A Crinoline Lady New Years Eve

Ive never been one for New Years resolutions so the nearest i will get is the decision to do more crafting in the next year , for which I need decent lighting , i cant see to read or sew with crappy eco bulbs or led lights which we are burdened with due to fuel costs and daft eco policies . So i need some form of daylight simulation lamp and theyre not cheap...(mutters to oneself  and adds it to the long needs list )
So today I thought Id share my favourite needlework book with you, it dates from I think the late 40s and its glorious , crinoline lady embroidery , half doll tea cosy , knitting for dolls , felt dolls house furniture sets , I think the dreaded Kirsty Allsop may have a copy because shes stolen a few ideas from it over the years . its always a bonus when you come across embroidered examples from the book or the transfers used that you could get by mail

Just Ending The Year

After nearly a week of barely there internet , ive being sorting through loads of end of year bits I need to list  stuff while i can, more gales are forecast..joy
Stuff I had forgot about that has ended up buried in the depths , so its postcards and photographs on the grounds that theyre relatively cheap and simple to list ,plus craft patterns , they wont make me rich but they need to be gone, tempted to chuck loads of stuff into a local auction at the moment , theres such a lot of 99p rubbish on ebay  it baffles me how the sellers make any money after the fees . Could be the £9 postage..
Ive also found a whole box of xmas stock id forgot , guess theres always next xmas ..lol
Havent a clue where most of the bits im listing came from , theyve just been sat in a drawer, though i quite like the Edwardian gent with dog  dated 1912 it just tickles me that the photographers are called Barki .

Action Mans tasseled bikers outfit  , strange knitting pattern or what ?

Merry Xmas To All

Maybe I could show you all the decorations ? My brilliant baking ? My perfectly wrapped presents ?

But then again in the real world , I could show you the 2ft xmas tree and my Winter King , the pillowcases of presents i didnt get round to wrapping , the £135 Asda bill from 5am this morning . My gorgeous family who make it all worthwhile , do I need to go on?
Have a very happy dysfunctional family xmas , remember you have to put up with them for one day a year  , I feel for those in America and Canada as you have Thanksgiving as well , but hey you have a beautiful large country and gorgeous big houses so you can escape from them all  .

Meanwhile in my bad crafting moment heres an owl the most overmade item of the year , but something my grandson has wittered for . It took his favourite outgrown onesie and scraps from round the house, a pattern from the internet and a couple of hours . He will likely use it as a football as a good five year old should , but Granny loves him so why should I worry .
Enjoy your Christmas , in whatever way you choose , keep a straight face at any comedy presents and remember Gin is the answer to many of lifes problems ..Byeeeeeeeee

Sunday Best Buttons

I admit I have a small hoarding problem, but doesnt everyone have a vintage suitcase packed with vintage buttons ..lol
Over the years ive collected thousands literally , from glass to wood to mother of pearl , vintage fragile plastics , horn , pottery . Is there anything they havent made buttons from . My collection is firmly based on what my magpie eye finds attractive , it has nothing to do with age or value , plus you can store them in vintage tins !!
I was looking for the perfect eyes for a little xmas project and among the thousands i found the perfect ones

Tiny Thrift Haul

This week ive  had a budget crisis occasioned by the company I work for not paying me and Mr Bah Humbug not getting a xmas Bonus from his employers .  So ive only had pennies to spare for charity shopping . Rent and copious amounts of food have eaten the budget... We're going to be eating an awful lot of  http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/ through to the end of January . this isnt a bad thing but I must remember that case deal can mean an awful lot of items. Pancakes for breakfast everyday through xmas , then yorkshire puddings with everything for the next month. Guinness crisps anyone?

It was a bit like been a kid again , opening a huge box and rooting through what id bought , I remember the days when everyone paid weekly for a xmas hamper and it was an event when they turned up, ham in pear shaped tins, tinned salmon, tinned cream , all things we didnt eat the rest of the year. Quality Street in a huge tin , unlike the weedy plastic tasteless offerings they make now . Then you got given the huge box to play in .
am I really that old that it was an event to play in a cardboard box? Maybe it was just grim up north ?

