New Item Friday

Head over to the shop HERE

We are currently house/cat sitting for my parents. I write this whilst sat at the kitchen table, sun shining through the open door, and with a cat on my lap who keeps pestering me for attention. It is actually very difficult to type when you are having to stretch and manoeuvre around a big tabby cat! I sense this may mean there are fewer posts next week (I have images of me being pinned to the bed at night by my parents 3 cats and not being allowed to leave! If you don't hear from me by the middle of May send a rescue party!).

However, as my Mum is lovely she left all manner of tasty treats for us in the house and I think the cake stand above is the perfect addition to the shop to honour her Welsh cakes and Flapjacks. No market this weekend thankfully, but work with the National Trust as usual. I am hoping to enjoy as much sunshine as possible!
Have a lovely weekend.
xx

57 years ago today...

Another Hobbies Weekly for you today. Highlights from this issue are...

• Make a covered wagon electric light
• Make your own negative album
• Make a meat safe
• Designs for toothbrush holders
• How to make a kite

P.S. Please remember that this is a vintage magazine so some of the materials used may no longer be suitable or comply with current heath and safety regulations. Please be careful and check out all materials for modern equivalents. We can not be held liable for any injuries incurred, but please don't injure yourself!

Before & After: Scooter

I entrusted the hubby with item shopping the other week. Due to being back in the National Trust open season, I don't get a free Sunday to go car booting anymore, instead I send the hubby with a wad of cash and ask him to shop wisely! And he didn't let me down, one of the items he returned with was this fantastic scooter. Yes, it was a bit rusty and dirty but it has a great shape and colour to it.

The right half of the chrome wheel has been treated with Autosol

I decided to try out a new product on the metal surface called Autosol. Autosol has been around for a while but this is the first time I have used it - we used to use something similar in conservation called Prelim. It is basically an abrasive paste that has certain chemical qualities to it, you wipe the paste on to the surface, I then used the rough side of a sponge to work it in, and then you wipe it off with a clean cloth. It worked a treat at removing the corrosion, and with a little extra cleaning and treatment of the metal the scooter has come up looking fab.

I would love to keep this fella but I sense I would be laughed at if seen scootering down the street - a fully grown women on a kids purple scooter! But I think it will draw some great attention at our next market, particularly when placed in my out-door camping display, with a garden lounger, bowls set, thermos, etc.

I would definitely recommend giving Autosol a try on any of your rusty metal but remember to wear protective gloves, use in a ventilated area and be careful not to work it too roughly into the surface as it may damage surfaces under the corrosion layer.
xx

Allotment: Double Digging

We worked really hard on the allotment at the weekend in order to get a bed ready for all our soft fruits. Things like raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, etc. all take a year or two to settle and produce decent fruit - so the sooner we get them in the sooner we will be enjoying plenty of vitamins! Because we are a bit late in the growing season we have also planted some potatoes in grow bags so that we will have something to harvest later in the year. The plot does look a bit messy at the moment but give me another year and it will look amazing - fencing, a shed, proper pathways, edging for the beds, etc. etc.

The only problem we have with our plot is that the soil is clay! Clay is great as it contains lots of nutrients but it locks in a lot of water and can be too dense/heavy for certain plants (plus it is really heavy and hard work!). Root vegetables like potatoes, parsnips, etc. that all have deep rooting systems require something a bit lighter.

However, there is a way to help make clay soil more suitable - Double Digging.

Image sourced from HERE

The diagram above illustrates how to 'double dig' but some basic instructions are:

1. Section off the area of your bed
2. Start at one end, remove a strip of the turf and place to one side.
3. Remove a spades depth of the earth which you have just exposed and place the earth to one side
4. Using a fork or soil turner loosen up the bottom layer of earth
5. Then start on your second strip. Remove the turf and place upside down on the earth you have just forked over
6. Fork over the upside down turf just to loosen it up a bit
7. Then remove a spades depth of earth and place on top of the upside down turf
8. Keep repeating the process until you have covered the entire area of your bed. You should have a gap at the end which you can place the turf and earth that you removed from the first strip
9. You are done - have a cuppa!

This technique does take longer than just digging over the surface but the advantage is that you aerate the soil and once the turf under the soil has rotted it will add some nutrients. You can even add extra manure and things like grit and natural waste during the digging process to help with soils types such as Clay.

