Taking a break

Hi All

We're moving house yet again - it's only been 11 months since the last move - one of the down sides of renting in this country. Anyhoo, I'm going to be taking a break from this blog and from my Etsy shop.

I've really enjoyed blogging and running the shop but lately I've had more and more demands on my time. Good things mostly - things that I'd like to concentrate on for a while. Sadly, this means that I've put my shop on vacation and won't be posting any more blogs - at least for a few months. I'll continue to sell some vintage on Ebay and plan to do a couple of car boot sales in the Trowbridge area. I'm having a huge cull of possessions so that I can start my new home with less 'stuff'!

So, I'm going to move to our new home, enjoy settling in and concentrate on yoga, music and crafts. I'll continue to post on my English Rose Vintage Facebook page so do pop over there and 'like' it and you'll continue to see what I'm up to! 

Thank you for dropping by and taking the time to read my ramblings ...

Best wishes

Melanie

Antibes Green

Hi all

I picked up an old wooden tray and an embroidered tray cloth at a junk shop in Ross on Wye the other day and thought I'd show you their transformation.

I have a tin of Annie Sloan 'Antibes Green' paint that I'm planning to revamp a display cabinet with but that's going to be a big project so in the meantime I used a little of it on this tray.

This is the tray after the first coat of chalk paint - still a bit of the wood showing through.

You don't need to do any preparation or rubbing down with this chalk paint, so I simply wiped the dirt off first. This is the tray when the second coat was drying.

I left it to dry overnight and then applied a coat of clear wax (also Annie Sloan) with a soft cloth, giving it a gentle buff to a soft shine.

This is the finished result. I'm going to leave it for a couple of days before using it to ensure it's completely dry. 

The tray cloth just needed a good soak to remove a couple of stains and it came up beautifully.

I love the embroidery on this cloth and it goes so well with the green tray.

Now I'm putting together a tea set to go with it - I have the teapot and milk jug so just need to find some cups and saucers!

Pretty Pomanders

Hi there

Last weekend we spent a day at the Hay Festival and the next day explored a little of the Forest of Dean. The Festival was lovely, relaxed, interesting and in beautiful surroundings. We listened to a talk by Alex Bellos (a journalist with an interest in maths) about people's emotional responses to numbers, which was fascinating. But we were mainly there to see Jim Al-Khalili, president of the British Humanist Association, giving a talk about humanism and atheism. He was very eloquent on the subject and it was lovely to feel the response of the audience to his talk. Next year I think we should try and go for longer. There are so many interesting things going on at Hay.

We drove slowly home the next day, via the Forest of Dean. It was one of those lush, warm sunny days when everything looks full-on, green, abundant. We stopped off at a craft centre and I picked up a collection of pretty vintage pomanders from a vintage shop.

Faded blooms and faded scents - I love these ceramic pomanders. I'm tempted to keep a couple for myself but I've started listing some in my Etsy shop. 

Hope you are having a peaceful and happy weekend.

Melanie

Fabulous Facebook Necklace Giveaway

Hi folks

Well, I promised a giveaway when I reached 50 Likes on my Facebook page and now we've reached 50 and gone beyond. As a thank you to all those who follow me I'm giving away this beautiful 1950s emerald green necklace. Pop to the bottom of this posting to see how to win!

The light and dark green stones are prong set in a gold-tone setting and hang from a 15 1/2 inch chain. 

I think that it would look great worn in the evening but it would also look fabulous with a simple shirt or little cardigan during the daytime.

If you want to have a chance of winning just Like my Facebook page (if you haven't already) and leave a Comment under the Necklace Giveaway posting. We'll be putting all the names into a hat and Mr T will draw the winner on Wednesday evening at 8.00pm. Don't forget to leave a Comment on the Facebook posting though or you won't be included.

Good luck to all!

Melanie

English Rose Vintage

Thanks

Hi folks

Been rather poorly for the last week so have been mostly sleeping with occasional spells of reading Lord Peter Wimsey or watching made for TV Christmas movies. I was planning to start getting the house ready for Christmas - the decorations are out of the loft and the living room is now cleared of all my vintage stash, so we're ready to get going. I just need a bit more energy first! Think we will pop up the road to the local garden centre for our tree this afternoon and we can slowly make a start. I expect the rest of the day will be spent snuggled on the sofa.

Thank you to all the lovely customers we had at the Frome Super Market last Sunday. We had a brilliant day and had lots of sales too. I enjoyed interacting with customers and it was interesting to see the sort of things people were looking for. We'll be back at the markets in the Spring and I should have a bigger and better collection of goodies by then too.

Take care folks!

Melanie Melanie
English Rose Vintage

Market Day

Hi folks!

We're definitely on for the Frome Super Market this Sunday. We had a trial run with the gazebo in our garden last weekend and I think things were looking pretty good. We planned the layout and took photos too so that we can set up more quickly on the day. It's a long time since we did a market (back in our chocolate making days) so we're really looking forward to it. 

