Monday 10 February 2014

 
 
 
Frantic Friday
 
I spent a happy few hours on Friday afternoon after completing my jobs for the day, preparing a project that had come to me the week before.  I have a collection of cloths from all sorts of eras and use the majority of them to make things to sell.  I always end up with a few bits left over, so I've been looking out for a way to use them up on something for the house.  My industrial machine sits in it's heavy duty table with the motor and associated gubbins dangling out of the bottom, looking quite frankly-ugly!  So I decided to pretty it up with a patchwork curtain, using my eclectic mix of scrap vintage cloths.
 
 
 
Lots of yummy cloths

So I got out my ruler and rotary cutter and set to turning scraps into squares(5 1/2" squares).  Then I started the fun task of arranging the squares in a pleasingly clashy pattern, I didn't quite get them all stitched together before I had to pick up my little one.

Is this going to be the final arrangement???
 
 Crafting was temporarily postponed, whilst the important job of den building taken up by myself and my junior engineer, he happily lounged about in here whilst I stitched a bit.  He then decided that he would like to get a bit of creating done, so out came the Mr Man comic and a happy pre-tea hour was spent building them a house and completing many a page of stickers.

Camp Lulumama

Mr Man House on patchwork fields


I came down with some horrid headache, general body ache, sore throat cold to your bones lurgi that night so the curtain was put on hold until today, when I managed to back it and put on a channel for the stretchy wire thingy we(hubby) are going to attach it with, it is only sellotaped on but I am soo pleased with it.  No more sitting and staring at an ugly(but brilliant and necessary) engine, and I managed to start and finish something for myself within a few days- a very rare occurrence indeed!


Ta Dah!

Tuesday 4 February 2014

Tick Another One off The Long List 
 
 
We are very slowly getting our house how we want it here at Lulumama Towers.  2012/13 was the major building project time, with a new room added, and now its the minor jobs.  I say minor but they still take an age, as we seem unable to simply buy an item and install it.  We have  bit of a soft spot for the old and unloved, and therefore my other half spends a lot of his time taking off old paint, sanding down and re-painting many bits of furniture/light fittings etc etc.   One reason for this is that he often picks up pieces which people are throwing away so we get to satisfy our frugal genes.  Another reason is that we simply cannot find things we like on the High Street, everything seems the same unless you can afford to pay a lot of money, and reclaim yard prices have gone up lots in the ten years we have lived here.  We also get quite excited about finding things that say "Made In England/Britain", they don't turn up a lot on the high street, and i'm not talking handmade Etsy style things because yes there are plenty of those and I do support this market.  I am talking about boring industrial things like light fittings and simple fixtures and fittings. My hubby gets very excited if he finds an old bag of British made screws at the back of an old Ironmongery shop(we have a healthy supply of those in our region). 
 
 
 
 
 


So here is our latest rescue, a lovely 50s style cupboard with sliding glass doors.  The glass has those funny bobbles on, and take me right back to some relatives kitchen when I was a child.  It was in a bit of a poor way until Mr Lulu got to it.  He lovingly sanded it down and re-painted the inside and out.  We have filled it up with our tea and coffee accoutrements, and breakfast gubbins and it is as if it has always been there.  We will eventually decorate the kitchen, as it is currently a lurid orange with peeling bits of paint, but just imagine it a nice grey/cream, that is what I will  be doing for a while yet!

 



Whilst the kitchen is an on going project our new room is 99% there.  It is light bright and stays warm when you heat it-magic!  My little one loves spending time in there, and as you can see enjoys a good jigsaw, we have to help a little of course as this was a 1,000 piecer.  We are slowly settling in, although I keep re-arranging my bits and bobs, I have spent sooo long waiting and imagining how it will be that I want it to be just right.  I really wanted to have some plantlife in here, but as I generally kill plants I thought i'd start with some simple bulbs. They have filled the room with their heady scent.


 
 
I too have been loving the new room, its such a light bright workspace and makes it so much easier to get on with my work.  I have been making a few bits for when the weather warms up to sell at "Vintage Mischief", several pairs of flattering 40s style trousers.

 
A few  summery 1950s frocks
.

My other job this week has been to photograph all my stock, I went a bit mad last year making bits to sell at local markets etc, so now I have an excess of stuff I thought i'd try and sell a bit through my website.  A friend has offered to list some of it for me as I am so slow with techie stuff, so yesterday I spent about 5 hours pressing and photographing all the things I have to sell.  It ranges from handmade bunting.

To children's clothes,



 
A lovely local shop called "The Patchwork Cow" has taken a few of my bits to sell, its a great place and sells good quality second hand children's clothes and everything you need when you are having a baby, I got all sorts of bits there when my boy was teeny.  So fingers crossed I will sell a few items so I can make some more!