Happy Easter!

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

Are you sitting comfortably..?

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!

News and Nice Things!

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!

Reasons to be Cheerful!

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'!

Merry Christmas To You All!

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

and the Winner is...

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 New Year!

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

Christmas Past and Present...

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?

Union Jack Cushions and More!

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

Trim Reflections

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!

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!