Vintage Florals

Mr C has been framing some of my old classroom prints this week. Some will be sold but this one I am keeping as it is one of my favourites. They look great in old frames painted with chalky paints .

This is a gorgeous barbola fire screen I bought from Vicki of Ticklepenny Vintage at the Northampton Vintage Fair last Saturday.

I also treated myself to this pretty handmade cushion from 'Vicky Loves Vintage' also at the fair. The duvet cover was a surprise find in TK MAXX last week. They had quite a few Cath Kidston duvet covers and pillow cases at bargain prices.

The pretty floral Vernon Ward picture was another buy from Vicki of Ticklepenny Vintage. It has a lovely frame and Mr C gave it a quick coat of paint to smarten it up. It has now joined the other Vernon Ward pictures dotted around the stairs and landing.

The two small ones below are my favourites.

I have had a few lucky finds in charity shops in the last couple of weeks. I spotted the old dolls pram and assorted dolls including a Rosebud and Roddy doll being unloaded outside a charity shop as I went past. I popped in and the ladies were unpacking three bin bags full of old dolls which had been been owned by an old lady. The pram is very sweet but the hood is sadly disintegrating. I am not sure what I will do with it but it is good for displaying vintage dolls and teddies.

Finally the 'pot' below which was another charity shop find has been put to good use holding the pretty azalea some friends at work gave me for my birthday.

The Lovely WI Cupboard

Well here it is , the before and after shots of my favourite purchase from last Saturday's Vintage and Home Made fair here in Northampton. Mr C has put it on the hall wall for me and I enjoyed spending some time last night finding all my little bits to fill it. I have resisted putting anything on top for now. It isn't quite finished as it is still waiting for it's new brass catch but I am afraid I am rather impatient.I did decide to take off the plastic doily edging as I thought it might detract from the things on the shelves. Even my lovely girl didn't moan about it which surprised me, although she did ask if I was going to paint it because the paint was chipped ! Oh well I guess she will learn.

This was another of Mr C's finds last week, we have quite a collection of Vernon Ward coastal prints on our landing now.

I found this little wooden bench of characters in a junk shop last week and couldn't resist. They match my 'Mr Bartender' and salt and pepper pots.

The rose tin was a purchase from linda (Tabbyroo) at the fair on Saturday.

Last Sunday Mr C and I went out for a drive and by complete accident came across this Railway At War event going on at old Rushden station. We only discovered it because we saw a couple dressed in 1940s clothes walking down a street of modern houses on a quiet Sunday morning. I have to say it was quite surreal. We turned a corner and saw crowds of people around the station. We had to call in and have a look as we have never been to one of these events before. There were people everywhere dressed up, and a great swing band playing and ladies dancing on the railway platform.

There were loads of displays too, I liked the old kitchen cupboard. I have always wanted one like this myself but don't have the room. There were cooking and sewing demonstrations as well as displays of military items which Mr C found interesting.

Of course there were steam trains too although we didn't stay long enough to have a ride.

A table set for tea.

There was also a parade going on outside, note the lovely old green car.

Tin Collection And Swap Goodies

I thought I would share another one of my collections or at least part of it. I have always loved old tins ever since I was a little girl and inherited quite a few from different relatives. In recent years I have looked out for tins from the 1930s onwards although I still have quite a number of much older tins. The one above is one of my favourites and purchased relatively recently.

The carnation tin is very pretty and the seagull tin sits with my collection of seaside themed items.

I really love this tin with the little girl on the shoreline.

I have come across this white heather tin a few times and also have a much larger version of the same tin.

The old Blue Bird tin was a boot sale find and it holds all sorts of bits and pieces.

This is another of my favourites and looks like a picture from a story book.

The little ballerina is really sweet and sits on my hall windowsill with a vase of flowers.

This cute little tin was an ebay buy a few years ago.

I think this one is very unusual, she seems to have quite a thoughtful expression.

As you know I have a weakness for doggy items especially terriers.

This one is a little battered but still charming.

This Vernon Ward picture was another great find by Mr C this week. He found it at our local tip recycling shop for £2.50. It will now join our other two Vernon Ward pictures on the landing or in the bathroom.

And finally this wonderful array of goodies arrived this week from Annie The Felt Fairy. She was my swap partner in Tilly Rose's vintage, shabby chic swap. I was so excited to open it that I forgot my camera until I had unwrapped everything. There are some lovely flowery garden gloves, some gorgeous rose scented Cath Kidston hand cream, a pretty floral candle, two cute little handmade felt hearts, a flowery needle case, a 'Make Do And Mend' book, and a fantastic Beryl Woods Ware bowl. On top of all that was some delicious chocolate and a packet of rainbow drops, neither of which lasted long especially once spotted by Mr C and my lovely girl. Annie is so kind and although we have never met seems to know me so well. I love the bowl especially and have read most of the book which is packed full of fascinating snippets. The gloves will be put to good use although I have to admit Mr C does most of the serious gardening. Thank you Annie you made my day x

Boot Sale Booty

I thought I would give you a quick update on my boot sale finds from Sunday but first I thought I would show you a close up of the pretty vintage felt brooch I found last week. A few people spotted it in the background of a previous post photo and I felt it deserved a photo of it's own. It reminds me of the Cath Kidston felt brooches and hair accessories that have been around recently.

Sunday morning we were up bright and early for the boot sale but we very nearly didn't go because it was so gloomy and drizzling with rain. In the end we went as we were up and ready. When we got to our usual boot sale we were disappointed to see only about a third of the usual sellers. A quick look round in the drizzle yielded just two things that took my fancy. The glass cream jug with the blue lid and the Crown Devon little sauce jug both came home with me. The little Crown Devon piece was found a spot straight away with the rest of my collection. The little pharmacy bottle was found later on.

Anyway after a rather disappointing start we bumped in to some neighbours who told us about another boot sale about ten minutes away . We decided we had nothing to lose and set off and we were so glad we did. As soon as we arrived Mr C found the Vernon Ward print which looks great on our landing with our Vernon Ward seagull print.

We then split up for a while to wander round and when I found Mr C again he took me to a stall he had found with things he knew I would like. The first thing he had spotted was the little cross stitch cottage picture. He really is getting to be very good at finding things for me, not so long ago he was hopeless. He used to be drawn to things that only a man could like, ugly, dark coloured objects with no hint of prettiness. I guess that is a bit of an unfair generalisation about men but after a little bit of training and education he now has quite a good eye.

On the same stall were piles of vintage books, games and jigsaws.

There were old annuals, Enid Blytons and a lovely copy of The Water Babies illustrated by Anne Anderson. I already have a copy illustrated by Mabel Lucie Attwell and it is lovely to compare the illustrations.

I also found the lovely , soft crocheted blanket and a pile of linens. These look a little crumpled as they had just come in from blowing on the line and are waiting to be pressed.

Finally I found the Father Christmas jug. These were produced by Bird's Custard in the 1950s as a special Christmas edition for your custard to go with your Christmas pud. I already have one of these that I bring out every year so this one will make an appearance in my shop nearer to Christmas.

I hope you are all having a good week and enjoying the sunshine. I feel a bit of a giveaway coming on but more news on that at the weekend. x