Heart Felt

Thrift finds for March

It's slightly frightening how fast the year has gone already, the nights are cooler and the leaves are slowly, but surely changing. 

My best thrift finds for the month of March......

1960s turntable, perfect for playing Ian's vast range of records he has collected over the past years.  It has an old scratchy sound to it, sounds great when we play the old classics like Sinatra, Billie Holiday etc....  and it looks so cool! $60

Full set of "Golden Hands" first published in 1970, wonderful books containing information on knitting, dressmaking and needlecraft, complete with patterns.  Only catch........most of the patterns are rather out of date, but for $2 for the set it's worth just looking at the photographs!

     

 

Sadie's enjoying putting her baby into this handmade wooden dolls highchair. $4

Quirky little hand painted wooden doll -20c

Sadie sunning herself on this retro wooden/canvas deck chair - $1

Love this retro fabric! $4

There are some new "Heart Felt" knits now listed on Trade Me.  My favorites this week is this rust colored hooded jacket with oak leaf

And these adorable knitted pants. 

Hope your week has been treating you well. xx

The Hype in Town

The big hype in town this week has been the announcement of the 'Flight of the Conchords' to play a charity concert here in my own home town of Masterton.  Jemaine Clement is a fellow Mastertonian and the charity concert is in aid of his his old high school, which last year was in threat of closure. Tickets went on sale on Thursday and sadly yours truly missed out, the tickets sold out within 91 minutes.  Feeling slightly 'gutted' I'm praying to the big Conchord in the sky that a ticket may yet come my way before next Tuesday.

A parcel arrived this morning that cheered me up incredibly.  I might be unlucky in Conchord love, but I am lucky in Little Grub crafty love.  This lovely crocheted Easter egg bunting is just delightful, thanks so much!  Sadie had an impulse to run up and down the hall with it before I got to hang it up.

 

We are also praying to the God of hot air balloons for fine weather this weekend so we can see more of these.

This was the view down our street this afternoon.  Every year we celebrate Balloons over the Wairarapa.It's an exciting event for people of all ages.  Hope you all have a lovely weekend. xx

Best buys of September

I'm in love with these red leather Diesel boots.....for FREE! Yes, free!  I have been involved with the Flickr group, Online Clothes Swap Shop - Aotearoa.  It's an amazing concept where you list unwanted items from your wardrobe and you swap them with other members.  If you haven't already checked it out all you need to be is a Flickr member and a New Zealand resident.  It has been a lot of fun!

Charlie loves his new CD, The Flight of the Conchords....Well, actually we purchased it for ourselves, but Charlie has high jacked it for himself.  It is played as a daily ritual, after dinner while having a bath.  His favorite tracks...well evidently all of them!

I am totally into polka dots at the moment, so I was thrilled to pick up this dotty number at the thrift store along with this very cool retro shirt for the summer.

Found myself in Wanda Harland the other day...very dangerous...I can never walk out empty handed.  I purchased this lovely reversible jacket for Sadie made by Silver Circus.  I love the color and the sweet wee bird lining with a hint of gold.

My best thrifty purchase was this sweet cane dolls pram for Sadie.  The next day I picked up this retro plastic doll with open and shut eyes.  I love her 50's hair-do.  I will have to sew some dolls clothes for her now.

Radio Heaven

Ian loves music.  His pride and joy is his stereo system set up.  More recently he has taken a shine to more of the retro 1970s style amps and turntables, which look quite cool.  When any of his equipment needs maintenance he takes it into a small repair shop in town.  The owner not only repairs, he also collects old radios which take pride of place in his shop.  When radios die, this is where they go, 'Radio Heaven'.  Most of them have been lovingly restored to working order, sadly they aren't for sale.....

The walls were lined with these beauties!

I love bakelite

 

I couldn't pick a favorite!

Rainy day music session

We have been enjoying glorious weather all week, but now we have been reminded that it's winter with rain and cold.  Sometimes it can be a mission to think of indoor activities that will entertain a 2 year old and a 10 month old.  Today I pulled together all the musical instruments in the house and laid them out in Charlie's bedroom and let them both 'go for it!'  Charlie always gravitates to the drum and gives it a good old thrashing.

Not sure if Keith Moon performed with his lunch smeared all over his face!

Sadie took the more considered approach and put everything in her mouth, but she did enjoy the xylophone (also with her lunch all over her face)

More Heart Felt knits ready to list on Trade Me this week, featuring a new design, a gorgeous wee Fantail bird.

Charlie on Safari

Yesterday Ian and I took the morning off work to take Charlie to the Vector Wellington Orchestra's 'Baby Pops' at Rathkeale College.

Just imagine an auditorium filled with 2-6 year olds bopping to drums, flutes, violins and trumpets.  This year it was a jungle safari theme, lions were represented by drums, elephants by trumpets and monkeys by brass.  It was so much fun.  At the end we all went on a safari through the orchestra, so the children got to see all the instruments up close.  Fabulous concept in introducing young children to classical music.



Charlie getting up close and personal with some of the instruments

Hi, This is Me!

I didn't go to work today, I'm home with a wicked sore throat, nose streaming and aching neck.  The children are at daycare and Ian is at work, so for a change I am home all by myself!  Browsing through my blog I realized that I have never given you too much information about myself.  So here are a few things about ME.

I paint.  This is a sneak at one of my pieces hanging in our dining room.  Acrylic on canvas titled 'Stella'.  In the past I have sold a few pieces, but sadly it has been one of my things that has fallen to the wayside since having children.

My taste in decor vary from Retro funk

to Art Deco and Art Nouveau

I collect art books and children's illustrated novels from between 1880-1940,

Ian and I prefer to listen to vinyl LPs rather than CDs.  Music taste is very ecliptic, from Jazz, Brit pop, Beatles, classical, 70s glam rock to Johnny Cash.

I am a sucker for vintage clothes and jewelery and have way too many

My project at present is to landscape our section, here is Dad and his friend laying a brick boarder and mowing strip for us.

Ian and I had our 'overseas experience' a few years ago but our long term goal is to travel overseas again but this time with the children.  One day we would like to own a property where I can keep a pig, chickens and pony.

I am proud and feel very lucky to live in New Zealand. It's beauty over whelms me at times and we try our hardest to live the 'clean green lifestyle'.

My new passion at present is the hand made revolution and I try to support it in as many ways as possible.  I have met some fabulous people since starting Heart Felt and this blog and I hope to meet many more of you soon.

This is ME! xx