So, hard work but it will be worth it in the future when we have fantastic soil that we can grow anything in! Just another 3 beds to go....
xx

New Item Friday

Head over to the shop HERE

I have been on the Babycham this week, hence why my items today have taken an unconscious cocktail theme! For any one not aware of what Babycham is, it is a sparking alcoholic beverage made from pears but is actually referred to as a sparkling perry. They actually make it down the road from us in Shepton Mallet and it comes in little tiny bottles with the most fantastic iconic Bambi logo which oozes retro appeal.

Image sourced from HERE

It hasn't been a particularly rough week but with small amounts of sun coming out I have been fancying a nice sparkling drink after a long day at work. I have been very busy though! We are attending a very exciting 20th Century Fair this Sunday at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol, and I have taken the (financial and spiritual) leap of booking a double pitch. This means I have room for even more goodies to show off, but then I realised it meant I had double the amount of items to sort out! Thankfully I am all sorted and packed, I can enjoy a nice Babycham this evening whilst wandering the Internet, meander down the allotment tomorrow and plant some soft fruits, so that I am fully charged for the chaos that will be Sunday!

If you happen to be in Bristol on Sunday please come down and visit us at Ashton Gate Stadium!
Have a lovely weekend
xx

57 years ago today...

Another Hobbies Weekly for you today. Highlights from this issue are:

• How to make a novel rack for scissors
• Canework basketry
• How to make a brick pedestal sun dial
• How to get a perfect finish with varnish
• Idea for a party centre piece

P.S. Please remember that this is a vintage magazine so some of the materials used may no longer be suitable or comply with current heath and safety regulations. Please be careful and check out all materials for modern equivalents. We can not be held liable for any injuries incurred, but please don't injure yourself!

Colour Inspiration: Pink

I decided the bedroom needed a little brightening up with spring being upon us, but as with most rented places, I can't paint the walls or hang too many pictures. Plus I don't want to spend any money, the allotment needs all my funds at the moment, so what to do?

I decided to change the bedding, I put a pink throw over the entire bed and used a nice stripey one as a footer. But I'm not convinced with the results. I'm not really a pink kind of person, and the jury is still out on my current bedroom arrangements, but it got me thinking about where pink can be a real asset in a room.

A soft pink can add a really nice 30s/40s feel to a room

Take a risk and go for neon pink statement pieces teamed with turquoise

How about a pink and orange floor - the bold paint colour
 and white accessories helps balance the room

Pink and orange can give a really exotic and luxurious feel - think
1930s glamour

Or what about a more subtle pink in the form of coral pink - although lets be honest,
there is nothing subtle about this room!

So my advice to you is to be brave with the pink, but for the cautious out there, maybe just a pink accessory or two can help brighten up that room.
xx

Review: iZettle chip and pin

Springy Beard has started taking card payments!

It was one of my aims this year to look into card payment systems, with the hope being that it will expand my clientele and increase my sales, and I have successfully achieved my goal! Unfortunately, being a small business I couldn't really afford the step into a merchant account and fully pimped out chip and pin unit. I started researching other alternatives and got given a tip off about iZettle.

Image sourced from iZettle

iZettle, based in Stockholm, is a social payments company. They have developed devices to bring secure payments anytime, anywhere from person to person and business-to-consumer commerce. All you need is to set up an account, free of charge, order a device (which cost £58.80) and download the iZettle app on to your iphone, ipad or smart phone. The device works through your phone connection via blue tooth and accepts visa, American express, diners club international and master card. For every transaction iZettle will take 2.79% of your takings, so for every £100 they would take £2.79 (or for £1 I think they take 3p). You nominate an account for the money to go into and iZettle do this automatically a few days after each transaction, and send you an email notification.

image sourced from iTunes

HOW IT WORKS:

1. Turn the device on
2. Open the app on your phone
3. On your phone make sure the blue bar on your screen says 'enter card/swipe card' (this means the device and phone have connected). The screen on the device should read 'enter card'
4. On the phone enter the amount of the item, enter a description and even take a quick photo of the item then press charge
5. Hand over the iZettle device to the customer, it will tell them what to do on the screen and you can monitor it on your phone screen
6. Once the payment has gone through on your phone screen it will ask if the customer would like a receipt and you can either print one straight off or email it to the customer
7. And you are done!

