Halloween Horrors

Ghoulish greetings and a Happy Halloween! Still no news from genie wrangler Jessica Black, but I've ordered my clone anyway, and set her to making a few horrific offerings in the kitchen while I play about on the internet.  If you're stuck for some last minute treats for the kids, these are all pretty quick to do.

Bloodshot Monster Eyeballs

[Fairy cake, glace icing, half a liquorice allsort, red writing icing]

Graveyard Cakes

[Fairy cake, green butter icing, half a bourbon biscuit, black writing icing]

Cheesy Pumpkin

[Wotsits, cherry tomatoes, black paper]

Gingerbread Mummies

[Gingerbread men, icing, silver/sugar balls]

Rice krispie Spiders - with assistance of Boy2

[Rice krispie cakes, matchmakers, sugar balls]

Ogre Teeth

[Apple slices, peanut butter, mini marshmallows]

I've carved a fairly standard Jack O Lantern for this Halloween, but I thought I'd show you last year's effort. My brother in law got married at this time last year, and he and my sister in law wanted all the guests to carve a 'romantic' pumpkin to decorate the venue. So this is supposed to be Lionel Richie! 

Hello! Is it me you're looking for?

Pretty terrifying I think you'll agree!

Lakota x

The Magic and Madness of Ebay, Part 4 - Djinn and Tonic

I don't know about you, but I'm knackered. It's half term, and the kids need entertaining. We threw a Halloween party for them yesterday, we've got house sale stuff to sort out, and I keep seeing reminders of exactly how many shopping days there are until Christmas. My husband - tired of going out to work every morning before it's properly light and coming back at dusk - has often opined that he could do with a stunt double, and I think he could be on to something.

Imagine the advantages! We've all read the tabloid stories about the guy who sat his twin's driving test for him - but that seems a weeny bit unimaginative. The only thing I have in common with an athlete is a pasta-heavy diet, but I'd love photos of myself completing the London Marathon. Or an Olympic medal - how cool would that be? A duplicate whom I could command to do those daily laps of the park would be great. And if she could be made to endure the annual horror of 'buying a swimsuit from the high street', so much the better. What would your doppelgänger do for you?

Bitch - you stay out there til those windows SPARKLE!

Sadly, even if one has an identical sibling, I'm reliably informed that there's no guarantee they'll be willing to work at your job as well as their own, and most draw the line at scrubbing your oven whilst you luxuriate in the bath. If only there was some way to make another version of yourself - without the associated stretch marks, back-chat and sleeplessness I've suffered using the regular method. [Also, my mini-mes have come out with a penis apiece, surely some mistake?].

But clearly only a unethical geneticist  storybook genie could possibly have the power to create a true clone.  And who has the time these days to travel to deepest Persia, searching for an antediluvian enchanted lamp? Ok, so you probably know by now where this is leading, but wouldn't it be amazing to be able to harvest the awesome power of a genuine Genie? Oh Ebay, how could I have thought I'd ever exhausted your supply of  slightly unhinged sellers? As they redouble their efforts for Halloween, it must surely be time for The Magic and Madness of Ebay part 4.

*******

I'd tried the usual suspects - but Black Forest Magick and A New Golden Dawn could only offer enchantments done by the usual witches and wizards of ancient lineage, taught by a powerful ancestor...yadda, yadda, yadda. Yawn. Been there, done that. Then I found seemingly innocuous seller Coffee596. Oh, hang on, there's an 'about me'. She's actually Jessica Black, and - what a surprise - her Grandmother taught her the ancient art of magic when she was a little girl. 

Aladdin was thrilled with his Ebay purchase

BUT - she does have a genie! Hardly anyone has a genie these days. [Well, aside from all the sellers offering the djinn spirit equivalent of the vampire jewellery.] And look - she's offering a rare 'Have and Control your own Clone' spell! How fortuitous. And how lucky that I found the listing just before it ended. Despite having sold 96 of it already, and the fact that it's automatically relisted, the spell "will not be offered on Ebay again". She also has 'a strong following of wealthy and famous clients', who I'm guessing include Louis Walsh. [Worry not Westlife fans, for as they replaced Boyzone, so shall another identikit band of featureless crooners arrive to take their places on the stools of mediocrity.]

