Dilys Treacle's Blog

Valentine

dilystreacle — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:55:27 +0000

My Valentine designs are here, at long last. I did make a start on these around six months ago, thinking I was being all clever and ahead of the game…and still didn’t get them finished and back from the printers until this week! Feel like I’m always cutting things a bit fine!

Anyway, there are three designs to choose from, and the good thing about them is that they aren’t overly amourously affectionate, or sickeningly romantic! But at the same time, they get to the point, and the sentiment is right there. So if you’re looking for something a bit different and quirky to send to your loved one, then read on…

‘Love 4 Ever’ card

Love Forever

‘Eye Love You’ card

Eye Love You!

’Big Love’ card

Big Love

Here are all three, with their envelopes…

The cards, with their envelopes

The card dimensions are 104mm x 148mm. They are priced at £1.80 each, come with a coordinating brown ribbed kraft envelope (which is hand-stamped – by me!) and are individually wrapped in cellophane.

And another thing – these cards might be just the ticket for Valentine’s Day, but they are also more than suitable for any romantic occasion you may care to think of. If you truly love someone, you don’t have to limit yourself to only telling them once a year. You could send one of these at any time of the year to get your point across. They’d even be great for engagements or a loved one’s birthday.

They are available to buy from my website, right now! For more information, more pictures, and to make a purchase, please click on the link below -

www.dilystreacletreasures.co.uk

T for the Toys

dilystreacle — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:36:22 +0000

I forgot to show you this Christmas card. It’s the one I gave my Mum & Dad. I scanned it ages ago, before I sent it to them at Xmas obviously, and then I forgot about it!

The card folds out into 3 sections and shows illustrations taken from a late Victorian alphabet book. I love these pictures.

Father Christmas ABC

T for the Toys

The alphabet book was published c.1894, by F. Warne & Co., London & New York. The card is by Bodleian Library, University of Oxford.

www.bodleianshop.co.uk

I promise that’s my final mention of Christmas and Christmas cards, for a few months anyway!

Favourites, in the way of cards

dilystreacle — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:51:14 +0000

Some favourite cards from my birthday and Christmas…

Oak Tree, design by Ruth Green

www.cardmix.co.uk

www.worldoffox.com/ruthgreendesign

Birthday dog, by Barnardos

www.greetingcards.barnardos.org.uk

Birthday cake, Camden Graphics

www.ukgreetings.co.uk/Brand/Camden-Graphics

Design by Lucy Cromwell, Hallmark

www.hallmark.co.uk

Stroodle! By Pennychoo

www.pennychoo.com

Dogs by Roger la Borde

www.rogerlaborde.com

Snow birds by Holly Clifton Brown

www.hollycliftonbrown.co.uk

www.theartfile.com

A Christmas card from Alice Palace

www.alicepalace.co.uk

Winter Hare linocut, by Andrew Haslen

www.andrewhaslen.co.uk

www.art-angels.co.uk

Merry Christmas by Cath Kidston, in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care

www.cathkidston.co.uk

www.mariecurie.org.uk

Robins by M&S

www.marksandspencerpersonalised.com

Vintage greeting card from a New Zealand charity shop, by Tanner Couch

www.tannercouch.co.nz

Better than Pendolino

dilystreacle — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:13:11 +0000

Yesterday we went on a steam train…

Peak Rail visitor guide

The Peak Rail line is part of the Midland Railway track which used to run between Manchester and London, and which closed in 1968. From 1975 onwards, a team of enthusiasts and volunteers have been working hard to restore the line between Matlock and Rowsley South, as an independent heritage and community railway.

Derbyshire skys

Approach

Platform

The train, approaching

You can ride on an old fashioned steam train from Rowsley South station, to Matlock and back again. There are also loads of special events which run throughout the year, such as WW2 weekends, Halloween ghost train rides, and steam and diesel events.

Wooden interior

Corridor/sliding door

The inside of the train is really cool, and all the interior walls and fixtures are made from wood. The best carriages are the ones with the long corridor and compartments with sliding doors.

Compartment with flip down arm-rests

The seats in the compartment are the most comfy train seats I’ve ever sat on. If I could get one of these as a sofa for the front room, then I would.

Seats, with tables

There are different types of seating in each carriage. There is also a Restaurant carriage with proper tables and chairs.

Blue seats

I like the shape of the head-rests and tables, and the design of the luggage racks.

Aboard

The whole journey takes around an hour. It was quite quiet as it was late in the day. The people who work on the train are part of the Peak Rail Association, and some of them dress in old fashioned uniforms.

Matlock Riverside - through the sliding windows

It was dark by the time we got back, and the windows on the train were steamed up!

Through the window

Getting dark

We’re going to go back another time and take more photos.

Peak Rail ticket

You can visit the Peak Rail website for more info about the railway and stations along the line – www.peakrail.co.uk

On the 12th day of Xmas

dilystreacle — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:02:46 +0000

Christmas feels like ages ago. I took the tree, decs and cards down yesterday and feel much better for it. The room looks as if I’ve spent ages cleaning it or something, when the reality is, I haven’t done a thing…what a result.

