Not for the faint hearted.

Even though everyone tried their best to dissuade me from going to the forth coming antique fair so soon after my illness,

my mind was made up and my heart set on getting there early.

I like to have everything ready the night before for a quick morning getaway. 

Got to bed at midnight and was up and on my way at 2.30am to a market not yet explored by my bleary eyed persona -NEWARK.

After arriving at 4.15am there was some time to kill as the gates don't open for trade till 5.30 so,as you can tell by this rather boring photo, I had very little to do but to sit in the warm car and play around with my iphone camera.

 

As the darkness gave way to the glorious dawn, fabulous stalls came into view like this one, filled to the brim with authentic costumes of various ages from famous and much loved theatre productions of the West End.

Some stands were still decanting; after all, it was only 6.45 in the morning.

 These lovely dovecotes are hand made in various sizes. If you look closely you'll see that some have more 'holes' of different dimensions. The larger ones are for Doves and smaller for Blackbirds,Thrushes, Starlings etc.

After a liquid breakfast in the form of a hot chocolate, I went on exploring the ever growing number of stands.

This Gustavian dresser cought my eye and the collection of the beautiful Italian confit jars was simply irresistible to pass by.

 I wasn't about to leave empty handed either.

 This sweet German spice kitchen cupboard had my name all over it so,

 it too came home with me.Now in my shop, it's wonderful china pull out draws command a lot of interest.

Some other items sneaked into the boot too

 These horses and mice were carved by hand from a tree root. Not something I usually pick up at an antique fair but each one totally unique and beautiful.

One can never have too many monogrammed antique linens.

 This is my next project,just need to decide on the paint colour.Suggestions very welcome. 

Wishing you all a sunny weekend.

xxx

The last two weeks had me conquered by an illness hence the silence but I want to share with you photos of some earlier excursions.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that I've been teleported to some sun drenched French village to sample the delights of the week's marche and soak up the Spring sunshine.

In fact these pictures were taken just before Easter in a beautiful Cotswold town of Stow-on-the-Wold

Yes, the French market visited bringing with it not just the sun's rays but all the glorious colours, tastes, fragrances and sounds of our Gallic neighbours.

Needless to say, we made a lousy job of 

resisting temptation and came home laden with 

freshly baked baguettes, cheeses, olives salami and a basket to carry it all in. Then we had a sampling session.

Perfect.

We also visited an open garden held in ABBOTS WOOD HOUSE.

Its an amazing place, owned by an American octogenarian oil magnate.This fabulous Victorian mansion is enveloped in acres of beautiful gardens and grounds. 

Each garden is expertly managed by 

ONE MAN !!! 

And, finally, I've been trying out my iphone camera.

Nothing brilliant,just a bit of snapping fun.

Well, that's it for today. Back again soon.

XXX

Finding treasures

Regardless of how hectic life gets, juggling family and the shop, I will ALWAYS find time and energy for a little treasure hunt.

My recent trawl took me to a local flea market where I managed to find these curios

Although the last couple of weeks has been uncommonly warm, I didn't hesitate to grab this beautiful vintage eiderdown and just in time; its been much appreciated on the frosty nights that have descended upon us of late. 

I could not resist this charming prayer book.It has a birthday dedication on the inside front page dating back to 1879.

Bound in leather and ivory/bone it carries some inscriptions at the back which give a little insight into the owner's chronology.

Inside I found this lovely woven label used as a bookmark.

I may not read all of them but books with pretty covers are my weakness. This one is about the lives of some of the American heroes.

I knew that the vintage toy chair would have it's uses...

These mouth blown vintage scent bottles are styled on the ancient Venetian glass files from the 17th and 18th century.

This antique childrens 'recovery' wheel chair was  one of those quirky items I could not walk past.It's so beautifully made by a Parisian craftsman. Dating back to 1800's it still works perfectly. Although the Teddy loves it I hope it will find a happy new owner soon.

Ever wished that people knew how you Really felt...these old ceramic tragedy masks are just what you need to make that message clear. 

 My collection of bells is slowly growing.They go well with our oil paintings. The hand carved wooden one at the bottom is my favourite so far. 

The 1940's vanity case was a real catch and it's perfect for housing all these other lovely bits.

Jersey pottery piggy bank from 1930's

I like the detail on these silver plated Apostle coffee spoons.

And after you've had your afternoon tea with all those obligatory scones and cucumber sandwiches, you'll need to sweep up the crumbs.

 Well, I've got to go, have some unfinished projects not to mention a Mount Everest of ironing to climb so good night ,sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite.
             xxx