Cotswolds Vintage Fair

Even by her own high standards Ali excelled last Saturday in creating such a busy successful day; the third Toddington August fair was brilliant.  The weather did nothing to help as we unloaded and packed up in heavy rain and those who brought their own marquees battled against torrential downpours to keep their stock intact.  But then that's the nature of the bank holiday and this year even the queen couldn't stop her parade being rained on.
I spent far too long setting up (and chatting to lovely Jo next door) and had too short a time to whizz round the other stalls before being kept busy all day.
Took these photos of the very tempting stalls in the main marquee

Jo had her usual lovely selection of mannequins, corsetry and pretty fabrics

Not entirely sure why but I completely forgot to photograph my own stall! I had even been buying in colour combinations with the stall in mind and had a pink and a blue section. Sadly no photos of the French cups which sold immediately or the flight of tool maker's drawers but below is a selection of items which will be on sale at my next open house in September

The kitchen is filled with the aniseed scent of this fennel picked at the roadside on Saturday; container is a classic white dairy jug

This is a great pharmacist's pestle and mortar, very heavy as the pestle is made of iron

Gorgeous non matching pair of child's French boots, ( did he have to wear other's cast offs?) which the dealer described rather poetically as Van Goghian

I like these piles of French books although can't imagine attempting to read them

I was very pleased to buy more of 2 of my favourite French fabrics; the lovely soft Vichy check and the small blue check which I have never discovered a name for.

Have made up some of the Vichy into shades..both pink and blue

Another favourite is this soft beige and red linen ticking which gives such a warm glow when lit.

Hope you'll come along to my autumn open house..often much better weather than in summer..email for details or for any info about the items for sale

French grey

I don't know what it is about the combination of these words but as soon as I see french grey on a paint chart I want to buy a tin and repaint a wall or piece of furniture.Silly as the shade may vary between blue, grey and sometimes green but I think it conjures up sun faded shutters and doors glimpsed on summer holidays in the south of France.
My favourite French prints almost always include grey; it works so well as a foil against strong colours and reduces their brashness. The French knew all about fifty shades of grey before E L James had ever been thought of!

 I love this turquoise and it is a perfect match for the velvet on my French bed.
As its such a large scale print I've used large feather pads which are the same proportions as pillows and look great great on a bed. An extra smaller one is made from the leftover piece.

This fabric is in great condition, probably not been made up before, a lucky find.

This red is slightly more softened by age and is a lovely warm background for this grey print.
The flowers are so beautifully drawn and full of life. I think they are a tree peony but any botanists out there can correct me.

They're all for sale from £26-28 so please get in touch in you'd like more images or info

and at once I knew I was not magnificent *

I promise not to make a habit of using song lyrics as my title; its Viv's thing and she does it so well but had to disagree with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver having seen them perform at the Latitude festival.

 Latitude, held near to Southwold in Suffolk is a laid back and very manageable 3 day event featuring music, dance, comedy as well as poetry and literary reading and of course this year lots of mud. The sheep enter into the spirit of the festival.

My highlight was Bon Iver; I couldn't imagine how the elaborate studio albums could be brought to life but the answer was in an imaginative stage lit by electric candles and with great musicians on brass, string and percussion. It was magnificent.

Other stand outs were the classy Laura Marling, lovable Guy Garvey and Elbow, brilliantly energetic Bat for Lashes and a truly fabulous set from Rufus Wainwright who burst onto a sunny lunchtime stage to sing his first song unaccompanied. Elsewhere we enjoyed Josh T Pearson although not necessarily for his musical contribution, wonderful dance and mime in Translunar Paradise, Q&A with the 2012 cast and lots more acts we happened on as we wandered around as well as eating some great street food and generally enjoying the looks of the festival. Wellies were of course de rigeur if not totally essential but elsewhere anything went from the casual boho to the young man in the tailcoat who I stood next to watching Natasha Khan but didn't summon up courage to ask about his outfit.

Felt very sad to be leaving on Sunday so it was some consolation that we were spending another couple of days in Suffolk exploring the coast and visiting favourite haunts.