 Because we live ruraly  its 15 miles in any direction to a decent sized supermarket ,  having stuff delivered can be a better and cheaper option than travelling .
 Although i use the big supermarkets when they have free delivery offers , i do find ordering on line tedious , you find they promote the hell out of the big brands and then hide the value ranges in some obscure location on their websites . I cant get my head round couponing because there never seems to be coupons for anything I actually buy , im a cheapskate I guess .

So try not to laugh at my huge thrift Haul this week courtesy of a methodist church coffee morning in Lincoln A pair of flowery tapestry cushion colours , a bag full of pretty new crocheted doillies  and a little selection of vintage xmas , all for the price of a shopping trolley

Bitchy Witchy Thursday

The joys of rural living. Having to get up at 5am for your Xmas fix of the Great British Sewing Bee, rural broadband is great by 7am we are down to 1mg.  in the evenings forget it..lol .
Now sat drowning in a sea of work invoicing , babysitting a 5 year old munchkin who wants bacon and red sauce for breakfast? NOW..lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb8ByV_76HQ

So im flicking through the internet Daily.Mail,  yes im that person they warn you about a Daily Mail reader.
Can anyone please explain to me why there are 7 articles on the front page about the loathsome KK clan? Does anyone in the UK remotely care which of them is shagging who ? whether theyve had to photoshop that poor babies eyebrows or what frock dad is wearing on xmas day ? Is there no news today?
im sorry but why does the filter on the Mail assume that because im a women I should get the Femail headlines, a bunch of nonetities who I havent got a clue who they are .

Wait a minute theres Katie Holmes , Happy birthday chuck you need a big badge with I survived Tom Cruise or even better a real big badass tattoo , maybe we could start an internet appeal?

Everytime I see that Miley creature I just want to skewer that tongue to the table with a fork , has she no mother?  If she was mine id have bitch slapped the dozy mare by now , staged an intervention and stapled a burka on her , girl you are an embarrassment to your sex , Madonna did it all better love .

Meanwhile in the news  we have todays cure for cancer, tomato juice . Yesterday it was apples, talk about the obvious. Fruit and veg are good for you . I think weve grasped that one

The obligatory daily scrounger story , beggar living in £1000 a month flat , isnt that the norm for a broom closet in London ?

Gender Neutral toys in M&S by next year , give us a break . so there going to produce gender neutral  dolls? Sandi Toksvig or Ellen Degeneres in pink floaty frocks or am i just a bigoted oldie who doesnt  understand gender neutral ? explanations in comments please.

Meanwhile our dear leader Dave is horrified at 14 people living in a shed in someones back garden , I thought that was the whole idea behind the bedroom tax Dave?

So the purpose of the Daily Mail is to promote the Conservatives and raise bile and indignation in middle aged middle england voters ? maybe I dont quite fit the demographic theyre aiming for but I can always find something to rant about in the wretched Daily Mail

Victorian Xmas

Just a quickie today , look what i found lurking in a pile of my grandmas papers , ive no idea where she got them , they just have a pencil girls name on each one, theyre even older than my grandma so we will never know. so enjoy a Victorian Xmas Card . sharing with http://www.wecallitjunkin.com/link-party-week-12-history-home/

Jesus Day

Come on hands up whos sick of the sight of Christmas already? If I see one more perfume advert I will scream , I dont quite grasp how anyone can buy a bottle of scented water for £100 and think that there missus will turn into a tulle glad image of thankfulness.
Its the stress getting to me , i have to be careful not to mention even vaguely that anything is nice or they will be out there buying it in mountains. When all i really would like is no arguments all xmas and sleeeep lots of it.
Meanwhile the Home for Redundant Volumes has gained another resident , I didnt realize that this was a complete book till I counted the pages,

they are all loose , given in 1892 to Cecil John Lestrange Malone from his affectionate father and mother . Enjoy the Old Testament Alphabet after all its sunday!!

