Mini bunting

I started making this mini bunting last night. I found the idea in Prima Summer Makes, which comes free with the main magazine this month (June issue). It's a very pretty magazine, with some very nice makes.

Prima often uses the stylist Selena Lake, author of the brilliant Homespun Style, and sure enough, she had styled the feature with the mini bunting. I love this shot:

Of course I've seen bunting patterns many times before, but this was the feature which made me want to make it (probably because it's so easy, no hemming required, just a quick whizz with the sewing machine).

A great chance to use up some of those tiny scraps of fabric that I've been hoarding.

And just in time for my own vintage garden sale, too....

Trolley good

This chap will be coming with me to the Foxtail Lilly vintage sale on Saturday. I've had him for a while but the time has come for us to part. I've had a very indulgent day as it's my birthday. The weather is pants again, so I had to forgo my usual celebratory walk to see the lilac and bluebells. Instead, I had elevensies, takeaway cappuccino and cherry and almond cake from the Wansford Cakery (a tiny bakery in a nearby village). Then I did a bit of work, before husband and I walked down to the village pub for lunch. Now I am home and messing about with my stock for Saturday.
I have a new accessory, an absolutely stonking great hostess trolley which I found in Age UK yesterday. It was only a fiver, and it really is vast. 

It is a bit brown, so it might get repainted at some stage, but I foresee many uses for this.

Lots of smaller bits and pieces for Saturday, which require a still, sunny day with absolutely no rain or any elements of any kind. Do you think that might be possible in our crazy climate? I have lots of old toys, nursery things and a very cute old Triang desk and chair.

Now I'm off to listen to my new Richard Hawley cd (thank you to my brother for that) and to make some mini bunting :)

May Day Sale

We set up in sunshine at the sale today, but on the dot of 1pm, as the gates opened, so did the heavens! It was a bit of a torrent, to put it mildly. Fortunately, as I'd been obsessed with the weather over the last few days, I knew that's what was going to happen, so I'd stashed all of my linens and textiles in the trusty family tent. It's not as nice as having them outside, but needs must...
And despite the rain, the people came. Considering the conditions, I did pretty well. It's always fascinating to see what sells. This year, my plant stands were gone before they touched the ground, and pictures were another popular seller. I sold the big brown trunk, too, which frees up some space in our shed.

The green shoes were sought after! I could have sold them five times over. Vintage clothes are flying high just now, especially with teenage girls. My son tells me it is now cool to dress different in teenage girl world. Amen to that. However, I didn't take my clothes rail and dresses, as I didn't think people would want to be trying them on.

Next door was my friend Lucy with her wonderful handmade creations. I love that posse of teens at the back of her stall!

Now it's all over, the skies are clear again. Never mind, I met some great people today, including a blog reader  (lovely to meet you!), and I am looking forward to doing another sale next week at Foxtail Lilly in Oundle. 11am-3pm, 41 South Rd, Oundle, with some slightly different stock. I'm tottering off to Pilates now to unkink my back :)
Hope you all had a great holiday Monday....

Vintage interlude

Up too late for the car boot sale today, but I was in time to pop into Oundle for a Vintage and Handmade fair that had been advertised heavily in our area. I was very intrigued to see what was going on.

Lots of people in the hall, and vintage was flying off the stalls. The craft sellers weren't doing so well, but if you had a stand with clothes, books, china or linens on it, I think you would have been pretty happy.

Kangaroo with a baby in its pocket was very tempting, but I resisted.

I did make a purchase. Quite excited about this really, although I can't imagine it ever being warm enough to wear it....

Then home to spend a few hours in the garden, where the sun even made a hazy appearance. Husband and my Dad have put up some willow fence panels, which are just lovely. So, a very good day indeed.

Almost ready

Just making the final preparations for my sale (and refusing to read the weather forecast for Monday, although I know a deluge is likely). I will be there, in my tent if necc. Here are a few goodies for sale....

I had a stroke of luck on Friday. I'd driven deep into the Fens to do an interview with a lovely artist (she works from a Nissan hut which was full of amazing found objects and vintagey things). On my way home, I saw there was an outdoor auction at the Buttercross in a market town. Of course I stopped the car, and investigated. There was a lot of car bootish kind of stuff, but I did get a nice old watering can and if I'd had time to stay longer I'd have bid for more, but I was on school collection duty so I had to dash. I shall go again, as it was fun, and is apparently breathing new life into quite a run down town centre. I'll remember my camera next time, too :(

We've just been to see my father in law in Norfolk, but there was no time to call at the antiques centre today, as there is something called a Cup Final on TV, or so I'm told...my house has certainly gone very, very quiet.

