Vintage Case Makeover & Garden Tour

Hiya

Buzz and I had an outing to the Ripley Castle Decorative Home and Reclamation Show the other weekend.  The weather stayed fine and as usual completely forgot to take my camera so here is link  Ripley Castle.  They hold it every year in May.

Of course, I had to buy something.  It would have been rude not to.  Found this interesting vintage leather case with drawers inside.  Couldn't resist.

It was a bit tatty, locks wouldn't work properly.  Inside the lining was pulling away causing the drawers to stick.

Easy fix with book binding glue, brush and wallpaper roller.

Gave everything a really good clean, oiled the locks with Singer sewing machine oil to get them working.  Cleaned the leather case with saddle soap, it was filthy, then polished with black shoe polish.

  Filled with all my favourite things, Singer feet and attachments in the small drawer.

The bottom drawer is perfect for my rotary cutters and blades.

Decided that the inside colour was a bit naff, so got out some pretty papers.

The garden is looking pretty at this time of the year despite 2 bunnies moving in!

Buzz checking up on what I am up to.  The forget-me-nots have seeded themselves all over, they smell wonderful on mass.

The conifer is ready for a hair cut.  Love the purple alliums, if you leave the seed heads on they seed around the garden quite well.  I fill my borders to bursting to save on weeding gardening for a living means the last thing you want to do on a weekend is garden again!

I put this broken pot on top of the cover of the bbq as the wind in the winter was doing its best to blow it away.  A pair of robins have made a nest and are busy feeding their chicks but they are far too wary to pose for a photo so you will have to take my word.

This years tally of wild life in my garden is:  Wrens nests x 2, wood pigeons nests in both the front and rear garden hedges, another 2 robins nests in the front garden (one was made in an old watering can), blackbirds nests, loads of hedge and house sparrows.  The uninvited creatures are the bunnies and I think, rats under the shed!  Unfortunately, the thrush hasn't made its home in my garden so my hostas are getting nibbled by snails.

PS forgot Hegarty the Hedgehog visits the garden, Buzz keeps finding him and won't come in the house.

2nd June - update  One of the fledgling Robins decided that the inside of my house was a good place to visit!  Found it sitting on my curtain pole.  It promptly flew (very badly) across to the other side of the room, then flopped down into a trophy cup on the table (that my partner won) which made it an easy catch.  It objected and pecked my finger, it was soo cute.  Took it back out into the garden to it's very worried parent.

Cheers

Sharon

Dog tired

Hi

Just a quickie, took Buzz to the vet today for a health check as he didn't want to go for his usual walk this morning.  Heart and lungs ok but some age related nerve damage in his hips causing a bit of weakness in his back legs but the vet assures me this isn't painful, just causes weakness.   She said that he still needs his walks, he has to keep going otherwise he will go off his legs.  So rest for a couple of days and then see how he goes.

When we got home, he had his tea and promptly fell asleep whilst holding his chew!  It is a chew and not a fag, honest.

He does look cute.

Sharon x

Vintage Sewing Spot & a few new projects

Hello

I sew in the conservatory, the light is good, its usually warm and I can look out onto the garden.

First a nice old table just the right height for little old me along with an old Lloyd Loom style chair to sit in. The more I sewed in there, the more stuff started to creep in. The other problem is that any fabrics or thread left on the table will fade.  I had bought different boxes and baskets but it was all getting a bit messy.

So I took out the linen basket replacing it with this little cupboard from the summerhouse, all the boxes fit inside.

It's ideal, will double as a cutting surface instead of the dining room table.  The iron and ironing pad on it now making more room on the table, the added bonus is that its at better height when I am stand to iron seams.

When I looked at the photo, realised that nearly everything is vintage and/or secondhand so a thrifty space.

Buzz's old leather collar finally gave up the ghost and I was going to chuck it out. Then I had a thought, I would make him a new one with pretty fabric using the buckle and metal loop.  Did try to get him to model it but he is a bit camera shy and sulked.  His coat is so thick it doesn't show up too well anyway.  He is getting an old chap now.

Made a couple of mini quilts.

I have started to use a magnetic pin dish to keep my machine feet in one place, if I just leave them on the table I always have to play "hunt the foot" on the floor.  Its really useful if you are doing something that involves more than one foot change.

Tootle pip

Sharon