Vintage Lifestyle

January Inspiration....

2012-01-06T12:19:00.010Z

Often times we need a little boost in January. My mood is usually lifted by browsing through my collection of books which are filled with photos of beautiful vintage interiors. This always makes me feel a bit better ; I am inspired and make plans for our own little house.

One of the fun things about running Vintage Lifestyle is finding the items to help customers feel inspired to create these lovely interiors in their own homes....

such as this painted 1930's bamboo table:

These pretty eiderdowns:

And a large and varied selection of gorgeous pictures and paintings in wonderful frames:

All manner of vintage and antique items are available at Vintage Lifestyle to inspire your creativity and create your vintage home. Stop by for a visit!

www.vintagelifestyle.co.uk

A Happy Christmas to All.....

2011-12-23T21:40:00.007Z

She's been waiting for something to happen but she's not sure what? Something is definitely going on....

She's not sure why they brought a big tree into the house....

or why Dad went into the loft and brought down lots of baskets filled with things she can only vaguely remember seeing once before when she was just a tiny pup.....

Then they spent a fair amount of time putting all the things on the tree....

and around the other parts of their little house....

and making lots of yummy smelling foods.....

She can tell it's something special though....Dogs can sense these things!

A vintage country kitchen

2011-09-30T23:22:00.007+01:00

Just wanted to share some photos of the cupboard we recently added to
Vintage Lifestyle.

Since we began selling vintage goods through Vintage Lifestyle in 2002 we have re-done and restored many of these wonderful, practical cupboards. They really have become quite popular with those looking for free standing units for authentic vintage kitchens.

This one, being unpainted, makes it a little more unique and very suited to painted kitchens or traditonal country wooden kitchens.

It has so many nice details....like the little spice containers in their "holders" on each side of the center section....

And a groove for displaying pretty plates....

The cut out shape "holders" for tea, sugar, coffee, rice, flour etc. This cupboard originally would have come with the tins but are now missing. I do think it would be fun though to start looking for the replacements! (a great excuse to shop for more vintage!)....

There are hooks for cups on each side of the upper section....

There is a useful cutlery drawer....

And a small tin cupboard below where food was stored if it it needed to be kept cool.

Of course there is so much room for storage too...

If you would like more information about this wonderful cupboard please feel free to email me or simply go to www.vintagelifestyle.co.uk .

(Price includes shipping to England and Wales.)

Vintage flags in interiors...

2011-09-25T11:14:00.009+01:00

Available now at Vintage Lifestyle

When you buy and sell vintage goods there is often a fair amount of research that goes into discovering the history of an item. Quite awhile ago I found an unusual looking old flag at an auction. I brought it home and began the work of finding out when this flag was from and what it's unusual design might have represented.

I don't mind telling you that I spent many hours of work scouring the internet for any information about old British flags. I looked at pages that listed every type of flag for every service....but not one of them was like "mine".

It became a bit of a challenge. I sent in a photo to numerous websites specialising in flags but receieved no reply.

I finally got in touch with someone who knows alot about old flags and has some of the most wonderful flags I have ever seen. I sent an email with a photo and kept my fingers crossed. I quickly received a reply with very specific information and imagine my surprise to find out that the flag (which is technically a banner or bunting) was made for the coronation of Edward VIII which was of course cancelled upon his abdication!

Fascinating stuff, this vintage......

I have included here some inspirational pictures using vintage flags in interiors. Framed, draped or simply standing in the corner of a room, they make a unique display.

July....

2011-07-26T19:43:00.004+01:00

Apologies for the lack of posting througout July. It's always a busy month for us with our family birthdays. Now that the planning and parties are over and school is finished for awhile life takes on a slower, less demanding pace which means more time to enjoy the garden.

The shed converted by my talented husband into a pretty playhouse

Vegetable patch, our tomatoes have been non-existent but the mange-tout has been delicious!

Jet looking pretty (as always)

American Pillar Rose growing up the white Lilac tree

Check out our wedding and garden parties page to see the wonderful collection of vintage green glassware we have added to the website!

Bye for now,
Kelly

Country vintage weddings and parties

2011-06-02T13:26:00.005+01:00

We are pleased to announce the start of a new page on our blog called " Country vintage wedding and parties". We intend to use the page to inspire you with your weddings and parties , showcase some special items and bring you ideas of how you can use vintage and handmade goods in your own special event. You can click on the link above or on the upper left side bar. We intend to soon have it full of vintage inspiration for you !

While on the subject of vintage weddings I received an email letting me know about Hertfordshire's first VINTAGE WEDDING FAIR. It is going to be held on Saturday, July 2 from 12-4 pm and is free to enter. It is at The Fleetville Vintage Emporium, St Albans . The email states "We want to showcase Hertfordshire and the surrounding area's finest wedding vendors and create a Wedding Fair with a difference."

This sounds like a super event so why not drop by and support these talented ladies in their endeavors while finding what you need to help create your perfect vintage wedding.

Give-away winner and... a new family member

2011-05-27T22:52:00.004+01:00

We are pleased to announce the winner of our Jane Austen Handbook give-away. It is Melanie from Cosy Living . Congratulations Melanie!

(Georgia picked the winning name for me because she loves to be involved in give-aways and I have a feeling that Melanie was chosen because of the sweet little crocheted cupcakes on the side bar of her blog!)

Thank you to all who entered. Pride and Prejudice was overwhelmingly the favourite and I think it has something to do with the BBC television series which is so widely seen and made the story come to life for so many of us. (Of course it could be Mr.Darcy?) The films of the other books are movie length so can not include as much detail although I tell you sincerely that I love the other films too and if any of them are on the telly, I am genuinely excited at the prospect of watching them. I am lucky too that hubby feels the same and together we join a faraway era even if just for a couple hours.

Ok, onto a another topic; a new family member. Over the last year we lost a couple hens and were keen to get more to keep our egg supply up and because they are just so cute and funny. We bought a tiny bantam hen who was very broody and 4 eggs of diffent chicken breeds for her to sit on. We waited patiently for 3 weeks for them to hatch but in the end, only one hatched. We called him/her Bob.

That's Bob, the green egg at the bottom.

Bob's bum, the first photo of him just after coming out of his egg...

We do not know yet if Bob is male or female. We are SO hoping Bob is a "she" because I'm sure the neighbours will not be pleased being woken at 4:30 am on summer mornings to the sound of cockerel! Also, we love him and want to keep him. If Bob is a girl, she will lay Olive green eggs! Bob is now about 2 weeks old and growing up so fast.

Bob keeping warm in mum's feathers, so cozy.

Time will tell...

Painted florals...

2011-05-23T22:50:00.006+01:00

Just wanted to share with you some photos of this beautiful 1930's nest of small tables we recently purchased. They are decorated with the most charming handpainted floral sprays. Of course they are for sale but in the mean time I don't mind hanging on to them for just a little while....

Please do take a moment to enter our Jane Austen Handbook Giveaway which you can reach via the link or by scrolling down to the previous post. The closing date has been extended (because of Blogger's recent technical issues) to Friday the 27th so that leaves a few days yet for you to leave your comment.

Bye for now,
Kelly

IMPORTANT NOTE:

2011-05-15T10:51:00.003+01:00

Due to Bloggers recent technical issues, we have lost the first 4 comments left for the Jane Austen Handbook Give-away (below) ! To give these people a chance to leave their comments again we are going to delay picking a winner until Friday the 27th. THANK YOU!!!!

The Jane Austen handbook Give-away & Review

2011-05-12T10:58:00.000+01:00

Awhile back I was asked if I would be interested in writing a review of The Jane Austen Handbook : Proper Life Skills from Regency England. As a big fan of Miss Austen it didn't take me long to decide!

The Jane Austen Handbook is a guide about how to conduct yourself in Regency England as a genteel lady. However stuffy that may sound (except to Austen fans of course), stuffy it is not! This is a light-hearted, often hilarious read packed with genuine guidelines and advice. Each chapter presents the correct conduct and unspoken social rules for differing occasions which make it very easy to look up a particular subject at the drop of hat.

So many of the topics are still relevant and useful today ("How to get rid of unwanted guests"), some are what should be relevant today ("How to become known as a valuable neighbour") and others are full of amusing facts, some of which I did not previously know (Why Regency ladies usually did not wear underwear!)

Between chapters are pages of fascinating information such as who influenced fashion's of the era and the hierarchy of the social order.

The appendix are thorough and helpful; my favourite of which is the glossary of terms from the era which is quite invaluable for truly understanding the details of Regency life and Jane Austen novels.

If you are enjoying Jane Austen novels, films and the Regency era for the first time or if you would like to know more than you already do then this book is "must have". If you are a long time Austen fan then you may not benefit from every bit of knowledge packed into this book but you will still enjoy the playful way so much of it is written.

The Jane Austen Handbook : Proper Life Skill from Regency England is available from book shops at the retail price of £9.99 but....

we have one very pretty hardcover copy we will give-away to a lucky winner!

For a chance to win simply leave a comment telling us which Jane Austen novel is your favourite! Anyone can enter and we will pick a winner on Friday the 20th of May.

please note that our copy has the orginal cover from when the book was first published so will look different to the one above although all text is the same.

Good Luck!

Warning: Picture heavy post.....

2011-04-28T22:30:00.018+01:00

Okay, the temp. is not quite as warm now and the wind has picked up but wasn't the weather GORGEOUS recently? And it coincided with the kid's 2 weeks off from school which was a real bonus. My energy levels went right up and I felt "like a million bucks"! Oh too see the blue sky and feel warmth....It really was something especially considering the weather we have had over the last fews years, particularly the "summers". We kept quite busy , really enjoying the garden and the pets, visiting some sales and getting on with lots of jobs we have been meaning to do....

I found this adorable little pet's vintage "garden house" at a sale. As usual the girl's had to check it out (They are so nosey and always have to be in the photos!).

Penny is the queen of inquisitiveness...

She spent some time in the house before I had to boot her out to get on with the photography.

...Still...she couldn't quite leave it alone....

Dot had to make a few passes too....there was obviously something rather intriguing about this "play house".

Easter Sunday came along and I enjoyed preparing a special Easter "basket" for Georgia. Ok, it's not really a basket but as she had been enjoying gardening with us I thought I would use a pretty seed tray instead. I filled it with shredded paper and yellow feathers and of course added the chocolates and sweets and some other little Easter treats for her to find among the feathers...She has a thing for the name "Bob" at the moment so I was pleased to find the Easter Graphic from The Graphics Fairy. I printed it on card and added a little green ribbon for hanging.

We made yummy Rasberry milkshakes (Just a little bit off my diet list).

We took a few drives around local country roads and saw lots of pretty views...

We saw a Hare who desperately tried to hide from us. I took a couple photos of him and when he realised we could see him, his ears suddenly went right down. I suppose he forgot how long they were at first... when we spotted him initially he was sat straight up and how tall he was!

We also rescued Dot from a curious predicament. We have a small section at the bottom of the garden which is seperated by a fence. It was really there to keep the chickens out of Georgia's play house area but they somehow manage to find their way in anyway....usually.

Well Dot decided to try to squeeze through the fence posts and got stuck. You can just see from the slats next to her how really narrow they are and how low down to the ground too so I'm not sure HOW she thought she would fit.

I know some of you may think me cruel to run for the camera with a beloved chicken in distress but I made sure she was ok and calm before I grabbed the camera. Honestly.

What a sight she was...back end poking up from one side and her wings spread out on the other. Silly girl. When we knew she was ok we had to have a laugh at her...

We tried to very gently pull her out but she would not budge so Paul had to unscrew the fence so she could be extricated.

