SEPTEMBER CHAZZA SHOP SWEEP!

Dear Blog, I'm sorry to have neglected you so selfishly in recent months. Here I am to rectify this by hitting you with a lot of info & imagery! Please note- no one other than me was injured during the making of this post. Contrary to what you might think I dislike, yes dislike, any form of self photography. So rather than stretch out the arm or use a mirror, I precariously piled lots of objects on top of one another to make a tripod and then set the 10 second timer and scrambled on top of my table to take most of these photos! Please respect the artist! I decided to use my little room off my bedroom- my nook. I did start off in the garden with a wheelie bin as a tripod (binpod) but it started raining, of course!

Here is the nook....

Last weekend, I did the rounds around The Chazzas in Macc. I made it my mission to try and find some winter wonders, get a head of the game & the wrinklies who dared to get in my way. First off, I wanted some jumpers/knitwear to keep me snug.

1) Cream hand knitted Jumper, Windy Ways from the £1.00 rail. Score.

2) Teddy Bear Jacket £4.00 Sue Ryder.

At first I felt like bungle off Rainbow, but nobody wants to feel like an over heated paedophile, so I have embraced it's toggles and weird zigzag pattern. It does nod to 'mod' with the cute collar. Now I love it and me in it will give good bear hugs.

3) Back To School (minus bullying)

So this outfit consists of a shift dress- Bernardo's 99p, Jeager wool blazer (I changed buttons) East Cheshire Hospice £2.50, Satchel, Windy Ways £2.00 COS white shirt, uniform.

4)Don't mess with my satchel

5) She wore blue velvet

Over the moon that I managed to find a blue velvet number! velvet can only be worn in the winter months by serious people. I think this will look ace with a mohair jumper and chunky boots (of which I'm yet to buy) Twas from Sue Ryder Chazza £4.00



6) Cream Trousers (yes that's what I said...)

Ok so I saw these and momentarily wet myself because they're high waisted and slinky so something I know suits my figure, hides my bum, but then Creammmmmm, cream, cream, and 100% polyester so not going to dye easily at all. Maybe I should embrace the cream? Anyway will tackle it when I decide to wear them. I have teamed them with my all time greatest chazza bought shirt. They were £3.00 from Sue Ryder.

6) Aviator Attitude

The first chazza I went into I found this, the jacket to top all jackets. A leather, aviator style, sheep skin collared delight. My mum said it was "wonderful" my sister reckons it's "rank" without having even seen it. What do you think? Whatever the outcome it was £5.00 from The Samaritans, can't complain for that!

 I look like a man.

7) Suffragette skirt

It ticks all the boxes. Military. Green. Wool. Midi-length with a front split. It is the most perfect fit too. I think I'll wear this alot over winter with those chunky boots and jazzy knits. £4.50 From Sue Ryder- girl done good! (I am bending down to get in shot this isn't my usual pose)

Pose. More object stacking enabled full frontal here.

7) Stole(n) my heart.

I love this is was £7.00 from Windy Ways. Not sure how I feel about furs but it's a nice thing to have even if I don't feel like wearing it.

So that's about it for this post but I'm going to do a seperate one on accessories soon! Keep your eyes peeled!

The End.

Thimball inheritance, a wonderful thing.

The year 2010, not the best of years! I lost two, wonderful ladies, my nana and my grandma. Polar opposites as they were, I have such fond memories of both. My grandmas 15 room Georgian house, not including the cellar & attic. The biggest stained glass window you'll ever come across, adorned with the 10 commandments (very spooky as a child) & humongous willow tree in the garden. My Nanas famous catch phrases and hideous toilet covers and the Dairy Milk bars for "energy".

I've inherited some wonderful objects & I have a little moment when I think back to a time when I used to admire each one.

My grandma had an extensive thimble collection that I used to study whenever we visited.

I'm now the proud owner of this selection and it really does mean so much to possess a little something that meant so much to a special someone.

I'm going to treasure them.

Barbour Eat Your Heart Out...

My awesome 2.50 jacket, courtesy of Age Concern, Ta very much!

Reep What You Sew

Here lyeth the products of an afternoons machining! I saw a very similar bag in American Apparel for something ridiculous and thought that I could match it! So i bought this leatherette fabric from The Fent Shop, Macclesfield and made my very own. The skirt, also inspired by one I'd seen in AA, literally cost 3 quid to make! Times are hard, but with a bit of imagination and patience, something unique can be yours for a fraction of the price!

Picture Perfect

1.50 from Windy Ways.

I've gone DIY craft crazy! Part 1. Paper Bunting

Saw this at a vintage fair in Stockport one Sunday, selling for quite a dear price. Told myself 'I can do that'. So I did.

You will need:
Sewing machine, threaded up and raring to go.
Ribbon- at least 1.5m to get a good run.
Books, whatever you desire, good ones are Nature, Maps, Interior.
Bunting template, cut out of stiff card- browse through your books and decide on a suitable size to get the best out of the pages.
Pen.
scissors.
Pins, if required.

I managed to get a bag of hard backs from a Chazza for £1 and the ribbon from a Paper chase sale at £1 for 3 metres. Yes the whole lot for £2.



Simply choose desired images, place template on the page- check you're not cutting through an ace image on reverse, draw around it and then chop them out. Good whilst watching a film. I've recently watched 'Eagle vs Shark' It's brilliant.

You should end up with a pile of these..



Next fold the ribbon in half and hold a bunting piece in the middle and just sew along- you can pin them but I found it easier to just free style and just keep slotting the bunting pieces into the ribbon in a random fashion.

Lovely stuff!

Lovin' Levy.