It always seemed to be Kian's turn to get the coffee...

Anyway, for the minuscule price of £3.73 - or half a Cher Lloyd CD - our possibly blue pal will be able to deliver you 'an exact clone of yourself'.

"You could have the clone go into work for you, while you relax on the beach. The clone is your complete puppet. It will obey your every command. It has every skill and ability that you have. Be in two places at once. You could use this amazing clone to complete unpleasant tasks, get more done, get two jobs at once, or even find more lovers..."

At last an explanation for the ubiquitous Katie Price, and her 'alter-ego' Jordan. She must be another of these celebrity clients. That's how she's able to appear in every magazine simultaneously, whilst juggling her roster of d-list boyfriends. But I know what you're thinking. We don't all have deals with Sky Living or ITV2 - how am I going to manage with another mouth to feed? 

"This clone does not need to be fed or maintained. And it will be completely loyal to only you"

Phew. So no undignified grappling with yourself for the last jaffa cake.  But doesn't need to be 'maintained'? I'm not sure I'm fully clear on the specifics of that. Better send an email, just to be on the safe side:

Dear Jessica,

I was just wondering whether the clone needs shelter in the same way as us? It's great that it doesn't need to be fed, but we don't have a spare room. Will it be happy living in the garage - at least to start off with? Once I can work two jobs we should be able to move to a bigger house though. 

Best wishes

Lakota 

I've no idea why she hasn't replied. I do hope my reputation has not preceded me. But hey - I'm sure we can work all this out once my clone has been delivered  manifested itself. And I guess it can't be that much of a problem, as - "You can have as many clones as you like!" It'll be like the paranormal Downton Abbey. Daisy, that lamp isn't going to polish itself!

Yes, they're all me!

Mind you, much as I fancy having a clone, I don't know if I'd say it was my dearest wish. What about my pre-baby boobs? And like, world peace and stuff? Maybe if I got three wishes, the army of clones could just be one of them. Ha! I've outsmarted you, Genie! Let's see, shall we: 

"Original 3 wishes from a 1000 year old genie! Attract that sexy fun person for a lasting relationship...attract the wealth that you need in these hard times...these wishes can be customized uniquely for you and your situation. They can be used to help you knock down any obstacles in your life"

Claire's dearest wish was to date Thing from the Addams Family...

Sounds amazing doesn't it? If only the ancient Djinn could help people see the truth revealed in the sales pitch:

"Don't pay for the other knock offs with minimal results" 

No indeed - pay for this knock off with minimal results!

To paraphrase the old idiom - if wishes were lipsticks, we'd all be Kate Moss.

Lakota x

Flea Market Finds

Just a couple of things to show you, but I'm very pleased with one of them, enough to risk ruining my manicure to get it looking how I want! First of all a couple more books to add to the collection, both from the local hospice shop and 60p and 30p respectively. Both are from the 1960s.

Super stylish heroine

As well as exciting stories like 'Chewing Gum and Sheep' (makes you want to read on, doesn't it?), Dean's Premier Book for Girls also has several craft projects, from making your own pot-pourri to creating a groovy 'trinket tree' out of swizzle-sticks! I thought that the big patchwork resurgence was very much a 70s thing, so maybe the readers of this book were the early adopters of the craze - learning as teens and continuing to make everything out of hexagons as they set up home a few years later.

Cath Kidston's new book wasn't quite what Jane had expected...

 These buttons were from a car boot sale, they appear to be real snakeskin and I have no idea how old they are or what I'll do with them, but they just caught my eye!

