Vintage & Handmade Jumble

I'll be here...
This Saturday 28th February 2015
Vintage Jumble sale,
Selwyn Hall, Box, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 8NT.
10am - 1pm.
Free admission. 
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I hope to get back to Blogging again very soon too...
Needed a bit of time away to think and decide...
Love Niki x
Update: My thanks to Jayne and Michele for organising such a great event and to all who visited my stall and made a purchase - It was lovely to see so much of my stuff go off to new homes! Lots of photos of the day can be seen via the link above. 
Enjoy a peaceful Sunday,
Niki x

Happy Valentine's Day!

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Wishing you a Happy and Romantic Day!

Niki x

I'm sold - thank you!

Today's Artwork...

This little glazed box frame came my way a while ago. It was too small to create one of my fairy artworks inside (like this one or this one), so I needed to use it for something else. 

I enjoyed making the recent Miss Havisham fairy, so decided I'd make a similar wedding dress collage. 

I've used the same antique lace, greyed with age, and added silk sleeves, a net veil and paper butterflies.  

I carefully burned the hemline of the dress to represent Miss Havisham's sad end.  

All displayed under glass like an ancient heirloom. 

Thanks for visiting,

Niki x

A Quick Post

Hubby and I went out yesterday for a drive across the Somerset Levels....Something that would have been impossible last year. The Blackdown Hills beyond is not an area that we are familiar with, so it was nice to visit somewhere different and take time to appreciate the wonderful countryside that surrounds us. Thoughts of all those affected by the floods last year were never far away though. 

Stopping for a walk in Martock we met one of the locals. A VERY friendly crow was sat on a wall and happily let me snap his portrait! I have a thing for crows and always thought it would be wonderful to have one as a pet -  I'm obviously a closet goth! ;-))

On returning home there was a surprise parcel waiting on our doorstep. A wonderful scented bouquet of spring flowers from the Scilly Isles, sent to me by my friend.

Wish you could smell them, they are glorious. 

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Now its back to work and I've started sorting stock for the upcoming Vintage Jumble Sale at Box on Saturday 28th February. 

I'll have some handmade vintage fabric cushions at bargain prices, as well as lots of vintage stock which I am still clearing from my shop. Certainly a date for the diary if you can make it along, as there is a great line-up of stallholders with promises of a wide assortment of wares. 

OK, that's it for today - Just checking-in.

Enjoy yours!

Niki x

Two Fairies to Welcome Spring...

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

It's certainly beginning to feel like spring is just around the corner now, so with no more prompting required from the lovely sun in the sky, I set about making some colourful new season fairy folk...

I always take my time selecting just the right vintage textiles and trims, because if I get this wrong at the start, the fairy won't turn out well. I decided upon a beautiful kingfisher blue and another of a soft salmon pink. 

First the pink...

I've called her Bunny. 

She's dressed in a very full and fabulous c1950's stiffened flocked chiffon skirt. 

I added lots of springlike accessories, including a handmade bunny ear headpiece! Also, an Easter basket brooch at her waist and faux glittered bird's eggs and flowers.

She wears a pompom tail on her bottom!

She will arrive in her hand decorated box, which I have papered in antique sheet music and spring themed book pages...with a sprinkling of glitter. 

She will also be accompanied by a special bird clip friend, which can be fastened to her arm, or used elsewhere in your Easter decorating. 

Bunny is now reserved - thank you! 

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Then there's Solace...

Dressed in the most beautiful kingfisher blue ensemble. 

Her skirt was stitched from a c1950's chiffon headscarf, with an overlay of hand crochet lace with pansy motifs. 

Solace also has Easter-themed accessories, including faux glittered bird's eggs and a diamante crucifix.

A pretty bird clip will accompany on her journey too. 

She will arrive carefully packed inside her hand decorated box, papered with original book pages and a sprinkling of glitter. 

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Both girls have just been added to my on-line shop. I hope you will enjoy taking a look when you have a moment. 

Have a perfect week!

Niki x

Miss Havisham

I had to nip into Bath this morning as there were a few Birthdays I needed to buy for this month. To be honest, I'm not usually seduced by new items in the shops, preferring to do my shopping at flea markets, antique/junk shops and vintage fairs, but I was stopped in my tracks by these stunning velvet arm chairs sat in a shop window on Milsom Street. 

Sorry the photos aren't great - There was a lot of reflection, but hopefully they give you an idea of how they look - There were three colour choices and the antiqued ombre effect of the silk velvet really gave them a wonderful character. They were being sold in Savannah Home. 

There was no indication of price, but I'm guessing they'd be beyond my budget - The gorgeous cushions as seen in the top photo are available online at £148.00 each - Just fabulous! They have a well worn almost decayed look about them, certainly not fresh and new, which is probably why I like them! - Which tenuously links me to my next subject...

;-))

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I have been wanting to create a Miss Havisham style fairy for a while now...I'm always keen to try and give my fairies an authentic antique feel, but going one step further by using materials with obvious signs of wear and tear was something I was excited to try. 

I was inspired by the quote in Great Expectations where Miss Havisham talks of her brother.

The box that I decorated to keep her safe, is covered in antique book pages, a lace doily and paper glittered butterflies. I also added a butterfly to her headpiece...

My fairies always have simple facial features, but Miss Havisham's needed to be different to my usual style. I wanted her to have a more haunted look. 

She's dressed in antique netted lace which has become grey with time and which is frayed and torn along the hem.

Other details include a veil fashioned from tattered lace, a bodice covered in discoloured sequins with beaded sleeve sections and old squished millinery flowers in her hair. 

She even carries a small bouquet and a rusty key. 

I'm pleased with how she's turned out (Can I say she's my favourite one of the moment?) 

I reluctantly offer her for sale in my on-line shop.

I'm reserved - thank you! 

Thanks for stopping-by and for your kind comments to my previous posts. My friend called me this lunchtime as she’s already received the doll in the post – she was so surprised and happy to have her – we had a long chat and a catch-up and she’s being very positive.

Niki x

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