If you like food and architecture, you may like this!

Holly was 18 years old last Friday. So Tuesday of this week we all went to Brugge. We were there by 5pm, the sun was shining and I had my husband and two girls with me.

I do adore this fountain group, the mermaid is so incredible.

Pretty Brugge street...

Pretty tasty Brugge beer, with an omlette for dinner.

A walk and onto my favourite sculptures ......Set of 4 bronze sculptures, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Rik Poot, in the garden of the Arentshuis.

View from same area.....

Mmmm....

Everywhere you look in Brugge (as you know) is a treat for the eyes, a picture postcard at every turn.....

Peeled and faded...

Fancy a little ratty tasty treat????? No, me neither!

I did fancy some of the following.....

Most definitely some of these.....

Meant to try this 'best hot chocolate' but unfortunately didn't have time...

A very out of context Shop door handle. Most odd, but I really like it...50's would you say?

Holly's first Cocktail, which she didn't like, so I had to drink it, it was such a chore! She will kill me for including this.

Evening drew in on the first evening, gentle walk round the town and more alcohol consumed..... we went back to our Hotel. It was really strange, as we are so used to everywhere being smoke free in Britain that it came as quite a shock when the public were allowed to smoke in the Hotel and Bar!

Next morning.....elevenses, greedy so and so, but wild horses couldn't have stopped me.

Market was in full swing. My husband was actually bodily pushed out of the way by a very elderly gentleman......Brugge is a dream to walk around. You don't have to cling to your belongings for fear of muggings, you just watch out for physical abuse in the market place by the elderly! (Maybe a lifetime of of rubber necking tourists get you down).

There is a permanent 'Dali' Exhibition just off the Market Square, which Holly and I visited. I am not very keen on Dali's work but Holly wanted to go in because she is attending Art College. She found it very difficult to know what to draw (pics and sculptures in the exhib) in her sketch book because the bloke had a one tracked mind, if you get my drift, still there were elephants on stilts!

The vaulted ceiling of the Exhibition space was painted a stunning blue and the columns gold....very beautiful. I sat and people watched.

View from front of our Hotel.

Inside our Hotel.

View from canal trip....

View from Evening Meal! Helen of cocoaandblankets recommended the 'Passage' restaurant. Very pleased she did too, as the food and ambiance were memorable.

Next morning and a coffee in the market square before leaving to drive home.

Odd that at 10am we are sitting in this fine Market Square and by 6pm we are home, I can never get my head around it.

Thanks for ploughing through this lot with me. I hope you are not too rigid with boredom looking through someone else's holiday snaps, yawn!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.x

Vintage and Handmade Fair 30th May 2009

I wanted to tell you about the wonderfully happy day I had yesterday at the Vintage and Handmade Fair. If you are a regular reader you will know all about this Fair and I am so happy to have been part of it.

Impeccably organised by michele and jayne. A taste of what was on offer....

sal of sal's snippets, her stand was a feast for the eyes.....

clare of Daisy Darling, as lovely as her millinery!

and onto a diamond.....Michele,Jayne's stand...

Vintage French linens and fabrics. Penny does not have a blog. She lives in the south of France and when she bought her home (an old Laundry) she inherited a loft full of antique linens (makes you sick, doesn't it?)

nostalgiaatthestonehouse.... beautiful handmade and vintage items......

A new friend made in sue of Vintage to Victorian. An absolute joy to talk to and buy from.

Oh and then there was Christine. (No link). Who's work was sublime. Christine kindly showed me photos of her shop and studio in Portscatho, Cornwall called 'The Sea Garden'. I have never seen anything so perfect, sigh.

jane no photo of your stand for some strange reason, but it was great to see you again and see your fantastic work.

Then onto thevintagemagpie. Bears and bunnies, amongst other handmade works of art. I have dropped a hint as subtle as a house brick to the other half! Edna the bear was to die for.

Lizzie The Washerwoman. A stand packed with vintage delights.

Teas, coffee and cake looking like they were part of a Country Living photo shoot. Just beautiful.

Having Holly and my other half with me was such a bonus, as I was able to browse and buy and buy, yes I did! Here are my purchases........

1lb of French vintage Mother of Pearl buttons for £5, enough said???

