Ok, so the first thing to mention is the styling. I love it! The illustrations and photography are by Kayti Peschke (Caboodle’s creative director) and they fit the style and feel of the magazine perfectly. There is so much attention to detail with this throughout, and I just think that’s fab – Kayti and Amy Tocknell (Caboodle’s editorial director) obviously work really well together, and have found an excellent team of contributors. One example is the flamingo theme seen here on the welcome page (above), which continues with a flamingo brooch DIY project later in the magazine – on trend and super lovely! This is the contents page, and the layout of this is also seen elsewhere in the magazine:

The mix of features in the magazine is really great. I really enjoyed the ‘Save the Bees’ article, and it’s amazing to find out more about what those little guys actually do for us (well, listing what they don’t do might be quicker!). We’ve tried to plant bee friendly plants in our garden, including planting wildflower seed in the front garden, and it was helpful to know what else can be done to help them too.

I also really enjoyed the interview with Leona from Lucky Dip Club – after months of missing out, I finally snapped up this month’s box (which has a village fete theme), so really excited about this! It’s great to see a small business growing so fast and to read more about Leona’s success.

Other features that really stood out for me were the recipe ideas from Elinor Hill (aka Beach Hut Cook) and the snail mail feature. I love the idea of a picnic on the beach, so hoping for nice weather in the half term holidays in just over a week!

There’s so much more in this gorgeous magazine – huge congratulations to Kayti and Amy and the rest of the team! I can’t wait for the next one…so make sure you grab your own copy and support them (click here to buy). Also, if you want to make one of the giant paper flowers that you saw on the cover, you can find the tutorial here. Happy reading!

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Even the outside is lovely – not sure how sewing things ended up in a box for developing formula, but it’s a good combo and it’s all part of the history!

When I took off the lid, this is what I found: a selection of what turned out to be beautiful vintage iron-on transfers! I’ve got no idea how old they are, but some have been used and others haven’t.

The ‘A’ in these next couple could be a connection to our family name (which is Albans) – I wonder what these letters were embroidered on to…

These napkin designs are just wonderful – they even have a vintage name to match!

Hiding underneath the transfers was a glorious selection of embroidery floss. Look at the lovely colours!

And I’m saving the best until last here…there’s a transfer for a beautiful table runner! I’m definitely going to have this as a long-term project, as it would be so lovely to stitch. I’m not sure whether the pattern will transfer easily without spoiling the original, so I may trace it. I’d actually quite like to frame the transfer, as it’s so lovely!

I even have the original instructions, so hopefully I’ll be able to get the right colours too.

Not sure when I’ll be starting, but stay tuned for progress pictures when I do! I am so lucky to have been given these beautiful treasures, and I really want to do the old pattern justice so I’ll be taking my time… I hope you enjoyed seeing the photos! Hope you have a great weekend – what are you up to?

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We were immediately greeted by some art work by Francisco De Pajaro, who has been working on various pieces around Darlington this week and was doing the same around the site today. They are so much fun, and it was great to spot them throughout the day![/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”3″ images=”5581,5582,5583,5584″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” column_number=”2″ grayscale=”no” choose_frame=”default” img_size=”large”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1411851233983{padding-top: 30px !important;}”]Right from the beginning of the day, there was such a lovely atmosphere and SO much going on. We started at the Arena and main stage and pottered around the stalls there. I loved the Charity Shop DJ where people could choose cheesy tunes from a box of LPs from local charity shops, and have a go at DJing.

 [/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”3″ images=”5587,5588,5589″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” column_number=”2″ grayscale=”no” choose_frame=”default” img_size=”large”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1411847878771{padding-top: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;}”]Next, we headed into the Beehive – just look at that writing! I love the retro styling of Lingfield Point.

There were some fabulous stalls in there, and I was super organised and got a couple of Christmas presents. It was here where we bumped into curators of the Festival of Thrift, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway! I explained that I’m a part of the School of Thrift, and they very kindly agreed to having their photo taken – thank you so much to you both!

After that we left them to rummage through some LPs and continued on our way. We came across a stall from The Beehive Brand, which had the most beautiful knitted garments in traditional patterns. I can’t really describe how beautiful they were, so you’ll have to take a look : [/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”3″ images=”5596,5597,5598,5595″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” column_number=”2″ grayscale=”no” choose_frame=”default” img_size=”large”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1411851507792{padding-top: 30px !important;}”]The Beehive Brand was established in 1785, but after a period of decline has recently been bought by Andrea Freeman, who’s passion for this exciting project really shines through. Not only is she recycling the old brand, but the old patterns too, and new garments using old patterns are being gradually released once more. I’m really excited to see how the brand develops! If you’d like to find out more, visit her website.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1411850503131{padding-top: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;}”]Here are a few more photos from around the site! Look out for the tea ladies with the invisible dog (if, indeed, you can ‘look out’ for an invisible dog!) if you’re going tomorrow – they’re hilarious![/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”3″ images=”5602,5603,5604,5605,5606″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” column_number=”2″ grayscale=”no” choose_frame=”default” img_size=”large”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1411849392734{padding-bottom: 30px !important;}”][/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”3″ images=”5607,5608,5609,5610,5611,5612,5613,5614,5615″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” column_number=”2″ grayscale=”no” choose_frame=”default” img_size=”large”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1411849832037{padding-top: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;}”]Mum had a go at weaving, and made this to add to the huge spider’s web – fab!

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]There were so many lovely stalls around the event, but I was really pleased to catch up with my friend Victoria, aka Dizzy Miss James! We met a few years ago at a craft fair and it has been wonderful to see her shop develop. She designed all of these little guys herself – aren’t they adorable!?

It was also brilliant to meet some new people at the event, including Angela from Maison Royale – her stall was fabulous and she was so lovely to chat to! You see that gorgeous arrow light? That will be hanging in our new kitchen in a few months! Yes!

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1411851452668{padding-top: 30px !important;}”]I took so many more photos, but I don’t want to give everything away! If you’re in the area tomorrow then you MUST go along. And don’t forget to tag your photos on social media – #FOT14

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