Weekend Naughties

Here are some of the treasures from the weekend.

A beautiful Barbola Mirror and Victorian/Edwardian evening bag with the most beautiful gold thread embroidery and plum coloured velvet to the reverse.

More baskets!!  The front one being a rather lovely vintage bicycle basket, just need the old fashioned bicycle to go with it now.

I have wanted an antique Apothecary jar for as long as I can remember, we have eventually found one, albeit, a little damaged but it is a beautiful, elegant piece.

I fell in love with this Rococo ceiling rose made from copper and showing signs of Verdigris, I am going to use it at Christmas as a centrepiece for a flower arrangement or to hold a candle.  I love architectural antiques.

A pair of vintage rowing oars dating from the 1930's for when Mr.G goes to Henley!!!

Yet more copper candlesticks and a lovely mill bobbin.  I think we would be alright if there was a power cut with the amount of candles we have.  I love lighting them as the dark evenings are drawing in.

We were so pleased to find a vintage porch lantern.  We particularly wanted an old one and as luck would have it we found a pair, both with panes of glass broken, but enough to make one complete one.  Andy rewired it and hanged it in the porch and voilà one old lantern working again!!

Finally my bed time reading (and day time too as I can't put it down), the story of the wonderful and courageous Douglas Bader, a really inspirational story.  I also love with film Reach for The Sky starring the gorgeous Kenneth More.

Oh yes, and by the way, they are my reading glasses, I was mortified when I realised I needed them, just hope the false teeth aren't next!!

Have a great week, and thank you to all of you who leave such heart warming comments, I adore reading them.

Jo xx

The Shutters have arrived

At last after two months of waiting, our shutters have been installed today!!

For two months we have had very strange looks from passers by obviously wondering why we had no curtains!!  The couple who run the local village pub actually asked my neighbour if the cottage was a museum!!  

It did take a lot of soul searching for me to agree to shutters, I will be honest, for someone who adores fabric it was not an easy decision.  It was helped in part by my friend Liz Morris who has the most stunning property  filled with gorgeous French antiques and painted furniture to die for!  She has beautiful shutters in her home and we loved them when we saw them.  We really hoped we could pull off the look.

We had them painted in Lichen by F&B of course, I love their chalky pastel colours and I always think they suit period properties,

As you can see I have already set to work with the lavender hearts, sorry, couldn't help myself!!  Any handles or knobs (so to speak) are not safe!! 

 Hope you like the shutters, we are really thrilled with them, it was a gamble for me personally but I am so pleased we decided against covering up the original windows with curtains.  Have a great weekend everyone.

Jo xx

Vintage Quilts

As you have probably gathered, I am addicted to antique and vintage textiles, particularly quilts of the Durham and patchwork variety.  I love the colours, the feel of the old cottons, the fabrics they used, everything about them!

An ancient log cabin quilt I purchased many moons ago, the fabrics the person who made it has used are so beautifully matched.  It was probably made from scraps.

This is my latest acquisition, from Chris at The Antique Linen Cupboard.  I spotted it on her Blog, she has some beautiful textiles for sale.

Again, this quilt would have been made from scraps of fabric that were left over from making clothes, quilters would not have gone out and specially bought fabrics to make quilts.  

I have used this lovely old hexagon quilt to cover my side table in the lounge.  Quilts can have lots of different uses as well as bed covers.  I use them on tables or for draping over the sofa as a throw.  I also make them into cushions when they are past saving.

I love this old patchwork quilt, especially the little hearts appliquéd down one section.  The colours are still beautiful on this quilt.

This quilt has no real set design and the quilter has randomly pieced shapes to form the quilt.

One of my gorgeous Durham quilts from the North of England, famous for their beautiful wholecloth quilts, and so beautifully hand quilted.

I love the fabrics, so pretty.  As well as dealing in vintage textiles I also hoard them!!  I just love folding them at the foot of the bed, or draping them, they are like pieces of art work in their own right.