THE PROS:

• The device is small
• You can hand the device over to the customer without having to hand over your own personal phone
• It is so easy to use! So easy I had to check the account on-line just to be sure it was all ok!
• The transaction fees are very reasonable
• You can insert a chip and pin card and swipe card
• There is no contract or monthly fees

THE CONS:

• When we first used it the battery didn't last very long but my tip would be to make sure you let it charge over night before using it - I think I was a bit too eager and used it after only a few hours!
• It charges through a USB connection on your laptop or computer but it is very difficult to tell if it is charging
• Obviously it relies on your mobile having a phone signal so if you are in a poor signal zone then you are stuck

I am in love with my iZettle. I like that I only have to pay if I make a sale and the initial £58.80 fee is very reasonable. The device is a really nice size and fits into my money pouch perfectly (yes, when I am at markets I am like a kangaroo with a little pouch). As the initial costs are so low, and you are not tied into any contracts, it is ideal for small businesses. You can even create a store of items in a library on your phone, that way all you need to do is click on the item and hit charge.

image sourced from iTunes

I hope that helps all you small business owners out there.
xx

New Item Friday

Head over to the shop HERE

I have a couple of additions to my Tupperware collection today. My collection of Tupperware is starting to look very impressive - I'm thinking I may have to hold a vintage Tupperware party! I'm thinking I have all my Tupperware on show for people to buy, food made using recipes in my Tupperware cookery book and demonstrations on how to use certain items? What do you think? If only I had a brick and mortar shop I probably could hold that kind of event, but a girl can keep dreaming. (In my dream I am a Tupperware lady in a floral printed dress and beehive - just to help with your own visuals).

I am planning a weekend in the allotment digging and hopefully laying foundations for a shed, with a quick visit to Wells thrown in. I have never been to Wells before but we plan a little jolly on Saturday morning to have a nose around. I hope you all have lovely plans as well? Here's fingers crossed to a bright and sunny weekend!
xx

57 years ago today...

Another hobbies weekly for you. In today's issue you will find...

• Plans and instructions for a Model Pleasure Cruiser (see images above)
• Make a Bookcase to Fit a Corner
• Ideas for Drawer Fronts
• How to make a Birthday Card in Wood

P.S. Please remember that this is a vintage magazine so some of the materials used may no longer be suitable or comply with current heath and safety regulations. Please be careful and check out all materials for modern equivalents. We can not be held liable for any injuries incurred, but please don't injure yourself!

Review: Spray Paint Gun

If you looked in my bathroom the other day you may be forgiven for thinking that I was a serial killer......you get the reference right?! Truth be told, I was using a gun, but the worst damage I would do is cover you in a nice even coat of paint. That's right, I have a spray paint gun.

I bought my spray gun a while ago and have been waiting for a project to come my way to give it a go. My first victim was a gorgeous vintage wall mounted kitchen unit. The unit above was in a good condition but needed some freshening up. The glass doors were removed, cleaned and the whole unit was sanded down. I then got it in the bathroom and gave my gunning ago.

THE PROS -

• The spray gun gave a nice coat across the surface
• Spraying a large area was really quick
• It can be used for paint and varnishes
• It was easy to use as it came ready assembled in the box

THE CONS -

• You have to check and adjust the viscosity of the paint/varnish you are using which can be a bit time consuming and requires extra containers to blend/water down your liquid
• It is really noisy! 
• You need to be a certain distance away from the surface otherwise the paint might pool
• Cleaning up is a bit time consuming
• It is also a bit heavy to handle
• You need to keep it quite full otherwise the paint won't spray evenly but splutter

I had a bit of a mixed experience using this new toy. Although it does give a nice even coat when set up properly, and the paint is at the right viscosity, the thing that put me off using it was the noise and weight! I was doing it inside and I was sure the neighbours would think I actually was murdering someone. The bathroom also didn't have enough room for me to stand far enough away from the surface, but I couldn't think where else to do it (my tiny courtyard wouldn't even fit the kitchen unit in it!). I think I would use it in the future but maybe when we have moved to a place that has a bit more space - preferable with a shed of some kind where I can set up a proper kill room painting area. My main tip would be to slowly build up lots of thin areas and try to do flat surfaces and then rotate your item once dry to cover other surfaces, otherwise you can get some dripping marks.

