Mothering Sunday

After seeing my Teddy Bear post, my Mum emailed me a couple of photos this week...

Here's Mum sat at her Grandmother's feet with her teddy bear on her lap...

And here's her teddy bear today, slightly balding in places, but sat pride-of-place in my childhood rocking chair by the fire in her bedroom!

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Happy Mother's Day to Mummies everywhere - Have a very special day,

Niki x

Pretty Nostalgic

Maybe you remember, last September, hubby and I visited a lovely vintage home store and artisan market called Happy Days, which I wrote about on my blog here? On our visit I picked up a promotional postcard and later got in touch with the girls who run it. Nicole informed me that they were preparing for lots of exciting developments with their business in 2012, which included publishing their very own book Pretty Nostalgic.

I am very happy to report that the girls achieved their dream and Pretty Nostalgic is hot off the presses. I was able to purchase my own copy at the last Vintage & Handmade Textile & Fashion Fair, where Happy Days had a stand. (Organiser Michele included a photo of their display on her blog here.) It was a pleasure to meet the enthusiastic ladies and to witness them selling their book to excited vintage-lovers all day.

I strongly identify with what Nicole and Sarah wanted to present inside the pages of Pretty Nostalgic - Homes are furnished with the things that their owners love; as a reader you are encouraged to make the best of what you have to bring out the best in you, and to enjoy your environment in a relaxed and comfortable way with family and friends.

The picture-rich book includes lots of details from 'real homes' to further encourage the happier way of life.

Each chapter is inspired by words of wisdom, which get you thinking from the outset...

"How often do we hear stories of how people in the past were poor but happy? Why is it then that we feel so dissatisfied when we have so much?" - A question posed and answered inside this lovely book.

AND, as if that wasn't enough...On May 1st 2012 Pretty Nostalgic, the magazine, hits the shelves! It will be a bi-monthly home and lifestyle magazine that celebrates vintage, traditional and sustainable ways of living.

The cost of the magazine is £8, but subscribe to 6 issues and you will save 25% on the cover price. I promised Sarah that I'd mention her new magazine on my blog - If you'd like to subscribe (or order the book) you can do so by visiting the Pretty Nostalgic website. If you do decide to take out a subscription, then please mention that you've come via me, to Sarah...She has promised me a complimentary copy of the magazine in return, which I would like to offer as a free give-away on my blog. Thank you!! x

Love Niki x

Hooray for Bollywood!

What a surprise I had when I opened up these vintage boxes of silken threads at my local flea market.

Each box contained a stunningly vibrant collection of pure silk yarns, which had been made, once upon a time, in Bombay.

Its not hard to imagine the fabulous colours being used to embroider embellishments on a silken sari or choli...I couldn't leave them behind and ended up buying all that the seller had!

Violet...

Indigo, Blue...

and Green...

Yellow...

Orange...

and Red...

And Brown and Gold too!

They are suitable for hand or machine work and are colour-fast - I shall take them to my shop when I'm back there later in the week.

For now I'm preparing bits and pieces to take with me to the Vintage Jumble Sale that takes place on Saturday 24th March. I shall have a basket of £1 bargains, as well as other items I hope to clear. It will be lovely to see you if you can make it along there - its always lots of fun!

Niki x

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my previous post - Its good to know that your teddy bears are still much loved too! :)

Me And My Teddy Bear...

My Mum recently sent me a pile of old photographs that had once belonged to her mother (my Nan). They were mostly family wedding photos that had been stored away for years in their pretty mounts and envelopes - Its been wonderful to look through them all and to spot some of the members of our family, sadly some of whom are no longer with us.

This little chap is a mystery...We can't seem to work out who he is...Despite there being a definite family resemblance...Love the way he's holding his teddy bear close to his side...

But this person we definitely know who she is...

It's me and my teddy bear (who I'm clutching in much the same way as my relative above) at my uncle's wedding!

And its nice to know that my bear Ginger is still very much with us too...

I dug him out from the bottom of my wardrobe a few weeks ago. I'm slowly giving a make-over to the spare single bedroom in our house and I thought it would be nice for Ginger to sit in there and be a friend to our granddaughter when she comes to stay.

Sadly for the short time he'd been unpacked, the moths have been munching on his toes and have eaten through his lovely plush mohair! :( - Such a shame to think he'd survived so well for years, only to finally succumb to the pests now (which I think arrived hidden inside a vintage woollen blanket that I brought home a few weeks ago!)

Never mind, he doesn't seem too worried about it and he has plenty of furry friends looking after him! (Including my monkey who's about the same age as Ginger. There's several newer family members too.)

Do you still have your teddy bear or special toy from your childhood?

Have a happy weekend,

Niki x

Latest Finds...

A few little vintage treasures arriving at my shop today:

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Have a great day,

Niki x

Proud Mum Moment :)

Our youngest was involved (as an actor) in the making of a short film entitled Beloved, which I mentioned in a post back in October last year.

On Monday she went to London for the First Light Awards (the most prestigious young person's film event of the year), hosted by Edith Bowman. Beloved was the winner of the Audience Award for 2012.

Niki x

Spring Clean...

Can't believe I'm here, about to post about doing my housework...But yes I am! My shop has had huge demands on my time for the past two years, and so housework normally consisted of a quick flit here and there, just to keep on top of the main chores that needed to be done...No real deep clean and tidy. Although the shop is still high on my list of priorities (I was out as usual buying more stock yesterday), having given myself an extra closed day for a while, has meant time at home to get sorted, has been very welcome.

Today it was the turn of our utility/laundry room. A room we only go into when we need to throw some clothes in the washing machine, or to do some ironing. For the next few months though, it needs to serve an additional purpose, of storage facility!

So before it becomes clogged with boxes and crates, I decided to give it the deep clean...

Washing my enamelware and work surfaces...

And washing down the shelves that run around the whole room near the ceiling.

All my old jugs and vases were put away properly in the corner, with less attractive items hidden behind the cupboard doors and curtained-off areas under the sink.

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Lots more housework to catch-up with throughout the whole of our house, but it feels good to have made a start...

(I love these old tiles on one of the walls...The laundry room used to be our tiny kitchen back in the day when I had my shop at home, (before the shop area later became our kitchen.) The tiles were once behind the cooker hob, which we removed when the room became redundant as the family kitchen. Hubby is going to fill in the hole where the hob was with wood (better late than never!), and we're going to cover it with more antique tiles...if we manage to collect enough.)

Hope that wasn't too mundane a post!

Have a great week,

Niki x