Workshops Past


About Me

There's no craft revival in this family, as it never left... thrift and creative enterprise have been a way of life for these working class, feisty women for generations. Borne from an inclination to make and create, Grandmother Violet & daughters Violet, Iris and June (with little Coral as a young onlooker, watching & learning) spent the '50s & '60s making everything from knitted-beaded bags which had a flow of local cockneys knocking on the door to buy to rejuvenated ballgowns, redesigned and rebuilt from the same fabric to be worn at many masonic gala dinners and family parties. The charismatic husbands played their part in making life safe, enjoyable and full of laughter, but it was the women who took the lead role in making sure that every piece of fabric, wool or thread went to use making everyone look beautifully turned out, despite a less than affluent background... the art of turning something into nothing and making beautiful things with inspiration rather than money.. An art which I plan to continue, the next generation of crafters, remembering the '50s and always learning from the skills we've been lucky enough to inherit from our sisters and mothers... ♥

Monday 11 October 2010

Thrift and Sharing...

"Thrift is care given in the expenditure of money, or the avoidance of unnecessary spending or purchases"

The art of thrift is a team effort that takes thought and creativity, A thrifty weekend has got me thinking.... I recently reduced my work contract to four days per week. I love my job, every moment at work is exhilerating and fun, but I also love my hobbies. Giving up one fifth of my salary in order to focus on creative projects and attain a true work-life balance has meant that thrift has become a necessity, but also a form of inspiration...

Friday night was spent with a valued friend who's company never lets me down. We hopped on the train and headed to Limehouse to Nina's Taza Express where we ate fabulous food and quaffed our own wine, courtesy of their BYO policy. The hummous beiruty and the baba ganoush were divine and we spent from 7pm until 11pm laughing, chatting, tearing bread and making approving noises regarding the food and our shared life philosophies... the gorgeous and attentive waiter gave us his best of what I like to think of as "flirvice", as he always does - cheeky winks, a dish on the house and some complimentary sweets ("sweets for my sweethearts") but plenty of privacy and discretion - the perfect customer service for two women enjoying a valued evening of each other's company - and this kind of service is rare and utterly fabulous - something which should be prescribed to all women in their thirties. A gorgeous evening, and thrift was achieved when the bill discreetly presented came to £8 each... I dare you to name me one possible reason for spending any more money on this kind of evening... cosy and delightful, it left me with a warm fuzzy feeling inside, the root of which I can't quite pinpoint, but it absolutely had to be either the company, the food, the flirting or the bottle of Martini Asti we shared to celebrate the arrival of my recent purchase, a 1970s genuine G-Plan cocktail cabinet (below)... but I'm pretty sure it was a combination of all four ♥

Saturday I had a stall at the wonderful "Going for a Song" market at the Amersham Arms in New Cross. Run by the charismatic and fabulously fun Rupert (see http://loserville.tv/ for his awesome blog which has a huge following) I managed to achieve yet anothe thrifty day. Stalls ranged from delicious rainbow cupcakes and hearty chocolate and peanut butter cakes, vintage finds, eighties clothes and books and records, meaning customers had a good ol' rummage and found some brilliant treasures! Whilst earning a few pennies from my own thrift creations, I made some gorgeous purchases.. this beeoootiful retro telephone for an absolute bargain... this is what I mean by Thrift being a team effort - we all play a part in recycling lovely things and by offering them at a fair price we all get to recycle and share these beauties. Yes it's easy to get sentimental and attached to belongings but when you scratch beneath the surface: is it better to pass something on to be enjoyed and allow someone to achieve 'thrift' and you to achieve a warm glow from seeing a happy punter, or better to go home with a few more quid in your pocket...?

I also found another thrifty buy.. this old M&S beauty was lurking on the stall next to me, and the lovely girls let it go for just three pounds, with no haggling needed! What truly lovely people ♥


On a final thrifty note today I will leave you with a gorgeous find which we can all have for a bargain price... I'm loving the 50s look to Morisson's value hairspray and it's only about 30p to buy, so we can all enjoy a thrifty beehive or two - some things we just can't find second hand, and hairspray is definitely one of them.

And last of all here's a brilliant cover of a lovely song, all the way from Denmark... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHb-J5Ugau4

!Happy Rummaging Thrifties!

 ♥ Violet Iris ♥

1 comment:

  1. Very cute blog and you'd be surprised the other day I picked a full can of hair spray from the Charity shop (and it was an expensive salon one) for 50p. I can't resist a bargain beehive also x

    ReplyDelete