Mouldy Towers Rant

Todays Rant has been inspired by http://www.thriftdiving.com/2013/11/stop-thinking-you-have-an-ugly-house.html  Serena I do have an ugly house , no amount of rose colored glasses or primping can hide that fact.
We live in a post war prefab  belonging to the local council , were lucky to have it, but it is the house from hell , its timber framed with pebble dash exterior , now in the states you build amazing wood houses . In the UK we didnt, these were thrown up after the war , supposed to last 10 years till something better could be built and somehow they never built anything else .  Originally it had an open fireplace to heat your water and keep the place warm, this worked really well because the fireplace was inside the central concrete core and once it got warm all the core gave out heat . Fast forward to the 70s when they got the urge to modernise , they bricked up the fireplaces and installed electric storage heaters , which in the days of energy strikes and cheap electric was an ok solution , the place never got warm but it kept the chill off . On to the 90s they decide to go green , sort of . They installed oil central heating replaced the metal windows with PVC single glazing and then it turned into house of mould , because the concrete parts of the house remain stone cold all the time and the windows are useless we have so much condensation that mould thrives everywhere . when we get down into minus figures we have mist hanging over the downstairs floors in the morning , you have to demould all the windows every day , your curtains get mould growing in them , so nice curtains arent worth having and they have to be thrown away every spring , carpets just rot due to the damp coming through the floors  , ive got industrial office style carpet tiles at the moment . theyre great but not that warm to walk on . Our kitchen is from the 70s and its a lovely brown formica that is falling apart .
Now energy is so expensive in the UK that if you can afford to run heating day and night in even the coldest weather youre well off , we had the council surveyor round he told us we must keep the heating on 24/7 open the windows for 10 minutes every hour and scrub all surfaces with bleach to keep the mould at bay . He also says the property would be condemned if it didnt belong to the council..lol
We also have a notorious council they dont maintain their properties very well, the government require a certain standard of housing on the day you move in after that they dont care , so when a property becomes empty they spend months bringing it up to the latest standard once youre in they do nothing , ive had water coming through the ceiling twice in the last three months they bodge it it leaks again , if you complain they just give you a list of private landlords .
So im grateful for a roof over my head many havent , but I loathe this place all winter . I can buy beautiful things but i cant keep them they would be ruined, so ebay is my outlet http://stores.ebay.co.uk/katiesrecycle
In a summer we have a huge garden and a rural location which is great .

I have looked through hundreds of local pictures to try and show you the sheer awfulness of this property nobody has ever been that proud of living in one that theyve taken any ..lol

Shock Horror ..I Bought A Christmas Decoration

Ok I bought this rather nice Winter King the nearest to a Santa I could stand, hes pot and really rather nice , I do like a proper furry bloke around the home..lol . I should be banned from the wonderful Rock Foundation in Grimsby he was a stunning 75p and the first time ive bought anything of a xmas nature for myself in about 10 years .

The fateful bit of the trip is pictured here , the women who runs it said "you like a bit of old stuff, these were going in the bin." theres this big sepia Riverside Gossip print , Victorian in origin , i will have to play hunt the frame for it , it can guest till i find one .
Then theres this water damaged water colour the mounts damaged but the picture will save , not signed and i would imagine its the work of a gifted amateur , I like the B side as well it has a page of the Leicester Mercury glued to the back from 1935 , love  the man who'd tried to drown his wife in the washtub. More for my to do pile im afraid, but life would be boring if i was a shopoholic in the malls instead
of the charity shops.

Colclough China Horror Story

Once upon a time , well at a car boot in the summer .  I saw these and thought theyre pretty  , they were reasonable and i said I would buy them . Then the horror story started he took my money picked up the box and tipped it straight into a paper bag AAAAARRRRRGGH....well five got home alive .

