Vintage Pleasure

Happy Table Tuesday

Today's 'Happy Table'
Some one asked why my table is happy every Tuesday. It's because that's the day I open my house to anyone who wants to come share tea, cake and chat. I've done it for about 12 years now and it has been such a blessing.

Happy Table

Most tuesday mornings my table ends up like this...

...just how I like it. A happy table helps make a happy home.

This was last week. I may make it a regular feature though.

Smiles for Pennies

I thought I'd try and put a bit of vintage back in this old blog of mine. I kind of lost my thrifting mojo for a while there. Mainly down to the fact that I really needed to de-clutter but also combined with an overall change in my life's direction. I have recently managed to pick up a few treasures for pennies though that have really made me smile.

I picked up ths gorgeous leather satchel at January's Vintage Village it needs a little work to the handle but at £1 I really couldn't pass it up. Especially as I have been looking for one for ages.

Then on friday I went on a thrifty jaunt with the most lovely Mrs Thrifty herself (who I might add was remarkably restrained unlike me!) Amongst the heap of treasure I picked up, it was a very good day, was the floral glass on the left that cost me a whole 50p. I know crazy right?

On the same trip I picked up these gorgeous Purnell books for a mere 40p each. I don't believe you can ever have too many vintage Enid Blyton books do you? See the tablecloth they are sitting on? That only cost me 50p. Yep the thrifting has been so good recently.

 

A Christmas Crafternoon The Result

The weekend before Christmas we had our 'Christmas Crafternoon' fundraiser. It took a lot of organising and with the help of some really lovely people was a huge success!

Unfortunately I forgot to appoint a photographer for the day but luckily the lovely Rachelle saved the day and took a few shots for me to share!

We had plenty of craft workshops available including 'Button Necklaces' by Jo of French Knots...

...'Sputnik Snowflake Baubles' by Laura of Planet Kitty ...

...'Heirloom Angels' by Toni of Lady Behave...

...'Kitschy Wreaths' from yours truely...

...'Liberty Baubles' by Ted and Agnes...

...'Button Hearts' by my lovely friend Heather...

...and 'Tweedy Owls' courtesy of Tea Wagon Tales...

...so as you can see plenty to keep everyone busy!

We had a number of 'Teen Elves' to help serve the mulled wine courtesy of A Thrifty Mrs and Mr Thrifty...

...and 'Kitty Elf'...

...who had her own little stall selling her 'Kitty Kreations'. Unfortunately we have no photographs but imagine cute sock animals created by the hands of an 11 year old. Too cute I tell you. Of course they were a sell out!

There was a 'Josie Elf' too who was just as adorable in her stripy tights but no photograph!

 

Christmas 2011

A little late but I really hope you all had a very merry Christmas. Ours was full of...

...annual trips to Christmas markets...

...spending time with those we love...

...catching up with cousins...

...and bracing winter walks.

What was your Christmas 2011 full of? Love, Joy and Peace I hope?

A Christmas Crafternoon

Well I am turning into a seriously shocking blogger aren't? How are you all doing? Is there actually anybody still there?

Life has just got a heap more busy but in a good way. We all seem to be doing new things and time really slips away. Compounded by the fact that our laptops are 5 years old and so slow i just haven't found the time for blogging.

Anyway we are all doing well and Kitty was even discharged from the hospital with the hope that she is well and truely fixed. They anticipate no further problems in her future either which is so amazing. This Christmas will really be one for us to count our blessings.

Every year I have a little crafty get together at my house with my friends where we chat, drink mulled cider, craft and feel totally festive. This year I've decided extend the idea into a Christmas Crafternoon so more people of all ages can join us. Maybe you can too?

There will be a raffle of Christmas stockings lovingly donated by a number of bloggers and tweeters you may all know. They are all gorgeous! Also we have a few lovely people coming running Christmas craft/gift workshops for all abilities. I am hoping it will be a fun break in the mayhem before Christmas and a chance for people to have a chat and also raise funds for Kitty's Thank You too.

Even if you can't make it please can you show us support by leaving a comment and spreading the word? Maybe blog or tweet a link? We would be ever so grateful!

