Catching up!

I thought after so long I should just load some pictures and see what happens! Most of you will know that I decided to take on a vintage unit in Nottingham a year ago . I started with a cabinet and have grown my business month on month throughout the year. I still hunt out my signature barkcloths but also search for other fabrics,

ephemera, small items of furniture, tins and more recently early plastics. The two fabrics above are both unused 1950s and 60s . I love the top one with its London buildings.

This one with the potted plants is a typical image. I'm still out hunting at car boots , fairs and charity shops. Below is one of my favourite finds of the summer.

I've been looking for different ways to style my unit and bought a number of crates in Devon earlier in the summer. I was quite pleased with the way my stall was looking until some of them were bought and I had to come up with something else...

So a couple of weekends ago at Peterborough Antiques Fair I was thrilled to find this ultra kitsch glass fronted  cabinet which has taken up residence for the time being. It fitted in the car and is now housing some of my finds in my unit.
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Subtle it's not but I love colour and tastelessness sometimes!  I'll add more pictures of my finds soon!  

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Hello again! I've missed you!

Well its been a very long time since I last posted due to the fact that I thought I had broken Blogger! Not good with technology it's taken Niobe's return from uni to get me back up and running again.  I've missed you all but life has been flying by so fast I've been finding it difficult to keep up! Today I decided I have to be kind to myself and allow myself time to write a post. As I'm now off work for a couple of weeks I hope to catch up with your blogs too. I've been very busy with my Ticking Stripes business and am constantly on the look out for new treasures. One of my latest obsessions is vintage hankies. I've been picking them up whenever I see them at the right price...    

 I was really pleased when \i found this book on Amazon. It is handkerchief sized as well as the same shape and is full of gorgeous photos of old hankies. Last time I was in London I managed to find this lovely old hankie box which I couldn't resist.

I keep dropping the hankies into an old basket which is now almost full! I spotted the green and the purrple ones at a fair recently and was told that they are called sweetheart hankies - given in war time. The green one has Royal Army Service Corps embroidered around the motif.

On the back of the hankie in one of the corners is a little flap and behind that is a powder puff. This one as you can see still has a little colour on it! 

I'd been wondering what to do with all these hankies when I read Selina Lake's book "Homespun Style". When I saw her picture of hankie bunting I was inspired. No sew bunting - got to be worth a go! Just fold in half and knot together! I won't be leaving these out  but did think that this would be lovely at a vintage wedding.

Back to the book - there doesn't seem to be that much to say about the humble hankie but what it lacks in history it makes up for in the myriad of designs and colours. I've yet to find any swaps!

The book is sheer eye candy with colour themed spreads of different designs. Definitely one for the bedside table and a lovely gift if you know of anyone with the same obsession!

Here's hoping it won't be so long before the next post!

Love Wend