Lovely vintage ceramics available to you!

I have decided to sell my set of Midwinter Flowersong dinnerware to help buy new tools so I thought I'd post on here for you to see, and perhaps bid on if you love designs from the 50s/60s as much as me.

You can view the auction here.

I'm reluctant to sell but it's sat in a box, not being appreciated when it should really be proudly displayed on a dresser or in use on the dinner table. The perfect gift for you, your loved-design-freak-one or even the house!

Little bag of happiness.

We visited Ikea at the weekend, the list of things to buy from there had been getting out of control so we had to nip it in the bud. Aside from all the other wonderful things I came away with there was a stack of fabric, Tasha and I hogged the cutting table for about half an hour. I had to buy a mini blue bag just to get them home safely, now I don't want to get them out except to unfold and refold them, they look so snug!

I've stocking up on sewing supplies lately and got a few gems from a charity shop- 3 vintage patterns (to go on the To Do list) and some bias binding, all for £2!

I've been attempting more fabric related projects lately and as I'm temporarily back at home while I work the summer in my local Post Office I needed to set up some crafting space. My Mum had salvaged a Singer treadle table from a skip outside a sewing shop many years ago and converted it to a table, but it'd been in the garage for a few years so I got it out, cleaned it up and installed it in my bedroom. The treadle still works so smoothly despite being out of action for about 30 years.

On my table here you can see a pin board I bought because it was square, pinned to that is some felt stitching inspired by the beautiful Polygon throw by Mia Cullin at Habitat. On the board is also one of my Scribble necklaces, soon to be added to my Folksy shop. In front are a selection of postacards from New Designers a few weeks ago and also two felt cacti- Astrophytum Myriostigma inspired as my real one gave up the ghost just recently and it was my favourite. Felt cacti are dangerous- they keep you up until 2am making them!

And lastly these are some of my Scribbles units before trimming and shinking, I really loved the negative shapes created with the black background, I'll try to encorperate this into some future pattern design and maybe screen print it.

The new home crafts.

I have a minor obsession with books as anyone who knows me will tell you; currently away from home at uni I have just brought the bare essentials, probably 200 or so books on crafts, jewellery and art. 24 of the skeleton library are a set of 'The Family Creative Workshop' books, a series from the 70s on crafts the whole family can all do, but they're surprisingly sophisticated at times.

Set out in all their technicolour glory.

Set out alphabetically the books range from Acrylics to batik to Wire sculpture to zoetrope toys. Somewhere inbetween they cover textiles, lampworking glass, furniture making, ceramics and jewellery. Nowhere else in my compulsive reading of home crafts books have I found such a range of activitives that would fit right in at a contemporary crafts show, instead of a village fete.

Even the cover of the index is incredibly cool!

My friend, fellow blogger Tasha, and I have decided to work through them during the summer. We'll keep you posted with the results. Crafts with a seventies theme, that has to be interesting.