Krishenka's Vintage Treasures

My Fidgets from Scotland

2012-02-09T14:47:00.004+01:00

A few weeks ago I hosted a giveaway for Mary from The Vintage Arcade . The winner duly announced and Mary sent off her package to the lucky lady, she also told me that she was going to send me as a thank you some “Fidgets”. Now being a fellow Scot I am only to familiar with this word fidget, this was used by my mama on a daily basis when she would say to me, “Christine for goodness sake will you stop fidgeting”. I might add although my mama is no longer here to tell me to stop fidgeting, so I can fidget as much as I like, but what I would like to know is , how on earth did Mary know this fact in our short acquaintance?

The postman arrived today and low and behold I got my Fidgets all nine off them! Now what do I do with them? I am thinking that I just have to fidget with them, which I might add I have already done. The last thing I want to do is have them in my pocket and fidget with them though as, how many times have you seen a guy fidgeting with whatever is in his pocket (note the sound of coins jangling to disguise what they were really fidgeting with)!! So I am going to hang them by my work table and when I look at them I can if not fidgeting already have a wee fidget with them.

I digress my main point here was to say thank you so much to Mary for making me my own personal Fidgets, they are amusing little things and each time I look at them they will make me smile, the fact that Mary made them especially for me makes them very special indeed.

Here they are so if you ever see something similar then chances are that Mary made them.

Name and Shame "Rings and Things" Ripoff

2012-02-03T10:44:00.000+01:00

I am sharing this story written by Mary from ThinguMaBobs to show her my support that stealing from Hand-made artists is not acceptable. If you happen to buy from this company, then read the following and maybe you will think twice. Feel free to share this and you can read more about it, and their history of stealing from hand-made artists, here: bit.ly/A0ESDL

Rings & Things has been a trusted supplier, old-employer and so I thought, sincere friend, for years. In addition to working my tail off for their bottom line, I've bought thousands of dollars worth of supplies there- and sold my leather beading components to them since my products inception in 2007. I was pleased to see Tafuri Tough Leather beading supplies became best selling items for my old comrades.

Recently, this "Buy-Local Buy-Handmade" company exported some of my product concepts, designs and ideas.... to China, adding a new line of leather beading components that look strikingly similar to samples I've personally delivered to their buyers. I'm floored to see my samples become imported knock-offs and can't imagine the impact of this kind of business practice to other hand made sellers and to my own employees. While I was an employee at R&T, I have to admit, I witnessed them doing this same thing to other hand-made artists. I spoke my peace, and trusted that the business practice was something they would not continue. And all has been well for several years. Until today.

While getting ready to place an order, I noticed a new product line- leather cuff blanks and wrap style bracelets- imported from China, and strikingly similar to my own. Even the color names "Scarlet Red and Denim Blue" were once our featured favorites (before etsy search relevancy forced me to change them to "blue and Red". I tried to bring my concerns to their attention, but they've had no response. Zero. Odd, given the 17+ year history of our business relationship.

If you are a hand made maker and supplier of beading components, you may want to do a quick search for your goods on the rings-things website, juuust to be safe.

Black Gold

2012-02-02T17:54:00.000+01:00

What do Easington (England), Merthyr Tydfil (Wales), La Houve(France), La Camocha (Asturias) and Sant Corneli de Cercs (Catalonia) have in common?

Stumped? Well, the answer is coal mining and I recently had the opportunity to stay in the tiny village of Sant Corneli perched high in the Spanish Pyrenean foothills. I have always had an enormous respect for the miners who sacrificed their health, and often their lives, to extract the black gold which fuelled the Industrial Revolution and am fascinated by the close knit communities that evolved around this most dangerous of occupations. To me, these communities epitomised the solidarity of working men and women and showed how mutual support and collaboration enabled these heroes of the industrial age to prevail under the most arduous conditions.

To give you some perspective, San Corneli was part of a collection of local mining villages that, in total, had an astounding 700Kms of mine galleries – enough to stretch all the way across northern Spain as far as Burgos in the west. Of course there are no working mines left now – and perhaps this is no bad thing – but their legacy lives on and there is no better place to revisit the past than the Mining Exhibition in Sant Corneli village where the history of mining in these inaccessible mountains is charted in a way that gives a detailed insight into the lives of the miners and their families as they toiled and sweated in the dark and the dust as well as struggled for fairer employment conditions.