Theyre beautiful little things, I do have the sixth cup and saucer but theyre both chipped . Is it worth splitting them and selling them individually?  Colclough China made in Longton England, Genuine Bone China,pale yellow with guilding and roses

Freaky Auction Lot

So today being a Sunday and not in the mood for a trip to Saint Tescos with the other turkey wrestlers . I dragged Mr Bah Humbug to an auction viewing , its a fairly big sale that doesnt have a photographic catalogue online except for the stuff  that will fetch hundreds , now in the auction catalogue its listed as Pink Dressed doll in large circular domed case. Sounds kind of normal doesnt it ..lol
this is a very bad photograph that we had to take when no one was looking  , im sure shes something good but i cant remember what

So decision time do I put a bid in for this due to the sheer horror of the item? sadly im at work on the day but my friend is going !!!

Blown Away By It All

Do you ever have one of those days ?
I had to work outside today in the arctic 60mph winds , you dont half get some funny looks when youve got sunglasses on this time of year along with your ski hat, gloves, scarves, huge Eastern European fur collared coat and a pair of DMs, sort of Baltic Granny chic . Im one of the chosen people, if my eyes get cold the lids start to swell and stick , hence the sunglasses , if id an ounce of sense I wouldnt have been out in it and i know that by tomorrow morning it will be Quasimodo time .
So try not to laugh at this tale , so im hanging around  trying to keep warm  by wandering in and out of the shops , first up is the charity shops , thought id loiter in the Hospice shop , spotted some vintage knee huggers and as http://sirthriftalot.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/thriftasaurus_30.html had been raving about them this week , I picked them up for a closer look and the leg of one promptly fell off , so im stood there getting the death stares from the strange assistant holding one red felt leg, the manager comes up and grabs them and starts the rant about them being valuable vintage items. more like moth eaten kitsch tat but i hadnt got the energy for an argument . I offered to pay for the wretched thing, she was gutted when she turned it over and it was priced at 10p . So gutted that i scuttled off with my handicapped elf as she preceded to harangue her
staff for underpricing things..lol 

I did manage to find a few little bits in other shops  , couple of cross stitch kits, a kitchen saying and a really nice little needle case . Yet another jigsaw , but its round and its Waddingtons.  Pair of nice pillowcases that have 3 prints combined cant decide whether they are cutups or into the airing cupboard . The splendid cotton A line skirt in blue and green print that is a cut up, loved the material . But best of all just because it made me smile , a vintage holiday souvenir, a pair of vintage embroidered hankies complete with an amazing swiss cowbell key ring what more could i ask for .

Bits and Bobs

Do you trawl through the rubbish they put on the pavement outside charity shops , not the bins I hasten to add but the stuff they write "take me please on"

. How could anyone just throw this in? I suppose its to tatty or not politically correct enough . Once again the Home for Retired Volumes has gained another resident  lol

Then theres these two beauties , permanent residents of House of Mould . My grandson loves the globe so
guess what hes getting for xmas .

Nobody knows everything that sells on ebay , im just a lucky guesser sometimes , this has been guesting for a while because i just liked it , but i have no use for it , popped willow pattern enamel into search and got a surprise ! cant find this two person tea pot but Judges enamelware is a seller so must make the effort and get this on , though how you price an item that nobody else has is always a poser

Linking up with http://www.wecallitjunkin.com/call-olde-link-week-10/

Monday at the Charity shops

Memo to myself. do not walk away from the Blog to the kettle ,while youre USB heated gloves are still plugged in and on your hands ...lol
I was actually finished at work for 12 today , so ive had the chance to list a bit more in http://stores.ebay.co.uk/katies-recycle/_i.html?rt=nc&_sid=55905914&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1581&_pgn=2
I did a few crafty charity shops at the weekend and theres a few bits to show and tell , pickings are still very slim , but i enjoyed a good root round . Couldnt resist this thick heavy screen printed linen  tablecloth , loved the colors .

