25.2.14

drama and cherishing


Last night I dream't there was water pouring through the electrics. The house was on fire, caused by the boiler. I was trying to open the locked doors to let the mouse out, yes the very same one that's nibbled through my phone cable!
I was furious with my son who wouldn't leave his room even though the house was full of smoke. I was trying to throw the electric switch so we wouldn't be electrocuted.
None of the doors had keys in them, but I did notice one small open window,
thank god.
I woke up in the early hours.
Always a good time for imagining the worst.

Do you do this? Responsibilities build up. The house will surely fall down if I can't hold it up, myself. 

So, the boiler needs servicing, I think the roof has a leak. I need to call the electrician about my light switch. The phone engineer is supposed to be coming right now.
I saw the mouse last night, having a stroll around. Only humane traps here. I think he likes here, he gets to eat all the bits of veg I drop. I mean why bother going in the trap!
Even the dog watches him. I think she thinks he's a pet.

Sometimes it's over-whelming.
But this time it feels like a call to action.
I can do this.

a new display on my mantle, still needs a bit more colour I think.

At home I have been pottering around in the process of re-discovering lost treasures. Opening things up. Cleaning them, shifting things around. Redefining who we are now and how we live.
A new (old) suitcase has been found, together with another vintage chocolate box. I have a little collection of these, I must show you. Please ignore the cable in the background, who put that there!

wooden plank boats and a hand mirror which belonged to my Mum.
I remember the sanding and making of these little boats and the sailing adventures they went on in the bath!
vintage tea and cigarette cards
In my craft room, a few things are waiting for the moment to strike. I love these little cards. I have a whole box of them. I've opened the box up over the years and peered inside, now I have some ideas of what to do with them. One things for sure Tetley tea and Wills cigarettes were a staple at my grandparents house!

buttons and beads! 
   I've put my buttons and beads where I can see them. I emptied some strands of beads into the pot. We are never to old for beads! Love these.

little handmade jumpers
In the corner sits a little colourfull pile of handmade children's jumpers, made my Mum. I can't bring myself to part with these. I've given them a wash, it was so nice to see them out drying. Just like yesterday!

vintage and handmade brooches on my dresser
 On my dresser I have made a little arrangement of all my brooches pinned onto a small mannequin which no longer has it's stand. It's nice to be able to see them and not have them hidden away in boxes. A little picture of my Dad's Mum on her wedding day. You can see another vintage chocolate box in the background and the picture of the crocuses I adore. The velvet flower was given to me years ago by my Mum, I think it goes well there.

a fabric covered jewellery board
I have made a fabric covered jewellery board and hung some things that would normally be tucked away in draws. I've polished and shined, silver polish makes a huge difference. I feel like I polished a small part of soul, bringing things back to their former shine is very satisfying. I'll let you know more about the board in my next post.

 pretty kitsch artwork from a craft fair
I went to see an old friend, just for the day. To catch up and help remember the parts we had forgotten. It was so nice. So much time has flown by since our days of hanging out, traveling and partying! Life has changed a lot. But it's still us somewhere. A deeply creative friend who's home has always inspired me. I snapped some little glances to share here. I love this idea. A three dimensional box covered in fabric, with a picture, lots of glitter and sparkly things, just what we need. Nice.

inspiring chairs!
These two wicker chairs are gorgeous! Fabric from South America? I think. Cushions from India. A lovely heart. The cat cushions are fun.


Real colourfull gorgeousness. Aren't they lovely.
We have a next adventure planned. Meeting in London for the day. Exciting. So nice to have a partner in crime. Even if all we do now is drink tea and eat cake! and maybe check out an art gallery. Looking forward to it. Must make it happen!

And how are you all? I'm sorry if I've been a bit disjointed here. I feel like I have been limping along here slightly, not quite keeping it together. If you have a conversation with me in real life at the moment it's the same thing. Slightly disjointed, wandering obliviously past people I know in the street. Feeling very sentimental really of late. Lots of random tears and then feeling quite together again.
It's mixed bag right now!

Hope your week goes well.

♥♥♥


23 comments:

  1. Such a lovely update. love the fabric covered board. I've got one similar I keep my brooches on. Bad dreams aren't nice, I get bad ones that continue if I manage to fall asleep again. No need to apologise for being disjointed, it's nice to know I'm not the only one. Xox taz

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  2. It has been a real pleasure reading about all the things you've done lately, about your bad dreams and your good friend!!!!! your findings are full of memories…..charming!
    xxxxx Ale

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  3. Oh that dream says so much Heather, you really do have a lot going on when it brings about such a troubled night! I hope all those jobs get done easily and quickly without too much of a financial outlay. I have so loved seeing all your beautiful treasures, so many of them it's wonderful. I particularly liked seeing the little hand-knits by your Mum and also your hexi quilt looks fab! Such an interesting post, thank you for sharing your special things with us and do take good care of yourself! Love, Joy xo

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    1. thanks Joy. The little hexi quilt is very small, about pillow size. I brought it from a craft fair, I couldn't believe the amount of work that had gone in to it! I use as pad for my sewing machine.

