A Plea: Where is Summer?

No doubt many of you here in the UK have been affected by the torrential rains we have been having this Summer. I think the phrase 'what a washout' is somewhat understating the situation! Our village was cut off for a day or so due to flooded roads and lanes, but apart from a leak in the dormer window of our bathroom, I think we got off quite lightly. I can only imagine how I would feel if my home was under several feet of water. I feel I have spent far too much time stuck indoors this Summer and I would really like to be sitting on the bench above, reading a book and sipping a cold glass of wine on a balmy July evening...

...it would also be nice to have the stable door and windows open all day...

...but at least I don't have to water these very often!

On a happier note, look what I received in the post last week!

I was lucky enough to be the first name drawn for a super prize give-away of treats from Victoria's wonderful candle company Coasts of Cornwall. It was a lovely treat opening up the ribbon-tied packages, but an even better one when I breathed in the wonderful aromas!

Victoria had kindly sent me three candles; Lavender, Cinnamon and Rosewater, and Cotton. I cannot recommend these enough! The Cotton candle really does have the wonderful aroma of washing dried on the line - amazing!


Here's hoping that August will be the Summer we are all yearning for!

Random Facts!

Sue has tagged me - so kind! - to divulge 8 facts about myself! I shall leave you all to decide whether they are interesting or worthy of a blog post! I have kept the details uncharacteristically brief - it was either that or elaborate on each point far too much!

1. I've been on a submarine.

2. I ran a successful secretarial business for some years - but I've never learnt to touch type or do shorthand!

3. The words 'frock' and 'slacks' make me shiver!

4. My favourite 'comfort food' is a toasted teacake (or currant bun/hot cross bun!) with lashings of butter and tomato ketchup!

5. I absolutely cannot tolerate litter! If I see someone dropping any (whether or not they're a burly 6' 5" muscle-man!) I have to say something!

6. I have a phobia of showers - particularly enclosed ones! So it has to be a bath for me!

7. My favourite films are those such as Manhunter, Aliens, Silence of the Lambs and anything really gory or with a murdering psycho in it!

8. In total contrast to No. 7, I love animals - especially cats - am a vegetarian, and adore all things vintage and pretty!!!

I'm supposed to tag 8 other bloggers but I think most of the people I had in mind have already been tagged!

One rainy Sunday...

I think we've had more than a few rainy Sundays just lately, not to mention, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays etc! On just such a day a few weeks ago, I decided to turn my hand to a project I'd had in mind for a while. On one of my trips to a flea market, I'd bought an old wooden filing cabinet. It was painted white, with aluminium handles and was crying out for a transformation.

I had some 1940s wallpaper which I thought would be perfect, so I set to work!

It was a rather tricky job covering some of the corners but I got there in the end! I then had to find the right handles and settled on these milk glass grab handles, I think they finish it off nicely!

These drawers are destined for my new office but I think they look quite nice in my bedroom!

Have you been working on any 'rainy day' projects?

Who's that girl?

Last year, I wrote a post about a wonderful oil painting I have of a young girl called Alice Scatterbrook, painted in 1933 - here she is below:

Well, I have another mystery girl! This is a beautiful hand coloured and framed photo of an enigmatic young miss, with stunning tresses! She was captured at a time when, although the child is still very much present, you can see the elegant young lady she will become in a few years time. I don't know why, but when I first set eyes on her, the name 'Alice' jumped into my head! Wouldn't it be a wonderful coincidence if both my mystery girls shared the same name!

This charming young lady sat for this photo in 1927. I know this because when I got her home, the paper which had sealed the back crumbled in my hands and when I removed the tattered pieces I discovered some handwritten notes. Apparently it was 'urgent for Monday'! Not surprising really, considering the wonderful subject; I imagine the proud parents to have been eager to see the finished work! There is a name and address which is Hall, 12 Harrington Street and what looks like Norwich or Warwick - although the old fashioned and ornate writing is lovely, it is a little hard to decipher!

The detail of her embroidered and lace dress is exquisite and she is holding a pale pink rose in her hands to match the bow in her hair.
She was originally destined for my shop but the more I look at her the more I'd like to keep her! I know I shouldn't - I'm sure she would go to a good home! What do you think I should do?!

Paradise Found!

As many of you will already know from reading Niki's, Sue's and Ginny's blogs, Niki held a Vintage Sale at her home on Friday and Saturday. We visited on Friday and enjoyed a lovely lunch in the company of some even lovelier people! I can honestly say Niki has the most beautiful home, which is all down to her hard work and exceptional talent and creativity. Sue and I really were like young schoolgirls, clutching each other's arms and 'oohing' at everything!

Having seen some of the photos taken early on Friday, my only regret is that I didn't get there sooner! I did manage to come away with some really pretty items, some of which are shown here. Thank you Niki for a lovely time, some beautiful things and allowing us to see your wonderful home and garden!

After such an inspirational time I was eager to carry on shopping and spent Sunday treasure hunting for my website. One of the things I found was this lovely shell covered box - I haven't seen one for years and thought this was a really pretty example.

Now I must get back to working on the website! Until next time, here's a picture of one of my oldest roses, holding up bravely against the wind and rain that have been battering us for several days now!

Glorious Florals at Pottery Cottage!

I can hardly believe it's been over a week since my last post! I seem to be so busy at the moment finding stock for my shop and tending the garden - weather permitting! June hasn't exactly been glorious so far but the frequent rainfall has meant a bumper crop of blooms in every shape and form!

One of my favourite flowering plants is the geranium. Apart from the English cottage style which look so perfect in their terracotta pots, I also particularly love the hardy variety. Every year they provide a wonderful show of colour and at the last count I think I have 10 different varieties growing all over the garden.

This year my white campanula has done really well - but its adjacent neighbour - a beautiful blue one - did not appear!