Vintage experiments

Today we were photographing the front cover for the June issue of Nene Valley Living. I wanted a Jubilee theme, and as I like to make my possessions work for their living, I decided that I would use my green Duchess cycle as the main model. So, there we were in photographer Lesley Anne's garden, in a very high wind (no rain, thankfully) with flags flapping wildly and union jack whirly things whizzing off into orbit. It is never as easy as you think it will be! Should  less be more, or more be less? I am still never sure when it comes to covers, and we have done quite a few now. 

Then we had a bit of a play around.

I can never resist packing a few extra props, 'just incase.' So it seemed a shame not to give them an airing, too. I quite like the toffee tin planter with its viola crown. That will probably make an appearance on my stall next week.

Thank you Lesley Anne, and baby Freddie, who kept a calm eye on the proceedings today....

Electronic May Day

Well, it is so wet and cold out there that it really doesn't feel like May Day at all, so I am just posting a few photos of last year's sunnier spring to cheer myself up. I've also been to Zumba this morning, as I try to do every Tuesday, and it struck me, as I was prancing around (quite often in the wrong direction) that a lot of the basic steps we use are very similar to the ones that we learned in country dancing at my small village primary school all those May Days ago. The thought wouldn't go away and it amused me (we certainly didn't dance to Pitbull or Ricky Martin way back when!).

 We used to make up posies of flowers and go around the village giving them out to residents, dancing at street corners and on the green. The smell of certain flowers still takes me right back, lilac especially. I remember that I had a red cotton dirndl skirt with white ric rac braid and white knee socks.

Strangely enough, I don't remember any rainy May Days, my memories are bathed in sunshine and nostalgia. Hopefully soon I can go out with my camera and capture some shots of 2012 blossom. Can't wait! 

Preparations

Today it is pelting with rain, and has been ever since I got up. So, what better opportunity to get lots of things ready for my two sales? I have accumulated a lot of stuff over the last few years, and it really is time to let some of it go. I'm making up sets of mismatched china and putting them into old baskets lined with vintage fabric.

I started to set a few things out, as I always get flustered on sale day, and I need an idea of what I've got and where it will all go (last year everything sort of ended up in a heap on the floor). This is a rough idea of how it will look, although there is at least four times as much as this, plus furniture and two enormous trunks of linen. Oh my goodness, I hope I get a fine day as it's all open air and my trusty tent will only hold so much.

There are so many little bits and pieces, packets of this and that....

Who needs a vintage app for photos when you have a day as grey as today? It is soooo dark. 
The dolls house is finished and ready for its new home. It was made by my Dad in the early 1970s and before its makeover, it looked like this:

I set to work repainting and wallpapering, and ended up with this (it was much harder to do than I'd thought).

A smart new exterior. And inside....

The furniture is mainly the original Dol-Toi brand, but some of it has gone astray, so I'm sure  the new owner will have fun hunting down some new pieces to complete the rooms. 
Finally, sales are going to be here: Elton Village Green, near Peterborough May 7th, 1pm-5pm
Foxtail Lilly Vintage Day, Saturday May 12th, 41 South Road, Oundle, Northants, 11am-3pm (tea and home made cakes on sale, too). There will be other dealers here, as well as Tracey's little barn shop open, with some gorgeous vintage available.
If you live nearby, come and say hello.

Foxtail Lilly barn shop, on a much sunnier day than today!

The beauty of buttons

Back in my routine now, and a very rainy and grey market day yesterday. I wanted to do a final trawl of the charity shops to see if I could find any little extras for my sales, which are approaching fast. I found: one old bottle, a pretty book, six wooden cotton bobbins....and I was just giving up when I came across these sensational buttons. I think some of them are really old, almost all of them are mother of pearl. Charity shops usually sell buttons individually now, but these were a whole basketful sold as one lot.
The best bit about buying buttons is sorting them out, as you never quite know what you've got until you inspect them very closely. This little crescent moon shaped one is my favourite, I have never seen one before:

I was hoping to paint some final pieces of furniture outside today, but that won't be happening, as our forecast is dire, and for tomorrow, too. I'm going to do some baking for a 50th birthday party later, and put the final touches to the dolls house I've been renovating. A friend spotted it on the blog and said she would like to have it, so it has a good  home all ready and waiting. I'll pop some pics on later....