Vintage Home

Pretty Painterly Florals at Vintage Home

2012-02-26T14:55:00.004Z

We have brought together a truly stunning array of vintage for our latest update to the website. There is no denying that we love our florals and so do you! There are sublimely pretty paintings, simply gorgeous hand painted furniture and incredibly delectable rosy textiles - all original, all vintage and all totally and utterly beautiful. Here is a smattering of the latest stock.

An old painted bedside cupboard...

...and headboard are adorned with exquisite florals.

Gorgeous curtains with roses galore...

...and long, flowing curtains with, yes, more roses!

Original watercolours of lovely pink roses, and gentle lilacs (see top) are among some of the very special paintings we have found for you.

Nesting tables with handpainted flowers are waiting for you too...

...we hope you can pop along for a visit!

This Valentine's Day...

2012-02-14T09:54:00.011Z

Why not set the scene with some mood lighting...

...cuddle up somewhere comfy and surround yourself with flowers...

...bring vintage rosebuds...

...and vintage roses into your home...

.... or passionate red florals...

...perhaps some cheeky, French red and white check too...

... and simply forget the worries of the world as you cosy up like two, French love birds!

Today we celebrate the 5th anniversary of Vintage Home Online and all this beautiful vintage romance could be yours; pop along to the online store to see these, and many other new arrivals.

A Very Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

More Vintage Stock Has Arrived at Vintage Home!

2012-01-23T16:49:00.008Z

Just a quick message to let you know we have added a smattering of vintage treasures to the website today. There is a pretty pink fabric box shown above and this delightful 1920s brush and holder with the wonderful handpainted image of a parrot.

This exceptionally charming original Pears print is simply gorgeous.

As ever, there are some rare and pretty vintage textiles including this perfectly formed miniature eiderdown. It is covered in the prettiest design of birds and roses.

For those of you who like to add a dash of colour and cosiness to your homes, we have a stunning handmade Suffolk Puff patchwork quilt...

...and this pretty crocheted cushion.

We hope you enjoy your visit!

Let there be...vintage colour!

2012-01-12T16:46:00.012Z

These long, dark dreary days of January can be hard going after the sparkle of Christmas has faded. Even with the shortest day behind us, we all need cheering up at this time of year! So, why not banish the gloom of Winter and dress your home in colourful vintage textiles and accessories. We have just added lots of cheerful textiles to the website including two stunning iris cushions shown above and below.

Choose from three hand crocheted throws to add instant colour, comfort and relaxed style to your home.

Rich multi-coloured design

Fresh white to tone with all accessories

Pretty pale lilac for a gentle statement

These beautiful throws are extremely versatile and are the ideal quick-fix solution to transforming a plain piece of furniture.

These anemone door push plates will transform a plain wooden or painted door.

This stunning, handpainted table lamp will add a warm and vibrant glow to your evening.

The colours of these old botanical prints are just brilliant and each one is presented with a custom made mount, ready to be placed in a frame of your choice.

This vintage French textile is incredibly vibrant!

There are many more exceptional vintage delights in the shop so why not pop along and cast off those Winter blues with a healthy dose of vintage colour!

A Beautiful Find...

2012-01-09T13:17:00.007Z

One of the many wonderful things about shopping for our vintage website is that we never know what delights we will discover on our journeys around the country. Recently, we were excited and thrilled to find this stunning and rare Barbola mirror.

Often, when they are found, Barbola mirrors are decorated with crests of roses and dainty garden flowers, and are in the form of small mirrors with easel stands for displaying on dressing tables and chests. The incredibly beautiful example shown here is a large, wall-hung mirror and bears exceptional decoration in the form of big, blowsy tulips, intersected by ribbonwork.

We have only ever seen one of its kind before and were told that one such example fetched many, many hundreds of pounds at auction a few years ago!

We are really pleased to showcase this exceptional beauty in the Vintage Home Online Store where you will find even more rare and special vintage treasures.

Starting this week, January will see lots of fresh and fabulous vintage added to the shop, so do pop along when you can...

A Very Happy New Year to you all!

2011-12-20T16:57:00.006Z

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year!

Thank you for your custom and kind words throughout 2011 and we look forward to bringing you even more beautiful vintage in 2012. If you can't wait until then, the shop has been re-stocked with a stunning array of vintage prints and will be open throughout the holiday period.

Have a fabulous vintage Christmas-time with family and friends, see you all in the New Year!

From Past...To Present! Seasonal Vintage Treasures arrive at Vintage Home!

2011-12-05T13:41:00.015Z

Which one of our very special vintage treasures will be joining you this Christmas? We have added a wonderful selection of beautiful vintage to the shop today. There are stunning textiles, gorgeous paintings and prints, pretty homewares and a unique selection of Christmas-themed delights, including the rare festive tin shown above and a 1930s hoopla set is sure to provide fun for all the family.

A pair of rare, gloriously decorated religious prints...

...featuring two favourite hymns surrounded by flowers.

Guardian angels watch over the children...

...as they play.

Lovers of cats will find it hard to resist our calico kitten...

...and our 'patchwork' cat.

These two Highland terriers are adorable too!

This pretty 'house and garden' rug is delightfully soft and perfect for a light and airy interior.

The 'star' of the show has to be this large, rare and magnificent Barbola mirror...

...those blowsy tulips are even more beautiful in real life!

These are just some of the many delights in store for you now...don't forget our mugs and mousemats for those extra stocking fillers - and all UK orders come with guaranteed delivery in time for Christmas!*

*In addition to the standard Royal Mail deliveries, timed deliveries are also available - please enquire when ordering.

Splendida Italia!

2011-11-22T10:07:00.008Z

We are thrilled that Pottery Cottage (our home in Oxfordshire before we moved to beautiful Herefordshire earier this year) has been featured in the December issue of Italy's Country Living magazine or 'Vivere Country' as it is known. (It is also featured in the December issue of France's very own Country Living magazine known as 'Vivre a la Campagne'.) We have a magnificent spread and here are just some of the pages from the feature.

The original feature was in the BBC Homes and Antiques magazine in March 2009. However, the Italian and French magazines don't appear to limit the number of pages for their homes and they have featured just about every photo taken so we have a NINETEEN page spread! How super is that?!

This all came as a complete surprise, one of our lovely Italian customers kindly sent me a copy and we have been enjoying the many photos (although translating the text has been a task!)

Having moved to an even older property which we are slowly renovating, most of our very own beloved vintage treasures are residing in boxes for now - seeing all those lovely photos made me want to rip open every box and delve inside to retrieve all of our beautiful textiles, paintings and accessories! But I will have to be patient until we have filled holes, repaired timbers and painted walls and floors.

We also have a 'rave review' in the new VintagExplorer magazine.

Launched in October, the publication covers a three month period and is packed full of interesting features and dates for fairs.

The magazine is available to buy online or can be found on display at various fairs, antique shops and auction houses around the country.

Despite all this excitement, we have found time to seek out more vintage goodies for the website and added some gorgeous things to the shop today, including stunning textiles, superb paintings and a host of individual and special homewares; do drop by if you can!

A Vintage Floral Feast at Vintage Home!

2011-11-10T14:31:00.007Z

All-new vintage stock has arrived in the shop today and there are some beautiful floral treasures including stunning quilts, beautiful Barbola work and a host of super homewares - here are a few - we hope you enjoy your visit to the shop!

Don't forget our very own Vintage Home range of mouse mats and mugs - we currently have two mouse mat designs and our very pretty Cotswold Rose mug which are perfect ideas for extra Christmas presents!

More Totally Gorgeous Vintage at Vintage Home!

2011-10-19T16:00:00.016+01:00

We're thrilled to let you know that a variety of truly lovely stock has just arrived at the Vintage Home website today. We have some really beautiful double eiderdowns, a stunning French quilt and a variety of the most adorable homewares and textiles. A few are featured here - but there's plenty more to see on the website, see you there!

The 30s lingerie case above is pure glamour!

This French quilt is so striking!

Look at all those wonderful blue roses on this gorgeous red background...

This pink paisley double eiderdown is in superb condition and so very beautiful...

Perfect for recreating a classic vintage bedroom.

The ultimate in pretty eiderdowns...

...roses and paisleys against a pale blue background - divine!

This deco lady walking her dogs is a fantastic centrepiece...

...from all angles!

Dainty floral table ware to complement...

...a painted miniature dresser.

This rosy rug is pure cosy vintage charm!

Beautifully embroidered linen is the perfect way to dress the table for tea...

...but don't forget these gorgeous 1940s napkin holders too!

We hope you enjoy browsing the other new vintage stock too!

Pretty Vintage Stock Has Arrived In The Shop Today!

2011-10-06T11:23:00.012+01:00

We are pleased to announce that more vintage stock has arrived in the Vintage Home shop today. There is a particularly pretty theme to the textiles and eiderdowns, but don't take our word for it, have a look at the selection below then pop along and see for yourself - but don't miss the stunning embroidered tablecloth shown above.

Roses and garlands adorn this incredibly beautiful pink eiderdown...

Our personal favourite, this darling eiderdown is the epitome of vintage prettiness, with its pale background and dainty posies...

What could be more adorable than this, a pale green eiderdown covered in polka dots and rosebuds..?

...A PAIR of course!

We have several gorgeous vintage rugs, including this rosy stunner!

Anyone for tea? This hand embroidered tea cosy will add pretty cottage charm to your table.

A floral quilt doesn't have to be confined to the bedroom - use it to dress a sofa or chair for comfort and style.

There are many more beautiful items in the shop including decorative French tins and pretty mirrors! See you again soon..

Season of Mists and... a Harvest of Gorgeous Stock at Vintage Home!

2011-09-23T09:06:00.010+01:00

As the Autumn leaves begin to fall and the nights grow chilly, we have been as busy as the proverbial squirrels, gathering together a veritable feast of vintage delights for the Vintage Home website. Included in the latest batch of loveliness are pretty eiderdowns, stunning patchworks and a variety of unique and interesting decorative homewares, in fact there are new additions in every section of the shop - the colourful, crocheted throw featured above is just one of the super textiles which will keep you lovely and warm. A huge thank you to everyone who has recently made a purchase and for your kind messages. We hope you can pop along for a browse soon.

Oh, and don't forget, a brand new series starts on Channel 4 next month: Kirstie's Crafty Britain. This sees Kirstie Allsopp visiting various country fairs and taking part in craft competitions after a crash-course in each skill.

Here is Kirstie with our 1920s O-So-Silkie Needlework Sign.

A few of the latest vintage goodies to grace the shop are shown below; this duck egg blue and cream reversible eiderdown is so very, very pretty!

Patriotic prettiness abounds in this handsewn patchwork quilt.

Dress your home in sublimely pretty 20s and 30s fabrics with this stunning patchwork.

Warm and woolly pastels come together in a diamond patchwork bag, the perfect partner for chilly days.

A bluebird and roses decorate this Victorian jug, what a sweet combination.

Rock a little one to sleep beside the fire in this delightfully diminutive rocking chair.

More beautiful vintage will be in the shop again soon...

Colourful and Cosy Vintage at Vintage Home

2011-09-09T10:49:00.015+01:00

With a noticeable Autumnal nip in the air and chilly nights on the way, we have been busy gathering together some seasonal vintage for you - here is a selection of the quilts and rugs we have added to the website today.

As the flowers in the garden fade, bring some brightness and cheer to your bedroom with this stunning, handmade Welsh quilt.

A myriad of daintily patterned fabrics...

...ensure this yo-yo quilt takes centre-stage.

With the evenings drawing in, a pretty vintage rug is a comfy accessory for your home.

See one of our rugs in the current BBC Homes and Antiques website feature 'best six rugs'.

This cheerful patchwork quilt is perfect for those lazy Sunday afternoons in front of the fire.

If pale and interesting is your style...

...this Victorian quilt is for you.

