Lovely bits...

I found the item above at a charity shop at the beginning of the year and bought it because I loved the fabric and the price wasn't bad either. I was thrilled to bits when I saw the midwives wearing them on "Call the Midwife". I've particularly enjoyed looking and seeing all the things that made me say - I've got one of those! Mirrors, tins, radio etc, etc.

Some of you will remember that I took on a vintage cabinet before Christmas on a trial basis. Well I'm happy to report that things have been going so well I have taken on a unit and things are now going even better. Almost too well - I can't keep up with the sourcing of new items to sell! Perhaps I'm too cheap! I have to spend my weekends runining around antiques fairs, auctions and car boots! My idea of heaven! Always on the look out for for barkcloth and lovely old linens ...

Recently found this fella at a car boot - can't decide whether he is cute or nasty! He spends his days just hanging around amongst the pinnies. Do you like the green one with the black smocking? I love it - beauty in a pinny. I just can't decide what would possess anyone to smock a pinny. Life's just too short!

Oh and I thought I would share my birthday present from Niobe - (a bit late I know). A gorgeous Marshall and Snelgrove hat box. Why don't our boxes and tins look as lovely as this today? This week I have thrown away a dozen chocolate tins at the office. I would have liked to have thought twice about these as the possible collectables of the future but they weren't attractive. Quality Street and Roses used to be in such pretty tins (that will be another post!) but I couldn't bring myself to hang onto those we get today for another 50 years!

I'm sure some of our young designers would relish the opportunity to design for the big companies to bring some life and interest into today's packaging but I suppose they (the companies) are too wedded to their branding!

Have a great weekend!

Love Wend

February already?

I can't believe how time is flying right now. I always find it difficult to blog in January with going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark too. Still its good to see the days are getting just a little bit longer and so I decided to take myself to Newark Antiques fair on Friday to get myself a vintage textile fix together with some of that glorious winter sunshine!

For those who haven't been Newark is the largest antique fair in Europe and it would be easy to spend a whole day there. Unfortunately I had only a couple of hours but I knew what I was looking for so strode past lots of the outdoor stands in search of fabrics. I found a couple of stalls selling old advertising tins and boxes which I always like to see but the tins were expensive. I know that's down to their rarity but then I do seem to be quite lucky in finding them relatively cheaply.



I was looking to find the stall of Liz Von Hasselt - known in blogland as The Washerwoman and veteran of the original Vintage and Handmade Fairs in Chipping Sodbury (not to mention all the other fairs she's invlolved in). I hdan't a clue how I was going to find her stall given the size of Newark but eventually found fabric on a clothes horse beckoning me into a tent.


Over on the table covered in red cloth was all manner of vintage loveliness. Yes it might look like a jumble sale and indeed there was no rhyme or reason to the pricing as far as I could see. The stall holder lives in France and brings his finds over so as you can imagine there were some lovely pieces.
And then behind me I spotted a much nicer display with lots of loveliness!

I'd managed to find the stall I was looking for. Liz had some fabulous fabrics which we spread out and mused over and I took some picture before making my choice.

Imagine my horror on arriving home later to find I had lost the bag with those fabrics in. AAAGGGGH! (Some of you may remember last time I went to Newark I managed to leave an ironing board behind! I get so absorbed I'm in another world)
Another gorgeous stall was Regina Rose who makes treasures from damaged old quilts and extends their life by upcycling them into something new. And now blogger seems to be playing up so I can't upload the pictures of the fabric that did make it home! But I will - along with some of my other recent finds...soon

Hope you are all enjoying the winter scenes and not having too many problems. ..

Love Wend

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