Dot received lots of gentle cuddles, some grapes and some cheese and was then on her way to find Penny, who was taking it all very calmly and keeping relaxed by sunning herself on the sun lounger and having a serious chit chat with Sunny about the virtues of knowing your size before you attempt to squeeze into a tight spot....

We headed off to another antiques/vintage fair and spotted a few interesting things...such as this puffer fish. Every home should have one.

And on a more serious note, this wonderful old trunk.....I haven't seen one quite like this before. It had many compartments and boxes which could be removed or re-arranged and all were trimmed with a pretty design.

Some sections had very pretty floral labels on them which made the trunk just that bit more special. Sadly it was over my budget so I had to leave it behind!

Georgia had a riding competition at her riding school. It was really good fun and she rode beautifully. I was SO proud of her!

We attended a craft and Garden fair where we saw a most fantastic play house!

You can get an idea how big the house was by the man standing off to the left.

It was very well built and could be customised in many ways including insulation and electricity!
If you would like to see more about this company they are called Little Bear Hideaways .

We also got a new little hen, a Bantam Buff Cochin. Her name is Honey and she really is tiny. She is very broody so we bought her some eggs to sit on. They are due around the 12th of May. Hope they are not all cockerels!

She has made herself as big as possible to cover her eggs...

which are the most wonderful colours!

I stole some Lilacs because I am too stingy to cut my own.

Some of which are here:

Hope you are enjoying the sunshine too!

Kelly
p.s. Lots of new items listed at Vintage Lifestyle .

Inspired by....

2011-04-16T20:16:00.007+01:00

Some of you may remember that I recently posted a bit about "Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang".

I was inspired by Maggie Gyllenhaal's character Isabel Green and her beautiful wardrobe and accessories by costume designer extraordinaire Jacqueline Durran.

This led me to create some felt flower accessories, the first of which I showed you in a previous post....

I made several different styles of hair clips and barrettes:

and then several of the brooches or pins:

If you would like to purchase one, please stop by here!
Bye for now,

Let the sun shine in.......

2011-04-02T19:29:00.007+01:00

I always like to see mirrors in a home, not because I am particularly vain but because it adds light to a room and dimension to a wall. Of course not just any mirror will do in a vintage home! It really needs to be a vintage/antique mirror for the quality of the glass, the beautiful beveled edges or the sumptuous colours and gorgeous designs of the frame/surround. As I have often said before (and no doubt will have to say again) it can be hard to part with some of the stock we find for Vintage Lifestyle. These two mirrors, found at a recent fair, are a great example of that.

1930's Barbola mirror, quality, thick bevelled original glass, pretty shape, with a charming collection of brightly coloured flowers along the top. When I hung this on the wall to photograph it I instantly fell in love with it. It really did add something very special to that corner of the room and was so striking. The colours are so clear and bright and seriously vintage.

There are alot of modern "barbola style" mirrors available and sometimes the copies are pretty good if you don't know what to look for. Even if you do, it can still sometimes be difficult to tell an original from a reproduction as they are often reproduced with "wear". Look at the detail closely, check the quality of the flowers (If they are too smooth or "perfect" it is most likely a repro.

Genuine Barbola "paste" shrinks a bit with age so the "cracks" you see on the flowers are a good sign of age and are acceptable. Almost always the colours should be bright and clear, not really dull or muted as though they had been wiped over with an ageing wax. As with most things in life, there are exceptions to the rules so be careful!

The other mirror I wanted to show you is this late 40's /very early 50's free standing mirror.

It has the most wonderful handpainted "frame" decorated with sweet florals, faded gold edging and pretty carved gilt ornamentaion at the top and in the corners.

Again, the glass is original and beveled. It has a painted iron stand on the back which makes it very stable.

The artists name is printed at the bottom, "B. Spencer".

If either of these takes your fancy then pop on over to Vintage Lifestyle and visit the New Arrivals.

Catching up....

2011-03-16T22:03:00.009Z

(Oh Spring, please come soon!)

We've been quite busy since the funeral for Paul's mum. We had to spend alot of time clearing out her home which really was a huge job. Paul was reunited with some of his toys from his childhood which we found in her loft, including something in the region of 300 comics, many books and more. We ended up having to bring so much home to our little house that for awhile it looked like we had just moved in! After going through everything we took lots of boxes to our loft, some to the charity shops and a box or two even went to the auction. We can finally see our floors again which I don't mind telling you wasn't actually a good thing because as any of you who have had a puppy and can remember the gory details will know that puppy's and carpets do not mix....especially cream coloured carpets.

(How could you ever be angry with that face?)

Our older dog, Jet, was such an easy puppy to train (could it be rose coloured glasses I'm wearing?) but Sunny, the new pup has proved difficult with regards to the "potty training" and could not understand why we were not happy when she relieved herself on the carpet....

I visted the dog whisperer's website where I read that they all sort themselves out by the age of 6 months or so. That did seem like a huge amount of time so we kept trying and it did slowly get better until she reached the age of just over 6 months and it all magcially stopped just like Ceasar said it would.

Still we were left with a very unsightly and smelly carpet so the carpet cleaner had to be called in. I can honestly say it has transformed carpets and my whole feeling of these rooms. The carpets are once again cream and I don't have to lay throw rugs strategically around the floor when visitors come over.

Sunny has grown just like a weed, starting from this size

eventually reaching this size...

and now this size...(we call this photo "long dog")

We noticed when watching Crufts that she very much resembles a Pharoah Hound except for her colouring (her ears just keep growing??) and so it was particularly cute when she came in to watch the show with us, giving special attention to the Pharoah Hound as you can see in the photo!!

She has already given us so much joy and so many laughs. Poor Jet is still trying to work it all out and is wondering when we are taking her back.

He is also in need of lots of extra cuddles...

Now onto other topics....

Has everyone seen Nanny Mcphee and the Big Bang?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed it is the perfect vintage lover's home/life???!!!!!

So many rustic pieces of painted furniture...

.... florals both bright and faded everywhere....

.... pretty vintage kitchenwares and what about the shop? I want that shop for myself, to own or shop at every day....you can see the shop here:

Mrs Docherty's shop - Working Title Films

and Maggie Gyllenhaal's clothes, hair etc...

....just lovely, vintage, a bit quirky, feminine and fun.

I don't think you ever get a good enough of view of these in the film but I did notice something in her hair that looked like a barrette or maybe hair combs covered with felted flowers and I just loved them so I decided I had had too long away from crafting and got busy trying to make some myself. This is the first one I made and it was not too difficult. I can't wait to try out some other styles next time.

Before I go I will just let you see this great set of vintage pyrex dishes we just listed on Vintage Lifestyle. As I mentioned in the description I love it when you find things that that are pretty but yet so practical and these dishes are the perfect example of that.

They are so tough, fine to use in the oven and microwave, great for outdoor use as well because they don't break easily and they are just so pretty and truly vintage! If you are in need of some "new" dishes, stop by for a better look....

Bye for now,
Kelly

A mid-winter pick me up....

2011-01-25T22:24:00.007Z

A very big thank you to all of you who left a caring comment about the loss of Paul's mum. Each one was sincerely appreciated.

As life gets back to a regular rhythym I have chosen to post a series of inspiring photos found while browsing the internet. I think this time of year in particular requires a little something special to keep us entertained and feeling inspired so relax and have an enjoyable visit. Dont forget that you can click on the photos to see a larger version.

All these photos are favourites of mine and they really do inspire me with my own home. This room above is so light, cosy and full of vintage detail.

What a sweet child's bedroom or guestroom. The bed made from fencing is so charming.

The rather stark contrast between the worn, mostly bare room and the richness of the floral sofa is wonderful. My eyes are always drawn to that sofa which looks so very inviting!

Another fun room for a child with a mixture of vintage furniture in pretty colours. I also like the quilt rail displaying a favourite quilt...a nice way to brighten up a wall....

Simple, pretty and vintage...a great display of a collection without looking to contrived.

I do really like to see a group of unrelated pictures hung together but not in perfect alignment. Sometimes it is easy to forget that it is the non-perfect that makes "vintage style" so perfect.

This is one of my very favourite pictures. In a small scene it encompasses so much of the style that I really love....Very feminine without being fussy, genuine vintage and worn, a bit of handmade and gorgeous florals!

Pretty, warm colours and an unsual combination

I just adore this bathroom and the floor works well in the photo but I don't think I would go for the floor in my own home as it looks just a tad to modern for me...

A very pretty storage area...

Adorable and very nice greens...I have a bit of that fabric used in the heart shaped cushion!

Simple vintage style

A charming porch, bright and fresh colours....
as some of you may already know this is something I really miss from home because a porch is perfect for being neighbourly, socialising, decorating and adding instant appeal....It is also a great canvas for anyone who enjoys gardening and decorating with plants.

Well that should be enough to keep you going till the next post. I hope you enjoy
them as much as I do and find some ideas to inspire you with your own homes!

Bye for now,

Memories of a lovely lady....

2011-01-21T19:49:00.008Z

So sorry not to have been able to share a new blog post for awhile. Sadly, Paul's mum passed away just after the New Year. She was 89 years young.

When I first met Paul's mum Elsie, I was newly 22 years old with my first baby who was 2 months old. It was also my first time in a different country other than my own.

Her husband had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Conditions were probably not the best to begin our relationship....

Needless to say we did have some problems those first couple months. Not only were we both experiencing difficult life changing events but I was a young American and she was an "elderly" Englishwoman. We were very different...

However over the following year we slowly became closer until the time when we actually became friends.... and then family....

Over 20 years of grand memories I have of this strong old gal, her wisdom and her generosity; her caring and thoughtful ways and the way that she always retained her girlish charm and youth, yes even at 89 years!

I loved her and she loved me. I will miss her very much. I am sad for those she left behind but so happy for her, that she has gone on to something far more wonderful than even this plentiful life has to offer.

Merry Christmas to all...

2010-12-25T00:30:00.000Z

Luke 2:9-12
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Christmas corners....

2010-12-24T10:56:00.006Z

Enjoy!

Another Christmas favourite...

2010-12-21T11:16:00.000Z

Bing Crosby and the Andrews sisters....

A favourite Christmas song...

2010-12-17T23:35:00.002Z

I just love this song, Elf's Lament by BNL (Barenaked Ladies) Hope you enjoy it!

What think ye?

Pretty Christmas goods....

2010-12-10T11:39:00.007Z

I thought it might be fun to delve into photoshop with my (limited) skills and see what I could do to inspire you with some special items from Vintage Lifestyle.

All these items are currently available and perfect for Christmas in any vintage home...

Vintage Christmas fashion:

Silver and Gold vintage cardigan, flattering drape and fit...

Red tweed vintage trouser suit, so smart and chic!

Adorable toddlers green, red and white pinny...

A close up of the sweet green rick rack trim...

Young girl's vintage white fur headband...

Handmade Fair Isle beret with colourful rustic design

The Christmas table:

Set of antique platters for Christmas dinner...

Set of Italian mulled wine glasses...

Italian cherries dish make's an enchanting table centre for a Christmas table

Set of hand stitched linen pointsettia placemats and table center

and more to enhance the Christmas spirit at home...

Large floor cushion to snuggle up on by the tree; pretty red gingham trim..

Very special antique overmantle mirror, festooned with Christmas garland!

Sandhurst storage trunk, perfect for storing Christmas decorations!

Vintage American Christmas TOY SHOP cookie jar...

Vintage Lifestyle also has many wonderful gift ideas for the vintage lover in your life so stop by to find something they will LOVE!

Bye for now,

Give-away winner !!!

2010-12-02T22:05:00.003Z

Apologies to everyone who entered the give-away for being late with picking a winner. Paul's mum is still unwell and in the hospital so we have been a little extra busy. She is now comfortable and recouping slowly but surely. Thank you to those of you who sent an email or left a sweet comment. It is much appreciated!

