Some Autumn treasure finding

It may be Autumn but I am still wearing my flip flops and t-shirts. Market days are still frequently visited . The days are still warm and my big orange ball sun shines brightly over my house...I have a few African treasures to share with you today. I found this gorgeousa reed woven Big market bag. I brought it from a Zimbabwean lady. That is my homeland and I do try to support when I can. These Mama's must struggle so to gather their pennies together for food. They are also always so humble. Everything they sell is homemade. These lovely carved wooden salad servers are a treasure too. They also crochet the most beautiful table cloths. A mama is a mama not matter where in the world and handmade is best I say. I have also been dying my handspun wool. I started off picking some lovely golden rod. Popped it into the dye pot but the wool came out a very dirty yellow. I then decided to brighten it up with some other dyes and out came some sunshine..Really nice for a Winter beanie.

I too found a lovely Vintage find on Sunday. These old cotton embroidered table cloths made their way into my market bag. A thrifty $6 a piece. I have also been busy working through my raw cooking book. I have made some lovely meals. I have heard from so many that the energy brought back into your tired life is all worth it. In the photo above, I made some almond milk. A mixture of almonds, water, dates and vanilla pod. So, our meadow keeps producing little chicks. So many of them running around now. Cute and cheeky. They keep creeping under the fence to look for juicier worms on the greener side. I do love spending time down in the orchard.

I have added some African treasures at the swap shop.

A happy day to you~

A vintage find that caught my eye

This beautiful vintage oil painting find caught my eye today as I drove past an antique shop in my area. It called out and said 'Buy me!"...I have just the spot for it..Nestled just above my aprons ...I received this Beautiful blogger award recently. Bobbi from http://snoodledoodles.blogspot.com. kindly gave it to me. I always find handing out this award so difficult as I love and find every blog I follow so appealing. I will personally send messages to those blogs that hit the spot..when I get back..

Right a few things about me part.. not always easy talking about yourself..Shew I am going to dig deep and be real here..

~I passionately embrace my calling as a Mother. I spoke to a friend today and we both agreed that waking up for a child a few times a night or having a little bundle creep into your bed leaving you with an inch of space to sleep on all night.. resulting in a stiff back and neck the next morning, is no hassle at all~ nothing ...nadda.

~I have been told recently by my residing Mr Darcy that I am his best friend~ the best cook~ the best baker~ the best wife and Mother ever! That made me float today...

~Along with my son Aaron, we rescue all the sick and ailing wild life we come across in the area..turtles, ducks, pigeons , butterflies, chicks, worms and ants. We often wish we could breath life into these dying little animals. I love my Son and I find being like minded with him is a blessing.

~I am at a point in my life where I have 10 kg's to loose..Its a struggle. I walk far every morning hoping that its going to shift but it is so slow..So, I will persevere. I do feel a hundred times better when I am slimmer..I wish myself all the best with my efforts.

~I am going to be 40 next week...YIKES! I am about to have my very first teenager on Thursday..EEK! It is my Brogans 13th Birthday. I love this blossoming young girl and I know she is stepping in the right direction..

~And lastly ...This blogging world has left me feeling like I really would love to meet you all. How come we have all met like this? Paths crossed as though we all know each other....makes you wonder doesn't it..

Thank you for reading today dear friends. I suppose I never really get to open up like this..

A Happy day to all

antique hemp linen grain sack gift

Have any of you ever received an out of the blue gift from the kind universe...I had been eyeing out French antique hemp linen grain sacks for quite sometime now. With my home having french antiques in it, I really wanted some . In all my antique hunts, I had not come across any here and thought my only option was to buy some from overseas. This of course is costly not to mention the shipping. Andrew and I woke up early yesterday morning to go on our morning walk. In the distance, I see some rubbish and mounds of black plastic bags on someones verge ready for collecting. The closer I walk, I see three vintage hand loomed hemp linen grain sacks! . They were very dirty and without a doubt being thrown away...My poor husband knowing full well that I am a true treasure finder of note , does not even question my swift move. I brought them home , scrubbed them up and now own three gorgeous old hemp linen bags. Who knows what age they could be. I have seen some dated back to the 1800's. So, that is the story of my free post Christmas gift. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

My Weekend treasure finds

I have a great love for fabric. This weekend I found some beautiful cotton pieces. I will add them to my little stash and hope for some inspiration to come my way. Summer is on the way so....skirts and aprons sound good to me. I also purchased a "Jelly roll". I am going to try my hand at some quilting. I do love a quilt at the bottom of a bed. I found a few gorgeous books too. One I really love is "Peter and Wendy". The illustrations are beautiful. I get all excited as I love our evening bedtime reads. Today was Livy's wash day. She gathered all my market bags and cleaned them on the lawn. So with our wonderful Sunny day, it has taken an hour for them to dry. I have brought her her own antique solid metal iron. Tomorrow she can press them for me.

