Awright, crumpet?
November 20, 2009
It’s Friday. We’re all tired. It’s raining in London, and flooding in other parts of the UK. It’s very GREY. For some unknown reason, our office air con is set to somewhere in the region of freezing, so it’s also COLD. It’s the kind of day when you’d give anything to be wrapped up in a snuggly woollen blanket, wearing soft cashmere socks, sipping hot chocolate (or even better, a mulled wine!), beside a roaring fire, playing Scrabble and toasting crumpets. In fact, I just want to climb into our lovely November issue cover shot:
Crumpet toasting is an art which requires proper toasting tools – check out this lovely traditional extendable toasting fork, just £6 at Cox and Cox – perfect for toasting crumpets in the winter, and also useful for cooking sausages over a campfire in the summer months.
I’ve also got a few Grandpa’s Fireforks from Light My Fire – they just clip onto a fire poker or a stick, so you can easily store them and carry them. They came in handy recently when I dragged the OH to a forest for a bushcraft week of wild camping without civilisation (well, except for an Aero Bed, and a trip to Tesco, SIGH). Cox and Cox also sell a chestnut roasting pan, for £15:
We always roast chestnuts at Christmas by burying them in the ashes below the grate, but I suppose using a pan is much less messy! Are you feeling cosy yet? Thanks to these pictures and the steaming coffee that Ros has just delivered to my desk, I’m warming up slightly now! Check out this snug Scottish-style bedroom from our November issue and these cosy shots from our archives:
That’s all for this week, folks. I’ve signed up for a tray-making class with Ella Doran on Sunday to make some personalised Christmas presents, so I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m slightly concerned that everybody else there will be under 10 years old, having seen lots of photos of little kids making trays on the website, but surely, like pottery painting, there is no age limit (!?). My plan is to basically rip-off a Charlene Mullen design, but since drawing is required (not my strong point) it could go either way. Have a lovely – and hopefully a warm – weekend! – Ellie
Vintage seed labels fun
November 12, 2009
Burgundy Brocante is a new website – well worth a peep if you’re a crafty type, or a fan of all things vintage. As well as a nice selection of vintage home buys such as glass bottles, chairs and embroidered linens (all sourced in France) this little online shop also has a massive collection of original 1920s French seed envelope labels – just £6 for 24.
You could glue them on to small brown envelopes for storing seed, or use them to make gorgeous greeting cards, gift tags, or even frame them for some vintage wall art. I love the bright colours and pretty illustrations on these – and you can buy French seed packets too, with a label glued on the front and sowing instructions printed on the reverse. My ‘Chou’ one is so ‘chouette’!
Burgundy Brocante is run by David and Jane Gratton who live in the Burgundy region of France and spend their time hunting for lovely vintage bits and bobs. What a wonderful life! They’ve sold at antiques fairs for a few years, but have just launched their website, meaning we can all access these lovely labels now. Hurrah! – Ellie