Our tree

We went back to Yeovil for a few days at Xmas to see my M&D and the fam. Working in retail always puts a bit of a dampener on the run-up to the festivities, but I was lucky to be able to have enough days off all in one go that I could go home this time, which made it seem really Christmassy! It was really cool to spend Xmas day with our niece and nephew! Millie, our niece is three and a half and was really excited, bless her.

Millie and George's Christmas cards - they made them at nursery

Our new plate from Millie & George

Here are a few more of my festive snapz…

The back room

Christmas dinner is my favourite dinner ever, but it’s got to be cooked by my Mum only, obvz. Also, my Mum’s sherry trifle is the best, but she made me make it coz she was too busy with the dinner! It was delicious of course as I added the sherry really liberally (I only like it in trifles) and I put 5 Cadburys flakes on the top…still not quite as nice as if my Mum had made it though.

Xmas dinner, and my trifle

It’s always weird to be back in Yeovil, and always feels like I’ve never been away. We walked into town a few times and nothing had really changed. It’s still the same as I left it!

Festiveness in the town centre. St. Johns Church, and The Quedam shopping centre

My M&D have got a new tree with new balls. It looks really lovely, but I like the old balls best.

Childhood decs

I noticed some of the vintage ones had been relegated to the secondary tree in the back room as a token gesture, but the rest were in the decs box…til I got ‘em all out again!

Decs from the old days. The fairy is the oldest, over 60 years old

My favourite balls are the plastic picture ones which came from Woolworths in the early ’80s, and the long pointy ones, which I used to think looked like canoes when I was little. Here is a pic of my Dad taken at my Nan’s house one Xmas in the early ’70s…you can see the canoes on the tree next to him.

Young Dad, and the canoes.

Back in Sheff, and we had lots of biscuits and chocs to get through. All gone now sadly!

M&S Bizcuits

I hope you had a good Xmas whatever you got up to. Not long til the next one though is it!

ps. Next up, favourite Christmas & birthday cards!

2011 Ten

dilystreacle — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:44:37 +0000

Ten good things about 2011 (In no order whatsoever, except, of course, the first one is the best. The rest are random)…

1. George

Our beautiful nephew George arrived in January and he is my favourite thing to happen in 2011. Here he is when he was newborn. He’s much bigger now, and unstoppable in his ambition to be on the move at all times.

Georgie

2. Vegetarian Percy Pigs

I didn’t know this until last week, but Marks & Spencer now sell Veggie Percy Pigs which are gelatine free. This is excellent news if you are vegetarian. I’m not a strict vegetarian to be quite honest with you, but it always seemed very wrong to enjoy those smiling pig faces knowing they did infact contain pork gelatine. I have tried both sorts and can honestly say that these veggie ones are better than the normal ones. I heard that it took 23 attempts for Marks & Spencer to find a gelatine substitute which created the same texture. Apparently they use some sort of pea protein.

The Percy Pig story – Introducing Veggie Percy

Percy packet

Green ear clarification - if it has a green ear, the pig is gelatine free

3. Nella Last in the 1950s

My favourite book I read in 2011 was Nella Last in the 1950s, which I got for Christmas last year.

Nella Last in the 1950s

The series of Nella Last books are the real life diaries of Nella, an ordinary housewife from Barrow-in-Furness, who in the late 1930s volunteered to take part in the Mass Observation social research project. The project began in 1937 and called upon ordinary people to record accounts of their daily lives in the form of general day-to-day diary entries, and by responding to directives sent out by the MO (These were sent out periodically, and asked for the volunteers to write about specific subjects, and as the war progessed, their views on more topical issues).

Nella herself

Nella’s diaries have been edited and published in a series of three books. The first one focusses on her diaries spanning the war years, the second book is post-war, and this one gives a great insight into Nella’s life in the 50s. Although just an ordinary housewife who was essentially jotting down what she’d done every day, Nella was actually a brilliant and humourous writer. I love the way she writes, the way she talks about her neighbours, and how she goes into great detail about every meal she prepares. You do feel as if you know her and as though she is chatting to you personally about what she’s been up to, about her worries, and her hopes for the future.

If you have any kind of interest in wartime Britain or social history, then this book is immensely fascinating. I would recommened reading all three in order though, don’t just read the last one first!

This is the blog entry I wrote after I read the first book – An anthropology of ourselves

More information on the Mass Observation Archive – Recording everyday life in Britain

All three

4. Songs of the year

Not songs from 2011, but 3 excellent songs I got obsessed with in 2011.

5. Heatwave in October

It’s nice to have a heatwave in October though, isn’t it?

Scarborough in October

Filey sky

6. Adam Ant

We went to see Adam Ant twice in 2011. The first time was in May and the 2nd time was a couple of weeks ago in December. Both gigs were at the O2 in Sheffield, and Adam was excellent twice!

Here’s the blog entry I did after the first gig – Adam Ant – Why not!

