Tea in a China Cup

What a civilised thing to do - tea, in a vintage china cup from a proper teapot and with the addition of rather yummy toffee cake, served on a vintage china platter. Deliciousness all round!

I said in an earlier post I was thinking of pursuing the whole 'Vintage Tearoom' idea, providing clients with vintage china, tablecloths/napkins, dressings, centre-pieces etc, to make their own Vintage Tea-parties for Weddings, Christenings, Hen Do's, Kids Parties. And for those who want to forgo the tea drinking aspect, you could have your very own 'Speakeasy' party (we also provide home-made plum and raspberry vodkas)!! So, I've started a bit of a 'feasibility' study to see what the competition is like and what folk want. In addition I've been stock taking my own current hoard of vintage table goodies and frequenting charity shops and flea markets like they're going out of fashion!

The concensus so far from a couple of local gals in the hospitality trade is 'yes, this could have legs'. So, coupled with the idea for a greener alternative to party bags and wedding favours (see previous post!) I might start putting a tentative business plan and website together!! I mean who could resist, proper tea and cakes, proper china and teapots and we'll even do the washing up!! What do you think?

Hmmm? A new idea, maybe?

How about this for a sweet alternative to run of the mill party or wedding favours - Cotton (and re-useable!) party bags with an 'Alice in Wonderland' theme - upcycled glass jar decorated with vintage fabric and cotton bakers twine and filled with hand-made chocolates, and the simple, hand stamped instruction 'Eat Me'! But don't worry you won't shrink!! Plus a bottle of fizz - what a treat!

I'm thinking about this as a potential sideline - jars could be filled with traditional sweeties/chocs/home-made jam or marmalade/mini soaps, but all trimmed in the prettiest of vintage fabrics and hand-stamped individual vintage style lables.

A green alternative, perhaps (re- and upcycling, reusable bags, organic treats!). And you could theme them as well - Alice works really well!) Comments gratefully received!!

Keep on Running!

Well, as I seem to be doing bugger all sewing at the moment I thought I'd use the blog for more general, day to day stuff - it's the George Mallory approach "Why do I write it? Because it's there!"

I've been Twittering for over a year now and those that follow me know I started running in July last year and am now totally hooked. In a previous life I used to be a Personal Trainer and Sports Therapist so I was very fit and ran regularly. After a disasterous first pregnancy, followed by several more which finally resulted in two healthy, fat babies (fine example of one below) I gave up on the whole 'fitness' thing and settled down to pushing a pram, working in management/admin troubleshooting and moved back home to Scotland.

Two years after the big move north and being the wrong side of 40, I noticed I was spreading and not just around the middle!! After watching my husband complete a 10K road race in Balloch last year and seeing loads of women in all shapes and sizes cross the finish line, I found myself thinking "I could do that" and I bloody have! It's taken less time than I thought but I'm up to a 10K distance (about and hour and 10 mins continuous running) and I'm even toying with a Marathon at some stage -I say 'toying' in the loosest sense!

Running provides me with a way to keep my fat bahookie in check, it allows me to de-stress and let off steam and it gets me out of the house kid-free for a wee while. It also allows me to run through some fantastic scenery - on Monday I listened to the dramatic and ethereal sounds of 'Florence + the Machine' as I ran through towering tunnels of pines whilst out over Loch Eck and the hills beyond - It doesn't get much better than that! Admittedly, it wasn't the best CD to run to (I usually listen to a vast collection of shite Ibiza dance/techno tunes, consistent BPM, rising /falling cadences etc) but it was a great accompaniment to hitting my target time/distance and it was a beautiful day - all sun and shadows and glorious forest.

So, that's a bit more about me that's not about sewing or fabric! Watch out - it'll be about making soup next!!

The afterglow...

So, here we are a few weeks down the line from the Creggans Xmas Cracker and I'm still absurdly pleased at how well it went. We had a total of 24 different makers, crafters, artists and small businesses showcasing a quality array of products - from handmade soaps to fine art cards and prints, stunning designer jewellery to the best chocolate Brownie bites in the whole of the country (thank you, Fi Bashford-I still taste them in my dreams!!), wonderful, hand-crafted knit- and felt-wear, ceramics, retro cards, coasters and embroideries - too many fine things to mention! See pics below for a wee glimpse of the goodies on offer:

Fi, Fi and Lorna and their sweet treats to die for!
Rosie's Retro Styling - fabulous vintage inspired goods, gifts, cards and coasters

Amazing knitwear from 'Moses Well' - aka Pauline MacIntyre

the rainbow effect - natch! Am loving those new appliqued hottie covers!!

The wonderful Penny Crisp and her creative goodies including hand felted baby bootees, beautiful bunting and more hottie covers!!!

And the place was heaving!! I think Gill (proprietress extrordinaire of the Creggans Inn) had a bit of a wobble and was convinced no-body would come, but come they did, in their droves!!

The whole place was buzzing all afternoon and the icing on the very rich and delicious cake was the sweetest of sounds made by the choir from Dunoon Grammar School (although when our Effie is big enough to attend no way will she be allowed to wear such short skirts!!)

So, I felt justifiably pleased with the end result and, after a careful evaluation of the proceedings, next years promises to be even better!!