~Vintage & Handmade~

Oh my goodness it's been a fair old while since I was here, mainly because life has got in the way. In the dark dreary depths of Winter I don't function very well at all!  I have my birthday in February and usually book my ideas up by this time of year though.  Like many other Bloggers, I've also become a convert to the instant micro-blogging that Instagram allows, so please visit me there if we haven't already said hello!


Also if anyone is Yorkshire-based and likes a bit of Vintage homewares, fabric and handmade items, as well as a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake, I am having an event at my house on Saturday 14th March 2015 from 11am to 3pm.  I am not far from Leeds and York.  If you would like to come along, please email me (lavenderattic@hotmail.co.uk) and I will let you know the details.

 This follows on I suppose from when I held secret afternoon teas at my house a couple of years ago; a natural progression seems to be having some of my vintage finds and handmade items for sale at the same time.
See you soon x

~Half-term week~

This week's gone so fast, as hols always do. I've batch cooked for the freezer, cleaned cupboards out, renovated some more furniture, met up with friends and done some charity shop rummaging...
Today we had a run to Filey.  It takes about an hour and half due to the traffic round York and it wasn't the best day weather-wise but despite the mizzly greyness it was unseasonably warm.

Top left - Yummiest hot choc ever from Rendevous Café which sits in the Cliffside below the Crescent Gardens. Cream? Yes please. Flake? Yes please.
Top right - Coble Landing boats, note appropriate 'Morning Mist'.
Bottom right - The Filey lifeboat on the Coble Landing.
Bottom left - a photo of me with Jack; a brave first actual photo of me on my blog. The bobble hat wasn't so much for the cold, more a hair-taming intervention. Do you know the Friends episode where Monica's hair hates humidity and gets bigger and bigger?  Well the trusty bobble hat prevented that happening :)

~Catching Up~

At the end of a tiring week leaving home at 7am for work every morning (I look and feel rubbish!) I am quickly popping in to do a ta-da of my latest chair project.  All the chairs in this house are vintage ones which have had a makeover. I thought I'd show the chair I've painted for Laura's bedroom.   I posted a photo of this on Instagram earlier in the week.  The solid wood chair was in a family shed, rescued and given to me.  It was in bad condition with a PVC seat, but as you can see it's a lovely shape so just needed a good scrub, rub down and paint.

 

I used the Laura Ashley eggshell in Duck Egg blue I had left over from my sewing room chair project. The method here was 1 coat of primer, followed by 3 thin coats of eggshell, gently rubbing down between coats.

 

I then used fine glasspaper to distress the edges, and finished with a wiped-on coat of clear wax and a good buff with a cloth.  The finish is lovely and satiny smooth - worth the effort.

 

The seat pad was repadded with cotton wadding from Dunelm and recovered in this lovely duck egg check linen fabric (£19.99 per metre - Dunelm) I've enough to make some cushions too.

 

Just need to repaint her room now - but that will have to wait until half-term!

Hope you like it. 

Have a lovely weekend x

~Lavender Attic Etsy Shop~

I joined Etsy in 2008...it has only taken me 6 years to actually get some of my handmade and vintage homewares in my shop to sell! It has been on my 'to do' list for ages and I made myself take some time this weekend to sit down and get to grips with listing on Etsy, and thankfully it seems easy enough. I got stuck at one point and was helped by the lovely Vivienne at Green Rabbit Designs :)
The kind of things I will sell are handmade items such as cushions, bags and tea cosies mixed in with vintage homewares.  Click on the link on my sidebar to visit.
This little beauty of a bookbag is just about to be listed...

I do love it so and want to keep it but I won't...made in gorgeous Sanderson vintage linen fabric.
Also these cushions are for sale, made from vintage 1960s fabric...

...the reverse is wool check fastened with wooden buttons.

 

So, I will see how things go.  I've also joined Instagram this week and has seen some of you on there, please find me as I'm still learning the ropes :)

~Baby Jumper tada~

I've been back at work and too busy to blog since 1st September, but thought I'd share this latest finished project. I do feel good when I actually complete a project. I liked the shoulders on this sweater pattern and wanted to knit it for my baby niece Evelyn. It's Sirdar 6013 for baby cashmere merino silk DK.

 

 

I chose to make it up in Sirdar Simply Recycled Cotton DK in shade 0022, a dark chalky pink with a marl appearance. I went for one shade rather than stripes.

 

 

Here's the finished jumper...



 

 

 

 

 

 I crocheted 2 flowers for embellishments (pattern from Nikki Trench crochet book) in cream cotton yarn...

 

I wasn't happy with the not-very-neatness of my picking up stitches round the neckline, hence the flowers to hide a wonky bit :)

My sewing up isn't great either - must practice more!

I also found these mittens for Evelyn; £1.50 at the Monsoon outlet...



 So, I had a lovely day over in Manchester yesterday catching up with my brother and his lovely family in their new home.  On the drive over I spotted a fab sewing shop nearby in Eccles and we had a walk there.

