Bygone days .....

Fill your house with stacks

of books, in all the

crannies and in all the nooks!

Dr Seuss

So before I starts today's ramble drum role please.... The Winner of the little Vintage markets and fairs books is ....

Donna Howard! ... Donna please DM me your address for me to send it to you next week ... Well Done and  thank you for those of you who took part.  There will be another competition soon and All of you are welcome to participate, even if you entered this one.

I love books and journals as I think you all know that by now, shocker I hear you all cry !  The thing is I can understand the kindle life especially when on holiday so that you can pop it in your hand luggage but here's the thing.  I
love books.  I love opening it up and smelling the pages and with ones that have pictures it is even more appealing to me to have the book and not yet another screen to stare at in my life!

There is a part of me that is so bygone times.  I love hand writing letters and receiving them too.  When a letter drops through my letter box it is such a special thing and is treated as such.  I will wait to open it when I can curl up in a chair with a herbal tea or a glass of wine and read it and read it again.  I belong to a little Happy Mail group and I only have two people who I write to as at the moment I really can not take on any more which is a great sadness to me.  I love long letter writing and I love getting them back.  I have wax guns and seals to make them special and I often write with my calligraphy pen in sepia ink ..... I am only half an inch away from writing by candle with a quill quite frankly ... see photo, yes I have a quill !

I believe in books and I know they can collect dust and take up room but I would, if I could, have a whole room dedicated to them.  Yes a home library room and I am so lucky that my husband feels the same as well.  I imagine having a room with built in beautiful shelves line with books.  A fireplace on in the middle of one wall with armchairs either side and in the window a writing desk with a lamp

and all my calligraphy pens, inks and seals and wax in the desks.  There would be a drawer for writing papers and envelopes and I would always have postal stamps in.  This is where I would write my letters and where I would write my Christmas cards as well as sit and read.  My husband loves reading too and he needs more light than me so he could have a standard lamp by him or a little lamp with the a reading light attached.  Andrew could listen to music whilst reading but I can not do that but a crackling fire and a glass of wine .. now that's me happy.  When we read we will catch each others eye and read a little to one another if we think it will amuse or be of interest. 

Vintage papers and books and journals are all part of my creative thought patterns as well and I love to incorporate these things sometimes in my sewing.  If you are making a sampler/picture to be framed then of course you can use these because there is no washing of it.  If it is a quilt then you can copy it onto photocopy fabric sheets and use them this way.

One of my hobbies was always my family tree and I did genealogy for a living in a past life as I call it, before doing what I do now.  That said I still take on some work of that nature for Solicitors sometimes and at the moment a private client .... If it is a hard one to do.  I have a journal for this, shocker!  but it is how I work.  I have just started bullet journaling too and that is a lot of fun.  I love writing and creating in any way so for me this is not a chore but pure pleasure.

When it is Christmas or my Birthday if I am given a journal the squeal of delight is like I have received a huge diamond or something ... think if I got one of those I might go quiet and gulp though!

I am totally immersed in my vintage and bygone days and traditions although I do embrace technology too.  I love that we have laptops and email so that I can write my blog as I am now and the world can read it with a touch of a button that says PUBLISH!  The  iphone that I carry has become a useful technology tool, it means that I  can still check on my blog if need be or text a friend ... it all has its place especially in business or in times of urgency but I still love the gentle art of writing and hand stitching ..... for me it feeds my soul and makes me happy.

I am still awaiting my William Morris lavender scented drawer liners ..... argghhhhh want to get on with it all but decided the put away and get it all out again idea was futile but have had enough of the things all through the hall and into the spare room.  I know you have to break eggs to make an omelette as the saying goes but I am so keen to get sewing again and until this is complete I can not because I can not find a thing right now.  Although I have a project to just finish but there is not much to do so that is why I am taking my time.

Not long now until Eridge vintage fair and I will be going so I am very excited indeed.  Anyone else
reading this that is going?  I know that The Old Haberdashery will be there stalling and that is one of
my favourites with old silko spools of thread and buttons and lots of goodies.... I have a whole drawer dedicated to threads with I might add a little space! LOL so that bit of my sewing room has been sorted!  I am looking where to put Suffolk puffs too, wanting for everything to have its own space with a little spare is going to be more that difficult I think but hey I will give it a go!

Well this morning I am off to visit Mum and sit with her hopefully in the garden there with my sister and we take in lovely coffees with us.  Then we sit and chat about all sorts of begone memories that make her really happy.  She has become very cuddly too wanting cuddles and holding both our hands .... We still have some of her left so these are very special times indeed.  Then it will be back to see if a delivery might have turned up and if so get on with packing away .....

I have an idea to run past my husband later, he is my dream maker and if it can be done it will be.  This one involves some hooks in the ceiling in a corner and a shelf on the wall ( if there are no cables behind the plaster - he has got there just in the nick of time before now when one of my ideas could not wait! a story for another day!)

Have a wonderful day all and as always Happy Stitching! XX

The World is a book and those

who do not travel read only but one page ....

food for thought!