminably long way off that little hints and visits to said room to 'size up the place' for where to put shelves and such-like have obviously had the wonderfully desired effect. He has agreed to move a little earlier. Yes, I think you could say he has been 'worn down!!!'

I do think he would be much better cocooned into my sweet but little sewing room where I am going to make him a lovely tidy little office where he can lay out his books and leave them to his heart's content and where no-one will bother him!!!

I, on the other hand, will be much happier with my buttons and fabric in the big square Victorian front room with it's shuttered windows and lovely stone fireplace!!! Ooooh!! you see, I have BIG PLANS!

I will have to be ingenious as there is no money in the pot for the streamlined built-in shelves of my dreams - but instead I will have to filch shelves and such-like from the other rooms in the house, hoping no-one really notices the piles from said shelves, left in their place!

No-one will notice. It's only me that tidies anyway.

Will keep you posted!

Yummy bulk button buys!

The past couple of days have flown by in a whirl of re-stocking, had a huge delivery of felt and made up some beautiful rainbows in the 12" felt,

(whenever I make these up, it always occurs to me that this is the pack that if I shopped at Feltgirl instead of stocking Feltgirl, that I would buy!! Being me, I would want all the colours and in a size that would make lots and lots of things!!! )

I have also spent a very pleasant morning photographing buttons and re-stocking the shelves of my little shop with bulk buttons in the most delicious colours:buttons do absolutely make my heart sing........ these come in bulk-buy packs of 50g in weight for only £4 or $6 and you get the most exciting mix - all shapes and sizes and shades, a true lucky dip as no two bags will be the same.
but now that the shelves of my little shop are simply bursting with button goodness, I simply must get on with some MAKING!!!!
Hopefully I'll do a show and tell tomorrow. Hope the buttony pics cheered your day as much as they did mine!! xx

Life.......

is tending to get in the way of crafting at the moment which is a little frustrating on the creative front but hopefully this will be put right tomorrow, which I have labelled in my head 'crafting Tuesday'.

We shall see!!

In the meantime, just wanted to show you the early birthday present I have kinda bought myself!!

Isn't it divine?!!!!

I LOVE it!!

In its day (1936) this was the most expensive model ever produced and there was a waiting list!!!

And I HAVE one!!!!!

Excited? Me? Well, okay then. As my daughter would put it - "YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Feltgirl Giveaway....

I almost forgot to tell you - the lovely Cass is hosting a giveaway of some Feltgirl felt - a whole pack of all 71 colours in the 4" size.

If you pop over here, you'll see how to enter. Basically, you become a follower here on V for Violet and then pop over to Cass's blog and leave a comment.

The giveaway closes Saturday 20th March so you need to get your skates on!!

Best of luck. xxxxx

A little reveal.....

this is the first of my new line of bags (oooh! how grand that sounds!! hehe!!)

I have used nothing but vintage, pre-loved fabrics ( which I might add, have all been sweetly washed and ironed).

I have a large collection (shhh! don't tell S.) of vintage fabrics and doilies and lace! So if you ask me it is High Time I used them properly.

So here they are, well some of them, shining proudly in the first of my new Spring High Time collection!!!!

Meet Marguerite-

and her other side:

she fastens with a sash, which can be tied in a bow or just a gently single knot for a little bit of security and to help keep all your bits and pieces together....

She is interlined with a medium weight interfacing and so Marguerite is not actually as 'flimsy' as she looks, and is fully lined with a jaunty blue floral number, there is even an inside pocket for some necesseties.....

Marguerite has a little bit of all my favourite everythings..... velvet, doilies, lace, soft fabric

and a vintage button......

Each Marguerite bag will be individual - although the basic pattern will stay the same, each bag will be completely unique. This one is the Marguerite Believe Bag....!!

At the risk of this turning into a tremendously long post, I wanted to show you some little cushions I've made for the new shop.

Oh yes, I have a new shop!! - the eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed the new labels - I have just opened a new shop under my own name - Tanya Palmer - and I'll be putting these first things today my little shop today.