A visit to the exhibition is an absolute must if you are in the area and the “piece de resistance” at the end of your visit is a trip by mine-car into a 400 metre long gallery and, as you make your way back out on foot and view the various tableaux, you feel that you have travelled back in time.

Although a tiny village, San Corneli is situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty and, despite its size, also boasts an excellent little hotel (Santa Barbara) and restaurant so an overnight stop or short break will allow you to appreciate the hospitality of the village, eat wonderful traditional Catalan food, visit the past and explore the area.
Links:

www.mnactec.cat/museum/museu_de_les_mines_de_cercs_es.htm

www.booking.com/hotel/es/santa-barbara.en.html

www.restaurantsantabarbara.com/

Window Shopping on Pinterest

2012-01-31T14:09:00.000+01:00

Really beginning to like Pinterest as it's so easy to use and I love making different boards up. I went window shopping today and these are now on my wish list. My favourite item is the trousers at the bottom of the page,bet they swing beautifully when you walk.

http://pinterest.com/krishenka/

Perception, Taste & Priorities

2012-01-30T10:47:00.000+01:00

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.7

After 1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . ..

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

Enjoy LIFE now....... it has an expiration date.

StarBurstJewels Wraplet Giveaway $25

2012-01-26T18:38:00.001+01:00

StarBurstJewels run by ZengSha currently living in Florida, started making her jewellery for friends then the friends of friends and so it continued, and in Oct 2009 she decided to open her Etsy shop and is now only 3 sales short from her 100th sale.

To celebrate her achievement ZengSha is offering my readers this beautiful bracelet from her new line called “Wraplets” these are long bracelets that enable you to wrap round your wrist multiple times. One lucky person will win this beautiful bracelet , woven with lime green beads with a brown cord on black leather with a toggle clasp and to finish a beautiful wooden button and can be wrapped up to 3 or 4 times. Value $25

Now you are all drooling and you want to know how you can win this beauty! Well all you have to do is go to ZengSha’s Facebook page and hit the like button and that’s it done, how easy is that? If you want to see more of ZengSha’s beautiful creations pop over to her shop.... ZengSha is also offering a special 15% discount for the duration of this giveaway. Use Coupon Code "Jewels" at checkout.

www.etsy.com/people/StarBurstJewels

A winner will be picked on the 8th Feb and will be announced on my blog, FaceBook and Twitter page.

Follow this link to enter...... www.facebook.com/home.php#!/StarBurstJewels)

Follow ZengSha on Twitter...... twitter.com/starburstjewels

Good luck to all and many thanks for your lovely giveaway ZengSha and I wish you many more sales to come.

You dont have to follow my blog to enter but thank you if you do xx

Vintage Linen Eyeglass Case - Tutorial

2012-01-24T18:57:00.000+01:00

Where did this come from? Well, all because I lost my hard case for my glasses and for two days had my glasses stuck down my jumper or tangled in my hair and I had enough so decided to make my own. I did and of course wanted to show off how clever I am posted it on FB:)) I had a comment left suggesting I could perhaps add a cord so it could hang round your neck. Not sure if I fancied this idea as I have to say I really dislike these cords you get for hanging your glasses on. I know some people don’t seem to have a problem with them but I think they are really ugly and very annoying to wear, just my opinion of course!

I then received 3 mails asking for the instructions on how to make them, was I flattered yip I was indeed. So here is my version and hope if you do make one or several you will let me have a look.
So to get started you will need to find two pieces of material (Cotton or linen work great) I have used a tea stained vintage linen and a wadding for the lining. But you can decide whether you want it padded or not.

Cut two pieces 20cm x 18cm (8”x7”)

Now if you want to add a trim now the time to add it.(I used a scalloped edged ivory lace) place it on the right side of one piece of material that measures 18cm (7”) and add second piece on top same size so both right sides are together.
.

Stitch along this edge and then press flat, open out and it should look like this and then top stitch along lace.

