Tuesday 28 May 2013

May Treacle Market and some lovely little finds

It is fair to say that the weather has been DELICIOUS over the weekend and we certainly made the very most of it. On Sunday we did our usual visit to the Treacle Market and it was pure vintage bliss!


 


I love this little market and all the lovely stall holders, they are all such lovely people with amazing talent and an eye for vintage beauty. It always amazes me what you can find at this lovely market and on Sunday I was far from disappointed. I just needed quite an extra few pennies in my wallet and I would have been a very happy camper!






 
So here are my little finds and I love each one of them, but my fave has to be the lovely flour tin, I just love the colour and character.

 
 
 
 
This picture is so sweet and the ladies whom I bought this from are so lovely. One of them is learning how to crochet as we speak. She is left handed and I believe this can prove quite the challenge for crocheting. If any of you have any tips on books, etc pass it on so I can share this with her. I also bought another Bronnley wooden soap tray to go under Es's bed as the one we have works a charm for toy storage. I lucked in with getting a lovely blue Pyrex bowl and also a lovely old enamel bowl. The lovely little table is now standing full of plants in my living room and I love.
 
 
 
 
What I love about the market is that it caters for everyone. This month I even managed to join the kids for the monthly burger treat as they were making gluten and dairy free burgers, yip the whole kit and kaboodle was free from and it was delish! To top it there is the lovely plant man with his garden stall, which I am completely incapable of bypassing without a purchase. During the winter it is largely for houseplants, but at this time of the year, oh my there is an abundance of wonderful plants and they are so reasonably priced compared to garden centres, so it is so easy to spend a fortune. My little garden is my love and passion and although I don't have bags of energy to do what I use to do, I still make time to do a little pottering. It is good for the soul and good for the health (grounding), especially if you're bare feet, which I make a point of doing having read the book Earthing, which offers a very insightful read into the benefits of being bare foot amongst other things.

There are certain plants that enrich my soul, possibly a blog post for another day, but Geraniums and Sweet Peas are definitely amongst my faves. I love everything about these plants, character, colour, ease of growth, the cottage vintage qualities and so many more. What I discovered is just how very easy it is to make your own new plants using cuttings from your existing Geranium plants. Unfortunately all of my Geraniums died having spent the winter outside instead of in my little potting shed, which we knocked down at the end of last year due to replace it with a conservatory, which I have to confess I absolutely love, even though I do miss my little potting shed. I think it is unusual for Geraniums to survive the winters up north outside, they much prefer being brought in during these cold months, that's my experience anyway, whats yours? The plus side is that my little purchase from the market has enabled me to start the lovely process again, so we will see how it goes. I simply use an organic routing compound gel, but you can also use honey if you want to be a little more organic, and dip the cuttings into that before planting it into a good potting soil. This link shows you how to take a cutting. This link also shows you how to take cuttings and also how to propagate with honey, which I have used in the past successfully.




Apart from all this there was definitely a bit of crocheting going on whilst soaking up the sun and trying to finish the kids little playhouse, which I will share with you very soon, well when the rain goes away and I can take a photo. In the meantime, I am enjoying working with the Drops Paris cotton and I am so excited about this little creation. I am yet to figure out how I am going to do it, but that is all part of the excitement right?! So what have you all been up to? What creations are you working on?



It has been so wonderful to see the affects of the sunshine on everyone around us over the weekend and we often forget just how powerful the presence of the sun is to our daily lives. Well, it has been raining again for the last two days (yuck), but even so I want to leave you with this lovely thought...

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” Joseph Addison
Let's all smile! Wishing you all a very happy and creative week.
Hannapat xo

20 comments:

  1. The sun really does have a direct impact on me, all that vitamin d surging through me...only wish we could have more of it!
    I love the sound of treacle market, some great little treasure there! My Mum loved geraniums, I love the flowers but none too keen on their leaf smell...that's my next little venture, as soon as some pennies have been saved, plant up my pots! Car boot sale I think, prices are much better, maybe next year I will grow my own! :) x

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    1. I am sure their beauty will overshadow the leaf smell. Yip I've defo seen them at the car boots in years gone by xo

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  2. I really must try and make it to this market - I think trains run from Stoke fairly regularly (is it quite near the station?) Love the little table - it's obviously found the perfect home in your living room x Jane

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    1. Ooh you're very local and yes station a stone throw from the market and you will definitely find a direct train from Stoke. That's the 30th of June sorted for you then!! Xo

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  3. That market looks ace! I so wished I lived nearer... I love all your finds but especially the gorgeous blue flower tin. Love the crochet you are working on also, it is very pretty! You were asking about my rhubarb cake? The recipe is from a little boom called 101 cakes and bakes by bbc good food and there are a few similar recipes on their website. I think I may be planning to make rhubarb vodka next, recipe in nigella Lawson domestic goddess book!!
    Marianne x

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    1. Maybe one day you could do a little trip out this way:-). Yes I too love that tin. The guy basically gave it to me as I bought the flour tin off him and know him quite well, which helped offcourse!! Thanks for the tip on the cake. I found a recipe on BBC so gonna give it a go tomoz I reckon. Mmm rhubarb vodka, that sounds good and potent all the same. Have the book so will have a little look, such a great book. Let me know how you get in with that! Xo

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  4. What great finds! You have awesome markets near you! The tin is super cute....and I LOVE the quote. The sunshine was just so energising! xoxo

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    1. Yip this is a pretty good market I have to say lovely xo

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  5. We love the Treacle market too, love your finds especially the picture x

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    1. Ooh a local. So good to hear someone else loves it too ;-)

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  6. Looks like a fabulous market & I LOVE your finds. The flour tin is so pretty, I'm rather partial to any old tin really. I'm so glad you found a few treasures to brighten up your day. I'm so sorry I haven't yet replied to your email. Thank you so much for taking the time to do so....I really enjoyed reading it. I will reply but there is so much I want to say so I have to wait for the right moment energy wise! I do hope you're having an okay week. I've crashed a bit the past week after my girlfriends birthday party, but fingers crossed I seem to be picking up a bit now. Much love
    Leisa Xx

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    1. Helloo lovely, sending you warm hugs xo

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  7. Oh, what fun!! Love your sweet finds, especially the flour canister!! Have a great day! xo Heather

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    1. Thanks lovely Heather, love the word canister! xo

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  8. Sunshine solves everything! Looks like you did quite well with your little finds at the Market - Bravo.

    My grandmother grew geraniums, all along her side fence, and in big planters - I do think she brought them all in during the winter, though. I don't have much luck with them, here in the desert.

    The crochet pieces ROCK!!!!! LOVE the colors - can't wait to see what they will become! Happy Thursday - Tanya

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    1. Yip no chance of them growing in the desert at least its warm!! xoxo

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  9. The weather at the weekend was FANTASTIC wasn't it? I am hopeful for more of the same this week. I love the look of that market, I wish I had been there, but instead I was in my garden doing lots of planting. I also love those little stalls where people sell their own home-grown plants. So much nicer than going to one of those corporate nurseries. My geraniums never survive the winter, I always start from scratch. xx

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    1. Lovely to hear you're a geranium lover too xo

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  10. That market looks fantastic! I love the things you bought, that flour tin really is a find. I keep hearing such good things about the DROPS Paris yarn, and I like the look of whatever you are making. Nice colours. x

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    1. Thanks Gillian. The DROPS Paris cotton is really lovely to work with. I am still not sure whether I prefer Rico. The DROPS Paris colour choice is just so much better though xo

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