It's a special extended market from 10am to 4pm so we'll have plenty of selling time. There are going to be a bumper number of stalls too and some interesting music during the day. Take a look at the market facebook page for a taster of what's coming. 

If you're in the area and can get to the market do pop along and see us. Anyone who mentions this blog will get a special 10% discount on our stall too.

Bye for now ...

Frome Super Market

Hi folks!

Last Sunday we went to Frome Super Market and despite the rain we had a great time. The market is held on the first Sunday of each month and stalls are spread over the whole town. There's a wonderful flea market with vintage, antiques and collectibles, delicious food at the Artisan and Somerset Farmers markets, a general People's market and a cute Suitcase sale on Catherine Hill.

We drank steaming mugs of hot chocolate topped with cream and marshmallows from Lucille's chocolate caravan. Definitely helped to keep out the chill.

Ate amazing Salty Dog brownies from Dark Matters - absolutely scrummy!

Between showers we had a good look around the stalls in the Flea market. I'm hoping to have a stall at the market on 1 December so this was a good chance to see what I was letting myself in for!

There were some fabulous stalls there so it'll be a challenge looking half as inviting. I've been trying to figure out how to display everything and have a huge pile of stock in my sitting room waiting to be priced up. I'm going to add some colour with my collection of vintage scarves which look great hung from these covered hangers.

And I'm really enjoying researching everything - including this fabulous 1950s/60s brooch. I was disturbed though to discover that the fur on this is probably mink so I'll be sending any proceeds from it's sale to the RSPCA. 

I'm waiting for confirmation that I can take part so I'll give you an update as soon as possible. Have a fun week everyone!

Melanie Melanie

English Rose Vintage

Supersized sketch pad

Hi folks! 

I'm still fiddling about in our spare room, trying to turn it into a useful and inspiring work space. This morning I decided to transform my rather dull grey plastic crafting table into a useful sketch pad and doodling spot. I don't want to run to the expense of a new table when I have a perfectly functional one already but it is a very uninspiring, if practical, plastic fold up table. Great for doing fairs and shows but not great to look at on a daily basis and hardly conducive to flights of creative fancy.

I had thought about putting a pretty cloth over it but I need this table to be practical, especially when I begin to experiment with the resin jewellery again. Resin spills on paper are easy to deal with but resin on a plastic table may well stay there for ever. So, having seen something similar in a silver-smith's work room, I thought how positively spiffy it would be to have a table covered in paper so that I could scribble notes, designs, doodles, whatever, to my heart's content and then just screw it up and recycle when I'm done!

This very simple transformation required a box of greaseproof baking paper, scissors and sticky tape. Simply stretch out the paper, tuck over each end and stick in place. Pop a few extra strips of sticky tape at intervals to prevent it moving about too much. Repeat with another strip overlapping the last one, etc., until table is perfectly covered in paper. The table is plastic so there will be no harm in sticking the greaseproof paper to it with sticky tape.

There we have it - a supersized sketch pad. 

Perfect for researching my latest treasures and taking notes as I go or scribbling ideas as they pop into my head. 

What will you be doing today?

Take care folks

Melanie Melanie

Open for business

I got the bed. We picked it up yesterday and after a lot of huffing and swearing managed to put it together. It takes up quite a bit of the spare bedroom but as it serves as a day bed, pulls out into a double and has massive drawers for storage, it's going to prove a really useful bit of furniture. It's a perfect lounging spot for reading and snoozing too - I've tested it already. I covered it with a quilt I made with Hawaiian fabric years ago and a couple of cushions and throws for snuggling.

The other good news is the English Rose Vintage shop is open for business again at last. Best of all, Etsy has finally rolled out the facility to accept credit card payments and Etsy Gift Cards to the UK - thanks Etsy! So now it is possible to buy an Etsy Gift Card to be used in our shop or pay for your goods by card instead of PayPal.

I mentioned before that I'd already made some great vintage discoveries for the shop since we moved. Here's a sneaky preview of my favourites. 

I was very excited when I got my hands on these beautiful petit point boxes and tray.

There are two gilt boxes with hand stitched petit point flower panels in different designs. The petit point is in lovely condition as both have been protected by their original plastic covers. The covers need a bit of a clean up to show off the stitching to best advantage so I shall be doing that before I list them.

The tray is quite beautiful, with an embroidered central panel surrounded by lace held between two pieces of glass in a gilt frame. 

Such a pretty set. Can't wait to get these in the shop, although they would look so good on my new dressing table. I must resist temptation...

I have plans for a revamp of the shop soon. I'm working on a new look including banner, avatar, etc. The plan is to use some lino cutting equipment I received as a gift to make my own design, which I will print onto business cards, postcards, tea towels, and anything else I can think of or get my hands on. My aim for this week is to transfer my first design to the lino block and cut it out. I will show you the results - even if it's a disaster!

  

Sorted!