This light and lacy throw adds a romantic touch to a cosy room.

There is a variety of other lovely vintage treasures too so please pop along for a browse! See you all again soon...

"Can I get back to sleep now?"

Vintage is...

2011-08-19T10:32:00.012+01:00

a floral home...

a colourful home...

a pretty home...

a cosy home...

a practical home...

an individual home.

Vintage is...home.

A fresh batch of vintage stock has arrived today at the Vintage Home Website! Thank you to everyone who has made a recent purchase. There are lots more to see, we hope you enjoy your visit!

In the Pink!

2011-08-03T14:14:00.007+01:00

Lots of fresh vintage stock has been added to the website today...and lots more to follow throughout the coming weeks!

We've had some very successful buying trips just lately and have amassed some really gorgeous vintage, all your favourites such as paisley eiderdowns and floral prints - but also some rare and totally adorable treasures which we're keeping secret for now!

Some of today's items have a pink theme - and a rose theme of course!

We hope you enjoy your visit, back with more beautiful vintage soon...

Summer means...

2011-07-27T16:20:00.019+01:00

...pretty vintage florals dressing your bed...

...cool, crisp cotton pillowcases edged with faded eiderdown fabric...

...breakfast in bed on a sunny Sunday morning...

...delicate, diaphanous curtains at your window...

...warm pinks and florals framing your view...

...faded vintage fabrics around you as you work...

...bringing the seaside into your home...

...roses, roses, roses...

...flowers everywhere...

...fruit salad served in vintage sundae dishes...

...casting a warm glow in the evenings...

All of the truly scrumptious vintage goodies above - and more! - have just been added to the Vintage Home website...enjoy!

Hard Slog, Hollyhocks and Vintage Stock

2011-07-14T22:36:00.005+01:00

We have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather this week and attending to some essential exterior maintenance on the house. We are busy painting windows and carrying out repairs so that we will be waterproof and who knows, possibly even draught-free come the winter months (and come they will!)

The house is unusual because its appearance is different on all four sides. The front of the house has 100 year old render and every window in the house is at least 100 years old too. We were thrilled to receive visits from an elderly couple recently. The gentleman lived in our house in the 1930s when he was a very young man, and his family continued to live here until the early 1950s. They gave us photos of their family and friends taken outside the house and these show the very same windows and exterior finish which exists today, including the stone walls which surround the house and garden. The couple are in their late 90s and have wonderful memories of the village and the house. Indeed, they first met at the end of our drive and within weeks were engaged to be married. The gentleman recounted a very poignant tale of that unforgettable day in 1939 when he was descending the stone staircase and heard the wireless announce that Britain was at war with Germany. We heard how the villagers would walk up the hill with their yokes to fetch water, and how cider was made in our little barn. The wooden porch at the front of the house served as the village Post Office in the early part of the 20th century and one of the photos they brought us was taken in the 1920s and shows the Post Office sign above the door. We are really looking forward to their next visit and hearing more of their stories.

We have also been meeting with other villagers who spent many years restoring their own houses. Their own stories and words of encouragement have proved essential to spur us on when we are flagging in energy, time and funds!

One legacy we have from the people who lived in the house before us is the amazing planting in the garden. The house was empty for a while before we bought it but the wonderful variety of plants are making themselves known, popping up amongst the weeds and grass to give us a wonderful display. One example are these hollyhocks in front of the house, aren't they a beautiful colour?

We have many varieties of roses and shrubs, and an everlasting sweet pea which is abundant. A dessert gooseberry bush has kept us in puddings for weeks and we have a very tasty loganberries! Our grapevines are doing well too. They grow mainly on a south facing slope so we are toying with the idea of looking into wine production!!

So, despite the rubble, dust, debris, draughts and humungous spiders, with every passing week we are making a difference to our new home and are very happy to be living here. So, on that note, just to say we have added a few items to the website and have lots more stock coming soon, please pop by when you have the time and if you are passing through this beautiful part of the country do stop by to say hello and if you happen to have a paintbrush on you, well, you will be made very, very welcome indeed!

Vintage Finds and News from Vintage Home!

2011-07-05T17:17:00.006+01:00

Just to let you know we have added new stock to the website today. Also, we have been busy arranging to send some of our gorgeous vintage stock to Kirstie Allsopp for the filming of her new Channel 4 series; yes, it certainly is all go here! We've also managed to find time to complete the renovation of our dining room; that's two rooms finished and looking all the better for being dressed in vintage textiles, furniture and paintings. We still have the rest of the house (both inside and out!) and the garden to transform; phew! We should be done in about three years or so...

We hope you like the new stock, the Barbola mirror above is a nice large wall size and the pretty country kitchen wall shelves below are simply gorgeous, perfect for displaying your favourite china.

This quirky yet pretty barkcloth is a rare find...

These fresh and exceptionally pretty rose tree curtains are truly scrumptious!

They complement this richly painted bookcase.

There are more textiles, spotty china and pretty vanity accessories too, so pop along when you have the time.

We will be back again soon with news and photos!

News and New Arrivals at the Vintage Home Shop!

2011-06-08T13:33:00.015+01:00

Here is a selection of the most recent arrivals to grace the Vintage Home Online Shop. Above is a wonderful 1930s oil painting of two young children; it is totally charming! Below is a 1919 print of a beautiful young lady. The artist W J Howie was renowned for painting pretty ladies and his work was also reproduced on postcards.

We are also thrilled to bring you this pair of extremely rare Victorian religious prints. These are the work of Catherine Klein, one of the world's most celebrated floral artists. Her work was widely reproduced on postcards and in Victorian gift books, and occasionally, original prints such as these can be found. If you visit our News Page you can read all about a particularly special Klein...

As well as prints and paintings there are some pretty yet practical items for the home such as this impressive china jug - it's a real beauty with its gorgeous rosy blooms...

...and this Barbola mirror is framed with exquisite roses.

We're not only tempting you with these and many more antique and vintage treasures, we have also introduced a maximum £10 p&p charge within the UK During June; order as many items as you like and you only pay £10 to have them delivered to your door! Plus, from today, anyone who joins our mailing list will receive 10% off their first order. With lots of vintage stock to be added in the coming weeks there will be plenty of choice for everyone - we do hope you can pop in for a browse...

Where is Harrison Ford when you need him?

2011-05-31T16:07:00.007+01:00

If you've seen the film 'Witness' then you'll know what I mean by the title of this post! Firstly, no, that isn't our house after the recent wind and rainstorms, it's The Cider Barn which has been neglected for decades and is Mike's project for the warmer - and drier - days throughout Summer. (Note the positive use of the words warmer and drier, we WILL have a good Summer this year, won't we..?)

Of course, if we had all the 'menfolk' from the village helping us to 'raise the barn' then it would be re-built in no time; maybe I should start making sandwiches and lemonade and set up the trestle tables... We had considered taking the barn down and putting something else up in its place but then we had a visit from a charming couple in their late 90s. The husband lived in our house in the 1930s and told us so many interesting stories, including how this was called the Cider Barn and in its heyday, gallons of cider were produced in this small barn.

We knew then that we had to rescue it. Mike has stripped the pan tiles from the roof and will be relaying them once he has replaced most of the smaller wood batons - fortunately the oak timbers are good and solid. There will be some re-building of the timber clad side and front, and a new window. Then there's the floor to dig out and re-lay. We found some painted cobbles in the soil but we will need to lay a more practical floor as we intend to use the barn when it's finished.

Oh look, here comes someone to lend a hand...

Perhaps not, don't think he's going to be helping today, especially when there's so much for a cat to explore...

Back again soon with news of the website...

From Dreary to Dreamy...A Bedroom Transformation

2011-05-26T10:06:00.010+01:00

So many of you have asked to see photos of our new home so I thought I would share these with you. Our house is full of feature and needed lots of work to bring out the best of those features.
Here is the master bedroom, once very different as you can see by the 'before' pictures, but now it is light and airy with its timbers stripped of black paint, the fresh, white walls and a soft painted floor. I have mixed in some of the before photos so you can see just what a challenge we had!

We have carried out more detective work and now understand the house to be almost 400 years old. Such wonderful history lies within it - but also a great deal of work! There's still plenty to do so between the house and the website, we are never short of something to do! We have some surprises planned for you regarding the Vintage Home Website and will be announcing these soon, in the meantime, we hope you enjoy the photos.

If you go down to the woods today...

2011-05-04T16:16:00.011+01:00

Although we are keeping busy with the website and the major task of renovating the house, we are also enjoying our amazing garden.

We are lucky enough to have a huge garden which has a secluded woodland area and as you can see, our cat Dennis loves exploring it.

The garden is full of woodland plants including masses of aquilega in every shade of pink...

...and purple.

It's a very relaxing place, nice and shady on a hot day.

If you enlarge the photo above you can see the cow parsley which is as high as my shoulder in places!

Oh, hang on, who's this? Why it's Dennis again, our very own intrepid explorer!

Oh dear, I think we've blown his cover!

I wonder what he has heard, maybe the chirp of a bird - or perhaps the shaking of the crunchies!

We won't be doing much to the garden this year but we will be taking time to appreciate it, especially when the days are sunny and warm. I am currently uncovering old grapevines which we thought were long dead but they are starting to flourish. Who knows, maybe we'll be making some 'Vintage Home' wine in the future! I also discovered a gooseberry bush which is doing really well and we have several damson trees; it's been suggested we make some damson gin later in the year!

See you all soon with more photos and news of the website..

Apple Blossom Time!

2011-04-23T10:32:00.005+01:00

A Very Happy Easter to you all! As well as adding lots of lovely vintage items to the website, we thought we would share some photos of the apple orchards which surround the hamlet. The orchards belong to Bulmers the cider makers. The sight and smell is wonderful and it's a delight to stroll down the avenues of trees.

The photo above reminds me of the pretty china by Royal Albert called 'Blossom Time'.

The photo below is looking towards the upper part of the hamlet. Our house is probably hidden somewhere amongst the trees!

The weather is wonderful this Easter so have a lovely time - we'll be back with more photos soon...

New Stock Arrived at Vintage Home!

2011-04-15T13:58:00.007+01:00

Just a quick post to let you all know that we have added some wonderful stock to the website, there's the patchwork throw above and the prettiest prints of roses, including this beauty...

...this superb 1950s portrait...

...an exquisite antique tapestry and painted stool...

...and a gaily coloured handstitched bag.

New stock will continue to arrive in the coming days, including beautiful eiderdowns and sublimely pretty quilts. Please pop along when you have time and thank you to everyone who has made a purchase since our last update. Now that we are back to normal with the business we will be adding stock on a regular basis so there will be something for everyone! The work is continuing on the house and we promise to share some photos with you all soon. In the meantime, have a lovely weekend!

A Room With A View... and more Vintage Stock

2011-03-15T14:39:00.015Z

Well, things have certainly moved on with the house and we thought it was time we shared some photos with you. These are definitely the 'before' photos in case you were wondering!

There has been an awful lot of work going on and despite these scary pictures, we are hoping to move in within a few weeks (honestly!)

Although the open and airy aspect is all the rage these days, we thought we would stick with tradition and re-lay the floor in the bedroom!

We have discovered the house dates to the mid 1600s and we have been busy uncovering its amazing wealth of features. The photos above show just a small amount of the work being carried out in the house; there has also been a flurry of activity in the barn too!

Along with completely re-wiring the house and replacing the plumbing, we also decided to have the many timbers in the house sandblasted. Boy, is that messy! Basically, if you remove the roof of your house and pour in a third of Weymouth beach, that is what the aftermath is like. But the result was worth it and now the many, beautiful oak timbers are soft and mellow, having been stripped of their black paint. We also made an interesting discovery; tucked inside one of the large peg holes in a wall timber was a handwritten 'article of agreement' from 1769 detailing the renting of land between two people, one of whom presumably lived in the house at that time, so we will do some research on the names when we are settled. I love the last line which refers to the signing and reads: 'Here unto we have set our hands this 2nd day of February 1769.' So exciting to have a link to someone who lived there so long ago.

