Pink Green

24 hours in a day isn't long enough..

Where does time go? We've had a MANIC few weeks leading up to the end of term and start of the holidays. We have had a round of various house guests, school plays, leaving dos, birthdays and trips which have meant that my feet haven''t touched the floor for quite some time. I am finally enjoying some laid back time at home pottering with the girls. That's the best thing about working in a school - the holidays!!

I am in mid-organising for the next Vintage, Art and Craft fair which is this Saturday from 2-5 at Highbury Church Hall in Cheltenham. Unfortunately I missed the last one at short notice as my 90 year old grandmother had a nasty fall and I went to see her in hospital in Leicester. She's a tough old bird though and despite splitting the back of her head open and breaking her collar bone she's off home tomorrow. The fair apparently went very well and was a big success, so I am glad I can make this one. It is going to be the first Saturday of every month so if you can't make this one, why not try popping over for the next one?! I've been making the odd last few things to sell, including these cake stands.

So, what else has been happening? Well, I have had a fabulous time since the end of term with my lovely sister, Rachel. She came for the first weekend of the holidays with her husband, who went home to work leaving her here for several days. We then drove up to Leicester with the girls and left them at my parents house while we carried on up to Newcastle to her house for a girly few days. I love Newcastle so much and we had fun at Tynemouth market and beach, the VW rally, Gateshead Flower Show, Gibside National Trust for a scone and tea, and I spent some time with Rachel's husband's family too, which was great (Hello Joan!!). A night out on the town was a must, and is such a fab experience. Cheltenham isn't great for nightlife, but Newcastle certainly is!

Tynemouth market is great for a rummage, and look what I turned up (amongst other things!).

Rachel has a love of a proper afternoon tea (which is something I did for her hen do - including taking enough vintage china for 14 people all the way to York!!), and we recreated it here on a slightly smaller scale. Only slightly though, it has to be said! It has to have smoked salmon sandwiches, scones, cream and jam, and other assorted cakes, plus strawberries for the healthy kick! We made raspberry lemonade which was delish and had a very glamourous time!!

While Rachel was here I made her earn her afternoon tea by helping me to set out my stall for Saturday. She did a great job and we had a ball doing it. This is how far we got. I have a tablecloth to go under it all, and some more bits and bobs to go on the stall, including a couple of northern purchases!

Thank you by the way to Heather at Pink Milk and Rainy Day Crafter for the 2 following awards. I think I have to list 7 things about myself, so here goes.

1)    I hate the colour lilac (especially when teamed with silver), but I love the flowers.

2)    My most treasured possession is a bird pie funnel that belonged to my grandmother (not the one       mentioned above, my other one). It reminds me of her and what a great cook she was - something to aim for.

3)    I love labradors!! Even ones who break my legs.

4)    I have been married for 13 years and I met Andy when I was 19 and he was 24. It was pretty much love at first sight and has been the same ever since.

5)    The only foodstuff I won't eat is snails because I don't consider them foodstuff! I hate them in the garden so I don't want to see them on a plate. Anything else is fair game!

6)   I used to do the football reports on BBC Radio Leicester for a local team (not Leicester City unfortunately!).

7)    I used to play the piano to Grade 6 and also the bassoon. I am aiming to take up the piano again, and am about to start learning the ukelele!

So, a random snapshot of me. I won't pass on the awards to anyone specific, but please let me know 7 things about you if you haven't done it already. It's harder than it looks to think of them!

Don't forget to come and say hi if you are in the area on Saturday and fancy a vintage hit - I'll be the one looking hot and bothered!!

Cathy XX

PS Thank you for your comment Ali - I can't find out how to reply to you - I'm either being very dim or the link isn't there. Ferrers Art Centre is one of my favourite places to go, and especially now there is the Vintage Bothy too!! The ice cream from the deli in the courtyard is amazing!!

 

 

 

Nearly there...

I'm hobbling less and walking a bit further, so it looks like I will be ok to go back to work on Monday - hurrah! It has only been 2 weeks but I am bored of pottering at home and am looking forward to getting out into the real world. I think had I been able to do all the jobs I know need doing I would be happy to bbe at home for longer, but I am not very good at sitting down and not doing much.

