A suitcase full of inspiration

Today I went on a traditional day out to the seaside. I packed my metaphorical vintage suitcase, boarded a train and headed for Margate. Although its glamorous glory days are long gone, Margate still has that magic and shoots of creativity and craftiness are beginning to push through the boarded up shops and derelict buildings. Dreamland still dominates the seafront but is now wrapped in scaffolding, ready for the dispute between the land owners and the council to be resolved and regeneration to start. As my dear friend and companion for the day pointed out when she dropped me back at the station, the lights of the Dreamland sign are back on and that is surely a good indication of things to come.

List of inspirational places in Margate

Turner Contemporary Gallery

pretty much everything
the shop
the pop up cafe
Rodin's Kiss
Turner and his crackled oil paint
Hamish Fulton and especially the Margate 1234567 Walking

Margate Old Town

Frocks and Stock - how could I not love a charity shop with its own little haberdashery section

Blackbird - Shop - Studio - Workshop

The Greedy Cow - Brie and apple or halloumi and grilled pepper sandwich or both (if you are out to lunch with a lovely friend who's good at sharing)

Showtime Retro Furniture - complete confirmation that a vintage typewriter is just that type of 'must have' item that I couldn't have lived without for a second longer

Rough Trade - today was the opening of a collective of fabulous creative sorts, makers of beautiful things and traders of very lovely stuff

The Seventh Magpie - just love - love - love, there can never be too many shiny things or too much treasure
Sarah Hinds - mixed media extravaganza - colour, texture, text, form, light, shape - totally inspirational

Kirsten Jones - mixed media, beautiful tea party subjects with flowers and washing lines, dictionary text, letters and postage stamps, stitched, ink and coloured acrylics - a collage of treasured memories and imagined histories

To be continued with the Emporium....

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The Pink Ladies

As we sat in our classroom inspired horseshoe, designed to encourage conversation, there was a slightly uneasy silence. Those of us who knew each other, stole furtive glances, others returned our smiles politely although they were not privy to the planning and discussion that had occurred in preparation for the evening. The time had slowed, 8pm seemed an age away. The silence was intermittently interspersed with brief attemps at small talk and the rants of a drunk outside on the city streets. The commanding presence of our WI advisor Dorothy, had the air of an experienced headmistress or well respected senior relative which in the event of such formalities made me feel foolish in my .....excitement. Some of us stifled giggles as advice was provided on the process, as we had already made the majority of our formal decisions but it was with noticeable nerves, that I raised my hand to the question of who wished to be President. So that's it, another new chapter has open

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 one because I do r

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

Ridgeway Cottage anyhow

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