Now fold the long edges together making sure that your seam lines in the centre match, stitch and press this seam open.

You should now have a tube, turn the side that you want to be on the inside of the case back over the other piece of material, (the wadding on this one will be on the inside) line up the seams and press.

Now stitch across the end and then do a zig zag or serge the edge to prevent fraying. Should look like this trim the ends as shown.

Now turn so the wadding is now on the inside and it should look like this. You should have a seam running down the back centre.

For this one I added a shell button and made a stem and a few French knots. But you can add whatever takes your fancy.

I also added a split ring either side of the case. I used a linen cord and attached it with a necklace crimp with loop to slip into the ring, now you can hang this round your neck.

Hope all that makes sense. Let me know if it doesn't. Below a few other I have made.

Hey Moustache Fancy a Cuppa

2012-01-24T09:43:00.001+01:00

What were washed, brushed, combed, dyed, and curled by Victorian gentlemen? Moustaches!

It must have taken them hours if not weeks to create these styles with a little help from using wax, nets (we girls called them snoods and put the hair of our heads in them), mustache brushes, combs, and mustache scissors. Mustaches were grown in all shapes and sizes, and the amount of stiff pomade that must have been required to hold the hairs in place led to many drawing room disasters.

Problems arose when going for afternoon tea parties. Steam from the hot drinks melted their mustache wax and sent it dribbling down the chin,(attractive) sometimes streaked with dye, (doubly attractive) dribbling right into their cup along with the by then droopy mustache. The other dilemma was that coffees and teas would stain and discolour the bottoms of many mustaches. I would be reaching for the razor about now!

An English potter in around 1830 named Harvey Adams introduced the first mustache cup. The cup had a ledge called a “mustache guard” that stretched across the inside of the cup from rim to rim. The guard had one semicircular opening against the rim of the cup to allow the user’s mustache to rest safely on the guard. The invention of the mustache cup spread over Europe until most potters featured a product with a similar design. Between the years 1850-1900, famous manufacturers such as Meissen, Royal Crown Derby, Royal Bayreuth, Limoges and others created their own versions of this masculine tableware. Can you imagine a good snog with some of these! I think not. As for some of the cups they are very attractive and I just can't seem to visualise any of these guys trying to drink from them, can you?

Well then again!!!

"Infidel" Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2008

2012-01-23T11:10:00.000+01:00

It took me 2 days to read this profoundly affecting memoir from Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s “Infidel” An incredible insight to a young girl’s traditional Muslim upbringing. Not only did she survive female circumcision, civil war, brutal beatings and later death threats.

She had the courage and intelligence to stand up and speak out for the rights of Muslim women and the reform of Islam.

Salman Rushdie quote: “This is an immensely important book, passionate, challenging and necessary. It should be read as widely as possible, because it tells the truth – the unvarnished, uncomfortable truth.”

The short film made by Theo Van Gogh “Submission” which resulted in Theo’s murder and death threats to Ayaan need no further explanation its short and to the point. I wish this book had never needed to be written, and I too hope like Ayaan that one day all women will be free and equal.

In response to ongoing abuses of women’s rights, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and her supporters established the AHA Foundation in 2007 to help protect and defend the rights of women in the West from oppression justified by religion and culture.

http://theahafoundation.org/

Submission Part 1

Take My Breath Away

2012-01-19T13:06:00.000+01:00

From this spring every car in France will have to be equipped with a breathalyzer. This announcement made by President Nicolas Sarkozy who has made it a personal crusade to cut the number of road deaths in France.

The new plan will force every driver to have a breathalyzer kit in their cars so they can check their alcohol level before driving.

The president's office said in a statement on Thursday that a kit costs just €1.50 to €2 ($2 to $2.70).

Anyone caught without a kit will face a €17 ($23) fine.

Looks like the companies selling these kits will be rubbing their hands on this vote!

Would love to hear your view on this, do you think this will help to reduce the amount of road deaths in France?

A Walk in The Forest

2012-01-15T14:50:00.000+01:00

Took the kids for a walk in the forest and their task was to find anything they thought would be fun to take a picture off. Here's what they came up with.

