Christmas Swap 2012

Look what arrived through the post for me this week.

A while back, I signed up for the Christmas Swap which had been organised by Lakota over at Faith, Hope and Charity Shopping. 

Lucky for me, I was paired with the lovely Wendy who blogs at The Butterfly Balcony. 

While I know I should probably have waited until Christmas (and if Mr Y had been here I'm almost certain he would have confiscated the parcel until the 25th!) I couldn't help it.  With curiosity very much getting the better of me and with the added enthusiasm of two little, Christmas hyper, monkeys, unwrapping it all was inevitable!!

I did manage to hold the girls back just long enough to grab my camera and take a photograph of the neat little brown paper packages which had been adorned with little snowflakes (which served as a reminder to me that I haven't done that with the girls yet! - another thing added to the list!).

For starters, there was the handbag!  It's a really lovely blue, which the camera isn't doing justice to, and is big which makes it perfect and practical for carrying all my handbag tat treasures in.  A charming addition is a little woolly flower! 

The next parcel, selected by a small helping hand, contained a green velvet stocking with applique poinsettias!  As unbelievable as it might sound, I don't actually have a stocking!  Sad, but true :o)  This, my first traditional stocking, is now hung up, waiting to be filled by the jolly man in red!

Next was a carved bone gentian brooch which matches my gentian bracelet perfectly - now to find some earrings :o)  Yes, I'm jewellery obsessed!

Swiftly followed by some skillfully knitted foot warmers/slippers (don't know what to call them!!) and a rather splendid collection of knitting patterns.  Now, this is where the not so nice, pattern fiend, side of my might show because I think, well, I know, if truth be told, that I wouldn't have parted with these patterns for anyone.  I'm very impressed that Wendy managed to give them away!  Rest assured, they have found a loving home ;o)

The best, and most thoughtful of the gifts, were the little crocheted angels which had been wrapped separately, one for each little Y!  The girls were beyond happy that they had been included and immediately hung their new, special, decorations on the tree.  They are so delicate, and have been worked so neatly.  I know they will be loved for many, many years to come!

The fair isle tootsie warmers are doing a sterling job as I write this post and I wore the gentian at the open air (and darn chilly) carol concert that we went to last night! 

As to what I posted off, I know that I'm safe to show you because, like me, Wendy didn't wait until the 25th either :o)

1) A little jingly bell tree decoration that I made. 
2) An Odhams knitting book that dates from the mid 1940's (a total charity shop bargain!) 
3) A Cath Kidston cottage tin with pins
4) Chocolate because, lets face it, Christmas isn't Christmas without chocolate (well, not in my house anyway)
5) A very mini Keep Calm and Carry On notepad
6) A turban that I knitted from a 1940's pattern and a tube of hand cream for "Wool Weary Hands!" :o)

I know that I will get use out of each and every item and many, like the angels, will be enjoyed for years to come - thank you Wendy for the time you took in selecting and creating my wonderful gifts :o) xx  I have thoroughly enjoyed Christmas Swapping with you!

Thank you also to Lakota for organising the swap :o)  It's been great fun x

400 followers giveaway!!

Well, we've reached 400 followers on our Facebook page.  Can't really believe it :o)

As a thank you to all you lovely people, we're hosting a little giveaway.  Up for grabs are the following items.

-  A turban handknitted by yours truly using an original 1940's Lavenda knitting pattern
-  A handmade felt marigold corsage from an original 1941 pattern, again made by yours truly
-  A little carved edelweis brooch

It's giveaway is open worldwide and you must be a follower of this blog to enter.  You can have up to 3 entries, here's how;

1. Post a comment on this blog
2. Nip over to my Facebook page and pop a comment on the giveaway photo
3. Share this post :o)

The giveaway closes on Friday August 10th at 12pm GMT and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards.

I'm linking this post in with Lakota's brilliant Ta-Dah Tuesday post - now I've worked out how to do it!! :o)

Good luck! :o)

Hidden treasures - vintage brooches

Can it really be Monday?  When the alarm went off this morning at 5.50am, I was certain that it was Sunday - don't you just hate it when that happens?? 

This weekend was a busy one and I'm shattered!  The rain put pay to the event we were doing so instead we got round to doing some much needed decorating.

Decorating =  moving furniture (obviously!), moving furniture = discovery of hidden treasures (well, those that have been put away for safety) and discovery of hidden treasures = time spent looking at them and therefore less decorating being done than I had hoped - oops!  Summer holiday's are nearly here though so Mr Y can always do it when he breaks up from school :o)

It may appear that I don't care about the treasures I found.  I mean, stashed under the bed doesn't seem the best place for things of such beauty.  They were stored when my youngest came along because they are quite impractical to wear with a little one in tow.  These are proper vintage items, not delicate in that they'll break if I breathe on them but certainly delicate enough not to withstand the tugging of a 2 year old. 

In fact, the things that I found mean a lot to me.  Silly as it may well be to get attached to a piece of jewellery but many have been given to me by someone near and dear. 

