Where does the time go?

I have been to 2 great vintage fairs over the last couple of weeks; and haven't blogged about either of them; which is terrible.  Not only that; but I didn't get any photos at the wonderful Northampton Vintage Fair; as I left my phone in the car.  Luckily there are alot of other stallholders who have done a much better job than me at photos and description.  As probably the last person on earth to blog about it; the day was great.  Fantastic weather; lovely fellow stallholders; lots of great customers and loads of wonderful vintage items.

Among many others, these ladies have done a much better write up than me:  Ann at Vintage at the Corner House and Sharon at Clover Cottage who took some great pictures.  

Last Saturday, I went to another fair, the Joy of Vintage fair in Watford; which is such an event, with live music and dancing too; to say nothing of the number of stalls, beauty parlour and cafe!  Again I was a miserable failure on the photography front and only got these pictures of my stall part way through:

Thank you to all the people involved in organising both these fairs; it must be such a lot of work.  I hope you get time to relax before the next ones!


On Sunday, as many of the car boots round here haven't re-started yet; I thought I'd try out a local table top sale.  It wasn't any good; but the girls and I managed to walk the dog close by in an area I never knew was there; even though I have lived in the vicinity all my life.  This church is beautiful; but tucked away a little from the very busy main roads around it:

There was a moated manor house here (now long gone) in the days when the area was a village miles from London and not the part of sprawling suburbia it is now.  I wonder what vintage treasures  were owned by the occupiers??

Not many good photos..

I have been buying quite a lot recently - as I have several fairs coming up in a short space of time and I am worried I might not have enough stuff (ha ha, you can't move in this house for boxes). The first is Northampton Vintage Fair  this Saturday, 19th March.  I am really looking forward to going there again, as it is a great event.

I don't have many good pictures of my latest purchases though, but here are a couple.  I must take some more before Saturday:

Pretty Crown Ducal tea plate

Royal Doulton tea plates

And a cute china terrier.  Maybe a West Highland White?

More pictures to follow, but here is one of a spring sky at last:

Signs of Spring?

Winter this year seems to have dragged on for ever.  I usually love winter, but I must be getting old, because this one seems so grey and miserable.  So I was pleased to see these lovely snowdrops peeping out from under a hedge on my dog walk the other day.

As I have several vintage fairs coming up soon; I've been busy looking out for stock; so in between dog walks I found these:

A blotting pad with a pretty cottage print on the front.

Another rose print, a pretty china trio and stripey jug.

Lots of vintage knitting patterns, incluidng several for fantastic hats!

Plus more buttons.  I do love buttons, and can't resist pretty ones.  These are a small selection and I must sort them out properly as they are currently trying to take over the house!

Another vintage fair and another year older!

My glamourous assistant and I went to the Originate Creative Craft and Vintage Fair on Saturday; where we met up with Linda from TabbyRoo.  Glamourous assistant wanted to take home Linda's lovely dog on wheels, Reg, who was waiting patiently at her stall for a new home; but I was worried that our Labrador might fancy chewing him!  Even at 7, she still likes to chew inappropriate items (the dog that is, not my daughter).

Here is the stall.  I am trying to work on improving the layout,  but it doesn't come naturally to me, and usually ends up looking like a bric-a-brac stall after a church Christmas bazaar!  Still, practise makes perfect:

Also this week, I got another year older, and my kind daughters made me a lovely chocolate birthday cake.  It's taken several days to eat it, and was scrummy:

Sadly, I am not 19, but one of the correct numbered candles couldn't be found!

Finally, a couple of new finds this week:

Pretty china plate with pastel coloured pansies

Brixham china jug

Vintage stock buying panic!

I am attending a vintage fair on Saturday (the Originate Creative Craft and Vintage Fayre in Flitwick, Bedfordshire).  As I did well with sales at my last fair; I am now worried that I don't have enough stock for another fair so soon; so I have been out and about again, looking for more treasures.  To be honest, the amount of stock there is lying about this house; I probably could do several fairs without buying another thing!  That doesn't stop me though, so here are a few things I found:

Not a good photo (as usual); but it's a lovely Vernon Ward print in a pretty painted wooden frame.

Various pieces of hand painted china; an old tea caddy tin and a glass dressing table dish.  Hopefully more to follow before Saturday.  Oh, and my beautiful assistant will be asssiting me, dressed in her outfit from the bowling alley party!

My Vintage Girl

Yesterday, two friends had a joint party at the wonderful All Star Bowling Lanes in Whiteley's Bayswater.  It's a fantastic 1950's style bowling alley, bar and diner; and my baby (11 this week), decided to dress for the occasion:

This is her modelling her outfit before we went.  I think she may be attending some vintage fairs as my lovely assistant!  He older sister (aged 13) doesn't do dressing up - or vintage.  I still have some work to do there! 

A Fantastic Vintage Fair

This is a very blurry picture of my stall at the Vintage Fashion and Accessories Fair I attended on Sunday.  I am intending to do more fairs this year; and was very pleased with my sales at the very busy fair.  Next time I must work on my photography!

Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to upload any more pictures at the moment; which is a shame as some are actually in focus!

I shall try again later..


Sometime later...

Well I managed one more picture.  This is a china dressing table set I bought recently.  The round dish in the centre with the hole in the lid puzzled me.  I couldn't think what it could be for.  Internet searches have suggested it is a hair receiver or hair tidy.  Supposidly Victorian and Edwardian ladies with long hair would collect it from their hairbrushes and combs; and save it in a hair receiver.  When they had enough, they would use it to stuff pin cushions or even small pillows!  Apparently the oil in their hair lubricated pins in the pin cushions.  What a wasteful person I am that my hair just goes down the plughole or in the bin.  Although, we do brush the dog outside in the spring, so that birds can use her fur in their nests!  I wonder if labrador hair pin cushions would be a big seller??