August...Die She Must...

Not quite sure where the week flew to, but it seems the weekend is upon us again...AND September begins tomorrow! Yikes! Any spare time I have this weekend will be spent sorting out our upstairs landing, which has become a bit of as dumping ground lately...(I need to paint some of the walls too - the fun never stops here! ;-)) That's in-between my usual buying trip for my shop, more wedding planning/making/baking, some gardening if the weather is kind and the usual housework...

That's the way life seems to be taking me most weeks at the moment...so I thought I'd just leave a few of my favourite photos here for a while - Maybe some little surprises will turn up along the way and I'll have more to share with you another time...

Have a lovely weekend,
Niki x

At the Shop Today...

Thanks for stopping-by,

Niki x

Coffee Break

I've been totally inspired this morning by this fabulous wedding...
Now the slightly wonky cake that I made yesterday (heading for the freezer for the big day) doesn't seem quite so bad...
Home-made is good, right?!

I used the coffee cake recipe from this book, but decorated it completely differently, in my own 'distinctive' style! ;-)) 1000 calories per slice!
My Nan always made lovely coffee cakes, so it will be a nice reminder for my daughter on her wedding day.
Happy Wednesday,
Niki x

Weekend Roundup

Just a quick round-up of the busy Bank Holiday weekend...

Many of the vintage blogging ladies could be found in Toddington on Saturday...offering their beautiful wares for sale at the Cotswold's Vintage Fair. 

I didn't take many photos...for some reason it took me a lot longer than usual to put up my stand, so I didn't get the time to walk around the rest of the fair early on...but as you can see, I had a lot of stock! 

I was next to my friend Debbie with her stunning gardenalia stand. We had a great time chatting and had lots of laughs... 

On my other side was Louise Taylor-Bowen...she's quite a character too...so there was a fabulous atmosphere in the marquee all day! ;-))

Opposite me was Viv's perfectly serene stand, displaying her wonderful handmade creations. 

Its a real struggle for most in retail at the moment, with some finding it very difficult to keep going in the current climate. I am therefore extremely grateful to all those who parted with some of their hard-earned pennies on Saturday or offered me words of encouragement. I had a successful day and would like to thank Ali for all her hard work in the organising of such a lovely event.
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On Sunday I was up bright and early again to attend my local flea market...Here are some of my treasures from the shopping trip...
A sweet Barbola pansy plaque (above)...
And the fabric pieces are reputed to be Norman Hartnell samples...I sometimes take stories like these from vendors, where there is no obvious proof or provenance, with a large pinch of salt, but these exquisite embroidered and embellished satins do have the look of the right era and a good quality about them, so it could be true!

I shall probably incorporate them into some boudoir cushions, using them as the centrepiece. 

Some wonderful old vintage reels of ribbon.

Murano glass mirror.

Lots of postcards...

And brooches.

A rich blue mohair scarf will make a wonderful jacket for my next handmade doll.
And, despite old photos being a poor seller in my shop, I can never resist them myself - I find them fascinating.
This one is a 21st Birthday party from the 1920's...Quite different to the way most 18th or 21st Birthdays are celebrated today, I think! 

Some delicious lace appliqués, tiny velvet doll's hat (a treat for me!) and some colourful buttons and buckles. 

A whole tin of lovely buttons to sort through, woolwork embroidery to re-purpose, and more lace. 

A frame I shall be using at my daughter's wedding.

A large collection of chemist shop bottles...some with their original contents...not recommended for use today!...But a fabulous insight into our past.

Millinery rose.

Quite a successful day, but a lot harder to find nice things than it was just a few years ago.

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I hope you had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend...
I'll leave you with some photos of our mantelpiece at the moment...

And the lovely roses that I bought for the Cotswold's fair.

Have a wonderful week,
Niki x