Well I think it’s about time don’t you? You see the problem with scrumptiousness is that if you don’t attend to making life lovely on a daily basis, you forget to attend to it all and life becomes one long round of kids packed lunches and scrubbing toilets and it seems to me that there is little joy to be found in the daily drudge. Unless of course we whiz around the dull stuff, housekeeping music on full blast, collapse with a long, tall glass of something cold and fruity and then award ourselves an afternoon resplendent with puttery loveliness…
Go on. Take your pick…
*Seek out lavender, orange or rose scented sugar syrup and use it to add a little blast of loveliness to plain yogurt first thing in the morning….
* Mommies never frame photographs of themselves. Find a photograph of you at your prettiest and put it on the kitchen windowsill. You are beautiful… you just forget occasionally.
* Set yourself a challenge for the next twelve months, twelve difficult books you will read between now and next Spring. Twelve increasingly difficult sock patterns…? A chapter a month of the book you’ve long considered writing…?
* Create an "organisation station". A corner of the kitchen where a pinboard, calendar, diary, address book and housekeepers journal live. Have a little pot with pen, glue and scissors, a tin with note cards, envelopes and stamps, a place to charge your mobile, and somewhere to hang your keys. Never again will you leave the house without your shopping list…
* Take yourself on a creative excursion for the biggest ball of natural string you can find. Aesthetically gorgeous all by itself you will find endless uses for it and will, like I do, consider it a fabulously silly investment…
* Spend the afternoon downloading a wonderfully upbeat collection of Springtime music to your Ipod, Just perfect for finally getting into the garden and dancing by yourself while you sweep away the last vestiges of Winter.
* Hunt out an old fashioned enamel coffee pot and use it to water your houseplants while you wait for the kettle to boil in the morning…
* Create a "Treasure journal" for noting the provenance and price of all your vintage finds. Make it handbag sized and oh so pretty and you will, over time find yourself with a precious little record of your favourite vintage haunts and most gleeful moments of discovery…
* Spray your signature perfume onto your partners pillow… Oh and while you are about it, open your underwear drawer and spray a tiny blast in there too…
* Sew yourself an oh so quick collection of eco shopping bags from scraps of vintage this and that and stash them everywhere: in your handbag and the boot of your car… Never again will the supermarket cashier sneer at you when you pack your shopping into a plastic bag…
* Add a length of the prettiest, brightest ribbon you can find to your house keys. They’ll be so much easier to spot in the abyss that is your handbag…
* Dust your light bulbs with a cloth infused with aromatherapy oil for a gentle scent when you switch them on…
* Create a "Charging Point". Choose a plug and extension and use it to charge mobile phones, cameras, mp3 players etc etc all in one place. Enough already with all these wires dangling everywhere!
* Choose a pretty teacup and use it to scoop washing powder into the machine.
* Freeze slices of leftover lemon into ice cubes for the perfect G and T’s…
* Sprinkle handkerchiefs with cedar oil and put them in the pockets of Winter coats before you put them into storage for the Summer…
* Write your Daddy a love letter and include a picture of yourself as a little girl… perhaps he misses her…
Create your own Brocante Life Book, plan Christmas, set up routines and rituals or live life the BrocanteHome way with my guided workbooks and planners.
Ok Honey Pies, today I am kicking off a brand new feature on BrocanteHome: The Housekeepers Blog Hop. Here’s the premise: I start at one of the utterly scrumptious blogs I subscribe to on BlogLovin, tell you exactly what it is I…
It’s Illustrated Discovery Journal Week. To get us started I am posting a few pages from my own journal below… Points To Remember: This isn’t a competition. The pages in your journal can look the way you want them to look. It…
Happy Friday Sweethearts. Can I interest you in a little prize draw? You see everybody who buys one of my thoroughly lovely utterly inspirational downloads from the Brocante  Shop between now and next Friday will be entered into a little draw to…
 A house full of broken glass. An Anthropologie tumbler destroyed by little hands. A glass lamp shattered across the living room. A lantern flung across the garden by the wind and smashed in to tiny pieces. But then they do say…
Finally, some rhythm to the month, just as it draws to a close. But it doesn’t matter. For the year has finally begun. Today then: a new cabinet in the bathroom to be made useful. Copper wire baskets just waiting to be…
17 Comments
What a bunch of charming ideas! Such a lovely life!!!!!!
