White O'Morn Cottage

As promised - here is the finished scottie cushion. I used a pink gingham pillowcase, a piece of floral fabric from my collection of fabric and his doggie coat from red gingham fabric from a damaged baby's dress and two large white buttons for the closure from my button jar.

I am going on holidays for a week or so - I'll miss you all. See you soon...

Caught the knitting bug

While thrifting in my favourite charity shop this morning I found this lovely set of  wooden knitting needles in a cotton roll up holder with a fabulous vintage print on it. I haven't knitted in years but decided it was time I got back to it.

I bought a lovely pattern for  a tea cosy cottage and also some wool. This is a picture of the pattern...but of course, the colours I will use will make it a replica of White O'Morn Cottage with a green door, white walls and a grey roof and  roses around the door. I will be posting photos of it as it progresses. If it turns out well I might make the two story one for Angie with white walls and a red door to match the Old Schoolhouse!

And while I'm on the subject of crafting I have made great progress with my first quilting project of a scottie dog cushion cover.  Here is a photo of it and I should have it totally finished very soon. Watch this space!

Lacy Teacup Treasure Gift from Joan ....and more

It was with mixed feelings that I finished work today (for the summer) in the local library in Baldoyle, Dublin. 

A better bunch of students you couldn't ask for. Ladies... it was a pleasure to work with you and I hope you all sign up for year 2! Imagine -  I actually get paid to have this much fun!

 Thank you for all the lovely gifts. (the  photos are in an earlier post) I have,  and will enjoy each and every one of them...

 

...but I have to give special mention to this antique beauty.

Joan, (I know you check my blog regularly...sure - didn't I teach you everything you know about computing?) - so, knowing I love blue and white china you gave me this beautiful German 1900's teacup and saucer that belonged to your friend's grandmother. Thank you so much...I will treasure it and it will be going on my dresser for visitors to ooh and ahhh over. Just look at the delicate lacy pattern on it! 

It's a bit spooky... but this week seems to be Cup and Saucer week for me!

First, Kimme, of Irish Cottage Dreams (see sidebar) sent me a wonderful (blue & white!) handmade cup yesterday.

Today, Joan gave me this little gem...and Angie my friend in Cork, Ireland e-mails me to say she has some Willow Pattern crockery for me....and then  - just when I am coming to terms with gift overload (is that possible?)... my sister, Angie, The Old Schoolhouse (on sidebar to right) rings me to say she has got me the most beautiful cups and saucers (yes, cups, plural) on her solo thrifting trip. Thank you x 3!

Nora is 100 years young!...and Thanks to - Irish Cottage Dreams!

I don't know who Nora is but she is one hundred years old in two weeks. The call went out on Jumbletown, the recycle site, who's members have been so generous to me.

Nora's family was having trouble finding cards specially for a lady who is 100. I suppose there is not much demand for these. So I got busy and made one for her and sent it off. This is what I made

 

 

 

Then this morning there arrived in the post a parcel from Kimme of Irish Cottage Dreams (on sidebar to right) It contained lovely surprises like .....

... a floral and polkadotted, hand made cup with a matching cross and heart....

 

 

 

 

 

 

and her own designed and produced beautiful Irish calendar, (available for sale on her blog )- Irish Cottage Dreams  -see sidebar.

the illustrations are amazing - photographs made to look like paintings. They are quite stunning. 

 

 

 

 

 

 ...and these dainty little handmade cards, made by her elderly grandmother. These ladies look so elegant in their fine hats. So I thought....I'll  have a go at making one of these and HEY PRESTO!........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

......Nora's family got another card made for her! A little more practice and I think I will have it down to a fine art. Thank you Kimme and Happy Birthday to you Nora...whoever or wherever you are!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am also putting together a sister box for Herself in The Old Schoolhouse see sidebar to right.

I would love to show you some of the goodies I have in it already but Herself might be peekin'...

Well alright then - just one little peek  - and only on the inside of of one of the books...ANGIE!!! Stop lookin'! 

PIF on my blog why don't ye'?

I have just joined in my first PIF...which means Pay It Forward - on Linda's lovely blog, Somewhere In Time (see sidebar to right)

What happens is...She is making something for me and I promise to PIF on my blog by sending something nice to three people commenting who agree to PIF on their own blog. You can still comment without joining the PIF of course. Also it does not have to be handmade or expensive. Visit her blog to see details of the lovely gift she received in her last one. So, let's all PIF all over the place!

Oh -Photo has nothing to do with it...I just like it.

Dare to Dream

I've always wanted a pretty little cottage in the country. Ever since I was a child I dreamed of one but without any real hope of fulfilling it. However that did not stop me from dreaming my dreams and about 18 years ago while on holiday in Carlingford I bought this cushion cover in the local craft shop. 

