SecondHand Goodness

Have enjoyed a day of secondhand rummaging today, to appease my stash-gathering/retail therapy mood!

Had a trip out to Orinoco where I got some fabulous red upholstery material which I hope to cover two tins that I also got, the idea was in the latest issue of Sew Hip and I thought I could store knitting needles in one and pencils in the other..

Got some thin foam for future paint stamping, with some tester tubes of blue fabric paint. Some acetate sheets for stencilling and finally a tin of 'moon shadow' emulsion for one wall of the lounge. Although after slapping a bit on to test, it's a bit bluer than I wanted so may have to mix with some white so it's a bit more muted, but not bad for 50p!

Then it was into Town for a trawl through the charity shops, I was buggyless today (youngest at nursery!) so it meant I could do a big trip and go to the ones with stairs and narrow aisles!

Sobell House was jammed packed with great stuff today, had to rein myself in!

First off, three hoops which I wanted to display nice fabric in and hang on the walls, ala Soulemama,hope to get either some Amy Butler or new Ikea fabric for those.

Then found this half used Softie Kit in the Kids section, has the pattern pieces and instructions for making some fabulous softies, including Treelings from Forest Prints and a fabulous ice cream sandwich from Heidi Kenny at My Paper Crane who's softie donuts I love and I may try my hand at, as for our new craft group at work we are supposed to be doing a 'tea-time' themed item.
Some more wool, all for only £1.50 so I couldn't resist...I'm working on a knitted flower corsage at the moment, so needed some scraps to test on!

And then also, when the sun shone in brief interludes today, I finally managed to cajole my eldest into modelling the Oliver + S 'Lazy Days Skirt' I finally finished last weekend, it's a bright pink print from Ikea. This is the first time she's really worn it, so I may have to make another one in fabric that she chooses next. I just know it'll be something sparkly and spangly! Still it was really easy once I got going and I can definitely see me making more. Thanks to Manda at Treefall for giving my the push to get on as her version is lovely.

Art in Action 2009

Had my first visit (finally) to Art in Action at Waterperry House on Saturday and really enjoyed seeing so much creativity. Lot's of different mediums/disciplines, all very talented people, I enjoyed seeing the wide variety on display. We were lucky with the weather, but glad I'd worn wellies! Will be making a mental note that mud, straw and buggy wheels do not go together though, unless you have an expensive off-road version!

Took lots of photos, ignored the 'please do not take photos' signs as I thought that was a little unfair, I've posted them onto Flickr for perusing, you should be able to click on the above image to see...

My favourite stand of the day was in the market section from Louise Gardiner who does embroidery/illustration, I was blown away haven't seen her work before and it resonated with them completely, would love to be able to do stuff like that, sadly all I could afford was a badge but never mind!!

Had lovely gardens too which were perfect for the kids to run around in and for picnicking - had some v. fab chocolate pancakes!!

I found the textiles tent a bit sparse, bit too arty - definite definition between textiles craft and textiles art me thinks! - lots of batik and not much going on unlike the others which was a bit disappointing. I think I like the market place and the 'Best of the Best' tent the most.

So, recommended, hope to go next year and would like to sign up to some classes next time!

Witney Carnival

Time for the annual Carnival!!

Cue plenty of excitement, ice-creams and book stalls! (my personal favourite, even though it means lots of grief from Mr G!)
Oh and the fabulous Mr Alexander:

He has the most lovely set and is very British and entertaining! We were very lucky with the weather and there was a lovely sense of community and people having a good time. Some bits of the main arena entertainment are unbelievably naff, but it all seems very old school and eccentrically British!

Hurrah for bric-a-brac too...

Now I just NEED more buttons! (any excuse!)

On Sunday, I then popped to Woodstock to The Oxfordshire Museum, to finally catch (on the last day) the Annabelinda exhibition. Soo glad I did, it was wonderful, basically Oxford's couture house since the Seventies had a retrospective with lots of original designer outfits all displayed, it showed fashion through the decades too, but the dresses, the handiwork, the Liberty fabrics, it was all so beautiful and sumptous. It was a real effort to not reach out and touch all the fabrics as they were all so stunning! The skill and craft put lovingly into all the creations was very evident and I loved the 70's pinafores, so much so I wondered if you could get away with wearing/making one now?! Even my girls liked it and were heard gushing over the lovely dresses and colours! Although after 10 minutes they were desperate to escape to the garden (which is lovely, as is the cafe, highly recommended!).

Inspiration board

Quiet day of cutting today, with my newly three year old being trusted with the big girl scissors!
I finally managed to put together my inspiration/mood board that I've wanted by my dining table for while.

I got the pin board from my Mum's garage during the car boot sort out and painted it with a lilac tester pot which was also uncovered!

I then cut all the images I'd saved in my 'To Print' folder. Basically I'd been saving images from sites I've visited to serve as inspiration.
And now it looks great, couldn't stop looking at all through dinner!
The bottom 'artwork' board is also pretty funky!