Well, it hasn't all been dust and debris, we have been out and about finding some vintage treasure for the website. Here is a selection of some recent Spring arrivals for the shop, such as the delightful daffodil tray above. There are some gorgeous rosy paintings, Springtime paintings and rosy blankets; plus a rare set of nursery scales; perfect for a very special Springtime arrival! These and more vintage items have been added in recent days and there will be more arriving in the shop in the next day or so. So if you have time, do pop along!

I am off to dream about a clean house filled with beautiful vintage treasures; see you soon, hopefully with less scary house photos next time!

Snowbells and Stone Staircases...

2011-02-09T10:32:00.007Z

Well, we thought it was time we shared a few photos of our new home with you. This sea of snowdrops (or snowbells, as they are called here in Herefordshire) was just one of the wonderful suprises which welcomed us on the day we completed on our new home. They cover the top part of the garden which is a small and secluded woodland area. We are hopeful that Spring may bring bluebells - we can hardly wait to find out!

We have a lot of work to do at the house and with the builders due to start work in a day or so, Mike has made his own inroad into the renovation work; and made some interesting discoveries. We believe the house dates to the mid 1700s, it is rich with original features including a flagstone floor, a winding stone staircase, wooden floors and doors, heavily timbered walls and wattle and daub (apparently made from chestnut wood, something which was particular to Herefordshire.)

Mike has removed the 50s tiled fireplace in the dining room and revealed large old timbers in the wall which we will make a feature of. Fortunately, the previous owners who had lived there since the 1950s didn't do much in the way of modernising the house so thankfully it has retained a great deal of character - including a stone plinth set into the hall which we understand is a pig salting block! There is a tumbledown stone pigsty in the garden too.

Although it hasn't been modernised, it does lack certain comforts and requires a good deal of TLC to bring out the wonderful old features. One of the first tasks is to install a Rayburn and radiators so we can be nice and cosy! It will take us some time to fully restore the house and outbuildings, indeed it will be a labour of love. But we are looking forward to it and will keep you informed of our trials and tribulations! The hamlet in which we now live is beautiful and very friendly, we are sure we will be perfectly happy here. For the time being, we are dividing our time between Oxfordshire and Herefordshire but as soon as the necessary work is done in the next few weeks, we will move in permanently, along with Dennis our cat! It is business as usual at Vintage Home and in the coming weeks, we shall turn our attentions to updating the website on a regular basis again.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day and we'll be back soon with more photos!

New Year, New Home for Vintage Home!

2011-01-08T13:23:00.006Z

After many years we've outgrown our lovely little cottage here in Oxfordshire and we're on the move to a wonderful old house in rural Herefordshire complete with barn, outbuildings and a big, rambling garden from which to take Vintage Home onto bigger and even better things!

There's so much to do - and we're nearly packed...but...we have so many beautiful things that Big Ron the Removal Man says there simply isn't enough room for them all in the removal van...

...so we're having a ONE-OFF SALE! at the Vintage Home online store. As you know, we don't do sales - except this one - and it's absolute madness with UP TO 40% OFF selected items across the entire store. The more you buy the more you save (and the less we'll have to pack!) But DO HURRY - Ron, bless him, is not a patient man!

Ron's very passionate about removals - best not to trifle with his emotions!

Lovely as our new home will be - our arrival there coincides with that of the builders who'll be spending at least a couple of months making it into a cosy Vintage Home! This is bound to have an impact on everyday life and business - and could mean that orders may not be sent out as quickly as usual whilst we endeavour to juggle everything! We hope you will be patient and we'll aim to have orders packed and posted as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, look for Ron in store to see what's on offer...happy shopping!

Merry Christmas Everybody!

2010-12-24T12:58:00.003Z

A special thank you to everyone for your custom and lovely messages throughout the year. We hope you have a truly wonderful time this Christmas!

See you all soon! Clare & Mike.

A Vintage Winter Wonderland!

2010-11-24T09:21:00.015Z

With the weather turning much colder this week, and the promise of snow, there was never a better time to cosy up indoors and gaze out upon a wintry landscape; just like the charming pussy cat above. There are plenty of good reasons to stay indoors too, because we have just updated the Vintage Home online shop with a veritable array of vintage treasures. Here is a selection of some of those lovelies which are gracing the shelves of the shop right now - there is something for everyone!

A pretty 1940s watercolour...

A stunning Victorian table adorned with handpainted flower baskets...

Eye-catching fabrics...

Exquisite roses handpainted onto satin...

A 1940s chandelier...

Step into this very special garden...

The prettiest fabric covered storage...

A beautiful lady - star of the silver screen perhaps?

There are many, many more delights in the shop and plenty more to come leading up to Christmas!

To get us all nicely into the festive spirit we our launching Christmas Prize Draw today. Three lucky people will each win a luxurious, seasonal box of scrumptious chocolates from 'Hotel Chocolat' the prestigious purveyor of very fine chocolate.

The chocolates are filled with mouthwatering tastes such as cinnamon praline and mulled wine; yum, simply divine! Visit the website to find out how to enter.

We'll be back soon with the prize draw results - in the meantime, stay warm and cosy!

Christmas Comes Early to Vintage Home!

2010-10-29T11:40:00.009+01:00

We are thrilled to announce that the December issue of Period Living magazine is out now and includes a feauture on our cottage; we hope you enjoy it!

We have also been very busy updating the website with lots of super vintage treasures including some fabulous 1940s dress fabric...

...as well as iconic British and French textiles from the 1950s.

See you all again soon for news of our Christmas Prize Draw...

The North Wind Doth Blow...

2010-10-13T10:23:00.015+01:00

...and we shall have snow. No, we're not predicting the weather now (we'll leave that to the Met Office, although they don't always get it right do they?!) but there has definitely been a chill in the wind this week. This coincides with our rather timely acquisition of a dozen or more of the most gorgeous, the most cuddly, the most adorable and the prettiest eiderdowns, available now at the Vintage Home online shop.

These feather-filled quilts add much to a vintage style bedroom and display beautifully all year round but this is the time of year when they really come into their own, keeping you snuggly and warm as well as looking super rolled up in an armoire or folded upon a favourite chair.

We are thrilled to have found some of the prettiest and plumpest vintage eiderdowns and thought we would share some of their loveliness with you.

The website has been updated with these wonderful quilts and lots of other too-good-to-miss vintage treasures, so pop along when you have time.

A colourful heart-shaped cushion...

...a 1940s rosy rug...

...a 1950s rosy chair...

...magnificent Barbola plaque.

As well as our super vintage goodies, we have lots of exciting news to share with you - our dainty polka dot and rosebud mouse mat is featured by Cosmopolitan magazine this month - luckily we had just replenished stocks before the November issue was on sale! This month's issue is 'well stocked' with images of semi-clad men so it was a complete surprise that anyone noticed our dainty little mouse mat!!

This is really exciting; the current Period Living magazine shows a tiny sneak preview of our forthcoming Christmas cottage feature to be shown in their December issue! It was icy cold and snowing when Gail and Mark visited us in the depths of Winter. It was a super day and we had great fun but it seems so long ago now!

We will be announcing our special Christmas prize draw at the end of this month, so please check back when you can or join the website's mailing list to receive the Vintage Home eNewsletter.

Phew, well I think that's more than enough eye candy (and that includes the hunky men in Cosmo!) and news for one blog post - see you all again soon!

PS. Almost forgot! Look out for tonight's episode of Five TV's Cowboy Builders - with a bit of luck you'll catch a glimpse of the crochet bed throw the production team bought from our shop! We don't expect to get a mention but at least we'll be able to say 'as seen on TV!'

Beautiful Vintage at the Vintage Home Shop...

2010-09-22T11:21:00.012+01:00

We have had such a busy time lately but thought it was about time we updated you with the latest from Vintage Home. Our fruit trees have been laden with apples and pears this year (so much in fact, that one of the boughs snapped!) so we have been enjoying delicious homemade puddings and cakes (sorry, no photos, everything has been eaten!!) Also at this time of year, I enjoy picking raspberries every morning (which I add to those delicious Alpro yogurts for a healthy and tasty breakfast!) Again, no photos - but we are treating you to pictures of some of the latest vintage finds to grace the website. There is a wonderful selection and plenty more to come!

The stunning rose painting above is one of the most beautiful we have seen and this dainty lady's writing bureau is quite exquisite, with its handpainted roses, flourishes and crackle finish.

It even has its original key...

Inside is a veritable treat with sweet little drawers, pigeon holes for paper and a secret compartment for hiding romantic letters...

This stunning Catherine Klein print is one of the loveliest we have seen to date...

...and this is a very fine painting of a handsome horse.

Paintings are a favourite of ours and this beautiful Victorian oil on canvas of a basket of pansies is another super find.

In the flavour of the season, this richly coloured quilt is a real stunner; authentic, immaculate vintage at its best!

We hope you enjoy your visit to the shop and in the meantime we will continue to add more and more of our vintage goodies!

We will be back soon with the latest, including news of where Vintage Home is being showcased for Christmas gift ideas, details of our forthcoming Christmas cottage feature and a super Free Prize Draw!

A Moment of Reflection...

2010-08-18T15:12:00.012+01:00

Fabulous Vintage Finds have been added to the shop - we are counting down the days to the August Bank Holiday Weekend; with a whole week of gorgeous vintage treasures arriving at the online shop from 20th - 27th August.
A few years ago, during our very first buying trip for the Vintage Home website, we were fortunate to find a 1930s triple Barbola mirror. That particular mirror was showcased on our website over three years ago and despite our numerous buying trips since then, we had never found another triple mirror that was quite as beautiful, or shared the same wonderful condition - until now! We were thrilled to find this beautiful mirror on our most recent buying trip. It is very similar (no two were the same!) and the condition is absolutely superb!

We are currently very busy preparing a large quantity of super vintage treasures for addition to the website, but we couldn't resist giving you all a preview of this amazing mirror.

It really is a beauty isn't it?

During the same buying trip we found this gorgeous mirror too - also from the 1930s.

This wall mirror has handpainted flowers, a gentle time-worn patina and that lovely aged crackling that comes with genuinely old painted finishes.

The mirror has a few age-spots too; for us, this is perfect and a reassurance that it is all-original.

We could show you a few more of the wonderful things we've found for the shop but we'll save them as a surprise. Instead, we will leave you with the following photos of our rambling rose.

These pictures were taken a few weeks ago when it was in full bloom.

It is just as well we have been very busy this Summer as we couldn't have spent any time sitting and relaxing once the rose took hold!

It has since been cut back and deadheaded and it will have a second bloom soon, although probably not as prolific as this.

Back soon with more vintage delights and news of the website update!

Roses, Roses, Roses!

2010-07-01T10:10:00.012+01:00

We are thrilled with our roses this year. Although they are always a sight to behold, never before have these beauties grown so abundantly. We have taken time out to snap some photos for you, and couldn't resist adding in a few photos of some of our rosy textiles currently available on the website! Hope you enjoy our beautiful blooms!

The white rose above is Iceberg Climber and beneath it grows the exquisite Rosa Mundi, one of the oldest known striped roses. It brings to mind raspberry ripple ice cream!

This beautiful rose has the most divine perfume. Some years ago, we took a cutting from a 60 year old plant and was amazed it grew so well - we have since taken other cuttings which are becoming well established in the garden.

This is a definite favourite; the beautiful blowsy pink barkcloth rose! Available to buy in the shop!

Here is another amazing success story. This is a delicate pink rose with multiple blooms and was grown from a small cutting just a few years ago - it now fills a corner of the garden!

