Goings-on in Rural Somerset!

I've just had such a fun day today, that I couldn't wait to share it with you!

After an hour and a half drive down country lanes, through Bluebell woods and past meadows filled with wild flowers and home to spring lambs, I arrived at a friend's door.

Liz kindly welcomed me into her wonderful Somerset home to browse amongst her stock of vintage treasures.

This is the sight that greeted me as I walked through into her garden.

Liz kept us in tea and coffee all morning, with the offer of lunch too!

Inside one of her barns, she had arranged her fabulous array of vintage textiles, costume and decorative pieces. The walls were strung with fairy lights and lamps lit every corner. Tables were covered in lacy clothes and shelves were arranged with style.

Please come browse with me.......

I could have stayed all day - I am sure I must have missed something!

Thank you Liz, I had a lovely time! x

Here are my purchases:

Vintage textiles, including a pink apron printed with roses.

Hand painted coat hangers, ribbon and lace.

And I could not resist these fun buttons, perfect on vintage fabric bags!

Shabby Style Treasures.

I have just received a wonderful parcel of goodies that I bought from Phyllis at Shabby in the City. Every Friday she has a flea market and sells wonderful vintage treasures via her blog. Even though we live miles apart, this beautiful print of a flapper girl in a metal Art Nouveau frame arrived safely at my door!

Also in the parcel was this delightful bundle. It was so beautifully put together, I didn't want to untie the gorgeous aqua green lace!

Doesn't it just ooze Shabby Chic charm?!

Phyllis also kindly included some vintage buttons that I can't wait to use in my crafting and also the nostalgic greetings cards and water slide decals as an extra treat.

Thanks so much Phyllis and good luck with your next 'Flea Market Friday'!

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I would also like to recommend another blog. If you are a lover of today's shabby style, then you need to visit Ginny. If you haven't already done so, she is at Twinkle Pink with her wonderful creations that she makes using exquisite vintage fabrics and trims; she will inspire you.

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Finally, I shall have a stand here next Tuesday, if anyone is able to visit, please come and say hello! (Further details on my website.)

Flea Market BABY.

I recently bought this book. Not that I am thinking of having any more babies!! But it is a cute little book and very inspiring. The photographs within have a wonderful nostalgic quality and the ideas are not only suitable for the nursery, but anywhere in the vintage style home.

Besides, baby sized treasures are fun to collect; miniatures always have appeal and you don't need lots of space to create a pleasing display.

It will be good source material for baby gift ideas, as well as creating decorative vignettes with timeless styling. I am looking forward to reading it from cover to cover.

Seasonal Blues.

I have made a return visit to the Bluebell woods this morning. They are now looking spectacular, so I thought I would share with you a few of my photographs.

The Wisteria growing against the decking in our garden is now coming into flower too - beautiful against the clear blue sky.

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Pearl, Louise, and Sonia have all very kindly bestowed upon me the 'Thinking Blogger Award' - thank you very much - I am flattered. I am supposed to now choose my 5 favourite blogs, but they have already been rewarded with the award, so please have a look through my side bar and take a look at all of the blogs I love to visit - they should all be winners. (Hope that's OK!)

Have a lovely weekend, Niki x

Vintage Fabrics.

I have had a love of fabric for as long as I can remember. At the age of 5 I had a 'rag-bag' of fabric scraps that I would enjoy cutting into shapes. (Hope that doesn't make me sound sad!)
I took my 'O' Level in Needlework at age 16, along with one other girl! (OK, so 2 of us were sad!)
Anyway, that passion for textiles has never left me. I now have a large collection of vintage fabrics, some of which I shall never take the scissors to!

Unlike some antiques, textiles are susceptible to deterioration and are unlikely to last for ever, so I thought I would share with you some of my favourites:

Beautiful pink Roses.

More pink Roses on this sumptuous French C19th cotton.

A 1920's Rose and Bird inspired eiderdown fabric.

Stunning floral blooms on a 1920's Liberty print.

But, just recently I have been drawn to the slightly kitsch designs of the 1950's. I have hung this one curtain in the living room to see if it is just a faze, or whether I think I can live with it!!