Little Things Make A Big Difference

I haven't posted for a while as all I seem to have for you guys is our continuing story of recovery. I feel I should be telling you about the latest vintage treasure I have found or the blankets I have planned in my head. This blog though has a purpose and that purpose is to document our journey as a family and at the minute that journey is still one through Kitty's recovery. Our recovery as a family and as individuals.

Six months ago today, 13th April 2011, Kitty had her life saving, and living changing, surgery. Six months ago today her sisters finally saw her after 3 days of us being separated. Six months ago today we knew we had a second chance at life with Kitty and knew we had to make that life make a difference. Six months ago the lovely Mr Craigie removed a solitary jejunal haemangioma. A tiny little thing that has made such a big difference to our lives.

 

The photo shows the cause of all Kitty's bleeding.A tiny little blemish she had probably had since birth.It was stunned by the water and the surgeons managed to get a really clear shot of it. The jejunum is only about 4cm in diameter so you can see that the haemangioma was actually very small compared to the big effect it had. It's no wonder that her first surgeon couldn't find it in the metres of intestine he carefully looked through. It really was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Without the CT scan there would have been no way of knowing where it was.

This tiny thing that could have been the source of great sorrow has in fact be the source of new beginnings and fresh hope. In that life changing experience I learnt so much about myself and others. I came out of it knowing that I had to give back. Not only by fundraising for the place that saved her but also by helping families in similar situations.

Over the next 4-5 years I am going to be volunteering in the healthcare service. Supporting children and families who find themselves in potentially life changing situations. My ultimate goal is to retrain as a Play Specialist. It could take as long as 6 years for me to build up the necessary qualifications and experience but I am excited at the prospect of giving back. Before Kitty's Story began I was more than happy to be a stay at home mum but now I feel I have something more to offer. I almost feel like I would be failing as a mother if I didn't help others. Hopefully the little things I do will make a big difference to someone else's life.

 

 

A Little Piece Of The Cake

Thank you for all the 'Let Them Eat Cake' love. I mentioned in the last post that there was going to be a way for those of you who couldn't make it on the day to still support us.

Megan Thomas kindly designed a lovely print for the event.

 It comes in 2 colourways and 2 sizes.

(Please note the tag line is the one shown in the blue print)

A4 size are £4 and A3 size are £8

P&P in UK is £2 (no charge for additional prints)

P&P overseas is £3 (no charge for additional prints)

 

To keep costs to a minimum and ensure all the money possible goes to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital these will be printed to order.

If you would like to support us by purchasing one of these lovely prints then please leave a comment or send me an email and I will arrange to send you a Paypal invoice.

 

Let Them Eat Cake

People often ask me what is the point of twitter and blogs? I find it hard to put into words but 'Let Them Eat Cake' encapsulated all that is good about social networking. It brought all of my online friends into direct contact with my offline friends. It showed there is a real connection within the online community. It enabled local businesses to contribute to their community and for all our friends to show that they are real friends whether we have met them in person or not. It was a lesson in human kindness that I will be forever grateful for.

My friends and family were amazing and baked their socks off. So big thanks to Helena, Evy, Vera, Rachael, Lindsey, Louise, Jo, Rachel, Heather and Steph. We had an array of food described by one guest as 'Straight out of an Enid Blyton book or Harry Potter feast'. Almost everything  was donated for free for the day which meant our out goings were kept to the very minimum and every penny raised was able to go to the  Royal Manchester Children's Hospital Charity

We had a team of lovely 'vintage' waitresses who ensured all the guests were kept topped up with tea and that the plates were never empty. Helped by a huge water urn supplied by Mann's Wharf.The pies from Bradley's Bakery were very well received. In the kitchen were are small army of people making sandwiches and washing up. In fact 'Team Kitty' worked like a well oiled machine. 

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It was a lovely feeling opening our home to so many supportive people and seeing them actually have fun. The time really flew by and it was soon time for the raffle. So many lovely items had been donated to sell and raffle everyone was seriously spoilt for choice. All were delighted with their winnings and we were delighted so many people wanted to help. We truely couldn't have done it without everyone's support. Both in donating items and in buying tickets. We have so many people to thank...