Scaly

Finally, we went to Dulwich village on Saturday (a well-heeled kind of area, nice independent shops and a few market stalls like a one street Portobello) and had a wander round with the kids. They have limited patience for shopping, although Boy1 found a Ben10 DVD in the hospice shop, so I rewarded his rummaging and bought it for them. He also enjoyed coming into a make-shift changing room made of blankets in the market, where I tried on a 50s dress and he wondered loudly whether it felt strange to be getting undressed outside.

Down a side street I discovered a very nice vintage shop, where his brother decided to show us up by bellowing "I'm going out now, it's too SMELLY in here!", right in front of the owner. It wasn't even bad, just a little musty - they sold bric-a-brac rather than clothes. She didn't seem too offended, and I redeemed our family by buying a printers' tray. I've wanted one for ages, as my earring collection is outgrowing its current home in a cigar box and I've seen fantastic makeovers to turn them into jewellery storage. It's a bit cobwebby, but not too filthy, and should clean up nicely. I just need to sand it, wax it, maybe add some backing paper and buy and somehow screw in a gazillion little hooks...

Or I could fashion something out of swizzle-sticks...

Finally, check me branching out into beauty blogging! This is my somewhat lame attempt at the classic 'swatch' shot to show off a nail varnish colour, and I thought I'd share it as it was a win. Special K is probably the most expensive breakfast cereal on the market, and I usually buy the supermarket's own version, but as they had a promotion running to win a limited edition Nails inc polish, I bought a box so I could enter. [My Nails inc obsession is well documented]. They're giving away 100 every day, so the odds are pretty good - I won first time! It's a really beautiful classic stand out red - well worth adding to your collection. And there's a blingy lid too, for the magpies amongst us. [Er, that'd be everyone, right?]

I'll spare you the picture of my matching pedicure.

Lakota x

PS. Check out my Facebook page, I'll be running a giveaway on there soon.

Linking up to Flea Market Finds

                     Magpie Monday

                     Thrift Share Monday

                     Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

The Weekend Book - then and now

A couple of years ago I bought a book entitled The Wonderful Weekend Book: Reclaim Life's Simple Pleasures (by the late Elspeth Thompson). It was what I'd describe as a 'Sunday Supplement' type of book, lovely to read and aspirational, but I'm not sure I'd remembered a great deal of it since my first perusal. However, I was reminded of it recently when I found this 1928 edition of The Week-End Book (first published in 1924) at a car boot for 10p, and I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast the two. Would ideas on how to get the most out of your weekend have changed, or have things come full circle since the roaring twenties?

My original 20s book was actually reprinted in 2006 and is available from Amazon, although rather naughtily none of the information they give makes it clear that it's a reproduction and that all the information is some eighty years out of date! However, I suppose a clue could be gleaned from the quoted reviews - if you were paying attention:

'Everybody is talking about it...I wonder how I ever spent a week-end without

it...It will go with us wherever the Oxford Book of English Verse goes. 

The authors have thought of everything' - Daily Telegraph

'I say! Have you seen THE WEEK-END BOOK?' - Guardian

'The jolliest all-round companion that has appeared in print for many years' - Evening News

Sadly The Oxford Book of English Verse is no longer considered an automatic travelling companion for a weekend away, despite the editors' suggestion that it should be 'carried in the opposite pocket' to their own publication! Indeed, The Week-end Book does not skimp on the poetry, and offers a multitude of lesser known verses, under the headings 'Great Poems,' Hate Poems', 'State Poems', 'Epigrams' and 'The Zoo'.

*******

There is also the assumption that every weekend gathering will end in song, and the scores and lyrics for numerous - now obscure - ditties are also included.  My karaoke obsessed former neighbours also liked to round off their weekend that way, although they never sang 'O Good Ale, Thou Art My Darling'. [This did appear to be the case, however]. My modern book doesn't include poems and songs, but one of the author's suggestions for a weekend activity is to 'Start an Anthology'. She had recently found the hard-book notebook where she collected favourite quotes, lyrics and poetry during her teens, and I like the idea of being your own editor, and compiling a miscellanea that's completely personal - even if mine would have just been full of Pearl Jam lyrics and quotes from Heathers.

