Hamilton House

We're currently in the process of relocating away from Bristol. There's certain things I will miss about living in such a vibrant location, one of them being the amazing community projects that crop up across the city.

One of the most ambitious is Hamilton House. Once upon a time it was an office block, now it is home to a vibrant community hub where artists, healers and musicians rub shoulders. We went to an open day a few months ago and it was hard to take in everything in just a short visit! There are courses and workshops, artists studios for hire, a whole floor dedicated to healing, a community kitchen, live music in the Canteen bar, and a regular Hamilton House Art Market...to name just a few things!

As it states on their website:

"Hamilton House...is home to Coexist, where art, music, enterprise and innovation cluster as a community rising to the challenges of today and tomorrow. Hamilton House is a vibrant community hub on Stokes Croft in which people can coexist in harmony with themselves, with each other and the environment."

So if you're in the local area, then it's well worth a look. In fact it's a stones throw from Gloucester Road, which is one of the most amazing shopping streets you'll find in the whole city. I'm planning on making a return visit sometime soon. I may even take part in their volunteer program!

New listing: apple green lavener rabbit

There has been a serious lack of 'new listings' in my online stores recently. With all the stress of trying to move house and look after a lively toddler, I just don't have the time to get any sewing done. I'm starting to feel slightly 'cold turkey' about it all, my fabric is in the loft, my machine is in the loft and all signs of sewing mess have been cleared away to make our house look as pristine as possible.

So when a good friend of mine kindly gifted this amazing apple green vintage fabric to me, I had to get the scissors and thread out and make a new batch of rabbits! I adore the geometric pattern on this fabric and the colours just pop right out at you.

Lavender rabbit in apple green on Etsy

Lavender rabbit in apple green on Folksy

Heartlands in Cornwall

Back in May we took a week long holiday in Cornwall and I've been meaning to blog about Heartlands ever since we returned!

Essentially Heartlands is an industrial museum with a twist - I think labelling anything as a 'museum' can often be a turn-off for people, so it's being marketed as Cornwall's "cultural playground". We saw a leaflet on the campsite we were staying on and the marketing material was so engaging and interesting, we had to go and have a look!

We were so bowled over by Heartlands, we can't stop telling everyone about it. We were very, very lucky that the sun chose to shine on us the day we went.

We started our visit with a picnic in the Diaspora gardens, they were full of plants from countries Cornish miners and their families migrated too. I had no idea so many people left Cornwall to work in mines as far flung as Australia, New Zealand, North and South America and South Africa. It's such a clever idea for a garden and it made a refreshing change from the usual cottage garden or twee bedding plants you often see in public gardens.

We then moved on to the artists studios and pottered about for a bit, everyone was really friendly and welcoming. I'm often reluctant to take my attention-span-of-a-flea toddler into places with crafts and art on display, but everyone working in their studios positively encourage us in. I particularly liked the crochet-covered bicycle propped up outside one of the studios.

Even though we'd had a picnic, we couldn't resist going into the Red River Cafe and indulged ourselves with a cream tea, there's always room for cream tea, isn't there? The cafe was smart but also reflected the industrial nature of the building - formerly the old Carpenter’s Workshop - the exposed beams and original machinery dotted about kept visitors in touch with the heritage of the place.

We then took a quick look in the World Heritage Site Exhibitions - with a toddler in tow, you can't really amble about reading all the information in-depth, but we were all drawn in by the enormous 270° film projection at the far end of the building. It was such a innovative way of conveying the Cornish story that we were completely enthralled, in fact my husband went back in to watch the film again...

And finally, we couldn't keep our daughter away from the enormous playground any longer. It was most definitely the highlight of the day, she loved every minute of it. Cleverly designed, built with robust materials and suitable for a large age range, I hope many more children get the chance to enjoy this place over the Summer holidays.

House & Gardens press feature

I was really pleased to see the finished results of a photo shoot featuring my vintage trims in House & Garden Magazine this month.

To celebrate being featured in House & Garden, I am offering a 20% discount on all vintage trims in my Etsy store. You can see my full range of vintage trims here.

I love the way the trims have been styled, especially the corsage effect using my vintage scroll trim in mustard yellow and sage green in the second photo.

Crimson weave vintage fabric trim is placed around the waist of the mannequin in the above photo.

My vintage woven trim in oatmeal and apple green is around the waist of the mannequin in the second photo and the corsage/rosette on the hip features my vintage scroll trim in mustard yellow and sage green.

Jubilee discount code!

To celebrate the Diamond Jubilee I'm offering a 20% discount in my Etsy store, just use the code QUEEN60 at checkout!

To see my full range of products, please click here

Vintage love: Lucozade tote bag

I haven't had the chance to blog for a while. There are big changes afoot in the Pouch household, namely relocating to a new town. We've spent three weeks tidying our entire house in preparation for photos and viewings. I don't think I've ever done so much decluttering and housework. I've even ironed my pillowcases which is so unlike me, it really is. So right at this precise time I can do with all the energy I can lay my hands on - which leads me onto this vintage, oilcloth Lucozade tote bag.

I love this tote bag because it reminds me of being ill as a child! Lucozade was only available from pharmacists in the olden days and was always wrapped in bright orange cellophane - which always struck me as a bit odd. Whenever I had a sore throat or some other childhood illness, my mum would buy some Lucozade from the local chemist. It had a bit of an old fashioned image and was associated with being ill!

Then in 1983 the product was completely rebranded. Today Lucozade is associated with sport and fitness at a high level. The brand is often seen sponsoring major sporting events - they are currently an official sponsor of the 2012 London Olympics. What's so amazing about the rebranding, is the product is still the same, but people's perceptions of it couldn't be more different to the 'orange cellophane' days. You can read about the rebranding here.

If you'd like to see more retro goodies, head on over to my "Vintage Finds" board over on Pinterest...

Follow Pouch : blogging + craft's board My Vintage Finds on Pinterest.

New colourway! amber and chocolate

I've just listed these lovelies in my Etsy and Folksy stores, a brand new colourway - amber and chocolate!

Made with vintage fabric in my absolute favourite colour combination, brown and orange - it's the two colours that scream 'vintage' whenever I'm sourcing new fabric. I think most of my clothes were brown in the 70s and I remember asking my Mum when I was little, 'why is everything in our house brown mummy?' and the answer I got was 'because it's fashionable'!

This gorgeous fabric came my way via Sally at Tinkering Textiles, also something of a vintage fabric aficionado!

Hope you like them! Lavender rabbit in amber and chocolate