The O2 on the morning of the gig

Adam - photo by Dan Doughty (see link to previous blog entry above)

7. Hipstamatic

Did you notice I got obsessed with Hipstamatic? I wouldn’t usually entertain such gimmicks, but I really like it and I can’t stop…

Diamond Jubilee commemorative monument - South Petherton

Washing on a line, Macclesfield

Royal Wedding pub sign, Dore

Sea View Snacks, Filey

Chimney, Macclesfield

Sheffield skize

Rain in Hillsborough

8. 9 1/2 Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 1970s and Early ’80s

The best record of the year is by Luke Haines, and it’s truly magnificent.

Luke Haines

Disc

9. Treasures

There have been so many, but these are my favourite three from 2011 -

This plate from The Front Parlour on Sharrowvale Rd, Sheffield. It’s a Royal Albert piece, design name ‘Lido’, dating from the late 20s/early 30s. Look how beautiful it is, it’s one of the best plates I’ve ever seen, and possibly the nicest one I own. Original blog entry about the plate is here.

Royal Albert 'Lido' plate

This swan was my favourite charity shop find of the year! It came from the Age UK shop in Yeovil. Look how amazing the beak and eye are. I love it, I would never part with it. I doubt anyone else would find it as exquisite as I do. This rubbish photo doesn’t even do it justice really. In real life it has a kind of pearlised glow and it’s fabulous.

Pearl the swan

Another lucky charity shop purchase was this 1930s art deco Crown Devon jug. It came from the St. Lukes hospice shop on Abbeydale Rd. in Sheffield. There are more pictures and info on the swan and deco jug in this old blog entry here.

Crown Devon jug

10. My website

My website really was a long time in the making, but it finally arrived in 2011, and I hope to achieve a lot more with my Dilys Treacle Treasures stuff in 2012.

ps. If you’re looking for cheap Christmas cards, mine are now on sale at the mark-down price of 75p each on the website!

Website homepage

www.dilystreacletreasures.co.uk

Thank you to anybody who has supported me in the past year with my greeting card work, I really appreciate it.

Happy New Year, friends!

99p Christmas cards – a bargain at half the price

dilystreacle — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:24:47 +0000

Hey everyone…just to let you all know, I’ve reduced the price of all single Christmas cards to 99p in my online shop. (They were £1.80 each when they were full price!) There are only selected designs left now and only a few of each, so if you’d like to buy any, hurry hurry! There are four days left to place an order, and the very last day I will post out is Tuesday 20th December, which is the last posting date for 1st class mail in the UK. These are the designs left to choose from (at current time) -

Christmas Cracker

Christmas Tree - only 1 left!!!

Christmas Stocking

Mince Pies - only 1 left!!!

Christmas Present

Christmas Bauble

If you’d like to place an order, please click on the following link which will take you straight to the Christmas cards still available in the shop – www.dilystreacletreasures.co.uk.

ttfn,

j. Xx

Irish colours

dilystreacle — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:48:19 +0000

Hi! Last week I completed another card commission. This time the card was to celebrate the birth of a baby boy called Ardal. The main requirement was that the design was stitched in the colours of the Irish flag – orange, green and white.

Irish colours

The lettering was to read ‘Hello Ardal’, which I stitched in bright white cotton…

Hello Ardal

Here is the front of the card. I used a green background, with an orange heart design.

Cardal

Close-up

I finished by stitching on a few silver stars.

Front & back view

The final design…

The card

Here is the card, packaged up with an envelope and ready to send to the customer.

Packaged up

If you would like me to create a one-off unique card for an important occasion, please get in touch with me here (via the contact page on the website) and we can come up with a plan! Personalised cards currently cost £5.00 each plus £1.50 postage. These prices will apply to any orders placed before the end of 2011. In 2012 prices will be going up a little!

To view a selection of customised cards I’ve previously made, click here!

Anyway, I’m off to finish work on another custom order now which I started a few days ago. Pictures soon!

Keep warm…

Recently made

dilystreacle — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:52:08 +0000

I’ve been getting a couple of orders every now and then for hand made personalised cards. It’s nice doing them, and I like creating original pieces to send off to people!

Here are a couple of cards I’ve made recently. The first one was a commission for a lady who contacted me through my Facebook page. She wanted a card for her friend who had just given birth to a baby boy called Jimmy.

Boy colours

She requested different shades of blue for the background and lettering, and some denim fabric if possible, plus some stars.

Hello

Here is the finished card…

Front and back of the finished card

Hello Jimmy

The card, packaged and ready to send to the customer

The second card I made recently, was for my friend Lee who left work last week…

Front of card

The card - flat

Standing

I’ve made another card for a newborn baby boy today, and have a personalised child’s Christmas card to work on tomorrow. Will post photos as soon as the owners have received them!

If you’d like me to make you a personalised card for a special occasion, contact me here for more details!

The winner!

dilystreacle — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:12:33 +0000

Hi…thank-you very much to all the people who decided to enter my blog give-away.

The names of the entrants, spinning around in a plant pot...

Spinning even faster than ever

I blindfolded Rob with a teatowel and he selected the winner, fairly and squarely from the plant pot.

Selecting

Selected

And the winner is…KATI PALIN!!!

The winner!

Well done Kati, and thank-you for entering the draw. The prize will be on it’s way early next week!

The prize