a weekend off

Its been a very busy few weeks; a succession of sales and fairs as well as family responsibilties had precluded weekend leisure time since the beginning of September. So I was ready to slump into an unorganised weekend at home when...our younger son rang to suggest he come home for the weekend.
Obviously a lad from the capital could not be confined to base so I quickly racked my brain for interesting places to visit.

Brainwave..the Hepworth gallery in Wakefield.. which when found! proved incredibly worthwhile.
Filled both with her finished works and with models for them it brings the art of sculpture to life.

I particularly appreciated the explanation with original moulds of the preocess by which a model is cast in bronze.

It was a charming mixture of the woman and her art with domestic details such as her workbench and tools.

Most of these personal items were donated by Hepworth's daughters and they also provided a roomful of models.

These, although for the most part made from plaster, were painted and carved so as to resemble the finished piece. Apparently she occasionally gave these as presents but never sold them; I would certainly have been more than happy to house one!

The gallery itself is worthy of a mention as being the perfect foil to its contents. Its angular concrete shape perfectly reflects the sculpture and inside granite walls complement the exhibits.
On a sunny day interesting shadows cast by the windows add to the shapes within. The building set into the water appears to float when viewed from inside.

These huge rooms with their simple windows were the perfect setting for the temporary collection..An Unquiet Head by Clare Woods..huge fabulously painted representaions of the landscape and the forms to be found within.

And happily style was not at the expense of substance; a trip to the ladies revealed  beautiful taps which turned on when the hands were waved underneath but turned off when the action was repeated so as not to waste water. Standing at the hand dryer whilst water pours away down the drain is a pet hate of mine.
And last but not least a great cafe.
Hope you'll visit this fabulous free gallery, just don't rely on the postcode, sat nav or google maps.

Vintage packaging

Having just spent £100 on brown paper carrier bags for my Christmas sales I am obviously a person who values attractive packaging. I didn't realise however that German farmers from the 19th century would have been similarly interested.

I have been buying heavy duty cotton sacks with lovely stencilled names for some years now. Originally used for grain or flour, they make great cushions and bags although need serious laundering first! Last week for the first time I discovered one with a label on the inside giving details of the company which produced the sacks.

 I'm wondering how best to use this label, on a cushion maybe or bag but it will also be nice as a label for the cushions I made from the sacks.
I particularly like the sacks with the blue stripe down the middle and if they have a date so much the better.

The sacks I bought were from the years immediately before the second world war; I found myself wondering what happened to those farmers in the following years. Indeed the dealer I bought them from showed me a sack with one name crossed out and another pencilled in. "Probably a Jewish farmer's possessions which were confiscated", he said.

I'm pleased to say I'm not the only fan of these robust cushions. The last group I made sold quickly and most of those in the images are now in Julie's lovely shop in Sheffield. See an image of Vintage Home on the left and click on the link for more info.  She is hoping to feature them in her next window display.

Stocking up for winter

How I love this set of printer's shelves acquired last year.

Ideally they'd be in my kitchen stacked with piles of white china and kitchen linens but as there's no room there they are consigned to the greenhouse. I should explain that though we own a large Edwardian greenhouse and have spent time and money on restoring it there are few plants involved. Certainly even fewer following last winter's catastrophic frosts. Our greenhouse is enjoyed by both of us as a place to read, listen to music and enjoy the garden when the weather is not quite warm enough to be outside. Of course last week we never ventured in but this morning was perfect, sunny and breezy outside, cool and calm within and great light for a photoshoot.

So I loaded the shelves with the more rustic items in my stock. I have been busy stocking up for the busy lead up to Christmas, both buying items to sell and making as many cushions etc as possible.

A good selection of wooden boxes are great both for display on the stall and storage in the home; think this Pears display box is the pick of the bunch despite the fragile state of the label,

A beautifully made (with leather hinges) box runs it a close second.
Next to it an interesting kitchen item from France; a soup sieve used to push pureed vegetables through to make a soup consistency.I like to use these garden sieves to store woollen scarves rolled into tubes or socks if they're attractive enough.

