Our Fab sale has been under way for a mere 6 hours but we’ve already had lots of sales. We didn’t know what to expect – but we’re very happy… and relieved. We spent such a long time selecting the items, photographing them, logging them in Fab’s spreadsheet; we wondered if all that effort would […] Related posts:
* We’re having a Fab time!
* Vintage Super-haul
* Wallpaper Sale!
We’ve got some exciting news to share that we’ve been keeping under wraps for the past few weeks – we’ll be taking part in the Fab Vintage sale starting later on today (Mon 18 Mar)! The sale lasts just 7 days and starts at 6pm GMT. The vast majority of our items are one offs, […] No related posts. http://dlvr.it/35lcqK
We picked up this rather lovely biscuit tin this week. It dates from the 1960s and is on just the right side of kitsch for us.
The tin was produced in England, but features a very cute, Continental flower girl - she must be in Britain though, she’s selling her wares at 2 shillings & sixpence a bunch!
We’ve long admired the work of Lefor Openo - the French design duo of Marie-Claire Lefort & Marie-Francine Oppeneau. They’re mainly known for their poster designs - lots of them featuring beautiful mademoiselles - and this girl is definitely one of theirs! One of their most famous illustrations must be the sultry Francia, a Gitanes “fumeureuse”
There are always Lefor Openo posters, postcards and other illustrations available on eBay - and at very affordable prices too!
We love these cute little wooden Vikings - or noggins as they’re widely known.
These vintage examples date from the 1960s & 70s. We think the name ‘noggin’ must come from a children’s animation called ‘Noggin the Nog’ which Justin remembers well from his very early years. It was the brainchild of Oliver Postgate & Peter Firmin and is considered something of a cult classic. The Nogs had a distinct Viking look and saga tradition - here’s a rather charming clip.
There are lots of different noggins to search out - if you’re of the completest persuasion you might want to consider a small house extension… but we’re happy with our two little friends sitting on the shelf keeping us safe from intruders - Nogbad the Bad in particular.
P.S. If you’re wondering what the other piece of ‘vikingalia’ is in the background of the top photo, it’s a rather gorgeous pottery plaque by one of our favourite designers - Lisa Larsen.
We’ve got some more recent vintage homeware purchases to share with you.
Getting hold of vintage items boxed & unused is always a bonus - this was the case with these fabulous 1950s drinking glasses.
We love the stylised leaf decoration - very typical of the era. As is the red, yellow & blue colourway.
More classic 1950s in the shape of this ‘atomic’ coat rack with its wooden ball finials. Red & yellow again!!
We can’t even begin to list the colours in the crocheted work - it’s a case of ‘the more the merrier’ when it comes to these vintage bedspreads & blankets.
We’ve definitely moved into the 1960s or 70s with this amazing blanket with its bold, organic design in black & red. It’s warm & cosy too - perfect camper van material!
We can link via colour again for this alarm clock radio - the red & black of the LED digital display this time. It was produced by Binatone in the late 1970s.
On a recent fleamarket trip we came across this large collection of pottery on one stall. It was all designed by Kathie Winkle for Broadhurst Pottery in the 1960s.
The Mardi Gras range is a particular favourite of ours, but the various patterns look great mixed & matched together.
Finally we move onto this lovely Ercol rocking chair with its original green striped cushions. We were very happy with this purchase!
It’s found a happy home by the kitchen window for the time being. It gets lovely late afternoon sun and is the perfect place to enjoy a cup of tea - well deserved after a hard days work of course!!
I’ve not been to a vintage fair for quite a while and even longer as just a punter. I saw on the Vintage Home Show Facebook page that there was one happening not too far away in Manchester at beautiful Victoria Baths (made famous a few years ago by the BBC’s Restoration series).
Keeley Harris of Discover Vintage and Vintage Home Show organiser
I didn’t have my usual photographer in tow - Justin was otherwise occupied - so on Sunday, our friend Rebecca drove us to Manchester and assumed picture-taking responsibility (Thanks Rebecca!).
Geoff Kirk of Kirk Modern
I was very excited to hear that Kirk Modern was going to be having a stall, We’ve followed his blog for quite a while and are very jealous of his outstanding collection of rare Stig Lindberg pottery. It was lovely to have a little chat with him, put a face to the name and swoon over his lovely Mid Century Modern wares!
Norwegian Wood
Norwegian Wood had a lovely collection of West German pottery for sale. It looks great when displayed in large numbers - all the different sizes, shapes colours and textures vying for attention.
Funky Vera
I’d met Funky Vera last year when we both had stalls at a vintage fair in Saltaire. She was meant to be my next-stall-neighbour but she was whisked off to another space - was I something I said? :-)
PASH
Paula & Shelley, the ladies at PASH (Print Art Salvage Handmade) had a great looking display of printers blocks, trays of mini Hovis loaf tins and lots of other vintage industrial goodies. I fell in love with their fabulous metal luminaire desk lamp with a silvered, faceted interior.