A little bit of Mary Quant , like new gaudy tablecloth

Then i spotted yet another vintage college scarf , i got home listed it and it was sold in 10 minutes , my only sale all weekend . But i havent got many xmas items on sale at the moment , ive a lot of local interest and crafty bits to go on before the christmas hols , they do tend to sell well when everyones sat at home bored to death for a week after the Turkeyfest .
Meanwhile ive picked up a bit more wool (like i needed any ) more gloves and mittens needed, they lose them as fast as i churn them out , im not a wool snob theres wool thats gorgeous to knit, £5 a ball,  feels lovely but as soon as you wave it at the washer its instant felt , im a great believer in oddballs and acrylic another symptom of my inherent meaness

Xmas Bleedin Xmas

Today im xmas ranting , it brings out the worse in me im afraid , thats probably why Mr Bah humbug and I make a good pair. The problem is I just dont get it, never have never will .  I come from a family who  didnt celebrate it like all the other families did.  

My mother loathed her family , she still does at nearly 80 . they were a constant reminder of her background which was dirt poor in a way you dont see any more . Xmas to my mother was just a waste of money so we didnt celebrate it . But it was an excuse to make sure that the select few guests saw how much better everything she had was, than what they owned , her sherry was the best , her furniture had to have the best names her clothes were designer names of the times . She used to put boxes wrapped beautifully under the tree but there was nothing in them . she kept xmas cards year after year so people would think she was really popular .

My poor old dad was in awe of her , she was his goddess ,stunningly beautiful and he thought she could do no wrong . Beautiful maybe but she had a viscous tongue and she used it on him constantly . she wasnt just careful with money she was plain mean. 

Everday I was made to understand that i was a disappointment to her , i was a small dark lumpy child who looked just like my dad . Its true that its the bad words that stick with a child forever . I remember my mother telling me i had to stay in my room every time we had guests , because nothing she could dress me in would make me presentable or a credit to her . when bad things happened to me as a child i was told it was my own stupid fault .

Going down the years it didnt change , she eventually walked out on me and my dad for another man . Bless Tom , yet another bloke who was amazed that he had caught such a beauty . when the divorce came through she was horrified that she had to have a custody visit with me 2 hrs a week.That didnt last long, my dad packed us up and moved to the other side of the country after i became distraught at her making me walk on the other side of the street from her and her ignoring me when she was with someone . 

I tried down the years , she asked me to stop sending xmas presents because i couldnt afford to buy her anything good enough !! She moved and didnt tell me where , my step dad got in touch when he knew he was dying he said shes about to find out how lonely life can be and your all she has left.

So through gritted teeth we tolerate each other on the end of the phone , visits are few , she wont have my family there . she has missed her amazing grandchildren whole lives and has refused to see her great grandson as well .this last year her health has failed a little and i feel guilty , but shes still to mean to even ring me , I must ring her because she doesnt want to lose her low user tariff   Mr BH is baffled ,having just lost his mother he thinks i should make more effort , he doesnt understand that we may be genetically related but we have nothing in common. 

All our kids and grandkids are my achievement in life , but i just find xmas depressing. I go through the motions but not on a grand scale . As soon as its over im fine again , So im sorry theres no show and tell of a wonderful xmas nature , though i get to look through your windows at a real xmas, which is just great .

Tins ..I love tins

I blame this post on http://www.thriftyamos.com/2013/11/biscuit-men.html. you see we have a tin in common, so as requested its show us your tins day ..lol  The trouble with tins is that you can always claim theyre storage , so its a crafty way of having a hoard. Mine are mostly sewing storage and these all lurk within hands distance of my desk, theres an awful lot more hidden around the house.  Theres not been  lot of blogging this week mainly due to an attack of the Quasimodos , ive done something to my back and today its getting better but im struggling to balance on one foot and it makes it interesting to say the least . Work has been fun , but ive hobbled on and hopefully with a lay around like a cabbage kind of weekend . More like an ebay and direct the house elves weekend..lol..I should feel more me and less like a pill popping zombie by Monday .
so lets start with the oldest a gorgeous pair of Colmans mustard  commemorative Tins, these were probably the first tins i bought back in my teens , I had a huge collection of commemorative tins and china that ive whittled down to my favorites and family bits . Not valuable very tatty but i still find these beautiful The 1902 coronation of Edward the VII  and the 1893 Wedding of the future George V .