So I have been filling my time with reading, cleaning (although I'm not meant to be doing anything too strenuous, but I couldn't bear it any longer!), crochet, dozing (I'm still sleeping off the remnants of the anaesthetic) and baking.

I made cupcakes yesterday in order to use my new icing squeezers (£3 from Dunelm Mill!) and was fully committed to the icing before realising that I didn't have nearly enough icing sugar. Being unable to hobble as far as the shop yet I had a quick brainwave. Strawberry milkshake powder. It worked a treat - turning the icing pink as well as giving it a strawberry milkshake taste! These didn't last the day, having been snaffled up by the girls and Andy while still warm!

Having learnt French Knitting at Brownie camp over the weekend, Ruth was eager to get cracking with some more. She spent all evening making a headband, and I crocheted a flower to finish it off with, and she is planning to make them for all her friends now too. She did offer to teach me how to do it, so over the Summer holidays I am going to teach her crochet and she is going to teach me french knitting. Any ideas for what to do with french knitting once completed please let me know!!It seems a fairly pointless craft to me, but I am prepared to be persuaded otherwise!

 

 

 
 

Still hobbling...

...but without huge great bandages! I had the stitches out today and am looking forward to a shower later - no more 'personal washing' for me! Yay! Unfortunately still no bath as I have steristrips instead of stitches now, but losing the bandages was a big plus - it's not the weather for layers of wadding and crepe!

We had a very quiet weekend as both the girls were on Guide and Brownie camps. It was very strange without them both, but we had a lovely time pottering about here - I'm not up to many excursions yet. They both came back tanned, filthy, exhausted and happy, with the biggest pile of washing I have ever seen for one weekend's worth of clothes.

I have been making the most of the peace and time on my hands to get creating again. I turned this pile of vintage hankies from this

into this.

I've got 4 lengths so far each with 7 'flags'. I started off using some of my stash of vintage bias binding but it was too stiff for the delicate nature of the hanky fabric, so I resorted to some lace instead, which I have to say looks better than the bias binding. I have got one length to unpick from the binding, which is another good sitting down type job. These are all for the up and coming fair.

I have also been crocheting away like crazy, but it is too hot and sticky today for that. I have got some finishing off to do before I take any photos.

The other thing I have been making by the ton are lollies. These ones are just pineapple juice, but we have done banana milkshake ones and other juices. My next batch will be strawberry smoothie ones. Yum.

I'm getting psyched up for the party season too - it was bad planning having 2 children in the same month, particularly when that month is the last one of term. Grace is up first, with her party on Friday going into Saturday - I hate sleepovers but they love them. I have made them promise not to eat Lucozade sweets to keep awake (a tip they learnt at Guide camp this weekend), but I am not anticipating much sleep. They have become known as wake-overs in our house, and all their friends houses too! At least I have plenty of time on my hands this year to get party bags done and the cake made.

I hope you're enjoying the sultry weather - while it lasts. It has almost felt like Summer recently, so a good excuse to cram in barbecues and cold cider before it becomes stew and hot toddy weather again!

Hobbling along...again...

It doesn't seem that long (although it is 2 and a half years) since I broke my leg in a fairly spectacular way and spent 3 months wearing a lovely velcro brace whilst sitting crocheting reams and reams of stuff. 

Well, I am now back in y favourite spot on the sofa - not with a broken leg this time but having had an operation last Thursday to remove the metal plate and pins that was holding me together. I haven't quite fallen apart yet, but I'm taking it steady! I will be off work for a couple of weeks (not months this time, fortunately) and I am looking forward to having the stitches taken out next Monday so I can have a shower. That aside, I have been ferried from door to door today so I could go to my art group, which was a blessed relief having spent the last few days indoors. It was just the tonic I needed and I am now raring to go again, although slightly hampered by bandages and wadding which makes my leg look like a tree trunk.

