Saturday 27 June 2009

Summer madness

I hope all is well with you. I'm enjoying these long days, good or bad weather I don't really care, it's the light, the flowers, the bird song that matters to me. But not these pesky little so and so's. In our locality (maybe UK wide?) we have a plague and I mean a plague of Greenfly. They are everywhere in massive million trillion numbers. In the air and smothering tender shoots. Living in the middle of the Uk doesn't usually present itself with too much bother in the insect department. There is the occasional house fly endlessly circling the ceiling lamp. Thunder bugs, I admit can be a nuisance. I have two of those little blighters squashed behind my lap top screen. But as I say, generally, we don't have too much to put up with living in our wonderful temperate zone....but hey, what happened here, who decided that Greenfly should all of a sudden become a biblical plague? Nasty little Greenfly with their sap sucking ways ;-)
Then, of course, being summer time, we have had a few days of sunshine and what comes with sunshine in the good old UK........let's all say it together............ A THUNDERSTORM. Which means flash flooding, over-flowing gutters and every sodding plant in the garden dashed to the ground!
But I'm not down, oh no, I still have the 'brooch making madness'!

One Brooch here for my sis, it's her birthday soon, so this will be part of her pressie.
One for destined for Etsyland..... I used some beautiful, subtle, rosy barkcloth for this one and it was so pretty, I didn't want to cover it up with other snippets.
And another for Etsyland.....
A couple of Greetings Card designs.....

A Textile Collage also residing in Etsyland.... envelope dated 1952 with the most lovely orange and blue stamps. Did my stuff on it, tying in the colour of the stamps with the fabric. Bottom right there is a silk picture......a whisper, a transparent detail, a shadow of a memory of a young girl with her best friend.
Onto my vintage finds over the last few days. On first glance, these Portugese Costume dolls look, well, like Costume dolls, but on closer inspection they are absolutely wonderful! They are kind of movable/wired and oh so skilfully made, they are a treat to behold. The shoes are leather, all hand stitched. Wired frames have been very well padded and the clothes are so detailed and beautiful. I am so pleased with them. I purchased them to hopefully sell on at the homespun fair, but ................. ;-)



I also bought this little pine box, fairly plain and ordinary on the outside, until you open it up and inside was once someone's watercolour paint box. It is gloriously marked in a hundred subtle shades. A wonderful backdrop for photos of my work and to display pieces at Fairs. Tickled pink with that one.

Five Victoria saucers, with the most delicate floral design.

Crocheting cotton and a bone tatting shuttle.
Finally, this groovy table cloth, 1950's? Love it. Oh so 'on trend' as maryportas would say!


Thank you to everyone once again for your kind comments and thank you for stopping by.x

30 comments:

Sal said...

Those dolls are wonderful..love the expressions!
And the vintage tablecloth is great!
;-)

Teena Vallerine said...

Along with the plague of aphids there is a complete lack of ladybirds - I expect the two things are linked! Loving that tablecloth and those dolls - although I'd have to give the basket carrier's arm a rest! It's making mine ache! Beautiful brooches again! t.x

Clare said...

That box is stunning! What a find, I can just see it containing one of your pieces. The students boards at work are similar at the edges where layers of different work and tape has been ripped off..lovely stuff!

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

Horrible greenfly. Haven't seen any here, haven't been looking either though, but what's a bit worrying is that I can't remember when I last saw those adorable little greenfly predators, ladybirds, either!!

Swirlyarts said...

That tablecloth is fantastic! And your work is beautiful as ever :) Try spraying some watered down washing up liquid onto the greenfly - my mum swears by it to get rid of them.

Abigail Thomas said...

LOVE the watercolour box! And the tablecloth. Good finds, well done.

lilylovekin said...

Love your water color box. Yes I can see it as a great back drop to your wonderful little brooches that you make. I had fun at the antique stores myself but nothing as good as your box.

Jackie said...