Well, the gorgeous 1950s wardrobes and dressing table were delivered by two burly chaps from the second-hand store and have now taken pride of place in our bedroom. I was very relieved to find that they did fit after all. I had somewhat guessed their sizes as I hadn't taken a tape measure with me when we bought them. 

They are very heavy so we were glad of the help in getting them into place. The wood is a beautiful warm honey colour with a delightful pattern to it.

We have a wardrobe each and I, naturally, nabbed the one with most hanging space. Both are beautifully made and they even have hidden drawers in the bottom. We searched for a hidden drawer in the dressing table - hoping for treasure or long lost love letters - but sadly no joy there.

The lovely handles look like glass but are actually plastic. I'm so glad we spotted these - such luck!

We have spent this weekend clearing the mess that is the second bedroom and transforming it into a workspace come spare room. We just need a guest bed now - I'm bidding on one on Ebay now but don't hold out much hope of winning - wish me luck!

More next time on some fabulous finds from our local car boot sale and a pretty floral lace panel I bought on Ebay for the bedroom window.

Take care till then and have a happy week,

Melanie

Victorian Calligraphy

Hi again!

I thought I would quickly share with you this Victorian (1878) legal document that I've just listed in the English Rose Vintage shop.

It's quite a beauty! Three very large pages (about 26 x 21 inches) of lovely calligraphy on vellum including signatures and various seals and stamps.

The pages are still joined at the bottom by fabric ties, held in place on the front with red wax seals. It would be relatively simple to separate the sheets so that they could be framed separately. There seems to be plenty of information online about taking creases out of vellum, although I've never tried this myself. I'd be interested to know if anyone has done this.

The document relates to a Mortgage of property in Marylebone (then in Middlesex) on behalf of Mr Frederick Mark and Messrs Constable Curtis and Frederick S Clarkson. It is for £1,500, which would have been a very considerable sum in the Victorian era. I had a lot of fun trying to find these characters online and managed to trace some information regarding the Constable Curtis family as that is such a distinctive name. There is a record of a Constable Curtis who died on 30th March 1909 at The Hall, Great Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. He was a retired Captain of the 12th Royal Lancers and left the huge sum of c. £59,000 in his estate. I think this is the same person, as the Mortgage was witnessed by Edward Constable Curtis (Gentleman), Constable's eldest son.

A fascinating piece of history that I think would look wonderful mounted into antique frames. There are also endless possibilities for scanning the document and using this gorgeous calligraphy in crafting projects such as decoupage.

I'm planning another treasure hunt tomorrow morning so there will be no lie-in for me this Sunday! 

Whatever you're up to this weekend, have a happy time,

M 

Very Juicy

Howdy peeps!

I'm going to be listing some new treasures in the shop over the coming weeks so here's a sneaky look at something new in the English Rose Vintage shop today. It's 8.00am and I've done something useful already today - woo hoo!

This little ceramic citrus juicer has tiny little bunches of purple flowers on the inside and 'A Present from Evesham' in gold lettering on the outside. 

It's quite a delicate little juicer, at just over 3" across, and is perfect for gently squeezing lemon on a fillet of fish or squeezing a little lemon in your tea.

I'm hoping to get out to do some more treasure hunting this weekend - hope this gorgeous weather keeps up a little longer!

Take care

M

Coming soon!

Hello my dears. I've been busy researching some of the treasures I brought home on Sunday from my Boot Fair trip and I thought you might enjoy a little taster of my discoveries before they are all listed in the Etsy shop.

 

 

The beautiful blue earrings with silver screw-backs, the vintage papier mache box with pretty floral lid and the 1950s leather gloves are already in the store and the rest should hopefully follow soon. I'm currently researching the very large Victorian mortgage document - and jolly interesting stuff it is too! 

Springish!

Hello there my darlings! Hope you all had an enjoyable Easter. I had a wee break from work, which I spent at home with my sweet man. We kept to our new 'tradition' and treated ourselves to some delicious chocolate from our favourite chocolate shop in Henley. Of course, we just had to indulge in a cup of steaming hot Madagascan chocolate while we were there too! Absolutely yummy, and all the better for being served in dainty vintage cups. I also spent a little time making some truffles to take to my work chums before we went on our hols.

 

I made up a simple ganache of cream and chocolate and piped little blobs onto a tray when it was beginning to set. A short stay in the fridge and they were ready to roll into balls and cover in toasted coconut, toasted nuts or cocoa powder mixed with icing sugar.

 

 

Needless to say, they didn't hang around long!

 

I also dusted off my broom and gave the house a thorough going over - and then stood back to admire my handiwork.

 

 

We added some Spring flowers and almost convinced ourselves that Spring had actually arrived!

 

Great news! Today I went to my first boot sale of the year! Hurrah! The sun actually shone and, although it was a little breezy, I had lots of fun browsing the various stalls and unearthed some wonderful treasures for my Etsy shop. Some are in there already so why not pop over and take a look?

 

Have a lovely week!