Bags, Baskets And A Trip To The Palace

I found this lovely vintage bag today that I guess was made to carry knitting. Although I don't knit I am sure I will find some purpose for it even if it just to display with my small collection of vintage fabric bags.

I also found this vintage basket that is really sturdy and very deep. I love baskets and have quite a few that I use for storage around the house. I spotted a reproduction vintage shopping basket the last time I was in Cath Kidston.It had similar coloured plastic trim on the handle but it was no near as good as the real thing and so much more expensive !

This little tin was another find this week, I love the cheerful colours.

I also brought this little pale blue polka dot cruet set home with me.

Mr C found this Tala biscuit tin, he thought it would be a good match for my new yellow cupboard. 

 A couple of weeks ago it was my lovely girl's 18th birthday and we took a little trip to london to do a spot of shopping and sightseeing.

These pictures were taken from the roof garden of the lovely new shopping centre overlooking St Paul's and The Shard.

Our main purpose of visiting this area apart from the shops was to go to the gorgeous Beas of Bloomsbury for champagne and cake as a little treat. It certainly didn't disappoint, the cake is delicious. This is the window display outside and the inside is equally pretty.

We also had tickets to visit the newly re-opened Kensington Palace. The gardens are lovely and The Orangery a lovely place to to go as a treat for afternoon tea.

 Inside there was a lot to see , a mixture of very old and very new.

There were a number of Princess Diana's most famous dresses on display

 along with some iconic photographs

and newly commissioned art.

The building itself is elegant and very historic with a fascinating history.

Spring Cleaning, Decorating and Vintage Goodies For Sale

This week I have had a whole week away from work. I have plans for the weekend but first Mr C and I decided to tackle the kitchen. It took a whole day just to empty it in preparation for decorating !

Once started I decided a bit of a sort out and clear out was in order. I have just so much stuff ! I have spent a few hours today just listing things in my Etsy shop.I rarely get round to adding new items and tend to sell things that I have had for a while and decide I need to let go in order to de-clutter or to make room for more ! I found this lovely old 1920s photo album amongst a pile of books. This is now in my Etsy shop, the link is in the side bar on my blog.

I haven't started on the floor paint yet but have done the door frames.

This is a sweet handmade 1940s brooch. I have had it for ages and although I love it I have never worn it, so being ruthless today I decided to let it go.

I have tried to catch up with housework, scrubbing the bathroom and tidying out the airing cupboard.

This lovely pastoral scene tin was on my kitchen dresser but has now been added to the Etsy shop.

I can't believe how dirty the house had got, I blame the dog for bringing in mud and other bits of the garden with him.

I have had a number of these Horlicks Mixers and love the red lettering on them.The handmade bag is lovely but I can't decide what it would have been used for.

I have closed the door on a couple of rooms in the house to try and block out some of the mess. The spare room I had sorted out only a few weeks ago is now full of the entire contents of the kitchen.

I decided to let this little chap go as I realised I have a ridiculous collection of assorted dogs !

I have thought about doing some baking but sadly the kitchen really isn't in any state at the moment.

This Alfred Meakin bowl was also on my kitchen dresser and was another victim of my de-cluttering.

I haven't been renovating lampshades although I have one in serious need of some help. I would love to know how to do this.

This tin was a tough one. I have a large tin collection and always have a display of floral tins in my kitchen. I do love this but it doesn't quite fit with my others all of which are decorated with roses.

I have a large pile of vintage aprons. I can't resist the lovely vintage fabrics but I guess I have to let a few go.

Finally this evening I have had a few hours to put my feet up and plan the jobs I need to get on with tomorrow.

Happy Easter

I thought I would share a few pictures of Easter themed bits and pieces on my kitchen dresser. This is before they are all taken down and packed away as hopefully we are going to tackle decorating the kitchen this Easter break.

I think we will probably end up painting the dresser shelves to freshen them up.

I love my old Rowntrees Easter egg box and have it on display all year round.

Last Sunday was the first Buckingham Vintage fair and it went really well. The venue was lovely and there was lots of positive feedback from customers and sellers alike.

I treated myself to these lovely yellow Jasmine ware milk jug and sugar bowl, perfect for Easter. They are a lovely bright yellow but the photo makes them look much paler. The yellow Jasmine ware is my favourite colour for utility ware closely followed by the pink. These were from Sprig and Cecil, Nic always have a really gorgeous stall.

Staying with the yellow theme I bought this lovely yellow meat safe also from Sprig and Cecil.

I spent a couple of hours eyeing it from across the room before finally cracking and making the purchase even though I wasn't sure where it would go. I have to say it's one of the things that has spurred me on in wanting to get the kitchen sorted out. I suspect Mr C may think the cupboard needs painting but I rather like it's cheerful yellow gloss paint.

I unearthed my old 1930s scrapbooks this morning and thought I would share a few snaps of some Easter themed vintage scraps.

I had forgotten how lovely these scrap books are , I have shared some of the images in the past but thought you might like to see some of them again.

Just thought a gratuitous chocolate image wouldn't hurt !

I hope you have a happy and peaceful Easter weekend.