Beautiful Day

So I thought I might share with you an article I wrote for my friend  Lou at Vintage by Lou Lou newsletter, it explains in a nutshell what it is that I do. 

My Vintage Life

Vintage: Def-n Characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; classic.

When Lou asked me to write this I wasn’t sure what to do.... I have so many loves in my life that are vintage, but I thought I should narrow it down to the two (well kinda three) that are most prominent in my life - crochet, blankets/doilies and Little Golden Books.

All of us remember growing up reading Little Golden Books- many of us  have read them, some of us have owned them, and quite a few of us brought them for their children (myself included). I have now taken my love of Little Golden Books to the next level and started collecting them- lots of them, and vintage ones. I have a number of reasons for collecting the books- first and foremost I love the pictures and illustrations in them but what I also love is the social histories they tell and the the way the people that owned them, loved them- the well worn pages and the names written so carefully in the front covers. 

Currently I have approximately 70 (part of my collection) on display in my spare room- generally these are my favourite of the day.  At the moment my favourite ones are a dozen or so books that I found at the Salvation Army presumably owned by 2 sisters  (Gayle and Lynne Kelly). These books date back to the mid to late 1950s and have some fantastic illustrations and some pretty cute stories! I believe that the books from the 40s, 50s and 60s are highly collectible and can be worth a lot of money, but this isn’t why I do it. I frequently wonder who these 2 little girls were and which books were their favourites? I also wonder where the rest of their collection is!

My other love is crocheted blankets and doilies which led to my love of crochet. I have always loved crocheted baby blankets - there is nothing cuter than a fresh little baby swaddled in a blanket crocheted with love by a loved one. My children have been lucky enough to have many of these blankets including one that their father was wrapped in that was made by his grandma. 

In recent years I have rescued many blankets that have been cast-off and sent to places like the Salvos and St Vinnies and have given them a a new home where my now bigger children swaddle themselves on the couch with them when it is cold. It is the love of these blankets that has led me to learn to crochet to make things for my  loved ones. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to say that you made a scarf for a friend going overseas or a blanket and pair of baby booties for a brand new little baby. It is this love of crochet (and the excessive amount of items I have made), that has led me to my venture- Beautiful Day

 Day is a home-based boutique that creates one-off crochet items from brooches and necklaces to hats and purses. These items may  be  from a vintage patterns or feature vintage wool that has sat in the back of an unknown Granny’s cupboard, they also often feature vintage findings such as buttons and buckles. Beautiful Day pieces are sold at Precious Packages and will be seen at various markets in the Ipswich/Brisbane area in 2011. Beautiful Day will also be running Creative Crochet Classes at the Ellenborough Room in 2011 so stay tuned for more details!

So there it is- My Vintage Life, or at least an aspect of My Vintage Life