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.