When Janet came to stay

 

Janet and I have been friends for quite a few years now. We met through blogging, me here and her over at 'The Empty Nest'. Recently I've watched with admiring wonder as she has branched out and built up a thriving boutique business based around Annie Sloan chalk® paints. 

When I found she was visiting England, we both were determined to meet up. And so she made the long train journey from Brighton to Shrewsbury, to stay at my decrepit little cottage for a couple of nights. Brave lady! From the start, it was like meeting an old and dear friend and we were completely comfortable in each other's company. I toured her round the lovely town of Shrewsbury, to the library, where we inspected the old school room graffiti - some of it dating back to the early 1700's. 

 

Naturally I had to take her to a second hand furniture place - I swear if she'd had access to a shipping container, half of that shop would now be back in the USA, in her beautiful Warrenton  shop, awaiting the paint treatment. It was so interesting to watch and listen as she explained how a dated and tired old chest could be transformed into something fresh and beautiful.

 

And (as she did all day) she made friends with one of the shop assistants as she bought one tiny little snippet of tapestry to take home.

Then there was browsing through vintage china in the Market Hall...

  
...fish and chips for lunch. I don't think Janet was persuaded by mushy peas.

 

Naturally, we had to pop into the vintage shop in town who also stock Annie Sloan paint. Janet had just been to the Brighton Anne Sloan convention and was keen to see a UK shop. There was much inspection of paint and wares.

 

We visited another splendid vintage chic shop nearby, 'Rustic and White', where we made friends with Jo, the owner. I did a bit of networking and it seems possible that I'll finally be able to do a Shrewsbury needle felting workshop, having found the right venue. (Contact me if interested).

Janet also bought over a plethora of lovely gifts for me, including a sweet dog that she had needle felted herself, my first 'Annie Sloan' wax brush (which I have a project in mind for), real cotton buds, book plates, a vintage card of Poughkeepsie (which I can now almost pronounce properly), a hand made 'Empty Nest' bag and best of all, a gorgeous old edition of Mother Goose. Better than Christmas. Oh, and of course, the backdrop - a sumptuously heavy vintage linen table cloth, from an old mill. 

And after our long day enjoying ourselves, we had a little relaxing wine and needle felting session, making chickens by the fire, with the TV on and chatting about everything under the sun. It was wonderful to finally meet meet such a gracious, kind friend who is just as super in real life as she has been for so many years in our online friendship. Your place next time Janet!

Foxes, geese and tiny houses

 Order just off to America, to the lovely Empty Nest Emporium in New Virginia - a trio of slinky foxes.

A trio of flower geese - 

 And a street of tiny houses -

I hope the foxes are making friends with the geese...

Wanda the White

Although I have an ever growing toy order list, I try to sneak in a new design every so often and have been meaning to make a white mole ever since Milly appeared, who was bought by my friend Janet of 'The Empty Nest'.

Wanda too made her Etsy debut, but was only on stage for about a minute before being snapped up.

So she set off on the long journey to America, where so many of my little people end up, to join Milly.

And here they are, photo kindly nabbed from Janet's blogpost, having tea in a most civilised manner. It's delightful to see them brought to life, though I do rather envy them, as I would love to sit down with a cup of tea and chat to Janet.

Dolores

Dolores. Likes knitting, port and lemon and smart shoes that don't quite fit her right.




Sits all day clicking her needles and watching the world go by. Has a mean streak.





And a rather disgruntled look on her face.





Is off to America to live with Janet, where she will eat cake and watch Red Cardinals and Humming Birds. Lucky, lucky Dolores!

Yes, I have finally updated my Etsy shop with a few things - it's good to be back in the saddle at last!

Coming up for air

Another job completed, packed up and off on it's travels and another deadline notched up. Just one more big one to go and life might resume an even keel.

In order to get the work done, I've had to turn into a virtual hermit, but things are getting a little easier (she prayed, with her fingers tightly crossed) and I've even managed to update my antique blog template so I can be like all the other kids at school with *followers* and things. Marvellous.

I have many forthcoming thank yous to say to certain lovely people who have sustained me with gifts over the last few months, but this is a special thank you to my friend Janet of The Empty Nest, who caused a bit of a stir in our superb little Delicatessen (one of the few 'real' shops in the village), or rather, the box she ordered for me did. I was shuffling about at the back of a loose queue of well dressed, sharp faced *ladies*, who were ordering all manner of gorgeous things, feeling rather out of place in my scruffy combats, waiting to buy a little pork pie to take with me to a cricket match. When it was finally my turn, I asked for my pie, only to be handed this amazing box of delights -

There, in the middle, nestling like a good child at Sunday School, is one of my beloved local Cerney Pyramids, prince of cheeses and a rare treat. Also Barkham Blue, Cotswold ham, and my pork pie, made across the border by the Cotswold pudding Company in Gloucestershire as well as one of their famous puddings . And for good luck, Chris the kind deli owner popped in a box of Willy's World Class Cacao, which might be familiar to those in the who saw the TV series. I literally gulped for air as Chris explained who had sent it and staggered out of the shop with the *ladies* watching me. And although I had to take some work to the cricket match...

...it was made more luxurious with an impromptu little picnic and some Selvedge and Country Living magazines. Thank you so much Janet for making me feel very special at a time when I needed it most.

(I am in the process of updating my previous links, so don't worry if you've been there and now aren't (most of you) will be again!)

In the land of the living, almost.

I've been suffering whatever lurgy is going round. I tried to fight it; I don't go down easily, and I have too much work to do to take a sicky, but last week after doing my daily cycle, and stacking this lot -

- I realised I wasn't just tired, but on the point of collapse. So collapse I did, in a shivering heap. I am not a willing invalid: I do not relish huddling in a blanket, hacking and dozing and indulging in whatever one is supposed to do when one is ill; it is too dull for words. Thank goodness for my bolshy immune system - I am starting to feel human again. Almost.

In the name of balance, on the day I succumbed to foul sickness, the posty brought two parcels of delight - firstly, a simply beautiful scarf, chunkily hand knitted in soft, pumpkin orange yarn (possibly my favourite colour, depending on what day of the week it is). It was a generous gift from my friend Janet of The Empty Nest. It is absolutely perfect, and just what I need when I get back to my daily cycle rides. Thank you Janet, I am going to be wearing it for years to come. Janet is a fiendishly quick knitter and has beautiful items and artworks for sale in her Etsy shop - though of course, my scarf is the best of all!

It goes perfectly with my new winter jumper, the other parcel which it arrived with. I buy one every few years when my old one falls apart. It has to be 100% wool, inexpensive, and not too fussy. This one, made by Black Sheep of Norfolk, fits the bill exactly, a princely £40.00, plus postage, from Sheep Delight.com - great service too. It is amazingly warm; minutes after you put it on you can feel the heat building up, just what I need in my unheated studio.Clever sheep. (And that is the first and probably the last time you will ever read anything approaching a fashion item on this blog).

Despite it being only October, I have been getting enquiries about calendars since September. The 2009 Red Flannel Elephant calendar was so successful I've done it again, but with a different line up of characters;

They are held at last year's price of £8.50 ($14) plus postage. the first four went from Etsy within half an hour of listing, and as I write there is only one left. But I've got more rolling in, so if you'd like to reserve one - or if you don't like Etsy and want to order one privately - do drop me an email or an Etsy convo.

I've been doing so much painting and drawing for my mystery jobs that I've not had much time for needle felting - though I do have someone to introduce who might make an appearance on Hallowe'en, if she can get her little broomstick working...watch this space.