General Chat

Thanks Lesley, I'm looking at the ETSY webpages at the moment.

I also need lots of ideas for crafting with all the stuff I've kept back for a very long time. You know, boxes, pretty paper, silly stuff that now takes up far too much room. I've got loads of old clothes with lovely cotton prints and hope to use them to make covers for the 'books' I create.

If anyone wants to see the few I've photographed I'd love to show them. Just show, I'm not a show-off, but it would be nice to share.

xxJ

Am in my first craft show this season. There is a lady there doing a cup and saucer thing. Some of them are the pin cushion idea and some she has made into candles. All the decorations are hot glued on so nothing moves. One of the cups is quite exquisite and I turned it over. It was Royal Albert and about 50 years old, beautiful condition. I told her I thought she was mad...not too polite but there you have!!

We have loads of craft fairs here too, especially between now and Christmas, all manner of things from woodworking, Christmas decorations, knitting, stained glass, "diaper cakes", toys, baby outfits, jewellery, candles and my granddaughter and I make "tote bags" out of varied fabrics, and attend a few fairs to sell our wares. Initially she began making the bags to sell, to help her brother and sister get their autism service dogs, and the one year raised $1000 just from her sales. Now she is saving for college and we are trying to get a website up for her. Love going to the fairs, so many unique items. Last year there was a great run on money trees - a small tabletop christmas tree with either dollar bills or $1 lottery tickets attached to the branches, about $15 worth on the tree, raffled off and a lot of money raised. Another person was making flowers out of the money bills, selling out quickly, very attractive. then there are charities who have a table and sell items to raise funds for their charity, one sells dog coats to raise funds for homeless dogs who are being fostered by volunteers. Then of course the baking, and candy making etc etc. Love to attend as a vendor, I can shop easily for unique items in a small space.
Last year the big hit at one sale was a Jamaican lady who was selling homemade rum cake, well infused with Jamaican rum. It was so good I was almost afraid to drive home after eating a healthy slice!!.

Jillian, check out etsy.com and take a look at what folks are selling. Here in Canada we would all shrivel up and wither away if we didn't get our weekly fix of farmer's and craft markets and a huge dose of craft/artisan fairs at christmas. My little town has a population of about 15000 and there will be about 12 different fairs between now and mid December plus the weekly farmer's market. In the big cities like Vancouver they have a christmas fair - huge- and the entry fee is anywhere from $1000 to $2000 for a 3 day slot...no small potatoes eh?? Many of the fairs are juried so you have to be pretty good to get in.....different culture isn't it?

Meanwhile the cheesecake looks wonderful. Thanks.
Lesxx

Daughter Alison and I have just started to make jewellery. Not got the courage up to show anyone yet but I would love to sell them and some of the craft stuff I can make. I don't know what it's like in Canada and Australia but here there is a rather poor attitude to handmade stuff. There are people who seem to think that factory made is better and lump handmade with home made so act like they are doing you a favour by being interested. I did a craft sale years ago. It was a nightmare and it put me off.

I don't have any family to show stuff around to their friends and neighbours. I have never been any good at showing my stuff to anyone. I get tongue-tied and I'm useless when it comes to talking to people .
:-( :-(

I was thinking of organising my own local craft fair but even that takes a pile of courage for me to do.

UNBAKED LIME CHEESECAKE

250g tub of Mascapone Cheese
caster sugar to taste
zest and juice of two limes (organic because they are unwaxed is best)
Digestive biscuits

Put the cheese, lime juice and zest into a bowl and beat together.
Then add as much sugar as you need to for the taste you prefer. I don't like very sweet so don't use much.

If you want to add extra calories, crush the digestive biscuits into some melted marg or butter and press together into the bottom of a baking tin but otherwise you can use the biscuit as it is. You could vary it and use a ginger biscuit instead.

I make a tub of it and it gets left in the fridge. It's a lovely late-night snack to go and dip a biscuit or spoon a bit onto a fresh biscuit.

If anyone wants to see the original recipe card, pm me an e-mail addy and I'll scan it and send.

xxJ

Hi Lesley,

How funny, aprons are VERY popular here again. My sister got me a very pretty one for Christmas last year which I really like, only OH thinks it is hysterically funny and calls me Mother!....Men I tell you!

They sound very nice though, I like all things pretty too!

Bridget that sounds a good idea to send your son out to hunt as well!

I love it when you make a nice find in an unexpected place or time!

Unbaked lime cheesecake sounds very nice!

Jillian, I live in Canada, in the far west to be exact, Vancouver Island and in a fairly remote town. I do the local craft/artisan fairs. I am in two this year. I make gourmet aprons out of satin, lace, tulle, and all things lovely. Have been at it since 2007.
I should really spread my wings and do the fairs in the larger cities like Nanaimo and Victoria but it is a hassle finding somewhere to stay....not much point in doing those fairs if all my hard earned cash goes on motel rooms.
Maybe I will do the cup and saucer thing next year...it will make a change from sewing....and oh! those loverly cups.

First let me say that Spanish Eyes is really Bridget, so please use that name, thanks.
I am intrigued by all the lovely pieces I am reading about and so looking forward to living back in England and going to car boot sales etc, in the hope that I may find more pretty cups etc.

Must ask my son who lives in Barcelona if he can find any for me in the street markets..why did I not think of that earlier.

Very very wet weather here today, just need a tea in a lovely cup, so going to have a rummage around my boxes!!

Bridget :-D

Lots of good ideas that you can do with them,,,

SpanishEyes you reminded me of a tea set my mum has packed away, it is a lovely pale apricot and so translucent..the tiny cups are square which is pretty unusal.

I picked up on ebay a lovely Cake set for my mum from about 1930's in mint condition. the plates are white with a soft green detailing pattern. LOL I wish I had kept them for myself.