This delicate trailing briar rose is a real beauty and adorns a long length of unused eiderdown fabric, also for sale in the shop!

This lilac coloured rose is Harry Edland, a gorgeous rose with an exceptional and distinctive perfume; it smells of sherbet!

This deep pink-red rose is from an old oil painting we have for sale; it is a stunning, 100-year old, yard-long painting.

This is another big 'n' blowsy favourite of ours which has grown nearly 7 feet high this year!

We hope you liked the photos and would love to hear how your roses and flowers are doing this year!

Visit the Vintage Wonderland...

2010-06-18T18:59:00.003+01:00

All-new vintage treasures have arrived in the Vintage Home Shop... enjoy!

Coming soon; the most Beautiful Vintage...

2010-06-12T11:01:00.015+01:00

Apologies for the long gap between blog posts. We are currently preparing a huge amount of the most beautiful stock which will be coming to the website soon. We have also been very busy making some exciting new changes to the website; all will be revealed in a matter of days...

In the meantime, we thought you'd like a little taster of the gorgeous items we have for you. There are many stunning paintings and prints, including yard long Victorian paintings, a huge collection of the prettiest eiderdowns, and an incredible array of vintage textiles. This is possibly our most exciting collection of beautiful vintage to date. We know you don't like to miss out so we will send a Newsletter on update day to everyone on our mailing list - join us now if you haven't already.

Roses are everywhere, on paintings, prints and textiles.

There's plenty of pink too!

Of course, pink and paisley together is a match made in heaven...

...and this beauty brings the prettiness of a country garden into your bedroom.

The crisp and fresh apple green of this eiderdown is truly mouthwatering.

Those really are just a mere handful of our vintage goodies so we're sure there'll be enough to go round! We found time in between the preparations to take some photos of our beautiful roses and the beginnings of a bumper crop from one of our apple trees.

We'll be back soon with news of the update, in the meantime, enjoy some lazy Summer days!

Springtime Flora, Fauna and Fabulous New Stock - Plus a Great Giveaway!

2010-05-01T13:43:00.013+01:00

The recent stretch of sunny days has brought the blossom and Spring flowers out in a fine display.

You only have to glance at all the beautiful blossom boughs and it is easy to see why the acclaimed Victorian artist Catherine Klein was inspired to paint such exquisite images of flora and fauna and blossom was one of her favourites.

It is lovely to see the bees at work.

The delicate, white-flowerering Springtime plant above is called The Bride - which is a very appropriate lead into our latest giveaway! Gail Abbott, author of many home and lifestyle books has presented Vintage Home with a signed copy of her book 'The Newlyweds' Guide to Setting Up Home' a wonderful book full of home-making ideas using a clever mix of vintage and contemporary styles.

Everyone who makes a purchase from the Vintage Home website during the month of May will be entered into our free prize draw for a chance to win this book. It would make a great wedding gift for a special couple - but if you're already married and have an established home, it is a great source of inspiration, providing fresh ideas if you fancy a change of decor!

We have added some beautiful stock to the website including a selection of pretty vintage eiderdowns...

...and quilts, something for everyone's style and taste!

We'll be back again soon with more news; here's to the Merry, Merry Month of May!

New Arrivals in The Shop!

2010-04-16T13:46:00.009+01:00

We have added some incredibly beautiful items to the website today, including pretty mirrors and boudoir accessories. There is a truly stunning oil painting of chrysanthemums in pots and a splendid array of eiderdowns and quilts. Pop along for a visit if you fancy adding a little vintage charm to your home...

More... beauty, charm, choice.

For the best in vintage visit the website today.

This Eastertime...

2010-04-02T15:34:00.005+01:00

...eat too much chocolate and far too many hot cross buns; enjoy plenty of walks whatever the weather and make the most of quality time with friends and family!

Have a super Easter! Clare & Mike.

Just to say...

2010-03-11T15:25:00.007Z

...we hope you enjoy the photos of our amaryllis! We just had to share them with you because it is such a stunner.

We'd also like to thank you for the overwhelming response to our anniversary draw and update; thank you to everyone who has entered the prize draw and for the many orders we have received. We are continuing to update the website on a weekly basis so there should be plenty of vintage treasures for everyone! The draw is open until the 23rd of March so there's still time to enter if you haven't already done so - see the post below for full details or visit the website.

Here are a few of the latest vintage additions - the Comfy quilt has its original label and is immaculate.

This Victorian china is decorated with beautiful cherubs.

This big, bold and beautiful tin is perfect for the roses lover!

We'll be back soon with more news, until then, enjoy your days! Clare & Mike, Vintage Home.

Announcing the Vintage Home Prize Draw (and other lovely stuff!)

2010-02-23T17:23:00.006Z

We are pleased to announce that our free prize draw is up and running from today. We are celebrating THREE years of Vintage Home online and are giving away THREE subscriptions to your favourite magazines!

THREE lucky winners will be chosen at random to receive a year's subscription to one of the magazines shown here - and the winners get to choose which magazine they would like! The draw will close on 23rd March 2010 and the winners' names will be announced on the website a few days later.

It is completely FREE to enter, but first you have to find the glowing red heart, which is somewhere within the Vintage Home website - so find it, click on it and you will be entered into the draw!

We have been doing some maintenance work on the website recently and decided it would be best to wait until it was completed before we added details of the draw, all the lovely new stock and the very latest News features. Also, Mike was celebrating a special birthday around the same time as the website's anniversary, so we were rather busy with that for a few days!

We hope you enjoy our new features in the News Section. As hinted at before, there is a piece on an author and journalist plus a special featured item which reflects our love of vintage textiles. There is also a little bit of fun where, in celebration of his birthday, Mike (bravely!) shares his photo album with you!

Not forgetting of course that we are continuing to add lots of gorgeous vintage goodies over the coming weeks - and beyond! Here are a few...

A stunning portrait of a fine gentleman.

Lovely lamp shades made from French textiles...

...and eiderdown fabrics.

A beautiful throw made from some of the prettiest 30s and 40s fabrics.

A big thank you to everyone for your custom, support and encouraging comments and messages over the last three years! See you all soon... Clare & Mike.

Let's Celebrate!

2010-02-14T10:12:00.010Z

A very happy Valentine's Day to you all! Today is also the day Vintage Home celebrates it's birthday and to mark this very special occasion of THREE YEARS online, we will be announcing a super Prize Draw - it's absolutely FREE to enter and will see THREE lucky visitors win a fabulous enduring gift! Make sure you check back in a few days to read all about it!

We'll also be adding dozens and dozens and dozens of gorgeous Vintage Finds - all absolutely authentic and all thrillingly beautiful too! In fact there are so many that we'll be adding them several at a time over the next few weeks. Here is a little taster of those to come...

Vintage fabric lamp shades...

Beautiful and unique pieces of furniture such as this strawberry pink and roses cupboard...

...a gorgeous occasional table - too pretty to cover up...

...a classic paisley decorated chest of drawers...

...and this stunning antique, handpainted French bed set.

Something cute and cuddly in the form of this darling terrier rug...

...and something warm and snuggly like this pretty rose strewn eiderdown!

There will be a new feature on a great writer called Gail Abbott - an author of no less than nine books on interior styling. Her work regularly appears in a huge range of 'the glossies' and she has travelled the world, discovering the secrets of elegant room design, harnessing natural light and capturing the beauty of modest and humble things.

You may be aware that we recently announced we had increased the speed and capacity of the website to meet the demand from evergrowing visitor numbers over the last year. Well, this has proved quite an involved task and has required almost one quarter of the entire website to be rewritten to improve performance. This work is still ongoing so please bear with us if you experience any glitchess in the meantime - it'll be worth it!

So, lots happening and lots of gorgeous things to see over the next few weeks...be sure to visit us regularly and don't miss out!

Clare and Mike

News from Vintage Home

2010-01-19T16:47:00.006Z

Just to let you know we've added new stock to the shop today but apologies to anyone experiencing slow loading of the website; over the past year the Vintage Home online shop has received more and more attention from the media and visitor numbers have increased significantly. To cope with the increased demands on the website we're upgrading the server (the computer that hosts our website) to one with many times the speed and capacity! This will happen over the next week or two so apologies for any glitches during this time - but it should result in noticeably faster page and picture loading times and a sweeter shopping experience for everyone!

Here is a small selection from the many new vintage treasures which include this beautiful basket of roses painting...

...a Victorian abalone and tapestry chair...

...and this wonderful old child's desk and seat.

We hope you enjoy your visit - the new server should certainly make it more enjoyable!! In the meantime, apologies again for any inconvenience. We are off now to make plans for our forthcoming third anniversary - see you all again soon...

A Winter Wonderland...

2010-01-07T17:18:00.008Z

What an incredible start to the New Year! It seems that every inch of the UK woke to a layer of snow this week! Whilst it can be disruptive to road travel and day-to-day life, there is no denying that it is a wonderful, magical sight to behold. Luckily we had no travel plans this week and in between preparing new stock for the website, we snapped some snowy pictures for you. I don't doubt that blogland is knee-deep in snow scenes - but just like cushions, mugs, chocolate and vintage eiderdowns, one really cannot tire of them! So, I hope you will indulge me as I show you a few photos from our garden and lane.

We are fortunate that our place of work is just a stroll down to the bottom of the garden.

The Clock House is nice and toasty inside and it is here that we spend much of our working day, updating the website and packing orders.

Our curly willow looks quite beautiful with the layers of snow upon the intricate boughs.

Looking down the lane towards the bridle path - there were plenty of walkers making their way down here as the day wore on - some were very well prepared and carried ski poles!!

Our Union Jack looks particularly colourful against the stark white landscape.

The boughs of the wisteria are laden with snow and our Pottery Cottage sign is standing up very well to the sub-zero temperatures.

We commissioned the talented ceramic artist Mary Rose Young to make our sign and it was the first time she had made one; her speciality is tableware (but with a difference - do check out her website if you haven't already!) so her ceramics aren't usually subjected to outdoor life!

The Christmas wreath was still on the door because we had the photographer and stylist with us that day, for the Christmas shoot. The weather was perfectly seasonal, so there should be some snowy oudoor scenes as well as cosy indoor scenes for all to see!

It is set to remain very cold for a while so the snow may be around for some time. We are keeping nice and warm by the woodburner in the evenings - that is, when the cat isn't hogging it! He has been having great fun playing in the snow so we'll try and catch him in the act and snap a few photos of him.

We'll be updating the Vintage Home online shop in a few days with a selection of vintage goodies - if there are any postal delays due to the weather we will keep you informed.

That's all for now - we'll be back soon; keep warm, have fun and stay frosty!

Glad Tidings for Christmas and New Year!

2009-12-22T10:39:00.010Z

Mike and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year, may you enjoy happy times with family and friends over the festive season and we hope all your dreams come true in the year ahead.

We are looking forward to 2010 with excitement and wonderment, and if all goes to plan, we will be embarking upon a fabulous new adventure - we can't say too much in case we tempt fate, but watch this space, as they say... In the meantime, our cottage has been chosen for a Christmas photo shoot, to be featured in one of the glossy magazines next year. As you can imagine, it has been all hands to the deck as we festooned our cosy home with traditional and vintage decorations. The tree is positively groaning under the weight of baubles and the presents are piled high underneath. Decorating the cottage for Christmas is always an enjoyable experience; stacking logs in the inglenook, dressing our Victorian bed with warm and cosy quilts and hanging garlands from the beams - such delightful, festive chores. The photo shoot will capture all of the little touches that make Christmas a magical time here at Pottery Cottage, and it will mark this special occasion in a rather poignant and fitting way as we head into the New Year with our hopes and dreams for 2010.

We have had a wonderful year at Vintage Home and would like to thank everyone for their support and custom. We receive so many lovely messages and are often overwhelmed at the kindness of people who take the time and trouble to send us their lovely thoughts and generous wishes.