Show me your Valentine Ideas

2012-01-13T19:25:00.000+01:00

Made anything for Valentines then add your free linky here and lets see what goodies we can find. I will try and add one but this is not playing nicely with me today and this is my second and last attempt. So here we go again! I will go and see if I can do it this time. Happy weekend

La Sagrada Família, Barcelona

2012-01-09T10:56:00.002+01:00

The first thing you see are multicoloured towers piercing the blue sky (yes the sun was shining in November and the sky was indeed blue). You have to try and ignore the huge cranes surrounding the church. La Sagrada Familia is probably the most iconic structure in Barcelona, certainly in mind it is. The church, which is located in L'Eixample, has been a fixture in Barcelona since construction started in 1882 and continues to just grow and grow.

The church already is an incredible intricate structure. For 43 years Antoni Gaudí worked on this project and, since his death in 1926, the task to finish it has been passed on to several architects. All the architects have respected Gaudí's vision and have made additions with his design in mind.

Impressive stained glass windows line the main room and a lift takes visitors up one of the towers to enjoy the view.(This was sadly closed when we went) Smaller rooms hold exhibits detailing the history and future of the structure. La Sagrada Familia is projected to be completed in 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudí's death. In the meantime, it's an incredible experience in itself to watch as this monumental, one-of-a-kind structure is constructed.

You can see work in progress in the work room but my luck was not in as it was a Saturday and they don't work weekends. But I saw the models they are constructing,and well that on it's own was amazing. I also think that the skilled craftsmen working on this project seem to get little mention, although there was a small plaque with some of the workers so I am probably wrong on that point. Gaudi in my mind designed a masterpiece but without the many skills needed to create this work it would have remained on paper.

Sadly on June 7th 1926 he was struck by a tram and as he was taken to be a beggar and had no identification papers on him, he received very little care and died 2 days later. So much for equality and if you’re in shabby clothes you’re nobody. Not much has changed then! A must see if you ever find yourself in Barcelona and watch those trams!

Sunday Sidebar Treasury

2012-01-08T09:48:00.000+01:00

'Hot From my Blog' by Krishenka

All picked from my sidebar

Spanking Sparkly VickiDianeDesi... $30.00	Vintage Half Doll Pin C... thevintagearca... $120.00	Ring pillow White Velve... ClassyInterior... $108.00
Peacock Chain Earrings ... ThePrettyDoGoo... $12.00	Collection of Five Blac... elizabethcohen... $195.00	Nature Photo Art- Pink ... JohnLPhotograp... $20.00
American Girl 18 Inch D... MegOriGirls $7.00	Woodland creatures gift... FortyAcreWood $5.50	Facial Steam / Deep Cle... facebodyfeet $10.00
Flight Print AND Pendan... ThisYearsGirl $43.00	Upcycled Ornaments - Sn... theflowerpress $12.00	White earrings Bridal e... velanch $35.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Friday Feature..... Matthew Hamblen Artist

2012-01-06T07:21:00.000+01:00

I recently stumbled upon (literally) this wonderful artist called Matt Hamblen who lives in North Carolina and in his own words......... I moved down here from the Northeast 6 years ago, and I just absolutely love this state. I'm smack in the middle so I'm near both mountains and ocean. It doesn't get any better !

I'm a very happy artist, and I love what I do immensely. My paintings to me are like my children, except for the fact that most don't sell their children on Etsy (although some probably wish they could (: )) but you get the idea, I'm sure.

I'm fully self-taught except for the roughly 50 million inspiring art books I've read over the years, and the art classes I took in school. I just have this drive to paint that's unstoppable, and I love bold juicy colors.

I'm a technique junkie and know a little about lots of different arts & crafts. I've been expressing myself through art in one form or another all my life, and selling my pieces since age 11, so please buy with the utmost confidence. These are all 100% ORIGINAL paintings hand-painted by me (with the obvious exception of my "prints" section if it's active), and what you see is what you get.

All my canvases arrive with sides painted black, signed on the back side, pre-wired for your convenience, and professionally varnished. I mainly use glossy varnish these days but may use a matte varnish on larger and/or textured pieces, so please be sure to specify if you have a preference for one or the other.

