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Monday 29 February 2016

In my heart it feels like Spring

   A bit more colour here and there and a few bright days, blue skies and just a smidge longer days.


First of all my send a little love swap partner Tracy (mad about bags) who organised the beautiful Valentine swap
I sent these






Bookmark with handmade hatpin 
I have started making these to decorate 
bookmarks and pin cushions





Scented mini cushion




And also a pin cushion


and received these beautiful gifts from Tracy







This beautiful handmade bag 
by Tracy is really 
Lovely and I adore all the fabrics she used


Thank you Tracy
for arranging this fun swap.


Then a few days later
Tracy sent me and little miss these beauties...we were both so touched by her
kindness...


Tracy knows.  I love collecting China 
and hope to arrange a tea party in the summer
for the children and their 
friends. 

they now sit on my dresser. 

Little miss said "mummy you have such lovely friends". She is so right of course...wonderful friends .

The half term whizzed by, a bit of resting, a bit of shopping and visiting friends and just enjoying our days.  All too soon the children are back at school and as always I miss them.  If I had the brains, patience, energy I would home school them both, but then they especially need different stimuli, social interaction and although I hate to say it time away from us.  They need to develope their own
life skills, make their own relationships and friendships other than the ones we enjoy at home and expand their owns lives...it is hard as we love them being so close...but it is about them and not us.


Little Miss has the last week been sewing on the machines ahem I mean "my" machine...ha ha .she
loves the patterns and trying them out and I have been more than happy doing more routine stitching
when I get the chance on hers.   I have been busy upstairs, a bit of spring cleaning .  The new bed arrived and I moved a few bits around (as you do) and then in the process de cluttered even more.

Last Monday  we drove to Aberaeron and dropped off a few bags  of donations . Anyway I dropped the bags off and out of the corner of my eye!!!!!!!!!!!!











YES..... A typewriter, portable and I couldn't believe it...I have wanted one like this for over a year.
I learnt many moons ago on a manual to touch type whilst at school and at one point I think had over
60 words per minute, I think one exam I managed 80 wpm but that must of been on a super duper
day.  !!!!All my jobs have required typing but obviously manuel.  machines are seldom used now but I wanted one.  I wanted one to decorate fabric, tags, sticky labels and make stuff.  The ones I saw on e bay were all £40 plus shipping usually £12 or so  and knowing all the workings of a typewriter appear easy to bend or damage,  I didn't think they would travel well in the post and how accurate would the description be re the condition it was in be when it arrived ??? ..ummmmm

Well "Erika" was there, on a shelf, tucked away in the back room of the charity shop.well I could not
resist , took a deep breathe.I had a look it looked fine,. A  bit of a wipe down required and the box needs a thoroughly good wash and clean but well...and then a little "play" and for £10 (seemed a absolute bargain) what did I have to loose...if nothing else I would have a nice sturdy case to use.  However I got her home and did a little dust and wipe down of the keys etc and the ribbons was still inked and she types beautiful...I am in love.  Memories flooded back of school , the teacher hitting our fingers if we dared to look at them whilst learning to type!   To this day I remember our old
teacher Mrs Bennet bellowing out "girls, shoulders relaxed, head up and eyes looking ahead ) .  I remember watching her type to demonstrate and it was a blur she must of had over a 100 words per minute .    I am a very happy bunny.  Both the children had a try when they came home from school and declared "those keys are hard" and "this is old stuff ". But I don't care!  " Erika" and I are going to have lots of fun together.  The funny thing is this is apparently a portable typewriter and I am no weakling but it is heavy.  When I think of old themed films and posh people having their secretary with them when they travelled ...now I know what those poor girls had to carry about...I do not envy
them one bit.  For now until I give her a proper clean and tidy Erika is destined to stay in the dining room. I have looked  on You Tube and a gentle wipe with pure.  alcohol and a can of air to blow the dust out under the keys (total all in £11)
seem to be the order of the day and a spare ribbon too as this one is only black and she can print in black and red.  So it would seem for the princely sum of £21 , the original cost and the extras  to clean her up nicely, it was worth waiting for.  Obviously if I hadn't popped in to donate some stuff I
may never of found her ... Funny how things work out isn' it?