In the spirit of the season, we will be taking the Vintage Home website into the New Year with a host of very special vintage treasures, something for everyone to browse through over the holidays, so pop in for a look whenever some respite from the Christmas TV or turkey sandwiches is called for!

We hope you have enjoyed our festive photos, we'll be back soon with more pictures, news and lots of fabulous, floral frivolousness!

Colourful, Cosy Cheer at Vintage Home!

2009-11-09T10:46:00.026Z

Now that the short days are upon us our little cottage is the perfect place to be, with a warm and cosy array of vintage quilts and throws to snuggle under in front of the fire.

This is one of my favourite spots, with timeworn patchwork throws and quilts which aren't too precious to be used every day.

As the evening approaches, this corner of the cottage is the perfect place to settle down with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate.

All this cosying up besides crackling log fires is setting the scene for that very special time of the year when we all like to indulge ourselves...

So, there is no denying that magical, mystical time is fast approaching and here at Vintage Home, we are making early preparations for Christmas. The website has kept us extremely busy this year and we have had great fun seeking out all the many, many vintage wonders which have now found new and loving homes. We will be updating the website with a beautiful selection of tantalising treasures over the next few days and as a very special thank you for your valued custom throughout 2009, we will be giving away a delectable Harrods Hamper to one lucky person!

There are lots of tasty treats included in the gift hamper which is appropriately entitled 'A Christmas Carol'.

Details of how to enter can be found on the website's News Page and in our eNewsletter which goes out to everyone on our mailing list. We are only sorry we cannot give each and every one of you a hamper, but there will be two runner-up prizes PLUS special treats sent out with every order placed between now and Christmas!

Also, we have a new addition to our range of mouse mats; another 'exclusive to Vintage Home' design featuring a selection of vintage fabrics in the form of the Union Jack.

Be sure to get your orders in well before Christmas, as we know how much you love our mouse mats and we wouldn't want to disappoint you by running out of them! They make ideal stocking fillers and don't forget we still have our rosebud and polka dot mouse mat available too! (Due to recent demand, our Victorian roses mouse mat is currently sold out; sorry!)

We're thrilled to announce that the monthly magazine for the antiques trade 'antiquexplorer' has awarded us the title of Website of The Month for November! The antiquexplorer is a classy glossy magazine which is distributed throughout the West Country here in the UK but they also have a website which echoes the quality of their printed publication - pop along for a browse when you have time...

So, there is plenty to warm the cockles of your heart here at Vintage Home - including the gorgeous new stock we will be adding to the website over the next few days; here's a taster!

A scrummy, cuddly, rosy French quilt to snuggle under.

An exquisite and immaculate huge double eiderdown.

Pure luxury in shades of raspberry, chocolate and pistachio...mmmm...

Create a rosy glow for Christmas with this divine yellow roses on red rug.

Our shining star is this little beauty,

a stunning painting with star-struck connections..!

Christmas is a time for entertaining friends and family and the time when unexpected guests drop by bearing gifts and glad tidings...

This trio of tables is perfect for serving nibbles and drinks and can be tidied away for an attractive display when not in use.

Yes, Christmas celebrations start early at Vintage Home - we do hope you can join us!

The Many Wonders of Vintage

2009-10-16T14:13:00.011+01:00

There are so many wonderful vintage treasures in the world! The word 'Vintage' covers virtually every object, from the exquisite to the every-day.

From the beautiful...

...the decorative...

...the practical...

and the whimsical!

Creating a Vintage Home is all about the feelings that old objects, even the every-day, evoke. With vintage, practical usually means beautiful too - who can deny the appeal of the wooden ironing board with its lovely old floral cover! Grouping together a variety of interesting vanity items makes a very pleasing display and antique or vintage textiles are perfect for giving a room a particular style and creating comfort. Why not keep a selection of pretty, mismatched crockery to hand on your kitchen table, ready for serving tea and cake to opportune guests who may call by. Surrounding yourself with beautiful art is a great way to inspire and revive the mind! The ways to use and display vintage items are endless - which ensures a constantly evolving, individual look to your home.

Some of these items are available from the Vintage Home Online Shop - and some have already been sold! We add a regular variety of vintage wonders to the shop every week - if an item you like has already been sold, let us know and we'll do what we can to find you something similar!

Shades of Autumn and Cosy Quilts for Chilly Nights...

2009-09-25T10:22:00.014+01:00

Autumn is well and truly upon us - and what a beautiful Autumn it is so far! The early misty mornings make way for sun-filled days here in the UK, and it is a pleasure to to see the changing of the seasons. The fabric above is one of my favourites, a vintage Sanderson linen and very appropriate for the time of year, with its rich shades of Autumnal colours.

The nights have a definite chill to them and so our thoughts have turned to cosying up in front of the fire and layering the beds with vintage and antique quilts and linen. Here is a selection of delightfully pretty quilts which have been added to the shop today and in recent times. We've kept the tone light and feminine, yet warm and snuggly!

Sublime beauty in the form of soft raspberry paisleys...

Delicate roses on eiderdowns...

Pretty rosebuds and polka dots on this charming powder blue eiderdown...

Faded pinks and paisleys pattern this snuggly quilt..

...the subtle detail is delightful...

...sweet dreams are guaranteed!

Roses and pink stripes add a fresh element to your decor...

...whilst ensuring a cosy, restful night.

If you prefer something a little brighter, then this eiderdown will add a splash of colour with its striking palette.

We hope you enjoy the photos and a browse in the shop when you have time. Since our last post, when we hosted The Big Event, we have been at our busiest ever and would like to thank everyone for their custom and kind words. These are busy times for everyone and we really do appreciate the lovely messages we receive from you all. Have a wonderful weekend and we'll be back soon with more vintage delights!

The Big Event! 24th August '09

2009-08-19T14:21:00.012+01:00

I can't say too much - it's a secret! Well, it should be a secret but I'm sooo bad at keeping secrets! So bad, that I just have to hint at what is coming...

The loveliest, the prettiest, the rarest, the most gorgeous and utterly divine vintage treasures are coming to the Vintage Home shop soon - very soon in fact! Plus we'll be giving away some goodies - ooh, it's so exciting! In the meantime, here are some tempting snippets...

There will be roses - of course!

Pink will feature!

Lovely aged paintwork and elegant lines.

Did I say there would be roses?

A healthy scattering of vintage flowers.

Are you sure I mentioned roses?

Not forgetting the wild roses too!

All this will happen over a 24 hour period - only those on our mailing list will receive advance notice, so if you haven't already joined us, pop along and add your details!

Update: The Newsletter announcing the day of The Big Event has now been sent - but don't worry, if you didn't have time to add your details to the mailing list we can now reveal that Monday the 24th of August is when it all happens!

Relax awhile at Vintage Home...

2009-07-25T14:21:00.016+01:00

With our topsy-turvy Summer weather of late, when it isn't always possible to sit outside on a Sunday afternoon or share a glass of wine 'al fresco' in the evenings, we decided to cosy up indoors and enjoy a relaxing place to sit and read or indulge in a pastime or two.

Our Victorian chaise longue was a special find at an antiques fair in recent years and is the perfect compact size for our tiny cottage. It fits nicely beneath the window and although it is upholstered in a beautiful old floral linen, we have added a gold coloured throw and an ancient French quilt for extra comfort. Despite having a huge and comfy sofa and armchair in the room, we are always vying for this particular seat beneath the window.

A gently worn table with its pretty handpainted roses is perfectly practical for afternoon tea and a read, and the ideal place to enjoy our flowers.

Despite the heavy rains and blustery winds, our garden has been more abundant this year than ever before so there are plenty of extra blooms to bring indoors and display in old jugs and vases - and it wouldn't be a cottage without a geranium or two in terracotta pots.

Our much-loved dresser is overflowing with all manner of favourite pieces and here's a recent acquisition, a delightful wartime portrait.

I love the soft detail in this beautiful painting.

Our big old brass and iron bed is a wonderful place for relaxing where the view from the window across to the horses in the field is a distraction from a magazine or book.

Of course, we are hoping for some sunny days and balmy evenings during the rest of Summer so that we can enjoy the garden too, but when the heavens open at least we have somewhere cosy and inviting where we can relax in vintage style.

Despite all this relaxing we have been busy finding lots of beautiful items for the website, which will be updated during the weekend with a wonderful array of vintage delights - so pop along if you have the time! See you all again soon...

The Flag is Always Flying at Vintage Home!

2009-07-04T21:43:00.017+01:00

A fresh vintage Union Jack has recently replaced our old flag which was rather tattered and torn after many years of sun, wind and rain!

Well, what a wonderful holiday break we've had! We enjoyed some glorious sunny days and time away with family for a very special Birthday celebration, and an enjoyable spell beside the sea. There's been the odd spot of retail therapy - and a good deal of vintage retail therapy too! The garden has been lavished with attention...

...and we've crammed in some serious quality-time. A day spent with the lovely Kelly and Paul of Vintage Lifestyle was most enjoyable; wonderful food (thank you both so much!) great company and beautiful weather in delightful 'vintage surroundings' - what could be better?!
We were overwhelmed with the response to our holiday offer on the website and consequently will be working extra-specially hard to have your orders packed and posted throughout this week.
So now, it is 'back to work' for the both of us! I can honestly say we are feeling so very refreshed from our break that we cannot wait to get back into the stride of things! We've some extra-special vintage treasures to add to the website later this week, but first I'd like to share some photos with you all...
We haven't ventured here for a while,

so perhaps it's time to head down the garden path...

...getting closer...

...closer still...

It's tempting to sit awhile and enjoy the beautiful flowers instead of getting back to work!

Somebody has found a shady spot.

Perhaps we shouldn't have woken him up!

The roses have been exceptional this year...

...such beauty and heady perfumes...

...it's just as well we'll have no time to sit amongst the roses - they've taken over the bench!

A really big 'Thank You' to everyone for your recent purchases - we'll be back soon with more photos of our vintage home and garden - and more vintage goodies!

Vintage Home on Vacation!

2009-06-26T11:24:00.006+01:00

We are currently enjoying a summer holiday but it's business as usual at the Vintage Home website. There will be a slightly longer delivery time for orders but we have sweetened this with a little holiday surprise - see the website for details! Our prize draw is still running too - see the post below for how to enter.

We'll be back soon to top up the shop with a fresh supply of beautiful vintage treasures for you all - and hopefully a suntan for us! See you soon! Clare & Mike

Gorgeous New Vintage Treasures and A Fabulous Floral Giveaway!

2009-06-11T15:00:00.009+01:00

We have been super-busy here at Vintage Home and have found some truly scrumptious vintage treasures for the latest update to the website - plus, due to the success of our last prize draw, we thought it was high time we held another! If you would like to win a beautiful, bountiful bouquet of Summer flowers, delivered straight to your door, then visit HERE to find out how to enter. The draw is open to everyone, wherever you are in the world!

Here are some of the latest goodies to grace the shop...

This is a real find - a 1940s bread bin in unused condition.

We love the old Barbola mirrors and plaques, this selection can be found in the Floribunda and Homewares sections of the shop.

A wall hanging mirror...

...with beautiful decoration...

...a table top mirror...

...a wonderful wall plaque.

This lovely old Lloyd Loom storage basket is a pretty cricket pavilion green with an old eiderdown fabric on the lid.

This magnificently pretty table is perfect for serving afternoon tea in the garden - just look at those beautiful roses!

A cheerful spotty churn.

We hope you all enjoy your visit - see you soon!

Flowers Everywhere!

2009-05-30T12:15:00.011+01:00

The beauty of an English garden is everywhere - on china, textiles, in paintings and packaging! We have filled our cottage garden with many varieties of pretty flowers and shrubs, and that love of flowers is also reflected in our home and on our website. Here is a small selection of our favourite collections and floral scenes which abound in both cottage and garden!