So, I am using this time to get ready for the Art, Craft and Vintage Fair in a couple of weeks time, and am very excited about some of my makes and vintagey stuff I have for sale. Don't forget if you are in the area please pop in - details are in my previous post. I am really looking forward to it, having not done a fair for a few years, and the stall holders at this one are mainly friends, which will be great -a social event and hopefully a way of earning some pennies!

Hopefully in my next post the sun will hove shone enough for some photos of what's in store, but until then I'll leave you with a picture of some flowers from the garden that I hobbled out to get in between rain showers! Roll on Summer!

 

Cathy XX

 

Exciting stuff...

This was going to be a post about the Well Dressings in Tissington, Derbyshire, the best Indian meal I have ever had in Leicester, and the rest of the lovely time we had over half term. Unfortunately I can't work out what is going wrong with the photos so I've decided to shelve that one for another time when my resident techie is here to assist.

So instead I thought I'd tell you about an exciting event coming up here is sunny Cheltenham. My lovely friends Gill and Gail are organising an Art, Craft and Vintage Fair for July 9th, and in a weak moment they persuaded me to come out of retirement and have a stall. Eek!

I'm not sure what I've taken on, and although most of my stuff is going to be vintage rather than handmade I still have masses of sorting out to do. It is going to be a regular monthly event, and I have to say I am really enjoying amassing some stock to sell! Want a peek at some?

I love, love, love these two oil paintings, and I have a secret hope that they won't sell. Actually, everything I have got for my stall I have a home for if it doesn't go, although I haven't told Andy that!

I have a whole 6 person tea set of this design with a milk jug, sugar bowl and cake plate too. It is so gorgeous. You can't tell from this photo but there is a tinge of blue in there too, making it even more gorgeous than in the picture!

These are two of my favourite tablecloths that are going in the sale. They are beautifully embroidered and laundered (not by me I hasten to add, although the lady who did them has given me masses of tips for doing my own).

I saw the exact same books as these for sale in Decorative Country Living for £12. Mine won't be nearly as expensive!

Ruth has begged me not to part with this Brexton hamper as she loves it, but I already have masses of picnic equipment. This one has never been used and the glass jars are still wrapped in the protective cardboard.

Well, there are a few things that haven't made it to the 'stock' pile in the corner of my dining room.

These four pretty spice tins on shelf have joined the sweet and the tea/ sugar tin in my kitchen. I am slowly building a collection, but want more to add to it!

As a family of dog lovers I am likely to be branded a traitor for this one, but I loved it (and no one has noticed it is up in the kitchen yet!).

I think a trip to the opticians is called for - I think it is quite obvious myself!

And last but not least I made this clock yesterday from an old tin I have had for years but didn't know what to do with. It has been languishing in a cupboard unloved and unused, but I suddenly had a brainwave and it now graces my kitchen wall for all to see!

If you are in Cheltenham on July 9th please come along to the fair. It should be good fun and full of exciting objets. Hope to see you there!

Speedy Meals

When we've had a huge weekend lunch I sometimes struggle for what to make for supper as we don't always want masses but need something to tide us over. I'm not a massive fan of bread and sandwiches, and having cooked a roast I don't always feel like starting all over again.

Recently I was thinking back to my youth and something jogged my memory about Pizza Rolls. We used to get these at lunch time from the school canteen for 20p and there was a mad rush to get them as they were so popular and sold out very quickly. I think I managed to recreate them pretty accurately, and they went down a storm. So much so that Ruth asked if I could do them for her birthday meal. She'll change her mind, but I always like a crowd pleaser!

So, for a quick and easy lunch/tea read on.

Pizza Rolls

Ingredients

Tin of chopped tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

Grated Cheddar

4 White bread rolls

1) Drain tomatoes in a sieve - you don't want the mixture too watery.

2) Mix drained tomatoes with onion and cheddar. (It doesn't look that appetising yet, does it?!)

3) Cut rolls in half and place on a baking tray.

4) Top rolls with mixture, pressing it down with a spoon so it is flat-ish.

5) Place in an oven pre-heated to 200 degrees C for 10 minutes.

6) Eat whilst still warm.

The dinner ladies at my school weren't known for their delicious repasts, but these certainly stayed with me and the taste transported me back 20 years to my purple haired rock chick days in an instant!

