Throwback Thursday...

Well hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? Truth be told, it's not that I don't like your company, it's just that I have been manically trying to get through this last school term without losing my marbles! And now, finally, I can exhale as the summer holidays have finally arrived! Hooray! So today, just a short post...a quick 'hello'!
A few 'favourite things' for this Thursday...Looking back at old photos, and looking forward to doing more of the same!

I think there will be plenty of leisurely pancake breakfasts over the next few weeks...

There will hopefully be time to dive into a good read, peach in hand...

I aim to enjoy more of the simple things...like walks and picnics... 

...and picking some blossoms! (Ahem...or maybe a few strolls round the market for some lovely blooms!)

But whatever may be, there WILL be time for a little dressing up and a twirl round the dance floor!

Hopefully there will be time for making more of these too!

Happy summer holidays!

Blessings

Feel free...

'Nothing in life is free'...So the saying goes. Do you agree? Well, I for one will always try to challenge this, pushing the boundaries to try and squeeze a little 'free'-dom out of  life that will make my thrifty soul sing! In a previous post I shared with you a patchwork wall that I did in my daughter's bedroom, and it was what I would consider 'free', as the entire wall was done in wallpaper samples which I had collected free of charge over a period of time. Apart from the glue to stick the paper to the wall of course, which only cost me a couple of pounds. Well, this got me thinking....

I had requested some fabric swatches from several stores over a period of time, and inspired by a magazine feature, I thought I should create something from these. At first I thought I'd make a table cloth, then I set to work to make a little patchwork rug to place by the fireplace. The little patches of prettiness seemed a little lonely and disjointed on their own, but together they weaved  a canvas of indulgent colours, texture and interest that would cheer up a dull floor. Or so I thought...

Once I'd pieced it all together, I placed it on the floor, but for some reason the idea of little feet treading on it filled me with angst! The luxurious samples seemed to precious to step on with mucky toes! So, I hung it on the wall of course! a little bit of textured art...for free!

I decided that the fire place could do with a pick me up to. I wanted some accent colours to pop, so I spray painted an old oil lamp, photo frame and magazine rack in a fresh retro apple green. 

The oil lamp...

The frame...

A few more colourful finishing touches...an abundant country garden, depicted with buttons...a whimsical button tree...and fairy lights in a vintage vase...

All that remains now, is deciding if the retro magazine rack will be used as intended, or will it house my beloved vinyl records? Hmmm....What a dilemma!

Thank you for taking the time to read. Have you made, found or aquired a little freebie of late? Do share! I'd love to hear from you. Have a happy weekend!

Blessings,

Cakes and Wishes

Hello my lovelies! Well, after the last post of melancholy musings, let's cheer things up a little! I am happy to report that I have started to implement movement, yes, EXERCISE! And glad to say, I'm enjoying it, so chances are good that I will stick with it. Just need to get past the stage of stiff glutes and jelly legs! I think my muscles have been shocked into submission! As for healthy eating, I am sticking to my convictions, and I'm concentrating on eating well balanced, healthy meals, and no unhealthy binge snacking in between. This weekend I might have a little cake though....It's someone special's birthday! My sweet girl is twelve today! And to celebrate? A birthday breakfast of course!

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy weekend to you all!
Blessings,

Weighing heavily on my mind...

Hello my lovelies! Well, today's post is somewhat of a departure from the all smiling, optimistic half-jar-full posts I always tend to write. You see, my jar is full, overflowing in fact, but it's not a good thing this time. I am referring to the fact that I have put on quite  a bit of weight, and it seems I'm spilling out of my jar, or trousers as it may be! Because of it I have been feeling a little out of sorts to say the least. I am the heaviest I have ever been (when not pregnant!), and it is something that has gradually crept up on me over time, and attached itself to my thighs! You see, I am a 'comfort eater'. I eat when I am stressed, upset, or bored, and lately I have been all those things. Since starting a new job where I am permanently glued to a desk, I am no longer as active as I used to be. A few other stressful factors have also meant that I have been seeking solitude in the cookie jar! It's like a bad cycle...the more weight I gain, the worse I feel, and the more M&M's I scoff like a starved child in order to make me feel better!  The worst part is that I have become the queen of excuses! I can give you a gazillion reasons why the diet will start tomorrow, why I can't possibly go for a walk today, and why I 'needed' another mouthful of buttery potatoes! But, dare I say....NO MORE!