The Sewing Collection these really do have sewing bits in them , the red dragon huntley and Palmers was my mums sewing tin back in the 60s

BlueBird Toffee tins from the 50 and 60s they house my embroidery transfers and buttons (ok not all my buttons ), just popped a bit of Pyrex in their to relieve the boredom ..lol   http://stores.ebay.co.uk/katiesrecycle

 

And my latest acquisitions, A Queen elizabeth 60 years jubilee , now full of lace scraps and this Kitty cat who was so filthy i bought him for a £1 then found he was full of buttons bows and buckles , yet to be sorted properly im afraid .

Fat Bird Fashion Rant

I think im xmased out allready this year , ive wandered the county in the last week between funeral chores , popping into charity shops here and there , having to fight my way past hoards of old ladies trying to buy smellies from 3 years ago that wont have an ounce of smell , buyers of moth eaten xmas trees and the rest of the pickers looking miserable and despondent .
Then theres the horror of trying to buy real world clothes in basic black during the sparkly fat bird on a cruise season. I know choice is limited if your a fat bird but ive seen some really bizarre sights . why has everything got funny shaped hems ? the only real slimming item of clothing would be a camouflage onesie and a bunch of trees this time of year . Why would anyone want to cover themself in black sparkly sequins ? sort of Shirley Bassey does steroids . My mothers nearly 80 and wouldnt be seen dead in the stuff they sell in Evans. My daughter howls with laughter every time i have to venture into the place , she has suggested wearing a burka might make the experience more enjoyable .
Heres my big question for the fashion industry , if most of the country is a size 16 + why when you get anything new instore will there be 2 of each large size and 20 size 10s ? then come the sales thers no large sizes and 9 size 10s rotting on the rails?  Sainsburys you do great basics that dont drop to bits at the first wash. But why oh why did you ever employ Gong Wang ? has anyone ever been seen wearing the hideousness he designs?  do you ever sell any of them? The knockdown rails are packed with his offerings , scary stuff it is . Asda , I know its xmas but how many reindeer jumpers can one store have?
Meanwhile ive got to list this bit of size 22 loveliness on ebay at the weekend i never wore it , its just been hanging in the wardrobe looking beautiful for a long time, now i never have the occasion to wear it and the psoriasis never goes away , this is the back view it laces like a corset

Be Grateful

Its Sunday morning 7am ive been up for hours, the 5 year old Muck magnet is already making the most of his mum still being in bed and watching daft TV and im on my third cuppa tea , the birds havent even started singing yet.  
All my American friends will be turkey wrestling , my English ones mostly having a Sunday lie in .
Weve had a funny couple of weeks as a family . My partner and I are both the product of divorced parents, my parents were a car crash , but they split and married great people , my step parents were awesome people they loved my parents till the day they died holding hands . Theres just my mum still alive now .
Sadly this week Mr Bah Humbug lost his mother , his parents were also a disaster together and went on to other partners , she sadly died alone . we have a big family feuding  funeral tomorrow and i dread it . all his siblings loath each other
Weve been together 7 years we have 5 great kids between us, thankfully we were to old to make any of our own but weve had my daughter and grandson living with us for 5 years , my son lives in the shed(dont ask) another  son is down the road keeping an eye on his 86 year old Grandad , it means he gets a big bedroom and him and Grandad are like a comedy sketch together . Our part time members are a son with Aspergers and Autism who lives with his mum but lodges here when she needs a break , which believe me she deserves.
But this brings to mind the eldest , shes always been the one who keeps her distance and shes fiercely independent . In the space of 2 weeks shes delivered by c-section Mr Bah Humbugs first grandchild all of his own, Ava, on the anniversary of her mothers death.  We were due to go visit on the weekend  her Grandma died , so her first outing will be to her Grandmas funeral and this will be the first time weve seen her for ages.
I wish we could make everything all right but it isnt ,im the step mum who stole her Dad as far as shes concerned . So tomorrow will be a sad but fraught occasion .
Unconventional families are so much the norm these days , were not the Waltons and Mr Bah Humbug just gets upset over it all . He says i mother them all to death . True, but i was never mothered at all .
So today its a be grateful for what you have, be it family , church or friends . If someone cares about you ,youre truly blest .

