SAL'S SNIPPETS

Congratulations to you both!

2009-07-08T15:34:00.004+01:00

Today is a very special day for my mum and dad!

It's their Diamond Wedding Anniversary!

60 years of wedded bliss!

Here they are at the church, all those years ago, in 1949.

And here they are...60 years on...

Having had a lovely lunch with them, we've just been around to the very same church to take a quick snap!

St Pauls Church, Newton Abbot.

Here's their card from the Queen...

Ooops wrong one..LOL ;-)

They were dead chuffed about this!

(Although I do wish that she would smile a bit more!)

Anyway...many congratulations to them!

My lovely mum and dad!

xxx

Daisy,Daisy!

2009-07-04T19:35:00.010+01:00

Welcome to the Liverton Country Fair, where, if you were a bloke, it was a great day !! LOL!

Here, we have my dear other half and Barbara's (Barbara is Amanda's mum) other half , deep in conversation, concerning the use of pink plastic buckets in the home and whether rubber really is necessary in the kitchen!!!

;-)

Moving swiftly on, (although I will be returning to these two gentlemen at the end of this blog post).....

We've all had a great day but the real star of the show, today, was Daisy.

Daisy who?...ah , you might well ask!

Enter Daisy... Amanda's fabulous camper van!

Daisy provided the perfect backdrop for us as we displayed all of our vintage, retro, handmade and shabby 'chicness'...tons of it!

OMG if you could have seen Daisy in the flesh. you'd want one too!

Perfect!

I mean..I love my own car and Daisy seemed to get on well with him/her( and sadly, nameless!).... but look, it's just not the same really, is it? LOL!

I am completely in love with Daisy!

You may well want an 'Amanda' in your part of the country...but now you'll want a Daisy as well!

And here's Amanda, brewing up!

The day was perfect too ...cloudy at first but the weather got better and better.

If you look to the right of the hill you can see Haytor Rock, on Dartmoor!

Yes, we had our cream teas!

And so finally...just what do you think these two are REALLY saying to each other ?

I do hope your Saturday was as nice as ours !

;-)

One big dose of prettiness for you all ! ;-)

2009-07-03T13:25:00.007+01:00

I've been so looking forward to tomorrow, for ages!!

I'm meeting up with Amanda (Shabby Chick, Totnes market etc..I'm sure you all know that by now!) at the LIVERTON COUNTRY FAYRE ;-)

It starts at 12 noon and continues until 5pm

Do come and say hello if you are in the South Devon...we'd really love to see you!!

As far as I know, we are in a big field ,very near to Blackpool school.

I'm praying for good weather!

I'll be taking along all my wares... hand made and vintage pretties.... and Amanda will be there with her wonderful goodies....just imagine..... I'll be right next to that ALL afternoon!!

Mr S is coming along to provide entertainment value...LOL

(The mention of the beer tent kind of persuaded him!)

And so I am now all packed and ready to go....it's taken me hours!

The good thing is that I only live 10 minutes away from Liverton!

To 'pretty up' my stall I have gathered together some pretty cups and saucers and embarked on some very basic flower arranging!!

The flowers are a mix from my own garden and Mr Sainsburys' Roses and Carnations (which at £1.99 a bunch I thought was PDG)

Finally...this has to be said...

Amazingly, about two hours after I had posted yesterday's blog one of my lovely pupils and his mum, came to the door with the most beautiful bunch of ...Sweet Peas!
The scent has wafted through the hallway ever since..so much better than any scented spray!
You simply can't beat the scent of a lovely bunch of Sweet Peas , can you?

A lovely surprise!

Big hugs to Patrick and Jane!! ;-)

I stood them in front of a mirror and got double the delight as you can see in my header pic!

Meanwhile, have a wonderful weekend everyone!

;-)

Green bottles, green ginger and sweet things ;-)

2009-07-02T14:37:00.012+01:00

Is there a better way to spend a dull, overcast morning?

This morning, we visited Green Ginger Cafe, Ashburton!

As you can see, the Cheese and Chives scones have disappeared from our plates ;-)

Next time, when it's sunny, I'll take pics of the lovely garden!

Before we went to Ashburton , I wandered around our own garden , observing the progress!