This is so bizarre. Before I typed your blog address I thought to myself 'I'll just pop in on Alison, see if she's written anything new today. Could really do with some of her puttery treats'. So imagine my surprise when I saw the title of this post! Just what I was needing this morning. Your puttery treats are just about my favourite things in blog land. Thank you! x
I was so excited when I opened the page and saw “puttery treats” at the top! I missed them… and needed them desperately today! 🙂 You continue to amaze me with your brilliance…
Hooray, hooray More puttery treats today!! (do you see what I did there???) I am so happy – thanks! I too have missed these little pearls of wonderfulness that spread a warm glow and inspire my love of puttering.
Hello from Brooklyn, New York! Nice to meet you! I’ve come over from Vee’s blog, and I’ve enjoyed my visit here so much — what a delightful blog you have, and I just loved this post! I’ll be visiitng again often! Regards, Pat
Hi…When I read about writing your Dad a letter, it reminded me of something. My precious Dad passed away on Nov. 21, 2007…I was recently going through some of his things. I found a note that I had written him when I was probably thirteen or so…It was addressed to "Laundryman", because he did all of the laundry for our family of nine. It was a note thanking him for always doing the laundry. He saved it for all those years, and now I will save it. Katie
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What a bunch of charming ideas!
Such a lovely life!!!!!!
those are such lovely,spring-like ideas-thanks
Oh thank God for this list … this wonderful list could not have come on a more perfect day!!!! I needed a pick me up! 🙂
Yay for the return of Puttery Treats! A wonderful list to add charm & beauty to our every day lives. 🙂
Oh my, I have been missing your puttery treats. Thanks so much for the housekeeping inspiration. I’ve missed it. Happy Spring.
thank you alison….4 the
Scrumptious Puttery Treats
that’s why we are in love with you.
xoxo
I love it when you go all puttery Alison! There are plenty of treats there to keep me going for a while.
This is so bizarre. Before I typed your blog address I thought to myself 'I'll just pop in on Alison, see if she's written anything new today. Could really do with some of her puttery treats'. So imagine my surprise when I saw the title of this post! Just what I was needing this morning. Your puttery treats are just about my favourite things in blog land. Thank you! x
You are brilliant in your putteriness! Love these lists.
Thank you for giving my day a little lift, I want to try some of your puttery treats! Just lovely.
I was so excited when I opened the page and saw “puttery treats” at the top!
I missed them… and needed them desperately today! 🙂
You continue to amaze me with your brilliance…
I just love your puttery treats! My favorite in this list is adding the ribbon to my keys – I'm off to do it right now. 🙂
Revee
Hooray, hooray
More puttery treats today!!
(do you see what I did there???)
I am so happy – thanks! I too have missed these little pearls of wonderfulness that spread a warm glow and inspire my love of puttering.
Great treats. After this winter, every little bit helps. Thank you!!
Hello from Brooklyn, New York! Nice to meet you! I’ve come over from Vee’s blog, and I’ve enjoyed my visit here so much — what a delightful blog you have, and I just loved this post!
I’ll be visiitng again often!
Regards, Pat
That teacup in the detergent was my puttery treat of yesterday. Today, I should try another. Thanks for the puttery scrumptiousness…you’re a wonder!
Hi…When I read about writing your Dad a letter, it reminded me of something. My precious Dad passed away on Nov. 21, 2007…I was recently going through some of his things. I found a note that I had written him when I was probably thirteen or so…It was addressed to "Laundryman", because he did all of the laundry for our family of nine. It was a note thanking him for always doing the laundry. He saved it for all those years, and now I will save it. Katie