Enjoy,

Cathy

 

 

I love holidays!

Don't get me wrong, I really love my job and don't have a problem getting up for work in the mornings or that Sunday night feeling I used to have when I worked in an insurance office, but the regular holidays are a definite perk of a job in a school! We broke up yesterday, and after the usual end of term staff trip to the pub I woke up this morning feeling relaxed and lazy (but not with a sore head, before you ask!). The down side of my job is that I rarely have time to indulge myself in pointless but enjoyable potterings, so today I thought I'd make some cakes.

The giant one came from this book,

And is meant to look like this,

but as you can see it is more of a full on Victoria Sandwich size than a cupcake. I'm not sure what went wrong, but despite being quite pretty it is too big for the place I have in store for it. The second one is better, although more bitesized than a satisfying cupcake size. I found the free pattern on Ravelry and adapted it slightly, and I may make some more to accompany it.

As Andy and the girls got very excited when I said I was going to make cakes today and were crestfallen when they saw they weren't actually edible I thought I could indulge another of my not-quite-so-pointless hobbies and bake some real cakes. These Nutella Cupcakes were from a recipe on one of my favourite feel-good blogs The Quince Tree and smelt amazing as they were cooking.

I relaxed in my favourite chair with my favourite Summer tipple waiting for the timer to beep and was not disappointed with the results (although I now feel slightly nauseous as I ate 2 really quickly while they were still warm!).

So, after my day of self-indulgence (which also involved a trip to the craft shop with Grace, and a pootle around town) I now feel refreshed and ready for the rest of the lazy week ahead which involves seeing old friends, family and Loughborough vintage market. Who could ask for more?! I do love holidays.

Back again!

Despite really meaning to carry on regular posts, somehow life took over again and it is months since I last wrote anything.

So, a quick synopsis of life Chez Pink Green. What can I tell you? We are all plodding on as normal - I'm very busy at school, as are the girls, Andy is still working shifts which has many pluses and a few minuses, and Bodie is still sleeping through most of the day, waking only at meal times and walk times. I've been on 3 school trips in the last few weeks and am doing 2 different jobs at school which is taking quite a bit of organising. The girls are busy with their trips, Brownie and Guide camps, music exams and (scariest of all) Secondary school welcome evenings. I'm finding it hard to believe that we have got to this stage of life already - it only seems like a few months since Grace started Primary School. She's so excited and desperate to go, which is great, but I'm not quite there yet!

One of the projects that has been taking up most of my time recently is the garden. When we had our kitchen extension last year our tiny postage stamp of a garden really suffered under the builders boots and heavy materials. So, this year we decided to get rid of the 'lawn' (such as it was) and replace it with gravel. And here it is...

 

We are going to sell the playhouse and replace it with a shed to house the bikes, and that is still in progress, but the rest is done, and I spent a very happy day at the Malvern Gardening Show picking out plants to fill the gaps with. Now all we need is some sun so I can enjoy it in all its glory whilst sipping Pimms and relaxing.

I've recently started something that I have always wanted to do - art classes. I have always been more 'crafty' than 'arty', but my friend Gail offered to give me some lessons and I have started going once a week, and the prospect of an afternoon of doing nothing but art is too much joy to express! I go with 2 very good friends to Gail's house and we laugh and create (and then laugh some more because we aren't very good yet!). It is such a tonic for the stresses of day to day life, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

This is a piece of work that I am using as a base for a canvas done in acrylics that I am starting after half term. I haven't done any drawing since I was at school doing Graphics GCSE, and I have a VERY long way to go, but I am quite proud of the things I have managed to create so far. Last term we also spent some time doing mosaics, and once I got over the trauma of breaking up perfectly serviceable crockery I had a ball doing this. The photo is rubbish because it is pouring with rain and I wanted to get this done while I had the time and motivation, and it is much brighter in real life. It is hanging on my kitchen wall and there is space for the next project that I am going to start after my canvas. Watch this space...!