Now onto the competition! All the comments were printed, cut and folded and then the entries who receieved a second entry for the blog link or post were added. They filled the bowl!

I do wish I could have sent a gift to everyone who entered for their sweet comments but alas there can only be one winner and the comment randomly chosen from the bowl was left by..... Emma at fragglecat.blogspot.com . Congratulations Emma!

To everyone else, we may try to squeeze in another give-away before Christmas so stay tuned!

A slight delay....

2010-11-29T20:23:00.002Z

Just a quick note of apology for the delay in picking a winner for our Christmas prize draw. We have had a family emergency with Pauls mum this weekend. We hope to be able to pick our winner tomorrow. Thank you for your patience!

A vintage trophy wedding...

2010-11-24T17:06:00.009Z

Note: We have decided to pick a winner for our Christmas prize draw on Saturday the 27th, so that gives you a couple more days to enter if you have not already done so!
********************************************************************

Something I love about "vintage style" is what I like to scientifically call "unintended usage".

That is my new (and original!) phrase for describing a styling element in which an item is used in decorating in a way other than that in which it was orignally intended.

A simple example might be:

Using old tin or enamel buckets as plant pots...

Recycling jars to make into vases or candle holders...

or the little bit more experimental...

An old door of a wardrobe used as a bedroom mirror...

A headboard made from old shutters...

A set of old doors made into a folding screen...

When searching through my collection of books and the internet I have come across so many wonderful "unintended usage" ideas for vintage / country / garden weddings so when I came across a collection of small vintage trophies for sale I immediately thought how fun they would be for use as table decorations at one of these creative weddings...

(Click here to purchase these at Vintage Lifestyle)

I found numerous pretty inspirational photos to back up my idea...

If you are planning a vintage style country wedding stop by Vintage Lifestyle for more props and fun items.

Christmas giveaway time!

2010-11-17T15:35:00.006Z

Ok, I realise it's November but why leave all the Christmas fun till the last minute?

In this little basket (lined with one of my very favourite vintage fabrics!) includes something new, something vintage, something handmade and more....let's have a look...

This very pretty red rose corsage, not only for Christmas time but whenever a dash of vintage glamour is called for...

(we have had such a lack of natural light here, apologies for the poor colour. The rose is indeed red!)

A handmade Christmas bauble / decoration (simple patchwork style) covered in pretty scraps of fabric and with a red polka dot grosgrain ribbon hanger...

A set of vintage metal decorations in original packaging (a bit tarnished but fun to use for decorating packages and in crafts)

A little packet containing 2 handmade satchets of mulled wine spice. Even if you dont like mulled wine these smell gorgeous! They contain only natural ingrediants. You can simmer them to release the wonderful fragrance in your home...

An apple and cinnamon candle in a little red tin, what a glorious fragrance!

and lastly, a set of yellow Christmas lights. Christmas lights you say? Yes, but not just any...

...Last year Paul and I went to buy some lights and I saw this set of yellow lights and wondered what they might be like so I bought them. When I got home and set them up around our kitchen window (a rather dull area that needed something special!) I couldn't beleive how beautiful they were. Because they are yellow the light they give off is SO warm and cosy.

You know those gorgeous old Victorian Christmas paintings where the rooms look so luxurious and sumptuous with Christmas bounty? The light is always so inviting and draws you in? Well that, to me, is the kind of glow these lights have, quite like candle light.

Well this year I went back to the shop and there they were again so I thought it would be nice to include a set in the giveaway. I hope the winner will love them as much as I do.

The give-away is open to everyone, everywhere, however, if you are not in the UK, the Christmas lights will most likely not work in your country so we won't send them along. Maybe we can find a substitute item to send!

All you have to do is leave a comment! If you do a post on your own blog about our giveaway, let me know and we will enter you twice!

New family member...

2010-11-01T19:24:00.005Z

Yes, you heard right, we have a new family member here at the Vintage Lifestyle house...

Let's hear a big welcome for Sunny, our new little girl Border Collie. She is just 8 weeks old and is so precious!She is a wonderful little character and has a super personality!

She looks like a fox and sometimes like a fawn. She is very delicate boned with a tiny little head and a button nose...

She cries when its dark or when seeing something new and scary but is getting more brave with each passing day...

She falls alseep at the drop of hat, just like a baby, no matter where she is...

Jet is really not very keen at all with this young upstart.

She pulls his tail and bites his ears and Jet does not understand why she is allowed to misbehave (something he would NEVER do).

We have made sure that Jet knows he is still as loved as he always has been...and always will be.

I'm off for a cuddle....

The VERY Big Halloween Post...crafts, ideas & more!

2010-10-22T12:53:00.012+01:00

This big Halloween post includes lots of photos to inspire you, vintage images to use in crafts, a simple craft tutorial and a little trip down Halloween memory lane.

Why not grab a cup of tea and relax with me while browsing through it all?!!

I thought it might be nice to start this post by sharing some wonderful Halloween decorating ideas with you. Sadly I can not take credit for these gorgeous photos, they all come from elsewhere on the internet, most from American magazines as that is obviously where Halloween is celebrated most. They are not all about Dracula and ghost's but I hope they inspire you to get creative with your own decor, inside and out!

If you have a patio or summer house, this is a great idea to celebrate Halloween for "grown-ups". What better way to enjoy the beautiful colours this time of year has to offer than to have a gathering of friends outdoors. Wrap up in a warm jumper and serve hot apple cider !

Candles always add atmosphere to a gathering. Add some Halloween candies for a festive flavour...

More outdoor ideas...So pretty!

These next few photos offer ideas that are easy to do yourself...

String up some apples and add pretty leaves for a festive garland...

Pumpkins used as vases offer a great alternative to traditional Halloween decor!

And why not get the children to collect some large branches (particularly if you are in need of pruning in the garden!) and stand them around your door for spooky but easily acheived decoration. If you don't have acces to artificial birds, you could add "spider webs" which are easily purchased from most shops this time of year or you can even make your own with a bit of cotton/poly batting from the fabric shop. Just tease it out for an eerie effect..

or make some fun candy cones for the kids in bright colours and fill them with little treats....

I wanted to make a Halloween bunting using vintage postcards. I only have a couple vintage Halloween postcards myself but I found quite a few on the internet. (Funny how modern technology makes it easier to get vintage ideas!) I printed out quite a few to create this pretty "bunting".

If you would like to try it for yourself, you will need a length of ribbon preferably in a Halloween colour (however long you would like), some coordinating colour ribbon, copies of vintage postcards (I have included some below for you to print) , a hole punch and if you have one, a laminator.

First, print out your postcards. I print mine to 4 cards on an A4 size photopaper. I used photopaper but if you do not have a laminator you should use cardstock so that it is stronger.

If you have laminator, laminate the cards and cut off the excess and round the corners so they are not sharp. If you do not have a laminator, simply trim the cards and round the corners.

Punch a hole in each upper corner of the card and string onto your ribbon, leaving extra length at each end to create a loop to hang the bunting.

Use your extra ribbon to make little bows and glue them onto the main ribbon length between the postcards with fabric glue. I used pegs to keep them in place while they dried.

Thats it... Hang it up and enjoy!

Here are some postcards you can print out to use on your own bunting. Just click on the image to enlarge it, right click and save.

Before I leave you today I thought I would share some thoughts of Halloween and some memories of Halloween when I was a child. For those of you in the UK, it might be a little look into this most American of holidays and how wonderful it really is...

When I moved here to the UK 20 years ago, you could not buy anything pertaining to Halloween in the shops. I suppose through the media and American movies, the shops saw a gap in the market, a chance to make more money and decided to offer a few costumes and some decorations. Over the years this has really grown and now there is an aisle in most big grocery shops dedicated to Halloween merchandise. Of course without the history of this holiday to back it up, it is still a bit of an "unknown" for many people, particularly the older generation.

When the shops began offering the goods, the kids wanted them and assumed that they could go "trick or treating" and it would be like it was in the portrayed in the American movies. A few years ago parents at Georgia's school said they were taking their kids out trick or treating and so we decided to try it too.

It was not very successful. Some people were "into" it and prepared, some opened the door and stood there staring at us (very awkward) and several even got a bit nasty, saying they didnt beleive in it, it was all wrong etc. That night Georgia developed a little worry about trick or treating and has never been keen since. The last couple years, she has had some friends over for Halloween and she lets the friend's go to the door first and if the people are friendly then she may go up to the door. This really bothers me. Afterall, where I came from, it was possibly the best night of year, with so much fun I could almost have burst with excitement!

When I was a child we spent a fair amount of time planning our costumes. Rarely did we buy one, they were usually made from things at home AND, contrary to what we do here in the UK, the costumes do not have to be scary. As a matter of fact, they are often funny, or sweet or cute.

There was a road in a little town where we once lived called Blossom Lea road. It was perfect for trick or treating, being a big circle shape. We could go down one side, get to the end , turn around and come back down the other side. Lots of houses, lots of candy. It was a big family area, almost every house had kids and so they really made an effort. My friends and I would arrange the time to meet up and off we would set. Usually this was about 7:00. The really little kids might go a bit earlier with mum or dad walking slowly behind but once we reached about 8 yrs or so we would go in a group together without parents...very exciting.

The houses on Blossom Lea always had at least some pumpkins and decorations of Indian corn and a scarecrow but many were more involved. Some houses had scary music or ghostly sounds playing on a tape recorder (this was the late 70's afterall), some had homemade ghosts standing on the lawn. One house that remains in my memory had a large cardboard coffin in the front garden by the door. Dracula laid in the coffin in full regalia and he had a huge bowl of candy on his chest. As most people had scarecrows of some sort we assumed that Dracula was simply an outfit stuffed with straw like the rest so up we all went to grab a handful of candy and suddenly "Dracula" sat up and screamed and grabbed our hand! We jumped nearly out of our skin and ran off laughing so hard we could barely catch our breath. Of course we eventually ran back and grabbed some candy. Such fun!!

I have lots of memories of little things like that and I would like to thank all those parents who put such effort into it. After all these years I still think fondly of those times and tell my kids about them.

When the trick or treating was done for the night we would go back to one our houses and spread all our candy onto the living room floor, usually while watching a semi-scary movie or Charlie Brown's Halloween on the telly. We would take out each piece of candy that was not one of our favourites and trade them with our friends. A great night was had by all...

A couple suggestions that may help here in the UK....

In the US, if a person does not want trick or treaters, they would keep the porch light off. It was a sign that they were not "doing" Halloween. This may be useful to older neighbours or relatives here in the UK who are intimidated by the strangers at the door or who can not get up and down to answer the door many times. This is what we tell my elderly mother in law and she says it has helped alot.

I have heard some people complain of having to get up and down so often to answer the door for the kids. Back home we are used to making an evening of it. We are used to someone having to be "in charge" of the door. Often times someone will set up a folding garden chair by the door and sit there with their bowl of candy so they are not up and down like a yo-yo. Many people will even sit outside, bundled up in jumpers with friends and warm drinks, waiting to greet each child and fuss over their costumes. If you look at it like a burden it will feel like one but if you look at it like it's one evening of fun for the kids and even for yourself, it is actually quite fun and has a real "feel good" factor.

Make some lovely memories for your children this year and enjoy!
Happy Halloween!!

Vintage Lifestyle and D&G Life

2010-10-14T13:26:00.005+01:00

I was very pleased to be able to contribute to a feature in Scottish Magazine of the year, D&G Life. Pat Elliot wrote a wonderful article titled "Vintage Vibes" for this month's issue and asked me to contribute my ideas regarding vintage interiors. I was delighted to be included among some well respected names in interiors.

