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

#

My misspent life!

Happy New Year - a little late in the day!

Christmas and New Year have raced by with lots of time with Niobe back home from Exeter. It's been lovely to have her back for 3 weeks but she is now back to exams.

Over the festive period it has also been my birthday and there has been a favourite theme amongst my nearest and dearest ...



books ...



and more books



Having discovered the ebay wish list and heavily populated it with King Penguin books I was delighted to receive several to add to my collection.



I love the covers of these books and the fact that they were produced over 50 years ago. I'm looking forward to checking out the carvings at Exeter Cathedral when I visit Niobe sometime.



This 1950s prints book is great for me to research my fabric finds and I was thrilled to find that some of those I have picked up in charity shops are in this book! Good to find that my instincts can (generally!) be trusted.



I had been intrigued by the title of this book when I had spotted it on line months ago but had forgotten all about it. I'm tempted to leave it out permanently or to frame this quote from the front cover. It says it all for me. Apologies to all those who are tidy and organised but this book validates my way of life totally!





With chapters such as



and



I have the perfect excuse to head off to the car boot in search of more treasures!

Hope you are all enjoying this mild weather!

My luck is in!

I've finally got a new role with the same employer so should be safe for another year. (As far as anyone can be). I've moved into the job and am getting used to a new routine. Outside of work I seem to be in mega organisation mode and getting nowhere as something always comes up which takes precedence over what I actually want to do.



A few months ago I spotted these drawers in a landscape designer's office and asked for first refusal if he decided to sell them. I was amazed to get a call last week offering them to me for a very reasonable price. I've wanted some haberdashery drawers for years but knew I could never afford them so decided to go for it!



The drawers have a little divider about 6 cm in so you can fill the front bit with lovely bits and hide all sorts of stuff behind. I have a list of things to put in all the drawers but haven't had chance to fill them all yet. Can't wait!



I have started with a couple though - wooden cotton reel and doilies



I might have to save one for scarves. I've always worn scarves and tend to hang on to them. On my charity shop run last week I found a shop where somebody had clearly disposed of a collection which covered from 50s onwards.



As you can see I bought quite a few although I won't keep all of them. They cost the same whether they were polyester, acetate or silk!



Sorry about all the pictures - I loved them all!



Not sure I can wear this seventies one - but I am tempted!



Hope your Christmas preparations are going better than mine!

Love Wend

Button it!

Last week I was contacted by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Buttons) when they saw that Lesley over at Printed Material was about to take some buttons to THE TIP. Those of us in the society know that TIP and BUTTON shouldn't be used in the same sentence. Aware there was no time to waste I contacted Lesley on a mission to save these souls and she very graciously relented. She'd found a use for the white amongst the pack but let me have the rest. I've never removed my whites so was delighted when the buttons arrived and poured both coffee and buttons. The sorting of buttons is a serious business requiring full attention. The resulting collection of buttons was a joy to sort through - the whites dilute the colour of the rest! (I'm easily pleased!)



I found lots of buttons that I could add to my various categories assisted by my trusty baking tin.



I have collections of 50s and 30s, floral, leather and mother of pearl to name a few.



Buttons on cards can be found in little corners around the house



Also jars of specific colours a particular favourite being green.



Lots of the buttons I find that have been discarded are these very simple but colourful Jasons buttons. I keep these in a jelly mould ready to run my fingers through as I walk past. Again - simple pleasures!




I like the cards the buttons are mounted on just as much with the manufacturere desperate to convince the buyer to by his buttons. Fashionable buttons. Exclusive buttons



and on this one - The EGO brand! Love it.



I spent a happy hour sorting through before going on to examine some of my other recent finds. (Funny isn't it how "Happy hour" means different things to different generations!)



I never tire of looking at old packaging and advertising - be it paper, card or tin. How can I use this binding without damaging the wrapper? I might just have to leave it as is...



Might leave the Water Closet paper package intact too!

I found a scruffy little book in the bottom of a box and was delighted to find it full of colour plates of birds. The book is falling apart with a lot of marking but well worth 20p!





The paper bag below was holding some 60s fabric and I don't think had been opened since then - a 60s dress had been cut out and is ready to stitch up. Far too small for me though! The shop disppeared over 40 years ago to become Debenhams.



Also managed to find some more of the chemist labels I found a couple of years ago.



and some wonderful Weldons Shilling Guides once all bound together (at some point but now just a heap of paper which I needed to sort into some sort of order). These guides are instructions to the hobbyist in a variety of areas. These are just some of the great illustrations...



Crinkled paper shades for your piano candles!!!



Lovely woolly (scratchy) drawers for babies!



And the knitted knee cap. How on earth have we managed without these? Let me know if you need the pattern!

Serious Booting Time is Back!

The car boot has been light on finds of late but on Sunday I struck lucky. It started with this Ladybird book which had lost its cover - although it looked uninspiring something made me look inside where I found pictures and a story which I hadn't thought about for years.



I must have read this in about 1963 -does anyone else remember it? I loved the illustrations then and once I'd seen one of the pictures the others came flooding back. Isn't it funny what triggers memory? A simple image buried for years was enough to take me back to my regular seat in the armchair curled up with a book and an apple - simple days!

Loving these vintage curtains - 3 of them. Irises and roses on a crimson background... not barkcloth this time but probably 50s.

I'm a sucker for black, white and red 50s ceramics too so this tureen came home with me ...

as did the Coronation and jubilee mugs - both pre war.

Also some bits of haberdashery including a bunch of crochet hooks which will be great for my crochet class tonight...

and some vintage advertising cards.I'll have to do a separate post about them! They appear to have been used routinely to advertise all manner of things and I was amazed to find these Ross fish finger cards!Lately I've picked up all sorts of these advertising cards - from fish fingers to batteries to stockings!

>

The little habd painted jug had to come home

and then I spotted a table groaning with Beryl ware. There was no way I could carry it all so I had to satisfy myself with a tureen and a couple of other bits

but my favourite finds were these delightful boats seen here ridng the crest of a cheap as chips Afghan!

Hope the thrifting gods have been good to you too!