It is a Fogarty print with yellow and red Roses and Primroses.

It's certainly cheerful, but not as dainty and pretty as the other prints. I think in a simply decorated room it would make an impact, (so I would need to de-clutter!!) what do you think?

Time for Gardening....

As any of you who work for yourself will know, it can be very difficult to 'switch-off' and take time out. It is all too easy to work every day, every spare minute and for your business to be on your mind all of the time. This year I have been trying to 'allow' myself time off and to have a proper weekend, doing things that I want to.

On Saturday morning I went for a walk in the woods. The Bluebells are just beginning to appear. In another week I think they will be stunning.

It was so peaceful and relaxing and there was no one else to be seen. The birds were happily singing in the trees and I saw Squirrels and a Hare.

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After a quick visit to the car boot sale on Sunday morning, I returned with a large array of new plants; so a day of gardening lay ahead. I was inspired by Clare's post to share some shots of my garden. I sometimes feel that I am fighting a loosing battle to keep my rear garden tidy, as my chicken have the run of it! I have quite a few old chimney pots; these help keep plants out of their reach!

I also have several seating areas in my garden, so intend to find more time to use them!

The front garden is a 'chicken-free' zone!! It's a bit more 'me' - I love the full, cottagey look, with plants jostling for space. Hollyhocks and Aquilegias are allowed to seed themselves and grow where they wish.

(The rose wreath is pottery and is extremely heavy. I found it in a junk shop a few months ago.)

I hope that you found time to enjoy your weekend.

More Vintage Treasures...

Hope that you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. It was great to take some time off, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to go treasure hunting again! Here are my best buys:

A fabulous original oil painting of Hydrangeas, an amazing hand painted celluloid baby brush and mirror set in it's original box and a pretty selection of vintage brooches.

Ruby red antique fabrics and an unusual trinket pot with floral lid.

A stunning fan decorated with cherubs, a pearly collection of hat pins and a very large china cup decorated with Lilacs and Daisies.

Two pretty French bridesmaids headpieces, a muslin baby bonnet and two sepia toned photographs.

Couldn't resist some delicate rose printed china and the framed print on silk. And two Deco parasols.

Finally, I treated myself to a gorgeous and dramatic quilt from Sue. At the moment I have placed it on my wooden bench in the living-room as a seat pad, but I think it will be useful in several other places too, so it will go for a wander now and then!

Sue had also spotted in the current issue of 'Antiquexplorer' that my hand made bags were featured. So she kindly gave me several (!) copies - thank you Sue.

On the Bank Holiday Monday we visited the Daffodil Fair at Mells, so I wanted to share with you the wonderful garden at the Manor House there. The Spring weather was amazing and the flowers were enchanting.

I really must catch up with lots of crafting now, after taking time off over the Easter holidays - enjoy the rest of the week. Hope this gorgeous weather continues!

"Happy Easter!"

Happy Easter to All! Hope that you enjoy a peaceful weekend.

OK, So What's Your Secret??!!

How do so many of you lovely ladies manage your busy lives and still find time to post on Blogger everyday AND comment on hundreds of posts too? What's your secret?

I have been so busy lately that my blog has not been able to feature in my life. Also, my middle daughter is heading towards the end of her 'A' level courses at school, so needs the computer a lot, to complete coursework and essays. The Easter holidays begin tomorrow, so I shall have to bag my slot on the computer early in the morning, I think, before my teenagers are up and about! Hope the good weather continues....

I managed to buy a huge lot of vintage curtains and fabrics last weekend. It has been wonderful to wash them all and dry them outside on the washing line. It was quite blustery yesterday and they dried in minutes.

I then had to face the acres of ironing!

I love my old wooden 1950's ironing board, but it is very small, so ironing the huge green satin curtain, that is over 5 metres wide, took some time!! Very satisfying to see them all looking clean and fresh again though.

I have covered my ironing board in an old blanket and a pretty vintage eiderdown fabric. If it wears through, I just add another layer of floral fabric with my staple gun!

I also bought a wonderful old Sanderson fabric made into a sofa cover. It is very worn at the seams, so I think I shall re-use the fabric for some cushions....which I shall make when I have the time!!!