Brought back these 1970s milk bottles used to advertise products of the day

This is a really nice pharmacy bottle with label intact

I liked the proportions of these candlesticks which could also make elegant hatstands; will probably give them a coat of paint as think they would look better shabby chic

A sweet cover, no idea whats going on so guess will have to read the play

Anyone for Pimms, if it ever stops raining these will make lovely garden party glasses, I'll take them to the Cotswolds fair if its sunny by then

Back home then to wash the mud from our clothes and boots although I do have a small confession; we escaped every night to the relative luxury of a nearby travel lodge..thank god!

* Justin Vernon  Holocene Bon Iver

the day the gazebo collapsed

I was tempted to title this post, "the day my house fell down" but it did sound unnecessarily melodramatic; that was however the feeling as we struggled to keep our gazebo from depositing the weight of an hour's heavy rain onto the stock beneath.
It had always felt rather mad to be leaving home at 4.30am (especially after a very enjoyable meal at friends the night before) to drive to Norfolk to set up an outside stall in the wettest summer on record; forgiveable if booked months before, not when I did it last week as it lashed it down outside.  We had needed the help of 2 lovely men from a nearby stall to erect said gazebo but we had simply not factored in the difference the sodden canvas would make to its stability. Poor Ken held on as well as he was able whilst I ran to beg to be allowed to set up stall inside the main marquee; yes, dear reader there were inside stalls which yours truly had eschewed in favour of a bigger pitch outside.  But here the story brightens even if the skies did not.  Many thanks to the staff of Nelson events who were kind and efficient and found a free stall for me to use and later when an adjacent stall was a no show allowed me to use this space free of charge.  We moved the stock, set up stall, dried out Ken, met loads of nice people, sold lots of stock, felt much more cheerful and vowed to return next year having booked an indoor stall.  The only casualties in the final analysis were the gazebo (which stayed behind) and my lovely hairdresser's "do" which returned to frizz in the damp.
I know many of you who have lovely partners who are equally keen on vintage but thats not Ken; its not his bag so I am particularly grateful for his support and physical help on these occasions especially when it involved missing the first men's singles final in our lifetime involving a Brit

And the rain continues...so its been no hardship to stay indoors and sew.
I remember as a child being saddened as my father ripped the pretty white flowers from the bottom of our garden. Now, as a gardener, I know bindweed is a pain and pull it out myself whilst loving the shape of the flower. I have seen it growing wild with a pretty pink/white striped flower but never blue so not sure if this is an artist's impression.

Makes a lovely combination with the soft blue striped linen.

Another section of the same fabric features these beautifully drawn roses teamed with a lovely cream vintage linen.

 I think it makes a pretty negative to this stronger floral also featuring roses. I plan to make the red fabric into cushions later today.

These simple linen striped cushions were popular on Sunday, I guess near the coast the blue is a great choice for holiday cottages. I've replaced the ones I sold with more
All these cushions are on the updated blog shop..click on link on right or http://www.shophellishdesigns.blogspot.com/
I want to send my good wishes to any of you who have summer events coming up, long planned no doubt and hoping for sunshine or at least not a deluge.  Two couples of my acquaintance are marrying later this month and I so hope they have decent days for their celebrations...my brush with the elements was trivial in comparison!

Summer Open House..this weekend

One day I will hold my summer open house in brilliant warm sunshine without a cloud on the horizon. Then I will fill my terrace with tables piled with jugs, lamps and containers of summer flowers and display the cushions on the garden chairs in my greenhouse just as I envisaged when it was renovated five years ago. To be fair it has happened but it may have been a September rather than a June sale but this weekend the forecast is for breezy showers so I've displayed all my summer stock inside.