If you click on the images a larger image will appear so you can read the article...

Stay tuned for lots of Inspiring Halloween decorating photos and a little indulgent trip down memory lane.

Adding a touch of vintage flair...

2010-10-13T12:16:00.007+01:00

I've had lots of sewing to do lately...thought I would share a bit of it with you...

We had a custom order from a friend whose young daughter wanted their beautiful "cottage" to be...well...more cottagey!

She contacted me and asked me to create some cushions for her kitchen sofa that would add a bit of "vintage" style to the family area.

I set to work and created this set for her.

I was a bit nervous about the big "reveal" because it was mostly left to me to choose the styles/fabrics but I think she was genuinely happy with the end results and even gave me an excited hug.

Wonder if I have a new vintage convert there? Fingers crossed...

While in sewing mode I decided to complete several jobs that were on the waiting list...
these 2 lovely old wicker pet beds were in desperate need of cushions but I could not find cushion "inserts" to fit the shape of the beds so they were put on the back burner for some time.

In the "old days" I am sure that the woman of the house would have just cut the shape of the fabric and stuffed them herself so that is exactly what I did. I used a different fabric on each side so that you could change it when the need arose.

You can follow the links below the photos to view the "beds" (and make a purchase if you so desire) at Vintage Lifestyle.

Dog bed side 1

Dog bed side 2

cat bed side 1

cat bed side 2

Anyone else have any sewing projects on the go at the moment?

Salt and Pepper, skunks and tomato juice

2010-10-07T21:43:00.014+01:00

I have never really "collected" any one vintage item in particular but after purchasing a set of vintage salt and pepper shakers years ago a little collection did begin to gather in my house...

It wasn't that I set out find and collect them, it just happened.

Each set seems represents something from my life...either some event or something I am very fond of.

My first set was the "kissing boy and girl".

I bought this set orignally because I loved the colours and the way they sit perfectly on a shelf. But they also remind me of home, where I bought them.

I love birds and all things vintage with birds on them!

The colours of this set are so fresh and I like the way they are in different poses.

Paul bought me this wonderful set of little Amish folk for Christmas one year.

He had brought them back from the US knowing how much I enjoy seeing the Amish driving their horse carts when we are visiting my mom back home.

This little set was bought here in the UK but is foreign made. I bought this one because I do love horses and carts and have a secret wish that it would be acceptable to take a horse and cart to Tesco's instead of the car...

Paul bought me this set of little skunks.

There is a story behind the skunks too which you may enjoy; although it starts out a bit scary it ends happily...

About 9 years ago we went home to the US. We were going to be with my Grandma who was very unwell so we thought we might stay for some time so we had to take our beloved border collie, Jet, with us.

One evening, as it was getting dark, Paul and I decided to take Jet for a walk. Jet seemed to be taking a great interest in an area of overgrown grasses and branches so we let him explore. Suddenly he jumped back and began whining; we smelled a horrid, putrid smell. I knew immediately...SKUNK!!!

We started to run back home but Jet dropped to the ground, whimpering and attempting to crawl along the ground towards our voices. I knew that if a dog got sprayed in the face by a skunk, he could temporarily lose his sight, which is just what happened to Jet.

I was desperate to hug him and comfort him but I knew that if I got the smell on me it would be days or even weeks before the smell would wear off.

My love for him overcame my worry about the smell and I grabbed him and soothed him, noticing that he had only been sprayed lightly, in the face and around his wonderfully fluffy pure white mane. He only seemed to lose his sight for about a minute and then was back up again and walking back with us to my mother's house. I don't mind telling you, even though it was a light spray, the smell that followed our poor dog was nauseating!

Growing up in an area where there were skunks, I knew that tomato juice was the only available option to rid Jet of some of his offensive odour. I checked the cupboards in the kitchen and my well prepared mom had 5 huge, industrial sized cans of tomato juice! We put Jet in the bath and emptied the cans on his face and his neck...and scrubbed...and scrubbed some more...

It was some time before we felt the smell had worn off enough to rinse him and remove him from the bath. After we dried him off we realised that his gleaming white fluffly mane and the white parts of face had turned pink from the red tomato juice.

We had a pink and black dog for almost 2 weeks....despite a considerable amount of further baths..

He still feels humiliated when we talk about it.

We found out the following day that it was a mother skunk who had her babies hidden in the undergrowth. She was protecting her family. She was spotted carrying each baby to a new hiding spot...

New looks, new items & celebratory discounts!

2010-09-24T08:11:00.011+01:00

Vintage Lifestyle has had a "makeover" and we are so pleased with the results of the hard work and creativity that have gone into it! We love to keep the website looking fresh and colourful without compromising our authentic vintage roots! I think we have achieved this and hope that you will love it as much as we do.

(a little taster)

The basics have remained the same so you won't "get lost" in the navigation but the overall look is lighter and brings more life to the homepage with the addition of more photos.

To celebrate our new look we are offering a discount on all purchases. Any purchases up to a value of £60.00 will receive a 10% discount and purchases valuing over £60.00 will receive a 15% discount. (please note that postage/delivery costs are not included). We will deduct your discount after receiving your order.

We have also been adding new stock to Vintage Lifestyle and there should be something for everyone. Below are some sneaky peeks...

Colourful, original vintage flask, not a reproduction!

Country cottage pine wall cupboard...

Handmade "Euro" size cushion cover in a favourite fabric...

and for the vintage clothing lovers, A rare and glamorous vintage coat...(not for wallflowers!)...

Please feel free to leave a comment about the new site and what you think. We really do value your feedback!

Bye for now,
kelly

Getting crafty with nature...

2010-09-14T22:24:00.006+01:00

Autumn is such a gorgeous time of the year. As I walk down country lanes and paths I can't help but think how much food there is for birds and small animals right now, so many fruits and berries. I like to think of them stocking up their "pantries" with goods for the coming colder months!

With nature's Autumn abundance now is the perfect time for making a natural wreath.

With basket in hand I collected some small apples from the ground (they don't have to be perfect), underneath one of the numerous apple trees in the "horsey field". I also picked different kinds of rosehips and hawthorn berries too.

Here is just a simple little "tutorial" in case you would like to make one too.

Carefully push the apples onto the wire. I say "carefully" because it would be very easy to stab your hand while doing this so take care and keep fingers out of the way.

Push the apples tight together and when you have enough to make the size wreath you want use pliers to twist the wire together at the top to make a hanger.

Cover the hanging part of the wire with a pretty ribbon or some fabric, preferably in Autumnal shades. You can now hang the wreath.

Because the apples are tight together, you can gently but firmly push a finger between 2 apples to insert a sprig of berries and when you let the apples go they close back together securely holding the sprig in between.

Add as much or as little as you like.

I also added a few rose buds in salmon and yellow just for a bit of fun.

If you do make one please post a photo so I can have a look! Good luck!

Just when you think you've run out of luck...

2010-09-04T21:55:00.004+01:00

Last weekend we attended a "boot sale" that is held at Wilton House once a year on Bank holiday Monday. Despite it being more than the usual boot sale, with lots of antique traders, we have never had good luck there with regards to finding pretty or unsual vintage things so I didn't hold out much hope for this sale. Still, you have to keep trying because you never know when that hidden gem could be discovered!

Prices proved to be very high in many cases... a damaged and very badly stained old parasol for £100, a 1970's bike for £950 so I did not expect to come home with anything special yet again!

You may remember a couple weeks ago I posted about missing out on the wicker lounger at another boot sale. I admit I was quite gutted that day. However, finding this beauty for a fair price raised my spirits no end!

The fabric has holes and tears.

It is filthy from being stored in a shed for many years and it has spiders nests on it but it will be worth the great effort of carrying it back to the car (a long way).

It will take alot of work but I am so looking forward to tackling this and recovering it with a beautiful fabric and pretty trim.

We found some other beauties too including these gorgeous old curtains which are just perfect for our bedroom! I will post a photo when they hung.

I will leave you with Penny's picture of the week....

While photographing this adorable loom table....

Camera ham Penny and her friend Dot, getting in on the photography as usual...

Simple joys....

2010-08-21T11:18:00.008+01:00

Awhile ago I bought a pillowcase and some fabric from a French lady who sometimes brings pretty things over the UK to sell. We put the pillowcase on the website and I thought I could use some of the remaining fabric to make a matching a lampshade cover. Although the lighting has been very poor here I have attempted a quick photo for you to see.

I used a cornflower blue grosgrain ribbon for the top and trimmed the bottom in vintage pom-pom trim. Isn't it sweet?

If you would like a lampshade cover I am currently working on more and hope to have them listed over the next couple days...keep a look out!

Enjoying some simple pleasures....

Since getting my new beautiful bike for my birthday I have been trying to ride as much as I can, trying to get "fit" but also really enjoying a closer glimpse at the lovely places surrounding our area.

Riding by a field Paul spotted what he thought might be a Hare. I love Hares so was pretty excited and took a photo. It was great when I got home and zoomed in on the photo to see this handsome fella!

and some beautiful houses nestled away among the trees in Homington, one of the tiniest but prettiest villages around...

and these pretty houses in Bodenham...This one has a lovely curvy roof...

and this one must have been converted from a village hall or something along those lines...so sweet...

I have always loved looking at other peoples houses, whether they be big or small and wherever we go Paul and I are always "nosing" at houses and gardens! When we find these villages that only have a few outward signs of modern life, it can almost make me beleive that for that moment I am back in time.

We stopped by a "barn sale" which just looked too interesting to pass by with the old flags decorating the 17th century barn.

There wasn't a huge amount for the "vintage addicted" but I did come home with 2 special finds one being this very large and beautiful slightly rusty Italian tin.

For now it is sitting on top of my kitchen cupboard where it brightens up the corner next to Gram's Granitware roasting tin. It cost me 50p, what a bargain!

I also came home with this gorgeous old book, Le Petit Larousse Illustre. It is a French encyclopedia and sometimes a dictionary , charmingly illustrated, packed with information that even I can understand!

It has the most wonderful warm chesnut coloured leather binding and a beautiful art nouveau cover depicting a woman blowing dandelion seeds which is supposed to represent spreading the seeds of knowledge. I was delighted to find that it was from 1906, so it's a first edition! all for £2.00...

Sunday we ventured to the boot sale. I dragged the family out of bed to attend but apparently not early enough because look what I missed out on! You can imagine how I felt seeing this...

and then this...

I could have cried but instead I tried really hard to convince myself that the person who got it needed it more than I (unless it was one of those London dealers who gets there at 5:30 am!)

And just before I say "goodbye" I will share with you a photo of Jet wearing his new bandana that Georgia brought home for him from Gatcombe Horse Triaals. I think he felt quite comfortable in it because he did not try to take it off even once.

Such a lovely boy!

Victorian story-telling extravaganza

2010-08-03T20:54:00.003+01:00

I was contacted by someone from an "alternative arts events company" called Love Art London . They are having a "Victorian story-telling extravaganza amongst the sculptures in Hyde Park". Here is an excerpt from the email I received:

"To add to the fun, people are invited to dress up in vintage
clobber(token stove pipe, top hat, parasol or monocle could do but we'd love
people to go the whole hog) in return for a discounted ticket price of 10
guineas/conventional pounds."

This sounds like alot of fun and might be a great way to meet up with others who have similar interests...and what better way to show off your favourite "Victoriania" ?

You can see more about this event here.

If you do manage to get there please do post some photos and let us know so we can have a look.

Enjoy!

Ooh what a busy week....

2010-07-20T17:13:00.006+01:00

(Happy piggy from Riverbourne community farm)

Well we are completely done with the birthdays for another year. Georgia's party went very well. She had the party/sleepover the same day as our village fete. They bobbed for apples and bought far too many sweets.

