Cute Little Wade Minikins

As you may have gathered, I love collecting things....but I especially love collecting vintage things!

 

This post is to show you part of my collection of Wade Minikins.

Minikins are very cute little porcelain figurines produced in Staffordshire England by Wade in the 1950s.

They're only about 1"/2 .5cm high so don't take up much room but sadly I'm letting go of my collection as I really need to make room for other (small) things.

 

Wade made three series of Minikins with various sweet little animals including rabbits, cats, mice, dogs, donkeys and cows.

 

Most of them have pretty hand painted decoration including flowers, musical notes, hearts....and some are glazed blue or brown.

 

What I love most about Minikins is the different expressions on their little faces....they all have different eyes, mouths, noses.....

Before they go, I thought I'd show you some of my favourites.....

 

Look at this cutesy little mouse with a red flower....

Cheeky cat with green starburst....

Contented bunny with winky eyes.....

 

This little bunny is love.....

 

and this one wants to dance to the music....

Look at those lashes!

 

 

Sooo sweet little brown mouse.....

 

Smiley blue bunny winking at you!

And my very favourite - she's a bit worn but sooo lovable........my musical cow......I'm keeping her!

 

 Hope you've enjoyed this little peek at my Minikin collection :)

 

Maggie xx

 

Fab Floral Finds!

We've just come home to find this gorgeous gladiolus flower! I thought I had moved the corms to a different part of the garden and since then they haven't done so well. But this was the one that got away (or stayed where it was!) :)

We've spent a lovely few days away in Devon with Chris' family.

Terrible weather but lots of wonderful crafting :)

I tried out silk painting for the first time. I really enjoyed it but didn't get on so well with the gutta (the waterproof outline) so I made a simple tie dye scarf. Here's a glimpse!

I still need to iron it under paper to seal the paint (and remove the creases!) I need lots more practice but it's definitely a craft I would like to try again.

Whilst away we managed to fit in a spot of shopping and found a couple of second hand/vintage shops along the way. I'm so pleased with a couple of gorgeous retro 70s duvet covers....here's a peek...

I love the colours.........

and I love the huge flowers!

Here they are freshly washed, hanging on the line.....

They'd brighten up anyone's day, wouldn't they?

I also took the opportunity to make a couple of patchwork blocks for my holiday quilt. I knew they would have to be simple blocks to cut and piece as I wouldn't have too much spare time.

So I chose to make the Neck Tie block....spotty tie with a checked shirt?!

And I also made the Whirlwind block as I'm sure there was a whirlwind outside our bedroom window for most of the holiday!

So now I have five blocks for my holiday quilt :) A few more to go yet but I'm so enjoying choosing and making the blocks!

I'd just like to say thank you to you for reading (and hopefully following) my blog. I love receiving your lovely comments :)

Maggie xx

Spencer's Sunday Hat - the Vintage Railwayman's Hat

So amongst his vintage collections, Chris found this wonderful 1960s railwayman's hat.........

Just to fill you in, Chris has a small collection of railway items. His Grandpa worked for the Great Western Railway/British Rail for 50 years through both the First and Second World Wars.

Spencer was gazing at the hat longingly....I knew he wanted to wear it to show you :)

......or it could have been that it looked like something good to chew!

So here he is.....handsome as ever......

'Tickets please'.

'Next train due on Platform 2 at 4pm....'

It really suits him don't you think?

'First Class carriage at the front of the train'.

'May I help you with your bags, Miss?'

I'm sure travelling by British Rail would have been so much more enjoyable if Spencer had been an employee :)

'Change at Swindon for London Paddington, Madam'.

'Phew, time for my tea break now'.

Cuteness personified, eh?

'All aboard'.

'Mind the gap, Sir'.

Have a wonderful Sunday :)

Maggie xx

Calf Show at Castle Combe

A week or so ago my friend Catherine asked me if Chris and I could help her at a Calf Show she was organising at Castle Combe Steam and Vintage Rally. We didn't have anything planned and it sounded like a really nice day out so we agreed we would go along and help.