The Sweet Peas, which I sowed ages ago, are finally in flower! I was beginning to think I'd have the only flowerless sweet peas in Devon...so phew!

Each year, this reminds me to get out my fave Sweet Pea China...Bridgewater of course!

I don't possess very much of it, so please don't all turn up at once, for tea...!

Now here's a thing!

Recently...and I've forgotten exactly where it was... but definitely a place which sells shabby, vintage etc...in fact it might have even been Chipping Sodbury, where we wandered, after the ORIGINAL ONE AND ONLY BLOGGERS V&H FAIR ...I saw a very nice green, glass bottle...priced at £9.99, with some sweet peas in it (not included in the price).

I didn't buy it and so this isn't it! ;-)

Not long afterwards, I chose to have an orange drink, in a cafe and the drink was in a bottle very similar to the one I'd seen for £9.99.

So I took it home, soaked off the label and hey presto!

These particular sweet peas, which I've had for some time, are fake...but they are not bad for fake!

Sweet... but not peas..are these lovely books which I recently added to my collection of Mollie Clarke books.

So simple...

...yet so effective.

And so nice to think that they've found a lovely home!

;-)

Service with a smile...and all sorts of other nonsense!

2009-06-30T09:01:00.003+01:00

Oh look...it's service with a smile this morning!

I like to think that this is me, going about all my wifely duties and loving every minute of it!

LOL ;-)

You see, I had this idea!

I wanted to use my vintage buckles,vintage fabric pieces etc etc... so I made these little boards.

Their function?

A place all those little business cards, swatches of fabric and any other useful bits and pieces.

And this 'housewife' fabric makes me hoot!

I'll take them with me to the Liverton Country Fair on Saturday.
If you are near enough, do come and say hello to Amanda and me!
It starts at midday.

We'll both be taking loads of vintage and hand made goodies.

Ah now this chair!
A couple of weeks ago, it suddenly appeared in my hall!
It's huge!
It belonged to Mr S's late father.
Obviously, being respectful, I didn't want to grab it there and then... and 'alter it'

But then I was told that I could!

I didn't have much in the way of paint left in my store..only some F&B 'Hound Lemon' and F&B 'Breakfast Room Green'

Neither were quite right and so you know what I did?.... I mixed them!

Amazingly, what resulted was a kind of 'Apple Green' colour.

Courtesy of Farrow & Ball ....&Hall!

It makes a great place for displaying things, for blogging purposes!

And finally...50's, bakelite and my recent ebay find....I can't believe that noone else bid! ;-)

It's a teapot stand...and it arrived yesterday, to the sound of 'OMG, Sal ,what the heck is this?'

Well I like it..and that's all that matters!

Keep smiling!

The travelling salesman ;-)

2009-06-28T19:49:00.005+01:00

Yesterday, we were meant to be going to Honiton, on the train, just for a change.
I was going to hunt down the shop where Kirstie A. bought her very 'inexpensive' goodies (!)

However, we didn't get up in time to catch the train (well one of us didn't) and so we ended up in a place which I have not visited for such a long time..... Totnes...LOL.

Dear Mr S had suggested that we go and look for some vintage suitcases to sit on our very small landing.

Fine by me...Totnes would surely have some...!

***

Amazingly, it was just our luck to find that there was a 'Vintage Suitcase Fair' in Totnes...can you believe that? How unexpected!

Only kidding! But it seemed like it, as everywhere we turned, we seemed to be bumping into them...all very cheap and all shouting 'Buy me'!!

Picture the scene ... dear Mr S, (who seems to have also adopted the nickname 'Stig' amongst certain bloggers, because of his recent trip to the dump! ) walking around Totnes, carrying firstly two, then three, then four suitcases.

He looked like one of those travelling salesmen/ Betterware/Kleeneze men/etc , from days gone by...about to open his cases to show you his wares (!)

How we laughed about it, firstly in 'This 'N That' with Lesley, where we relieved her of two of the suitcases...and then I giggled again as I walked ten paces behind Dear Mr S, (because he looked a bit of a plonker)... but he didn't care at all!

And anyway, it WAS Totnes, so, in all honesty, I suppose that he didn't really look out of place !

And there I was trotting down the hill behind him, happily carrying my old wicker basket, which I'd also bought from Lesley.