Please know, I value your input and comments (positive or negative is fine) immensely, and I always like to know how I'm doing, so please feel free to share anything that's on your mind with me !

Please write me as well if you'd like to know anything about me personally. I'm very friendly, but am pretty shy in "public" here, as I'm not sure what to say and what NOT to say sometimes, but my life is pretty much an open book. Feel free to write and ask or tell me anything !!

I'm thrilled to be able to say my designs will soon be seen in retail markets across the USA, and limited edition reproductions are available in the UK..

My FACEBOOK pages:

BUSINESS http://www.facebook.com/matthewhamblen

PERSONAL
www.facebook.com/matthamblen

ART RESOURCE
http://facebook.com/PaintingPost

My TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/PaintingsOnEtsy

My FLICKR
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattsartpaintings/

PRINTS, MUGS, PUZZLES, ETC
http://mattsart.deviantart.com/

Feedback

Thank you Matt. The painting is everything we expected it to be and your superior service in packaging and shipping to a different method is outstanding!

--------------------------------------
Matt is a joy to deal with. His work is prettier in person than it is on the screen (and it's very pretty on the screen). I am never sorry when I get one of his paintings!

Delighted to have found your beautiful artwork Matt and if I had to pick a favourite mhh tricky but for me it would have to be your surreal mushooms beautiful and makes me happy just looking at it.

500 Today

2012-01-05T11:29:00.000+01:00

Well today I have 500 followers maybe tomorrow that will go down or up but what the heck, either way I am quietly chuffed and "balintnati" was my 500th follower. So thank you you for that and I have mailed you wilth a little something to show my appreciation:)

Long live my bubble!

Transsiberian 2008

2012-01-04T11:15:00.000+01:00

Watched an incredible movie last night called Transsiberian, featuring Ben Kingsley, Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer about a train that leaves from Beijing, China to Moscow, Russia, add a dash of a few Russian mobsters and were off. This movie, which I knew absolutely nothing about prior to watching it, completely blew my mind. This is one of the best movies I have watched in a long time.. and I loved this quote from the film "Don't kill my Demons you might kill my angels too. Where have I been hiding that I missed this one?

"If I got rid of my demons, I'd lose my angels" is the original quote. It's in a book called "Conversations with Tennessee Williams".

Here's a sneak preview.

Happy New Year Thank You Giveaway

2012-01-03T14:49:00.003+01:00

Happy New Year everyone and first I have to say a huge thanks to all my lovely and generous sponsors from last year with their fabulous giveaways. So I thought it would be fun to kick start this year by having a clear out and do a giveaway at the same time.

Huge selection here for you, vintage trim choclate & orange, pink & white, shell buttons , sachet of dried lavender, 6 pieces of vintage lace, embriodery transfers, a napkin prestamped ready to embroider, 8 patchwork squares, 2 satin flowers, lavender heart, 7 peach rosebuds, 4 labels with Chambre and 2 with au petit paris, a pair of post button earring, all in all about $30 in total.

No rules and you don't even have to follow me (nice if you do but no worries if you don't) just leave a comment to enter, the more comments the more chances you have to win. I will pick a winner on the 25^th January 2012. If you feel like sharing this giveaway then that would be great too. Good luck

Lights Lights and More Lights

2011-12-27T12:21:00.003+01:00

For the past 7 years Daniel and Marie Francoise from Gaillac, display an ever growing christmas theme in their garden with spectacular animation sets. Well I have seen a few houses before where there were a few lights dotted here and there, a Santa climbing the wall and lights with reindeers, well this house takes the biscuit. Absolutely stunning displays that must have taken hours if not days to construct.
They had a sound system set up and were singing carols, sweets and treats were passed out to the kids, inviting people to have their photo taken with Santa and the children could run round the garden which they did and lots of oohs and ahhing were heard. Stevie and Poppy looked terrified at one point but not with the lights, but with everyone taking pictures, they got over it quickly enough and was a great finale to their day.

Hope you all have had a fabulous Christmas and I wish you a very happy and peaceful New Year.

