Wot Not!

There is no better way to spend a rainy, already hungover, Sunday afternoon (in my book) than a good old rummage at a reclamation yard.  And even better, I managed to persuade John to accompany me, that way I know I won't be able to spend much. Ideas of the new house are occupying my every moment so my hunter gatherer instinct is on red alert.

Wot Not is a great little yard out in the lovely north Bristol countryside.that is full of everything you never knew you needed. From rugs to jugs, clocks to pots, signs, blinds  and the occasional rabbit hutch thrown in for good measure.  I love it and came away with just what I was looking for. 

And then some. 

I have always wanted one of these etched mirrors....one of Chanel or Louis Vuitton would be a gem but for now, I am more than happy with this little Martini mirror. It used to be my drink of choice until an ex-boyfriend introduced me to his drink of choice......wine. 

This ceramic painted shoe weighs a ton, it would make a great doorstop for my dressing room to be until John reminded me that there will be no door, only a doorway. Still, it will sit proudly on the floor.

And this? This is what I have been after all along. A footstool. I am going to revamp it somewhat (well hopefully Mum is), with a bit of wood paint and some lovely new material ready to be showcased in our new lounge. 

So there we were, driving home content with our purchases until we stopped off at my sister-in-laws. I mentioned the footstool and would you Adam and Eve it? She had one upstairs, unloved and forelorn waiting for a slightly nuts and eccentric young lady (I'm using artistic licence), to adopt it. 

So, we now have two footstools to lovingly restore. But that's ok, all these projects will keep me busy and out of trouble. And out of the charity shops......John hopes. 

In those shoes?....

Thankfully, we have been having some lovely weather for September so I took the opportunity to go to take the wolf to Ashton Court Estate and use the gorgeous backdrop for a few photos.  What of I  hear you cry? Why shoes of course! 

As the house move gets ever closer (two weeks now!), I have also found that I am getting a little nostalgic about leaving my beloved Bristol. I feel like I want to try and squeeze in as many places and landmarks before we go, not that we are moving far but the city is so beautiful, there are so many elements that I will miss seeing on a regular basis. 

Anyway, back to the shoes. These wedge evening shoes came from my favourite St Peters Hospice shop in Fishponds. Originally from Clarks  they cost £4 in the charity shop. I am a sucker for vintage looking brooches and ribbons, so these ticked all the boxes. Pretty, pretty, pretty.....

The following two pairs were not from the charity shop (I am ashamed to say) but I am all about the bargains and for me, unfortunately, many roads still lead back to Marks & Spencer. I also had  a voucher that was burning a hole in my empty pocket. They were in the sale (of course) and both pairs were £7. So no need for guilt.

And finally, I thought I'd throw in a picture of my gorgeous boy for a bit of eye candy......

Oh what a perfect day...

My day off last week was spent with my lovely Mum....craft Oracle extraordinaire.   Lots of craft projects were planned although without actually making the effort to collect all the necessary utensils from the relevant craft shops, our "plan" was somewhat limited to what we could produce from  around the house. And by house I mean my house, the one that is constantly shrinking ready for the move. That said, we had a very productive morning. A wonderful walk with the wolf on the fields near me, lots of tea, one picture for me, one potential cushion cover for mum. Oh, and lots of chatting about more ideas and what we would like to do without actually getting any closer to doing them !

This is was I created. Using one of my mums large selection of cutting tools, I cut out lots of bird shapes from coloured paper and using glue dots, placed them on a piece of card. I was quite pleased with the outcome for a first attempt, and love the raised effect of the cut-outs by using glue dots. I will re-post a picture once it is properly framed. At the moment am just enjoying playing around with art to be honest, I know I am no Van Gogh but surely we all have to start somewhere.  Anyway, I will keep posting about my art ideas and my projects so maybe you can be the judges.  

I had such a nice time this morning that I felt inspired to buy a few more art bits this afternoon. Some tissue paper, crayons, sticky lettering even some clothes pegs etc, etc, etc....so stay posted for the final results. Good or bad! 