I've been looking for a basket for ages but I am quite particular..not too big, not too small, not too deep, not too shallow...I was thrilled to find this one ; it was 'just right'..I sound a bit like Goldilocks, don't I?

In the basket, as you can spy, was the book 'Moonfleet' which I've also been meaning to read again. It's years since I read it and so in the basket it stayed. There's also..a gorgeous vintage 50s tablecloth... from Amanda...as obviously I paid her a visit too.

If I don't come home with something from Amanda's stall I feel cheated, I get sad, unbearable to live with and I suffer withdrawal symptoms ;-) ;-)

There, hanging up and crying out to be bought, was a lovely vintage 50s tablecloth. Lovely bright colours. Just up my street.

I also came home with two vintage guide books ... a 'snip' and I am a lover of these sort of books....I do like to journey into the past, frequently.

A Crown Devon cup and saucer, bought with 'Miguel ' in mind (our pet pheasant who gave us so much pleasure during the last 18 months but appears to have disappeared to pastures new) also flew from one of Lesley's shelves into the basket.

And when I got to the bottom of the town, to The Plains, I saw this lovely pack of garden ephemera replicas in a little shop.

And so, all in all, I was pretty pleased that we missed the train to Honiton. But of course we will be going there very soon.

Plus... I do have the added advantage of knowing that when I take a holiday, I'll have plenty of suitcases to hand!

;-)

Makes your heart sing! ;-)

2009-06-26T15:26:00.008+01:00

My goodies from the recycling centre (or dump!) ... this ... once a horrible, brown, wooden plant stand...

Now transformed ... painted in F&B Apple Green.

And..

Two terracotta chimney pots

I stood in awe and wonder when I spotted this beauty in my garden , having just come into bloom...

And just as vivid...

Hanging splashes of colour which make my heart sing..

Perpetual cuteness...

Cornflowers blowing in the breeze...

Yes!

Summer has truly arrived !

I hope the sun shines for you.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone ;-)

Ashbucket!

2009-06-25T17:34:00.004+01:00

Big smiles today! ;-) ;-)

We've been to Ashburton...or Ashbucket as it is known in my house!

And we all know what that means, don't we?

Two of the loveliest people ,Sarah and her mum, run this shop and as we entered they were enthusing over thousands of vintage buttons!

But they still had the time to stop and natter..in fact I reckon that Sarah is one of the best natterers that I have met! ;-)

They're such fun people and that makes the whole experience more enjoyable...even Mr S looked like he was enjoying himself amidst all that was vintage, shabby and chic...and downright disgustingly gorgeous...(but he might not admit to it, naturally)!

Sarah and her mum absolutely love it if you want to 'snap away' to your heart's content.

So I did...and I let Mr S do the nattering... as he is very good at that.

And so, for all of you who live that bit too far away to visit this lovely shop ,here's your eye candy..and my there is plenty of it..ready?

Had enough?
Tough cos here's more...

And just a little more..

I think it's about time that Country Living paid a visit, don't you? ;-)

After that..well we had to rest, we were so worn out!

So we skipped over the road to the antiques and coffee shop.

I wonder..what is he doing behind these flowers?

I think it has something to do with an iphone!

But to be fair, I did look on the bottom of the bone china tea cup and he kindly said that he would note down the name, so that's what he's doing!

Whilst...

... I could not stop looking at my vintage and pretty 'finds'.

You didn't think that I would come home with nothing, did you?

Two embroidered tray cloths from Sarah and two lovely pieces of vintage fabric from 'The Snug'.

Here's the link to Sarah's website...you can buy online...or get down 'ere to Devon... me booties!

;-)

http://www.saraslavenderbox.com/

Wednesday Snippets ;-)

2009-06-24T06:26:00.018+01:00

Welcome to the Teigngrace headquarters of the RSPB ..LOL! ;-)

It must be a very good year for Woodpeckers... as they frequent the garden almost every other minute!

I don't think I have ever seem them visiting as often as this...especially very early in the morning. I've spotted mum, dad and young'n at various times...a joy to watch, especially when they adopt that famous 'Woodpecker pose', on the upright of the bird feeder.

We also get the Green Woodpecker, daily, poking about on the lawn.