Lupins are another favourite of mine - just as I took this picture a bee appeared - if you enlarge the photo you should be able to see him more clearly.

I am always reticent to cut the flowers which grow in my garden. So, when I saw this pretty floral oil painting at the flea market on Sunday I couldn't resist it! I do have an awful lot of floral paintings so I think I will part with this one and add it to my shop next week, along with lots of other pretty items.

In the meantime, there's more work to be done in the garden. Although I may just have to move those geraniums off the stool and sit and appreciate the garden for a while - not for long though, there's weeding and tidying up to be done! Enjoy the rest of your week!

A Focus on Books

A 'vintage home' wouldn't be complete without a good selection of vintage books, would it? I thought it was high-time I shared some of my old books with you - and the subject of books is very appropriate for me at the moment as I collected my new 'reading glasses' last week and at long last can have the pleasure of reading a book again! I think I was in denial for a while but my love of reading eventually drove me to the opticians and now I can be found sporting a pair of lilac-coloured glasses at reading time - well they had to be feminine didn't they?! - and any other time I need to check the small print!

One of my favourite books for 'dipping into' now and then is entitled 'House into Home' and was written by Elizabeth Kendall in 1962 - although you'd be forgiven for thinking it was written in the 1940s instead of the swinging sixties! it is full of wonderful old-fashioned advice and tips for furnishing, decorating, managing and organising your home. Every now and then I dip into it for a flavour of a bygone era. In her introduction to the book, Elizabeth closes the Preface with these words: 'Above all, I should like to thank my husband for his kind forbearance in letting me try to do three jobs at once'. This excerpt lets you know you're in for a real treat! Chapter 2 is my particular favourite and starts thus: 'When tired to tears after a day with a paint pot and with the clearing up - the worst part - still to do, I always say; "never again, I'll save up, give up smoking, anything, and have an interior decorator do the whole thing." But I doubt I ever will. Not that they aren't splendid chaps and worth the money they earn. It's a matter of temperament. To begin with, it's a fallacy to assume that these nice young men - and I've yet to meet one who wasn't competent, cheerful and charming - will relieve you of the responsibility...' They don't write 'em like that any more!

Apart from the obvious reason for buying books, I cannot help being drawn to the beautifully decorative dust jackets that old books have. It's amazing so many survive in such good condition. Classic childrens books are a wonderful example and carry fantastic illustrations...

...gardening books will always please the eye with their colourful displays of flowers and plants...

...this set of 'doctor' books were made into films in the 1960s - I love these illustrations!

I certainly intend to catch up with some reading over the Summer months - let's just hope I get used to carrying glasses around with me!

Floral Bounty!

I thought I would share some pictures of my flower beds with you. We have multi-coloured sweet williams growing everywhere this year and they look wonderful amongst the foxgloves.

I was amazed at this pretty pink rose - it has been squashed between the surrounding buds! If you enlarge the second photo, you will see an unwelcome guest! (Well, unwelcome where I'm concerned - they are not my favourite creepy-crawly!)


I had a couple of special packages arrive today! The lovely handmade tags and beautiful cards are from Alison of Foxgloves and the gorgeous corsages are from Kim of Ragged Roses! I was overjoyed when I opened up their delightfully wrapped goodies! It's one thing to receive these beautiful handmade items from such talented ladies but the thought and care which goes into their presentation is just amazing! Thank you both very much!

Beautiful Baskets!

It occurred to me the other day that some of the most beautiful objects around us are often the most practical. Baskets are so useful for everyday items but can also make a very pretty display too.

I think an old painted or fabric covered basket would be useful in every room of the house...

They are also ideal for filling with Summer blooms. I have some lovely big roses in my garden at the moment but I don't want to cut them - so here's the next best thing...

Mmm, I really do think I should start collecting vintage baskets!

What do you keep in yours?

Fabrics, Fragrance and Floribunda!

Well I never, what's this? Roses growing in my apple tree? No, but the next best thing; three of Niki's gorgeous handmade bags! I'm sure you've heard the expression that a girl can never have too many bags, well if they're made by Niki, then that is certainly true! I was lucky enough to 'bag' (excuse the pun!) the patchwork of roses bag yesterday, when she updated her website. It arrived today, how's that for service?!


Here are some more wonderful things I have recently acquired! I spotted this pretty glass lamp on ebay and luckily for me it was on a Buy It Now - so I did just that! It has little glass droplets just visible under the lampshade. The very kind seller sent me a surprise gift too, this really pretty oil painting of roses, how lovely! When I saw Sue recently at the antiques fair, I couldn't resist her handmade lavender bags made from vintage fabric; they smell wonderful! The lavender bag tied with black lace was another surprise gift from another ebay seller; aren't there some very generous people out there?! The beautiful wisteria note paper was made for me by Bonnie; thank you so much Bonnie, I really adore it and don't want to use it!

Here's a photo of one of my Sweet Williams, which are growing in abundance in my borders this year!

Last year they were non-existent but have decided to appear everywhere this year! Do you have any surprises growing in your garden?

Taking Stock!

I have been filling my cottage with beautiful and showy stocks! I love their heady scent and wonderful colours. It's been a busy time for me as I have also been gathering new stock for my shop. Then I realised that I had brought together several similar types of flowers!

I have found some beautiful things recently and many of them are decorated with pretty lilacs, lupins and stocks. This sewing box is covered in lilacs - and roses of course, I couldn't leave them out could I?!

This delightful old dish is decorated with lupins.

Some of these items will find their way into my shop in the coming days, that's if I can bear to part with them!

Finally, here are some photos of my rain-soaked irises. We've certainly had our share of rain this past week and the poor things were almost lying down with the weight of the raindrops! Now I must get back to working on the website; hope the sun is shining wherever you are!