I am here, now, typing and measuring every word I write, and even wondering to myself if I will have the nerve to press 'publish' at the top of this page when it comes to it. It's like standing naked in front of the mirror, and not seeing just my own reflection, but all your eyes staring back at my exposed flesh...and it's not a pretty sight! But, I have reached the point where I think it's time to keep it real. I can try to hide behind every well worded poster of  'curves are sexy', or 'love yourself as you are', but the reality is that my bottom will eventually outgrow even those words if I don't take action now! Don't get me wrong, everyone is different, and many people are happy in their 'not so perfect' bodies...after all, is there such a thing? I think perfect means healthy, and that I am not. When my doctor tells me that I need to lose at least 15 kg in order to get my BMI to a healthy, acceptable level, I need to listen. And do. So I am. Listening...and doing.

Starting now, not tomorrow, I am going to make some changes. I will no longer blame those pesky calorie fairies for sneaking into my wardrobe at night and sewing my seams tighter! I vow to be honest with myself, and to face the task of chiseling away the lardy lumps with commitment, determination, realistic expectations and a goal in mind. It won't happen over night, but it will happen...one day at a time! I know it won't always be easy...if only...

This is really important. I want to be healthy, I want to be able to keep up with the kids, and I want my clothes to fit! I am tired of feeling like a Boa Constrictor has latched on to my chest when I squeeze into my dresses, and I'm tired of having the Fire Brigade on speed dial, just in case they have to cut me out of my clothes in order to prevent me from suffocating! I know there is a 'six pack' waiting to burst out from my abdomen! At the moment it is wrapped up in copious amounts of bubble wrap!

You ask how I intend to shift the weight? I'll tell you. I intend to eat only that which nurtures my body, to cut out the bad stuff, and to exercise more. Yes, I'm keeping it simple. No fad diets and quick fixes here. I want to make better life choices that I can stick with for the long run. It will be a journey of retraining my palate to say no to processed, sugary and fatty foods. The results might take a little longer, but I intend for it to last longer too! I might follow this one tip though! Hee-hee...

I don't intend quitting. I will be transparent, honest and I will let you know how I get on. Time to take action...here goes...

Blessings,

Goodbye Cherry Blossom Tree!

Hello my lovelies! Well, have been a very busy bee of late. It's my daughter's twelfth birthday soon, so I suggested a bit of a 'more grown up' bedroom makeover might be in order. It was time to kiss the sickly frosty pink walls goodbye! I was a little sad to take a paint brush and wallpaper to the walls where I had spent hours painting her cherry blossom tree, but needs must!

Before...

I decided to brave it, and to paint everything white, with one feature wall done in a wallpaper patchwork effect. I am always on a strict budget, so my thrifty soul sang out when I managed to paper the entire wall in free wallpaper samples!

Goodbye tree...hello patchwork wall!

The gilt mirror was a boot sale find, and a snip at just £4 after some haggling with the stall holder! The wonder of free wallpaper extended to some framed bird art pictures too! I cut these little birdies out, and used 3d foam to create the picture on the left. 

I also decoupaged this quirky flamingo onto a china plate...

The tired looking orange pine desk was crying out for a pick me up! Nothing that a lick of paint couldn't sort out!

Before...

Tah-dah

A few finishing touches...

You'll spot some more wallpaper in the mirror reflection above! Those are the wardrobe doors...Now freshly painted and wallpapered!

Finally, after copious amounts of wallpaper paste and white paint, not to mention patience which is not always in big supply, the room is finished! And, thankfully, we have one very happy, nearly twelve year old occupant! 

Blessings,

Wednesday's Whatnots!

Hello my lovelies! Today's post is a jumble of everything and 'whatnot' as the saying goes. And, it will probably become a little institution here at 'Every Little Vintage Thing'. So, from here on, Wednesdays will be marked as 'Wednesday's Whatnots'! So, to kick us off, a post of what I've been up to lately......