Vintage toiletries in a plethora of floral fragrances and designs...

A rampant and aromatic rambler of a rose!

The dainty blooms of aquilegia...

...the sunny yellow of the pansy...

...and the soft faded purple of the geranium...

...are echoed in this beautiful old oil painting of pansies.

The vibrant pink of sweet williams provides bold and lasting colour throughout the season.

A mix of magnificent, floral vintage fabrics provides inspiration in a rainbow of cheerful colours and patterns.

A pretty floral glass mirror amidst the vintage toiletries.

Thank you for visiting - we hope you have an enjoyable weekend!

Home is...

2009-05-13T14:12:00.010+01:00

...all in the detail.

A hotch-potch coffee pot and a beautiful old painting of geraniums in terracotta pots; where art imitates life - and life imitates art!

The vibrant, golden yellow of the freesia echoed in painted walls, a vintage curtain...

...and a pretty glass.

Keeping everything to hand.

Aged paintwork on an old wooden airer is softened by pretty vintage fabrics.

Relaxing in vintage style.

An eclectic mix of much-loved bits and pieces.

Finding the comfiest spot.

A place for dreams.

Floral splendour in the garden.

I hope you all enjoy these snapshots from our very own Vintage Home!

Union Jack Cushions and More!

2009-04-25T11:29:00.006+01:00

We have enjoyed making an individual range of Union Jack cushions over the past year - the one above was one of my favourites! Recently, we were commissioned to make several extra-large Union Jack cushions and whilst the sewing machine was up and running and our vast stash of vintage fabrics was strewn across the studio, we took the opportunity to make a few extra for the website. Each of the following three cushions are very different in style...

We though we would mix things up a bit with this one! It has been nicknamed 'The Italian Job' and is made from vintage French fabrics!

This pretty pastel cushion has some lovely old Sanderson fabrics in it.

This is a beautiful mix of warm tones and again includes an old Sanderson fabric and a rich floral patterned red linen.

We hope to make a few more special items from our vintage fabrics over the coming months, although we are currently pretty busy with the day-to-day running of the website. Our buying trips are such fun and we have enjoyed great success in finding some exceptional vintage treasures just lately. We have recently featured in several magazines and the Daily Mail, and I understand we are currently in Berkshire Life magazine but I haven't seen a copy yet! The response and interest has been tremendous and fuels our enthusiasm to bring you even more beautiful and interesting vintage goodies! Thank you to everyone who has recently purchased from Vintage Home or left a comment here on our blog - I will be back soon with more news and photos! Enjoy your weekend! Clare

Happy Easter!

2009-04-09T16:30:00.003+01:00

I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Easter - have fun wherever you are and whatever you are doing!

Spring is Sprung!

2009-03-26T08:33:00.012Z

Thank you for your wonderful comments and emails regarding our feature in the magazine. It has been such an amazing month and so many lovely things have been happening. Also, for the most part, the weather has been glorious (let's not count this week!) and I thought I would share these beautiful images with you.
A host of golden daffodils...

...and blossom in the lane.

We also had a winner of our prize draw,

such a lovely lady who I know will enjoy sharing the hamper with her family.

Thank you to everyone who has waited patiently for their mugs and mouse mats - you'll be pleased to hear that stocks of these have now been fully replenished! Due to our recent, successful buying trips we have masses of gorgeous vintage stock which we are adding to the website as fast as we can! In particular, we have a huge amount of exceptional textiles which I must admit I will find it difficult to part with!

This bedspread is a riot of fifties florals and one of my favourites - oh those gorgeous roses, poppies and peonies!

Hope you all enjoy the photos - back soon...

Reasons to be Cheerful!

2009-03-07T15:24:00.010Z

According to the song, there are 1, 2, 3 reasons to be cheerful! Currently, for me I think No. 1 has to be the recent Springlike weather we've been having. I know it hasn't been sunshine for everyone but there has been a lot of sun around and the signs of Spring are everywhere. No. 2 is the feature of our home in the current issue of the BBC Homes & Antiques magazine.

The photographer, Nick Carter, has captured the cosiness of the cottage and we are really pleased with the feature which gives you a peek into our home - and a taste of the bold, vintage floral theme we have all over the house!

Reason to be cheerful No. 3 is most definitely the bright and pretty floral textiles we have recently added to the website. The rich and vibrant colours are extremely uplifting. There's this stunning French cushion...

...these gorgeous 1950s red roses curtains...

...and another fabulously bold French cushion.

I'd love to hear your '3 Reasons to be Cheerful'!

Trim Reflections

2009-02-28T11:02:00.009Z

Whilst out and about on our travels in search of vintage treasures for the website, we come across so many wonderful and fascinating finds that it is often hard to resist their appeal, and this in turn, leads us into different areas of vintage and collecting. One such area which holds a great fascination for me is vanity, grooming and beauty. This covers a vast and diverse range of pretty items, so there is plenty of scope for building collections and displays.

When I came across this beautiful Victorian Y & N Corset advertising mirror at a recent antiques fair I couldn't resist its rarity and simple beauty...

...with its delicately etched glass lettering and original heavy wooden frame. Women today have a significantly different life from those in Victorian days and one of those contrasts is in the way we dress. My research on the Y & N corset revealed it was really rather innovative in its day, being heralded as 'the most comfortable corset ever made'.

But I have to wonder just how comfortable it was. History has documented the terrible damage to women's organs, which was attributed to the long-term wearing of the restrictive corsets and ladies would often faint because they were unable to breathe properly!

The Y & N corset was revolutionary in its day and its 'diagonal seam' gave the corset extra strength and created a more pronounced hourglass figure. It featured a heart-shaped bust and was popular for evening wear and cleavage enhancement! I don't doubt it was still highly restrictive for women and having never worn a corset (honestly!) I can only imagine how it must have felt to wear one.

So, given the emancipation of today's Western women, many vintage vanity and grooming items are not only desirable and decorative objects, they are also a reminder that things were very different for our female ancestors.

A Special Thank You!

We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who has emailed us or left a comment with regard to our new-look website. We were overwhelmed with the response and consequently have been working very hard packing and posting for the last couple of weeks! We are continuing to add new stock and are delighted to reveal that we have also been lucky enough to obtain some real beauties for the textiles section - these will be finding their way onto the website in the coming weeks. Thank you all once again and don't forget you still have time to enter the prize draw (see post below.)

An Anniversary Celebration for Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T10:56:00.016Z

We are delighted to announce that today is the 2nd Anniversary of the Vintage Home online shop! It is thanks to you all that our little shop has grown and grown over the past couple of years and although we know you love the individual style of the website, in celebration of our anniversary, we have revamped the website and given it an all-new look, plus there are two new exclusive additions to the shop - and a free prize draw!

Of course, we are continuing to bring you the most gorgeous vintage treasures as well as new features, even more beautiful images - and a home page with a different flavour to it each time you visit or refresh the screen - try it and see! Yes, Mike has certainly been very busy over the past few months and created an altogether and rather different look to Vintage Home!

As well as the varied vintage selection of goodies, we are thrilled to offer our very own bone china mug! This has been designed by us and is exclusive to Vintage Home. The pattern is based on a 1940s wallpaper...

...handmade in England using fine bone china...

...and traditional printing methods.

Plus, there's another exclusive; an all-new design of mouse mat...

...fresh and pretty polka dots on blue with pink rosebuds!

This pattern is based on a 1950s fabric which we have treasured for years but simply haven't been able to bring ourselves to cut up for use in sewing projects. By the way, our ever-popular Victorian roses mouse mat is still available too!

As always, we've been busy finding some truly amazing vintage delights and, along with many more, they have been added to the shop today, including these lovely ladies...
...a 1930s French mannequin head...

...a 1920s decorative box...

...and a delightful Victorian chromo.

As a thank you for your custom and comments over the years, we have put together a rather special box of indulgent goodies and would like to invite you to take part in a prize draw.

We thought it would be fun to make it into a little 'treasure hunt' with a Valentine's connection - click HERE for details of how to enter - you can also leave a comment on this post and, if you have the time, I would really love to hear what you think of the new website!

We hope you enjoy the new-look website and we look forward to bringing you even more beautiful vintage treasures for many more years to come! Happy Valentine's Day!

News and Nice Things!

2009-01-22T15:28:00.006Z

Thank you to everyone for your lovely comments on my last post - sorry I haven't been here to reply, I shall endeavour to visit you all soon! January got off to a flying start with a marked rise in orders after a recommendation from Period Ideas in their February issue. A friend had spotted it - would you believe it; even though I'd read the magazine, I didn't see it?! There's so many exciting things happening here at the moment that it's really quite hectic but regular cups of tea and cuddles with the cats are keeping us going! The website has a rather special anniversary coming up and we've got some really super surprises for everyone. I really shouldn't say too much (after all, it won't be a surprise then will it?!) but I'm just so excited!!

Of course we'll be celebrating with a giveaway - so 'watch this space' as they say! There'll be even more gorgeous vintage treasures in the shop and some very, very special additions too! Added to that, there's an even bigger surprise - but my lips are definitely sealed on that one!

So, in the meantime I will leave you with some of the latest vintage stock to grace the website including the Victorian trunk shown above...

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

...which is the fairest mirror of all?!

A handpainted bookstand from the 1950s...

...the prettiest boudoir set...

...perfect for displaying your treasured jewellery.

Now I must get back to work - I'll be back soon with more news - enjoy the rest of your week!

Calm and Collected

2009-01-08T10:43:00.006Z

Once the holidays are over and the decorations are put away for another year, I enjoy casting an eye over areas of my home, taking in all the pretty things. One favourite corner of my home is our cottage landing. It is decidedly diminutive and I like to make the most of the character and display some of my much-loved pieces.
The old timbers in the wall show the original height of the eaves (the cottage was originally thatched but a fire in 1906 stripped the thatch away and the level of the roof was then raised and recovered with tiles.) The exposed timbers span the width of the main bedroom - very nice to look at but the wall also slopes away dramatically so we aren't able to stand any tall furniture against it!
I have many collections; well, there are so many lovely things to collect aren't there?! Here are a few of my old talc tins.

The Goya and carnations talc are both English examples and the red rose talc is an American one. One of my pretty tins is shown, propping up some vintage books. I also collect religious prints and this delightful chipped pink framed example is one of my most treasured. The old hobnail milk glass lamp is American and the runner is a rescued piece of eiderdown fabric.

Roses paintings can be found everywhere in our cottage; propped on shelves, hanging on walls and even here, where I have placed two Victorian roses paintings behind the leaded glass of the doors.

The cupboard is very old and I am reticent to paint it - but who knows, I may do one day!

The light streams in from the bedroom window highlighting the cupboard. The floral curtain softens the corner of the staircase and the handmade rug is soft and comfy to stand on, making this a very relaxing space.

Do you have a favourite corner of your home?

2008-12-31T12:25:00.004Z

Happy New Year!

A Very Happy New Year - may 2009 be a prosperous and joyous year for you all!

Merry Christmas To You All!

2008-12-21T14:19:00.011Z

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It has been an amazing year and we've seen our little business continue to grow throughout the months; which has meant it has also been a very busy year - so now is the perfect time to say a huge 'thank you' to everyone who has made a purchase from our shop, and to everyone who has spared their time to email or leave a comment here on the Vintage Home blog. We are currently working on many new ideas for the website which we will revealed early next year - and of course we will be adding lots and lots of ever more beautiful vintage treasures. In the meantime, we will be entertaining friends and family over the Christmas holidays; we have a full-house on Christmas day so I will be busy in the kitchen, but I am hoping to relax in the evening with a glass or two of something warming! The cottage is festively dressed for Christmas so I thought I would share the photos with you...

...logs stacked in the inglenook, the woodburner warming the room, and the pretty garland decorating the beam...

...lots of twinkling lights and greenery on the main beam...

