7 Gypsies Matchbox

Hi bloggers, I found another project today which I think would make a really cute workshop that I have been planning to carry out soon, so make sure you check in for more details. I came across this 7 Gypsies matchbox in Scrapbook Magic whilst we were on holiday and I had initially planned to get started with it whilst we were away however I didn't manage to get round to it. So today I pulled together lots of supplies to get creative. You can decide to either add paper to the pre-cut template that is supplied or you could draw around the template so that you can make lots more!

This matchbox kit comes with some additional cards which you can decorate and put inside the box. Perfect for storing some photos or you could even join them all up to make a mini book. Think of also decorating one and placing a gift inside for a friend, perfect!

A Timeless Piece

Today I finally wanted to get around to making my vintage pocket-watch that I had bought several months ago and at the time university and exams kind of got in the way. Anyway after a little inspiration from a blog called Between the Sheets. I decided to get going.

This pocket watch is by Tim Holtz and is probably the best one out there and if you shop around you can definitely get a good price, I bought mine from Craft Obsessions for £6.50 and I think it is still at that price now. Before I started with the inside layout and what I would include I was inspired by Between the Sheets blog to alcohol ink the outside of the pocket watch and then apply clear crackle paint. A close up of the effect is below:

I think this effect really gives the watch a vintage antique look. I used Rust and Terra Cotta alcohol ink and then applied a layer of Rock Candy crackle paint and once that is dry I applied another layer of alcohol inks with a little bit of Black Soot distress ink to reveal the cracks a bit more. I also alcohol inked the back of the watch as well. The crackle paint took about 30-40 minutes to dry and I would recommend leaving it well alone so that the cracks appear really well.

I made the layout on the inside from small scraps of paper (this is when your scrap paper drawer comes in handy!) and then added bits of lace and a crown from a brad. When you buy the Tim Holtz pocket watch, the cardboard packaging has a circle template that fits inside the pocket watch so you don't have to worry about trying to cut a circle to the right size. Tim thinks of everything!

To finish off the pocket watch I added some jewellery bits and ribbon and then used some of Tim's ball and chain which can be cut to any length so you could wear it as a necklace or make it into a small key chain. I think this would make a good workshop so watch this space for future details.......



Our Cornwall Retreat

Hi bloggers, as promised I said that I would upload some pictures of our Cornwall retreat and give you an overview of what we got up to on most days. If you were following the blog whilst we were away you probably have a good idea of most of the goodies we bought and vintage treasure hunting we embarked upon. But inbetween all that we were enjoying the sights of what Cornwall had to offer and we always have our favourite hotspots. So lets start with St Ives:

We absolutely love this place and if you are the arty type and love meandering in and out of small lanes and perusing unique shops then this is definitely the place for you and is highly recommended by us. We visited St Ives twice on our stay in Cornwall and on the second trip we took the train from Penzance to St Ives and it is so picturesque, definitely worth doing on a sunny day. If you do have a chance to go, we recommned getting there early before the crowds of people set in and go and get yourself a coffee in The Hub cafe on the harbour front. The last photo shows our view from The Hub.

Our next favourite place: Marazion and St Michael's Mount

On previous trips to Cornwall we had never visited Marazion or walked across to St Michael's Mount before but since we were staying close by this time I didn't want to give it a miss. I have to say I think this was my favourite day of the whole trip and if you have never walked across to St Michael's Mount you should definitely put it on your to-do list in the future. Its like walking acorss to a faraway land in a fairytale with a castle in the middle of it and on a glorious sunny day, the views are spectacular. You have to make sure you time it right so that the tide is far out so you can walk across to it, however there are ferry boats if you find yourself stuck on the island. The shops in Marazion are worth a look around as well and we found some nice fabric in a charity shop at a very good price! One shop we were unable to go in was called Vintage Emporium and if you are looking at this blog and own this shop, you should open more often! Everytime we drove past they were shut which is such a shame because it looked so interesting.

On the same day we visted a place called Mullion Meadows near Mullion Cove which is where we met Margaret from Scrapbook Magic. If you are a crafter and scrapbook fan, make sure you visit Scrapbook Magic and book yourself into a workshop.

