Saturday 5 January 2008

Love in a cold climate...

Thank you Nancy Mitford for giving me the perfect title for this post....

I started off on New Year's Eve with all good intentions for an upbeat start to this year and kick started my new intentions by sorting out the small mountain of bits and pieces, assorted ephemera, vintage puzzles, card games, charms, vintage plastic toys, dolls, books, printed matter, trimmings, ribbons and old Uncle Tom Cobbley and all... and re-housing them in an old chest of drawers that had become Pickle's winter quarters.. well one of the top drawers.. my old knickers drawer in fact. Now that's ruined his squeaky clean reputation.. I fear!

I digress... I spent the day sorting and collating, discarding and boxing others of the multitude of items that I have collected over the last year for my vintage themed box frames and by the end of the afternoon I was feeling very pleased with myself for having finished this reluctant task. Now I am like a child with a new toy box.. I keep visiting my newly filed items and admiring the collection in each drawer...

Old catalogues, comics and many more...



Games galore...



Plastic clowns, flowers and all and all ...



Well that was then and the euphoria of having a good tidy has worn a little thin now so I turned my attention to making some Valentine frames for the coming anniversary on 14th February... these I am adding to my web-shop page at Not on the High Street.. they are made from Victorian/Edwardian Valentines mounted on genuine Victorian love poems and embellished with vintage charms, flowers and buttons.







N.B Many thanks to all of you who gave me your local snow cast... I am happy for all of you who got to frolic in some of this wonderful white weather...
Lastly a HUUUUUUUUUUGE thank you ... for all of your warm wishes for the New Year... They warm the cockles of my heart they do.
XXXX

18 comments:

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

Sounds like you've had a far more productive day than me! I had good intentions to have a major clean and sort out today but seem to have done nothing but wander aimless around my home! What a waste!

I love your Valentine's box frames, they're beautiful.

Best Wishes

Victoria

A Saucerful Of Secrets said...

HI Michele, Happy New Year to you!!!Looks like you've been far too constructive, I'm jealous, all I've managed to do is have nagging dreams of all that I should be doing.It'll be fine when the children return to school on Monday, then I hope I can really make a start on this new and better year.Love your Valentine frames, their tasty xx

pinkgreen said...

Your Valentine's frames are gorgeous, and well done on being so organised. I took down our tree and decs today and had a good clean through, but my studio looks like a bomb has gone off. I can't really face it just yet! I always start off with good intentions but the clutter accumulates seemingly overnight!
Cathy XX

Ragged Roses said...

Wow Michele what a great start to the year - a clear out and some lovely artwork! those frames are gorgeous! I'm waiting till the girls go back next week to get stuck into those cupboards!
Kim xxxx
PS I hope you get this as I left two comments on your last post and they both seem to have gone AWOL!

Ragged Roses said...

Hi Michele - it's my brain that's gone AWOL. Not only did I leave you two comments yesterday but both times I clicked on the wrong post to read them back. Of course you got them, of course I shouldn't be let loose near the computer without my glasses on!
Kimx

Lucy Bloom said...

Hi Michele,
Your Valentines frames are beautiful, I bet you'll be a lot more creative now that everything is tidy too. I've spent most of the day in the attic and it still doesn't look as thought anything has been touched - reckon I've got a month's work there.
Hope you are enjoying the weekend.
Lucy x

Asti said...

What a fab collection, I don't think I could use them, like not wanting to cut into an old piece of fabric!. Love the valentines frames, espesially the last one. Been having a good clear here too, although I still seem to be waiting for something, maybe it'll all fall into place when Lily's back to school on Mon (dreading having to get them up and out by 0830).............aaarrrgghhh!

Louise said...

Hi Michele, now I know why you have been awol for a day or so, just so busy sorting through your bits 'n pieces and making up those lovely frames. You are almost housing a museum in that chest of drawers of yours, wonder if Pickles knew he was sitting on a wealth of old artifacts! x

Curlew Country said...

Wow what a lot you've got done! We've just managed to get the bald tree down but much still to do. What gorgeous frames, I'm on the hunt for a vintage valentine card to give myself. Not sure hubby would appreciate one but I love them! Have a smashing 2008 Michelle and thanks so much for the truly kind comments you've left me. Discovering your blog has been a joy, you make me laugh and smiel an awful lot and its always full of such beautiful things. Really looking forward to keeping up to date with you this year. All best wishes
Stephx

The Polka Dot Pixie said...

Oh my goodness!!! Your board boxes are stunning!!! Lovely lovely work!

Carol said...

Hi Michele, I really love those frames for Valentines - we married on Valentines Day....not that we planned it, it was just the first available Sat in the Vicar's diary.
I have had a bit of tidy today...getting back to normal now, thankfully.
Big hugs,
Carol x

bj said...

Your Valentine Box Frames are so beautiful! What a fabulous job you've done!
hugs, bj

Cape Cod Washashore said...

I DREAM of organizing! At the moment, the baby's changing table has become my craft station once the diapers were shed a year ago! lol

Your Valentine's boxes are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

As for snow, we have none. In fact, it was so warm last night I had to kick off our down comforter because I felt as if I had woken up in the middle of the night in the Bahamas!!!

Connie from Beverly Hills California said...

Love your Valentine frames!!! The buttons really make them unique. I am new at blogging but am getting so inspired by all of you. I just started my Blog today. I live in Big Bear Lake Calif. and we received a few inches of snow today. But it is beautiful. The skiers love it

Chelle said...

Sounds like I'm not the only one who got the "spring cleaning bug" early. lol

I love those shadow boxes! You must have so much fun putting those together. You have a lot to be proud of, they are really neat. I'm glad you posted pictures of them. I could just stare at them all day.

Thank you also for your words of encouragement. It means a lot. It really does. I guess we all just get to the point where we have to jump to the next step. Friends always help make the gap between the steps seem a little smaller.

Here's to a new year full of good decisions and prosperity!

Michelle

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

Funny how we get in the organizing mode after Christmas. Seems that we are not alone in our thoughts and actions as I have read many a blog lately of those with the same motivations.

Michelle, your bits of vintage things look like so much fun! I will think of you when coming across these fun bits of the charming past. I'd get lost playing with everything, too.

Love your Valentine's boxes. Wonderful work and so sweet!

hugs to you and Pickles,

Becky and Doogs

Amy said...

love the title...what a wonderful book. i envy your organized drawers...such fun stuff. and i love the shadow boxes!

Anonymous said...

LoVE the valentines frames you've done lately Michele,i've just been doing some cards for the boutique here. not sure if they'll sell being that mainly women shop there and hence the men wouldnt think to go in specially for a card. but i made some that women can buy their men too. so you never know there's plenty choice. take care KAT X