Checking in

Just wanted to drop in and say hello as I know I'm not really going to get chance to do a 'proper' post for a few days.
I also wanted to say a big thank you for all the lovely comments I am receiving and to welcome everyone who has clicked on the follow button.
I'm off to the Country Living Christmas fair in Harrogate on Friday with Mr. H so no doubt I will have lots to tell next week and lots of pictures.

Until then hope you all have a great week.
: )

Amidst the chaos

Life is a little hectic again here in the Hotchpotch household.
I have a couple of craft/vintage fairs coming up in the next few weeks, so I am working my little fingers to the bone trying to make a few new bits and bobs for the stall.
I have a weekend trip away with Mr.H next week and then on the 21st December we will all be making our annual trip to North Yorkshire staying here until Christmas eve, so as you can probably guess I am ever so slightly stressed... in a good way, but stressed all the same.

Amidst all this chaos I stopped today just to take a few moments to admire these.

Hope your'e having a tickety boo Tuesday!

: )

Cake, craft and more cake

I finally managed to get the Christmas cake made this week. It's normally baked around the end of September and has had at least 3 dousings of brandy by now so I am way behind.

I can't say I am entirely happy with the end result as it cooked a little too quickly for my liking and I fear it may be slightly dry. I'm sure Mr. H will tell me if it's not up to my usual standard!


On the upside I had a lovely friend come over on Saturday while the boys were away at football.
We had a great day starting off with not one but two Christmas fairs at local churches.
We both have a passion for vintage and thrifting so I was afraid we would be fighting over the goodies but all was well as there was plenty enough bargains for the two of us.
I found a few bits and bobs that were looking for a new home.

A plate rack that will be perfect for the new cupboard and in yellow

a cute little tablecloth which reminds me of Christmas, I think it must be the colours.

buttons because one can never have too many, especially at 20p

Christmas and vintage, what more could you want!

As well as all the bric-a-brac there was a beautiful stall full of knitted goodies.
There were so many gorgeous things to choose from, sadly I didn't take a photograph partly because the room was so full and also because I was way to giddy to even contemplate whipping out the camera and wasting valuable shopping time. I eventually came away with these.

a gorgeous pair of hand warmers made from the softest wool for £2.50 and the brooch £3.00

a pair of coat hangers, the larger one was £2.50 and the smaller one was £2.00, I couldn't believe the lady was selling them at this price.

something to listen to while I'm pottering.

last but not least two cornish tea towels which will probably end up as cushion covers for the campervan.


After lunch in the church hall it was back to mine to peruse our haul, and what a haul, between us I think we had three large bags full of goodies.

The whole purpose of the day was for us to get together for a full day of crafting so out came the slippers and footstools, followed by the wool, felt, paper and punches.
How time flies when your'e having fun!

Afternoon tea was served from the trolley.
We had a great girly day and we have planned our next day out so I am looking forward to that.

Thank you for your lovely comments on my last post, the kitchen cupboard is well on the way to being finished so hopefully there will be a reveal next week. I'm feeling slightly under pressure now I just hope it lives up to the hype!

Oh yes nearly forgot this is what I picked up from the church Christmas Fair last weekend for a fiver.

It's residing here for now but I want it in it's rightful place at the bottom of the bed so the furniture will need a re-jig (something else to add to the bloody list!)
I have some lovely barkcloth that I think will be perfect for re covering the top but for now I will enjoy it as it is.


Today I have been enjoying the sunshine.

this was the view from my bedroom window this morning.

Iv'e also been pottering around the house, ripping out a cupboard that Mr. H and I have got sick of the sight of, so on a whim this morning after breakfast we decided enough was enough and out it came!
We always seem to embark on some D.I.Y project or other just before the festive season, so not only have we got the kitchen cupboard to finish painting and lining we have now got to repaint the dining room walls, all this before next weekend.

Wish me luck!
Hope you are all having a great weekend whatever you are up to

: )

Just the two of us

Little H was away in North Yorkshire all last weekend (lucky boy) so Mr. H and myself decided we would roll up our sleeves and crack on with the endless list of jobs that were/are starting to stack up.
We got up early on Saturday despite having a late night on Friday as we were out celebrating a friend's 40th birthday.
Our first stop was an Autumn fair at a local church. This is one of my favourite weekend pastimes, stopping for a cuppa in the church hall and rummaging through the bric a brac and helping to swell the coffers at the same time.

We didn't leave disappointed, just feast your mince pies upon this little lot.

oh dear that doesn't sound very promising does it, never mind I like the box anyway.