You can't beat it, it's such a delight and best of all it's free to watch with no subscription whatsoever (and no chance of the tv company going bust!) !

And in between the Woodpeckers, all sorts of other birdlife fly in, to feed.

I sat about three feet away from this little darling and what a pose...!

Now, as you know, I'm a bit of a nosey devil when it comes to gardens!

Yesterday, I was in my sister's garden, taking my camera for a walk!

Talking of all things pretty, I was the only bidder on these little vintage Irish Linen beauties recently...

They have such pretty little scenes embroidered on to them.

I'm quite taken with them!

The jury is out on what I'll do with them!

Meanwhile, I have a date at a country fair next weekend,with Amanda, and I've made a few little bits to add to my stock..lavender sachets from some vintage scraps...pinnies from left over remnants.

And now..I have to dash as I am going to the recycling centre with a friend...where we will, I am sure, oooh and ahhh over piles of junk and things of that sort !

What fun !

Have a good day ;-)

Messing about by a river ;-)

2009-06-22T08:29:00.001+01:00

Situated on the River Exe estuary, is the pretty little town of Topsham.

As you stand here and look up the river towards Exeter, you can't help but notice the lovely 'Dutch' house...in fact Topsham has many beautiful "Dutch" houses, with delightful small courtyards and gardens . These houses were built by Topsham merchants around 1700, from Dutch brick, brought back as ballast and they were obviously built with Dutch architecture in mind . Holland was then the largest customer for Devonshire serges and these were the greatest days of the port of Topsham.

Topsham is one of our favourite haunts and the journey makes it all the more special as, to get here, we travel along a beautiful stretch of the River Teign, a gorgeous section of South Devon coastline and then up the River Exe to Exeter. From Exeter we have to travel a couple of stops down the other side of the River Exe,although this time the river is hidden from view.

Just to give you some idea, here we are at Topsham, sitting looking down the river Exe towards the sea, with Exmouth in the distance, on the left.

We started our journey somewhere over the green field, on the right.

Topsham has many delightful little shops, pubs, cafes, charity shops and there's a lovely old bookshop, a cheese shop, butchers, florists, shops with all things nautical, gift shops, antiques shops etc. and much more...

And it has many pretty little touches, here and there.

We wend our way to the Quay, stopping first at The Lighter Inn...our fave place for a snack lunch. This always sets us up well for the rest of the day.

After quite a long browse at the antiques centre,(as there are a few floors) we set off again..so...

Let's all go down The Strand!

I love 'The Strand' and I could happily live here!

This is where I get quite nosey! ;-)

I love peeping into the gardens and courtyards, some of which have river frontage.

As we walk back up the main street, this lovely mural greets us.

The mural depicts salmon fishing in the Exe estuary. Salmon fishing was once a thriving industry on the river.

A river which has different uses nowadays...

But is still as lovely as ever...just as the day was!

;-)

The Amanda and Lesley ' Feast of Delights' ...Yummy! ;-)

2009-06-19T18:19:00.012+01:00

Yes, I suppose you could call this the 'Amanda and Lesley Show !'

;-)

So... no prizes for guessing where I went today!

But first stop was Newton Abbot station in order to pick up a fellow blogger, Joe!

Big smiles on our faces, off we went, as happy as could be! And we were even more happier when we reached..... Totnes.

Totnes is the sort of place (t'is pretty laid back!) which does not wake up ever so early.

Fat Lemons Cafe was not yet open...hence our joy when we found a hall, half way up the High Street, with a notice outside saying ' Coffee Morning' .

Coffee was 50p! Cake was 30p!

£1.60 for both of us!

And it was flippin' gorgeous;-)

At the top of the hill we made for 'Shabby Chick'.

Amanda and her lovely mum greeted us in their usual, cheery way.

It's always a pleasure to meet up with them...they restore my faith in mankind and I need a dose of that every now and again ! Especially today!

And Amanda's stall is so 'her'..full of everything delicious and tantalisingly tasty!

Ooohhh!!

Free to look and savour the flavour....and such reasonable prices when you do want to buy.

I always love it all. I think Joe did too!

We actually visited Amanda's stall three times!! Each time was as lovely as the time before ... my appetite did not wane! Oh no!

I admired this lovely butter dish!