Tant crie-t-on Noël qu'il vient

Dressing the Body ... Barcelona

2011-12-26T13:30:00.001+01:00

You know when you have a notion to go and visit a place and then for some reason or another time just slips away and it doesn’t happen, well Barcelona has been on my list for several years and last week finally my DH and I got our act together and went. The transport system there is amazing and you can hop on and off the trams, metro and buses in almost any direction and providing you know what you want to feast your eyes on it takes just a few minutes to reach your chosen destination. Barcelona is filled to the brim with culture, science, entertainment, media you name it Barcelona seems to have it. One trip we made was to the “Museu Textil i d’Indumentaria” (Museum of Textiles & Fashion) a tribute to the influence of Spanish design on the fashion world. Situated in Palau Reial and holds a permanent exhibition on textiles through the ages from 16th century to present day.

The exhibition is arranged along a conceptual and graphic itinerary, a walk through with authentic dresses, which shows great examples of the outer appearance of the body and lets you see historical examples of the absurdity of being a slave to the body and fashion.

Goats Cheese & Walnut Quiche a Beggar and a Cup of Soup

2011-12-13T19:55:00.002+01:00

A few weeks back my girlfriend made this amazing quiche and I have since made it 5 times now it is so easy and you can tweak it with changing the cheese and pastry. I have made it with both short crust and flaky (Sorry I cheat here and buy it ready made) and well you can’t go wrong. So gather your bits and in 40 mins your dinner will be ready. Oh forgot to say this serves approx 4/6

Pastry of your choice to line a 30cm (12”) flan dish
250g of goats cheese or if you prefer brie
8 sundried tomatoes
75g walnuts or pecan nuts (bash them a little bit)
Tablespoon of chopped chives
4 eggs
20cl of crème fraiche ( sour cream)
Salt and pepper

Cut the brie or goats cheese into small pieces. Use absorbent paper to take off excess oil from the tomatoes and chop into smallish pieces. Line your dish with the pastry and prick the base with a fork. Now add your chopped cheese, tomatoes, the nuts and the chives. Add the cream to the eggs and whisk together and add a dash of salt and pepper and pour into flan, (where else would you pour it). Cook for 40 min on 220 0C (gas mark 6) and tada there you have it a fabulous quiche.

Today I received an email from a girlfriend and it cracked me up so much when I read it. I am going to let you read her exact words ( ok I can't give you her name or she would kill me) but here it is. Too funny.

I'm just back from (my last) shopping trip in town in hurricane level winds where your own hair can cause permanent whip lash scarring and blinding, forehead numbing rain when I saw some poor sod begging in the street, so I doubled back on myself and popped into the Bakery, waited in a queue forever and eventually bought a cup of freshly made lentil soup and a buttered roll took it over and said ‘I don’t have money for you but here’s a lovely cup of hot soup and fresh buttered roll, the beggar turned out to be a woman who just took it and started to moan about the last woman who evidently told her off for asking for a cigarette, now I didn’t give her this food in order to make her fall over with gratitude but to just grab it without a bl***y word was in my opinion a tad impolite, so I said in a loud voice that some good hot food free of charge was a whole lot better the a damned fag and walked of mumbling under my breath ( you ungrateful old hag, hope it chokes you!) Now is that not a story full of Christmas cheer?

Page 25 Third Paragraph

2011-12-12T18:32:00.000+01:00

I guess it was my last post that made me think of this idea which is to ask you to pick any book you like and go to page 5 paragraph three (approx) and add that to the ongoing story, well why not it's either that or go and do something constructive! not a chance it's 18.30pm and I am doing no more and anyway it's playtime.! Ha well if it is anything like my last feeble attempt I managed to get a thunderous 4 comments ( oh to be so popular). So I am going right now to pick the first book that comes to hand and go for it. Be right back

The Black Marble by Joseph Wambaugh 1978 and a Memory

2011-12-12T15:12:00.001+01:00

I have been given a few bags of books (love getting books, don't you?) and looking through them discovered a few that I had read and several new ones which is always good news. One book in particular jumped out at me, as I picked it up a memory shot into my head and lingered long enough to create a few chuckles and that day is still as clear now as it was then, yikes must be a good 20 years ago now.