These are two of the little cushions made for children -

a sweet little mouse -

and a happy frog

The fronts are made from felt and are really really soft and the reverse on each is in co-ordinating gingham check.

Well, I seem to have waffled on and on ....am off to make another Marguerite bag if the four huge piles of ironing will let me past!!............

There is something......

a little bit vintage happening in our house.......

there are linens.......and crocheted thingamabobbies.......and quite a lot of lace.........there has been lots of washing and drying......... there has even been some quite exciting dyeing!..All this has been done, or nearly done, and then there will be some ironing......and tomorrow there will be some cutting and some sewing......for this is all part of the BIG PLAN. I am now flagging though as the horrid 'bug' is leaving me with little energy, and I need an early night.

There is something fabulous hopefully arriving tomorrow too. But more of that anon. (whatever anon actually means). Night night.xxxxx

In which I haven't been ...

quite the blogger (eughh! horrid word) I aimed to be.

In my defense, I have not been completely well - I've had an awful head cold which has plagued me since before Christmas. I won't go into detail as I can't abide details of the sick....but in short my head feels as if it has been filled with glue and I can't hear out of one ear.

It is amazing how disconnected one feels with the world when you can't hear as normal.

Anyway, this is supposed to be a post 'back to normal' even though I am not. So, this is what I have been doing while I've been away from blogland:-

I've made a couple of new Cafetiere Coffee cosies, one of which has been sold, but the other will be here in my V for Violet etsy shop. I do love this fabric. I am always amazed when I haven't made something for a while, that I can remember how. And it is also annoying when I get the order of things slightly wrong - but luckily this didn't happen here and the cafetiere found itself cosily wrapped.I then had an exciting delivery of the hugest, most giant polka dot buttons, probably in the world, certainly as far as I have ever seen. I have them in candy pink, violet and teal and they are gorgeous in all 3 colours. If you would like a bit of giant spottiness, you can find them here

Then, most excitingly, some of my rainbowlike Feltgirl photos have been made into postcards and I have put them into little packs of 3 cards with envelopes so that they may be bought by the lovely people who requested them.

They are SO colourful, and brighten my day just looking at them that I warn you, you may not want to part with them and actually send them to anyone. In which case, you will have 3 white envelopes to use as you wish and 3 postcards of such colour that you will smile each time you look on them.

Here is Pack A:Pack Band finally Pack C.They can now be found here.

So now, having caught up just a little bit, I will return to the lovely Mother's Day that I am having, being thoroughly spoiled and send you the hope that you are too. xxx

It's a beautiful day.......

it dawned here with gorgeous clear blue skies and sunshine.....from inside and out it looked beautiful but it was deceptively cold with an easterly wind.......

On top of the moors there is still quite a lot of snow...
but if you turn around....... you can see it is gradually melting.......and Spring is saying a tentative hello to our valley....

My creative space....

is baa-ry busy today. (Sorry!!)

Making some more textile pictures - these are two that I've just finished....

always had a bit of an affinity with the black sheep myself!!......

See more creative spaces here. Have a great day! xx

Vintage Treasure!

Well, in the spirit of Spring Cleaning..........I have been sorting out, and have decided it is time to do a little de-cluttering.

Not a lot, you understand, just a little.

I have a confession, I am a little incy wincey bit of a......(shhhhhh!) hoarder. I know!

I think I'd rather call myself a Collector. Yes, that's more like it, that sounds much better!

Well anyway, I have ...er...collected rather a lot of lovely old brooches over the years and have decided it's time to move some of my lovely things onwards!

So, dear friends, with this in mind, I wanted to show you some of the lovely Vintage Treasures I have collected...

This little bow is my favourite....

But enough, a girl can only wear so many brooches......and beautiful things need to be used and enjoyed.

So if any of the above have caught your interest, they can be found on sale here but you'd better be quick, before the hoarder in me changes her mind!! xx