July Tote Giveaway

I thought it was high time I ran another giveaway on my blog. Up for grabs is this bold and Summery Canvas Stripey Tote. made from sturdy canvas in shades of citrus orange, sunny yellow, lime green and pale purple.

Perfect for taking to the shops to stock up on provisions. Also makes a great knitting bag, book bag, gym bag, you can cram virtually anything into this handy tote.







How to enter:

mandatory - Leave a comment stating your favorite item from my Etsy store. This applies to both new and old followers.

Three additional ways to enter:
1. Become a follower of my blog. Leave a comment and let me know that you're new.
2. If you are already a follower of my blog (as of July 1st, 2010) and you choose to enter by leaving a comment, you will be entered twice in the giveaway. Although I've made a note of my followers, please remind me by stating 'I'm already a follower' when you leave a comment. This is a way to say thank you to everyone who's been reading my blog over the past few months!
3. Tweet this giveaway:
@pouchdesigns July Tote Giveaway http://pouchbags.blogspot.com/2010/06/july-tote-giveaway.html


**If you enter this giveaway, please state clearly your email address, OR your Facebook/Twitter/Etsy username, so I can contact you in case you win**

The giveaway is open to everyone in the world, and will run from July 1st 2010 through to Midnight (BST) on July 15th, 2010. I will pick a winner at random, and announce the winner on July 16th, 2010.

**UPDATE**
This giveaway is now closed, thanks to all who took part!

Vintage love: Alfred Meakin ceramics and vintage fabric

We spent a few days in Cornwall at the end of May, we had such a lovely time, I wanted to share some images of our stay. It's taken me almost a month to blog about them, but with a young baby, all blogging plans go out the window most of the time!

Whilst we were in Cornwall we visited the quaint village of Polperro. I spotted a sign for 'bric a brac sale' at the side of the road. Never one to turn down the opportunity to rummage through bric a brac, I took a quick look. To my surprise amongst the CDs and books was a table covered in vintage ceramics. I could've bought the lot, but I was very restrained and just bought a sugar bowl and jug made by Alfred Meakin.



I love the simple design and lovely cobalt blue flower detail. And at £1 each, an absolute bargain.





I also had my 'vintage fabric' antenna in full working order when I spotted two vintage sheets plus pillowcases at the sale.



I have already cut some peg bags out of this fabric and I may make some belts with it too. There's plenty to use and I love the fresh colours and design, it's in fantastic condition.



We also made a few other 'finds' on our holiday, but not of the vintage variety. First up was Sams on the Beach at Polkerris. Based just a stones throw away from Menabilly, the beloved home of the novelist Daphne du Maurier.

It is apparently one of the best places to eat seafood in that area. It was very chilled, reasonable priced and in a location to die for. We will definitely be going back again!



Next, we took a trip to the Hidden Valley Gardens at Treesmill, Near Par.



It was such a lovely, secluded place. Complete with large Summerhouse where you could make your own pot of tea and buy a homemade cake, our money went in an 'honesty box'. All proceeds go to charity as part of the National Garden Scheme







All in all, we packed quite a bit into four days, we found some stunning homegrown places to eat and visit, plus I came away with some vintage mementos which always makes me a happy traveller!

Foodcycle comes to Bristol

I recently read about a fantastic new project in The Spark Magazine and wanted to share it here on my blog. A charity called Foodcycle uses surplus food donated by local businesses and creates nutritious meals for people affected by food poverty. It also helps to cut the amount of food wasted by shops and outlets. According to the Foodcycle website, it is estimated that food retailers waste 500,000 tonnes of food each year in the UK with a similar amount generated from the private catering sector.

"FoodCycle combines young volunteers, surplus food and a free kitchen space to create nutritious meals for people affected by food poverty. The idea is simple. Food retailers throw out millions of tons of edible food every year due to supply overstock. The aim of FoodCycle is to redirect this food so it can be used to cook nutritious meals for people in the local community that do not have access to healthy foods for a variety of reasons, such as lack of income or knowledge of healthy nutrition."

You can read more about their Mission on their website



Started in London in 2008, Foodcycle has recently launched in Bristol. A team of volunteers now serve meals at Easton Community Centre on Sunday afternoons and on Wednesday evenings at Bristol University Student's Union.





Please do check out their website to find out more about volunteering or donating surplus food to the charity.

New listing: Mustard yellow and warm orange vintage fabric Dilly tote

Everyone needs at least one large tote in their lives! A Pouch Dilly tote is perfect for a trip to the shops, carrying your latest knitting project, a day at the beach or perhaps for carrying baby paraphernalia if you're a new mum.



This Dilly tote is handmade using vintage fabric. It features a stunning floral pattern in shades of rich yellow and warm orange on a chocolate brown background. Fully lined with robust indigo blue denim. This is a one of a kind bag, never to be repeated.



Full details can be found in Pouch's etsy store:
Mustard yellow and warm orange vintage fabric Dilly tote

Summer is here (hopefully!)

We've been experiencing some lovely weather in the UK recently. As our Summers are so unpredictable it's hard to get used to it, as before you know it the rain sets in! Because bouts of sunshine are so precious in this country I like to grab every opportunity to line-dry all my latest vintage fabric purchases.



We don't own a tumble drier, so nice weather is a godsend. We do have indoor drying racks which are great in the Winter and on damp days, but nothing beats a good airing on the line in the sunshine.



I purchased these fantastic vintage fabrics from the Chipping Sodbury Vintage fair, which I blogged about here. They are destined to be made into bags and lavender rabbits.

UK Handmade Summer Issue out now!

The new Summer 2010 issue of UK Handmade magazine is out now! This bumper issue is packed full of fantastic features, summery tutorials, recipes and finds, and also takes an in depth look at the trend of upcycling and recycling.


Click on the image above or follow this link to start reading!
UK Handmade