For some years now she has wanted to join in on the raft race which is held every year on Fete day. As she had a group of girls sleeping over it seemed the perfect time for her to take part. Paul built them a raft and away they went. It must have been 2 miles down the river! They worked really hard but were held up by several poor little girls who continually lost their shoes along the way. Georgia was stopping and waiting for them to catch up but the competitive side of me must have taken over because I found myself shouting "leave them behind!". Just a little embarrassing....

They all did brilliantly though and were quite exhausted afterwards. We had 3 last minute injuries: a missing toenail, a small cut and a twisted ankle. Paul had to hike back home with the dog as quick as he could to get the car because the one little lady with a sore ankle would not be able to walk home. I waited at the side of the road after hobbling through a horse field with the casualities and finally Paul showed up and drove us home.

The girls were muddy and mucky and so showers were started. 7 showers to be exact. We had not one clean towel left in the house and the muddy clothes had to be washed. I took a break for glass of Coke and suddenly realised that I must have been frazzled because I started to pour the Coke into a bowl....weird...

After the big clean up the girls settled down to food and cake.

I really enjoyed making this cake. It was strawberry, Georgie's favourite. I wanted the cake to have a garden feel so I used Easter candles because they were little chickens holding tiny baskets and as our chickens run around the garden so would these! I added in lots of little heartease flowers which are edible and lady bugs and even a fairly recognisable bee.

I think the girls really enjoyed this relaxation after the strenuous events of the day.

The following day the girls went home and Georgia slept for 3 hours straight. I imagine the others did too!

We also visited the open farm day where Georgia helps out after school one day a week. It is a really nice place with many adorable animals to see...

Like this handsome fellow, who was the smallest horse the owners had!

And these gorgeous little piggies:

We spent a wonderful day at a freinds barbecue where they cooked food for around 90 people! Talk about organisational skills! They even had a bouncy castle for the kids.

And after that, it was time to list a few pretties:

Lovely vintage dishes brighten any table or dresser!

Adorable 50's swim suit....

Bye for now,

I want to ride my bicycle...

2010-07-06T14:37:00.008+01:00

Please note: For an explanation of my use of this photo please see below in the birthday section.

Firstly I would like to say "Thank you" to our newsletter subscribers who took the time to fill out our first survey.

We had so many wonderful responses and it was great to know we are doing so well! It was also really helpful to know what kind of items you are most interested in so that we can try to find more of them for you. If I am being brutally honest, we did have one dissatisfied person (It was an anomynous survey so we do not know the names of anyone who completed it unless the name was in the email address). We honestly do try extremely hard to please our customers but it seems we could not please absolutely everyone! However, from the 99.9% postive response received, we are feeling just great about our little business and the personal service we try to provide. It is definitely not as easy as many may think but it is very rewarding...so.... Thank you.

We entered the names of everyone who completed the survey into the draw for the Vintage Lifestyle £20 voucher and our winner was Annie Tomkins! Congratulations Annie!!!

Birthday's!!!
Ok, business out of the way, we can get down to birthdays, of which we have had 3 in the last 4 days. The boy's was on the 2nd.

My conversation with Paul in Tesco's:

ME: Dillon doesn't like chocolate cake does he?
PAUL: He loves it, what are you talking about?
ME: No, Im sure he doesn't
PAUL: You're thinking of Georgia, she doesn't like Choclate cake.
ME: I know she doesn't like Chocolate cake but I feel quite sure Dillon said he didn't either.
PAUL: He definitely does.
ME: ok. We'll get this one then. I guess it would be strange that both my children shouldn't like chocolate don't you think?

LATER THAT EVENING:
ME: Dillon have you seen your cake?
DILLON: I will have a look.....oh yeah...it looks nice.....
ME: I didnt think you liked chocolate cake but Dad said you did. Do you?
DILLON: ummm...yeah...chocolate cake is pretty good...yeah...ummm...yeah...
ME: Dillon, you don't like chocolate cake do you?
DILLON: no mom, sorry. I just didnt want to hurt your feelings...

OK, so what am I doing? Making a NON CHOCOLATE cake at the very last minute. Surprising how quickly you can make one when you need to.

Next birthday is mine, on the 4th. I got a very vintage style bike and Paul added flowers to it to make it just that more sweet! My reason for the first photo is to show you all what I will look like after I ride my new bike every day for the next...year!

You will probably see my beautiful bike in the background of some upcoming photos. We have already been for a couple of rides (must lose weight!!) and today we are going out with the pony to the park, me riding along side on my bike!

Georgia bought me an adorable little pink "hetty" hoover for cleaning up the mess on my desk. It was a thoughtful gift, particularly when you know how messy my desk can get!

As it was the 4th of July, we had to have pasta salad because that is one of things we always have at home on the 4th when most people have a barbecue and enjoy outdoor eating! This is a quick and easy one which was perfect while we watched the TOUR.

Yesterday was the girl's birthday. It was a lovely day. As some of you may know, I am not a huge fan of "reproduction" or vintage "style" goods but some of those items I find particularly nice for kids, like a certain someone's bags. Georgia has wanted the "spotty" one for along time now and she couldnt wait to get to school to show her new one off! She got a great book about Friendship too and took that in her new bag to school. I felt so proud of her....

I do like to get the kids something kind of personal for their birthdays and with Georgia this year it was a "school of rock" t-shirt, that says "stick it to the man". I had to search long and hard for it but eventually I found a seller on Etsy who did one for me. We have watched this film many times and she loves it. She looked cute as a button in her new t-shirt while reading her new "Famous five survival guide".

Georgia's party is not till next week so I have a week's break before more birthday festivities arise.

New items listed....Enjoy!!!!

Summer living.....

2010-06-29T15:14:00.006+01:00

Well the past week has given us the best weather we have had for years and I dont mind telling you we took full advantage of it. I am not generally an early riser if I dont HAVE to be but I found that I couldnt stay in bed long with the sun shining and the birds singing. The garden was continually calling to me and even the work indoors was more fun with the windows thrown open wide and music playing!

Running a business from home often means we have to "hang around" waiting for couriers to collect parcels. If we were in the garden we used to be able to rely on our dog to let us know if someone knocked at the door but as he is constantly busy now herding the chickens around the garden his mind is on his job and not on the door! This meant that we were always a bit concerned in case we didnt hear the couriers! While visiting the garden center this week, I found a little chalkboard in the "gift section" and thought how perfect it would be to leave a message on our front door and it has already come in useful several times, particularly with the couriers!

Even though I have long lived in the UK I have never been able to fully get used to the idea of not having screens on windows or screen doors. I like to leave the windows open as long as possible when the weather is so beautiful and the back door too but the flies and moths find their way in every day and particularly towards evening when they attracted to the light, we end up with a virtual insect zoo in our kitchen and living room!

I decided to hang this lovely old curtain at the back door to keep out the abundance of flying creatures and it does seem to help. It has also proved to be a useful chicken deterrent for those pesky chickens who like to investigate the house! (And it just looks SO pretty!) When Jet saw me taking a photo of it, he just had to get in there...

Miss Penny is a ham too and she had to investigate the pretty green tray I was photographing outside for the website. Chickens are just so nosey!

I will leave you with a pretty picture that Georgia took in the garden and a little note that new items have been listed on the website. Stop by for a visit!

Sunny days....

2010-06-05T19:00:00.009+01:00

Sunny days make me feel SO good. When the sun shines my energy levels really have a boost and the whole family tend to be busy as bees.

I spent some time "creating" several floral deckchairs. These always prove popular with customers but they can be tricky to recover properly and are time consuming to complete so it is difficult to be able to offer them on a regular basis! However we had an ad appear in Aga living magazine which featured one of our past deckchairs so thought it was a good thing to have at least a couple available on the website!

I used a gorgeous antique floral linen fabric to recover the "sling seats". I have had this fabric stashed away for some time, not being able to decide what to make with it but when I laid it against the painted frames of the chairs, it really seemed to work. The photos do tend to make the fabric look like it has a white background but it is indeed the colour of light natural linen.

We have added some other pretty items to the website too:

Paul and I took Georgia and her friend to a summer fete at Heale House which is only about a 15 minute drive from us. It was in aid of Riding for the disabled.

If you are ever in the area, please do visit Heale house, you won't be disappointed. We have been there many times and yet we are never bored there. The gardens are simply magical. There are so many different "sections" to walk through. Every bit of it is beautifully planted and maintained. It is one of the prettiest gardens I have ever seen.

Of course we can not compete with Heale's gardens but our little garden is looking lovely too.

The sunshine has really brought on the plants and we have spent lots of time out there including having a little barbecue with some wonderful new friends.

Paul made a particularly lovely salad with tomato's wrapped up like roses and radishes like tulips!

And when the table is not in use by us, what else could it be used for but as a roost for our girls!

We are hoping for MANY more lovely sunny days and a long beautiful summer!

bye for now,

A bit of this, a bit of that...

2010-04-16T23:02:00.005+01:00

I meant to show you the Easter eggs we coloured (thank you mom for sending over the fun egg colouring!) but they were eaten before I could get the camera into action. We also made some Easter shapes cookies which didn't turn out so well. Our son is Diabetic and rather than using artificial sweeteners in some baked goods I will use half the amount of sugar. Usually it works out fine but this time they were not so nice. Still, they were all eventually eaten so they must not have been too bad...

We were lucky to have a few nice, sunny days so it was the perfect time to get a few photos of this wonderful painted ladder for the website. The chickens were showing lots of interest and even though I "shooed" them away, penny's bum still managed to get into one of the shots. She is such a ham (as grandma would say!)

(look close and you will see it!)

They say the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree and I suppose in our case that is proving true because later in the day Georgia took me outside to show me her very own rustic, vintage garden display which was indeed inspiring! She really shows a creative flair!

Georgia visited the British Open show in Birmingham with a friend and came home having spent some of her money on a present for Brandy:

Brandy actually seemed to like wearing it and generously posed for us!

I will leave you with a few more vintage pretties to entice and inspire....

Enjoy!

A very Happy Easter to you all....

2010-04-03T17:11:00.007+01:00

Georgia and I have been setting up an Easter display and would like to share some photos with you....

We collected branches from a Cornus shrub, a Forsythia and a Hazel to hang our Easter decorations on. Next year I am determined to make ornaments. The ones we used this year (and last!) were from high street shops and although they do the job they do not have the same charm that handmade ones would. Easter always "creeps" up on me and I find I have run out of time...

We have used some artificial flowers to attach to the branches with little pegs...

and some tiny nests with eggs...

and of course some sweet little chicks in their basket!

These are some of "Dot's" pure white eggs which are perfect for colouring. I will show you the finished product soon.

We displayed the colourful decorations on a beautiful vintage tablecloth (now listed on Vintage Lifestyle - blatant plug!)

I am now off to make the Easter cookies before I can settle down for a relaxing evening. I hope every one of you has a truly lovely Easter Day...

ENJOY the simple things!

Drumroll Please.............

2010-03-26T09:38:00.006Z

I really do want to say thank you to the bloggers and customers who entered the give-away. Your nice comments were much appreciated! We are going to have another fun little give-away soon so don't fret if you didn't win this time...

Georgie is always keen to be involved in blog posts, especially give-aways. She loves picking out the winning name. This time her little fingers led her to choose......

Devon Dumpling !!! Congratulations Lou Lou! I hope you enjoy the book as much as I do!

I have been meaning to share a little news with you. We have a new family member who arrived almost 2 weeks ago.

This is Brandy, our first pony.

We have been thinking of getting a pony for George for a few years now so we are quite excited about her arrival.

Of course, being first time owners is pretty daunting. It is not like having a new dog (unless you have a dog who weighs at least 500lbs!) Still, we are learning so much so quickly and are SO enjoying this beautiful creature!

