jam tarts

cold, cold, cold here today. tiny suggestions of snow settling on o-o's hair as we walked to the shops and the post office. back at home we made jam tarts following the instructions in this book (which to be fair to he-of-the-too-big tongue, actually features tasty and easy to recreate recipes). they are delicious although one tray full did have to be binned after ending up jammy side down on our bio hazard kitchen floor (cue tears from o-o). 

here's o-o, recovered from the trauma of the jam-tarts-on-the-floor disaster, enjoying the fruits of our labour.

more january ebaying

the january ebaying frenzy continues. bargains to be had include; a big pile of unsorted lead letterpress type, four splendid industrial castors, a very smart shirt from brighton tailors gresham blake, some noa noa boots, a vintage pommel horse and some white ikea venetian blinds. check out my items here.

if i lived somewhere hot...

i'd have a cacti hedge like frida kahlo and diego rivera.

dunk

i wasn't completely idle during my pre christmas blog silence, i managed to get into the teeny tiny studio and make a new screen print; a tribute to the time honoured art of biscuit dunking. the print is available to buy now in my etsy and folksy shops. it fits neatly in an ikea ribba frame.

i chose the rich tea biscuit as it is a design classic but it isn't actually the best biscuit for dunking as peter kay will tell you...

january ebaying!

you might remember my lamp makeover project. i inherited another lamp from my grandparents, very different in style from the first (they had an 'eclectic' aesthetic to say the least!). anyway, this super stylish 1960s floor lamp has been languishing in different spots around our house ever since. it has a kind of brushed copper coloured finish to the base and lamp holders. it certainly needs rewiring and a bit of TLC and we suddenly seem to have too many floor lamps so i'm auctioning it on ebay in the hope that it will find a loving home. a piece of original mid century design could be yours for a snip! we're january skinto so i'll be selling some other bits and pieces this month, i'll let you know as i list 'em...

kitchen loveliness

our house is a victorian terrace with no right angles and three floors. the lower floor (with the kitchen and a living room) is in need of a complete makeover. i've been collecting ideas in readiness for the day when we have enough money and time to undertake such a massive project. here's a nice kitchen from the august 2010 issue of living etc.

book storage

you might remember my rambling about our lack of storage for o's vast collection of books. well, grampy b has done himself proud... he spent many hours measuring, sawing, gluing and hammering away in his wundershed and now it's finished; o-o's new and fabulous folding screen of book storage! all the stories in one easy access location and the fact that books are displayed with their covers facing out means that o-o can pick his favourites at a glance. 

czech this out!

lovely czechoslovakian matchbox labels. i bought from this etsy shop them intending to give them as a christmas gift but couldn't bare to part with them. my favourite is the one with the houses in the top left hand corner.

there's a frost on the ground here. i'm delaying a trip to tarner park until it's thawed. o-o and l-man are chuckling and chatting and running in and out of the garden playing an elaborate game. best buds.

normal service will resume shortly...

hi all and happy new year! 2012 is going to be a guddun, i can feel it in my waters. sorry about my long silence, all is well, lots has happened, too much to mention here. the tiddler seems determined to drop his daytime nap (can't for the life of me think why, i'd LOVE to be lulled a-snooze in a sheepskin lined chariot for a midday siesta). anyway, his wakeful presence makes posting more tricky but i'll try to blather on here at least once a week.  

for now here's a bewellied o-o deer stalking in dunham massey.