WILLOW VALLEY STORE

WOW Pillow Fight Game. 1964. Milton Bradley

Spent some time today having a pillow fight with sis Jen!

This is our Milton Bradley Game from 1964 that we used to play for HOURS when we were younger. Unlike stupid moi - Jenny kept lots of childhood games, toys and dolls through her teenage years - when I discarded all of mine. I really wish I still had my Giggles. Drat.

Anyway Jen kept this one - Hooray for Jen - and for the first time in 30+ years - we played it...

Don't you just love labels that say Made In Australia!!!! I do.

So here is the box lid and some of the contents.....all preserved so carefully. This was one of our most prized posessions and we were so gentle with it.

Each side has 6 girls and a house mother, and a bed, a pillow and a clock to spin. The idea is to take out the team on the other side of the wall. To do this you have to flick the button on the end of your bed to launch the pillow and knock over the other team - removing them from the game....

Jen has just taken out my "Ebony"...this is not looking good...I only have 3 girls left and she still has all 6

and now she has started advancing them closer to the wall  - making them harder for me to hit!!But - A few lucky shots later...and I  WIN!! LOL!!!!

Did you like the writing on the box? Simple safe fast action - hehehe - and what about stating its for girls - is that considered sexist today? While we were playing I was imaging the house mother going off in the voice of that woman from Ladette to Lady.

What was your favourite board game when you were a kid? Who did you play it with?

xo Catherine.
 

Hatched and Patched trunk show.

Last night Karen hosted a trunk show with Anni and Pete from Hatched and Patched. At 5.45 pm I was still stuck in traffic in the city and still had to get home to feed the boys yet - so I think I got there 30 mins late. My buddy Robyn  saved me a seat which was real kind....and she had pressies for me too. Gee I am getting so spoiled lately. It was a wonderful night and the shop was packed. Lovely to meet up again with Tina Sharon Michelle Bronny Bernadette and have a chat!

Anni and Pete are just the nicest people ever. It was really special to be able to see Anni's work up close and to handle it too. She works with felted wool a lot so everything is very tactile. Her stitches are tiny and neat and her needleturn applique is inspirational. They had so much to show us. Love that hand dyed wool on woven backgrounds (hounds-tooth and  checks etc) Did all those goodies really all come out of one trunk????

As I am a mum of boys myself -  Anni's latest book "A Boys Story" was a must have. The best part was getting it signed by Anni. How special. I loved signed books. Makes it really personal and it continues to feel special every time you open the cover and read the message.

xo Catherine

Joyeux Noel

I love the city because it is full of old stuff - and things from the past are a constant source of influence.
 
There are lots of architectural details in stone and wood that I admire -but stained glass and tiled floors stop me in my tracks!

Sometimes I am inspired by a fabric range too. When I came across Moda Glace some time ago I went Mmmmmmm and I had to have it ;-)

Influenced by shape layering seen in tiles,  "Glace"  and a bit of an interest for "Merry Christmas" in other languages...I have been having a play and made a table runner.

I am now up to the pattern writing and quilting stage.

It has some lovely vintage red buttons to go on yet - on some plain cream strips.

The design comes together quickly and is easy to organize. It uses a charm pack, 4 fat 1/4's and a dash of cream. The back only needs about 1/2 metre across the fabric width.

xo Catherine

Blue bunnies

Don't be silly bunnies don't come in blue!

Oh... but these ones do....

Arent they CUTE! How lucky am I? Kim sent me this vintage ribbon in my fav colour with gorgeous bunnies cos she knows I really love them - and she even included the original label - cos she knows I even like them too!!     WOW thanks KIM!!!!!!!!  How perfect!  xoxo

Here is Louie relaxing in the shade. Not matter how many times I have seen this pose with his legs sticking out the back it still makes me smile. He is a funny boy.

He chases our 2 Burmese cats and then rests like this to cool off quicker.  I have been trying to get a pic of all 3 of them sitting nicely together. No hope.

xo Cath

Castlemaine rock

Its hard to be a Victorian and not know this treat.  I remember buying some on a school camp in Grade 5 to Swan Hill. Sitting towards the back of the bus and shaking the tin - to unstick the candy - and enjoying their peppermint flavour. 

I've photographed my tin in front of a few old ads that I bought super cheap at Camberwell market a while ago. I havent got the contents of the tin to show you cos I ate them all ;-)

...but I can tell you they are golden in colour  - which is interesting when you consider their history - as they are linked to the goldrush....

Thomas Barnes was born in 1831 in England. He learnt his trade as a baker and confectioner. By 1853 the Australian goldrush was in full swing....so lured by the prospect of finding his own fortune, he too left England and sailed to Australia.