And then it was time to continue on our 'journey'...although a few hundred yards was all that we needed to step!

A dose of 'This 'N That' was on the menu !

I simply adore this lovely shop and Lesley is great, so friendly and so lovely.

A real step back in time.

'Time and Tune' booklets...what a surprise. I used to love this schools' radio programme!

I wonder how many wives or girlfriends knitted the casual holiday jacket for their men?!

Gorgeous mags from way back ....I do hope that she doesn't fall in!

Lesley fills the shop with such wonderful goodies!

BTW ...Totnes does have a lot more than this...LOL!

But these ladies just bring me such a huge amount of pleasure and I thank them for that!

After that, it was home for lunch and a natter, as my lovely daughter and son in law turned up unexpectedly, which made the day even more lovely...oh and a little matter of

Mr Snippets and his new iphone... but that's trivial compared to all things vintage, shabby and chic , isn't it?!

LOL ;-)

A big thank you to Joe for being such great company today!

Finally, many thanks to all the people who commented on my last post!

You are all very kind and it is much appreciated.. very heartening and reassuring!

Have a wonderful weekend! xxx

;-)

My thoughts today!

2009-06-18T08:34:00.004+01:00

What is it with many young girls of today?

Why do they always want the bad guys? Excitement maybe?

Old fashioned manners, being courteous, courting a girl properly, treating her well, helping her, showing respect at all times....

I have a son that does all that and where does it get him?

Sometimes life really does hurt,doesn't it?....and especially when you are a mum and you feel so helpless.

You can't interfere...you can't say what you'd really like to say!

Big hugs Nich ;-)

Clovelly (in Devon!)

2009-06-16T07:20:00.005+01:00

I came across this rather charming postcard whilst I was looking through my mum's collection,early this morning.

Somehow, it had accidentally found it's way into the 'Somerset 'section! Oh dear me!

We can't have that, can we?

But isn't it beautiful?

I'd love to see if I can get it enlarged and framed, I'm so taken with it!

Snippets ...to start the week ;-)

2009-06-15T06:30:00.001+01:00

Yesterday, was the perfect day to spend in the garden!

Here's my favourite Foxglove..what a beauty it is!

When we moved here, eight years ago,we found three very large Strawberry pots, hidden at the bottom of the garden. And there they stayed, as being plastic, I rejected them!

Last week I decided to paint them with some leftover F&B ! I really wanted them red and blue but didn't have the colours.

However, they're 'acceptable' now...for the time being anyway!

I think this Norfolk windmill needs a good lick of paint too...shall I stick to white..or shall I be adventurous?

Here's where I spent much of yesterday, pricking out herb seedlings.

And here's my car boot buy (minus the mop)...I started to plant it as soon as I got it home.

Thinking of chairs...at the booty, I also found these embroidered chair backs.

I wonder who puts chair backs on their chairs? My mum always did!

These are so pretty! (Too nice to chop up!)

They'll go on the pile, along with my two recent ebay finds...

And how about this...an embroidered pic...Devon!

I just need to find the right frame for it!

On to buckles!

I've been looking for vintage buckles for ages...as I had an 'idea' a while ago!

And...I was really pleased to win this two yards of vintage cotton fabric...!

Finally, I reckon this is a bargain....

http://www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk/LTM/Posters/Artists/Product/St-Ives-Cornwall.html

***

Hope you all have a lovely week..and that the sun shines for you ;-)

Exeter Festival Craft Fair ;-)

2009-06-12T16:06:00.019+01:00

Each year, the City of Exeter upholds the tradition of celebrating the Lammas Fair.

The annual ceremony of the Proclamation of the Lammas Fair, dates back more than 900 years!
We were there today, to watch this fascinating , colourful piece of tradition.
and the procession to the Guildhall (which , incidentally, is one of the oldest in the country),

led by the Mace Sergeant,whose very important role is to carry the Lammas Fair Glove!

The Lammas Fair Glove is a sign of Royal protection of the peace.

The glove is a large leather stuffed glove,attached to a long pole and decorated with ribbons and a garland of flowers.

Meanwhile, taking place on the Cathedral Green, was the annual craft fair...and although the weather was dull and overcast, it stayed dry for our time there. We wandered around the tents looking for anything a bit 'different'.Although I love jewellery and ceramics, there always seems to be an excess of these kinds of crafts.

