Heart... be still

Smitonius:

Well, we are rapidly becoming a 'look what I bought' blog, rather than 'look what I did'! Not quite a bargain, but bid for some spare bits and bobs package of broken jewellery on Ebay. There is nothing more satisfying than sitting down to rummage through finds.

And, I did find some lovely things: butterfly pendants; vintage beads in citrine yellow; the odd polished stone.... and quite a few hearts.

Just in time for Valentine! So, who will be your Valentine this year? (shhhht: I shall send two cards, one to my other half, and the second to my nephew...)

Well , you can't refuse a bargain .

Sonata:

A Collector's Fair cannot be missed. In amongst the numerous things I neither need nor want are a lot of things I certainly don't need but must have.


A stall full of vintage sewing odds and ends revealed a hideous basket full of old buttons. Leaving the basket for someone who collects fraying wicker trimmed with blue plastic, I carried off a whole bag of buttons for €2. Not that I collect them, or anything else for that matter, but I can't resist a bargain.
All Sunday was spent sorting, arranging and admiring my finds. My current favourite is the black whirlygig one, 2"across,

but I love the grey ones too

....and the oblong ones ....I could go on but won't.

Other finds were 6 rather foxed, but charming, handpainted postcards from 1922 for 40 cents each and a Belgian floor tile catalogue, circa 1930, fascinating to a quilter.

Oh, by the way, I've reduced the price of my Round The World quilt in our Etsy shop. Have a look.

How do you feel about skating a marathon ?

Sonata :

It's cold . But not cold enough , apparently . The rest of Holland is "enjoying " temperatures of under minus 10 , and in some places minus 18 , while we northeners are basking in a mild minus 2 or 3 . The spokesperson for the Friesian Iceskating association has said , "It's not a real winter yet ".This suits me fine , I must say but the thousands of skaters who are desperate to take part in The Elfstedentocht are on tenterhooks .

They're all ready to rush to Leeuwarden and skate through eleven towns in this corner of Friesland in a day ..... over 200 kilometers in all . Frostbite , heart attacks , even the possibility of the end of your nose dropping off ( maybe apocryphal ) are no deterrent to the real afficionado .....you meet several older men here who've competed in three Elfstedentochts and are ready for the fourth ! The last winter that was cold enough for the ice to carry the 16,000 entrants , 25 soup stalls and endless First Aid posts , spectators and television crews was in 1997 .

I hope they get the chance again this year ...... but I'm looking forward to a Collector's Fair tomorrow and a weekend by the fire !

It's cold outside....

SMITONIUS:

Spent New Year's eve in Devon, in a cottage upon a hill. Higher up the hill, after a long and cold walk, we found a winter wonderland.

Dozens of small birds took off in flight as we approached. It was fortunate I had completed my warm winter hat! Silk and mohair with an added button in blue and gold.

Remember the buttons I got for my birthday? Yesterday, I rummaged through a button box in a bric a brac shop in Islington (Past Caring, it is called and can be found on Essex Road), and I found a little stash of vintage glass beads that just begged to be teamed up with one of the buttons. So, here is a dash of spring colour to brighten the snowy/slushy gloom outside.

New Year Resolution .....

Sonata;

Here we have a record 5 unfinished quilts ....and that's ignoring the carefully put aside collections of fabric that I think would make a lovely ZigZag Bricks quilt ( 3 ) , Round the World ( 2 ) or NinePatch quilt . So , today , I decided to get at least one finished this week . To that end I started to tidy up the 4 button boxes in my possession . I'm awfully good at displacement activity !

Actually , the larger blue and white doll quilt ( in the background ....the squares are 2"across ) is very nearly ready and the Hitty-sized Grandmother's Garden is too . But now I've got them all out , I'm in love with them all again and can't choose between them ! So I think this year's resolution must be to finish off these little quilts as soon as possible .....oh yes , and to put all the buttons back .

Meanwhile , I hope you all have a happy and successful New Year !!

A blue Christmas

Smitonius:

No, I am not one of the monkey's in my mother's kitchen this year, as decided to pop over to Holland at Easter instead. The cat is happy, not only are her humans in residence but they are doing a little housework for a change.

No full blown Chrsitmas decorations this year, but the odd little seasonal touch - the bunch of tulips the cat is admiring (or planning to destroy? Who knows what her inscrutable expression really means?) and these swirling angels above a flaming candle.

Some crafting is taking place, amid all the housework being done (well, there is a serious amount of decluttering to do before February around here, as the Study will be painted then... and it is full of STUFF. I won't upset your eyes by showing you the disaster area today). A necklace will be made with this pretty blue Howelite pendant stone, Antique button and glass beads, and - to keep the theme blue - a hat will be knitted in blue mohair (from 21st Century Yarns, perhaps the 'pacific' colourway) and Tussah silk (Nature's Palette Rustic Silk in 'Seascape').

We've got visitors . I hope you do too or , better still , are the visitors ! Mind you , my visitors brought Christmas pudding and peeled the sprouts .

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!