Glad to see you back 'n' blogging. The tablecloth is fab. I don't have greenfly in my garden becasue its so neglected that there are no roses.
What are thunderbugs?
x

THISNTHAT said...

What a fantastic tablecloth! Luck you:)
Lesley X

jenny elkins said...

Love your vintage finds! How much fun. Enjoy the summer. I hate pesky bugs. Do you guys have mosquitos? They are horrible in the Midwest. We get alot of rain.

Margaret said...

Lovely newsy post Viv, I'm glad to see your bug bother hasn't put you off creating, the little brooches are so gorgeous. Great finds especially the wtarecolour box, all sorts of things you could do with that little treasure! Mx,

Veronika said...

By some miracle my garden's been spared from greenfly this year, maybe because they've all decided to feast on your flowers this year? :) Love your work, as always :)

Unknown said...

Fantastic finds - just so love the dolls!
x Vicky x

Sandie said...

I am too am plagued with the pesky greenfly and I live a stones throw from the sea here in Lancashire, first time ever. However I managed to kill them all off with a strong solution of washing up liquid and water. I remember my grandfather telling me this when his runner beans were covered one year. Hey it worked. Now I have a greenfly free garden.

Love all of your creations by the way.

Sandie at Rag Rescue

Michala Gyetvai (Kayla coo) said...

I love the textile dolls and your paint box.
We too have been over run with green fly!

LOVE STITCHING RED said...

Not too many greenfly in Cornwall ...
but the roses have black spot

linda said...

i'm sooooo jealous of that tablecloth!! and the wooden box is a really fab find :) good hunting!

linda xx

Hanne ... said...

WOW that tablecloth is gorgius... I wouldn´t mind if it was in my stash ;-)

Heloise said...

No greenfly here yet, washing up liquid and water works really well. My garden is just overrun with evil weed aka bindweed.

Lovely brooches and good finds.

thevintagemagpie said...

beautiful brooches, and I love the envelope collage. I have just been squirting my resident greenfly with a little warm water and washing up liquid... I hope to see considerably less of them in the morning!x

train the trainer Courses said...

sooo cuutteee!

Lady P said...

oh those brooches you make are really good. and all of the other treasures
you have a very good eye

Fleur de Boheme said...

The brooch is lovely!!! And thanks a lot for the sweet cards, I love it all! I´m going to blog about it soon, just have to get everything ready for the opening of my summer gallery/shop on thursday, and we have a joint exhibition at Tracys gallery starting next saturday, too...

Take care, and continue enjoying the summer - we had gorgeous weather the last weeks.

Vintage Fairy Tales Rebecka said...

Despite the greenfly, you seem to have a good and creative time!
Kindest regards
Rebecka

Jenn said...

Greenfly... hmmm... is that like an aphid? What lovely roses... I hope they don't bother those! We have a ton of bugs here too... earwigs... yuck! Lovely vintage finds Viv.... :)

A time to dance said...

Hello lovely lady...i love love love the little watercolour box, what a wonderful find....I hate greenfly with a passion they make my skin crawl...yuk ...hey only 13 days to go and conting, one festival, two exams to do, new SOW to write and a tea party tomorrow...oh well such is life...love the broaches, usually by the time I get to etsy they have gone...love and hugglets your battered mate from up North....

sarah-jane down the lane said...

Hello Hello, desperate to buy one of your cards. Been to Etsy, cant find the cards, have they gone already?

Naughty greenfly, SHOO!

S x

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

I so agree about the light, flowers and birdsong - the fine weather this summer has enabled us all to enjoy so many long, light evenings.

Not usually given to harking back to the past, but even I couldn't help noticing the cost of the stamps on your lovely envelope - tuppenced ha'penny in old money! Those were the days - 240 pennies to the £1!!

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

That should read 'tuppence' not 'tuppenced' - also really like the tablecloth.

Cathy said...

Love the textile collages, particularly the one you have for your header. I see lots of gorgeous single plates and saucers with wonderful designs in local charity shops. Would love to buy them but no space to display sadly.