This was a lovely stall. 'Petite Fleur'

You can't see closely but this lady makes many of her items using the technique of paper napkin decoupage.

I loved these wood crafts.

These berets appealed to me too.

Beautiful art work.

And then there was driftwood... there was a lot of it around this year.

Not to mention slate!

I always love to see terracotta

And then came the treat of the day for me...

I met a lovely, fellow blogger, Helen!

Her tent was filled with so much gorgeousness...she uses lots of vintage bits...just my thing!

So we swapped links...here's her blog and also her website. Both are well worth a visit!

http://bustleandsew.blogspot.com/

http://www.devonbeardesigns.com/

Fabulous cushions!

Wonderful quilts!

Using vintage children's books...

Fab hand knitted goodies...

Cards...

Beautiful buntings...

More quilts

It was all lovely...

Finally, having heard about this from Nich, here's a little 'funny', which can be seen on the door of an Exeter shop ...

Tee hee!!
Have a great weekend everyone!

Deb'n and its goings ons! ;-)

2009-06-10T09:04:00.013+01:00

Look at this!

An invitation! ;-)

I expect that some of you remember the lovely painting by Henderson Cisz, which adorns out lounge wall?

I can almost walk into the picture every time I look at it.

Well, Henderson Cisz has excelled himself this time!

No photo will do this justice, not even on my header picture..but boy is it lovely and boy do I have any room for it...no!

The original 'Cathedral Yard, Exeter' is going to be auctioned, on June 18th, for a charity, ' Families for Children'

'Cathedral Yard, Exeter'

Did that stop me from ringing the gallery, to find out the price?

Did it heck!

''£295, unframed, madam''

GULP..but worth every penny and I can't wait to see it in the flesh!

I'm going to take a peep in that gallery when I go up at the weekend..way hay...!

Because ....on Friday, this begins...

Starting with this date... a very important date in my calendar... and in my fave Devon city !

On Friday, it is the Lammas procession, whereby this rather large Lammas glove parades down the High Street , eventually ending up on the roof of the Guildhall.

I just love our country for traditions such as this, don't you?!

I'll be there to make sure that there glove behaves , before I head to the Cathedral Green to look at the craft festival ! (Excitement is mounting) ;-)

Talking of Devon, having returned my mum's bookmarks , I was presented with a shoe box full of postcards , which she has saved and sorted over the years.....mainly English counties... with a few 'foreigners' thrown in.

'Would you like these for your blog?'

And so... for starters...

Do ee think ee can read it? LOL

Just a few snippets for you...oooarrr!

Now tis time to 'ave me tay!

Have fun, wherever you are ;-)

St Marychurch

2009-06-09T14:33:00.004+01:00

This morning we jumped in the car and just for a change, instead of our usual craft morning, I took everyone to St Marychurch,Torquay.

It's a quaint little Victorian arcade with such a variety of shops...everything you need...and traffic free.

As we were walking up the street I noticed...

Fables The Bookshop

Well, I already knew it existed but what I didn't know was that it had two very friendly owners, Doreen and Frances.

Naturally, before we entered the shop,these books caught my eye and I am glad they did...

Without boring all of you footy haters too much, Charlie Buchan was a famous footballer,whose 'Football Monthly' became a firm favourite amongst footy fans after it was launched in 1951.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARSENALbuchan.htm

And now these lovely gift books are in the bookshops:

Well amazingly, Frances told us that she was Charlie Buchan's granddaughter!

She was quite happy to be snapped..

This little shop was jam packed full of wonderful books..I need to revisit as we could not take it all in!

A book shop as bookshops should be....and of course

the last words are from Frances and Doreen..

How Bazaar ! ;-)

2009-06-08T13:15:00.004+01:00

Bazaars, Fetes, Country Fairs...call them what you will...I love them!

I was lucky enough to be asked by Amanda (Shabby Chick, Totnes stall) to join her and do a 'Country Fair' at a place very near here, called Blackpool School. It's at Liverton, in a very pleasant setting, nestled in the foothills of Dartmoor.

So that's where we'll be on Sat July 4th, weather permitting,with some of my hand made goodies and some of her lovely delights!

