Pretty Pastels

The pretty pastel colours of Spring crocuses have been the inspiration for my latest Etsy Treasury:

Make your own luck

Some beautiful things to brighten your day ... from my latest Etsy Treasury.

Make Your Own Luck ... LuciusArt $39.00	20% off Sale Filigr... PixieDust $25.00	caged bird... hand ... EmenGeeDesigns $28.00	Creamy Blue Lace. M... happeemonkee $15.00
Wall Lamp, Funky Tu... Lampified $59.00	Rotary Phone - Beig... TomLaurus $27.00	Baby Blue Broadbill... doudoubirds $18.00	Vintage red lamp TheRetroBotteg... $39.00
light as a feather ... lovelysweetwil... $24.00	Turquoise jewelry. ... CallOfEarth $25.00	Pinhole Camera for ... FrenchFind $175.00	Three Birds Lino Pr... mangleprints $19.00
Vintage Evening Wea... jerseyicecream... $36.00	Seafoam Hearts: Set... LunaCabCo $12.00	Lace Jewelry i carr... PurpleToedGyps... $28.00	Animal Sculpture Ar... DoubleFoxStudi... $312.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Small steps but steps in the right direction ...

I spent a lot of this afternoon photographing for my shop and here's a sneak preview of what's coming soon ...

I've also done a bit of reorganising at English Rose Vintage which I hope has resulted in a shop that makes more sense and has better focus. The store sections have been revamped and I've taken off my hand-made items - which I hope eventually to relist in a new shop that's been waiting in the wings for some time. At English Rose Vintage I plan to concentrate on vintage jewelery, accessories, trims, buttons, postcards and items for the home.

Anyone who works full-time knows that time spent at home is precious and far too short. I'm always brimming with ideas and keen to try out new crafts but I'd begun to 'spread myself too thin' by trying to do too much - something my long suffering husband is all too well aware of! These chilly post-Christmas weeks have been a great time to take stock, decide what I like to do best and focus myself more. The reorganisation is part of the process and I hope you agree it's a small step but a step in the right direction!

Camel Love

One of my favourite things about buying and selling vintage is the research. I excitedly find out as much as I can about my treasures as soon as I get them home. A lot of my buying is done on instinct and I'm trying to get a good 'feel' for when something is special and a sense of what will fit well in my Etsy shop. I certainly don't always get this right but the learning process is a big part of the fun for me.

On the home front, my long-suffering husband has encouraged me to organise myself and my shop over this last week and this included transferring all my research into one notebook - not a problem as there's nothing I love more than a new notebook and pen! Another task has been to delete the hundreds of photos no longer needed but still residing on the computer and turning it's poor electronic brain to mush - not such a delightful prospect and the cause of many expletives over the last few days. All this activity has helped me focus and I now have more than 50 items listed in my shop - the next aim is to reach 100!

Latest to go on is this characterful marcasite and 935 silver camel brooch.

My research has shown that this little fella was most likely made in Germany in the 1930s and is one of the best quality marcasite brooches, with individual bead-set stones in very good quality silver (935 - or 93.5% silver content). He struck me as special the moment I saw him and I just couldn't walk away from him. The marcasites positively shimmer and little details such as his characterful face and ruffles on his neck add to his charm.

My desire to acquire this little jewel may also have had something to do with the fact that I'm currently reading another mystery by Elizabeth Peters - Thunder in the Sky. It's a rolicking good adventure set in Egypt during WWI and the heroine, Amelia Peabody, is a feisty Egyptologist-cum-amateur-sleuth. I've a head full of intrigue, arab robes, desert sands and handsome heroes - no wonder I couldn't resist buying a camel!

Coming soon

I had a great morning browsing one of my favourite antique and bric-a-brac fairs today and I hope you'll agree I found some beautiful treasures to list in my Etsy shop.

I do love that camel though - I might have to think long and hard before I list him!

Coffee anyone?

Just listed on my Etsy site - this lovely set of six Art Deco style coffee spoons with green coffee beans on the end of each handle. Made of EPNS (electro plated nickel silver) each one is 4" long with a sweet shell-shaped bowl. I'm not sure of the date as similar spoons were made in the 1930s - but somehow I feel these are more likely to be 1940s or 1950s.

These would look so stylish with little espresso coffee cups or delicately spooning the froth from your skinny mocha frappucino.