 Bambers is a family business over 2 floors, selling overlockers, machines, wool, fabric, patterns, haberdashery, and they also run sewing courses.  I feel very guilty because I quite impulsively bought a dressmaker's mannequin (hurrah!) for a very good price - cheaper than I'd researched on ebay and the web. So, hence I felt the need to get up at silly o'clock this morning to do a car boot sale.  Unfortunately I only made £35 today but it will add to my ebay sales of late and pay for this essential bit of kit, so my homemade clothes fit me better.

~Renovated chairs~

More painting and renovating today.  Two of my chairs were on their last legs :)  They needed replacing before they collapsed.  These 2 lovelies came free from family - good quality solid dining chairs, just very worn and old. Cue me donning my Summer Outfit again - no not a Boden nautical holiday ensemble, but a pair of paint spattered shorts and t-shirt. The season's must-have outfit don't you know!?
Here they are... 

I think they were 'Old Charm' or something similar. I used a coat of primer as they were so dark, then 3 thin coats (so no drips!) of trusty Farrow and Ball eggshell in New White.

 

 

The 'drop-in' seat pads were covered in a neutral twill fabric I had already using my staple gun. No sewing required.

 

 

I know I've shown this before, but here is my dining area, with furniture acquired relatively cheaply and renovated.



 



 Green chairs - Ebay, M&S solid quality chairs, 4 for £30. Painted in F&B Cooking Apple Green
Table - Ebay, cost £50 but was a state. I gave it a good sand and painted the legs in F&B
Dresser - gifted from a friend, just needed a few coats of paint
Vintage ceramic chicken - £3 car boot sale

I am also linking to Frugal Queen's room renovation post yesterday. I hope more people feel inspired to re-purpose rather than buy buy buy. I've always tarted thing up because I've had to make do and mend rather than buy new.  However, I like the process too,  and rather than resenting the fact I can't afford expensive painted furniture from Laura Ashley or Barker and Stonehouse, I feel blessed that I can turn my hand to most things.
I'm now off for a shower to scrub the paint splatters off my legs :)

~Thrifty coastal find~

Thankyou so much for leaving bloggy comments, I love hearing from you.
I am remiss at replying but forgive me as I'm a whirling dervish with the paintbrush at the moment - chairs, walls, skirting boards -interspersed with a bit of crafting and much ebaying of stuff with the aim, of course of a simpler life...
There is definitely a 5 year plan with regard to coastal living, and I am determined to streamline and organise. For my coastal cupboard of loveliness, I found these late 60s early 70s tin canisters in the Care and Share charity shop in Filey on Saturday for £1

They have twist on lids and are in fantastic non-rusty condition.
One of my crochet WIPs is this cushion front in Sirdar Sublime yarn which is also *ahem* coastal inspired...

 

 

The colours are inspired by this collection of seaside prints from my favourite artist Tracy Savage who is based in Hornsea.

Not sure how I'll feel when September comes and my fix of pebbles, sea and sand are reduced :(

~More of the Summer Hols~

As promised a few more photos of mine and Laura's weekend away further up the Yorkshire Coast at Robin Hood's Bay. I found this B and B last year when we had a walk round RHB, it looked just my cup of tea and if I'm going to pay to stay anywhere I like it to exceed what I've got at home if you know what I mean, otherwise what's the point? So we stayed at Lynnfield B and B which is a beautifully renovated Victorian house at the top of the steep hill on the main street.  It was built in 1897 for the aptly named Captain Storm and it remained in the family until 2010 when the current owners bought it and renovated it - doing a fantastic job.

 We stayed in a twin room on the ground floor.  Look how lovely it was with crocheted throws and beautiful art deco lights...

 The view into the back yard...

 An original built-in cupboard housing some of a huge collection of Hornsea and mid 20th century pottery.  The breakfast room was also a showcase for more stunning pottery - have a look on their website for more pics.

 The matching art deco light fitting.  I would like to take this home!

 A pristine shower room with lovely toiletries...

 

Breakfast was delicious with lots of choice and local produce.

 

We didn't have the best weather - it was incredibly humid and grey at times with sun and showers thrown in...but we got out and about and visited Runswick Bay further up the coast which was very pretty and sort of like a Yorkshire Cornwall :)

I'd never been to Sandsend before either, which is 2 miles north of Whitby.  We loved it here with it's cafes on the beach, surf school, galleries and gift shops and fantastic beach.  I particularly liked Wild Hart gift and vintage gallery which also has a branch in York.  I fancy Sandsend as a few days away next Summer.

 

 

I like a beach with sand and pebbles as you know...

 

...and it was a fantastic place to find sea glass which passed an hour or two!

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed that little trip to the Yorkshire coast again!



~Crochet ta-da and Summer Holidays Part 1~

I have to say I am really enjoying the summer hols - I know I am lucky to work term-time but I do only get paid for 39 out of 52 weeks so that's the trade-off isn't it?
I have completed a few crochet garlands - this one is the rainbow one I did in lovely cotton yarns (leftovers and bargain buys) for my cousin's daughter in Australia...