Thank goodness I'm not using this to wash the linens I've bought but it goes well with the wooden ironing board and sleeveboards which I sell.

I've bought these moulds before as they are lovely for fruit bowls. From Northern France and used to make clafoutis, a fruit pudding traditionally made with cherries.

Shown with an unusual jug I found, love the shape.

A nice cream enamel jug, I've got a good collection of these at present.

My son has been buying coffee sacks from the independent coffee seller at the corner of his road. They are great for rustic outdoor cushions or informal mats; I even covered the seat of a Lloyd Loom chair in one for said son's flat.
I love jars.

 However I find I can bring others round to my idea by suggesting filling them with goodies as Christmas gifts, either homemade chutneys or biscuits. Love the Parfait jars filled with wrapped Amaretti biscuits.

Also french jamjars which make great tealight holders

Just in case you think I've forgotten about textiles...lovely new selection of Hungarian linen sacks.
Red for Christmas sacks and blue because I just love these denim blue weaves

I've bought some runners with the winter table in mind.

The last little stool I bought sold quickly so I've found a couple more as they are great to give height on a stall. Shown here with collection of jugs.

I don't usually buy cushions for obvious reasons but this one was so sweet I couldn't resist.

I will endeavour to put lots of new stock on the blogshop page over the next few days but if there's anything here you're interested in please leave a comment and I'll get straight back to you with more images and prices. Some of these items will be coming with me to Olney so let me know if you'd like me to bring a particular item. Come along to the vintage fair there which is a fun and friendly event in a pretty market town.

Now off to iron the textiles I've bought and washed! At least its been a good drying day.

Out with the old..in with some different old

I had such a good weekend and many thanks to those of you who came along and made my open house so successful and so enjoyable. Sometimes people tell me they could not imagine turning their home into a shop but I love it. Its so much better to display my finds and designs in surroundings that suit them rather than trying to cram far too much onto a stall. Often when the sale is over and an item remains unsold I find it staying and changing an arrangement that was getting stale; alternatively something will be sold and in comes a replacement from another room or a cupboard. So this weekend I bid farewell to the old man painting I had grown to love but rediscovered the lovely charcoal portrait executed by my son some years ago.

Yesterday I was off to Manchester to the textile fair which was thoroughly enjoyable and very well attended.
Although on my own I managed to dash round buying before the fair got busy and am very pleased with the goodies I will add to the pile for this weekend's sales in Chipping Sodbury and London.

Love this somewhat faded straw hat which would sit happily on a hook when not on a head.

And these very typical French child's boots, in remarkably good condition..can just imagine them teamed with woollen socks and a cotton overall.

The clogs are even smaller..toddler size..compare them with the boots... and so beautifully made although not necessarily very comfortable

I also picked up a couple of fabric covered boxes in reasonable condition; both are glove boxes so I've photographed with a pair of my vintage gloves.

I love this classic Provencal check fabric most often found in red or blue. It is often made into kitchen textiles as in this shelf edge. Its great for shelves or mantels but I think these pieces would be lovely at a window

 This is a real fresh apple green so I used it as a table runner with this bowl of cooking apples from our tree.

Neither Ken nor I can claim to be gardeners but we are feeling very pleased to have fabulous harvests of apples and pears despite our lack of work.
Finally this lovely display box for embroidery threads in great condition. I love these boxes and can even use them for threads, buttons etc but equally they are great for jewellery or stationary.

They'll be in the car on Saturday but if you'd like to buy just email for prices. Come and say hello if you come to either the Vintage & Handmade Textile Fair in Chipping Sodbury or the Textile Society's Fair in Chelsea..I'll be doing my best to display far too much in too little space.

open house this weekend

I've spent the afternoon reorganising the ground floor of my home to accommodate my open house sale this Friday and Saturday. I love playing shop and working out how best to display my designs and vintage finds.

It's lovely to display cushions on sofas and chairs rather than piled on stalls but equally it's fun to place bags on mantelpieces or lampshades lined up on a bench.

