The First Vintage Jumble Sale

You saw it here!

Pictures taken on the day of the first Vintage Jumble Sale in Rangeworthy, near Bristol.
The brainchild of Jayne and Michele (aka The Vintage and Handmade gals!)

The tables were groaning with treasures...

 Prices were soooooo reasonable...

 It was just like stepping back in time to the heady days of my teens when there were plenty of these events on a Saturday......

 Not only was there a fantastic atmosphere,, it was a great opportunity to chat to old friends and make friends with quite a few new ones. Watch this space for the date of the next event as I am sure there has to be another one... once the residents of Rangeworthy have recovered from the "Vintage invasion".

Nostalgia at number 1 opens for business!

Today I made a special journey....

I drove to Shepton Mallet in Somerset to wish Niki all the luck in the world in her new venture.......

Here are some of the delights that awaited me in the shop.

Each surface and shelf was brimming with vintage treasures...

From pretty china to sumptuous eiderdowns....

Pictures, mirrors, frames, vintage dresses, shoes, shoe stretchers, baskets, padded coathangers.. and so much more. Niki and Dave have obviously worked extremely hard, and it really does show. It has all come together beautifully. Jolly 30's music added to the atmosphere, and meeting a fellow blogger, Isabelle was an added bonus on a misty Thursday morning in Somerset!

If you are in the area do make a visit, and if you are not in the area, it is worth a journey!

Home Sweet Home

The past week has been good as there is only one more fair on the horizon before Christmas.

This means there is time to catch up with a bit of sewing. Shown above is the "sewing chair" where I like to sit in natural daylight. The old wooden sewing box came from my grandmother and it lined with pretty 30's floral fabric, the Lloyd loom chair from a Car Boot sale & the cushion from The Fountain Antiques Centre in Honiton.

Next came some time to tidy, dust & clean the house......nice to see the kitchen worktops for a change!

Housework is not my favourite occupation, but it does mean that you can take time to look at my favourite bits & bobs in the home.

I bought this plaster head in Lewes in the 1980's so she is a real "old friend".

An eclectic selection of bits & bobs adorn the shelves.. and my family are always complaining "that I have too much stuff"....... Do I? Really?

Then came the opportunity to sort out my winter clothes, I am rather fond of blue/green jumpers as you can see!

This oil painting of a house & garden was a recent treat. It was destined for the Dairy House but somehow found its way onto my kitchen wall.

A little more dusting required..... my growing collection of lustre ware & cider mugs. I have spotted another one in a local Antiques shop that I might have to succumb to soon if somebody else doesn't buy it.

Sadly not a very good photo of my 1940's lady. I bought her at Shepton Mallet Antiques fair some years ago.

At this point you can see that my trusty camera is not taking the best piccies in the world. Despite help & advice from "technical support" (aka eldest son) it would appear it is beyond repair. This might be my last blog posting for a few weeks until I can buy another one.... grrrrr frustration!

Anyway, I struggled on & took a few more pics, including my Lloyd Loom sofa & screen. I bought the screen in Bath Antiques market about 18 yrs ago & still adore the chubby cherubs & over-blown roses. The sofa was a more recent find in an Antiques centre.

Some "Red Regatta" 1950's china, along with my french spotty butter dish....

We are expecting friends for supper, so a wonderful opportunity to get out the whole set.

and still going with the sailing theme, an interesting old 1930's black & white photo of Cowes regatta which came from an auction. You cannot see it, but there are some suitably dressed people on the boat, he is wearing a smart blazer & peaked hat, she is elegant in her print dress and sun visor.....

That's all folks! Back to the housework & a little more sorting.... I will have this house "ship shape" by Christmas!

A very funky abode.....

I would like to share with you some photos I took recently in a friends home.

Isn't it fabulous?

Each corner has fab & funky arrangements of kitsch goodies..

I love the way items are grouped together, like the perspex collection of bambi's in the hallway (shown above)

The kitchen is probably my favourite room & evokes childhood memories of growing up in the 60's and 70's.

As you know I am rather keen on 50's china too!

If you are seriously into kitsch then Bronia will be selling at the Rook Lane Retro fair in Frome on Saturday November 7th. Sadly I cannot be there as I will be selling at the Stroud Rag Fair at Bisley.. and Mr W is selling at the Exeter Flea Market at the Matford Livestock centre. There are just too many events to cover on one day!!! Stop press! Just found out that the Rag market in Bisley opens at 9.30 (not 10 as I previously said). Get there nice & early as there might be a queue!

A peaceful few days in France

Last week we were lucky enough to be able to have a few days away at our favourite place. One morning we took a leisurely stroll along the beach, it was deserted as you can see......

Apart from signs that somebody had been having some fun in the sand the previous day

........ this brought back happy memories of hours spent on this beach when the boys were young.

All the houses are closed up for the winter months. This particular house has always been my favourite. It has a wonderful view of the sea and the garden is never very tidy, but in the summer the family usually eat their meals outside.

We drove back through the country lanes, watched by spotty cows in the orchards.

I saw this bench and had to take a photo, I love the way the flowers have grown through the slats of wood.

Another day was (predictably) spent searching for French treasures at one of the biggest Vide Greniers I have ever been to. The stalls stretched as far as the eye could see!

Look closely at what this man has in his arms. It is a beautiful tame fox! He walked around with it on a lead, chatting and showing his "pet" off to anyone who wanted to see it.

Once I was back at the cottage, I couldn't resist a little "photo opportunity" with my finds. I often find that when I am buying stock a theme or colour scheme somehow forms itself.... this time green & red dominated.
Even the way we then set the table for lunch reflected the colour scheme! The green vintage china is from the 1950's/60's and is called Beryl ware. This was the china I grew up with in my parents home, and now my brother has chosen it for his holiday cottage. The white china bowls with vegetable design are French. I bought them for him as a house-warming gift when he bought the cottage.
Next I had a little photo-shoot in the bedroom, the Boudoir doll looks quite at home doesn't she?

..and the lovely old toy horse had a good view of the garden until we brought him home.

This corner of the sitting room looked cosy with knitted "finds", including some balls of wool which I will give to my knitting lady. She is busy at the moment making Vintage style berets for the Winter season.

While we were in the cottage, we discovered these plump house martins nesting in the shed.

and lastly.. the great thing about holiday cottages! Always a very eclectic book collection to delve into. This time I dipped into the Sex Pistols Biography for a bit of a change!