I hope this helps anyone out there giving spray painting a go. Any tips or advice please send some my way.
xx

Allotment Beginnings

I have had a crazy few days. Saturday was the day we got our allotment! We got up in the morning, were taken around the site and then spent the rest of the afternoon digging.....I was knackered. But there is no rest for the wicked, so on Sunday I had work at the National Trust and a market in Frome to juggle. And then yesterday it was up early again for more work with The Trust and then a quick change over and off to work at the new job.....

View from the bottom of our garden

Breaking the ground ceremony i.e. the hubby digging

As you can tell by Monday evening I was just too tired to share my lovely allotment with you, but here it is now. It was the most perfect weather on Saturday for us to get going on our patch. As you can tell it is a complete blank canvas, with turf! We divided up the area using string and decided on a rough plan to get us started.

We did some digging on Saturday as well but we used a very particular technique which I think I will tell you about next week when I have some extra photos - have you ever heard of 'double digging'? At the moment I am spending a lot of time researching and planning, and I can't wait for the day when we can sit at the top of our patch and admire all our hard work!
xx

New Item Friday

New items added to the shop

I have some fantastic news.....
It is not that we will be at the Frome Flea this Sunday selling all our goodies (although I am very excited to be back for another year of Frome Flea events).....
It is that we are getting an ALLOTMENT!!!

I'm very excited (can you tell?). We are heading over to find our patch on Saturday and then will probably be digging up earth and generally getting as dirty as we can. For any one that follows me on Pinterest you may have noticed some garden related pins popping up more recently? We got told the other week that we were at the top of the allotment waiting list so I have been getting inspired by all the other gardeners and allotment-ers (I think I may have just invented that word) out there in the world. I am hoping that I can incorporate lots of nice posts in the future about veggie growing to give you all some inspiration as well. I'm thinking the little milk and sugar pots above would be perfect for taking to the allotment along with my thermos and wellies!

If you do happen to be in Frome on Sunday please come and see us at the Frome Flea in the market yard car park by the Cheese and Grain.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!
xx

57 years ago today...

Another Hobbies Weekly for you today.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS ISSUE:

• How to make a nest of tables mats

• How to make a wine decanting stand

• Hints for photographers - watch those backgrounds

• Magic tricks explained - The torn card mystery

• How to make a rustic stool

P.S. Please remember that this is a vintage magazine so some of the materials used may no longer be suitable or comply with current heath and safety regulations. Please be careful and check out all materials for modern equivalents. We can not be held liable for any injuries incurred, but please don't injure yourself!

Vintage Inspired Wallpaper

For some reason I have been dreaming of wall paper, the kind that is colourful, full of pattern with that all important retro twist. And would you believe it, they have a fantastic collection over at John Lewis which I just had to share it with you!

Left Hand Side: 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5

Right Hand Side: 1 . 2 . 3 . 4

I can not wait to have walls of my own one day that I can decorate with all kinds of beautiful patterns. Oh, retro inspired wall paper, I do love you so.
xx

Tutorial: Banana Muffins

We always have bananas in the house, we are big fans. It stems from my Dad who I think might actually eat one almost every day - I swear if they become extinct it may be a result of us eating too many! Our main use is Banana pancakes on a Sunday. However, I have so much work on at the moment with the now running total of 3 jobs, that I haven't had time for banana pancakes lately. So when I had a spare afternoon the other day I made a batch of banana muffins to keep us going over the busy few months we have ahead. This recipe is super easy (I have had it so long that I don't even remember where it is from!) and as long as you don't over mix the batter you should end up with light and fluffy muffins.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 or 4 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour

METHOD:

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 180 degrees Celsius, Gas mark 4.
2. Mix together the mashed bananas, sugar, egg and butter. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl mix together the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.
4. Mix wet and dry ingredients together being careful not to over mix.
5. Pour the mixture evenly between 12 muffin cases. For added decoration you can add an extra slice of banana on top of each muffin before baking.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
7. Enjoy some delicious muffins.