When I first started my business in October 2003 I relied almost entirely on these open house sales. My long suffering friends became customers and brought along friends, colleagues and relatives and so it grew.
Now I stand at several events most months as well as seeking out new trade customers but I still love these more relaxed sales. Walking downstairs to sell certainly certainly beats the 5.30 am starts I've been experiencing recently.

I love seeing people I haven't seen for several months and catching up with news, especially after the summer holidays; we'll have a coffee or glass of wine before they browse whats on offer. I enjoy introducing customers to one another and they often recognise people from a previous sale.

A new one for this sale is a competition; the first person to identify how this wooden board was used originally will win a hellish designs voucher. If you want to join in just email me your idea.

I add to my database of email contacts at each fair I attend but if you'd like an invitationto the sale just email me.

Alternatively I will be setting the alarm ready to drive to Manchester on Sunday for the textile fair..details on the left.

Going to the Fair

In Nottingham the fair is Goose Fair; an enormous and hideously expensive fun fair which seems to get bigger and last longer each October. Bah humbug but I hate it! No the fair for me is all about early morning drive, setting up the stall and crossing fingers tightly that customers will like what they see enough to part with their hard earned cash.
I am in the middle of a long series of fairs through September and October but Saturday's is unusual in that it is all about craft rather than antiques. This is the first Selvedge fair, organised by the textile themed magazine of the same name, I've attended so not sure what to expect. The list of exhibitors sounds grand so I'm feeling somewhat nervous and its in London which shouldn't make a difference but seems to. So I was found yesterday mocking up my stall in the kitchen in order to maximise the small but expensive space I will have.
Its hard not to add some of my antique finds to the mix but know there is little point taking items that can't be sold. I could not resist this little set of hooks bought at the weekend from Paula at the Country Chic fair in Ripley.

They are french and really fun, sure someone will snap them up for a children's room when they have played their part in my stall.

I will also be taking my bags which play a minor role in most of the home based vintage fairs I have been standing at recently.

Another favourite are these gorgeous stencilled cushions, wonderfully distressed and with a deep blue stripe running through the middle. Note to self, must not keep these cushions!
Wish me luck with my travels and many thanks to the motorist on the A1 who pointed out that my roof box lid was flapping open. Unfortunately sticking up a finger in his rearview mirror initially confused me into thinking he was anything other than thoughtful...anyone want to devise a better system of communication on the road?

Autumnal beginnings

I love September possibly because it often brings the best weather of the summer, although as I write the garden is being buffeted by gale force winds. The first day of the month, last Thursday, seems a distant memory but it was a gorgeous day here with the warmth of a summer against the autumnal colours just showing around the garden. It was lucky then that I had bought a bag of clams at the fish market in town the previous day; although our market has steadily contracted over the years it does still boast good fish stalls and an invaluable haberdasherers.

Looking for a recipe for spaghetti vongole ( I realised I had only ever eaten this in restaurants and had never cooked it) I was pitched into an Italian controversy..rosso ou bianco...Jamie v Nigella. Being married to a tomato phobic helped resolve the debate here. We both enjoyed the clams and I took a pic as never before had leftovers looked so pretty.

The garden with the last rays of sun
The other great thing about September is that as the schools return the vintage fairs all begin again.
I will be busy every weekend of the month and will hopefully see all the friends I've made in the vintage world over the next few weeks. First up is the Country Chic fair this weekend in Ripley..near Harrogate
As I've been standing at these fairs since 2004 I've made lots of friends amongst both stallholders and customers. A small group of dedicated dealers, delicious refreshments, a pretty village setting; it is a perfect recipe for an enjoyable Saturday or Sunday. Many people seem to stay for most of the day browsing and rebrowsing. Visit Polly's website for a list of dealers.

I will be taking this sweet wooden box to sell; as a cat lover I can't resist these when I see them.
The wording says "amidon au chat" and the first time I bought one the French dealer explained that the box was a display piece to advertise the soap inside. Why a cat?..because they are always washing themselves.
Obvious really!

Would make a lovely gift for a cat lover and is a decent size to keep sewing bits, cards etc in.
Just a taste of whats going in the car alongside the usual cushions, lampshades, aprons, jugs and mirrors