Well, that's the last 4-5 months wrapped up in a nutshell. I haven't rambled on too much I hope, and I've left out heaps that I could have bored you with. Hopefully it won't be quite as long until my next post.

Until next time......

Cathy XX

A new lease of life...

You won't find many people who extole the virtues of a migraine, and I wouldn't usually be one of them, but after having the day off work on Monday to sleep off a migraine I awoke yesterday full of beans and raring to go. I always seem to be reinvigorated the day after a migraine and although I HATE them, to be fair I don't suffer with them very often and the benefits the day after are almost worth it.

So, the product of my energy has been multi-faceted. I have cleaned the entire house, changed the sheets on all the beds, cooked, hoovered under the bad and in all the dusty corners that usually get overlooked, and I have also managed to make a few things. Oh, and go to work all day yesterday and this morning.

This charity shop picture went from this.....

...to this.

(One of my set of 12 cups that usually only come out for parties is put to use holding the chalk!).

These bulbs went from this....

...to this...

and this.

I'm on the last square of my knitted scarf, and am aiming to have it done by the end of the weekend, when my Mum can show me how to cast off - the only technique I haven't yet mastered (well, that and cabling!).

So, a productive week despite a day of bedridden nothingness and inactivity.  I can wait a while for the next migraine though, and will be happy to settle for my usual (fairly low) levels of energy.

Only 2 days till the weekend!! And the sun shone today!!Things are definitely looking up!!

That Friday Feeling...

It has been a long week, and I am soooooo glad it is finally the weekend and I can chill out with a glass of wine and relax. Some weeks just seem to be so chaotic and crazy, when others float by quickly and easily without effort. This week has definitely been the former!

It's not all been heavy going though. The good news is that I finally completed my NVQ3 in Supporting Teaching and Learning, after originally starting it nearly 3 years ago. It hasn't taken me that long, but I stopped when I broke my leg and then it took ages to get sorted with starting again. It actually only took from September in the end, but it seems to have been more of a marathon than it really was!

Butter wouldn't melt (mainly because he would - I know from experience - swallow it whole). Who would have thought he could be a savage limb-breaker?

The other good news is that I went to the Fracture Clinic today and although I need another operation on my leg it is only a small one and not the huge one that they threatened me with 6 months ago. A day with keyhole surgery and then 2 weeks at home to recover doesn't sound quite as bad as the 3 months they were predicting.

So, 2 good reasons to open the bottle early tonight!!

Aside from the above, there has been time for a bit of thrifting this week.

A TG Green Domino Ware milk jug and sugar bowl. Perfect for filling with Spring flowers.

A pretty tray cloth. I have hundreds of these and I use them as arm covers, or underneath a bowl of flowers, or on chests of drawers and dressing tables. Never on trays though.

This fabulous jam pot. It is made from really thin porcelain, and although it is missing a tiny bit of a flower the break looks just like a bud, so you can't tell unless you look really hard.

A thermometer with pretty rose decals. I'm yet to find a nail to hang it on - a job for the weekend.

I also found a fabulous 1960s basket with just the right shade of blue woven into the handle, but was told it wasn't for sale as it was holding loads of purses and evening bags. I was slightly incredulous that I couldn't hand them some good, old fashioned cash for it (it being a charity shop, and that supposedly being the theory behind it), but there was no way the volunteer was going to change her mind. I may go back with another basket for her to put the purses in and then ask again.

I also have a reason to be chuffed with myself. I have finally (after many many years of trying) taught myself to knit!! I was inspired by this gorgeous creation over at Little Woollie's, and am shamelessly copying it. I am really pleased with how quickly it is coming on and how even my stitches are. I've done stripes, stocking and garter stitch so far, and the next panel will be a ribbed affair in pink.

I can't tell you how much I have wanted to do this, and I was ill over the Christmas holidays so it was the perfect opportunity to perservere. My Grandmother knitted her first Fair Isle jumper at the age of 5 and my mum has always been a prolific knitter, but for some reason I had a real mental block over it (not helped by being the only left handed knitter in my family). Well, my mental block seems to have passed.

I hope to show you some more progress soon.

Happy Weekend!

Cathy X