Here's the blurb for The Wonderful Weekend Book :

"It's the Weekend!

Forget supermarket aisles, traffic jams and chores. 

Instead, reinstate the tea party, write proper letters, 

celebrate the seasons with local or home-grown food 

and drink, or even take your neighbour's dog for a 

walk. This book is packed with ideas that will help 

restore the balance in your life, reconnect you to the

 seasons and other people, and - quite literally - 

not cost the earth."

Thompson suggests things to do year round - from the unlikely 'learn the ukulele' to the more achievable watching the sunset, and has chapters on 'seasonal pleasures'; filled with fairly obvious suggestions such as making chutney in Autumn, beach-combing during the Summer or learning to knit in the Winter months. She also campaigns to 'Bring back Sunday' as a day of rest and contemplation, and suggests switching off the laptop and going on an email and mobile detox for the day - not a problem back in 1928. Recipes for leisurely breakfasts, plus seasonal delights such as pancakes, Simnel cake, and marmalade are interspersed throughout, whereas the older book has an entire section on what to cook for your weekend guests.The recent 'Slow' revival would wholeheartedly agree with advice that weekend food is excellent when "put on before you go off to tennis or to lazing".

However, nowhere in the 20s book is it suggested that you spend your time making marmalade - the main piece of wisdom I came away with was this:

"DON'T cook and attempt to eat YOUNG BRACKEN SHOOTS because the Japanese do. What suits the hardy races of the extreme East may not suit you"

Oh, and I feel I should share these vintage cocktail recipes too, if only to prove that foolish binge drinking is not a recent undertaking for the Brits:

MR SUTTON'S GIN-BLIND (to be drunk with discretion): Six parts gin, three parts curacao, two parts brandy and a dash of orange bitters

RAJAH'S PEG: A claret glass of brandy in a pint of dry champagne

*******

Camping or 'Travels with a Donkey' (not literally) gets its own chapter in The Week-end Book, and has maintained its popularity since. The respective lists of essential kit are pretty much identical - although a 'tea-infuser' was considered vital back in the day. The Wonderful Weekend Book has a couple of suggestions for games to play in the car en-route to your destination - the older book has an entire chapter on everything to entertain any number of chaps; and whether to be played on paper or with improvised sporting equipment, all are wonderfully complicated and archaic sounding - Tishy-Toshy or Up-Jenkyns anyone? Helpfully, the end papers of the book are printed to allow you to play Draughts at the front, and something called Nine Men's Morris at the back.

There are also blank pages to record your own favourite poems, recipes and games, as well as Favourite Inns and Train Times.

The chapter on first aid remedies one might require on a weekend jaunt is probably the furthest away from what we would recognise now. These days you might pack some paracetamol, and maybe a small kit with some antiseptic and plasters if going camping. In the 20s book the remedies are supposedly all things which you could easily obtain from a chemist without prescription - although these days you'd probably want a pharmacology degree. 

"Good against the Sting of all insects, including Midges and Mosquitoes,

 is the application, with a pencil of camel's hair, of an 

analgesic blended of Acid Carbolic gr.v, Tr Iodidi mx, 

Potass. Iodidi gr.x and Aqua dest ad 3i"

There is a lot in The Week-End Book which is pleasingly tongue-in-cheek, though I have no idea whether a 'pencil of camel's hair' was likely to have been carried in the same pocket as the poetry, or whether this is a joke! 

*******

As shown by the newspaper reviews from the time, and subsequent new editions, The Week-End Book was seized upon as a marvellous idea and a great success. The modern book was generally well received, although a few reviewers complained that considering the onus is supposedly on 'simple' pleasures - the writer is fairly obviously writing for a relatively monied audience. It's all very well to suggest clothes swaps and buying second hand, but if you're having one of her 'quiet nights in', I did notice that her catalogue of lounge wear suppliers includes Toast, The White Company, Plumo and Celtic Sheepskin - none of which are a budget option. The Primark adult onsie does not get a mention.

