Chilly Walk in Clevedon

We love Clevedon in North Somerset. It is a special place for us because it's where we tied the knot back in 2009.

We went to Clevedon on Saturday for a Winter walk. It was a very chilly, crisp December day...but unbelievably still. I happened to turn around just as we were about to climb the hill and the Marine Lake on the seafront was so calm it looked like a mirror.

For years we've been visiting Clevedon and turning right out of the car park to walk along the seafront. Lured in that particular direction by the views of the elegant pier, ice creams and the amazing shops in Hill Road.

Today we decided to turn left out of the car park and walked up the hill towards an area called Poets Walk.

It's a bit of a climb, but once at the top you are rewarded with views across to Wales, the Mendips and the Somerset Levels. You also pass a pretty church and graveyard, in fact, it is the church used in the ITV drama Broadchurch.

The area between Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon is a beautiful part of the levels, it is virtually untouched by roads and probably hasn't changed for hundreds of years. Sustrans have been campaigning for a cycle track to be created on the section of the coast between Weston & Clevedon for over twenty years. It would create a much needed link between the two towns and I would love to cycle along that particular stretch.

Now we've discovered this part of Clevedon, I can safely say we will be back for many more walks in the future...

I'm linking up with #countrykids fun over on the Coombe Mill blog

I'm also linking up with the Magic Moments link-up on the Oliver's Madhouse blog

And linking up with the Brilliant Blog Posts link-up on the honestmum.com blog

Christmas Jumper Day

I've just spent the last half hour sewing a felt Christmas tree onto an old jumper of my daughter's

They are having 'Christmas Jumper Day' at her school this Friday to help raise money for Save the Children

I was reluctant to go out and buy a new Christmas jumper because they only get worn for a few days of the year

Parents were invited to decorate an old jumper if they didn't want to go out & buy one

I have a house full of fabric, felt and goodness knows what else, so thought would be better to get my needle and thread out

It's not my finest piece of sewing, I had to rush making it, because trying to fit it in amongst the 101 other things I have to do at this time of year!

But, I think it's fun and festive and I'm sure my daughter will love it when she gets home from school later...

Special Christmas Offer

**special offers**

free Shipping to the United Kingdom

Plus 10% off original price - £12.50 reduced to £11 on all of my vintage fabric lavender rabbits

free Shipping to the United Kingdom on all my felt mini-stockings with vintage trim & vintage fabric Rudolfs

You can see my full range of vintage fabric handmade goodies and vintage trim by clicking here

Vintage Love: Paddington Book

We took our five year old daughter to see the new Paddington film at the weekend.
I adore Paddington, I've always loved him. His duffle coat, his wellington boots, his obsession with marmalade and his general clumsiness...what's not to like?


One of the best things about having a child of your own is getting to indulge in the things you enjoyed as a kid all over again. So with this in mind I dug out some of my Paddington books to share with my daughter.
The cover image shows Mr Curry leaning over the fence watching Paddington striding off with some plywood and a box of tools. You just know it's not going to end well, Paddington and "do it yourself" do not mix...

This book dating from 1977 is based on the TV series I watched as a child. It was endearingly entertaining and employed stop-motion animation. I was always intrigued as a child by the way Paddington was a 'real' 3-D bear and the other characters were 2-D drawings. Somehow it worked and I can still hear Michael Hordern's distinctive voice bellowing 'bear!' every time Paddington messed up...which was quite often.
The illustrations are by Barry Wilkinson. The pages make up a really beautiful collection of ink and wash drawings featuring lots of bright colours, perfect for children.

The new Paddington film is really rather lovely. The styling is suberb and I fell in love with the Brown's house. I feel inspired to paint a blossom tree on the wall on my stairs after seeing the film. The new Paddington film is about acceptance, family and love...with lots of clumsiness, marmalade and mess along the way.

Handmade Felt Christmas Stockings

I still can't quite believe there are only five weeks and two days left until *whispers it* Christmas...

Yes that's right, I've said the C-word

As someone who like Christmas to stay within the confines of December and more specifically, the last two weeks of December, it comes as something of a shock that I'm preparing for a Christmas Fair at my daughter's school.

I've started making these felt stockings, embellished with vintage trim.

They are simple, but effective and the trim is so festive. I'm really pleased with the way they've turned out.

Now available in my online shop!

Pair of mini felt stocking decorations with vintage nordic style trim...plus free shipping to the United Kingdom.

want to find out more about Pouch?

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I also sell a range of handmade goodies, including vintage fabric cushion covers, lavender filled rabbits and owls and a gorgeous range of vintage trims see my work here

The winner of my November Blog Giveaway is.......

