Folksy Friday

This week we have had a fair few blue sky days and the garden is beginning to burst forth.

Tiny tête-à-tête daffodils...

Forget-me-nots... 

Bergenia...

The pansies that were revived by liberal sprinkling of ant powder last autumn...

Primroses...

All fairly run-of-the-mill, but so welcome all the same!

So, in spring flower mode, I had a little hunt round Folksy.

I found this lovely choker

From 'Dancing Dragonflies'

This felt auricula brooch

(I adore auriculas, but all of mine seem to have disappeared!)

From 'Lupin Handmade'

And this Spring Garden Charm Bracelet, which I think would be a lovely non-chocolatey Easter present...

From 'Birdie's'

Then I got round to listing something new in my shop! Wonders will never cease!

This week I have been trying to recycle a load of magnets Mr U-t-B brought back from work.  He'd been clearing out old computers, salvaging what was useful, taking other bits to an approved contractor and making sure all the data was destroyed by cutting the metal disks in half.  Here are the magnets, about 40 of them I reckon...

They are amazingly strong, in fact I have to get a screwdriver out to lever them apart!

Anyway, here's what I did with some of them...

Used my 'Clover' small, flower-shaped yo-yo maker, scraps of felt and fabric and vintage buttons to make  flowers...

Created a little felt pocket for the magnet and made a decorative board magnet...

Then I wanted something different, so headed down my 'ooh-I-love-cottages' route, to produce these...

Wisteria and Rose Cottages

...which are now listed on Folksy.

Hope everyone is going to enjoy a blast of sunshine this weekend.  

And just in case you missed it, my giveaway ends this Sunday, the first day of British Summer Time!

Jammy

Yes indeed - that's me!  

If you popped in yesterday, you will have read that a nice lady called me up because she had some bits and pieces that she wanted rid of (she is soon moving to Somerset), and she wondered if I might like them.

I waited till elevenish today before hot-footing it over to the nether regions of Farnham to collect said items from her.  We had a nice chat and she handed me over a Starbucks bag...

I would have liked to dive straight in and toss everything out to see what was there, but I restrained myself to a quick grope to the bottom of the bag as I walked up the extremely steep hill of the lovely lady's drive, before jumping in the car and heading for home, anticipating the delights that might lay within.

Well, you cannot imagine the squeals of delight when I gently emptied the bag onto the dining room table.  The deeper down in the bag I went, the more amazing were the finds!

On top was a Beading Loom, some brightly embroidered mats, a set of napkins embellished with colourful butterflies, a couple of rather sweet guest towels with appliqued swans and a couple of flannelette sheets...

(Hold onto your hats, ladies, you're about to go on a whirlwind tour!)

Next were some cutwork and Madeira pieces, plus the odd bit of Chinese applique...

Then a heavily embroidered rayon  tablecloth...

Next, crumpled bags and old envelopes...

...revealed some sweet ribbon roses (larger than the ones you can acquire nowadays)...

...a good length of vintage ribbon, some pretty braid and a considerable amount of cream lace...

...and a piece of Indonesian silk.

The next layers were mostly wrapped in blue tissue paper.  Little did I know the beauties that lay within!

A beautiful bag handle...

A card with numerous lengths of delicate cotton lace...

It had been attached to the card with sellotape.  I am hoping the stains will come out, but even if they don't there is lots that is useable.

So very delicate...

Love the dottiness of this one...

The top one here is very fine, but look at the one below!  This lace must have been very expensive!

Another oh-so-very-fine lace...

 Then there were some bits of nylon lace.  I remember this one from my childhood - it was on everything!

 These may be nylon, but the quality is very good.

Then I found an Egyptian themed bit of filet lace...

And a cute bit of braid.  I never tire of red and white, and there's quite a length of this.

A few bits of broderie anglais...

A long piece of very thick and shimmery gros-grain ribbon...

Next an amazing collar...

And then a second...

This lace is stitched onto the paper.  I assume it was for going round a handkerchief.

I'm not sure what this pretty strip would be for - any ideas out there?

Then several hankies - or are they mats?

The silk on this one is slightly damaged.

This one is so very delicate. The fabric in the centre is quite sheer.

The work on it is so beautiful! 

But then came the 

pièce de résistance ...

I am almost speechless!

I am so thankful to Ainsley for all this loveliness which I will treasure (and find ways to reuse) and hope that her generosity is rewarded in ways other than just the tulips I took her!

A Day of Ups and Downs

Even if it is only midday!

And can I write a post about it in the fifteen minutes whilst the watercress soup is ready and before I have to go to work? Let's see...

The day started off with a trip to the allotment, to remove our last bits and pieces.  We have reluctantly decided to give it up, as since Mr U-t-B's back problems and surgery last year, we have not managed to get back on top of it, and with him about to be away for the better part of three weeks, we weren't going to manage in the foreseeable...We were both sad to do so, but the waiting list is long (we took it on over ten years ago, when they were practically begging people to take one - how things have changed!)

I will especially miss creating our scarecrows...

...watching sunflowers gallop to full height...

.

...and eating sweetcorn, chard, spinach, purple-sprouting broccoli  and rhubarb of our own (along with many other things)...

What we picked up was mostly rubbish, so down to the dump we headed.  Serendipity!

Look what I found...

One very grubby sewing caddy...

...full of all sorts of tangled messes, now much improved with a damp cloth,

 a bit of polish and elbow grease!

At the bargain price of £2.72 (because that's what we had on us!)

Then I went to Farnham and put in my acceptance and payment for this year's 'Vintage'...

...then cruised by one of the local charity shop depots and finally got round to volunteering (inspired by Penny at  The Hen House who has great fun at her local charity shop).  Looking forward to my first stint next week!

And finally, got a lovely phone call from a lady who saw my 'stuff' (as I call it) at the Christmas Fair I did, and took my number because she had some embroidery, lace, thread and bits and pieces to give me.  Whoopee-do!

Better go and wolf down some soup now!