Beautiful Budgies

Things have been cra-a-zee round here lately, and I've been very lazy about blogging ~ sorry!

I seem to have been spending every spare minute decorating my bedroom, and yesterday the bulk of the work was finally finished. I'll share some of the more hand-crafted details with you as they get added in, but for now here's a little peek at the view I woke up to this morning: 

Isn't in beautiful! It's Chirpy by Blendworth, a gorgeous wallpaper based on a 1950s design. As soon as I saw it I fell in love, and knew it would go perfectly with my vintage candlewick bedspreads and my love of shabby chic and handmade goodies.

It manages to be crisp and fresh and colourful all at the same time. The tones are perfect, and I love that the budgies are all roosting on blossom branches ~ it lends a tranquil air that is perfect for the bedroom. I've got lots of plans for adding personal touches and accessories, and if they work out as well as I hope then I'll be sure to share tutorials with you.

Until then, I think I might go have an early night ~ it's going to be next to impossible to leave my cosy nest in the morning!

Melting Moments

One of my favourite recipe books from my childhood is a little book published by a flour company called Be-Ro. Although I have an up-to-date version, I still tend to go back to this battered old copy, taped together and covered in margarine and cocoa stains. Maybe partly because I looked just like the girl on the cover when I started using it!

  

One of my favourite recipes in the book is for some scrummy little biscuits called Melting Moments. I seem to remember it was my Dad rather than my Mum who used to make these ~ Dad made pastry and biscuits, Mum did cakes and dinners ~ but Lordy it was a long time ago, and I struggle to remember where I've parked the car in the morning these days, so who knows! I do remember that we never used coconut, always rolled oats. This was the 70's, and money was always tight, but I still make them that way now and I personally prefer the powdery softness of the oats. Here is the recipe from my vintage copy of the Be-Ro recipe book:



Regular readers won't be surprised to hear that I don't follow the recipe exactly, and this is a great example of how I tweak even the simplest recipes to suit my own tastes and techniques. For example, I always use granulated sugar for these biscuits, in fact I rarely use caster sugar in any recipes. In my opinion a single batch of this will only make about 10 biscuits, I usually make a double batch and just roll up walnut-sized balls rather than trying to divide the mixture as advised. As I mentioned earlier, I don't often use coconut, I sometimes don't even bother with the oats, and I almost never bother with the pieces of cherry ~ I find the little sweet burst of chewiness detracts from the meltingly crumbly texture. Bake these until barely golden, allow to cool a few minutes, then enjoy ~ I'm betting they'll soon become a family favourite of yours too!

Be-Ro still publish their recipe book today, although I'm no longer the cover girl ;-) You can get your own copy here.

Thrifted Treasure

If you hadn't already realised, I ADORE vintage fabrics! I'm always keeping my eye out at carboot sales and charity shops for vintage curtains and bedding, either to use around the house, or if they're a bit tatty, to cut up and make into something new. But that's not the only way I add to my collection. Today I was given a big bagful of fabric that a friend's mum found in her grandmother's house when she was clearing it out. Check out these treasures!

There are two of these gorgeous alpine panels. They both have the odd hole, but with a little imaginative darning I think they will make wonderful wall hangings.

 

 

These curtains are just awesome. The lemon and grey is heavily faded and stained in places, but will make some pretty owls or cushion covers.

 

 

These two pairs of curtains seem to be in great shape. I'm hoping they will fit the windows in my new home.

This prancing pony print is fabulous, and I know just the person who will love them almost as much as I do ~ if I can bear to part with them that is! Check out the vintage curtain hooks still in the header tape!

And last but certainly not least, a knitted bride and her bridesmaids! I wonder if these were made as a wedding gift or keepsake?

How lucky am I?! I think I owe my friend's mum a big box of chocolates as a Thank You!

Going Underground ~ the culture continues!

Well it seems that this Easter break has been one long cultural experience! The latest exhibition I visited was at the London Transport Museum ~ Poster Art 150, 150 of their finest Underground Posters to celebrate 150 years of the London Underground.
Those of you who are avid readers may remember me mentioning my love of vintage travel posters in my post about the artist Daphne Padden. So I'm sure you can imagine how I was almost hyperventilating with joy as I wandered slowly around the displays. Each corner I turned brought a new delight, a fresh gasp of astonishment. The range of styles is astounding, from some incredible artists such as Mabel Lucie Atwell, Edward McKnight Kauffer, and Man Ray. 

 

This letterpress poster dates from 1886. I love the typography, and those fabulous Pythonesque pointing hands!

 

 

 

I adore this Russian Constructivist style. 

 

 

 

This was designed by textile artist Margaret Calkin, wouldn't you just love it as a tea towel?

 

 

 

Fabulous Flamingos, wish I could have seen them by floodlight!

 

 

Good advice!

 

 

 

 And as it was between 10 and 4, I bought the t-shirt of this one! I love the bold lines and colours, and I'm a big archery fan so how could I refuse!

 

There are SO many more beautiful posters I just didn't have room for, or get good shots of. The exhibition is on until 27th October so if you can get to London I really recommend it.
If you really can't get to the exhibition itself, there is a great book available from their online shop, and most of the posters are available to order as prints in a variety of sizes.

