A Vast Array of Vintage Treasures!

Where does the time go? I can't believe we have a Bank Holiday weekend coming up! I can imagine those of you with children are already thinking of the new school term that will soon be upon us.

August hasn't been the scorcher it usually is, but at least everything in the garden is still looking fresh and green and we haven't had to endure too many sleepless nights due to the heat! We've had such a busy time here at Vintage Home; in particular we have been producing several more commissions with a Union Jack theme!

Mike's 'Man-Made' label is doing well and he has even found time to make a few extra cushions for the website; aren't they super?!

We have updated the website today with lots of super vintage treasures - there are far too many to mention but here is a little taster for you...

This piece of old fabric is quite stunning...

Does this young girl remind you of anyone..?

...and of course it simply wouldn't be Vintage Home if we didn't have a good smattering of roses! Here is a gorgeous big pitcher...

...a beautiful oil painting which is 102 years old...

...and one of several religious prints.

As well as finding lots of vintage treasures, we've also been adding some extra vintage charm to some of them, including a comfy seat pad for this stool...

...and a pretty new covering for this chair seat.

We're hoping to spend the Bank Holiday weekend in the garden if the weather permits, as well as visiting family and friends. Hope you all have a wonderful week and weekend!

Nature and Nurture

This Summer has proved to be wonderful for fruit growing and our apple trees are laden with fruit.

Our strawberries have all-but taken over the garden, and it looks as if our Autumn raspberry canes will be supplying us with an early bumper crop.


There has been a delightful wonder of nature in our garden - I recently showed you photos of the many flowers in our garden and mused that I will probably plant a pale pink hollyhock next year. Well, one has appeared in amongst the darker pink flowers - isn't it pretty?

I shall have to wish for a few more things..!


Although we've had some rather 'up and down' weather when the sun comes out and the clouds disappear it is perfect, with beautiful blue skies and balmy breezes. This year's hanging baskets are a subtle blue and yellow theme, complementing the wisteria foliage.

As well as sporting bags with the Union Jack we're also flying the flag over the porch! The glare of the sun has given it quite a glow, so it's really standing out in this photo!!

Some weeks ago, every time I walked down the garden, I heard a high pitched screeching very close by. We have a resident buzzard nearby and I wondered if it was the sound of its young. The noise persisted and after a few days we discovered the source of it. A baby hedgehog had fallen into an old post hole in my neighbour's garden! The little urchin was gently lifted out, given a plate of cat food and then we put him in a quiet place at the bottom of the garden. Yesterday, I stepped out of the studio and very nearly trod on that very same hedgehog!

He was foraging for food and very frantic in his search! We fetched some cat food and water and he tucked in greedily.

He was so friendly and kept running towards us (he kept trying to nip Mike's toes - wonder what he thought they were!) He was hard to catch on camera - as soon as we pointed it at him, he came running towards it! We popped him on the scales (removing the vintage stock first I should add!) and weighed and measured him. He was just 150mm long and weighed only 160 grams. Knowing he shouldn't have been out in the day, we contacted a local wildlife animal shelter called Oak and Furrow. They have taken him to their shelter where he will enjoy a stay for a few months, whilst they feed him up. When he is at a suitable weight he will be coming back to Pottery Cottage where he can hibernate for the winter. He may even bring a few friends with him - let's hope so, they'd be made very welcome!

The sun and rain have taken care of the prolific flora in the garden this summer, which is just as well because we have been very busy with the website and haven't had too much time to tend it! We updated the website earlier this week - here is a selection of the new stock. Some of these items have now sold but there's still plenty of pretty items to choose from!
A pretty meadow flowers eiderdown...

... and one of two rose-smothered French quilts!

A bizzie lizzie chintz plate...

...a charming French fabric covered box...

...and this huge, handmade runner - just gorgeous!

This weekend will be filled with a visit to an annual car boot sale in the grounds of a local National Trust house, a spot of pick-your-own for some lovely fresh fruit, and some pottering in the garden - weather permitting of course! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Flying the Flag!

We're pretty patriotic here at Vintage Home and are proud to fly the Union Jack! (Apparently, I am informed that it is only called the Union Jack when flown at sea, when flown on land, it should be referred to as the Union Flag!) But I digress! I think it's a wonderful design and you will have seen some interesting versions of it this season, both on the fashion scene and in the world of home furnishing! We have been playing around with some bag and cushion designs and thought we'd share them with you. Here is a super-size shopper, it's proved very useful for trips to flea markets and antique fairs! It has some lovely detail in it and is made from several vintage fabrics - and not just English textiles...!