Choose a deserted beach, my DH and I were in Agadir, Morocco where beaches seem to go on forever. Along with a simple packed lunch, a few cold beers and ready to settle in for the day just soaking up the sun, relaxing with great company and a great book, in my case this was The Black Marble (Joseph Wambaugh). I had been itching to read this for ages but my DH got to it first and kept given me occasional snippets from it. Finally by mid-afternoon he finished and handed it over, immediately I got comfortable (that was the days when I could lie and read on my stomach.) Page 25, I am engrossed and was reading the following passage. “Then he looked at Mavis, fifty-one years old going on sixty. Skin like sizzling pancake batter, two eye jobs already. Hair dyed the colour of puppy shit, with”..............
And then, I along with DH were drenched in a wave that took us both by total surprise along with our clothes, towels, and everything else that was lying around! The one thing the wave never got was my book as I refused to let it go even when the wave came for us a second time and by this stage it was turning back into a lump of wood. I ran up to a dry spot, placed the book on a stone and then spent the next 20 minutes collecting all our stuff which was floating willy nilly.
For the next two days I managed to read and finish my book by peeling off each page, scraping of the sand and keeping one eye on the waves.
I think I might just have to read it again, but a sandless one this time. If your looking for something funny and moving, caustic and sometimes savage, realistic and occasionaly tragic, all very skilfully woven into a novel that is as human as it is dramatic.

The God of Small Things 1997 - Arundhati Roy

2011-12-03T14:51:00.002+01:00

The God of Small Things is the debut novel of Indian author Arundhati Roy. A story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" that lay down "who should be loved, and how. The book is a description of how the small things in life affect people's behavior and their lives.

The God of Small Things is Roy's first book, and took four years to write. The potential of the story was first recognized by Pankaj Mishra, an editor with HarperCollins, who sent it to three British publishers. Roy received half-a-million pounds in advances, and rights to the book were sold in 21 countries. While generally praised, the book did receive some criticism for its verbosity and controversial subject matter.

I bought a copy for a girlfriends birthday and she has just finished it and in her words.... I have enjoyed The God of Small Things. I stayed awake rather too late last night to finish it. Its one of those books you can’t quite define but you know are going to live on inside you. It was extraordinary and beautiful as well as awfully sad. In one of those moods now where I don’t really want to start to read anything else.

I felt exactly the same way as my girlfriend did after reading this, and if you have read it I would love to hear your views on it.

Ps: Have started One Moment,One Morning by Sarah Rayner will let you know about it later

The Vintage Arcade Feature + $29 Giveaway

2011-11-29T16:35:00.003+01:00

A packed to the rafter’s box of mixed goodies ranging from vintage to the unusual. Some of the bits-N-bobs included are - vintage buttons, a length of vintage French lace in smooth milky Late tone, a length of Ruby Red Organza ribbon and very unusual lattice rainbow ribbon, 2 pairs of pewter Ballet Shoe charms, a mini portrait of Marie Antoinette, one of Mary's handmade Fornasetti Fridge Magnets and a tourists $100.00 Las Vegas hologram gambling chip and lots more. Whoo Hoo what a collection!!

I am delighted to introduce you to Mary who opened her Vintage Arcade shop on Esty in March of this year, based in Ayr in Scotland a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. Mary adores antique and vintage items and has over the years collected quite a few, with delightful finds from local auctions, house sales and salvage shops. Her shop is a true delight and you really feel like you have just stepped in the past. She also has another shop called simply ScotlandUK where she creates fabulous Steampunk jewelry.

This giveaway is open worldwide and is simple to enter.

1. Please follow my blog so you can come back and see if you are the winner:)
2. Heart a favourite item from either of Mary's shops
3. Do you blog? feel free to share this (not mandatory )
4. Tweet this giveaway
5. Mary on Twitter (She is just getting the hang of this)
6. Mary on Facebook

Any other share will be fabulous and do pop in again over the next couple of weeks, the more times you enter the better your chances:) Giveaway will end on the 14th Dec and best of luck to all entries and a huge thank you to Mary for her generosity.