Skip to main content

Thirteen

The number thirteen is considered unlucky by some, but this year I've been married 13 years and I couldn't be luckier. When it comes to presents, I do like a bit of tradition and although it probably is a bit cheeky, I like to choose my own gift. That is one of the great things about having been married so long, I know my husband well enough to be pretty confident that he doesn't mind too much.

According to the tea towel (linen for 12 years) that I gave my husband last year, detailing what I will be expecting for each year of our marriage, lace is traditionally given for 13 years of marriage. You can't imagine my delight, I totally adore lace, if its vintage lace, I don't believe it can get any better. It just so happens that I had recently been looking for some prettier lace curtains for Josie's room so I had a fair idea of what I wanted. And there it was a vintage sample of original Nottingham lace rescued from an old Victorian Lace mill before it was demolished in the 1980s. The lady lucky enough to purchase this antique stash told me that there were shelves and shelves of carefully wrapped samples spanning the entire manufacturing life a the factory.

I bought an Art Deco original 1930s design called 'Susie', which in my mind is priceless. The lace factory is gone, the British manufacturing has all but died and Nottingham's lace making fame is now a part of history, but there in our front room hangs my beautiful lace curtain, celebrating thirteen years of happiness.

And to be fair, I did get my husband a rather fab present. On a website somewhere I found some anniversary gift ideas that were more appropriate for the boys and a barometer was suggested for 13 years. Thank goodness for eBay, you truly can find just what you want: an Art Deco Oak case barometer, perfect.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ridgeway Cottage Anyhow - How to add social media buttons to your blog

I know not everyone is excited by learning code and techie stuff but in my quest for website geekiness, this post is just one step closer. For all my lovely friends and family who do not care one hoot about what goes on behind the scenes of Ridgeway Cottage, here are some lovely photos of October life. (Those who do want to know about the buttons, social media and coding, please read on.) Social Media Buttons Anyhow You will need. Your blog open in layout  The URL of your social media places you want to link to Some lovely pictures of social media icons that you would like to use as your buttons A photobucket account which you can easily open here A small understanding of how the coding works  A rather large smattering of patience unless you are super clever at all techie stuff   What social media icons are you going to use? You can find some very lovely ones by searching on the internet or there are some here, here ,  or here . I liked these...

Granny square Christmas

When I was younger I fell in love with the granny square blanket my Nan had made. It was in her tiny little Welsh cottage near the mountains and was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. So many colours and combinations of colours, it was just truly amazing. I'm not sure if it's the happy childhood memories or my ever increasing passion for crocheting, but granny squares (and doilies) are something I could fill me life with. Even more delightful are the variations on granny squares. Star burst blanket, which used to be my favourite, but I have recently had a go at African flowers. They are quick and easy to make and so very pretty. Thanks to the brilliant free pattern that I found here , I have managed to make a little crochet Christmas stocking made out of 16 1/2 motifs. I am happy with the how the little Christmas stocking turned out and am now rather fond of African flowers, star burst and granny squares, well actually, all...

Firsts

It's been a day of firsts. I have been feeling a little bit under the weather and after being sick this morning I did not want to sit in the car for hours. So my husband and children have gone to visit my family without me. This did make me so sad but as there was nothing I could do about it, I thought I would just do my best to enjoy having time completely to myself. I have never been alone in the house over night. People have been away and I've been away but I have never had the whole place to myself for the whole night. I've finally got to grips with instagram and how the liking and the following and the whole thing works. I even got my first ever like which was so exciting. I'm guessing it's pretty addictive. Who should I follow? Where do I find people who love the same things as me? I think I still need a bit of help. And for the first time ever, an ironing board has been the object of my desire. I don't think that it even crossed my mind that ironing...