Cute custom creations!

So I created my first treasury on etsy and thought that I would share with you some of the lovely items that I have found. They are all personalised or customised and make such cute gifts for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, you name it!



Personalised family wall hanging by PinkCheeks Studios

Custom Portait Illustration by sweetandlovely

 

Custom portrait wedding cake toppers by iislands

Custom couple portrait personalised original art on wood by Frances Marin


 

Personalised paper doll by Jordan Grace Owens

Custom address stamp by papersushi

If you want to see the rest of the items in my treasury, you can find it here.

 

Thanks!

 

 

A weekend in Instagram

I had a lovely 4 day weekend over the bank holiday and it had almost started to look like summer here in England. Obviously it's back to grey and raining again today, we can't enjoy ourselves for too long! Here are some of my most recent instagram pictures to show you what I've been up to.

First of all, when I saw this in my local shop I couldn't resist buying it. My plan was to save it but the coke was calling me so I ended up drinking it about 2 hours later. Typical!

This is our shower, finally in place and fully functional. I can't tell you how good it is to have a shower when you have only had the option of a bath for over six months. Oh the efficiency! Also, if you are planning on getting a new shower then I absolutely recommend a rainfall shower head, they're wonderful.

 

I'm not the biggest fan of having my hair cut, I always get frustrated when I go in with a clear picture of what I want and come out with something completey different. I used to have white blonde hair and I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately my hair all snapped off and since then I have tried loads of different colours but am never satisfied. I had some blonde highlights done and decided to have a fringe cut. Even though it's not white, I'm really pleased with how it looks, it's a miracle!

 

My sister is considering opening her very own Etsy shop selling patchwork quilts. She has a real talent for it and I think she would do well. By way of encouragement I have given her a bunch of fat quarters from my vintage sheet collection to get started with. Don't they look great together? Now she has no excuse!

 

My fabric parcel from M is for Make arrived, I was really eager to get started so it didn't take me long to get cutting...

 

I have decided on half square triangles but then there are so many different arrangements to choose from that I can't decide. I think I have narrowed it down the one above, or the one below...

 

...which do you like best?? I had a bit of an accident and managed to cut a rather large amount of white fabric on the small side so my project is on hold until I buy some more. That's what happens when it get's to midnight and you are still crafting. My brain just switches off!

 

And finally, my lovely friend May came up from Reading so we decided on a late night road trip to Surprise View in Derbyshire. It was lovely catching up with her, I miss her a lot when she is down South.

If you fancied following me on Instagram, you can find me @annalucyradford
 

One Finished Vintage Sheet Quilt Top

I am very pleased to show off my finished vintage sheet quilt top. What do you think??

My boyfriend took this first picture for me, he didn't tell me that my bun was poking out of the top (and this was the best of a bad bunch, bless him!)

The quilt is in a chequerboard pattern, I had originally planned to make the whole thing out of mini 5" squares but I ran out of some patterns of fabric so I had to change my plan, I am pleased with the end result.

I bought a number of fat quarters from the lovely Vintage Sheet Addict shop on Etsy. The rest are sheets that I have picked up from charity shops and jumble sales along the way. I just love the bright colours and bold floral patterns of sixties and seventies fabric. You can also see the rather lovely vintage wedding dress that I recently bought, it will soon be listed in my etsy shop, as will the ever growing collection of pyrex which is seems to be taking over my little shelving unit.

Now I just need to decide on some backing fabric and get basting, which I have to admit is my least favourite part of quilting, although I do love seeing it all come together in the end.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm still here!

Hello! First of all, I must apologise for my lack of posts recently. I have been extremely bad at keeping up with blogging. Lots of things have been happening around here since I last posted, the shop has been updated with lots of lovely new items. I have bought even more pieces that need to be photographed and listed before they start taking over my house.

 

I have finally been cracking on with my vintage sheet quilt. I got a bit fed up with it a while ago because it hadn't quite turned out as I had expected. I've had a bit of a rethink and I'm back at it, here is a bit of a sneak preview...

 

 

As you can see, I have also been getting to grips with the A Beautiful Mess iPhone application. I think it's really nice for adding a little something extra to your instagram pictures.