.........but what have we here?
what a surprise in a creepy kinda way and all this lovlieness for 50p

.

.

It doesn't stop there because just as we were about to leave I spotted something on the stage, to be honest I don't know how I could have possibly missed it.
....sadly it's still in the campervan and I haven't had chance to take a snap so I will have to leave you in suspense!!!


after a quick cuppa and a swoon over their lovely utility china it was onwards and upwards as there was paint to be purchased so off to homebase...so far so good until Mr. H suggested we make a slight detour to Rotherham.
Don't get me wrong I have been banging on about this place since I visited a few weeks ago but I hadn't planned on a detour, didn't he realise I had things to do and jobs to cross off my list. Just as I was about to protest he mentioned lunch and that was that, I was sold.
We had a lovely afternoon mooching around the charity shops then lunch before making our way to homebase for the paint.

By the time we made it home it was too late to do much so I plonked myself down with another cuppa and my hook and started yet another pile of granny squares.

I think I managed to cross one job from the list...Oh well there is always tomorrow.

: )

not quite a Tah Dah

Remember this?

Well no big reveal yet but work has finally started. Mr. H has worked his magic, scraping and flattening the old paint ready for the fun part and after much deliberation, paint has finally been chosen and purchased.

I normally go for an eggshell finish (I know chalky finish is a big favourite at the moment but I'm not a fan, sorry) but over the last couple of years I have fallen back in love with gloss... not for everything you understand but certain things and especially in the kitchen.
This is a cupboard that I rescued from a skip a few years back that has had the F&B full oil gloss treatment.

I love Farrow and Ball emulsion, house White being my favourite colour for walls
but I have to say I'm not a big fan of their water based gloss, I much preferred the oil full gloss not very eco friendly I know but it's as tough as old boots.
So Iv'e opted for good old Dulux this time.
This will be for the cupboard doors with white for the framework.
I'm also going to give my tea trolley a much needed makeover while I'm at it, also giving it a coat or two of the yellow.

This is to line the shelves with, I thought it would be a perfect match for the woods ware that will be living here when it's eventually finished.

Oh well off now painting to be done!

OH NO

Oh dear
It has just been pointed out to me by cuckoo that I am one of those 'no reply comments bloggers' *hangs head in shame.

google image


I must apologise if you think I have been rude or done this on purpose, in my ignorance I didn't even know about the no reply comments thingy.....Oh dear!
SO just to let you know, I do leave many a comment on my favourite blogs as I am a very sociable person and love the bloggy community.
Hopefully my faux pas has been rectified , please let me know as I don't want to be a 'no reply comments blogger' anymore
: (

Just to clarify cuckoo was just trying to reply to a comment I had left on her blog.
I am grateful to her for pointing this out to me or I would have never known about it so thanks cuckoo x

Stitchathon

Alas there have been no thrifty finds of late so any photos of your recently aquired treasures would be greatly appreciated as you know how I need my thrifty fix!
Thank you Miss Beatrix for the pyrex post it truly lifted my spirits!

Iv'e been keeping myself out of trouble by doing a spot LOT of sewing.
I started the stitching marathon at the start of last week when I decided I was going to put my camper blanket to one side

Threading in ends is never an enjoyable experience

As soon as I saw this in Cath's new book I was certain I could make a better job of it , I think it's the poor quality of the felt that I was disappointed with. Lucky for me I have a large massive stash of lovely soft felt.

here is my version

these also caught my eye and will be used as gift tags on Christmas presents for people who I know will appreciate my craftiness.

Iv'e blurred out the initials on the tags just in case they are reading!

It seemed a shame to stop there being as I was on such a roll so out came
fa la la felt and before I could stop myself I had made these.

They are for a lovely friend who also happens to be little H's Godmother (I hope isn't reading this!)

They will be carefully wrapped and put into her Christmas stocking along with this.

I have made a few other bits and bobs which I will be giving as gifts so for the moment I will keep them under wraps!


in between all this hand stitching I knew I needed a new apron for work so out came the dreaded machine and in about 2 hours I managed to cobble together something resembling an apron.
A couple of hours is pretty good going for me so I was feeling pretty pleased with myself and a few buttons hand stitched on here and there, I was more than happy with the finished result, sadly no photo at the moment as the apron is currently in the washing machine...lets just hope it survives!

Hopefully by the end of this week I will have completed another Christmassy project for my etsy shop ......so many projects so little time

Boom bang a bang

stay safe

: )