Finally I will leave you with a couple of pictures from Praa Sands and the view from our apartment and I think we will defnitely be going back in the near future.



Happy Birthday Vintage Follie!

Hi bloggers, today is Vintage Follie's 1st birthday and what better way to celebrate then attend a vintage rag fair in Honiton. It worked out as good timing for our return home from our holiday and we definitely wanted to make the effort to stay over night so that we were able to go. We found reams of material and lace and all at fantastic prices. Check out the pictures below of all our goodies and we even found two more lampshades whilst looking around in the local charity shops. The past week has been amazing and was definitely a good lead up to our one year birthday. We hope to keep creating and be inspiring for many years to come.....

Vintage Charm

Well bloggers, the rain has definitely caught up with us over the past couple of days and today has been a bit of a wash out. However the sun is shining now and I thought I would take this opportunity before we leave the beautiful Praa Sands to update you with some of our latest finds.

Since it was a rainy day we decided to drive around a few places on the hunt for vintage shops. We came across a shop in Hayle called 'Shabby to Chic', which if I'm honest is probably the best shop in the whole town. This shop has a whole mixture of new and old and we managed to pick up four more small lampshades for our next workshop and at £1.50 a pop, it was definitely an offer we could not afford to miss. We had hoped to have a look around a shop called 'Vintage Emporium' in Marazion but every time we had driven passed it was closed, maybe next time.

We then went to search for a vintage furniture shop in Goldsithney that we had seen advertised on the main road. When we found it we were amazed at what we found, it was a small vintage haven with five small shops all within an old warehouse. The first place we went in was called Claude's furniture emporium which was crammed to the ceiling with lots of furniture, storage and household bits and bobs. In here we found a 19 piece tea set for a bargain £10, and it was all in good condition. Seriously, if you were furnishing a cottage in the Cornwall area I would definitely recommend checking this place out if you want something original. We then had a drink and cake in 'Tea for Tommy', a lovely vintage tearoom furnished with old dressers, tables and cutlery, so quaint. Another shop was called 'Blondie's Shabby Chic' which had a mixture of both old and new items and also some handmade items which were all gorgeous. Finally we looked around three floors of antique furniture in J'Antiques, which is perfect if you are looking for something unique of a particular era. So if you are in the area, even if you are just on holiday I would certainly suggest you have a peruse.

It's going to be a sad goodbye tomorrow when we leave the beautiful Praa Sands, however we are not heading home just yet as we are stopping overnight in Exeter to visit the Honiton rag fair en-route home on Saturday. Last year we found some excellent finds and thought it would be definitely worth the effort to stay an extra night and stop by on the way home. It also makes an excellent occasion to celebrate our one year anniversary on Saturday as Vintage Follie is one year old. As we reflect it has been an amazing year and we thank everyone for their ongoing support and encouragement. Hope everyone has a good weekend and I will be sure to update you on our finds over the weekend. For now I leave you with a few images of our finds today and all our buys from the past week. I will also include a few photos of some of the projects we have been working on this week, even on holiday we can't help but create!

Marazion and more......

Hi bloggers, today was another glorious day in sunny Cornwall, which I can't believe I'm saying after the weather report we found last week. Obviously they were wrong. Anyway today we visited Marazion and walked across to St Michael's Mount which was fantastic. I took plenty of photos which I will share with you on our return with a beautiful clear blue sky in the background. I found it so inspirational, it was like a castle in the middle of an island in a fairy tale. Moving on on our road trip we travelled to Mullion to visit a craft shop we had seen in Scrap 365 magazine called Scrapbook Magic. Not only did we find a lovely collection of craft materials but the owner, Margaret, was such a joy to talk to about all the craft things we do and it was lovely to share the enthusiasm for the same altered art. Trust me, if you are ever in the area or are planning a visit down to Cornwall make sure you check out Scrapbook Magic at Mullion Meadows. Margaret also teaches craft classes so make sure you check them out online before you go to book yourself in one during your stay. Afterwards we had a look around Helston high street, meandering in and out of charity shops before making a move back to Praa Sands for a relaxing walk along the beach.