The garden looks summery from the window where the standard lamp is displayed.
However I am determined summer will reign (get it?) indoors where Pimms and summer berry cupcakes are on offer or perhaps a pretty pink Kir if you prefer.
Hope you'll come along and enjoy; ring or email if you need directions

I love this pretty set of drawers in perfect condition, lovely for stationery or sewing bits

I've placed it alongside the fabulous stone lamp and a glass bottle full of valerian from the garden

I've brought flowers inside as the rain has prevented enjoying them outside

I'm hoping to sell this lovely grey French table; a really lovely example which would be great indoors or out. I love the top which resembles zinc

This collection of French stoneware jars looks very at home on the table

I've placed this retro anglepoise next to the 1960s pastel

This Lloyd Loom style chair is another piece which is happy in the garden or inside..just add cushions

Very sweet floral makes a pretty shade for summer

Another passion is enamel signs; love this classic French road sign
Hope you'll come along and enjoy a summery welcome

June sunshine 0 Getting round to indoor jobs 1

Am I the only one spending June inside listening to football pour from every orifice (TV, radio, husband's mouth...even at the gym the TV was retuned without recourse to the single female there..me!) whilst wondering where our gorgeous sunshine of late May disappeared to?
What a long sentence; is anyone still making sense of this post. Suffice to say I have not been tempted outside this month and have actually got down to sewing, photographing and blogging. So it was that I discovered my shophellishdesigns blog with its promise to update frequently languishing with a post entitled February stock. Fear not dear shopper, its now updated with lots of lampshades, bases and more with cushions to come shortly..promise!

I had wanted to buy these expensive lampbases when I first saw them as I knew they would be perfect for my large shades; I've finally been brave enough to purchase. What a brilliant idea to make the base from an antique balustrade; they are a real statement piece.

I've pictured the lamp on my console table with a collection of French dairy pots. I love these rustic jugs and pots which are great for flowers, plants or just empty. In the kitchen fill with utensils or herbs; try simple flower arrangements or do as the French do and decant wine into them.

Shopping in Bakewell on Saturday my sister and I spotted a jug in the window of an antiques shop.
I swear it is the twin to this one...on examination priced at £140! My humble version is £32 or perhaps I should put up the price but then he hadn't sold said jug had he?

This is one of my classic standard lamps with white linen shade but a particularly nice carved base which would look great in bedroom or sitting room.

I love this soft faded print but not enough fabric for a whole shade and probably prefer it broken up with white linen panels; several more in this style in the blogshop

Tiny print shade but have base to fit if you don't have small base

A lovely classic vintage linen shade with matching linen band, I still like these simple shade the best
Lots more shades and bases on the updated blog..click on link here or to the right

A piece of France..sign from the Auvergne region which commemorates a resistance fighter from WW2....hopefully not removed illegally. Some years ago the old sign from our road was stolen and I still mourn its loss given the unattractive replacement provided by the council.
More sewing beckons but lets hope the sun returns before I find myself compelled to clean the oven!

back to basics

I started my textile business in 2003 and one of my first designs was this little storage bag.
Very simple and designed to showcase the fabric and hide away unattractive necessities in bathroom, bedroom or wherever you like.

This early example lives in my guestroom containing tissues, make up remover, toothbrush and any other bits I save from hotel stays to pass on to friends and family who may have forgotten something vital in their packing.

Yesterday I made a couple from some of my favourite scraps of fabric. In this design the lining folds over to give a contrasting cuff..just fold up to store taller bottles etc.
This vintage Laura Ashley chintz contrasts with rustic Hungarian linen stripe.

I've placed it next to a jug of roses to continue the floral theme. These apricot roses flower outside my french windows but were about 3 weeks later than usual into bloom; just in time for the Jubilee weekend rain!

This bag uses a lovely old piece of linen union with soft vintage linen inside.

I picked up this unusual purple striped sack last week....like it with my little book which is a regular prop.

I'm tempted to hang onto this gloriously faded quilted cushion. I bought the quilted piece from Jo (Hesta Nesta) who always seems to find great quilts. Decided to leave it as a piece and just decorate with a few buttons
The last two weekends have been busy ones with 4 fairs in all so it will be good to spend the next at home catching up on gardening and seeing my family. Whilst I tittled off to Stamford last Staurday I persuaded my husband to repaint our old summerhouse in Farrow & Ball Mouse's Back.

 I think I like the result!..probably just needs getting used to after 15 years in its sea green incarnation.
Like the marble top table against the new colour.

 The marble piece came from a trip to the local tip a few years ago; sadly on Tuesday all that was on offer was more garden waste just like ours.
Lets hope the showers stop and we can enjoy June for the beautiful month it can be.