Giant novelty head not included

Others took exception to her section on the 'problems' of having a second home - it is hard to have much sympathy, but it's only a small paragraph really, and she does admit that you can only really complain about the travelling/packing/traffic to someone else in the same position. Someone in living below the poverty line in Hackney might not be readily able to afford linen lounging pants from The White Company, but hedgerow foraging, mushroom picking and star-gazing - whilst technically free - are also not immediately easy to achieve if you live in a very urban area, no matter what your financial situation. I'm not sure you can write a book where every suggestion will be practical for everyone, so a lot of these complaints seem churlish to me.

If Amazon had existed in 1928, who knows whether we would also have seen reviewers complaining that The Week-End Book was aimed squarely at the upper middle class. Did everyone have a weekend cottage, or friend with the same? Did everyone have the same expanse of leisure time - unencumbered by household maintenance, or small children who would prohibit the playing of tennis and drinking of cocktails? It seems unlikely, but I like to think so - I just love the glamour of the 20s and 30s. Come and join me for Tishy-Toshy in the Country - I'll pour us all a Satan's Whisker* before the singing starts!

Lakota x


*Of Italian vermouth, French vermouth, gin and orange juice, two parts each; of Grand Marnier one part; orange bitters

And there's more...

Hello, just a quickie to say we'll be back in the safer waters of vintage book finds tomorrow - I hadn't realised that post was going to be quite so contentious. Thanks for all your comments regarding Mollie Makes - especially the one from Jane Toft, editor of the magazine and not devoid of a sense of humour. Phew! [Obviously if they have a feature next month on how to model a wax effigy or crochet your own voodoo doll, then I'll retract that last statement]. Oh, and before we leave the subject, I just have to share my excitement that I have in fact found 'the crafting Paris Hilton';  aka Cairo Sheraton, the so-so socialite.

The chihuahua said 'Mollie Makes', the lack of pants said Penthouse...

Cairo Sheraton, made by Croshame available from Etsy

 {don't click if you'll be offended by a crocheted cooch!}

If I had to choose someone to make a voodoo doll in my image, I'd like it to be Croshame please. I've just discovered her blog and her work, which is all kinds of excellent. Crocheted scene from The Exorcist, anyone? 

Regan knew she shouldn't have eaten that felt asparagus for lunch...

Oh ok, she does fun food too. 

Ouch Cream - Aww.

Lakota x

Swap partners announced! Get shopping, thrifting and making!

Ok swappers, I've randomly assigned people within the same countries, I'll try to make sure I give non-followers a shout to check the list, but please do get in touch with your partner and introduce yourself as I won't be able to email everyone individually this time.