Perfect St Ives Day

A unexpected glorious sunny day greeted us this morning and we knew that this was the perfect day to visit St Ives. The early morning birds that we are, left the apartment at about 8.45am to make the most of the day because the earlier you get to St Ives the more beautiful and serene it is. After a relaxing cup of tea at The Hub along the harbour we ventured around the shops to see what we could find. We were in luck as Beatengreen Vintage Boutique was open today and we found a few beautiful bits, including a lampshade that may come in handy for our next workshop (be sure to check out the details from our previous post). In the picture below you will see the brooches and trims as well as a beautiful vintage flower print, perfect for covering a panel on a lampshade.
Not only have we been exploring the shops today but when we came back later this afternoon mum finished off her Melissa Frances Christmas house which will be such a cute workshop come Christmas time (watch this space), no time like the present to begin prep for seasonal projects. In the meantime I'm finding it difficult filling my Smash book due to my perfectionist nature, however as the week goes by and I become more relaxed my creative juices may flow once more.

Let the adventure begin!

Today we officially begin our journey down to Cornwall. After a relaxing stay at the Holiday Inn at Salisbury near Stonehenge, we will shortly be on the long route down to Praa Sands.
I have to admit the weather does not look great and even today it has started with drizzly rain, however there is a hint of blue sky so fingers crossed. We hope this trip will be just as inspirational as our last venture down here, which was when we first started the blog. Therefore this week will be leading up to our one year anniversary, which we are very excited about. I will try and keep you updated whenever I can to keep you posted whenever we come across any vintage finds. Until then....... our journey has only just begun.....

Dress Up your Lampshade

Hi bloggers, our next workshop is finally here and its a chance for you to dress up your lampshade with lace, frills and charms to create a unique lighting accessory. This project is so much fun and after finishing off my lampshade which is featured in  the picture above I just know everyone is going to love it.
The lampshade can either be started from scratch by stripping down an old classic lampshade and then adding material and lace to cover the lampshade. Or you can use a more modern lampshade and add material on top. I have to say, starting from scratch is most fun and you can start with a completely blank canvas and just add pieces in wherever looks best. Once the base of the lampshade is covered you can then think about adding flowers made out of fabric and hang charms around the edge of the lamp. This class doesn't include the base of the lampshade and the one in the picture is from Wilkinsons (£14) which makes the perfect finishing touch. I've included some photos below to give you a closer look and have also added the invitation details and instructions. If you would like to attend, please do not hesitate to get in touch and there are approximately 10 places available.

Also check out our facebook page for more details and you can RSVP to this class through facebook as well.

New iPad, New products!

Hi bloggers, I am reporting from my new iPad which is totally awesome! We needed a new gadget to take with us on our trip to Cornwall so that we didn't have to bring the bulky laptop and hopefully we will be able to blog on the move as long as there is an Internet cafe as I only bought the wifi version. Anyway not only did I buy an iPad today but we also ventured over to Crafts U Love to buy some essentials before we went away. I have to say I didn't plan to buy anything yet ended up spending £42, which is very good considering we bought quite a lot of stuff but we did have the added advantage of mum's store discount, yay. Anyway I have to show you this new collection of scrap products from K & Company, which is called "SMASH". It's a scrap journal and you can get lots of accessories to go in it, so I did! There are 3 sizes of journals, small, medium and large and they have a range of themes because the pages all have printed designs on them, from wedding and baby to funky retro or Eco and scribble.

I bought the Eco version because the designs fitted what I would be scrap booking whilst on our holiday. Each journal comes with a pen and glue stick which is all in one, so handy.

I also bought some pockets, tape, page tabs and a list pad but there is lots of accessories to choose from. It you want a better look then I would head over to Crafts U Love quickly because it is becoming very popular.

I also bought some Bo Bunny papers from their Weekend Market collection, which are a beautiful collection of vintage papers, including rulers, suitcases and other antique images. Mum also bought a few bits but since she has started her new job at Crafts U Love she seems to be coming home with a pile of bits every week, which I'm not complaining about.

I hope to fit in a few more posts before we set off on our travels to Cornwall, probably with the finished lampshade, only got the finishing touches to go and then it will be complete.