This is going to sound like an Oscar acceptance speech, sorry, but here goes......I would like to thank everyone that organised and worked at the Fair. I would also like to say a big thank you to all the other fantastic stall holders. A total joy to meet up with my bloggy friends. I am feeling happy and inspired because of you all. But most of all thank you to everyone who came and said 'hello' comment leavers and lurkers (hello Kate ;-) alike. The joy of it was that everyone that came 'got it', understanding the theme behind the Fair. It wasn't one of those 'want to kill yourself' type craft or antique fairs, where the public come to waste time because it's raining and wander aimlessly licking an ice cream or just buying fudge. It was bloody brilliant!

Thanks for stopping by. x

Sunday Catch Up

I collect 1950's Stocking packets. Well really the illustration that fronts the stockings. Fabulous illustrations and this is one of them that I managed to find last week. The image is a little faded but so beautiful. I have been trying to think of something that I could make with the actual stockings. Not many ideas so far.I wanted to show you where we are lucky enough to have our caravan pitched this year. Just under the Hergst Ridge in Herefordshire. Mike Oldfield recorded an album following Tubular Bells named hergestridge He retreated to the area after Tubular Bells and could see the Hergest Ridge from his home. The Farm is so pretty. These are our views.......

These pictures were taken Saturday. The sun kept popping in and out and so did the rain clouds and the wind was enough to cut you in half. So our plans to get the awning up and make ourselves a little home from home were scuppered. I'm staying optomistic for a decent summer ;-)

A few things made this week for the up and coming Vintage and Handmade Fair vintageandhandmade . Chipping Sodbury, 30th May, 2009. Jayne and Michele have organised what is going to be a fantastic Fair. Try and come along if you can.

A collage.

The ladies here are influenced by my love of American Prim dolls/art.

A purse made from vintage French fabric.

A textile collage. I do adore this photo of this sweet little girl playing Tea parties.

A commissioned purse made from lovely old french cabbagey/rosey fabric.

This is my find of the week. A stunning Ledger. I could'nt believe my eyes when I found this beauty. I don't think I will be pulling this apart just yet...it's too beautiful. Dating from 1917!

Thank you for all of your lovely comments on my last post and if I did'nt get back to you, it's because you have a noreply e mail!

Thanks for stopping by.x

Starfish surprise!

My family have been away for a little while, visiting my husband's sister who lives in France. I did'nt go as I was supposed to be going away with the College that I work for but unfortunately my trip was cancelled, so my husband took our two girls away on his own. They had a great time. I thought I would enjoy the peace. The kitchen being in the same state as I had left it, upon my return. Not having to pick up towels off the bathroom floor and so on. It was a very mixed, quiet time and I got absolute buggar all done in the craft department. Could not settle to do a thing. Also the Labyrinthitis thing has reared it's ugly head again, so anyway...they are back home now and I have been given lots of lovely treats from France and also these poor dead starfish found washed up on the beach (my girl assured me they were dead when found). They need to thoroughly dry out, boy do they stink!

Lace and buttons found at a French flea market.

This lovely note book, love the cover.

A tin of buttons, from the Flea Market, oh joy!

This morning I got up, swooning all of the place with this damned vertigo and spotted that one the dogs had been sick. Brilliant! Barely opened my eyes and I'm scrubbing up dog sick. Could'nt understand though just what I was cleaning up. Usually, without going into too much detail, you can tell what the last meal was and with this little speciality I could'nt work it out. Anyway, this evening my daughter picked up the box of Starfish that are drying outside and guess what, yes, you guessed it, two are missing. Mystery solved. It seems they were a tasty suppertime treat for one greedy little doggy of ours. Ughh.

Anyway, onto a nicer topic, whilst cleaning and sorting the house, which I did alot of whilst the family were away, I came across this lovely old velvet flower that I had stuck in an old scrap book, so it now adorns a crocheted pendant.

Gorgeous 1912 Letter Head used for a 'Button Love' collage here. A celebration of buttons. Let's here it for buttons, hooray!!!Coin purse ~ front and back.Another purse ~ front and back.

A needlecase ~ front and opened.

Another Collage. This one I will be taking to the Handmade and Vintage Fair at Chipping Sodbury on 30th May. I am really looking forward to attending this Fair. vintageandhandmade There are going to be some wonderful vendors and as you know, they are all bloggers! So I will be taking plenty of cash with me, can't wait. Try and get along there if you possibly can, it will be a great day.

A 'suspendant' An old suspender used as the base for silk and embroidered pendant confection with buttons!!!

My first silk screen print, done at work and made into a greetings card.

Lastly a little photo of wonderful, wonderful spring time in the Hen's Teeth garden, how I adore this time of year. Personally it does'nt get any better than this.

Thank you for stopping by. x