He travelled inland to the gold fields of Castlemaine.  Unlike others who left behind everything in the "old country" - Thomas had 'Plan B' - and bought his equipment out with him from England. That was smart!

With around 25,000 people living in tents around Castlemaine - the little comforts of home so far away - must have been highly sort after.Thomas started making acid drops and humbugs and the now famous golden Castlemaine Rock - selling it from his tent. Apparently the Rock is still made by hand using the same recipe - by the descendants of Thomas Barnes - in Castlemaine and with the original cutter too.

Even the tin is exactly the same as I remember.It has a quality weight to it and you have to use something flat to pry the lid open.I like that.It hasn't changed AT ALL!

I like collecting old bits of history and its pretty good if you can EAT them and then have a nice tin to keep too!

xo catherine

P.S. speaking of Castlemaine - dont forget the upcoming launch of Ann's Legacy which will be in Castlemaine  at Threadbear.

My weekend....

I was away again this weekend at the Anam Cara Sewjourn for 2009 in Shepparton.What a great weekend and a fun bunch of gals . Gosh its nice to have such good friends only 2 hours up the road. The teachers this year were Libby (Artsmart craft cottage) , Lisa from Button Bliss and Brenda Ryan.

As soon as I arrived I was greated by Meg and Sue.... and can you believe it (cos I still can't) they had pressies for ME! OMG I am still in shock.

Here is something OLD and BLUE (that is sssoo me)  that Meg just knew I would find a space for. Check out the size of it - how lucky am I!!!!!!!  Inside it is painted a lovely buttermilky cream colour.

I have put it in a prominent spot in the family room next to Grandma Baynes piano. THANKS MEG!

AND Sue had a BIG pile of old magazines and journals - from the 50's and 20's for me!!!

Check out these gems.....

  

 

I spent some time with Lisa from  button bliss  - who is delightfully warm and inspiring too. 

Her buttons are even better in real life. I couldn't resist these ones....aren't they cute as ever!

 
Rhonda, Debbie, Lisa and I had dinner at the pub on Sat night - food was great and the entertainment was um shall we say "entertaining". I am still giggling about that. Next morning I had breakky with Meg and Jo - which seemed like a 5 minute visit but really took until lunchtime - and I could have sat there with them all day too ;-)

xo Catherine

Thanks for your comments last post...I reckon you are right about the white jar being for cold cream or similar. The blue screw top "herb jar" is an egg coddler - so Marian you were first to correctly identify it! Apparently you crack an egg into it and screw on the top and sort of poach it. The hole in the handle is for the wire rack that suspends it in the saucepan of boiling water. ( I saw one on ebay that holds 2) It makes warm runny eggs and you have to be careful of bacterial infection as they are sort of "undercooked" thats why I said yuk! Marian your prize is instructions on how to use your vintage sea anenome daisy maker...hehehe - cos I have some around here somewhere and my MIL showed me how to do it. xoox

Goodies and Mysteries....

Here are my 4 super cheap goodies from Daylesford.... Jade Meakin saucer $1, Johnson Victorian Pink piecrust plate $2 , white glass jar with screw top green tin lid 50 cents and ceramic milk saver $5.

If you have been to Daylesford and seen the prices (yikes are you guys serious???) you will be super proud of me! LOL!

Milk savers are a cool thing to collect. Yippee now I have 5! Watch out sis Jen I am catchin' up!

here is a mystery solved.....

I bought this one about 25 years ago from Carribean Market in Wantirna for around $4. Back then it was  more of an antique market and you could find really great stuff...

I figured it was a herb jar. It has a tight precision screw top lid and glazed interior.

Anyway I didn't care. It was old and blue. Really well made and English. Home it came. I like it today as much as the day I bought it.     ;-)

In Daylesford last week I found one smaller and beige in colour. Turned it over and read the dealers sticker underneath....and found out its real purpose. Ahhhhh! (not that stickers are always right - milk savers are often labelled as milk saucers) anyway came home and googled it and sure enough - the sticker was right...

I can't imagine I will ever use it for its purpose thought cos it sounds YUKKO!

So do you know what it is???

xo Catherine

P.S. And what do you think the white glass jar with the green tin lid held - was it Vicks??? Hm not sure...Margaret from Gippsland where are you? You are my #1 Vintage ID champ!!

Who remembers my "robotic sea anenome child torturer thingy"? (It is a Daisy Maker!)

Tomorrow morning I am in charge of saying goodbye to "BABY" - a car that Brian has owned for 25 years. There are so many memories attached I am gonna have a girlie sook for sure!

Spa Country

I have been away for work recently and planned a bit of time either side of lectures to play and explore.  Daylesford and nearby Hepburn Springs are renowned for their natural mineral springs.