Jo xx

Something for the Gentlemen

The new object of my desire or should I say, objects of my desire arrived in the post this morning.  A pair of conker brown leather 1st World War Artillery Officers field boots, complete with spurs.  I am completely in love with them and have spent most of the day gazing at them.  I know, a strange thing for a woman to collect, but I love everything about them, the colour, the feel of the old leather, the history of them, and the fact that they are in the most wonderful condition for their age.  They come complete with their original boot trees made by Maxwell of Dover Street in London, they are apparently the oldest remaining bootmakers in London.

As you already know, I have a penchant for vintage leather, especially the conker brown variety.  Another recent purchase was from my friend, Ros, at The Snug in Ashburton, Devon.  I bought a vintage brown ammunition case from her for a great price as it needed cleaning and repairing and I knew hubby would enjoy restoring it - which he did magnificently.

Hubby repaired two sides that had come unstitched, and then gave it a thorough clean and fed it with leather food and finally buffed it up.  It looks as good as new now.

Another recent purchase is the large leather trunk on the floor, again all it needed was feeding with leather food and cleaning up.  These old trunks are great for storage and also displaying my other collections of gentlemen's ephemera.  I love how ladies and gentlemen were so stylish years ago, and goods were made to last.

But, it has to be my boots, my heart beats fast every time I look at them - crazy, I know!!  Hubby keeps giving me strange looks.  Hope you have all had a great week, almost the weekend again.  I am looking forward to Stamford on Saturday and meeting Annie from Vintage at the Corner House again.  I am doing a fair in Northampton that she and her friend Debbie have organised, the poster is on the sidebar of my Blog, would love to meet anyone that can make it.

Jo xx

GREMLINS REMOVED FROM POLL SO YOU CAN NOW VOTE!!!!

New finds for the fair

I have been gathering together some of my new treasures for my next vintage fair, Saturday 11th September in Stamford , Lincolnshire.

I have tried to find things with a bit more of a masculine theme as I get quite a few men come up to me asking 'Do you have anything for men?'  So I am really trying to accommodate the male of the species!!  It is quite hard actually to find things for men.  I have managed to come across a lovely original Gladstone bag which does indeed have some of the contents!!  which actually look rather scary and gruesome, but it will appeal to someone, and will probably be an interesting talking point as we try to work out what they were for!!  

Mmmmmm.........interesting, and let's say one of the items inside involves a length of rubber tubing - say no more.........

I love these two wooden fishing reels, they make a lovely display.

 Some spiffing reads from the 20's and 30's for boys - jolly good show!!  Particularly love the Sexton Blake adventure comics.

Something for the ladies - I haven't forgotten you in my quest for masculine items.  Two rather gorgeous hand embroidered pictures and an ancient, rather naive sampler.

A rather lovely, large vintage 30's quilt in the most beautiful faded fabric and in great condition.  The vintage Art Deco towel rail was also a fantastic recent find and will be coming with me to the fair.  I was tempted to paint it but I think I will leave it as the wood has a lovely patination to it.

A sweet little vintage leather case, all cleaned up and ready to go!! 

I have a busy week ahead making some handmade items for the fair, son back to college, meeting two ladies who are setting up a Christmas shop in a nearby village and would like to stock some of my handmade items.....the list is endless!!  Have a great week everyone.

Jo xx

PS.  Please vote for what Mr. 'G' should wear to my next fair - on the side bar!! Just a bit of fun and I will post the Pics of the winning outfit - well, head gear!!!
Jo xx

Vintage Cupboard make over

I have been struggling for some time to find decent vintage shelving to take along to the fairs to display items on.  The problem is that it needs to be the right size to fit in the car and also have the right look.  I recently found this old cupboard and have given it a make over in keeping with what I sell.  It is painted in F&B Clunch and distressed and then Andy fixed some chicken wire to the inside of the doors and I lined it with vintage faded roses French fabric to finish.

Inside it has two shelves that I have decoupaged Vintage Toile de Jouy fabric onto and finished with pom pom trim.  I have also made a small lavender heart attached to an antique key for decoration.

It is currently stuffed full of vintage table linens for sale, ready for my next fair in Stamford, Lincolnshire on the 11th September with Discover Vintage.  I love giving old items a new lease of life and finding a use for them once more.  What do you think?

Jo xx