Lanterns! It's not quite halloween, but here's some we made earlier

Setting aside the fact that it is getting colder, and we're heading towards winter, we still love this time of the year. With "the nights fair drawing in" it is time to get the house all cosied-up. We have a fair few vintage pieces of lighting, especially lava lamps, to help warm up the look of the house, but this is a great way to light up your life in October - the Jack-O-Lantern. We made these ones a few years back now. Every year we try to get a bigger pumpkin than last - you need to be quick though, there are many out there with the same idea. The supermarkets are usually brimming with pumpkins throughout October, but if you like a nice drive in the countryside, there are usually farmers selling pumpkins direct to the public.

Cute sunflower plate

I think someone wants to keep this, but check for availability - ask via Twitter

Shabby chic trivet or pot stand

Check for availability - Ask via Twitter

Vintage long floral tray

Check for availability -  ask via Twitter

Vintage floral fibreglass bowl

Check for availability. Ask via Twitter

Fabulous cute bookends

What a lovely pair of boy-girl bookends. They seem to be swapping flowers. I don't think these are British. Do you recognise the clothes they are wearing? These are quite small, so are just fine for loading up a collection of little books up on a mantelshelf. These are available. Ask via Twitter

Of course you remember Octons...

... but let's see if you can give your age away by telling us all what came before them?

1948 Larry the Lamb Portrait of the Mayor by SG Hulme Beaman Toy Town Series

 

As well as collecting vintage homewares we have picked up a number of books over the years - we have squillions* of books, and these really do need to find a new home. Some are quite collectable so will be sold at a fair and appropriate price

* well maybe not squillions, but definitely more than we can handle

Vintage kitsch print Alfredo Palmero - Rossana Podestà ?

We were so sorry to see this beautiful lady go. 

 

It has been suggested to us that the model might have been Rossana Podestà, best known for her lead role in Robert Wise's 1956 film  Helen of Troy. The artist is Alfredo Palmero de Gregorio. If anyone knows with any certainty if Rossana Podestà was the model, leave a comment or drop us a note via Twitter

Sold! Sorry!

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Vintage vanity weekend case with bottles & containers & Addis nail file & key

This is a bit of a project, though is a smashing item; including the bottles and containers held in rouched elasticated bands. There are also pockets/pouches and a mirror. Includes the key. I don't know the age of this, but I think a fair guess would be 1960s. The metal parts are showing signs of age. I can't see a make on this, though there is a Made in England label. Sadly the lining has become 'foxed' (see the image of the open case below). Lining is starting to come away at the corner and will be OK with care. You might want to re-line this and the clever and arty amongst you will see this as a challenge.  Aside from stated the case is in VERY GOOD condition.

In one fell swoop... part one

We do get asked by regulars what new collectables we have, and which ones we are letting go of. We keep promising to create some sort of website, so that you can just add it to your favourites and peek in every now and again. This has taken much longer than anticipated, mainly due to a lack of knowledge in the "how to make websites, blogs etc..." department. As you can see, at the moment this blog design is very plain.

It is about time you got to see some of the bits we have been promising, so this post is just going to be a pile of pictures. don't forget, there are other earlier posts for you to browse through, with a bit more detail behind them.

If you have your eye on anything, the quickest way to contact us is to follow us on Twitter and send a message

Enjoy 

In one fell swoop... part two

Here is part two

If you have your eye on anything, the quickest way to contact us is to follow us on Twitter and send a message

Has to be a favourite book cover of all time

The colours on the cover of this book are so deliciously rich. This one is available.

We do like a Westie - Westclox that is!

When I say Westie, I don't mean West Highland Terrier, but a clock made by Westclox. Here in Britain this is one of those symbols of homelife - the good old Westclox alarm clock on the bedside table. The words "Westclox, Scotland" on the "Big Ben Repeater", for example, are ingrained in our psyche in much the same way as The Shipping Forecast. Although the Westclox Clock is, or should I say was, an established part of British life, many of us have assumed over the years that it was a British brand. This is not the case: Westclox was an American company, starting up in Connecticut in 1885. It was not until 1948 that Westclox clocks were manufactured in Scotland at a factory in Dumbarton. Still, with that knowledge, we still will consider the Westclox clock as very British, in  a similar way that we consider the Ford Cortina a 'British' standard.

 

A candle powered Mathmos Lava Lamp! Would you believe it?

So my last post was all about 1970s power cuts and how people had to light up their life with torches and candles. Even though the 1970s saw widespread use of the Lava Lamp, they would have been pretty useless during a power cut. It is such a shame that candle-powered Lava Lamps, such as this one, weren't around then, as they are now. These are made by Mathmos. No electricity required - just needs a good quality tealight and a reasonable wait of about 20-30 minutes to get going. We already have far too many Lava Lamps, as you will see from our future posts, so this R1 and the bigger O1, are available.

It was all dark in the 1970s

Back in the 1970s, the "Three Day Week", was introduced by the Conservative government to preserve electricity at a time when there was a good deal of industrial action. Essentially this was a rationing of electricity - this meant heating and lighting were off the menu at times. You were probably a little luckier if you had a gas supply, for at least you would have some heating and a facility to cook. For most though, there would be no light. This meant having to light your way with candles, or use battery powered torches. The torches in the picture are probably the sort of thing you would have used back in the dark days of the 1970s to light up your life. Although very inconvenient for all concerned, youngsters back then were more inventive with their time and actually embraced the dark hours for a bit of fun - I hate to think how the Playstation generation would cope now with no electricity.

Cream & green enamel vintage shabby chic kettle

I think this is a judge brand kettle, as it has a logo of a judge on the lid-knob. This one is ready to fly the nest and is available. Sorry this one has gone.

For a cosy corner

This is what happens when you mix the old with the new! The lamp base is a fairly recent creation - the lampshade I feel is from the 1970s, though it would be at home in a room themed in the 50s, 60s or 70s depending on exacly what touch you have put to it. We no longer have a cosy corner to put it in, so it is now available. Please ask.

Vintage Coral Radiogram Clock

This clock, in the shape of a radiogram, looks as if it has come straight out of a British manufacturer sometime in the 1950s or 1960s, but it is in actual fact Japanese and was probably made in the 1970s. No matter when or where it was made, it looks fab!

Teatime

We found these rather attractive demitasse at a car boot sale - they are not vintage, but they do have a bit of a look about them.

Sometimes your eye is just drawn in - Crackerjack Nutcrackers

What attracted me to these was not the nutcrackers themselves, but the box with its wonderful iconic illustration. This is one of those items where it says it all on the packet.