It Was 33 Years Ago Today

What were you doing 33 years ago today? Well some of you may not have even been born, but I was 22 and in the process of tying the knot with my 25 year old ( and hairy) boyfriend.
So all these years down the line here we are, still Mr and Mrs and business partners too. One of us deserves a medal but it would cause an argument to decide who!
Now why have I stuck on an embarrassing 1970's wedding photo?
Well the story is this...
Not wanting to be a conventional bride ( I was an art student, and poor) I chose a blue patterned Laura Ashley dress costing all of £9.99.
It had a very full long skirt so there were yards and yards of material there.
I was very much into patchwork and quilting so after a decent interval of a couple of weeks after the wedding - we went to Arran for our honeymoon - I started hacking up the dress for a quilt I was making. The quilt's still around but I don't have a photo as it's now my daughter's.
Anyway six years after the wedding, here is Laura aged two in her first party dress and yes, it's the wedding dress. Even the sleeves were just adapted from my sleeves.
I remember it was a pretty complicated pattern to follow with the square yoke, but I was really pleased with the result.
Over the years what was left of the dress became a bedroom lampshade, part of a patchwork quilt for my son's cot and has appeared in many many patchwork cards.
When Laura got married three years ago, she had a lovely ivory dress, but unknown to her at the time, walked down the aisle with two tiny hearts made out of my dress appliqued inside the hem - something old and something blue.
The fabric seemed to go on and on.
Until now.
Just recently I was rummaging in a box of fabric offcuts to make some baby boy cards, blue of course, and came across this scrap. All that's left of my wedding dress.
Barbara refused to let me use it for cards and said I should make myself a keepsake - a padded heart or some such.
And I will, some day.
So we're off out for a meal to celebrate/commiserate our 33 years together and here's to the next 33.

Laburnum RIP

This view of our garden is now changed forever. Our favourite laburnum tree was chopped down yesterday - the poor thing had died and this display of blossom was probably going to be its last.
It was a sad day because it had brightened up our mornings for all the years we've stayed here, at least in early summer anyway.
The sunny yellow lit up our bedroom even if it was a dull day and it was always buzzing with honey bees.
And like all the irises in the garden, it burst into flower every year precisely on Laura's birthday -June 6th.
In winter it also brightened things up because it was draped with twinkly fairy lights, and it served a useful purpose too as one end of my washing line.
It's still going to be useful though, as we now have a good pile of logs to burn on cold nights.
I don't think we'll have another one as the other trees in the garden are taking over, so I'm just enjoying the bigger patch of sky that can be seen from the recliner now - well when it's not raining.

Perth - It rained

Quick update - just home, and yes dear readers I wasn't as cruel as I made out yesterday.
Bob was up and away before I woke up this morning, but phoned at 10 and sounded really bad with his cold poor thing. He'd had a nosebleed too.
So I jumped in the car and went up to Perth to bale him out. He was surprised but glad to see me I think.
It was raining but there was no wind thankfully. Rain and wind at a Street Fair are very bad news.
And it dried up at 2 so we had a few hours of nice weather.
All in all a reasonable day's sales, and Bob managed an hour or two hiding in Wetherspoons watching the golf and nursing his cold.
And I managed an hour or two shopping and came home with a new shirt! So everyone was happy - unless there were some disappointed customers at the workshop.
Oh well - one has to look after one's old man, doesn't one!

Wet wet wet

I'm just winding down with Leonard (Cohen that is) after loading up the van for tomorrow's Street Fair. It's not a fun job in the rain - everything having to be covered up for the few feet from the workshop to the van but the rain managing to get in the smallest spaces.
Anyway it's done now and I'm feeling slightly guilty that that's my job done.
My other half is the one actually going to Perth tomorrow while I stay home and keep the shop open.
Normally I wouldn't feel the slightest bit of guilt, but I have also passed my horrible cold on to him, poor soul, and he's going to spending a wet ( probably) day outdoors.
I'm so cruel.
I should really volunteer to go instead - I should....really. Really I should. But.......
I have got a pile of shop orders waiting to be made up as well as a handful of website orders. So I'll have a nice hot meal ready for him coming home and some lemsip and sympathy and hopefully the fresh air will help his blocked up nose!
So, back to Leonard.

Perth Street Fair/ Craft Market

Coming up this Saturday - the Perth Street Fair. It would be good if we could be assured of a dry day, but it was St Swithin's Day yesterday ( also my dear son's birthday) and if you know your saints you'll know the saying that if it rains on St Swithin's Day it rains for 40 days and 40 nights.
Well so far today - no rain. Hopefully that augurs well for the weekend.
It's such a pain to set up when it's raining, not to mention the rest of the day if it's dreich.
But let's be optimistic.
Lots of craft stalls lining the main shopping streets of Perth - worth a visit.
I've caught up with website orders for the moment, so all attention is now on making stock for the fair. No panic though. After all, there's still a WHOLE DAY left.
Aaghh - just seen the weather report for Saturday - I wish I hadn't.

Hearts anyone?

Here is my next collection of random pics from around the shop. This time I've concentrated on hearts. It was never my intention to have so many - they just grew - and this is just a taster. There are lots more lurking in card designs, on the front of albums, in pictures etc.
The first three ( cut off photos, sorry) are polka dot wooden hearts. Very popular at only £2.00 each.
The lilac heart is a detail from one of my wedding triple pictures -
Then there is a little punched metal bird with a red wooden heart-
A pair of ceramic heart earrings -
A white metal heart - part of a string of three -
Two lavender filled patchwork hearts -
Little painted hearts in the middle of my tartan patchwork cards -
Two heart cards from the wedding Keepsake range -
More wooden hearts but this time with fantastic retro painted patterns -
And finally a button heart which is found on the front of a keepsake memory box.

It's Sunday today. We've had our walk along the beach to visit Mum and my sister and family who are here for the weekend. I've now changed into my slobbiest old clothes and we're not going anywhere else today. The shop's shut and I'm going to enjoy the peace. I've got a pile of work to do for orders but it's very enjoyable when there are no interruptions. The roast is in the oven and I'm considering a rare treat for tonight - a pudding!

Thistle Do - (get it?)

I'm back. Rested and recuperated, and only the occasional lung bursting cough to remind me of last week's horrendous cold. It didn't stop the work, although if I'd been working for someone else ie a "proper job" I'd certainly have had a couple of days of magazines and daytime TV in bed. It doesn't work that way when you're self employed though.
Anyway, enough of my moans.

Today's collection of random pics are to celebrate the noble Scottish thistle. Mainly because there's a cracking specimen growing where it shouldn't just outside the workshop. It'll have to be dug up but I'll leave it till the flowers are past ( top pic).
That got me looking around the shop at all the other examples of thistles on display. So from the top..
Wee Reminder Plaque and Thistle soaps.....
Just a wee note card......
Thistles embroidered on a cloth....
And finally a thistle wine glass slipper.
Tomorrow's random selection will be hearts - and there are loads.

Laid low

Bit of a low ebb at the moment. I've picked up a summer cold and I'm sneezing all over the keyboard.
Trying to have early nights so I'm not doing my usual nocturnal posting.
Back soon!