We set the teasmade for 7am this morning thankful that the weather looked bright and dry. With supplies of tea, coffee, bacon, bread rolls and dog biscuits, we then trundled off in Harvey J to arrive in plenty of time for the show. This was Harvey J's first trip out this year and it was lovely to be driving along seeing gorgeous countryside views over the hedges that you wouldn't be able to see in the car. 

Catherine had been pleased to tell me that Spencer could come along too as long as he was kept on a lead. This would be his first experience travelling in Harvey J so we took his special quilt so he felt at home:) He was so excited and he loved it! He fitted in straight away!

We arrived about 9.30am and luckily Catherine had arranged for us to park close by.

It was lovely to see Catherine and her partner Pete. The last time I saw Pete I remember something about a bouncy castle and red wine.........don't ask! .....At least he told me his leg was ok now....

Catherine informed me that I would be 'stewarding' which involved passing the rosettes, prize money and certificates to the judge, Mr Rob Musson, to hand out to the winning exhibitors. Chris would be in charge of taking lots of photos.

The show began and I took my position in the corner of the ring armed with clip board, rosettes etc..

There were two types of classes - Handler Classes (ranging from under 10s to 'over aged' 26+!!) and Dairy Calf Classes.

You just have to admire these little ones and their calf handling skills...

 

What better way to take a well earned rest after you've shown your calf?......

Spencer was also feeling rather worn out by all the activity ;) ....

 We mustn't forget the 'over aged' class.....

And Catherine looking proud of her calf for winning a First Prize :)

Whilst Catherine was taking centre stage, Pete was happy to attend to the calves in their pens or just take some time out to do some thinking....

And I just had to do it didn't I?

I just had to borrow that hat.....

As Sunday wouldn't be complete without Spencer's Sunday Hat!!

I hope you've enjoyed hearing about our day...

Have a lovely week.

Maggie xx

Irish Folk Music and a Doggy Reunion

We've had a lovely weekend.

Last night, a pub nearby was celebrating St Patrick's Day with some live Irish Folk music.

The band playing was Horseplay with my very talented musical brother-in-law Bryan playing the fiddle.

By the time we'd finished our delicious pub supper (lasagne and chips - not very Irish I know!), the music was in full swing and my lovely sister Clare had arrived with a couple of pals.

Fabulous music, a cosy pub, a full tummy and good company - it couldn't get any better!

Not until song sheets were handed out and we could join in the singing - I especially loved Whiskey in the Jar!

Great fun and a wonderful atmosphere!

Earlier in the day, we had met up with some friends up on the common.

No ordinary friends....

These friends are the lovely people who had nurtured Spencer through his first 10 weeks of life.

The owners of the beautiful Evie, Spencer's Mum, and his gorgeous brother, Bear.

 So hence.... there was a reunion on the common!

Here's the brothers together!

Don't ask which is which....

Here are the boys with Mum Evie....

It was so wonderful to see them all together again :)

Spencer was so tired after playing with his brother, he slept for hours....

Quite good as when he's asleep, I can catch up on some crafting...

Last time I promised you I would show the apron I've been making.

Mildred (my mannekin) is modelling it very nicely.....

Much better than I can...

I love this cheery cherry fabric....

'What about the vintage treasures?' ... I hear you say.....

What about this very very retro 1970s bedspread!!!!.....

with its huge flowers...

The largest are about 8" wide!!

and it also has a fabulous white tassle trim....

Just what you'd expect on a 70s bedspread.....

A very different style but equally fabulous is this sunny vintage tablecloth.....

all embroidered by hand......

so pretty......

In my last post, I said I'd try to take some better photos of the cattle down my lane...

In this photo you can just see the little pony in the top left field and the Belted Galloways in the neighbouring field on the right.

And here's those Belted Galloways - I don't know about you but I think they're rather adorable :)

I just wish I could get a bit closer.....

Last but not least, a big thank you to Uta who has listed Spencer on her blog as one of her favourite things in March!

How lovely is that?!

You can read Uta's lovely crafty blog, Paper, Wool and Yarn here.

I'll be back soon with more handmade goodies (I am getting the urge to make a new quilt!) and some lovely vintage treasures!

And some more photos of Spencer of course ;)

Have a lovely week!

Maggie xx