We visited an antiques fair this past weekend. It was open from Friday until Sunday but as we were quite busy with out "new arrival" Sunday was the only day we had avialable to go. It can be hit or miss with regards to attending on a Sunday. You may get some last minute bargains or there may simply be very little left. I found it to be the latter unfortunately although we did manage to come home with a few nice pieces. I tend to like to come back with the car full to bursting point but there is always next time!

I did visit a stall run by a lady who really did have a unique creative flair for display. She sold vintage "country set" items amongst other things. She had beautiful vintage riding boots and tweeds, hats and tweed fabrics. I was impressed by her diplay at the front of her stall which included a vintage fitted tweed jacket and some of her lovely tweed fabric draped to make a skirt and a cravat. Finishing off the look was a vintage fox stole. (We would NEVER condone the use of modern fur but as this is a vintage/antique one, the deed was done long ago and I see no need to simply throw it away).

It was a completely "vintage" look and yet so modern, reminding me of a Vivien Westwood design. I was impressed.

We also spotted a superb painted French Clock.

The photos are truly awful and do not do justice to it but trust me when I say it was incredible! In the right setting it would have been the "Pièce de résistance". Unfortunately it was a...bit...over our budget!

Lots of "new" items have been listed at Vintage Lifestyle so please stop by for a look....

Give-away time!

2010-03-16T12:20:00.004Z

Oh dear, what is a girl to do when she has neglected her duties as Vintage Lifestyle blogger? She has a give-away of course!

One of my all time favourite interiors books is Comfortable Country by Enrica Stabile with Photography by Christopher Drake. This book is packed with truly inspirational photos from many different houses.

Every photo is filled with vintage treasures displayed in stylish ways with a unique flair for home interiors. If you love "vintage" and interiors, you will love this book! I am not going to share too many photos from the book so that the winner will be suprised but here a couple "sample" photos...

Of course I have my own well loved copy of Comfortable Country but here is a chance for you to own your own new copy.

Anyone who makes a purchase from Vintage Lifestyle will automatically be entered into the give-away. You can also enter by leaving a comment. A winner will be chosen on March 25th.

If you already have this book you may still like to enter and give the book to someone who needs to be inspired! International friends are always welcome to enter too!

Bye for now,

Religious verse prints...

2010-01-19T08:49:00.006Z

After 8 years running Vintage Lifestyle it is still a thrill to see our items in print. This month BBC Homes and Antiques magazine featured one of our Victorian religious verse prints. I really like the simple styling which made quite a feature of this feminine antique print.

(from H&A magazine)

If you would like one of these wonderful old prints for yourself, we have a selection available at Vintage lifestyle:

They look gorgeous when hung on their own, like in the H&A photo or when grouped together to show off a collection:

Till next time....

I won!

2010-01-15T19:59:00.005Z

Yes, it's true, I finally won a "give-away" and what a lovely one it is! The give-away was offered by Karen .

The mysterious parcel arrived at the door with the postman and I was so excited to see what was lurking inside the traditonal brown paper.

Pretty parcels wrapped in pastel tissue paper and so beautifully tied up.

A treasure trove of beautiful handmade goods and craft items was found inside. There were so many special goodies; gorgeous buttons, lovely ribbons, fun appliques, handmade roses wrapping paper, handmade pin cushion and heart and so much more...the glorious scent made it all extra special...

I knew my 11 year old daughter was going to be excited to see the treasures too and when she came home from school she went straight to the parcel to gently see what she could keep for herself from this lovely lot. I dont mind telling you her eyes lit up at the sight and I shared some of the things with her. She immediately got on the sewing machine and made her own little pin cushion complete with one of the flower appliques like Karen used on the adorable pincushion she made!

Thank you Karen for sending such a thoughtful and generous gift. I really love it all and cant wait to make something with the all the lovely notions you have sent.

A bit of fun...

2010-01-08T23:49:00.003Z

One of my favourite things in the world is music, particularly vintage music and I do have soft spot for something that really gets me bopping around the house!

I remembered a super funky old song by Archie Bell and the Drells (1966) called "Tighten Up" so I did a search to see if I could find it. I came across this video clip. This person (or family?) has "synched" their music system up to their outside Christmas lights.....Can you imagine arriving for a new years party, seeing and hearing this?

These people must be exceptionally fun and I think I may want to move to their street....

Hope that made you smile!

Christmassy post ...part 2

2009-12-27T17:37:00.006Z

I hope everyone who stops by here has had a wonderful Christmas and despite the media hype, managed to enjoy some of the simpler things the season brings us...

Above is the "swag" or garland I customised for our little hallway. I think it came out quite bright and pretty ... The stairs also made a great place for hanging more stockings...

Georgia and I were quite busy baking this Christmas season. We made a huge amount of Christmas cookies and gave lots away as gifts. They didnt last very long but we did hold everyone off the little toadstool cookies until we took a couple photos to show you. (Sorry about the colour, we had that problem with lots of our photos!) This little cookie cutter was one of favourite things I bought for Christmas. It cost 25 pence too!

We used a simple recipe from the American Country living magazine to make Chocolate/peanut butter truffles. I can tell you, these were delicious and difficult to stop eating...

We did some last minute shopping and of course Georgia insisted we go into this little shop where they sell the most wonderful array of stuffed animals. I was very partial to the donkey. I love that it was the warm breath of the animals in the stable that kept baby Jesus warm in the manger.

I thought this little Christmassy corner turned out quite pretty. This shelf is above my computer and it really did need a boost of Christmas spirit. I pegged up some brightly embroidered cotton ribbon and attached photocopies of some of my vintage Christmas postcards with tiny wooden pegs. I really like it and may decide to keep it here all year round, just changing the cards with the seasons...

I am going to leave you with a couple short videos of the boxing day 'hunt' which goes right past our house. This is a drag hunt, where a scent is dragged along ahead of time which the hounds follow so I am glad to say no animals were harmed. The spectacle is wonderful from the beauty and sounds of the horses to the beautiful outfits...

Blessings to you all for a happy and healthy new year,

My biggest ever vintage 'Christmassy' post

2009-12-16T13:55:00.013Z

I am feeling so "Christmassy" today so it was with huge joy that I looked out the window and saw...SNOW! My festive levels reached a new high while the beautiful flakes fell!

I decided to take some photos of the decorations to share with you today. Not all of them came out so well (you may remember I always have trouble taking pics of the tree!) but some are lovely. As mentioned before, we tend to have lots of bird decorations at Christmas. I counted while taking the photos and I came up with 39. They are not from a big set mind you, they have all been individually collected over the years!

Our tree is definitely a mix of styles but I think our mix works. We have lots of nature themed decorations:

(very fluffy owl)

(What a handsome fellow!)

Some vintage decorations I have collected over the years like this 1970's Holly Hobby ornament:

of course, vintage decorations passed down from my grandma are cherished:

These little Santa's and carol singers were my grandma's. There were 3 of each but one year one of the little girls went missing. I can only think that when I threw away the packing, I threw away one of the girls. I have been looking for her replacement ever since. The large "Santa" in the back was also my gram's. It is a big brandy glass with felt pieces glued on and a removable felt hat. She used to fill it with bright coloured candy each year...I will too.

Mr. and Mrs. Clause were also my gram's. She always used to say that you had to hang them so that they looked like they were skiing down the tree...

There are also lots of ornaments that Paul and I have bought since we have been married:

(Pretty in Pink, handpainted flowers)

Even though the star or angel is the traditonal "tree topper" we couldn't resist this wonderful alternative we found while in the US. It is a santa, sleigh and reindeer flying around the globe. Santa and sleigh are supposed to gently turn around the globe but due to the difference in electrics here in the UK, it doesnt turn...still very sweet though...

and just in case you think we forgot, we have plenty that kids love!

(one of a set of Winnie the pooh ornaments, who can resist these charming characters?!)

I do tend to lean towards traditional decorations around the house but I do like to add some vintage flair whenever possible and maybe a bit of a different colour other than the traditonal red and green. I have ordered some pretty bright green, yellow and peach check ribbon to add to the decorations but It is not due to arrive until tomorrow. I will have to take an updated photo then to share with you. In the mean time though, the ribbon is not that disimilar from these bows on our tree:

Paul, Georgia and I took a walk and collected some strands of Ivy for over the doorway into the dining room (office!). I have some gorgeous vintage trim (saved for years because I cant bring myself to use it!) with red roses that I wound around and through the Ivy. I really love the way it looks!

The Ivy decoration wrapped around the ceiling light looks like a bit of a tangled mess but it hides the fact that we are missing one of the vintage "candle" light covers. They just don't seem to make them in the size we need anymore!

I find that my fingers like to be busy these days, even when watching a movie in the evenings. So what does a girl do when the "restless fingers syndrome" strikes? She begins a Christmas craft of course! So I have made some of these fun Victorian style candy cones. I have an antique music book, Scales and Arpeggios, that has seen better days and I have been saving it for some crafty project so the cones seemed the perfect answer.

I used one page per cone, rolled it into a cone shape and glued the edge down. Then I covered it in a layer of PVA glue(with just a drop of water mixed in) to strengthen the paper .

I sprinkled some very fine frosty glitter all over it. I then punched a hole into each side and attached a ribbon. It was simple and fun.

Georgia really likes them but she QUICKLY reminded me they are not finished until they are filled with sweets!

If you are in need of some festive but vintage style decorations or gifts, these cones would be a great project for you to try. You could use any card or thick paper. I made one in about 10 minutes after I got the hang of it so you don't need alot of spare time. Fill with sweets or pretty vintage trims and buttons for a treasured but inexpensive gift!

Sending you all the best Christmas wishes,

The lucky winner and a special offer!

2009-12-05T15:56:00.008Z

I did tell you the name would be plucked from a vintage hat....

Georgia did the honours and picked...

.... Jayne at Country cottage chic ! Jayne is the winner of our Christmas prize draw for the handmade bird nest decoration. Jayne, please email me your address and we will post your prize right away.

Thank you to everyone who entered. We do appreciate everyone taking the time to leave comments and letting us know about the crafts your working on and a very big thank you goes to those of you who made a purchase from Vintage Lifestyle.

To everyone who didn't win this time, don't worry, more "give-aways" will be coming up.

Now for the special offer:

For those of you looking for VINTAGE christmas gifts this year ( for loved ones or for yourself!) Vintage Lifestyle is offering 15% off all items ordered between now and December 21st! Your discount will be calculated when we receive your order.

Goodbye for now,

P.S. Will the lady who asked about my friend's bear shop please email me. For some reason I have had some trouble with the blogger comments and your's didnt show up even though I published it. Thank you!

A special Christmas prize draw....

2009-11-21T21:41:00.008Z

Just to get you in the mood for Christmas I have decided to have a prize draw for one of the Christmas bird nests I showed in the previous post!

When you make a purchase from our website between today and the 4th of December, you will automatically be entered in the draw. But, in the spirit of Christmas, you don't have to make a purchase to enter. You can leave a comment letting us know of what crafty item you have made or are working on for Christmas. The winner's name will be picked out of a very vintage hat on the 5th of December. International friends are most welcome to enter!

(okay, maybe not as glamorous as this hat!)

The nest will be sent in a pretty bag with special Christmas touches...

Whilst preparing some photos to present the prize draw I decided to create a little display to show off the nests I have made so far.

I also had lots of fun creating Christmas tags for our items and I hung them on the branches too adding an extra bit of colour. I think it looks quite pretty!

Best of luck to all who enter!

Christmas already?

2009-11-06T09:19:00.006Z

Well, not really but when the creative urge really strikes, you just have to go with it!

