When we first moved into our house nearly 8 years ago I discovered that I absolutely loved restoring old furniture.

We couldn’t afford new stuff and although I preferred old furniture we couldn’t afford that in good condition either. So with the help of Nitromors (a very effective but chemical laden paint stripper), varnish, stain and paint I sanded, scraped and brushed various old wooden items back to life.

This writing bureau and one of 4 chairs were total freebies and they had both been coated with a thick black varnish which was flaking away. The chairs were minutes away from going on a bonfire but they were so pretty how could I not have them?

This two drawer chest was just £5 from a lady who had painted it bubble gum pink for her daughter when she was little. I had to get rid of that paint for the poor wood underneath.

The only problem is that as much as I enjoyed this hobby, with the chemicals I was using, it was bad, bad, bad for the environment and I haven’t done it for a few years. So, when I saw a post on my favourite blog, Crafting a Green World, about eco friendly stains and paints for furniture it sparked my imagination again. When working on these pieces of furniture I used to daydream about having my own restoring workshop and maybe even a shop like the lovely Bunny’s in Horncastle (Lincolnshire) to show people that re-loved and upcycled furniture is the nicest.

I’ve done a bit of research to find some eco-friendly paint strippers, varnishes and paints which are kinder to the environment and that perhaps I could use when I get my dream workshop and pick up my hobby again. Here’s what I found:

Home Strip – paint and varnish remover
Auro Paint Stripping Paste
EarthBorn Paints
Ecos Organic Paints
Farrow & Ball Paints

If you search Google there are actually lots and lots of eco paints available now. I’ll let you know if I try any of them.

Tags: furniture, paint

In a fantastic book about smocks and smocking I picked up last summer it quotes a 16th century guide  to ‘husbandrie’, listing the duties of a farmer’s wife. She must feed her husband and children and at about this time of year she would begin to get her seeds ready for growing plants and herbs. She would also sew hemp to make sheets, bedclothes and smocks.

Just imagine how formidable those women must have been. Providing for her family, making sure they were fed and clothed all from her garden. Now, after trying smocking I am even more impressed by these women’s skills and talents. Continue Reading »

Tags: Sewing, Smocking

Today was such a beautiful sunny day I couldn’t help but be inspired to make something lovely. I had a million ideas going around my head but decided on doing something with the pretty vintage fabric I bought from eBay the other day.

My dressmaking was interrupted with a very welcome interlude of a stroll to the park with my husband and then a mosey down the pub for lunch and a beer or two. Continue Reading »

Tags: buttons, dressmaking, seams, Sewing, top, Vintage

For some unknown reason I’ve had the Pink Panther theme tune in my head for about two weeks. The plan here is that if I write it down it may expel it from my brain. So…he’s in the pink the pink panther, the rinky dink panther…the one and only truly original panther pink panther from head to toe. OK, all done.

The other thing I’ve had in my head are various vintage goodies.

At an impromptu visit to my fave shop in Nottingham, Bambi Vintage, Continue Reading »

Tags: 1970s, brooch, clutch bag, fabric, green crafting, necklace, Vintage

Today has been an incredibly lazy day indeed. After such a busy week at work, Make Hay, and organising things for the Fairtrade Fashion Show and Green Girls Global I found myself exhausted, sleeping in until nearly midday. I don’t think I’ve done that since I was a student!

So, whilst in this lethargic state of mind I’ve mustered up the energy to have a think about some alterations I’m planning for a few items lurking in my craft room. Continue Reading »

Tags: clothing, Sewing, Shopping

People of Nottingham (and beyond) are welcome to come along to the Gedling Fairtrade Group’s Fairtrade Fashion Show 2009.

It takes place on Wednesday 4th March at Redhill Comprehensive School in Arnold. Doors open at 7.30pm and the show starts at 8pm. Come along, show your support for Fairtrade and have a lovely night out at the same time, with live music and Fairtrade stalls.

Tickets cost just £2 for adults and £1 for concessions and can be bought from various outlets in Gedling. Visit the Gedling Fairtrade Group website to find out more.

Tags: Fairtrade, fashion, fashion show

Look look look at what I scored on e-bay! A lovely bundle of vintage belt buckles…

and… Continue Reading »

Tags: 1970s, belt buckles, embroidery, pattern books

It’s probably already pretty obvious from my previous posts but if you haven’t already guessed let me say, for the record, I love, love, LOVE 1970s stuff!

I’ve heard people say that the 70s is the decade that style forgot but I couldn’t disagree more. OK, it was the heyday of some nasty synthetic fibres but the prints and colours were beautiful, rich and vibrant. Continue Reading »

Tags: 1970s, bags, embroidery

It seems like a long time ago now since I mentioned beginning this bag in my ‘Things that are orange’ post. It’s been one of those put-it-down pick-it-up projects, partly because I completely unravelled it and started it again.

Once I’d finished the crochet part it just seemed to want to have a 1970s vibe. Continue Reading »

Tags: 1970s, clutch bag, ric rac

One of our Green Hosting clients (my real life in web design and web hosting) is the brand new Queens of Vintage, a blog dedicated to those who love vintage and let’s face it there are plenty of us aren’t there?

The Queens of Vintage site has a featured section called ‘Make and Mend‘, which is a growing resource of ways to give vintage items a new lease of life. Right up my street.

In fact I’ve been thinking about re-vamping a dress of my own just like the maxi dress article. For easy peasy vintage customisation and lots and lots of vintage style visit www.queensofvintage.com

Tags: blogs, Green Hosting, website design