Long Ago In A Land Far Away

Once upon a time , my dearly unbeloved ex husband bought me something nice. I hasten to add this was by chance . At an auction he managed to get 3 huge photo albums , all dating 1910 -14 , mainly because they were in such dreadful condition no one in their right mind would have bought them , except maybe me ...lol they had been soaked the pages were thick with mould and the smell was indescribable . we split up 3 weeks later ..lol.
Fast forward 7 years and he handed me a big black bin bag with them still in , id filled the bag with loads of silica gel packets tied it up and hed shoved it in storage . Well it kinda worked , the smell had gone the mould had turned to dust a lot of the pages had rotted away , but a lot of the pictures were salvaged . One whole volume was Raj India and the far east, awesome social history shots which ive cut out and kept , but whover had filled the albums had done the world tour , America, Europe, North Africa, egypt and lots of places that only feature in old globes and atlases . so I broke them into groups and ebayed a lot , but im now on the last album take a look, theres a mixture of photographs and postcards , i have to make an effort and ebay these before xmas ..lol ..but real life is keeping me busy

San Carlos Mission 

Aboard the Franconia sailing  from New York

Ohio River 

50p Purchase

You know when you just have to grab something because somebody else has just put it down. The Wonder Book of Children of all nations is now mine. snatched from the dump bins and dragged home to my lair .
I just took the chance that it might have some nice colour plates , it dates from 1919-20  not many colour plates at all , dilapadated and packed with vintage photographs though so well worth 50p .

The photographs are great from a social history perspective , if a little strange, this is a childrens book that has a section on torture and capital punishment.
Then i started to read it , now I know this is Age of Empire that i collect  , and Britannia ruled the Waves, but they havent got a nice word to say about any other race on the planet , reading this is not for the squeamish . Still read it though . but i think its going on the top shelf out of the way of anyone. so ive picked some nice photographs to show you today out of it

Canadian Indians 

Norwegian Daft Hats 

Crafty Sunday

Its always good when ebay starts to throw free listings about , so today im trying to build up a pile of crafty listings on good old Turbo Lister . So http://stores.ebay.co.uk/katiesrecycle then tomorrow i just have to press the magic upload button when I get in from work . The Trouble is I just keep finding more and more. lol . Plus theres all the usual domestic servitude tasks of a normal Sunday as well .
I think I will resort to grouping things together , with the cost of listing and Paypal fees its not really worth listing anything for less than £5 , unless im just glad to see the back of the item . So ive grouped a pile of Womens Institute booklets together

, im debating vintage dolls knitting patterns and vintage toy knitting . Ive separated issues 1-8 of Mollie Makes , that means ive faced the fact i will never make the herds of felt animals i kept them for . Ive mountains to do but my minds just not on it .