Jem @ Beautiful Clutter ----- Rose and Bird

Stacey B @ Pill's Place -----  Krista @ Peetee's Palace

The Joyful Thrifter -----  LP aka A Crafty Southern Chick

Erica Louise @ Recycled Fashion ----- Desiree @ Pull Your Socks Up

Dazed but Enthused -----The Undomesticated Scientist

Alex @ Odd Socks and Pretty Frocks ----- Curtise @ The Secondhand Years

Nicole Needles ----- Liz @ Shortbread and Ginger

Max @ Blackbird has Spoken ----- Aunty Bee @ Mayberry

Lucy @ Being of Sound Mind ----- Ivy Black Chat

Jenny @ The Gingerbread House ----- Pixie's Ponderings

Julie @ Pretty Little Jewels ----- The World of Twiggy Peasticks

Vintage Vicki ----- Caroline @ What's Happening at my Place

Mongs @ My Thrifty Closet ----- Lizzie @ Tragically Chic

Rachel @ Firebird ----- Scarlett Loves Elvis

Tasha @ Fresh and Feathered ----- Eloise @ Sunday Girl

Vintage Sweetheart ----- A Blessed Life @ Serendipity Rain and Roses

KezzieAG -----New World

Handbags by Helen ----- Penelope @ L is for Love

Flo @ Atomic Betties ----- Sam @ The Junk House

Kylie @ Lucy Violet Vintage ----- Sarah @ Misfits Vintage

La Dama @ Vintage Passions Just Like Mine ----- Danni the Girl

Sian Lile Makes ----- Kestrel Finds and Makes

Gem @ Tales from the Cherry Tree ----- Miss Magpie Musings

Wida @ Missing Amsie ----- LaSophia

Diary of a Middle Aged Drama Queen ----- Little Dotty Bird

Quincee Taylor ----- Meghan @ Tales of a twenty Something

Wendy @ The Butterfly Balcony ----- Shirl @ The White House

Vintage Hearth ----- Wendz @ 15 Coast Road

Alice @ An Alien World -----Susan/Miss Tea @ Tea Diary

Joy @ Alex drake Vintage ----- Loll and Tom @ Toadstool Vintage 

ChrisTea and Cakes ----- Lucy @ Tete en L'air

Lisa @ Jumble and Jelly ----- Michelle @ Crafty learner

The Syders ----- Sky Blu Pink

Diary of a 30 something Skellum ----- Please May I

SG @ Cotton End girl ----- Nicky/Quiksave @Creative Flourishes

Sophie @ Country Girl Does Norfolk ----- Hannah @ Bubblebay

Helen @ I accidentally Spent my wage in Topshop ----- Sophie @ The Story of a girl who lives above her Means

Leonie @ Kiwi at Heart ----- Helga Von Trollop

Vain Glory Sinner ----- Me!

PinkTutu72 ----- Lesley @ Fabulously Flawed

I'm hoping I've not cocked up any of these links, but I started to go blind towards the end so let me know if you have any problems making contact, and I will check the spreadsheet of doom. Have fun, and remember the rules below:

• Send a minimum of 3 items, maximum of 5 to your swap partner, try to get an idea from blog posts/emails what kind of things they like.
•  Maximum spend is £12 or equivalent in local currency
• At least one item must be sourced from a charity shop/boot sale/garage sale/jumble or similar
• At least one item should be handmade - it doesn't have to be handmade by you if you're not crafty!
• One item should be a Christmas decoration of some sort
• Swap to be completed by 15th December. Remember to let your swap partner know if you are having problems / will be delayed for any reason. 

If you need some inspiration, you can check out some of the previous swaps here

Lakota x

PS. Someone has offered to buy my house, so I can start living in squalor again - yay!

Not Pinterested Part 1... Mollie Makes

Aah Pinterest...the website more addictive than watching the X Factor with your crack-pipe and a tube of Pringles. Like so many others in blogland, I'll admit to getting a teeny bit obsessed with this virtual pinboard which allows you to keep all your ideas and inspirations found online together. No need for bookmarks and favourites - just click on the image and you're taken straight to the original site. Not only that, but if you can't find anything to pin from your own browsing, you can follow other people's boards and spend your time frantically repinning what the 'tastemakers' have decreed is hip.

Yup. It's a time suck and I haven't created anything except an internet history

It's genius, but spend a while on there and it does start to feel like everyone's pining for and pinning the same things. And of course, while I like to pretend that I'm an arty type doing vital research for my er, art; the reality is that I've pinned several thousand craft projects I'm never likely to attempt, let alone complete, plus made the discovery of a zillion more bloggers who have obviously been created by an evil gene splice of Martha Stewart and Kirsty Allsopp.

Anyway, while I'm happily pinning away, I can't help but notice certain trends - the things people are pinning which I just fundamentally, completely and totally DO NOT GET. [Like burlap. More on that another time]. Hopefully you've accepted my misanthropic tendencies by now, so maybe you'll also see the need for  'Not Pinterested' - a place where I can put all the stuff I'm currently bored and/or enraged with, but that everyone else seems to love - my internet room 101. So, here's the first in a probably-not-that-occasional-and-actually-quite-frequent series. Enjoy!