Our Vintage finds

Our Days are definitely becoming hotter. Spring is around the corner. This weekend we ventured off to our vintage market. The girls went shopping and our treasures were gathered. There is something special about a market. Its out of doors and friendly. I managed to find an old vintage pram for Olivia. As gorgeous as it is I am going to give it a make over with new floral fabric. Olivia is getting a baby Waldorf doll for her birthday and the preparation for its arrival is so exciting. I found some lovely old tins to add to my old farm style kitchen.

My Vintage "Lizzy" dress

My heart skipped a beat when I saw this old dress at the antique market today. This is what I would classify as my "Lizzy" dress. I am a great Jane Austen fan and Elizabeth Bennett is who I strongly identify with in the world of Jane Austen. I plan on wearing this lovely number with a pair of boots! But before I do that , I have to prepare Andrew who finds my " Pride and Prejudice " world a little strange.....

My Vintage finds at our local antique market

Today was the Antique fair at uncle Tim's cabin. I never miss it when it comes around. Its a treasure finders dream. Everyone sells their Antiques. The atmosphere is a buzz with people trying to find a missing old plate or like me, just waiting for the right treasures to come their way. I had great luck today. I found a gorgeous old knitting bag filled with old knitting patterns, a large skein of pure silk, some vintage lilac crochet lace, an old tin to be a companion to my old tea tin ( I am a GREAT tea lover...) a lovely small crochet table cloth and some really old badges. Just the place I felt like being today...I was also able to spend some Mama daughter time with my gorgeous Brogan. I am not too sure if any of you find it difficult to spend alone time with each child but, in our family its a real treat.

Our weekends treasure finds

It was to my delight that I visited Uncle Tim's Cabin this weekend, our local antique store. Standing right there on the entrance table was this butter churner. Right above it was this beautiful original picture of a mama and daughter. It was sketched in 1900. The picture frame is still the original one it got framed in. Of course the treasure finder found them....Then off we went to buy seeds to make our own chicken feed and just could not resist another little chick or two or three or four! Yes, our meadow now has four new little chickens.

The Great spoil

YUM! There is nothing like that trip to the little local post office knowing that your wool parcels have arrived. Some might like diamonds....I like the wool. These gorgeous skeins have been spun and dyed by Etsy sellers Jennifer Tan from http://www.tlwoldc.etsy.com/ Daniela from http://www.feltstudiouk.etsy.com/ , Jenny from http://beeskneesknitting.etsy.com/ and Nora from http://www.simplytwisted.etsy.com/ . Thank you all.

My now and again treasure finds

Yes the girls got bags...Olivia received a beautiful little treasure purse from Tammy at http://laughlivelearnlove.blogspot.com/ she has an Esty shop called Pixielove. We found a lovely bracelet, shells and a precious stone inside. Thank you Tammy. Then Mama got a bag too. This is my Mielie bag. It wows me...I just love it. It is made by a group of ladies in the cape and they use recycled fabric to make the bag. My bag came with a tag of the lady who made it so, it is special.

My treasure find

Its the small treasures in life that can make you happy. I was so excited when this beautiful Matryoshka doll arrived . I have always had a fascination with these little mamas.

My treasure find

I had a little spoil this week. My Kath Kidston needle roll arrived . I have been yearning for a needle roll for sometime and knew I had to search for the right one. I thought I was just going to get the roll but to my surprise, It was filled with graded wooden knitting needles.

My vintage find

This week end was the antique fair at our local market area. I just love them when they come around. I browse endlessly for treasures. Amongst all the old enamel pots and tubs(which I got too) I spotted an old antique soft down feather quilt. The colours were just perfect for my shabby home. To me its better than finding gold....