 Jack and I spent a few days in Filey last week and we had gorgeous weather apart from a crazy thunder, lightning and rain storm one day which you could see roll in from Flamborough Head across the sea.  Cue hundreds of people running to take shelter in the amusement arcade :)   I feel lucky as my friend's family has a bungalow there, so we get to go there quite often for just the cost of food and petrol. I really recommend Filey as it's a traditional seaside town and is absolutely pristine with plenty to do both locally and within a short drive.


 

Filey beach near the Coble Landing last Tuesday

 

I've made tomato chutney and blackberry cheese from the first blackberries in the hedgerows in my village.  The basic method I blogged about before is here. I love making fruit cheeses as you can eat them on toast or with cheese and cold meats. As they are sieved, they are a great way of using fruit with loads of pips or stones.

 

Also, when you go to the coast don't forget the neglected courgettes will swell to epic proportions...this one will be ratatouille-d later today for the freezer.

 

Back soon with some more seaside photos from further up the Yorkshire coast.

 

~End of July catch-up~

This last couple of weeks have whizzed past settling into the summer hols. I shall be speedy and succinct with a few photos thrown in...
Jack and I visited a PYO farm (Spuds and Berries near Selby see here)  The strawberries are nearly over but I wanted a few for some jam - PYO used to be the economic way to do this but I have to say the price of fruit per kilo was very expensive.  Picking fruit was part of my childhood; living in a Yorkshire village surrounded by PYO strawberry and raspberry fields. I think Jack enjoyed it (not exciting when you are 12) but I enjoyed showing him anyway so maybe it offset the cost a bit!

 

Nice set up with the strawbs on table tops for accessible picking, and rows of raspberries (a few ready) and blackberries (loads ready). The Farm Shop is nice too though we only bought some Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil

 

 

I'm making Chutney, Jam and Pickles as and when I can - the cheapest tomatoes I have found for chutney have been from Aldi.  I save my own tomatoes for eating as they're too tasty to put in chutney.  Looking forward to getting more donated glut fruit and veg from family and friends too.

 

 

 



I have finished my Polka Dot top, from the free Prima pattern I blogged about before.  This one fits much better - I made it a bit longer, adjusted the back darts and added a bit to the side seam.

 The invisible zip for the back cost more than the flipping fabric but never mind. A top for less than a fiver isn't too bad.

Much neater this time around!

I have been crocheting these flowers to make garlands as Christmas presents and also for my cousin's daughter who is visiting from Australia.  Fab way to use up odds and ends of yarn.  The pattern I based them on was from My Rose Valley blog (which is my current favourite blog to sit and read I just love it) and it can be found here

I'm also having a rationalising of cupboards/wardrobes and selling stuff on ebay to make some pennies. Holidays also give me the opportunity to visit different charity shops and have a rummage.  Latest find is this Early's of Witney white cellular single blanket, which was £2 and is like new

No expensive holidays here; just a couple of days away this weekend, and odd days here and there at Filey and Hornsea, with maybe some cheap camping in the Yorkshire Dales thrown in.   I've lots of odd jobs and decorating to do as well as crafty stuff, so I won't be bored -  though I'm sure my life might not be exciting to others it's what needs doing and I can't afford to pay anyone to do it!
See you soon x



~What to do with courgettes!~

It's that time of the year when the courgettes are coming thick and fast...

This year I was given 4 plants (free - yay!) and put them in 2 growbags in a sunny spot.
Turn your back for a minute and there's one of these...

I'm lucky I love courgettes and have now amassed loads of recipes to deal with the glut.  I've just made these little courgette and potato rosti, and added fennel leaves and feta.

Grate 1 courgette and about 3 small potatoes and squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can with a teatowel. Add some crumbled feta and chopped herbs of your choice (I used fennel as I'm having them with salmon), along with a beaten egg to hold it all together. I added plenty of black pepper, but no salt as the feta's salty enough. Squeeze out the excess egg and shape with your hands into flat cakes and dust with flour before frying.

They are yummy!

~Gingham Shell Top~

I'm struggling with both money and time at the moment, but have managed odd half hours this week to make a top for myself. Have lost a stone and a half so I need some new work clothes but have no pennies :(

I get a free paper pattern each month with my Prima magazine subscription I got as a gift at Christmas.  This month's is this top and skirt...

 It comes as a full size paper pattern (great), but printed on 2 sides, so you have to trace some pieces off (not so great - grrr!)  I think the sizes are small too (Bust 34" Waist 26" for a 12) but I cut out a 12 as I'm usually a 10/12 now.

I used 90cm of cheap gingham (£2 a metre) so in effect it was a toile to see how it fitted.
How I wish I had a mannequin!
( If anyone's great aunt Gertie is getting rid of one please let me know.)
This is the finished top...

It fits okay but is snug on the waist/hips and is also quite short.  I'm going to add half a cm to the side seams below the bust darts on my next attempt.



 

Didn't have the requisite concealed zip so made do with a normal one, but it looks okay; although I look like a broad shouldered weightlifter in this photo.

 

 The edges at the top of the zip are a tad wonky, but isn't that what cardigans are for?

It will be fine for work.  When I am office-based I have to wear black and white as a uniform, which is at worst morbid and funereal, and best, like a Betty's waitress!
Next attempt is in this polka dot cotton...

Has anyone else been sewing clothes this week?