Which means I've been having fun making a few vintage bits..starting off with some lavender bags because (yes ,ok, I know, I need to be struck down... before a certain lady in Paignton goes mad at me for this! You know who you are!) LOL

Yes, I took the scissors to a vintage tablecloth ! ;-)

As I was beavering away, I caught sight of this little book which is brilliant for all the basic embroidery stitches, if you can still get it. My absolute favourite.

And this one for vintage lovers...

Naturally ,one can also be inspired by these old faves...quite old fashioned but a must for the vintage craft room!

Which brings me on to this...an old favourite...very old fashioned... but one can improvise!

I hope you get to some of these gatherings, this summer.

BTW...Anyone for tea and scones?

I should say so ;-)

Preserving the countryside...or not!

2009-06-05T14:45:00.002+01:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/8077398.stm

I don't know if anyone has seen this piece of news. It caught my eye as it's local news for me.

And it made me so mad. Ooooh it made me see red!

I just wish that people had a better understanding of the countryside.

Meanwhile, I have just won this little gem below, for 99p!

To add to my growing collection ( of two!)

To add to my very untidy 'Nature Table'!

Ah that's better..

And prompted by Jane, over at 'Posy blog' (I've been reading about her attempts to attract the birds!)...this one..again 99p!

I had this book years ago and seemed to recall that it had Woodpeckers on the back cover...

And when it arrived..guess what...

Knowing how much Mr Snippets loves the bird life in the garden, I shall share it with him.

Greater Spotted Woodpeckers have been visiting us regularly, this week... and it's a real joy to sit and watch them...and all for free!

Have a great weekend everyone!;-)

Thursday Snippets

2009-06-04T16:47:00.005+01:00

I bought these cute pair at the V&H Fair. I spotted them on Jayne's stall...whilst unbeknown to me...

Mr S was buying me a mirror from Amanda...one which has been finished this time!! lol

Now...you might be thinking that I have begun my crafting in readiness for the next fair...

Not so!

A very odd thing happened to me about three weeks ago.

I had an email from someone who asked if I could make her some Lavender bags for her wedding 'favours'.

The strange thing was this..she is called 'Sally'...but that's not all...!!

Her second name is Elizabeth, as mine is..but that's not all...!

She lives in Newton Abbot..!

I've been working like a trojan to get them made...so I've not been far...

But I've been to vote!

This will make you laugh..look where I always have to go to vote...see the building behind my car!

Out of my gate...and six more steps!
;-)

Alone and happy ;-)

2009-06-03T14:20:00.009+01:00

What a beautiful day!

We have Swallows nesting in the carport.

The parents sit on these wires and then fly in through the trellis to feed their young.

Or they fly in the back way, right by my study..it's a joy to watch them...and oh the noise!

I've spent the day here at 'Woodpeckers', alone ...just me and the garden.

I've not seen another human being since the men of the house disappeared to work.

But I have smiled!

These are the things that have made me smile...

My dark pink Lewisia ,'flirting' with other plants to make a spectacular picture.

The wooded place at the bottom of the garden,where the foxgloves and nettles intertwine...a place which is my retreat... where I have rested awhile to gather my thoughts and energy.

A beauty of a Poppy.

Little containers of loveliness.

We live next to what was once a village school (now the church hall)... our house was built in the old school playground and that brings a smile to my face.

The place where Mr S and I often sit and enjoy the nature of Woodpeckers.

A lovely day just enjoying one's own company.

I hope your day has been just as lovely!

;-)

A smile costs nothing! ;-)

2009-06-02T14:20:00.007+01:00

This morning, I was at my mum's, 'crafting'.

We did 'quilling'... but we spent so much time talking and laughing even more ...that not a lot was achieved really!!

Somehow, the conversation got around to, 'people who do not smile' ;-)

We have a shop in town where the owner does not smile at all..my mum often spends a lot of money in this particular shop !

All of a sudden my mum said, 'Do you remember that bookmark you gave me, years ago?'

Well I didn't... and so off she went to find it!

And of course,she returned with a box full of bookmarks..loads of them!

She proceeded to tell me that now I had something to blog, seeing as our quilling efforts were somewhat 'naff'!!

