Are you a member of the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Eiderdowns?

Today is Ella's first afternoon back at nursery following the summer hols, and since I've got a day off today I imagined that I would be 'domestic goddess' making chicken soup this morning, and DIY diva, finishing the decorating in our bedroom this afternoon while Ella was out, but my plans have been foiled by evil call centres this morning, ahhhhhh!!!!! several long calls(mostly on 'hold') later, and knowhere closer to resolving the problem, I am feeling rather frazzled to say the least, and don't feel like doing anything much.

So with Ella shipped off to nursery, and pint sized mug of tea beside me, I have decided to write a post about nice things, cosy things, make you feel happy things!

I have been noticing a recent change in the air, fellow bloggers seem to be gearing up for autumn, especially in the UK, where we've given up on summer this year, and I'm feeling that change too, a longing for fresh clear days, with bracing winds, fallen leaves, wrapping up warm against the elements, fires lit, and snuggling on sofas with your favourite eiderdown, blanket or quilt!

After reading about Steph's and Sophie's recent acquisitions, I have decided to set up the Society for the Perservation and Appreciation of Eiderdowns and start the wheel turning for a 'show and tell' of your special eiderdowns, quilts or blankets. All you have to do to join the club is to write a post about your snuggly beauties, where and when you got them, where or how you like to display or use them, and any tips on caring for them, and encourage other bloggers to 'show and tell' too. Remember, this is not just for eiderdowns, but for quilts and blankets too!

It was about this time last year that I started looking on ebay for vintage eiderdowns (I've already started looking again), my grandmother always had some at home, and they where lovely and cosy to suggle up with in the evenings, and I wanted to replace the duvet that my husband always used on the sofa with something a bit more pretty and respectable. After a few mournful weeks of being outbid on several choices, I found this one in baby blue with little white polka dots and little posys of pinky red flowers, filled with down, and I fell in love with it, I hadn't seen one like it before, you don't tend to see a lots of blue ones, and I had to have it, I got into a bidding war with someone else and I think I paid about £70 for it! It's only small, made for a 3ft single bed I think, but it's very cute, and I love it.

Shortly after, just before christmas, my habit need to be fed again, and I came across this beauty, from one on my favourite ebay sellers, and again, the bidding war ensued, and I ending up paying about £60 for it. It's a lovely plump double sized one with a gorgeous pale pink ground and little pink posys of roses and daisys with touchs of pale blue, yellow and pistachio.

Finally under the two eiderdowns in the photo below is my Ivory silk handstiched bedspread which sits at the bottom of my bed, that my mum bought me as a present when Ella was born, it was so wonderful to get a lovely present like that just for me, when most people where buying clothes for the new baby, mum said I deserved a special treat since I did all the hard work!

I normally have my eiderdowns draped over the sofa in the winter for serious sofa snuggling, but during the summer I had them hung over the back of the day bed that I have in the spare bedroom/workroom for guests. I tend to just wash them in the machine on a gentle hand wash programme and then tumble dry them with a couple of tennis balls to fluff them up nicely. So if any of you reading this have a penchant for these cuddly wonders, dedicate your next post to them and join the S.P.A.E. today!

As for me, although the sun is shining here for once, my chicken soup is on the go, I've got my Uggs on, and going to snuggle up with my eiderdowns and another mug of tea, goodbye xxxx