This gorgeous old 1940s fabric with pretty blue poppies and yellow foxgloves against a stunning red background is French!

It has been lined with the same pretty English barkcloth we used for the windows in the clock house, and there are a couple of handy pockets for those essential bits and pieces.

I added this pretty pansy brooch as a finishing touch and I'm keeping a look out for some more colourful old brooches - this is such a bright and cheerful bag so I think it will become a firm favourite!

This is our cushion version of the Union Jack.


This is made from some really lovely old fabrics and crochet trim. It was a new addition to the website but has now been sold, although we may be adding a new design soon!

Before I go, I must thank Sairer, who very kindly named me as one of the 'Five Blogs that make her Day!'

My apologies for the delay in responding Sairer, I am really chuffed to have received the award! I would also like to thank every one for the amazing response to our recent website updates; we are busy preparing our latest goodies for the shop so I think I had better get back to work - have a wonderful week!

In an English country garden...

So far we have had a very rainy July and it hasn't been possible to spend as much time in the garden as we would like. This morning was fine and dry so out came the camera! The sun was a tad shy at times and kept disappearing behind the clouds, but we managed to capture some of our abundant roses and exuberant flora! Our lavender is looking wonderful this year - if you enlarge the photos you will see a very welcome visitor...

This rose is a beautiful and prolific rambler which would probably take over the entire garden if we let it!

This is a lovely spot to sit, just outside our garden studio, surrounded by the rambling rose. Do you like the Union Jack cushion? Many months ago, a friend suggested we make a floral one - lo and behold floral Union Jack cushions started appearing everywhere! We decided on something a little different and it is perfect for resting your head whilst reading!

Here is one of our lilies, the scent in the evenings is wonderful...

Every year I wonder why I haven't planted more of these cottage garden plants, perhaps next year I will add some of the soft pink variety as a subtle contrast...

I cannot remember the name of this striking flower, but we have filled our hanging baskets with it this year...

It's a good year for apples - here are our 'cookers' our other trees are laden with 'eaters'!

This is an iceberg climber, a new addition to the garden. It was planted in memory of our 'old lady' cat, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago, aged 20.

We also planted a very pretty shrub rose called 'sweet haze' and a particular favourite of mine, the very old rosa gallica 'versicolor' (sometimes called rosa mundi.) I always think of it as the raspberry ripple rose! They were heavy with blooms a week ago but there were none to see today, if they produce any more I will take some photos.

I will leave you with this photo of an old knife sharpener; you fill it with water and turn the stone to sharpen the knife blade. It belonged to Mike's grandfather, who was a very keen gardener.

I hope you have enjoyed the photos. We will be updating the website over the next few days, but I hope to get out in the garden too - I have heard rumours of sunshine... Have a great weekend!

A Splendour of Summer Florals

I recently bought a large quantity of textiles and have been slowly sorting through them. There are all sorts of wonderful old linens and barkcloths and some super patterns. A few of them have been added to the Vintage Home website and I thought I would share some of my favourites with you. Those shown here are all English fabrics as I am yet to sort through the French ones! Above, is a close-up of a bold and beautiful barkcloth door curtain.
This is a close-up of a stunning floral linen fabric, with a gorgeous blue background.

How about this for a cheerful fabric? This is a large piece of a boldly patterned 60s towelling - perfect for a retro bathroom!
This is quite stunning; a 1940s printed linen, covered in a wealth of pretty Spring flowers.

We were really lucky to get hold of some pretty eiderdowns - alas, they had seen better days so we re-used the fabric and made lots of patchwork cushions, these look lovely layered on a bed or garden bench.

These sweet trailing roses are a delight...

This is one of my favourites; cameos with tulips and pretty paisleys.

Briar roses, trailing roses and paisleys.

As well as sorting the textiles, I have a few projects on the go; I am re-upholstering a large footstool and re-vamping an old cupboard. Then there are 'new' curtains to be made for the living room (from old fabric naturally!) and a very 'vintage' tandem (a recent quirky buy!) which needs some tlc - photos will follow soon!

Enjoy the rest of your week and the coming weekend!