So I brought them home to look through them and I fell in love with these National Trust bookmarks right away.

And various other lovely designs.

Lots of historical ones too.

And many more that I have not yet discovered!

Keep smiling!

;-)

Yeah, Britain's Got Talent..what DIVERSITY.. at Chipping Sodbury!

2009-05-31T15:22:00.019+01:00

Simon : Words fail me...almost!

23 quality acts.

I think I'll sign you all.

I mean... We had a deal, didn't we? Which was...

You provide the class and quality!

Well, you did not let me down (winks and smiles, shows his gorgeous chest too ;-)

***

Amanda: I agree with Simon.

Wow and double wow!

You should all be sooo proud!

I am bursting with pride for you (giggles).. and bursting out of this dress I think!

You were absolutely sooooperb and I'll be looking to buy my next wardrobe and accessories for the next series, from you all, for that special, vintage look!

Well done to you all.

I absolutely loved you !

Piers: (Watching for Amanda to burst out of her dress ;-)

Well ladies, now let's be honest here, I know you all adore me... so here's what I'll do ...

You can each make me a tie for the next series.

Gold stars all round...true professionals.

Ab fab!

***

Cor all that praise and NO buzzes!!

LOL! ;-) ;-)

Yes! It has to be said that the talent came to Chipping Sodbury, on Saturday, in the form of the V&H Fair.

Crowds of bloggers and non bloggers piled in, ready to spend , spend , spend!

Many had travelled long distances too.

So what did they find when they arrived?

Oooh you may well ask!

OMG it was such a brilliant day but as with all good things, it was over in a flash!

It was wonderful to meet up with everyone... bloggy stall holders...bloggy buyers etc etc and to put faces to bloggy names.

It was great to meet up with April (Cake makes the world a better place); Joe (Josie Mary); Isabelle (Suzy's Vintage Attic); Lesley (Totnes This 'N That); Kathy (Menopausal Musing);

Sue (Our new life in the country)... and many more who all came to say hello !

And so... Sat 30th May will not just be remembered for Chelsea winning the F.A. Cup and Diversity's winning performance on stage.

Oh no!

Because...

Another brilliant goal was scored at Chipping Sodbury, by Michele and Jayne ,who have put this fab fair firmly on the calendar... and up there with all other things truly British.

A massive thanks to them... and not forgetting the helpers on the cake stall, who worked their socks off !

Finally...
In no particular order... here are the 'winners' for you to enjoy with your cuppa:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/salgull1/

Phew..I think that's it!

A truly great day !

;-)

Off to the Fair!

2009-05-28T15:49:00.008+01:00

We'll soon be off!

Leaving Devon is not one of Mr Snippets fave pastimes but I've promised him a fab weekend!

;-)

But we're not going far!

Just to..

Via...

Frome and Wells! ;-)

And taking our goodies!

We're looking forward to meeting you!

And if you live too far away to come along, I'll try and take lots of pics !

Have a great weekend!

;-)

Jack... and his patch!

2009-05-26T16:25:00.006+01:00

Once upon a time there was a little hut on the side of the road, at a place called Bishopsteignton, which is between Newton Abbot and Teignmouth.

A sign said 'Jacks Patch' and you could park up and buy lovely plants.

Over the years the hut grew and grew !

Jack's Patch is now a thriving garden centre, where you can also partake in a coffee and cake or spot of lunch...overlooking the River Teign...which is what we did today,with my mum and dad, before wandering around to admire the blooms.

I've always loved Philadelphus..or Mock Orange..with its very fragrant flowers.

and Delphiniums are a must!

These Clematis,which I spotted, were beautiful .

I could well do with these for my Lavender bags...I have 20 to make for a wedding!

More about that later.

Do you like Hydrangeas? I do ...but my mum doesn't.

Give me the cottage garden look any day!

And then I spotted ...

This Painted Lady kept so still for me to take a pic.

Sadly, it did not come home with me.

However, one or two things did!

A beautiful, blue Veronica

A delicate, blue Geranium.

A pink Verbascum, still in bud.

A gorgeous, lilac coloured Nemesia.

Now I'm thinking that I'll go and see if there are any second hand huts for sale!

Meanwhile..I am pretty happy with my present patch!

;-)