...Much-loved decorations adding charm and prettiness...

...the tree in all its glory...

...all that's missing are the presents - yet to be wrapped!

As well as photos of our festive cottage, I'd like to share a tale of Christmas past...

Wartime Christmas

Amongst my collection of portrait paintings is this utterly charming oil painting of a young lady. Inscribed on the reverse is the date it was painted; Christmas Eve 1941 and every time I look at it, my mind conjures up a very special Christmas scene. I imagine a typical 1940s parlour with home-made decorations of paper chains, streamers and lanterns. A fire crackles in the hearth and a clock ticks softly on the mantelpiece above. A small table sits under the window, which is hung with heavy black-out curtains. The table is draped with an embroidered tablecloth and upon this sits a selection of small gifts, wrapped in brown paper and tied with coloured ribbons. The gifts are very unlike today's luxurious and glamorous trinkets, but each has been chosen or made lovingly for the person in mind. Perhaps some nuts, an orange, a knitted scarf or gloves. A wooden plane or boat for the young boy, a ragdoll for the little girl; all very simple by today's standards but so very special all those years ago in war-torn England.
By the gentle glow of the fire, a young lady sits patiently as her image is painted by the artist.

They may have sat there listening to the sound of enemy aircraft overhead and heard the distant wail of the air-raid warning rise up into the night sky. As the hours of Christmas Eve ticked by and the artist and his model exchanged laughter and soft words, her smiling image and a moment in time were captured on canvas. Who was that artist? Perhaps a sister or brother, creating a wonderful present for their parents. Perhaps a young beau, keeping the painting hidden until finished, and then unveiling it for his young lady on Christmas morning.
There is no way to know who painted this wonderful portrait, or the circumstances in which it was painted, but I can't help thinking that the young lady looks so happy and positive, looking towards a good future, despite the uncertain era she was living in.

That's what Christmas and New Year is about, it is a time to reflect on the past year and to look forward to the coming year with fresh hopes and aspirations.

Have a wonderful and Very Merry Christmas everyone! Clare & Mike xx

Are you sitting comfortably..?

2008-12-10T15:30:00.008Z

In addition to my collections of vintage treasures I also have a thing about chairs, sofas and cushions - can you have too many cushions?!! Our tiny cottage has always been home to a plethora of painted kitchen chairs and don't even ask how many wing-back chairs we have had in the past few years! It doesn't matter where we go, you can absolutely guarantee I will fall in love with a pretty chair of some description! These days, it is a real treat to be able to indulge my love for such items on a regular basis; I buy them for the website which means I am able to appreciate them for a short while before they go to a new home!

This diminutive 1930s sofa was a real find. It has a drop arm and its orginal plain upholstery has been expertly covered in an old Sanderson floral linen.

It's the perfect sofa for a study or studio - yes, you've guessed it, I would dearly like to keep it!

This beautiful old windsor chair is another favourite of mine.

Its rich patina fits in wonderfully with country-style decor...

...and the pretty tapestry roses seat ensures you enjoy a nice comfy seat!

I did buy something recently which I am definitely keeping for myself - one of Hen's gorgeous fabric covered notebooks!

I spied the books on one of her recent blog posts and decided I just had to have one! Hen makes them in all sorts of designs, this one being a patchwork of CK fabrics.

I believe she has added them to her etsy shop, so you'd better be quick if you want to buy one as I'm sure they will be very popular!

Christmas Past and Present...

2008-12-04T12:08:00.006Z

Earlier this year, whilst visiting an antiques fair we found a beautiful Victorian Christmas box, decorated with holly and a pretty young lady, all wrapped up nice and cosy in her hat and coat. I had planned to display the box this Christmas but then we thought what a lovely idea it would be to reproduce the image for this year's Vintage Home Christmas card!

So here it is, we have made some slight alterations - can you spot them? - and added a special Christmas greeting inside. Once all the cards are sent the box will be empty again - all I have to do now is decide what to fill it with; any suggestions?

and the Winner is...

2008-12-02T13:31:00.004Z

Gingham and Flowers!

Thank you all for your patience and your lovely comments; I am overwhelmed to have received so many! Sorry I made you all wait for the draw; we had a busy old time on the website during November thanks to a mention in one of the homestyle magazines and the Independent. This meant we were rather pre-occupied for a while there, but we have now picked a winner! As I hadn't had time to write all the names out I asked a friend to pick a number from 1 to 111 and she chose 23, so congratulations to Fiona of Gingham and Flowers who was the 23rd comment. No-one actually guessed the prize which is the most adorable little Barbola mirror, although Heart in the Country came very close with her guess of a hand mirror, so there is a little prize on the way to Kim. I have decided to add a few extras to accompany the beautiful Barbola mirror including some yummy chocolates, a floral scented candle, a handstitched Christmas stocking and one of our exclusive Christmas cards; hope you like it Fiona, and a big thank you to everyone who took part. There will be another giveaway in the near future - watch this space!

We have switched the Christmas lights on at Vintage Home - if you pop along to the home page you'll see them twinkling away merrily! The website is being updated this week with some rather beautiful items, so keep a lookout! I'll be back in a day or so with a Christmassy post for you all! See you soon..!

Happy 100th to Vintage Home and a Giveaway!!

2008-11-12T16:47:00.007Z

Well, I've finally arrived here and this is my 100th blog post! I'm pretty sure I would have reached this monumental milestone a good deal earlier were it not for our website keeping us super-busy! So, in celebration of a 100 posts I am hosting a giveaway. Pictured in the photos is a pretty gift box and I have placed a very special Vintage Home treasure inside. Everybody who leaves a comment on this post will have their name entered into a draw to win it - whether you have a blog or not, and wherever you are in the world, I would love to hear from you.

The identity of the hidden treasure will remain a mystery until I announce the winner on my next post. I will say that it is something rather special and if any of you would like to have a go at guessing what it is, there will be an extra giveaway should someone get lucky with their guess!

I will draw the winner later next week - so until then 'Good Luck' to you all!
Update 25th November: Sorry that I haven't drawn the winning name yet! The draw will take place end of next week - it's been pretty hectic here over the past couple of weeks (all will be explained in my next post!) and so if you haven't yet left a comment then there's still time. Will see you all next week with the name of the winner... Clare

Wanted! Do you have a 1950s Home...?

2008-11-03T21:32:00.004Z

...and do you want to see it on TV?!

I am hoping the world of blogging will be able to help with this rather exciting request! Do any of you here in the UK remember the recent BBC2 TV programme 'Supersizers Go... Seventies' which was aired back in the Summer? It was a very entertaining programme and really great viewing for those of us who were children in the 1970s! Well, the producers of that show are about to start filming the second series of the historical food programme and this one will be entitled Supersizers Go... Fifties! The idea of the programme is that the presenters, food writer Giles Coren and comedienne Sue Perkins, spend a week eating, dressing and living in the 1950s. The producers therefore require a typical house from the 1950s period to be their on-screen home. Although it would be nice if the exterior is in keeping with the period, the most important thing is that it looks right on the inside, particularly the kitchen.
Filming is due to take place over a couple of days of the week commencing 24th November - but don't worry, no overnight filming is required. Maximum filming days would be 12 hours and cooking all of the food for the presenters on location will be Fifties celebrity chef Mary Berry.

If you - or anyone you know - has a 50s style house (and in particular a 50s kitchen) and live in or around London, or in the nearby counties, they would really love to hear from you. If the idea of having a film crew and TV celebrities invade your house appeals to you and you have the right sort of home, then please contact me (email is on my profile page or see the about us page of the webshop for telephone number etc.) I will pass your details onto their researcher, Nick Adey, who will then contact you to discuss it further. By the way, the producers will pay a fee for the use of your home! Also, if any of you have particular memories and stories of day-to-day living in the 1950s, they may be interested in hearing from you.

Thank you!

Winter Blues and Cosy Treats!

2008-11-01T13:27:00.014Z

Hasn't it been cold lately?! It seems we have headed straight into Winter here in the UK! The cold snap was our cue to add some warm and cosy eiderdowns (including the sweetest cot eiderdown!) to the website, along with lots of other fresh vintage stock!

In keeping with the icy temperatures, we found this exceptionally pretty floral fabric with a soft blue background which acts as the perfect backdrop for some of our lovely new additions to the shop! Here are just a few of them:

Delicate Sweet Peas and Love-in-a-Mist print...

A box with handpainted seasonal Christmas Rose and Holly adorning it...

Pretty 'Daintee Ladyee' teapot...

Something to keep her nice and warm...

A painted tray for serving breakfast in bed...

Beautiful fabric sewing box covered in stocks...

A divinely shabby chic mirror for those reflective moments...

...and to finish, a montage of some of our past treasures!

A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the website recently and made a purchase. As promised, we are continuing our search for all of your requests - and happily finding a good many of them!

We have a busy few weeks ahead of us; there are several buying trips, an anniversary giveaway and a special addition to the website. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and week ahead, see you all soon!

A Day in The Cotswolds

2008-10-22T11:16:00.012+01:00

We treated ourselves to a day out recently - we live on the very edge of the Cotswolds and at this time of year the landscape is beautiful. One of our Antipodean customers was in England with her family and whilst they were here to enjoy the sights and sounds of London, we offered to show them the beauty of the English countryside.

After collecting the travellers from Oxford station and getting acquainted in person (we'd shared many emails over the months so it was lovely to meet them in person!) we set off for Chipping Norton, the gateway to the Cotswolds. This historic market town is known for its famous landmark, Bliss Mill - shown above - a 19th century Tweed Mill - now converted into apartments.

Our first stop was the Station Mill Antique Centre - of course!! We enjoyed a browse and a few purchases were made, all destined for down under! We had hoped to enjoy a coffee and cake in their cafe but time had flown and we were booked in for lunch at The Falkland Arms in Great Tew.

This beautiful 16th century inn has everything you could want in a traditional English pub; an inglenook fireplace, flagstone floors and beams - and great food!

Great Tew is often referred to as 'the most beautiful village in England' hopefully these photos will give you an indication of why this is. Despite the rather overcast weather that day, the sun did show its face a few times!
We nicknamed this cottage 'the gingerbread house' - the roof is such a lovely shape!

Many of the houses in the village are thatched.

Most of the hedges are shaped and manicured!

This sign amused us!

This house drew our attention - if you enlarge the photo you will see that housemartins have been nesting under the eaves of the thatch - and have a handy ledge for their toilet!!

After a wholesome and filling lunch at the pub, and a stroll around the village, it was back in the car and off to the eerily named Lower Slaughter. The name actually refers to the old English name 'slothre' for a wet or muddy place! The village is set beside the Eye stream and has a 19th century mill as its attraction.

Plus of course, some very pretty houses!

We then set off for Burford, one of my favourite Cotswold towns. We are regular visitors and enjoy the variety of shops that it has. Our first port of call was a cosy traditional tea shop - but when our friends spied the nearby antique centre we decided refreshments could wait! We rounded the day off with tea, coffee and cake, before squeezing into the car alongside their many vintage purchases (how did they get everything in their suitcases?!!) and then setting off for the station!

It was a fantastic day and a real treat to see England through the eyes of visitors - it is easy to take things for granted when you live right in the midst of the English countryside! We really enjoyed our time with them and were totally enchanted by their lovely little girl!

After such a wonderful day out we are now back at work and busy adding lots of vintage stock to the website - the latest treasures have been added today and more will follow in the coming days..!

Until next time!

All Kinds of Everything!

2008-10-08T17:14:00.014+01:00

Well, Autumn is well and truly here. The wisteria foliage is turning and the geranium leaves have taken on rich and vibrant shades. The logs are stacked under the window and we are enjoying cosy nights by the woodburner.