Sneaky Peek

It's been so long since I've made something new for the shop. That's partly down to the chaotic events of the past few months, and partly down to my flighty, never-finishes-anything nature.

Well, finally, I've finished something.

One of the many new designs I've been working on recently is some vintage-style luggage label keyrings.

 



 



Made from plain or chai-stained calico, and decorated with vintage images, fabrics and trims, these tags are a perfect way to add a shabby chic touch to your keys. Or why not do as I plan to do and add one to your suitcase strap ~ it certainly makes your case easier to spot amongst the others on the carousel!

 

These will be listed in my Etsy shop tomorrow, as soon as I can get some decent photos!



A Right Old Hoot

I don't very often blog about the stuff I make, but I thought I would share some pictures of the latest additions to my Etsy shop ~ a Rainbow of Owls.

 

I adore vintage fabrics, especially these bold kitschy florals, and as I was lucky enough to find most of these in one fabulous carboot sale I figured they ought to all stay together somehow.

 

 

I already had blue and green owl cuddle cushions in my Etsy shop, but with such a great array of colours I realised I could make a whole Rainbow of owls to join them.

Here we have two complete owls watching as I finish off their brothers and sisters.

Posing for a family photo together in the sunshine.


The owls are all available in my Etsy shop. Feel free to contact me for combined postage offers.

(if any colours have sold since posting this, please contact me as I may be able to remake in the same fabric)

Inspirational Artists ~ Daphne Padden

I am a huge fan of vintage travel posters, from the pre-war deco style, to the kitschy post-war delights of the 50's and 60's. One of my favourite designers is Daphne Padden, who designed some beautiful posters in the 50's and 60's before turning her hand to miniature wildlife watercolours.



A portrait of Daphne Padden painted by her father, Percy Padden, himself a fine artist and poster designer.

There's not a great deal of official info about her online (not in my feeble attempts to research her anyway), she's not even been Wiki'd! Luckily for me there are other people who adore her work, but are much more skilled (and dedicated) in their research. Quad Royal have an abundance of images and information, and most of what I have learned has come from them so I will just summarise here, you shall have to visit their fabulous site once I've whet your appetite.

Daphne was born in 1927 and attended Epsom and Ewell School of Art. She began designing posters in the mid 50's and is probably best known for her British Transport Commission and Royal Blue Coach Services travel posters.

 That cat knows who to make friends with.

  

  

Even Poseidon holidays in Southend!

 

and these lovely Welsh ladies are just waiting for your visit!

But apart from a plethora of posters, Daphne also designed posters and packaging for M&S, the Post Office Savings Bank, the British Diabetic Society, ROSPA, P&O, Trust House Forte and British European Airways.

This telegram is an example of her work for the Post Office. Who wouldn't want to receive a bouquet of pink roses from a unicorn?!

I wonder how many of us remember signs like these?
 

I could happily share hundreds more of her designs, but I will let you discover them for yourselves. I'll just leave you with one of my favourite of her watercolours, Evening Flight of the Barn Owl.

I love the crispness of the owl flying over the misty softness of the landscape.

Daphne was elected a member of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers in 1984. You can find more of her watercolours on the Lincoln Joyce website. She died in 2009.

Look What the Postman Brought III

I know, I shouldn't keep on sharing my shopping, but this is way to cool to keep to myself!

A vintage tapestry kit . . .of HMS Victory! It comes with original skeins of yarn, and at 27" x 22" it's ginormous! It just about ticks all the boxes ~ it's vintage, it's a craft kit, it's ocean-related, and it's a ship that lives in my home town of Portsmouth! I can't wait to get started :) But I think it could be a while. Regular readers might remember my last Look what the Postman Brought post, and the fabulous vintage tapestry kit that had just arrived. Well that was back at the beginning of May, and I've only done this much:

The kit was originally meant to be done in long stitch but I wanted it in regular half cross stitch as I'm going to make it into a cushion cover. I live with a dog who thinks she's allowed to sleep on the sofa, so I figured shorter stitches were safer! As a consequence it's taking me a lot longer to fill in, especially with all the other boring life-consuming stuff going on (housework, job etc!) Guess I had better get stitching :)

Thrifted Treasure

Just a quickie to share some vintage lovelies I found at a jumble sale recently:

You normally only find 3 or 4 vintage shot glasses that match, and I usually buy those to make into candles, but to find a complete set like this, still in the box, is rare indeed. I can't bring myself to turn these into candles, they're too perfect! They'd make an excellent Father's Day gift.

And look at these beauties:

Simply adorable!

The background fabric is also vintage ~ a pair of sheets I found (still in the packet!) a couple of years ago which I made into a duvet cover and pillowcases. 

Well that's enough treasure for now. I have an orangey-smelling day ahead ~ it's Marmalade time in the Cheery Chicken household!

Look what the Postman Brought II

Don't you just love ordering online? You get the joys of shopping without having to get dressed and leave the house, added to the excitement of having a 'present' (albeit a self-bought present!) delivered a few days / weeks later!
As I've previously mentioned, I'm a lover of vintage, and quirky, and make-able things. Imagine my joy when I discovered this delightful kit in Vintage Funland's Etsy shop:

Brand spanking never-been-out-of-the-packet new! I may change some of the colours to suit my scheme, but how blimmin' fabulous can you get! I'm off to set up my tapestry frame now . . . .