Comment number 14 was chosen at random on random.org

Two Cheeky Monkeys will be receiving her parcel of vintage goodies through the post soon!

November Giveaway: Vintage Goodies

**This Giveaway is now closed**

Welcome to my November Giveaway!

Up for grabs is a bundle of vintage goodies

One lucky winner will receive:

A Lavender rabbit handmade in turquoise and cobalt blue vintage fabric

A vintage fabric trim selection pack

Four yards of vintage scroll trim in mustard yellow and sage green (as seen in House and Garden Magazine)

The whole vintage bundle is worth over £20

To take part, please visit my Etsy store and leave a comment below telling me which is your favourite item.

For an extra chance to win, please follow me on Twitter and tweet this message:

#vintage goodies giveaway! Check out the @pouchvintage blog for further details http://pouchbags.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/november-giveaway-vintage-goodies.html

This blog giveaway is open to worldwide entries. It will run for 14 days and end at midnight GMT on 15/11/2014. I will pick a winner at random and post details on here. Please ensure you have a valid blog or Twitter account so that I have a way of contacting you if you win...

Good Luck!

want to find out more about Pouch?

Follow me on Twitter

Find me on Pinterest

I also sell a range of handmade goodies, including vintage fabric cushion covers, lavender filled rabbits and owls and a gorgeous range of vintage trims see my work here

Destash! Vintage fabric for sale

I'm having a bit of a sort out of my fabric cupboard(s).

I've put a few pieces for sale over on ebay.

This is an ongoing destash project, so keep your eyes peeled for more listings from me.

Any questions, give me a shout!

vintage cabbage rose fabric in olive green, cornflower blue & yellow 60s 70s

vintage retro floral print fabric cobalt blue, green and pink 60s 70s 80" long

vintage spirograph graphic print fabric yellow brown 60s 70s 68" long

Dr Seuss vintage fabric embroidered wall art

Recently, I've been working on a number of hand-sewn pieces featuring quotes I love.
This piece features the Dr Seuss quote:
“You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”
We love Dr Seuss in this house. His books are inspirational to children and adults alike.
One of our absolute favourites to read together is 'Oh the Places You'll Go'.
It's great for inspiring children and teaching them about both the ups and downs that life can throw at you...
"Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!"

Breathless at Brent Knoll

One of the upsides of moving back to my home town is that I can take my daughter to all the places I enjoyed going to as a child.

One of those places is Brent Knoll on the Somerset Levels. It is quite a unique hill. Anyone travelling on the M5 to Devon and Cornwall may have spotted it as they pass Weston-super-Mare and travel further into the South West. It looms up out of a landscape which is predominantly flat (well, they aren't called the levels for nothing). It is 449 ft above sea level and once you've got to the top, there are 360 degree views all around you.

It's no wonder you find the remains of a hill fort up there, you could see your enemy approaching from all directions. For many years it has been used as a vantage point. Bronze age, Iron age and Roman troops have used Brent Knoll as a safe place to keep an eye on the surrounding land.

These days it is one of the best places to see jaw-dropping views of the beautiful countryside and coastline we're lucky enough to have on our doorstep.

From the top you can see the coast of South Wales, the hills of Exmoor, the edge of the Quantocks, the Mendip hills, Cheddar Gorge and far off in the distance, Glastonbury Tor.

But before you get to see these views, you have to put in some leg work.

I haven't been to Brent Knoll since I was a child and I'd forgotten how steep it was. My heart sank when we got to the foot of the hill. I thought my daughter would complain all the way up. How wrong I was. She stormed on ahead of my husband and I. She was completely caught up in the task of getting to the top.

There's nothing like a climb up a steep hill to make you feel unfit. Whilst my daughter took the climb in her stride, we were puffing and panting up the path behind her. I felt like my heart was going to burst out my chest at one point.

But once you get to the top, you are completely rewarded for your efforts.

My daughter stood at the edge with her arms flung out on either side of her and shouted "this is amazing!"

And who can argue with that?

Autumn is coming

It's that time of year again.

The leaves are changing from green to orange, brown & red.

The last time we went to the park, it was literally raining conkers onto the playground.

My daughter and her friends gathered armfuls of these shiny beauties.

At the moment, it's still incredibly warm & sunny for Autumn-time in the UK.

I know I shouldn't, but I almost hanker for colder weather...I love my Winter clothes, my boots, my jumpers, my ridiculously large collection of fabric scarves, the comfort food...pies & roasts and I love hibernating at home on the dark evenings.

Ask me again in a few months time when we've had a dose of dreary UK weather & I'll be yearning for Spring & Summer again...