*****************

Do you ever get the feeling you're out of kilter with everyone else? I picked up a copy of Mollie Makes in Smiths recently, and instead of taking it home, reading it cover to cover and then blogging about how charming it was, I flicked through it, got infuriated with myself for even considering spending a FIVER on yet another issue, and wondered why I didn't understand the apparent obsession with crafting your five a day. I'm thrilled that stitchery is having its moment in the spotlight, really I am, but does the cover always have to be 'the hands' clutching some kind of fake food?  Every. Single. Month. We've had felt biscuits, fabric strawberries - the complete madness which was the crocheted jacket for your apple - and now patchwork bloody pears. The day I actually bought a magazine whose leading story was 

"Sweet and Juicy!...freshly crocheted vegetables" 

 with a handful of peas made from yarn on the cover was the day I realised things had gone too far. I could almost see my teenage self, clutching a copy of Kerrang and laughing. Whatever next, Needle felt this stunning radish brooch? Knit a hat for your lunchtime jacket potato?

Mu-um, the other kids in nursery get REAL food...

Veronica! Dinner!

I know why I'm supposed to like this magazine, and periodically, when I'm in a cosier mood, I do. Kind of. There's a bit of thrift oriented property porn, new ways to display second hand finds, and some lovely photography inside -  but so many of the makes seem designed to delight nine year olds.  I have never felt the urge to make myself a felt pet - despite the patterns for both hamsters and chihuahuas - but then I'm not the crafting Paris Hilton. Or maybe I'm just dead inside?

Reading the mag is pretty much like sitting down with the laptop and flicking between Etsy and the prettier blogs on my blogroll, only I can get those for nothing, and they don't come with innumerable ads for sewing classes. The 'free' gift sewing project seems designed to somehow justify the extortionate cover price - but how many more ways can there be to stifle an MP3 player? Poor Steve Jobs, feted as the saviour of modern design - I imagine he's looking down now wondering why he ever bothered to make the iPod without a jaunty Scandi-style fabric bird attached to it.

What do you think of Mollie Makes? Despite my sniping I'm pretty sure it will exert its pull on my purse strings again sometime. In fact, I'm working on my pattern for felt asparagus now. I see it as the Valentine's cover star for February. Can anyone crochet Hollandaise sauce? 

Lakota x

 
Feel free to follow me on Pinterest - I'll happily stalk you back! Oh, and those of you taking part in the swap, I'll be announcing partners in the next few days. Last chance to sign up!

Linking up to newly discovered FFS Friday

Have yourself a merry little Vixmas...

I got home about 30 seconds after the postman had been today, and had to literally chase the van down the street whilst waving my 'You were out' card. It was so worth it though - as I discovered when I came back to my house victorious with my parcel. Everyone's favourite boot sale beauty and style queen - I speak of course of Vintage Vixen - had sent me one of her legendary care packages. [insert your favourite term of excitement here. Jem and Luce, that'd be Squeeee, right?]

 Worth chasing the postman for...

As you can see, not only is Vix amazingly generous, but she also manages to be really thoughtful at the same time. She's obviously gleaned a lot from from my posts and comments on other people's blogs. All in all, she sent:

A hand knitted bag

Necklace - I love this - and clip-on earrings

Woman's Own from 1958 - vintage mags are fab

Stick on sparkles for card making/crafting

Book called 'crazy sewing'

Little silver notebook - I need a notebook in every bag. I have many bags. 

Vintage playing cards with groovy yoga people design

Silk scarf

Book about birthstones - if your birthday is this month, you're Opal too.

Something I half thought was a magic wand, but turns out to be an Indian hair stick for holding up a bun. I may have attempted to cast a spell to ensure someone finally buys my house this weekend. *sighs and tidies up the lego yet again*

Purple tights - my favourite colour

Thank you so much Vix - you're a wonder. 

If you'd like to be the recipient of some second-hand and handmade loveliness, whilst shopping for goodies for someone else, why not sign up to the festive Faith Hope and Charity Swap? There has been an amazing response again, and there's still time to sign up here. Be quick though, it closes October 10th so I can assign everyone their partners and allow plenty of time for the hunting and gathering before Christmas. 

Lakota x