Thanks Jillian, I'd love a good recipe for banana cake. She is a bit of a picky eater so when I can get to eat something it is a bonus! I'll pm you my email address

:-)

Out of interest saw on e-bay a pin cushion that was made out of a cup and saucer Item No 280762227988.

Carol :-D

Gracie,

If you ever come over to England, please let me know and we should try to meet up.

I have got a lovely recipe for Banana Cake your daughter might like. My Apple and Cinnamon Cake also had sultanas in. If you would like to pm me your e-mail I have a scan of the recipe book for those two cakes.

Same for anyone else who wants to see it.

Lesley, I'm a crafter too. A real addiction. Doesn't affect my health but seriously affects the bank balance. Do you ever go to any craft shows. On the off-chance... do you get to the NEC for the Hobbycraft show? I'll be there next Friday.

J

Somewhere I have a recipe for brownies cooked in a mug in the microwave. I did think that if I had a cup and saucer without any "gilding" that I could try smaller ones and then present them as a special dessert.

I am a crafter and I also thought that I could make lovely gifts out of home made chocolates, a nice tea, a "choclate spoon/stir stick all gussied up in cellophane and ribbons...might try that next year...who knows I might make a fortune (not!!) plus it will give me a good excuse to buy all the lovely cups and saucers at every thrift store I go too. Does anyone have a room for a newly divirced woman.Ha!Ha!

BTW I started out with about 6 cups and saucers that were gifts from over the years and now thru some "dilligent" shopping I am up to 28.....my family shakes its head..LOL :-)

How good to find a thread with two subjects, old china and cooking, both of which I really enjoy.
If anyone has some good recipes, and it reads on here as if there are quite a few, please would you be kind enough to add them to my Culinary Delights thread. I would be delighted to have some more people join us. It is already quite large but knew commers are always welcome.

I have the following china
A pretty teaset with a creamy coulor background decorated with pink, lilac flowers and greenery, tiny yellowflowere and the rim has a yellow
/ gold colour rim. The tea cups are decorated inside with a pink flower and the outside has what looks like an Indian or maleness building and a beautiful volutes bird sitting on a branch of flowers
Th coffeepot and the tea pot are similarly painted as is the very larg sugar bowl.
All I know about it is that it was a wedding present to my grandparents and as I am 65 you will have some idea of how old this is.
There is also a pretty White tea set of just six tiny cups which are White with a band of gold just below the rim and slightly lower a very intricate band of blue and yellow then a band of blue flowers and anothe band of the lattice style of the blue and yellow. It is marked as Tointsin Pocolain, made in China, and in bld black the TB sign in the centre. The saucers are just the same. I recall paying 10 pence for this at a car boot sale.
Lots more tucked away in boxes, maybe I should get them out again!

Bridget in Spain :-)

Oh Jillian, thank you so much for your kind offer..unfortunately I am all the way in Australia...so a bit far for the scones to travel!

I love to cook too, although i seem to go through patches where everything I try just doesn't work out!

I love a nice quiche, I have found a really nice and quick zuchini quiche which is very nice, and a yummy vegetable tart with a crust of rice.

My daughter is VERY keen on banana bread at the minute. She won't eat fruit of any sort other than sultana's but she doesn't believe me that banana bread has banana's in it! :-)

Oh I forgot, I have a lovely recipe for a no-cook lime cheesecake. Mmmmmmm

I'm in Shirley in the West Midlands. Are you anywhere near to me. I'd love to bake you some of my scones and bring them over.

I should add, I also make a very mean quiche. Also my banana cake is pounced on in hubby's office.

I need to bake very soon. It's a big thing with me. I either bake when I am incredibly happy or when I am severely stressed.

xJ

Yum Jillian, you made me hungry!

I know what you mean about baking. i bring cakes into work and people are always suprised that it isn't out of a packet!

I am hosting a bridal shower in a couple of weeks so I get a chance to pull the cups out again and cook away..(mind you although people say just use stuff out of a packet, I notice that they do tend to polish off all of the homemade treats like trifle, and fresh biscuits etc!)

I love scones, nothing better than a nice cup of tea (or coffee) with a hot scone! I make little ones that my daughter seems to like, but I do like the real deal ones!

Lesley I would love to send you the info/back stamps. I'll need to do it sometime in the future thoough as it's all wrapped up and stored away.

Amazing Grace, you are so right about taking time to sit and chat, etc. I love to bake. Hubby's colleagues love it when I send in creams scones or apple and cinnamon cake which are my favourites to make. Sadly though, I've been asked more than once by others I know, why I waste my time making cakes when I can buy them in the supermarket! Hey, I'm not averse to buying the odd cake especially like Yorkshire Marmalade which I just don't seem to be able to match but taste my scones and you don't buy shop-bought again.

Might not be for a couple of years, but open invitation to come and scoff when I'm able to invite people in. There is nothing quite like a special tea and the time to share it with friends.

J

LOL Lesley..it does speak to a nicer pace of life I think, when people actually took the time to sit down and have a chat, rather than send an email or a text!

If I find a nice set, sometimes I will pop some some nice chocolates and extra nice tea and a pretty cake plate and give that as a present and it comes up very nice. Lucky you, what a find at the boot sale!

I have just ordered a new dresser with nice long shelves so I will be very glad to display my bits and peices, The other stuff I collect if Carlton Ware which is pretty bits of china usually in pale greens, yellows and pinks. The price can vary from very expensive to only a couple of dollars. It does look nice though all grouped together.

I do hope that someone wants it eventually, and it doesn't get thrown in the bin!

Would love to have nice silver teapots but they are few and far between here now.

It just all reflects a different way of life doesn't it? Maybe the world wil slow down and it will come back again....then some of us will be ready with our cups and saucers. :-D