 

At chez Radford we have made a lot of progress on the bathroom, it's finally (FINALLY!) coming together and looking good. I really enjoy seeing what I had pictured in my mind in it's physical form. I will share some before and after photographs as soon as I have finished accessorising.

 

We have also started work in the garden. I have never before had a garden of my own and it's a bit overwhelming, but I have become rather adept with a pair of loppers recently. Here I am in action...

 

"I have become the destroyer of plants"

 

You can almost see the plants quivering in fear. The eventual plan is to have a decked area with chairs and a table and a firepit so we are just clearing some space at the moment. Here are some of the lovely plants that I haven't chopped down...

 

 

 And finally, my very special friend's birthday is coming up so I wanted to get started on a quilt as a gift. May, if you are reading this, look away now!

 

 I have ordered the rather wonderful Back to Black bundle from M is for Make. I have visions of half square triangles arranged in a chevron pattern, or maybe even pinwheels. Jade green polka dot fabric for the backing and then something lovely and bright for the binding. Hurry up and arrive please!

 

 

 

Today's Outfit

This vintage pleated skirt and leather handbag were originally destined for my Etsy shop, but after I tried them on I decided they might be keepers. I love the bright splash of aqua, which is my favourite colour.

Excuse the fact that I have cut my head off in these pictures, my hair was definitely not looking it's best today, but I was excited about the skirt and wanted to show it off!

Top - H&M

Vintage skirt - Oxfam £2.99

Vintage leather handbag - Bakewell car boot sale - £2.50

Thirfty Finds

It has been quite a successful weekend of second hand shopping for me. On Saturday I went to a jumble sale in Hathersage. I don't think that I was quite prepared for how busy it was going to be, perhaps the size of the queue 45 minutes before opening should have given me a clue. When the doors finally opened it was absolute carnage, there were grannies climbing over each other to get to the piles of clothing. I could understand why though as absolutely everything was 30p, and at that price people were grabbing armfuls of clothing. I did manage to get a few things including a sparkly top, evening gown, belt and pillow cases. Here is a sneaky picture my boyfriend took...

This wasn't even at fully capacity! I would have liked to stay longer but my boyfriend had backed in to a corner and taken a defensive stance so I took the hint that it was probably time to go home. Next time I will be better mentally prepared for a scrummage. Today I went to a car boot sale at Bakewell which was also quite successful, you can see some of my goodies below.

1. Aqua pleated midi skirt

2. 1970s pleated midi skirt

3. 1960s full length evening gown

4. Set of 5 vintage pillow cases

5. Vintage silk look top

6. Vintage 1980s strapless dress

7. Pyrex carafe with gold starburst pattern

8. Vintage leather handbag

9. Vintage leather belt with brass 'B' buckle

10. Brass geometric cuff

11. Vintage 1960s rhinestone necklace

12. Vintage 1970s pussybow dress 

And I have been saving my best find until last, how absolutely fabulous is this original 1920s beaded dress? It has some holes in it and some of the beading has come away in parts but it really is stunning. 

My New Terrarium

Today I got up extra early (8.30am - which is impressive for a Sunday!) and went to my first car boot sale of 2013. It wasn't the busiest car boot ever as the weather didn't look too great this morning, but I'm glad I did as I picked up a rather cool vintage terrarium.

Does your cat insist on being in every photo too??

As you can see it was in a bit of a state when I bought it. On the stall it was actually still half filled with dirt and rocks but the man kindly emptied it out for me. I am usually the worlds worst haggler as I get too embarrassed to ask, but I managed to get the stallholder down from £15 to £12. I realise £3 is probably not the most impressive discount ever, but I consider it a victory!

I have been looking for something to go on the window ledge in our new bathroom and as soon as I saw the terrarium I knew that it would be perfect. I couldn't wait to get creating, so after a quick trip to the garden centre and a date with a bottle of windolene, here is the finished item.

I am so pleased with the way it has turned out. I would love to tell you the names of the plants that I used but I accidentally paid no attention to the labels before throwing them away. I am certainly not the most green fingered lady in the world but I am really hoping these will survive, at least for a week or two. You can see my bathroom is currently in progress, there are still a few things that need to be done, like adding border tiles but I think we are pretty much there. What a relief!