Beautiful Vintage has arrived in the Shop!

Yes, we thought we would round the month of January off with a beautiful fresh selection of stock for you all. There is a lovely variety of embroidered textiles, gorgeous bedding including a superb patchwork bedspread and a very pretty floral quilt. There are some delightfully decorative homewares; the Italian dish is particularly lovely and the Edwardian pitcher is a real beauty - a few examples are shown below. We hope you can stop by for a browse: Click here for the Vintage Home shop!
 Tulips nightdress case...

Pink roses water pitcher...

Decorative Italian dish...

Beautiful birds letter holder...

Felt flowers tea cosy...

Pretty English florals quilt...

Colourful patchwork...

Thank you to everyone for your custom and very kind words, see you all again soon!

A Special Gift of Time...

We showed a picture in the previous post, of a beautiful clock which Mike restored for my birthday. We have had quite a few emails asking to see more pictures and to hear more about it - so we couldn't disappoint! Here it is waiting for me to unwrap it on the morning of my birthday!

We found the clock quite by accident. We were driving back from Ludlow one day and saw a sign for 'antiques' and naturally, we just had to stop for a browse so we pulled off the road and found a collection of small lock-ups. Parking outside one of the buildings, we could see they were crammed with all sorts of items, mainly furniture. As I got out of the car, a side door opened and there, through the doorway, I spied the prettiest painted clock I had ever seen. Well actually, it was a clock in a very sorry state! The doors were hanging off, the glass was broken or missing and the pendulum was propped up against the wall. Although all the workings appeared to be there, we didn't know what would be needed to get it working again - but it was so beautiful I didn't think that far ahead!

It is a French farmhouse longcase clock - or comtoise - and dates to around 1840. These clocks were often given as a wedding present and the brass pediment and pendulum bear symbols of companionship, love, prosperity and fertility. These symbols take many different forms and ours has peacocks on the pediment and fruit and corn on the pendulum. Occasionally, the pendulums were painted and traces of the coloured paints can still be seen on ours. The enamel face bears the name of the place it was made and as well as the numerals, it has the rare addition of the days of the month.

The pretty green paintwork and folk-style painted floral detail is all original to its age - something which is very important to us (I know all you lovers of vintage will understand that!)

Mike spent many hours restoring the clock; cleaning the brass pediment, pendulum and all of the many brass workings of the clock movement. He fitted new glass and tracked down some old weights - he even managed to get hold of an old key, for winding it. He left the exterior as it was found, naturally; we both love that time-worn appeal!

So now our home has the sound of a gentle 'tick-tock' and pretty chiming on the hour and half hour. I never thought I would own such a wonderful old timepiece as this - and I'm sure Mike never thought he would find a new vocation as a clock restorer!

The fully restored workings - everything is original but looking so very shiny now!

A New Year's Gift to You!

A Very Happy New Year to you all! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to 2013. There's no doubt that 2012 will be a memorable year in many ways - not least for the exceptional amount of rain which fell on the UK! This New Year's Day has dawned bright and sunny with blue skies; let's hope it is a sign of a brighter outlook for the year ahead. To start 2013 off on the same positive note, we are pleased to offer our wonderful blog followers a 10% discount on any item from the Vintage Home Online Shop purchased from 1st to the 7th of January. Just add VHNY to the message box of the order form and we will do the rest! We'd also like to share a few photos taken this Christmas.

The dining room is always the place to relax in comfort on the chaise longue!

The Christmas tree festooned with decorations.

'The Gift of Time'. This 170 year old French clock was restored by Mike for my birthday just before Christmas - I think it is the most beautiful and special present I have ever had.

A really big thank you to everyone for your custom throughout 2012. We appreciate your lovely comments and are thrilled when we find those beautiful vintage treasures that you all adore. All the very best for the New Year! Clare and Mike @ Vintage Home.

Make it a Vintage Christmas!

We have just added lots of really super vintage items to the website! There is still plenty of time to treat yourself, a friend or a loved one to something beautifully unique and vintage for Christmas. We have a vast array of goodies in all guises for all pockets including a stunning French red Provence eiderdown, which the little Scottie dog has taken a fancy to!
There's also this beautiful watercolour of a crocus bowl, it is so very pretty.

There are a host of homewares to help dress your home this Christmas, including a holly and birds tin...

...a seriously sweet kitten waste bin...

...and a pair of utterly charming bookends in the form of prancing ponies.

For those of you who like to keep those hands busy, we have a superb 1930s needlework book in mint condition...

...and a delightful French sewing case.

If you enjoy traditional games at Christmas, then the very rare Ring its Neck hoop-la game is definitely for you! A cheeky turn of phrase and spelling aside, as cat lovers, we see the funny side of the pun!

We have a sweet and pretty eiderdown, covered in baskets of roses, anemones, dahlias and orchids; sweet dreams for everyone this Yuletide!

Oh, and what is as cosy as an eiderdown? Why, an eiderdown tea cosy! This unused vintage cosy comes in a pretty floral chintz eiderdown fabric!

This floribunda rug is abundant with beautiful roses, narcissus, peonies and magnolias.

A magical fairy woodland scene.

We will be posting out orders all this week and next so they will arrive for Christmas. The online shop is open throughout Christmas and the New Year so just in case Santa doesn't bring you what you want, or you find a Vintage Home gift token under the tree, then you will be able to treat yourself whenever you like.

Vintage at The Vintage Home Shop

There's a vast selection of vintage goodies in the shop today, including this appealing cushion - just purrfect for cat lovers! Serve your tea on this gorgeous Edwardian roses tray...

Sublime beauty in this super-pretty roses and paisley swirls eiderdown...

Exquisitely detailed Victorian frame...

This handworked embroidery of Spring flowers will remind you that Spring is never far away...

A brilliant vintage Alice in Wonderland fabric...

Busy bees and petunias...

An incredibly vibrant 1940s floral fabric is another reminder of warmer days...

Sweet poppies adorn this pretty rug...

Don't forget we are giving away FREE Victorian style Christmas cards and gift tags with every order - and there are now special prices on some existing stock, so don't forget to check out all the sections!

Lots of Lovely Vintage Has Arrrived at the Vintage Home Shop!

We have been busy adding lots of lovely new stock to the website today, we hope you can pop along for a browse. There's something for everyone including pretty eiderdowns, beautiful paintings and a super selection of textiles. Perfectly pretty in pink is the theme for these vintage eiderdowns. Which is your preference; garlands or stripes? Either way, they both have delicious roses!

Simply stunning roses paintings after Catherine Klein - will it be the yellow...

...or the pink? Or both?!

Superb antique French fabric with an amazing detailed design.

Sumptuous 1930s chenille.

A really gorgeous - and really huge - roses needlepoint!

Colourful and cosy hearth-side rug.

Mix it up with patchworks and crochets for a comfy, home-spun cottage look.

Did we say the roses needlepoint was big?!

A jolly rug for your bathroom, child's bedroom or seaside cottage.

This cute, golden-haired Victorian child is so adorable...

...and this lovely pastel of a little girl is so appealing...

We hope to see you soon at the shop - and don't forget, we add fresh vintage stock several times a month so do visit when you can!