First up, found under the bed (along with a whole heap of dust!!), is this little pair.  I wore the large red one when my little lovelies were Christened.  The lady walking the dog, although a little tatty with some paint loss, was the most expensive coming in at £40.  I bought it with some of the money left to me by my Nan when she passed away.  I haven't ever worn it, which seems a shame, I know, but it's very fragile and I think, well know, I'd sob should I break it! :o)

Next, these two, the one on the left being on it's original card (can't say I'm certain it's the original card but it's what I was told).  The one on the right was given to me by my parents.  By the level of paint loss, it's clearly been loved but I must admit that I've never worn it - I don't like the demonic eyes.

These following two are, I think, from the 1930's purely because of the decoration on the bar.  The tiny one is very annoying to wear because it keeps turning round!

Next up, the dangling ones!  I get the one on the left, dogs with a dog kennel and all that but dogs and an umbrella?? 

Finally, my two favourites.  Both given to me by Mr Y they are rather special, if I do say so myself.  The one of the right has a head that turns from side to side.  It's a little stiff and I'm not sure whether it has always been like that or whether the years have taken their toll and things have seized a bit.  The pretty little one on the left is unusual too.  If you move the left hand bit of the scarf, his eyes move.  Dog with attitude! :o)

Now I'm not really a dog person, well, not in my house anyway.  We used to have a black Labrador who was like Digby and just kept growing.  In the end, when I was expecting 2nd little Y, he took a never ending holiday to Cornwall to live with a friend of ours.  I can now love him from a distance - suits me fine :o)  

Although I don't like dogs in my house, there is something quite sweet about some of the brooches from the 1930's and 1940's that caught my eye.  As to what they are made of, Bakelite, celluloid of just plain old plastic, I don't know and ,in all honesty, I don't really care.  I don't collect them for value, I have them because they are beautiful and I adore them :o)

Now they have been photographed, they have been returned to safety.  It seems a pity that they don't see the light of day more often.  I sometimes wonder whether I should display them somewhere, on a board or in a frame perhaps, but I worry about them fading in the sunshine (no chance of that at the moment, I know!!)  Maybe on "child free" outings they will get an airing.

Do you have a collection squirrelled away in a cupboard or under the bed??

Turn Back Time - 1940

Have you been watching the Turn Back Time series which is currently running on BBC1?  If you have, do you like it?  If you haven't, you can see it here on BBC iPlayer. 

The series features 3 families who get to experience what life was like for their actual ancestors, from the 1900s through to the 1970s.  There are 3 houses which have been decorated to reflect the living conditions of the working, middle and upper classes. 

Episode 3 featured my favourite era, the 1940s.  They briefly touched on air raids, evacuation, being called up for service, rationing and the black market.  There was so much more that I would have liked to have seen but, within the time limits of just 1 hour, I accept that they were limited as to what they could show.  Photographs of the series are scarce on the Internet, but I did find this one of the Meadows family.


Image taken from BBC website.

I don't know much about the era's featured in episodes 1 and 2 but the decor in this most recent episode was spot on, so many beautiful things, I wanted them all! :o)  Poor Mr Y was subjected to the shouts of "I've got one of those" or "Mum still uses her one of those" as I sat watching it last night.  The kitchen in the Taylor's house was AMAZING!  Vintage and green - what more could you want??  The sink, the cupboards, the enamel, I could go on but I shan't bore you.  

On the downside, the clothing, in a large part, I found disappointing.  Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't expect that they would all be wearing actual clothing of the period, I believe in preservation and all that, but I thought they could have done a far better job.  Take the "spiv" for example in his 1950's trilby!! 

Also a let down were the hairstyles the women had.  I didn't expect perfectly styled rolls because that's not realistic.  If you could see me as I'm typing you would question as to whether I've actually brushed my hair today - birds nest to say the least - but I would have liked to have seen some curls.  Minimal effort seems to have been made and in my book, if you're living the era, that should encompass everything.  As for Mrs Meadows portraying a member of the ARP with her long hair rather than having it properly put up - don't even get me started!!  I shall get off my soap box now :o)

 At the end of the episode, they celebrate VE day with the family members having a bit of a dance. I was half watching it, half knitting when I saw what looked distinctly like one of our jumpers.  Calling Mr Y to come and take a look, I sat perched on the edge of the sofa hoping it would make another appearance.  It did, although very fleetingly, and I was in no doubt that it was mine.  It was unmistakable because I remember having great trouble with the collar that simply wouldn't lie flat and the colour, emerald green by Stylecraft, was incredibly bright, distinctive in fact.  

However, frustratingly, I had to wait until this morning to check it out on iplayer.  Having watched it and paused it numerous times, I can safely say that yes, it's one of ours!  It's shown at about 54 minutes in.  The buttons on the back were the clincher.  I remember selling it last year through eBay.  I wonder where it went and how it came to be on the box!  Here it is being modelled by Doris (the dummy)!

I've been on the telly :o) !!!

Forgive me for being somewhat chuffed, safe to say I haven't stopped smiling since!  

In other news, this weekend, we're at Festival of the Forties.  This is a new event but there is so much going on and even better, it's only £1 to get in :o)  The organisers have gone the extra mile to make things easy and enjoyable for all parties concerned and I'm really looking forward to it.

I should really go and start sorting some bits out, so much to do, not least packing wet weather gear because, according to the weather forecast, we're supposed to have rain, rain and more dastardly rain.  So far this morning all I've managed is to do is card these pieces of jewellery, surprised I'm parting with them really :o)

1930's / 1940's earrings and brooches

Back soon!! x