Celebrating a friend's birthday....Madhatter's style!

At the weekend we traveled down to what is known as the 'garden of England', the beautiful countryside of Kent, where we visited dear friends who had invited us to a Madhatter's tea party. We were asked to wear hats or something whimsical.......so right up my street then, hey? Pink tights and blue shoes it is then!

 I found a wonderful tutorial for making Madhatter's hats at De Su Mama, using lidded paper coffee cups. The idea is to cover the cups in fabric, and then to embellish them with ribbons, buttons or whatever tickles your fancy. I used sticky backed felt instead, which was so easy and quick to use, and a lot less messy! Felt is also very forgiving, and looks seamless. Instead of using the lids for the rim of the hat as the tutorial suggests, I then cut the bottom (rim)  for the hat from cereal boxes, and covered with the felt. I found the lids bumpy and flimsy, and I wanted slightly wider rims for my hats. After attaching the rims and embellishments with a glue gun, I made teeny holes in the rim and added party hat elastic. Voila! 

Our hostess went through a lot of trouble to create the perfect Madhatter's tea party! A lot of fun was had by all!

And then there was a little painting...

I have been threatening to paint the fire surround for years! I am not a fan of orange pine, and it simply had to go. I tried out a chalk paint by 'Authentico', and I was pleased as punch with the results. It gives great coverage, is all natural and easy to use. It also dries super quick, so is a blessing for impatient people like me who hates sitting around watching paint dry! I am planning to paint a desk next!

My next little (actually, it's not so little!) project, is a bedroom makeover for my daughter's birthday...It will involve copious amounts of paint, wallpaper paste and sewing till I'm indigo blue in the face! I will keep you posted! Till next time chooks!

Blessings,

First Post: Taking the plunge!

Here goes...the very first blog post! I have been dipping my toes into a pool of writer's ink over the last few weeks, only to quickly withdraw them in hesitance due to cold feet! Yip, I have been blogging for a long time now, but this is a new little venture for me, and I have been toiling over the content of the first post for so long now, it's given me a case of writer's block! I keep typing a few sentences, only to mentally rip up the page in order to propel it into the waste basket! I feel a little nervous, like at the start of a football match, anxiously awaiting the sound of the whistle to give me that push to boot the ball into the air! So, there is only one thing for it...Stop dipping my toes hesitantly, take a deep breath, and knees to chest  just water bomb right in!

So, I'll kick off with some colour...pink and aqua!

Summer is upon us, and everything feels lighter and brighter. The urge to bathe everything in pastel prettiness has taken over, so I've spent the weekend repainting a little old cupboard in the master bedroom a very light pink, 'Love Note' by Dulux. Yip, no Mrs. Sloan here today, but only because I thought I'd put the two sample pots I already had to use! I have been threatening to take the paint brush to it for years...six years to be exact! I really don't know why it has taken me so long to do it. I am very happy with the results.  Once I'd given it a good lashing of chalky loveliness, I distressed it...I like things a little shabby! With a few favourite treasures tucked up inside, it's been given a new lease of life!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

After doing that, I figured I needed to give the very dull bedside table lamp a little zing, so drawing on my favourite colour combo of pink and aqua, I attached a little ribbon and a few buttons to the shade. It looks a little more cheery now!

My appetite for creative pursuits had been properly wet at this point, so I decided to reach for a felting needle! I had attempted making a felted mouse some time ago, but when it looked like nothing but a lump of cellulite, I quickly abandoned the roving and discarded the lumpy mouse to the back of the cupboard! But, today I thought I'd give it another bash! Ahem...several bashings to my thumb with the felting needle later, I'm quite pleased with how he turned out! Not perfect, but a mouse nonetheless!

So, let's take some notes. If there is a lesson to be learned from this, here it is...Do not procrastinate, do not give up. When in doubt, take a leap of faith, and write that first post, paint that little old cupboard, felt that first mouse. For today is here, now. Tomorrow? Well, nobody knows what tomorrow will bring.
Seize the day. Here is to more happy, productive and proactive hours!

Blessings,