Levenshulme is underrated! I love living just far enough out of the City centre but near enough to not feel detached from friends.There's a real sense of community here, everyone says 'Morning' as you're walking down the street, which is fantastic!

I've managed to hunt out some real treasures of Levy & I hope you'll take a trip here someday! It's only 5 mins form Piccadilly..

1.


This husband & wife run cafe is situated on Stockport road. Come here for a quiet cuppa or poached eggs on toast, or pick up a jar of tasty home made preserve or cake! Very laid back. Sometimes they'll randomly host events, recently having a vintage clothing sale, which I blimmin missed! Limited menu but a gem that you'd seldom find in Levy a year ago.




2.


Levenshulme Antiques Village. What a magnificent Aladdin's cave of wonders! Every time I visit this place I feel excited and overwhelmed by all the antiques on offer! I especially like the shops that are crammed full of bits n pieces. There's one shop (name escapes me) where I go in and the chap owner always tells me some interesting fact about whatever random object I'm eyeing up.I did buy something from him the other day, for a project I'm working on! He obviously loves his job. There's so much to see. It also has a teeny weeny cafe amongst the maze of rooms and stair cases. Serving a good brew , jacket potatoes and a full English. There's a nice courtyard leading to more sheds and reclamation huts! Definitely worth a visit, especially if you own a car.





3.


Post Office Deli is a wonderful, homely place. The food is smashing. I've been here quite a few times now. I've eaten falafel burgers and bought some great cheese too. It's basically one side of an operational Post Office on Albert Road. It has outside seating and an alcohol license in place. It serves unusual bottled lagers and ciders. POD puts on gigs for the locals which I want to check out one day. It's such a great little place in an unexpected location. It really needs the support of the local community so I aim on going there as often as possible!




Levy Links..

http://www.thewesley.org.uk/
http://www.levenshulmefestival.co.uk/venue_levenshulme-library
http://www.lev-inspire.org.uk/

Nexus Art Cafe

Possibly the most welcoming and acest cafe in Manchester without question. Nexus art cafe. The home of pop up exhibitions and a proper brew, book swapping and couch laying, amazing cakes and the thickest cut bread I have ever seen. All the things I love. I also value the fact that the heating dial has been turned just that couple of notches higher than average, which to me is just right, being the little weed that I am; so it is always toasty warm.
You can park your butt on anything from an old arm chair complete with random patches of embroidery, you can imagine someone getting their needle n thread out mid brownie! to a wicker throne that encases you with ginormous plump cushions. The food's honest and home made, as a vegetarian there's mountains of choice but there are meaty options too. The cakes are freakin lovely. You'll stumble across people from all different walks of life and all ages. They'll read, write poetry, chat, knit, play scrabble.

Nexus hosts exhibitions and guest speakers as well as life drawing and other skills based workshops. There is something for everyone. Nexus doesn't sell alcohol which gives it a different vibe in the evenings, so chilled.OK so the ladies toilets have a habit of flooding so you have to use the ones above that belong to the gospel church but it adds to the experience if you ask me! The staff are really friendly and I think you'd struggle to find something negative to say about any of it!

It is also the home of my beloved nexus running club or NRC. I've met so many wonderful and interesting people since attending the running club back in May and it's all thanks to this marvellous cafe.

A must visit If you're ever in Manchester. Everyone welcome.

I've gone DIY Crafting crazy! Part 4. Unique Collar Bib

I was inspired firstly, by a garment that arrived at COS. It was a scallop collared, shirt bib. Let me elaborate, It's like a shirt without arms. It stays in place with elastic fastenings under your arms to keep the front and back flaps joined, thus it doesn't wrinkle under your clothes. You basically wear it under dresses, jumpers to give the impression of a shirt, a very cute shirt. Unfortunately I can't find an image anywhere! I hope I've made sense? At the time I wasn't as keen as to buy one but since we've completely sold out, I'm loving it!
I then saw this image..and became even more inspired.

S/S sees a massive embellishment of collars. Already I've spotted some 'Equipment' shirts at work with a great metal edging.(I also am going to try and make my own collar tips at some point) So i went to the Chazza's one day, with one mission, to find a shirt with a nice collar and not too hideous a pattern! Quite difficult! but I succeeded. Bought a shirt for £1.TICK.

Next I took the shirt and savagely cut it, without thinking. But somehow it worked! I pencilled on a bib shape and I was left with a bib shape. Phew. Next I took some bond-a-web (the stuff of dreams) and carefully ironed a clean edge, again with success.
I managed to buy some studs, not pointed as I'd hoped for but rounded from yes, The Fent Shop, 4p a pop. Next I used a cork mat and hammered each stud onto the collar and used tweezers to push the spikey bits closed. Here's an image mid-way through.


I deicded that I'd like full coverage so I bought some more studs and continued. To finish, I then sewed some elastic from front to back to keep the bib in place. In total, I spent £15, I think you'd agree this is a fine investment! I'll be wearing it under coral jumpers and mint green tees this Spring.

The finished product...

I've gone DIY Crafting crazy! Part 3. Tea cup Candles

Another DIY project I've been meaning to do for sometime.

Ingredients

I've gone DIY Crafting crazy! Part 2. Blinds

So I've recently moved into a flat in Levy. I love it as it's certainly very quirky!However, it was in dire need of a personality transplant. I decided to make some new blinds, the current ones were nicely yellowing in colour, yuk.

I bought the Union Jack fabric from the best fabric shop in the world, The 'Fent Shop' Macclesfield. It cost me £11. I simply hemmed the edges, didn't bother to back it or anything just kept it simple. I then removed the rank fabric and attached mine to the cardboard cylinder using some tape!



The second pair were made from a £3.50 pair of curtains from a Chazza! Same method, looks Grannytastic!