Treefall Design, Thirty Five Flowers, Snapdragon, Three Red Apples, I'm a Ginger Monkey, Ruth Quilts, Ruth Singer, Lu Summers, Victoria Whincup, History's Attic, Stuart Thornley, Lady Behave, French Knots, KItty Eden, Cara Law, Dipity Do Dah, La Chic Unique, Little Tea Wagon, Vintage Jelly, The Secret Tea Cup, Old Fashioned Susie, Higgledy Piggledy, Tea Experience, Megan Thomas and Blueberry Park for all sending gorgeous items for us to sell and raffle.

A big thank you has to go to Carousel Kids for all their help with the designing the tickets and also a delightful tea-cup shaped keepsake wth all the sponsors details on.

The sale and raffle looked a lttle like a mini version of our Agnes Darling stall and was full of lots of items made and donated by our friends Ruth, Heather, Jacqui, Charlie, Kitty and also our fellow Vintage Village stall holders...

Tin Trunk, Village Vintage, Woodchip Boutique, The Side Room, Christine's Crafts, Rachel's Boutique, High Tea, House of Gingerbread, Time for Tea and Cake, All Our Yesterdays, Lost But Not Forgotten, Grumbi Dolls, Parrot in the Pantry, Karin FIndell, Oh Betty and Vintage by Moya.

More photos here

Finally we need to thank our guests. The 60 people who bought tickets and actually came on a drizzly Saturday afternoon to support us. Who were generous in more ways than one.

We are incredibly blessed to be able to share our story with so many. I realise that not everybody is fortunate to have such a happy ending and sometimes the heartbreak for some is too much to bear but my life has taught me that every story can teach us about ourselves and others. Every story can enable us to make a difference.

We hope that the amazing amount of £1200 that we raised will make a positive difference to somebody else's story. That our efforts can help somebody else even in a little way but in truth giving back has probably helped us much , much more.

(Tomorrow I will post about how you can still help us make a difference)

 

 

 

 

Giving Back

 
                              Image used with kind permission of

                                          The Secret Teacup

Whilst we were stuck in our worst nightmare we were amazed by how well supported we were by our family and friends. By people we'd never even met and those who knew us well as friends. I say that Kitty is our miracle but the real miracle was how we all got carried through it feeling loved and looked after. From the first minute people showed us how much they cared. Not just in words but with real life out stretched hands. Kitty received almost 100 cards whilst she was in hospital. 100 people cared enough to send a card. We had to ration visitors and often had a queue waiting outside the ward. Leaving our other girls at home to take Kitty to hospital wasn't as hard as it sounds. We knew without asking that they would be looked after. We knew our families would hold them tight.I have no doubt that without us both there things may have been very different.With us there Kitty didn't waste any energy on fear. She says that she never even realised how poorly she was until afterwards. That was in no small part to us being able to focus all our energy on her. Whilst she was in hospital one of my lovely friends organised a food rota and each day somebody cooked a meal for us and delivered it to the house. She had enough volunteers to feed us for a month! We only needed a couple of weeks but I will forever be grateful.

Whilst we were in hospital we came across many families who weren't so lucky. Families separated by distance and finance. Mum's of babies who had been in hospital since their birth. Who hadn't seen their other children in months. Children who needed to be in hospital so frequently that people just seemed to have given up visiting. It made us realise even more just how blessed we are. It made us realise we have to give back. Not just as a thank you but because we can. So out of this developed a few things. One being Kitty's Thank You page but we want to do more so came up with this....

  

 

We are opening our home and hosting and Vintage Tea Party in our garden with a sale of vintage and craft items kindly donated by lovely friends both off and online. Ticket price includes a raffle ticket and full afternoon tea with both sweet and savoury delights and bottomless cups of tea. We have some stunning handcrafted and vintage items donated by amongst others these lovely people.

Tree Fall Design      Ted and Agnes         Lady Behave         

Village Vintage        Snapdragon             I'm a Ginger Monkey     

Victoria Whincup     Kitty Eden               Lu Summers           

Ruth Singer             Tin Trunk               Stuart Thornley

History's Attic          A Thrifty Mrs         Blueberry Park       

Thirty Five Flowers  La Chic Unique       Tea Experience           

Tea Box Online       Three Red Apples    Vintage Jelly           

French Knots

We are still looking for more vintage and craft donations and any items then they would be gratefully recieved so please do get in touch.

If you would like to join us and would like more details or to buy tickets then please leave a comment and I will get back to you. For your information we are in the Ashton-u-Lyne (East Manchester area) and we will give exact address when tickets are purchased.