  As you can see it features a tiny cottage half way up a mountain surrounded by fields with cows, flowers and trees. it is located just to the right - off a winding road.

I kept it all these years and sometimes would look at it and picture my ideal cottage.

I was always watching "The Quiet Man"  which is my favourite film and looking at other peoples cottages with a grá in my heart and wishing for and dreaming of one of my own.

Two years ago we somehow managed to buy White O'Morn. That is the name of the lovely cottage in that film and I named my dream home after it. 

I found the old cushion cover again recently and realised that the cottage I did eventually get is....a tiny cottage half way up a mountain surrounded by fields with cows, flowers and trees and it is located just off the right hand side - off a narrow winding road!

 

 

 

 

 

 

So if you have a dream...whatever it is - dare to dream it, keep dreaming it, visualise it, nurture it and who knows...someday....because sometimes dreams do come true.

 

 

A Grandma's treasure trunk

A lovely woman contacted me this morning through Jumbletown (the freecycle site we have here) to say she had a couple of old things that might be nice in the cottage. She had been cleaning out her grandma's attic and wanted to pass these on to someone who would enjoy them rather than her having to dump them. How exciting to go down to her not knowing what was waiting for me....

First these pretty pieces of vintage linens including a set of new mens linen hankerchiefs that Da will love as he never took to paper tissues. Also some damask tray cloths, pillowcases and pillow ticking fabric.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then this crumbling, dusty, moulding box....what could be tucked in here for decades?....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is what I found when I opened it....

A lovely roses china tea set that had never even been unpacked from the box. It is in the dishwasher as I type. Gorgeous!...

(Here is the china used as a prop for this vintage shabby chic tea cosy I have listed on Ebay this week - item no. 170222471232  If it does not sell on Ebay it will be listed on my vintage website www.vintageretrolingerie.com)

 But the best was yet to come..........

........a large antique, dome topped travel chest complete with the old destination labels on it! I love it...thank you Mimi!...and thank you Mimi's grandma.

I will enjoy restoring it and using it in White O'Morn Cottage to store my bedroom linens.

The labels are hard to read but say Dublin, Westland Row (a city train station), and Shannon. I have included some close ups of the antique cobwebs and spiders that came with it. These are the before pictures...I will - of course, be adding afters.

Goodies for me!

I woke up this morning whining "I don't want to go to school!"

"You have to go to school" says himself

"Why do I have to go?" whinges me.

"Because you are the teacher!" says he

Well, I'm glad I went 'cos it's coming to the end of term (adult ed. finishes end of May) and the students presented me these lovely gifts: Roses in a fabulous shade of orange, Max Factor make up set, a garden centre voucher, and beautiful cards that I will treasure. A big big thank you to you all. It has been an absolute pleasure working with you. Imagine! ...getting paid to have such fun!

Crafts from Rustic Roof Slates & Other Rusty Stuff

Here are some more of the nifty handmade signs I made from the old rustic slates of Angie's Old Schoolhouse roof. They had to remove some of them to put in a roof window.

They are natural slate - I think is called Blue Bangor Slates. It is quite beautiful in itself and it broke into interesting shapes. Also it is easy to drill with a fine drill if you need to hang it.

The Rose Room in basement of schoolhouse is one of my favourite rooms (I designed it - don't mind Angie if she says otherwise)

...so I made this little sign to go on the door.

The next one is a long narrow one - it is behind the rusty gate of the dry toilets at the end of the garden. In Irish it sounds so much nicer..."Leithris Tirim" so that's what I wrote on it.

The White O'Morn Cottage sign is also made from the same slate and I added a metal butterfly and some wire to hang it.

While on the subject of rustic even the garden shed has a rustic appeal...

...and can you spot the "rustic" almost disolved wheelbarrow in this picture? Shed door and wheelbarrow are both in Angie's schoolyard.

These tiny blue blooms are the Forget-Me-Nots in my cottage garden.

Nothing rustic about these pretty little flowers, I just love them. I grew them from seed last year and they are now running riot.

I have tried to get this picture before but could not get it just right. I wanted one flower in focus and the rest blurred.  Love these digital cameras!

This next one is for Kimme and Patrick...it shows the narrow boreen that leads up to the cottage  - the one I describe in directions as "has twists and turns and steep hills..." I hope you don't meet any traffic coming the other way! Don't worry, as the locals are well used to squeezing past on these very narrow lanes.

The photo was taken from the front door and has a lovely view beyond the trees.

Mini Give-away results

The names drawn from the hat (red of course) for last weeks giveaway were Cathy, Cherry Menlove and Mary,

Please send me you addresses and I'll get them off to you. Congratulations! ...and thanks to everyone who entered.