I spent the last week or so creating these little nests for Christmas. Some of you may know from previous Christmas posts that we like to use lots of birds along with other animals and nature items on our Christmas tree so it was a natural progression to create the nests.

I have added some vintage style elements too, like the velvet, richly coloured leaves and rustic twig hearts. I also used some vintage millinery roses.

Penny and Dot were only to happy to help by giving up a few pretty feathers for our project as they are molting anyway!

Each nest has a wire hanger wrapped in rough cut strips of vintage fabric and decorated with tiny leaves and bright red berries. They can be hung from the tree or around the house.

Each nest is different although they all contain mostly the same elements. Some have snow on the nest, some have a little Christmas bell, some have different fabric covering their wire hangers. We have added a few to the website today and there are several more to be listed over the next few days.

What little bird could ask for more?

Vintage cooking...

2009-10-16T13:15:00.006+01:00

One of my favourite fellow bloggers and a most inspirational lady, Jill has published a cookbook full of family recipes going back 4 generations called Calico Petals, Vintage Cottage Recipes. If you like 'vintage' and cooking, I am sure you will love her book. UK postage is $9.00.

Congratulations Jill, I am so excited for you!

2009-09-15T20:02:00.011+01:00

How wonderful it is to own and run a small business in which I shop for and sell things I love. It is also a blessing to "meet" so many wonderful and like minded people. We are kept very busy with the business and of course with the children and "normal" life which usually means I have to make time for sewing and "creating" for myself!

I have had an old patchwork quilt which I bought at an antique fair a long time ago. It has covered our sofa for some years and most of the patches were very worn and needed replacing or repairing.......

...although a few patches of charming vintage fabric remained intact.

I really needed to make the effort/time to get this job done!

Luckily I have a basket filled with smaller pieces of fabric that are quite suitable for patchwork repairs!

It took a couple of hours but I did manage to replace most of the damaged squares and make the quilt strong enough to withstand every day use on the sofa. Im really pleased with finished product and I love how the patchwork brightens up what is otherwise a fairly boring sofa! The throw on the back of the sofa is not usually there but was being photographed for the website. If you like it, please have a look in our New Arrivals.

While the sewing machine was warmed up, I decided it was time to make use of the huge cushion insert I bought from a friends shop.

I salvaged the fabric from beautiful old linen curtains. If you like the fabric, we have more of it available on our website in the Handmade and Vintage Sewing category.

I then cut strips of red and white gingham fabric and folded it into pleats. I pinned the gingham in between the front and back panels and sewed them together.

Then I added 4 fun light green vintage buttons on the back.

This huge and I think, beautiful, cushion is now available on our website!

I was on a roll, so made a lovely cushion to add to the green floral deckchair which we added to the website a few weeks ago. The cushion is made from 1930's heavy cotton and I think it really adds the perfect Autumn touch that the chair needed.

Before going I would like to share with you some photos of the most amazing creature who visited our garden recently.

I think it is the Southern Hawker dragonfly. The size of this big fella does not really come across well enough in the photos but he was about 8 cms long...HUGE!

He stayed around for some time so I was able to get these greats shots. Isn't he amazing?!!

Bye for now,

A little gift...

2009-08-23T22:21:00.005+01:00

Today I was browsing through my collection of vintage postcards and I thought it might be nice to share a few with you. If you click on the image, it will bring up a larger image that you can right click on and save to your pictures folder.

You are welcome to use them for crafting and creating pretty cards for your friends or family.

Have fun!

Vintage Kitchen cupboards...

2009-08-14T12:50:00.005+01:00

Over the years we have given a "makeover" to numerous 50's and 60's kitchen cupboards. Some have been in magazines...

Some have been used in shop window displays...

They always prove popular and I think it is easy to see why.

Those who love "vintage" are moving away from the fitted kitchen look in favour of free standing units which can be moved around to change the look of your kitchen or taken with you when you move house.

They also have lots of storage space so they are indeed practical.

Of course they are also beautiful to look at and really do add instant vintage charm and character.

We were lucky enough to find another of these cupboards at an antique fair. After another makeover, it now looks like this...

I love the result and hope you will too...

Till next time,

Pretty florals...

2009-08-04T14:40:00.004+01:00

We were pleased to be able to find some especially pretty items for the website this week, all with a floral "theme"!

Along with some floral "eiderdowns" and French bedcovers, we added a very feminine style vintage chair with a floral seat to our new arrivals category. The thin spindles and turned struts add lovely detail to this old chair which has it's very chipped and worn original paint. The seat has beautiful roses on it and the ruffle adds a bit of vintage romance.

We also were thrilled to find this wonderful storage box, a large size so great for storing under beds or dressers.

It is covered in a beautiful old floral linen fabric. Covered boxes of this size are quote rare so I don't mind saying how tempted I was to keep this for myself!

I also managed to spot this little beauty, a "wicker" cutlery tray with a handle and lined with pieces of Vintage French fabric.

I can just see this on a garden table filled with old cutlery for garden parties or picnics!

Speaking of the garden, I want to share with some photos from ours. During the very few breaks we have had in our appalling weather, I have noticed a huge amount of butterflies.

This is excellent news as some people were concerned about the butterflies recovering from the previous years wet and cold summers. We have numerous Buddleia in the garden and also, a large patch of Verbena, both of which the butterflies are very acttracted to.

Walking into the garden you see so many butterflies fluttering all over, it's quite a magical scene. How exciting it was to see this little fellow too...a butterfly Hawkmoth.

He looks just like a hummingbird and was fascinatiing to watch.

Last year we found the hawkmoth caterpillar and put him somewhere safe for the winter. Maybe this is him, come back to greet us!

Goodbye for now,

P.S.
I would like to say "Thank you" to everyone who left a comment on our last post. It is nice to be able to share our proud parenting moments!

As Stevie Wonder says "Isn't she lovely"?

2009-07-22T17:52:00.011+01:00

For our international readers I will explain that my daughter's school, like many schools, go up to year 6. After that time, the kids move on to the "big" school (secondary school) for the remainder of their education. At the end of year 6, the year 6 students have lots going on to "celebrate" their time at the school. One of these recent events is called the "Leavers Ball".

You won't mind if I brag will you?

I confess that out of the numerous events, this one has so far been my favourite for 2 reasons. One, I got to buy a gorgeous dress for my little girl and see her looking like an angel in it...and Two, she got to go in a limousine shared with some of the other children and seeing the look on her face as she got in it was priceless.

I do love fashion as Im sure I have mentioned before, particularly vintage fashion, but shopping for Georgia is something I get great pleasure from too. I knew we would not find a dress we liked in town so we took some time to trawl the internet searching for small companies who had pretty dresses in keeping with her age but with a difference. We eventually found something we both loved....

I put some small braids in her hair and added some tiny bits of "baby's breath" (gypsophila) into the braids, then a pink gingham ribbon at the bottom of the braids. It was so simple yet I think very effective.

We met the other children and the limousine and driver in town. We took some photos of the kids all dressed up. I did feel a bit bad for the girls as it had been raining all day and it was cold and windy and they were obviously freezing but Georgia did not want to wear anything that covered up her dress! (suffering for fashion!)

Doesn't this little chap look handsome in his suit!

(So cute!)

When Georgia saw the car she could hardly beleive her eyes.

Some of the kids had not arrived yet so the first few got to sit in the car on their own for awhile which they greatly enjoyed. The music was loud, there were balloons and noise makers, sparkling lights in the ceiling and as Georgia later told me, they even had "Orange juice in wine glasses!".

Tonight we will attend the "leavers ceremony" at the church and that will be the last we see of the "little" school and the wonderful teachers there. It is a bit sad because it is a moment in her life when we realise she is indeed growing up and I am sure there will be tears including my own.

Vintage floral deckchair...

2009-07-19T18:48:00.004+01:00

Since re-working our first vintage deckchair back in 2002, we have received many emails from customers who would like to purchase one. Of course, dealing solely with vintage goods, we do not have a huge supply of them. I have had 2 of them waiting for their makeover and with the recent rain we have had, it was just the right time to get on with job and hopefully make one of our patient customers happy!

Today I completed this little beauty and it is now listed on the website.

It came to us with it's original duck egg green/blue paint which I just love! I used some new fabric, very thick and strong and doubled it so that the florals can be seen from the front and back of the chair. Afterall, the back of the deckchair is always on view so really should be as atrractive as the front! The doubled fabric also adds to the strength.

The "staples" used to secure to the fabric to the wooden batten are well hidden. I then made a cushion of matching fabric for the head rest and sewed on turquoise ties so it can be adjusted or removed.

The chair has a high setting so it can be set quite upright and then lowered down to a lounging position.

(the girls love garden chairs and were keen to help me out with this photo)

I have to get started on my next deckchair now but that one is not painted. I am not sure whether to paint it or leave it as is.

What's your opinion?

bye for now,

p.s.
By the way, to anyone who has left a comment and not heard back from me, or wondered why I havent been able to stop by your blog for a visit, we are having some rather bothersome problems with blogger. For quite awhile now we receive an "operation aborted" message when visiting blogs and it shuts down Internet explorer without leaving us any chance of leaving comments. Many apologies! I am hoping the Blogger "powers that be" will soon sort this out.

Vintage tins and the village fete...

2009-07-14T17:33:00.010+01:00

We ventured out to another auction where we were lucky to find a box full of vintage tins. Most of them are now listed on our website so stop by, have a look and don't forget that our special discount is still available until this Sunday!

I admit to having a soft spot for tins and having a fair few in my own collection. Here is a sample of some of my own personal faves:

This one holds my sewing machine feet and accessories.

This one is very large so is perfect for holding my candles, all shapes and sizes!

This one has a design that I think might have inspired a well known homewares designer...(no names!)

I just love the picture on this one. Unfortunately it was covered in tape when I found it and the sticky stuff from the tape left a residue. No matter what I have tried alot of the residue remains although is no longer sticky.

With its soft colours, this one is perfect for our bedroom and holds my hair pins.

This one holds hair barrettes and clips.

This large one is great for my buttons!

This one is quite special to me. I bought this at a garage sale in the US a good few years ago now. The design is a painting by one my all time favourite artists, Norman Rockwell. It holds my garden seed packets at the moment.

So if you are looking to add to your collection of tins or just wanting a bit of vintage charm in your home, check out our new arrivals category.

This past weekend was our village fete. Unfortunately, it poured with rain most of the day, the wind blew and howled and the temperature remained very low so the turnout wasn't as good as it has been in the past and the rain put a damper on a few of the events. Still, we stayed for a couple of hours and managed to have some fun.

There was a wonderful western style horse rider named Terry Cooper who put on a great display despite the rain. His beautiful American quarter horse, Slipper, is so amazing and can respond to his rider's commands by the riders bodyweight alone without the use of vocal commands or reins.

This is "Slipper", Terry and Terry's wife.

When the weather became particularly awful, we took shelter in the large beer tent. I was impressed with the bright floral displays on the marquee poles.

I also managed to find a delicious strawberry cake, to which I could not refuse a piece. No wonder I am not losing any weight! Still, it was worth it...very yummy!

Birthdays, barbecues & a SPECIAL OFFER

2009-07-08T09:47:00.011+01:00

What a busy couple of weeks we have had...

Our daughter was very keen to have a barbecue before she left for her school "residential" trip (away from us for the first time, for 4 nights!) as the nice weather had begun so we arranged for her friend's family to come for the day. We had lots of yummy food and the sun was shining. I cut some pretty flowers from our garden for the table...

... but our friends also brought us a beautiful boquet.

The table was full of flowers and wonderful scents. Fun was had by all.

The following day Georgia left for her trip. Strange not to have that beautiful little lady talking incessantly while running around the house.