My Version of Frugal and Thrift

Blame this rant on http://www.athriftymrs.com/2013/11/how-long-can-i-survive-if-i-lose-my-job.html and the ever useful http://www.frugalqueen.co.uk/2013/11/its-beginning-to-look-lot-like.html . This is the time of year when financial matters really hit , you look around you and all the carrier bag carrying lemmings are heading for the shops , the more you shop the more your loved , isnt that the way we should think. guilt guilt guilt cos its xmas .
Mr Bah Humbug is allready ranting happily over the TV ads and weve taken the precaution of ordering a new TV remote for when he hurls it at the TV after the thousandth time the Hare and Bear appear but i think its the M&S add thats got him venting well .
So heres my weird guide to being skint or almost skint , none of this is recomended by anyone but it does work i can vouch for it .
1, You just got made redundent or your income has dropped to virtually zilch
 If its redundency and not the liquidators knocking on the door of the company you will get redundancy money ,due holiday pay any salary owed etc quickly. Do not spend this money get it out of the bank the day it lands and put it under your mattress. there is no law to prevent you doing this, the bank may squeal, tell them youre buying a car .
First job is call the Council Tax and if your renting Housing Benefit , tell them you wish to make a claim , you dont have to give them anything much at this stage they just run through a checklist , but once its logged on their system it has 30 days to be processed and they will backdate to your first call to them , if you ring them 6 weeks down the line when the bailiff letters appear that is the date they start the claim from . Do remember it can take weeks to get JSA
Do not make any payments on loans or credit cards , do check if loans or credit cards are covered by insurance first . this is usually the point where you find out just how plain useless all the loan insurance is , my partners covered him for his illness but his employment insurance stated he had to supply details of 3 job interviews he had attended each month , unfortunately he took a year to get an interview fortunately he got the job!!!. other insurances state you must maintain payments till the claim is processed , they then take months to process the claim. Theyre not daft at all . Do not ring them let them ring you , if you dont want to talk to them turn your phone off . There is no debtors prison , yes you will destroy your credit rating but as you cant eat it ,does it matter?

Do contact your mortgage provider , there are numerous schemes to help and they really want your money .
Take a look at your other outgoings , do continue pet insurance its cheap and you never know. Look at your life insurance can you get a cheaper term insurance for less or the same amount .
If you make CSA payments ring them straight away , once again its from the date you call them not from the date they call you .
Utilities , do talk to these people , you will need heat light and water , if you have a large bill outstanding the water suppliers are the people who will have you to court fairly quickly and if you want to avoid CCJs and horrendous costs talk to them .
Gas and Electric if your supplier is one of the big boys your in luck, if you went on a comparison web site and got the cheapest your in deep do do , theyre cheap for a reason sunshine! and this is the point they will exploit you to the hilt , they will have you to court in no time , slap on huge costs and send the bailiffs to fit you with a pre payment meter which will claw the money back at a ridiculous amount a week . You will end up sat in the dark and cold 3 days a week. If you have the money ring them with a meter reading pay the bill and go to the big boys right now.
If youre with the big boys even if you owe them thousands they can still help , do not pay your bill , yes they will ask you to take a prepayment meter , the argument that they are more expensive is based on the fact that you pay £1 a week maintenance charge , big deal . no matter what you owe them you will pay it back at £5-6 pounds a week which is in effect an interest free loan , once the meter is fitted you can go to a cheaper supplier if theyre more expensive . British Gas even do a USB key charger so you dont have to go to the shop!! Plus once you have a meter they all have schemes to help those on a low income so do talk to them
To all my American readers I understand that this is the most boring rant youve read , but i know your country is in as big a mess as ours and normal service will be resumed tomorrow

Knitting Pattern Hell

Never Ever be fooled by a grinning little old lady behind the counter in a charity shop . "Ive been saving these for you " she says and lobs half a stone of knitting patterns in a Tesco carrier bag at me . But then I cheered up when she said "thats a £1 "
So ive spent a happy hour looking at bad taste knitting , trying to find that one that will make me a fortune ..lol  This is an example of the good stuff  (image stolen from ebay) these bad boys recently made £100 on a BIN, trendy woolies from the 30s to the 50s are selling really well at the moment.sadly these arent mine

 .Obscure Doll and Toy Knitting Patterns by Alan Dart and Jean Greenhowe can fetch £5 each upwards some considerably more ,Fireman Sam doll knitting pattern recently sold for £65 .

 Early Rowan Knitting Pattern Magazines , I sold mine to help fund my divorce . Gary Kennedy Intarsia Patterns , certain ones once again can fetch £30 plus. So never overlook the tatty pile of knitting patterns you never know what you might find , ive found dressmaking patterns and all sorts of obscure stuff in this pile of  90% rubbish  . Did I find any gems in this pile of tatty pages , I wont get rich but they will more than pay for themselves and then some

O