The North wind doth blow ....

Happy Monday, my lovelies! Brrrr! it's been a bit cold this weekend hasn't it? On Friday night I went to a party at my dear friend Julie's house ... it was her daughter Nicole's 21st Birthday ... I've been feeling a little bit delicate ever since, for some reason, so have battened down the hatches and done a little pottering ...

Adding twinkly little lights to my shelves (isn't Poundland fabulous?) ...

and making little lacy lanterns ...

the shadows these create are really atmospheric ... and so simple to achieve!

The big event of last week was, of course, Halloween ... the worst night of the year, weather-wise, for little witches, wizards and hobgoblins to be leaving their calling card ...

We only had two visits this year ...

Would have been a shame to waste this little lot ...

Even Rooby-doo joined in the fun ... #notimpressed ...

and Millie made an impressive 11th Doctor ...

We've been tidying the garden, ready for its long winter sleep ...

planting bright flowers to cheer up dark corners ...

and making newly found treasures feel right at home ...

Getting ready for the big event of the year ...

If you get the chance, please do pay us a visit! Me and Millie will be there, along with lots of other stallholders, selling the most amazing true vintage items ... and lots of lovely craftiness too!

Would like to share a little before ... (boy, this was so dirty it made the dog sneeze!)

and an amazing after! Thank you Kath for your upholstery help, I couldn't have done it without you!

and if all that isn't enough, I've won a lovely Giveaway on Instagram which will really get me in the Christmas mood ... thank you @ainttooshabbydevon, I'm really looking forward to this lovely parcel!

Next Sunday is Remembrance Day, so I'd just like to leave this verse for you ...

WE MUST NEVER FORGET

Looking forward to catching up with you all ... what have you been up to?

With love, from Claire xxx

Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away ...

This week, there's been lots going on at Thriftwood, and feel that I've neglected blogland a bit, so just to get you up to scratch, Jacob and his girlfriend, Jules, are home at the moment, but going back to Leeds tomorrow after their travels around Europe.  They were on the way home (to us) on Wednesday evening, and in between the bus station and train station at Preston, poor Jules fell and broke her wrist.  Badly..  She needed an operation and was in hospital for three days, but is recovering now.  It's lovely to have them here, and for longer than they were originally staying, just wish it was under different circumstances.

Every cloud has a silver lining though, and Jacob has spent some time teaching me about Instagram.  I am a complete technophobe, but have enjoyed fiddling around with images and creating different moods for each one.  Please bear with me, and humour me, all you computer whizzes out there! I've just managed, without help, to download my Instagram images from my ipad to the main pc ... a big achievement for me, but seem to have done something weird to my desktop, so this post may not even happen!

Anyway, let's get on! On Saturday when I got back from the hospital in Preston, two parcels were waiting for me.  I opened the big one first, and was delighted to find my Giveaway prize from the lovely mumofalltrades ... her lovely, handmade, Autumn bunting.  I've hung it on the wall above my fireplace in the back room, and Instagrammed it for you to see ...

The next parcel contained these two lovely, handmade, poppy brooches for Remembrance Day, which I ordered from vintage vicki.  They are really lovely, and all proceeds are going to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.  Me and Millie will certainly be wearing our poppies with pride this year!  Thank you, lovely ladies, your parcels made my day!

Just thought I'd share a few more of my Instagrammed pics with you ...

Ruby, in younger days and before we got our French windows!

Love the colours and textures of the wood in the one above ...

Ruby, looking angelic ...

And my favourite corner!

I'd just like to thank everyone for their lovely comments on my past two posts, where I shared tips on housework and other random things, and have even been surprised to see my name pop up on other blogs, where people have mentioned that they are using my 2 hour timer tip to sort their housework out!

This post doesn't feel as though it's flowed as well as others, feel a bit of bloggers block coming on, so I'll leave you there, but not before I've given a huge welcome to all my lovely new followers!

Have a lovely week!

Love, Claire xxx

PS: I don't know why there is a link to the words 'cloud' and 'prize' ... I certainly didn't link them to anything! Does anyone know how to stop this happening? xxx

PLEASE MR POSTMAN ...

Hello everyone, when the weather is as bad as it has been these last few days (or weeks) if you have a day off there is nothing nicer than making a cup of tea and sitting at the Big Computer (can't see the pictures as well on my ipad) and catching up on your favourite blogs.  

A good few years ago I found my first blog completely by accident while looking for a crocheting pattern on Google.  It was the lovely Lucy's blog attic24, which I am sure lots of you are familiar with, and I was completely drawn in.  I started to look at the blogs Lucy liked and the rest is history! 

In those early days I never thought that I would have a blog of my own, I just liked looking at the lovely images, getting inspiration for my own home, and even suggestions for what to cook for tea! Now I have my own, I love the way we all exchange views, recommend items and share a bit of our lives with each other.

Through my bloggy friends I have received a couple of lovely parcels this past week ...

A while ago,  miss-thrifty gave a link to a competition for the Diamond Jubilee which had loads of prizes and one in particular interested me.  It was from Graham and Brown, the wallpaper specialists, offering a roll of Jubilee wallpaper ...

I had never seen anything like this, so had to enter, because it was so me ... and I won a roll! (So did Miss-Thrifty!) As it is only one roll, I am going to have think very carefully what to do with it ... ideas on a postcard please!

I couldn't get a good picture of it as the light is so bad today, so have had to doctor it a bit so it isn't wishy washy ... the colours are more muted than this, but it's absolutely gorgeous, and so vintage! I am thinking of painting my bathroom in the salmony pink colour (and my roll-top bath) and papering the back wall beside the bath with the paper.  If I do this, will definitely show you how it turns out. I know it's very girly, but I do have a small shower room which gets used all the time and the bathroom is only ever used as a bathroom by me and my daughter.  The male members of the family just use it to get a towel out of the airing cupboard and splatter toothpaste and hair products all over the walls!

Another recommendation I had was via evelyn-may, who was hosting a giveaway which was won by my friend Maria of rosey tinted spectacles.  Evelyn-May recommended the Pretty Nostalgic magazine, and if you purchase a years subscription via her blog and mention who recommended it, you also get free the Pretty Nostalgic book.  So pop over to her blog, because I can easily say, it is very well worth it!

Maria was actually at my home yesterday, and we were having lunch when the postman called with this beautiful book ...

 the images are gorgeous, and the book is divided into chapters, with seasonal features and loads of ideas for titivating your home ...

There is a great 'make do and mend' ethos throughout, which I totally identify with! It encourages you to make use of what you have instead of going to the shops an spending a fortune on stuff that has a short shelf and becomes dated almost immediately ...

 It also encourages you to explore your own style and not follow the herd by having everything that everyone else has.

Loads of old fashioned hints and tips ...

  And lots of sayings that you don't hear nowadays ...

I don't want to reveal too much, but can honestly say that I pored over this divine book all yesterday evening, but on opening it again today to do this post, have found loads more things to look at.  It is absolutely jam-packed with images, old advertisments and household hints.

If you do nothing else this week, buy a subscription to this magazine, because it is £36 for the year (6 copies of the magazine) and this book is £25 rrp on its own.  Believe me, you will thank me!

Have a lovely week!

Love, Claire xxx