Here is where I stayed....@ The Manse!

 
I had a huge clawfoot bath and an open fireplace (that I lit every night). 
The view from my upstairs room...

Here are a few things that caught my eye in the main street.

There are several antique/bazaar/collectable shops and out of town - the Mill Markets (multiple stall holders under one roof). I bought a few little goodies to bring home and will do a "show and tell" next post ;-)    ....and I solved an old mystery...I finally found out what something that I bought over 20 years ago actually was made for!!!

The old Convent is always interesting. I enjoy climbing the narrow stairs and exploring every bit - from the little museum downstairs to the infirmary right at the very top - and there is lots of unique arty pieces to admire (and purchase) along the way.

Just one of the many "heavenly" doors at the Convent!

and check out the amazing windows on this house. 

I got up really early one morning and went for a jog around Daylesford lake. There was only one other person there. So peaceful.

Here are some Daylesford / Hepburn links you may enjoy!!

visit Victoria    visit Daylesford    Daylesford online   travel Victoria

xo Cath

4 little pincushions...

These little pincushions are from my Vintage Pinnies design. It was first released in May 2008 and appeared on my blog way back HERE.

I have also completed it in red, blue and white. This one always reminds me of Raggedy Anne for some reason? Must be the blue checks, white ric rac and red chenille combo ;-)

I have just recently completed another set this time in variegated pink thread ( I think its a Weeks Dyeworks one?) with aqua ric rac trim. 

This time I didn't add the 1/4 " buttons, used fabric instead of chenille and I changed the ric rac accents a bit. I love the little square one with the trim top and bottom - cute! When you are using ric rac remember to plan where the dips and peaks will be placed. If you do this well its easy to hide the join - as on the round one - and turning them inside out and having the peaks in the right spot is easy as on the square and rectangular one with the curved top.This is how it looks on the back - nice old fabric fussy cut to suit each shape....

 

The little bowl is an opshop treasure. Its Woodsware and the colour is called Beryl. Watch out for these - on a good day you can find these for $1 or $2 - they slip under the radar as they have no "pretty flowers" and are often put in the cheapies pile. My fav is the Johnson piecrust edge - but these Woods have an exceptional quality about them that makes collecting them a bit addictive.

These designs are also sweet in a tiny old style frame.....

xo Catherine

Pansies and Bunnies!

My good buddy Karen encouraged and inspired me recently.  She thought my punchneedle designs would work well enlarged in needle turn applique....So here is "Cheerful Pansies" tweaked a bit to suit a different medium and enlarged +++  in applique....

I just have a bit more to do to secure the stems and its all done. I love the smooth finish that needleturn applique gives. I created the stems with a Clover Bias stem maker(1/4" width) and I use Roxannes Baste It to lightly secure all the pieces in place. I have been looking out for the new specialty one in UHU gluestick format - but haven't found it yet. Has anyone tried it? Do you know a stockist? I just thought they might be easier to use than the bottles - getting the last bit out is tricky. Hhmm looks like that stem on the far left needs to move further right. Thats ok I can move all 3 on the left - thats what these prelim ideas are for xo

Not sure what the next stage is with this design. I will gradually work the other 3 needle punch designs in applique to the same size and decide then.

I am thinking this design might look good in some olde worlde fabric too....and wouldnt 1930's be fun...

Here is Shayde and her big brood of 9 today enjoying a romp in the garden. Now that they are bigger we use the 6 modular pieces that usually form 4 sides and the 2 piece roof to make a super big area with 6 sides and no roof. We utilize the side of Brian's workshop and create a semi circle off that. It encircles my raised oval garden bed that has a large weeping cherry in the centre. This is a bit like putting kids in a Willy Wonker's chocolate factory! They dart in and out of the daisies and eat everything and have a ball all day.

They are 6 weeks old on Monday and so they will be leaving us this week to find new loving homes. If you are local and would like to buy one ($30 each)  - send me an email ;-)  You will have to be quick. The local pet shop will buy them ALL from us and they sell them for around $70 each...and they sell fast too - they will all be adopted within a few days - as this particular breed is always in high demand.        All bunnies adopted ;-)

Our mini lop x bunnies are super sweet and friendly. They are well accustomed to being handled, very cuddly and plush. Their fur does not matt and they require no grooming. In the next week or so their ears will all lop to the sides like Louie and Shayde's.

Bunnies are lovely pets!! We love our bunnies!!  

 .  .

 = * =

xo Cath

PS. Hi 'JoyPatch' my emails to you keep bouncing back but I have been trying :-0

Meg of  Shep - where are you?? I am hoping to catch up with you soon at the Anam Cara SewJourn!!