One of my ideas involves these poker chips and the sticky lettering. No judgement please ....not yet at least. 

And this is what I am going to try and attempt with the crayons. Although I am now suddenly not so confident. Apparently you just add a warm hair dryer and a steady hand

And lead us not into temptation...

Well this weeks good intentions have already gone to pot.

Yesterday's lunch at work was a respectable cup-a-soup and a packet of mini cheddars. Job done. Diet attempt "box" ticked. Until 6 pm last night that was, when I received a text from a restaurant in Bristol advertising two for one meals on Monday Madness. Doomed. And when I say restaurant, it wasn't just any restaurant....it was ZaZa Bazaar, the biggest buffet restaurant in Europe and one befitting of my enormous appetite. Luckily for me, John was tired and uninspired at the thought of having tea at home so my suggestion went down well and we prepared for the feast.

I haven't dressed up for a while and even though this wasn't a particularly big night out, I took the opportunity to grab a second-hand number that I haven't yet worn. We've been lost in a world of packing and cleaning lately because of the impending house move so it was nice to make an effort and get some nice togs on! 

The top was a silky black cross-over top embroidered with gold thread that cost me around £2 in a charity shop a few months back. In this picture, it looks like a jumpsuit but the Ali Baba trousers are separate and not second-hand but my beloved Marks and Spencer trousers.  A nice comfortable outfit to allow for 3-4 courses of lovely food. 

Next stop......elasticated waists. 

Where have you been all my life?

I am not sure whether to be surprised, shocked or in awe of my Mother for introducing me to  pinterest. For those of you still living in the dark ages as I have evidently been doing, I beg you to take a look. 

It is a website that is made up of photographs, sort of like an on-line global album full of pictures to inspire, to provoke and perhaps to make your day a little better. I have been particularly interested in  the DIY/Crafts section and it is amazing because a lot of it is based around what you can do with reclaimed and pre-loved items. Right up my second-hand street! Who knew there were so many things you could do with old glass jars or wine bottles? And the list goes on from transforming old and decaying furniture, re-using an old trampoline, ideas for old bric-a-brac and crockery. I could go on all night.

I absolutely love it. It's not about buying anything, it's just about idea sharing, putting your thoughts out there into the void and seeing what the rest of us may do with them. You can select subjects that interest you and either just enjoy them for what they are OR as I've done, you could chose to become a magpie and steal some ideas for yourselves in the knowledge that maybe, just maybe, one of these ideas may just enhance your life a little bit. It could be how to make an ideal kids toy, how to take that perfect sunset photograph or just a cute photo that may remind you of your first pet in some way. It is truly inspiring and I am addicted. 

You can save any pictures that you love to "boards" and I have posted a link to my own personal inspiration board below. A lot of what I saw and saved, inspired me to do some arts and crafts today of which I shall post about later but for now, please take a look.......

Inspiration

Where will you let your ideas take you.......? 

Escape to the country...

As moving house draws ever closer, our current home becomes more and more bleak. Rooms are being emptied, furniture dismantled and the garage is getting fatter with all our boxed up goods. So this morning I decided to escape for a while rather than watch John take down another wardrobe. And what better place to escape than the giant car boot sale on the edge of Bristol. I was quite restrained however as I only took with me £15 in cash (so as not to collect too many things that I know would just push my  long suffering husband over the edge). But as it turned out, I needed a lot less than that......look at what I managed to buy for just £5.

This end table was £1 and I still can't believe it. I have big ideas for this. I'm either going to do some kind of painting on the top or a mosaic design, not sure which. Below are a couple of ideas that I liked from Google. I am not sure mine will be as impressive but the intention is there!

 These beauties were priced at £3 but due to a tiny mark on the inside of one of them, the lady sold them to me for £2.50. She actually had two similar pairs and just never got around to getting a refund on them.  Lucky for me as they are brand new. Love them, love them, love them.

And I also found a scrabble set (something I am always on the hunt for). I'm going to start making lots of pictures out of the letters, I just need to invest in some box frames but something tells me this isn't the right time to be replenishing the house with more items. Not if I value my marriage.