We've been super-busy here with the website so a big thank you to everyone for your custom. We are currently updating the shop throughout the week in order to keep the stock levels up! As well as visiting antique fairs over the past few weeks, we've been doing a spot of 'titivating' in the cottage in preparation for a photo shoot. I won't say any more at this stage but will let you all know when we are in print!
So, here are some piccies to show you what we've been up to!

I gathered together some of my favourite things and filled our old dresser. I love the old chocolate boxes with the pretty ladies on them, but they are getting harder to find. Victorian mugs are another of my passions - those shown here are some of my favourites.

Next, it was time for new curtains!

These are hiding the white goods and have been made from a pretty mix of vintage French and English fabrics - the green check is an old tablecloth. The curtains they replaced had been there over 10 years so it was certainly time for a change!!

We have added some beautiful vintage treasures to the website recently. This is a pair of amazing parlour prints.

The roses are spectacular and the frames are works of art in their own right! Just look at those dewdrops on the petals - wonderful!

There are lots more gorgeous things to see on the website from rosy prints to rosy rugs, all perfect for adding cosiness to your home as the days shorten.

Talking of shorter days, here is a rather moody photo taken across the lane, the sky is looking rather wintry don't you think?!

I hope you've enjoyed the photos - I'm off to light the woodburner now and snuggle up for the evening - enjoy the rest of your week!

Autumn Days

2008-09-23T15:29:00.013+01:00

Autumn has well and truly arrived and we have had some lovely golden days recently. I love the mellowness of Autumn, the misty mornings and the rich shades. One of my favourite poems is Ode to Autumn by Keats, you can read it here if you are not familiar with it.
Here are a few recent photos taken in the garden. Our raspberry canes have been prolific this year and I have enjoyed fresh raspberries for breakfast every morning for weeks now.
Amazingly, this young russet is no more than two years old and barely five foot high, yet it has been weighed down with the most succulent tasting apples!

I spotted this beautiful butterfly on a rotting apple and was quite taken with its rich, seasonal colours.

This little fellow is not one of my favourite Autumn visitors! These spiders always appear at this time of year and I often find myself walking into their webs when making my way down the garden first thing in the morning! Not a pleasant experience for someone who isn't too keen on spiders!

I am surprised how quickly the leaves are falling this year, there is a row of poplar trees near our garden and the leaves are falling so fast that have almost covered the grass - think we'll have to get the rake out this weekend!

We have had a very busy time here at Vintage Home; thank you to everyone for your custom and kind words. We've been updating the online shop on a regular basis so there is always something fresh to see every few days. A few of our recent finds are shown here, there's this charming print, what a bonnie baby!

This stunning handstitched Welsh quilt will keep out those Autumn chills!

The intricate patterns can be seen in all their glory on the pink reverse.

Here's some frivolous fun for you - a gorgeous vintage hat covered with purple pansies!

This super old French coffee pot has pretty roses decorating it!

That's just a taster of the recent additions, there will be many more to see over the coming days, including Victorian religious prints, another exceptional handstitched quilt and a variety of extra-special homewares and pretty china. Enjoy the rest of your week!

The Latest Additions to the Vintage Home On-Line Shop!

2008-09-05T15:22:00.011+01:00

What a wet and miserable start we've had to September - I had heard rumours of an Indian Summer, so let's hope this is just a glitch! There's nothing like being all warm and cosy indoors when the rain is lashing against the windows - and that's exactly where we've been this week, as we prepared for our latest website update! Yesterday saw the latest additions to the shop and once again, we've managed to find a wealth of gorgeous treasures for you! The beautiful Klein rose above is one of eight different floral Victorian chromo picture mounts - they are a really special find! As well as the pink roses, there are daisies...

...anemones...

...and lily of the valley - you will find another four of these beauties in the shop; violets, wallflowers, forget-me-nots and cyclamen - each one bearing Catherine's signature!

We've also added this beautiful French carnations tin...

...and this superb rare and very old Venetian-style tin - such a beauty!
There's a wonderful array of prints and original paintings - here is a rare find, an original watercolour by Helen Seddon, the colours are so pretty...

...and this lovely oil painting is a reminder of sunnier days!

This sweet Edwardian pen box is a particular favourite, what a delightful thing to see every day as you sit at your desk!

Thank you to everyone for your recent custom - your kind words and love of vintage spurs us on to find ever more beautiful and rare vintage treasures for you all. In fact, here is a taster of a special find, soon to be added to the website.
This is a large, Edwardian chromo print entitled 'Bunch of Roses' and comes from the very talented hand of Walter Ernest Webster. Look out for this, and many, many more goodies in the next few weeks!
Have a great weekend wherever you are; whatever you're doing - and whatever the weather!

A Vast Array of Vintage Treasures!

2008-08-20T14:20:00.003+01:00

Where does the time go? I can't believe we have a Bank Holiday weekend coming up! I can imagine those of you with children are already thinking of the new school term that will soon be upon us.

August hasn't been the scorcher it usually is, but at least everything in the garden is still looking fresh and green and we haven't had to endure too many sleepless nights due to the heat! We've had such a busy time here at Vintage Home; in particular we have been producing several more commissions with a Union Jack theme!

Mike's 'Man-Made' label is doing well and he has even found time to make a few extra cushions for the website; aren't they super?!

We have updated the website today with lots of super vintage treasures - there are far too many to mention but here is a little taster for you...

This piece of old fabric is quite stunning...

Does this young girl remind you of anyone..?

...and of course it simply wouldn't be Vintage Home if we didn't have a good smattering of roses! Here is a gorgeous big pitcher...

...a beautiful oil painting which is 102 years old...

...and one of several religious prints.

As well as finding lots of vintage treasures, we've also been adding some extra vintage charm to some of them, including a comfy seat pad for this stool...

...and a pretty new covering for this chair seat.

We're hoping to spend the Bank Holiday weekend in the garden if the weather permits, as well as visiting family and friends. Hope you all have a wonderful week and weekend!

Nature and Nurture

2008-08-01T13:38:00.017+01:00

This Summer has proved to be wonderful for fruit growing and our apple trees are laden with fruit.

Our strawberries have all-but taken over the garden, and it looks as if our Autumn raspberry canes will be supplying us with an early bumper crop.

There has been a delightful wonder of nature in our garden - I recently showed you photos of the many flowers in our garden and mused that I will probably plant a pale pink hollyhock next year. Well, one has appeared in amongst the darker pink flowers - isn't it pretty?

I shall have to wish for a few more things..!

Although we've had some rather 'up and down' weather when the sun comes out and the clouds disappear it is perfect, with beautiful blue skies and balmy breezes. This year's hanging baskets are a subtle blue and yellow theme, complementing the wisteria foliage.

As well as sporting bags with the Union Jack we're also flying the flag over the porch! The glare of the sun has given it quite a glow, so it's really standing out in this photo!!

Some weeks ago, every time I walked down the garden, I heard a high pitched screeching very close by. We have a resident buzzard nearby and I wondered if it was the sound of its young. The noise persisted and after a few days we discovered the source of it. A baby hedgehog had fallen into an old post hole in my neighbour's garden! The little urchin was gently lifted out, given a plate of cat food and then we put him in a quiet place at the bottom of the garden. Yesterday, I stepped out of the studio and very nearly trod on that very same hedgehog!

He was foraging for food and very frantic in his search! We fetched some cat food and water and he tucked in greedily.

He was so friendly and kept running towards us (he kept trying to nip Mike's toes - wonder what he thought they were!) He was hard to catch on camera - as soon as we pointed it at him, he came running towards it! We popped him on the scales (removing the vintage stock first I should add!) and weighed and measured him. He was just 150mm long and weighed only 160 grams. Knowing he shouldn't have been out in the day, we contacted a local wildlife animal shelter called Oak and Furrow. They have taken him to their shelter where he will enjoy a stay for a few months, whilst they feed him up. When he is at a suitable weight he will be coming back to Pottery Cottage where he can hibernate for the winter. He may even bring a few friends with him - let's hope so, they'd be made very welcome!

The sun and rain have taken care of the prolific flora in the garden this summer, which is just as well because we have been very busy with the website and haven't had too much time to tend it! We updated the website earlier this week - here is a selection of the new stock. Some of these items have now sold but there's still plenty of pretty items to choose from!
A pretty meadow flowers eiderdown...

... and one of two rose-smothered French quilts!

A bizzie lizzie chintz plate...

...a charming French fabric covered box...

...and this huge, handmade runner - just gorgeous!

This weekend will be filled with a visit to an annual car boot sale in the grounds of a local National Trust house, a spot of pick-your-own for some lovely fresh fruit, and some pottering in the garden - weather permitting of course! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Flying the Flag!

2008-07-20T15:54:00.013+01:00

We're pretty patriotic here at Vintage Home and are proud to fly the Union Jack! (Apparently, I am informed that it is only called the Union Jack when flown at sea, when flown on land, it should be referred to as the Union Flag!) But I digress! I think it's a wonderful design and you will have seen some interesting versions of it this season, both on the fashion scene and in the world of home furnishing! We have been playing around with some bag and cushion designs and thought we'd share them with you. Here is a super-size shopper, it's proved very useful for trips to flea markets and antique fairs! It has some lovely detail in it and is made from several vintage fabrics - and not just English textiles...!

This gorgeous old 1940s fabric with pretty blue poppies and yellow foxgloves against a stunning red background is French!

It has been lined with the same pretty English barkcloth we used for the windows in the clock house, and there are a couple of handy pockets for those essential bits and pieces.

I added this pretty pansy brooch as a finishing touch and I'm keeping a look out for some more colourful old brooches - this is such a bright and cheerful bag so I think it will become a firm favourite!

This is our cushion version of the Union Jack.

This is made from some really lovely old fabrics and crochet trim. It was a new addition to the website but has now been sold, although we may be adding a new design soon!

Before I go, I must thank Sairer, who very kindly named me as one of the 'Five Blogs that make her Day!'

My apologies for the delay in responding Sairer, I am really chuffed to have received the award! I would also like to thank every one for the amazing response to our recent website updates; we are busy preparing our latest goodies for the shop so I think I had better get back to work - have a wonderful week!

In an English country garden...

2008-07-11T10:31:00.015+01:00

So far we have had a very rainy July and it hasn't been possible to spend as much time in the garden as we would like. This morning was fine and dry so out came the camera! The sun was a tad shy at times and kept disappearing behind the clouds, but we managed to capture some of our abundant roses and exuberant flora! Our lavender is looking wonderful this year - if you enlarge the photos you will see a very welcome visitor...

This rose is a beautiful and prolific rambler which would probably take over the entire garden if we let it!

This is a lovely spot to sit, just outside our garden studio, surrounded by the rambling rose. Do you like the Union Jack cushion? Many months ago, a friend suggested we make a floral one - lo and behold floral Union Jack cushions started appearing everywhere! We decided on something a little different and it is perfect for resting your head whilst reading!

Here is one of our lilies, the scent in the evenings is wonderful...

Every year I wonder why I haven't planted more of these cottage garden plants, perhaps next year I will add some of the soft pink variety as a subtle contrast...

I cannot remember the name of this striking flower, but we have filled our hanging baskets with it this year...

It's a good year for apples - here are our 'cookers' our other trees are laden with 'eaters'!

This is an iceberg climber, a new addition to the garden. It was planted in memory of our 'old lady' cat, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago, aged 20.

We also planted a very pretty shrub rose called 'sweet haze' and a particular favourite of mine, the very old rosa gallica 'versicolor' (sometimes called rosa mundi.) I always think of it as the raspberry ripple rose! They were heavy with blooms a week ago but there were none to see today, if they produce any more I will take some photos.

I will leave you with this photo of an old knife sharpener; you fill it with water and turn the stone to sharpen the knife blade. It belonged to Mike's grandfather, who was a very keen gardener.

I hope you have enjoyed the photos. We will be updating the website over the next few days, but I hope to get out in the garden too - I have heard rumours of sunshine... Have a great weekend!