Later that day our friend's Clare and Mike came for a barbecue ( well you have to get them in while the weather holds out right?). They also brought along a gorgeous bouquet of Stocks...

....(and a box of chocolates which I finished off in no time!) The weather was wonderful and It was so lovely to have someone to talk with about "vintage" who loves it as much as we do. After eating the delicious food Paul had prepared we oohed and aahhhed over tablecloths and fabrics and spent some time looking at interior books. I did so enjoy the day.

I wanted to use some of my 4.5 days of "freedom" to catch up with work. I have wanted to add the "wardobe" category back to the website for some time now as some customers have been requesting it's return. I spent a day photographing some vintage clothing and another adding them to the website.

I am happy to say you can now shop the "wardrobe" section. More items will be added there as soon as our iron cools down!

We then needed to prepare for the impending birthdays... Yes, more than one. Our son's was on the 2nd, mine on the 4th and Georgias on the 5th (it was not planned, I promise). There was much shopping to be done and a cakes to be made. I made her a "garden" themed cake with mini bunting and lots of berries. The colours did come out rather garrish but the kids loved it.

Georgia wanted a sleepover but couldnt have it on her birthday as it was on a Sunday and the kids had to be at school Monday morning so generous mummy let her have them over on my birthday (Saturday) and stay till Sunday. They had fun eating outside ( yes, another barbecue) and squirting eachother with waterguns. They all snuggled up on Dillon's bed to watch a scary movie before bed

...then off to the pool the following morning. I don't mind saying I was glad that the birthdays were then over!

Back to work...Paul and I do not have a large storage facility in which to store our website stock so space is of great importance. We have decided it is time to make more room for new items and are therefore having a "SALE". ALL ORDERS UNDER £100 WILL RECIEVE A %10 DISCOUNT AND ORDERS OVER £100 WILL RECIEVE A %20 DISCOUNT. Don't forget that there is no additional charge for delivery of furniture items. This offer ends on Sunday the 19th of July.

Till next time....

Our porch in "print"...

2009-06-23T19:11:00.007+01:00

(No, unfortunately this one isn't ours!)

You may remember a couple of posts ago, that I wrote about our new "porch".

We were recently asked if our porch photos could be included on a website called Front Porch Ideas and more. We are really excited to let you know the article/interview and photos are now on the website. If you would like to take a look, you can see it here . At the bottom of the article are some photos of our hen house which Paul built but I will include them here anyway:

(this one shows part of the run which is attached to the hen house)

As you know from my earlier post, I am very keen on porches of all sorts and I was thrilled to be included in the website which has lots of gorgeous porch photos of all different styles along with lots of information about porch furniture, entertaining, decorating and much more.

Here are some other photos I have borrowed from the website to give you a bit of inspiration:

Now get building!

And the winners are....

2009-06-20T11:03:00.008+01:00

We are so pleased to have received over 20 entries into the photo competition which is a good number considering the effort involved. It sounds like a cliche but it really, truly was difficult to pick a winner. However, a winner there must be, and after much deliberation we chose Niki's photo below as the winning image.

We think it embodies the vintage theme, is bright and cheery and make us want to delve in and see more! The photo includes a vintage Anemone tin which Niki purchased from Vintage Lifestyle years ago. Congratulations Niki!

We decided to have 2 runners up. One runner up is Julie. Julie has put together a wonderful outdoor "display" in her seating area in the garden including the jar lanterns she purchased from us which I think look so pretty with their warm glow. The scene is filled with lots of treasures and we love the effort Julie put into making this a lovely area for summer relaxing!

Our other runner up is Alexandra who sent in this wonderful photo of her red corner cupboard ,purchased from us not so long ago.

She has already made it look perfectly at home with simple, fresh accessories and it is complimented beautifully by the bright floral curtains.

We did not receive one photo we didn't like! Everyone did a super job and therefore everyone who sent in a photo will be receiving a little thank you gift in the post.

Please email us your full address if you didn't already do so, so we can get your goodies out to you!

THANK YOU all for taking part and a special congratulations to our winners!

Competition reminder and other things...

2009-06-11T18:51:00.005+01:00

We have received several emails asking for a bit more time to send in photos to have a chance of winning our competition, so we are happily obliging for one more week. The deadline is SATURDAY, JUNE 20TH. Please send them in as soon as you can so we can pick a winner!

To those of you who have already sent your pics, we thank you so much. It's been so enjoyable looking at them and seeing your pretty displays!

Today we have had some sunshine! It was perfect timing as I needed to take some photos in the garden of our new little covered seating area that Paul built.

As most of you probably know, England is not my original home and one of things I miss terriby about home (The good ole' USA)is a porch.

There are so many reasons why porches are a wonderful "invention" and one of them is that no matter what the weather,you can sit outside, preferably with a drink or book or just simply to watch nature evolve.

Knowing how much I miss a porch, Paul set to work building this lovely little seating area. He is a good man, isn't he!

I took some pretty photos of it today, adding in some of our handmade bunting (this one is an extra large size, big enough for marquee!), hand made cushions which are now on the website,

and some of our jar lanterns (attached to the trellis at the side; great for soft evening light and they keep the bugs way with citronella candles!)

Porches are attached to the house, so you can walk straight from the house onto it, like an open aired extension of the home. Of course, we can't really do that to our home ( not yet anyway!) so he built it directly behind our small "wildflower" section of the garden so that we could look out over the flowers and watch the bees buzzing and the butterflies fluttering!

I hope you have enjoyed these photos. I look forward to receiving yours!

Bye for now,

Competition Time!

2009-06-03T14:23:00.002+01:00

It is time for our first Website competition! It will require a bit of effort, although I think it should be pleasant effort.

We would like to invite you to send a photo of one of your purchases from Vintage Lifestyle in situ in your home or garden!

You can dress up your photo however you like, or keep it very simple but the most important thing is to have a vintage feel to your pic!

Don't worry if you have not made a purchase from us, you can still enter the competition by sending in a photo of any favourite vintage item in your home or garden. We promise not to be biased to those whose items came from us!!!

Anyone can enter, no matter how far away from us you are!

By sending in a photo you will be giving us the right to use the photos on our blog to let other know who the winner is and in one of our newsletters. Your photo will of course be credited to you.

Remember it need not be a grand display unless you want it to be so just enjoy your 20 minutes as a stylist!

Although I know it will not be an easy choice for us, we will pick a winner Saturday June 13 th. That should give everyone plenty of time. You can email your pics to us at kelly@vintagelifestyle.co.uk

I'm sure you would like to know what the prize is! We have put a few things together to include something Vintage, French, new and handmade. The winner will receive a charming vintage French plaque with little hook (hooks on back so ready for hanging), a small vintage floral jug, a length of Victorian crochet trim, a Victoria magazine from the US, a set of hydrangea flowers magnets and a large anemone magnet. All will be sent in a "very vintage" bag handmade from vintage fabric. I promise to wrap it extra pretty!

I suspect we will have to add in a runner up prize too because I find it very difficult to choose between pretty pics.

Have fun! Don't be shy!

p.s. I have edited the last post so don't worry if you left a comment but you don't see it here, it will be on the previous post. (blogger issue!!)

An award !

2009-05-30T12:55:00.013+01:00

We are really pleased to have received this award from Elanor . Thank you so much for thinking of us Elanor. It really made my day!

The rules of the award are as follows:
1)The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2)Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3)Nominate 10 blogs.
4)Put a link to their blogs.
5)Leave a message for your nominees

So here goes my list!
Joni
Laurie
Clare
Devon Dumpling
Floss
Maggie
Lisa
Lucy
Sweet cottage dreams
Isabelle

There were a great many more I would like to have chosen but not only am I limited to 10 but the sun is shining and I am very keen to leave the computer and get out to do some much needed gardening!

Bye for now...

No wicker was harmed during this photo shoot...

2009-05-13T19:58:00.009+01:00

We recently attended an auction where we spotted a lovely old wicker stand with lots of chipped paint, revealing the original green paint underneath. The bidding began and it seemed we were not the only ones who took a fancy to this item as the bidding became just a little "frantic". We set our limit (which you must do when at an auction otherwise you may find that you spend FAR TOO MUCH) and kept bidding. We got it just a few pounds under our limit so we were quite happy.

As it was a bright, sunny day, taking the photos outside seemed the best idea. Our number 2 bird, Dot, seemed to take a great fancy to it and flew up to have a better look. Please note: no wicker was harmed during the shooting of the photos...

I don't know what got into the "girls" that day. Miss henny-Penny decided if Dot could have a closer look, then she could too. She inspected the small food safe we just purchased and her opinion was that it was ok but would be better used as a private house for her!

Now please don't get the idea that we regularly let our "pets" inspect our special vintage goods! This day was unique and the girls were soon back to foraging and "tidying" the garden for us.

Later that day we took a walk to the bluebell woods just up the road from us. It is the best display of bluebells I have ever seen and each year seems to get better.

Here is Jet, looking beautiful as usual!(I can't help but brag about him!)

And while we are looking at flowers here are a couple photos of our Lilacs in full bloom. Their scent is wonderous!

I am looking forward to setting up my little garden table and chairs in that space. I can just picture it with a beautiful tabelcloth and pretty vintage dishes. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a SUPER summer!

Have a good weekend whatever the weather!

2009-05-02T22:43:00.010+01:00

Today we ventured to the Downton Cuckoo Fair. Although we live very close to Downton, this is the first time we have been to this "fair". There were many stalls selling all sorts of goods, lots of entertainment in the form of traditional music and dancing, bouncy castles and game stalls ( where we did not win even one thing!) and yummy food.

The fair is set up along the main road in Downton where there are some wonderful old cottages and the townsfolk all seem to get involved in the festivities. One of the stalls which impressed me was the basket stall.

What a superb array of handmade baskets! The "trolley" basket is very simliar to one I use when shopping at antique fairs, flea markets and boot sales. It saves so much effort to be able to pull my "finds" behind me rather than have to cart them along.

The basket at the back was possibly the largest basket I have ever seen. I photographed it with a man behind it for scale, so you can get an idea of just how big it was.

My very sweet husband stopped there as we were leaving to buy me an egg basket which I just love. I am going to keep our "girls" (hens) eggs in it in the kitchen.
If you would like to have a look at this company's lovely and creative work, have a look HERE.

Another stall we visited is one I have bought from before at other fairs. This lady always has a beautiful rustic display of kitchenwares and garden items, often set up on ladders. (I have a weakness for old ladders!) I loved the box of wooden rolling pins (at the top of post) with their pretty ribbons and coloured handles.

A pretty little cottage with heart shaped cut-outs along the main road in downton:

And another with Wisteria and bunting:

We liked this sign outside the pub because of its slogan "Wet dogs and muddy boots welcome."

Of course I did manage to come home with a vintage find (always on the lookout!); this bright floral 60's garden lounger. The "girls" seem to really like it!

Hope you are all having a good weekend!

Look what the Easter bunny left....

2009-04-18T17:42:00.010+01:00

In the US, we have a tradition where the Easter bunny leaves a basket of lovely goodies hidden somewhere in the house for us to find. After moving to the UK, I made sure he knew where we lived so the tradition would continue.

Georgia woke up Easter morning and searched for her basket (hoping all the while he hadn't forgotten her!). She found it behind a curtain after only about 15 minutes searching. It wasn't as big as he has left in the past but it was certainly one of the prettiest we have ever seen.

He even buried some sweet treasures in the Easter "grass" for her to find.

It was handmade from thick card covered with felt and adorable appliques.

And knowing that this is vintage household, he included a super little vintage egg cup complete with Easter chick.

What a clever bunny!

Hope you had a great weekend and are looking forward to the sunshine coming tomorrow...
bye for now...