There is one hiccup though...I can't at the moment "touch type" on her. Sunday morning a week ago.  I woke up and realised both joints just below the nail on the middle and index fingers on my left hand are well swollen and a bit painful.  I can't bend them like I should be able.  Thankfully I am right handed .  I am hoping it is just a glitch , I haven't bashed or trapped them , there are no marks , just swelling.  I am praying it is not the start of arthritis.  My mum has escaped it but my dear nan had
very crippled  hands and one sister especially has it too but mainly in her elbow and knee joints.  Oh well onwards and upwards.

Well off to play...have a little gift to russle  up tonight , but new curtains for  the "new" spare room arrived today so need to give them a iron and steam and hang them , not a job I enjoy.  ,.might be a job for DH to hang them though with these dodgy fingers!!

Spring tomorrow ..yippee , can't wait.



20 comments:

  1. Loving the typewriter. I would love to be able to find one.

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    Replies
    1. I was so lucky, right place right time...having lots of fun with it.xx

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  2. Such a wonderful swap, the bag and the china was a real delight. Love the old typewriter I was gifted one a short while ago from my daughter, a wonderful addition to the craft room.

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    1. Absolutely, so many things you can do and I love the vintage lettering too.

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  3. Wow! You have lots of energy! Your swap went so very well. Erika is great. I have the beginnings of arthritis in my right hand. No female on my mother's side has escaped it.

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    1. I feel for you too, I think it must be the start of it for me , my sister thinks it is too...never mind ... Loving the typewriter ...simple pleasures .xx

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  4. Such a great swap. I need to get back in the swap swing....
    Hugs

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    1. Thank you Kim, I will post about any I find .xx

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  5. What a lovely time you are having. Such lovely things from your friend and that typewriter is great. Tell little Miss that I love to play with my sewing machine too trying out all the different stitches. I hope your fingers get better soon.

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    1. Thank you Maureen , we are having lots of fun together.xxx

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  6. I was a terrible typist - always in too much of a hurry. Lovely swap items and i adore the bone china teacup sets. Tracy is a sweetie!

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    1. Tracy is a sweetie ..we are so touched by her kindness.

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  7. Fabulous swap goodies. What a bargain that typewriter was! Far too good a bargain to turn down. Xxx

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    1. It was a lovely swap. I know..such a bargain and a lovely addition to our craft room, every craft room should have one it hopefully is going to be used lots.xxx

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  8. Hello Maria,

    Such a good swap you were involved in. I love typing, you certainly did well spying that in the shop, I think getting the reels of ink may be a problem but I am sure they can be re-inked somehow. Enjoy using it, hope your hands heal quickly. Oh and those teacups are to die for.

    Happy days.
    Bev.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. Fortunately the typewriter is German and still lots of sellers on e bay selling new ribbons so I am going to stock up a little....I imagine inking a ribbon would be a nightmare and knowing me a mess..ha ha . The cups are so pretty. Me and my sister are convinced I have the start of arthritis ..never mind it is only a few fingers.xx

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  9. At last I am back on line, great catching up with your posts again, nice to see you are still enjoying swaps :-)

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    1. Thank you Dawn, welcome back. Hope all is well with the lambs ..... And Kara of course....

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  10. Wow, you have been busy and I love that Little Miss is starting young! BTW I know your neck of the woods as was an undergrad at SDUC (Lampeter) twenty-five years ago xx

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    1. What a coincidence, Lampeter has a fab fabric shop "calico Kate" , and is nice to have a wander and a visit a cafe too. It is about 20 miles from me not too far for around here. I am so proud of my little girl, I know she is only 12 but I thought why not, a cheap machine snagging etc would of destroyed her (and my ) confidence and patience so we spent a little more and it has been so worth it. I have bought some simple patterns for her to do over Easter , simple things like,purses etc but she is as keen as ever and I want her to achieve in making something useful rather than random squares etc

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