One of my favourite books!

I really loved this book when I was small, although the details of the story are a bit hazy now...

I seem to remember that the heroine, Harriet, is about 8 years old, and helps her aunt run a cafe called the Cherry Pie. She also becomes an actress somehow along the way.

I've been looking for it for ages in all my usual charity shops and car boot fairs, but no luck yet. If you've got one for sale at a reasonable price, please get in touch!

There's an interesting mention of it on one of my favourite blogs http://www.middlebrowmagazine.co.uk but other than that none of my friends remembers it. If you should happen to stumble across it, snap it up and read it to all the 8+ children you know, it's a great story.

The eagle has landed...

...and here it is, my new book! Its officially published on 24 June.

Sign up to follow me and I'll pick someone at random to receive a free copy of the book.

You can buy it online at davidandcharles.co.uk and all the usual outlets. Hope all you upcycling fans like it, let me know!

Why not post pics of projects you've made? I'll see if I can add them to my blog so we can recycle the love...

vintagetown's photostream

vintagetown's photostream on Flickr.

Here's a selection of my work from flickr. I actually meant to add a nice little slideshow, with moving pics, but can't work out how to do it. I keep uploading photos of someone's trip to China instead. Oh well, this will have to do.

Must make more bags!!

Here are some more rescue pinnies waiting to be transformed into bags. Sadly neither has such an interesting label as my lovely pink original, but I won't let that stop me, dear readers.

Our cat, in the middle of our street

Here's our cat, Honey. Not the full shilling, I'm afraid. He invaded my photo shoot this morning because he is a terrible attention seeker.

Mama's got a Brand New Bag

Back on the bags again after time off writing a book and lots of teaching... I fancied a bit of sewing, so thought I'd get back into the swing again by transforming my favourite flea market pinny into a bag. 


Here it is, hanging on the back of our front gates. It's a beautiful piece of fabric, with delightful folk art illustrations in lovely soft colours.

As well as my usual Vintage Town label, I've attached the original label from the back of the pinny. I've done a bit of research into the company, Hawkins of Preston, and it seems they produced cotton homewares at their mill in Preston from the 19th century onwards. One of their sales methods was to send mobile shops around rural areas. You can see a great sales brochure on flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpsmithbarney/5559904062