Yarn Stitches

This past holiday season I gifted myself a new set of stitch markers for my knitting. I had previously been using the fugly plastic sets offered by Prym, as they were cheap and did the job perfectly well. But sometimes, well sometimes, a mama needs a little boost, doesn't she? Something pretty that makes life just a little bit more joyful?

Turning to Etsy I found what I was looking for at See Jayne Knit Yarns, a jewel-like set of abalone squares which sparkle whenever the sun hits them. I also have my eye of this set of Robins Eggs by One Elf, just in case I need more than one set for my many, many on-the-stick projects.

Just a little something that brighten my day.

Sneak Peeks

Even though I've been working on a few pieces for a shop update I still feel as though I haven't really found my groove with my making for the past year. I'm feeling a little confined by the space issue again. I regularly can't be bothered with the effort of relocating everything I own to get to the sewing machine, only to then reverse the effort once I'm done. I do dream of a room of my own. And the rest.

But hopefully a few little things might find their way out of my work niche soon...maybe, you know, kinda. I hope so anyway. I do enjoy making, I'm not so hot at the branding and selling thing. I just love making things.









I hope you like the things I make as much as I like making them! More on that if ever these little bits and pieces get finished.

Triangles

I don't think I ever showed you this, did I?

I made a sampler way back in May last year, and this cushion soon after, but never posted the results! Boo. Maybe it was because the sewing wasn't very neat. Hm. I was reminded of my neglect as I salivated over Manda's recent creations wondering if my penny jar would stretch that far (alas, read the post below to understand why not). I love the orange colourway of this new line in Treefall. It's very West Coast/mid-century modern and I love the splashes of pink in there.

For now I'm still getting a kick out of my own triangles, mustard and grey and everything inbetween and I must be very very good and not buy Manda's. ... ... it is a big ask. I may not make it.




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Close - but no Cigar ...

Sometimes I can start and finish a project in one fell swoop, in one day, in a few hours, a weekend or whatever, and people will be like, how do you DO it - how do you manage to get so much done ... to which I answer - Dude, I have absolutely NO IDEA - because, well, other projects can lay in various stages of progress for literally years... see above. Sitting around tantalisingly close, but not yet finished. Nor do I have the energy or vision to make them so. It defies logical explanation as to why some things get done in hours whilst other things, things which are almost DONE never make it to the 'give the man a cigar' list.

I am really hoping that these projects get finished and I can bore you all with details... but I'm not holding my breath.

Moving on. Announcing store-wide discounts over at Vintagalia. I'm having a re-think about costing, and whereas I would like to charge silly prices for my independent handmade objects I am under no illusion as to how hard things are right now, and how much tighter money matters are getting. We are all feeling it. But I hope that we can still allow ourselves to buy independent and handmade, and still find ways to make our homes beautiful without having to forego things like, uh, food. I've reduced most things by a third, and that's basically rock bottom. Instead of having sales throughout the year I'm just going to keep prices consistently low; they are already fair but I'm just slicing the last shred of fat off them.















So take a look, share the love and spread the word. Vintagalia is granny cheap chic!



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Easing Back in...

Well that blog break wasn't as relaxing and as fruitful as I'd imagined it would be - mainly because we spent the majority of it really sick! We are still convalescing, actually. Actually, we're still ill! Just when I think we've kicked it the kids throw up again... three weeks and going strong...Ugh, but I don't want to dwell on it. I am grateful that we have the time as a family to listen to our own body's demands and have the space to slow down as much as we need. Not many people have that luxury anymore, so even though being ill and doing nothing seemed such a 'waste of time', reflecting on it, we are really fortunate to have that space. But let's just move on as quickly as we can from that memory of gloom and glumness and instead marvel at just how many pictures I *did* find when I eventually emptied my camera!

And the sun is returning, the days are getting stronger light ever so slightly, and we know that we are moving towards a new spring. Blossom! Outside play! Doors and windows open! insha'allah. Such sweet joys to look forward to.

Until then we have tea, cosiness and take-along craft to occupy our hands and fill our minds.

And more than that, we have each other masha'allah.

Easing back in - into the blog, the outside world after a long time curling up in illness, into new craft projects and back into old projects with new vigour. It feels good to be back. And you? How have you been? I've missed your daily chatter - pull up a chair and tell me everything that's been going on in your life...



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In other blog-related news I've syndicated the blog onto Amazon for download onto Kindle - I don't charge - it's the Man that's making the money (99p for a monthly subscription! I don't get a penny!) - so if you'd like to take me along on Kindle for train rides and park bench knitting sprees (I think that sounds rather 'me' - to think of someone sitting on a park bench with their knitting, a cup of coffee and this blog on their kindle as their children play around them, oh I like the sound of that...) you can find me over on Amazon HERE.

{and talking of Kindle, the first issue of Seasonal Living & Learning e-zine can now be bought for Kindle too - and a 'Look Inside' or free sample can be found on Amazon HERE}

Also, to bring some coherency to my blog/etsy business (which have different names), I'm now under the umbrella name of Vintagalia and you might see me around as that in Blogger too - Vintagalia.blogspot.com - this blog won't be moving, and I won't be changing this blog's name, but it just makes it easier when giving the web a place to point its cursor at, so to speak. If anyone wants to link to Vintagalia rather than My So Called Life, then please do - it's all the same really. A badge for linking can also now be used ::


copy/paste
<a href="http://vintagalia.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6559852139_ab7fb458ce_o.jpg" width="180"/></a>

Thanks friends!


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These walls of ours...

A year or so ago I nailed these crates to our sitting room wall for somewhere to display nick-nacks. I really love them, they have a rustic charm and they have turned a large, boring flat space into something more engaging.

But still, there was something missing... Of course, a plethora of prints! And so with the help of arty friends, some of my own images and etsy finds I created our 'seasonal wall' - Images that keep us in tune with the outside when we are in the very heart of our home.







I think it works somehow. A hotch-potch of nick-nacks and granny things with a little modern tweek.


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A Gentle reminder...

A new print ready for framing, with gentle words of wisdom and a vintage feel. What's not to love? Found at 74LimeLane.

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One Day My Prints Will Come...

Honestly, my jokes don't get a lot better than that, so just humour me, OK?

A few new prints and posters and what-have-you that have found their way into our home these last few weeks...













And whilst this one isn't new to us, it is the first time we have found a space for it.



Love it.

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