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  4. Do you crochet? Remake the handmade jumpers into a crochet blanket, and you will still be wrapped in your mum's love, but have something practical that you can use! They are gorgeous and I have loved looking at your photos XX

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  5. You have such beautiful things. I would love to just run my hands through those bowls of buttons and beads. I had a terrible dream last night too, after having had a similar one last week, and I think it means I need to chill out too. It happens to me every time I let myself get mentally stressed out. There's no real reason to feel this way, I just allow nagging issues to fester and then they take over. I'm sorry it happens to you too but I'm glad you've found ways to decompress and enjoy yourself. Good luck with the boiler. :)

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  6. Chocolate boxes...how perfectly English! I am completely in love with them. So many pretty things. I love putting things out to be looked at, not stashed away in drawers. Some people call it clutter, I call it beautiful. You can do this! I hope you have a fabulous week.

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  7. Your home is so beautiful, Heather! I just feel the creative energy and comforts through the computer screen! Thank you for sharing your lovely displays, and I'm glad you escaped 'real life' for a bit with your friend. I'm feeling similarly muddled this week, I couldn't even get my act together enough to write a coherent sentence, so no posts from me yet...Cx

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  8. wow such beautiful photos and I love that hexagon quilt!

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  9. What a lovely post Heather ... lots of beauty and colour ... Bee xx

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  10. Thanks for this post, a real insight into life at the little Red Suitcase. Live all your rediscovered treasures. I had a little mouse as well, i kept ctachingnhim and releasing him next to the stream where he came from, but he kept coming back, until he suddenly disappeared . . . . .

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  11. i love the tetly tea cards.. i have quite a few as well!! i think we've all been there as far as that dream goes...hope you get a better nights sleep tonight!! mezz xx

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  12. Thanks for sharing. It's good to know that someone else out there, has a disjointed life. x

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  13. A lovely post Heather, and hope you get everything sorted out soon. I think it's the time of year, we all seem to be having a bit of a tittivate!

    Have fun

    Love Claire xxx

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  14. Thanks for sharing your lovely pictures. Love the cigarette cards! And wow - you've got quite a few buttons there. :-)

    Take care with the 'mixed bag'!

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  15. Lots of lovely stuff, thanks for the look round, now I need some little cases and tins full of buttons and beads....

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  16. Heather Hello!
    your jewelry board is amazingly imaginative...It is lovely to see things on display....gorgeous.
    I hope you have a quiet night tonight with lovely worry free dreams?
    bestest as ever daisy j

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  17. I think that letting the logical (controlling) side of the brain go for a while is such a good thing! It allows many repressed emotions and ideas to surface... hence the random tears. You're in good company! :)
    What about a bunch of daffs to add a pop of color to the mantel?
    Big hugs,
    Monica xoxo

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  18. Those cigarette and tea cards are lovely! I like your jewellery board too - such a nice way of displaying items. I hope you are having sweeter and less stressful dreams now :)

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  19. Yes I think at some point in life the levels of responsibilities sudden feel like they can swamp you and you often wonder but why oh why, but the good news is all that will happen is that you will most probably end up regularly checking doors and windows to see if they are shut and rechecking things you've just checked about three times. It sounds like your little mouse has found a good house so who could blame him for wanting to stick around. I love your home Heather and those two gorgeous chairs are very lovely indeed. I must also add here that I am just a little in love with the pretty bird tea cards, oh my they are gorgeous. I hope you have a better weekend and that March will bring a little ray of sunshine into your life. xoxo

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  20. I recognise so much in this post ... lately our house is far from being a pretty home ... we just don't have enough time or money to do anything about it just now. My mantra has become 'this too will pass', and I sincerely live in hope that it will! Meanwhile, like you, I feel disjointed, and am fighting to keep responsibilities from becoming over whelming and sometimes tears at bay. How lovely though that you have so many treasures to cheer you :)

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  21. What delightful little corners of beauty you've created in your home. You have such an eye for detail, and you are a magpie, all those boxes and piles of colour and glitter!

    It feels like our house needs constant attention - the big things like the roof and the exterior render need re-doing, but smaller things too. The upstairs shower broke. The downstairs loo need replacing. The plug broke in the sink. It's all so boring and endless! You have my sympathy. xx

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  22. Goodness you are a creative soul - lovely makes and such neat crochet hearts - all very pretty
    I hope you have some pleasant dreams too! I only every remember the nightmares and they are always terrifying sadly.
    I hope that it is sunny in your part of the world today
    Best wishes
    Jenny

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