The photos of them & their stalls didn’t quite do them justice, (Sorry Rebecca!) but mention must also go to Planet Vintage Girl, 20th Century Collector, RetroPattern, Freddies Vintage and Coach House Upholstery.
And the last word goes to the magnificent venue. The sun-bathed the rooms in light drawing your attention to the amazing stained glass windows. This one is entitled “The Angel of Purity”.
Looking forward to the next next one!
We picked up this vintage sewing box at a market last week. It’s made of wicker with blue plastic lid and weave detailing. We neatened up the interior with some matching floral fabric from the same 1960s era.
These boxes are perfect for sewers & crafters who love a bit of vintage - you’ll never waste hours looking for those elusive needles, threads or pins ever again!
They always prove popular in our shop. The little montage above shows a few of the boxes that have recently passed through our hands or we currently have in stock.
We went to one of our ‘bygones’ auctions last weekend - so this Forthcoming Attractions post has a lovely, vintage, outdoors-y feel. The lots up for sale were gathered from farms, barns, yards, outbuildings & allotments.
We often come back with some galvanised metal containers - baths, dolly tubs and buckets. They’re ideal candidates for a bit of upcycling - functioning as planters, water butts or general storage containers.
The price of dolly tubs in particular has increased quite markedly in recent years, although we can understand why. Not only do they look great with their ribbed, patterned sides - they’re multi-functional and there’s no chance of frost shattering. We’ve just put one in our Picture House Antiques pitch where we try to keep a corner that has a vintage cottage garden or wash house look.
We bought a good quantity of terracotta pots. We’ll keep half as we’re running a bit short ourselves - the others will go into the shop. They have this lovely, aged colour - much paler than new terracotta - and are ideal for use inside or out.
All our future twine needs have been satisfied with these huge rolls - probably used for bailing hay or straw in days gone by. It’s perfect for kitchen or garden use too. We’ve put a couple of large rolls in our shop - and have also broken one of them down into much smaller balls of twine which have been selling well already.
Next we have this excellent set of folding beech & striped canvas chairs. They’re perfect for picnics or camping - or they could be just the thing to keep in the summer house or shed - providing a welcome seat to rest those weary legs after a long day’s gardening - glass of something chilled in hand to admire your efforts!
We’re happy with all the day’s purchases, but these vintage fish & chip shop signs might just be our favourite. We think they’re charming. We see them working really well as a quirky wall decoration in the kitchen, seaside chalet or even beach hut.
Fish & chips with tea, bread & butter for 2 shillings (or 10 new pence) - those were the days!
We’ve been having the most glorious late spring/early summer weather here in Todmorden and our vintage garden chairs have been seeing some action for the first time this year. We completely disagree with whoever came up with, “blue and green should never be seen”!
Here’s a new batch of recent vintage finds - slightly more items than our last ‘Forthcoming Attractions’ post!
We’ll start with a few pieces for the kitchen. Quite a blue feel to the selection. These vintage mixing bowls often have cream interiors, but more rarely have these lovely coloured glazes in blue, orange or yellow. The utensil sitting inside the bowl is a drinks mixer or frother. The metal whisk end spins as you press the handle down - perfect for cocktails, hot chocolate etc.
The sugar or flour sifter is classic 1960s with its geometric pattern in sky blue & deep olive green. It’s from the ‘Tivoloi’ range produced by Portmeirion Pottery.
This bowl could also find a good home in the kitchen, but has a thousand uses around the house. We often feature these pieces of colourful enamel produced by Cathrineholm of Norway - teapots, pans, bowls, ice buckets and more!
Now for a bit of wood. The butter knife set is a great bit of Scandinavian design - sculptural and useful. It was produced by Karlsson & Nilsson of Sweden in the 1950s or 60s. We think the letter box is very sweet - it would give a lovely vintage touch to an office desk or hallway.
Probably our favourite object this week is this 1960s shopping list board. It’s a humble object and quite a rare survivor being so simply constructed. It certainly has lots of charm.
We love the graphics - wife doing a spot of homemaking, hubby out collecting the parcels!!
And finally, a bold flash of orange. The lampshade is a very good quality piece of cased glass - it was produced by Holmegaard of Denmark, in the 1960s or 70s. The fabric is from a similar era. We think it might have been produced by Crabtree Fabrics. It would make great cushion covers.
Or perhaps even more perfect… curtains for a vintage camper van. One glimpse of these and you’d be in a happy, holiday frame of mind!
There isn’t the usual number of items in this Forthcoming Attractions post. It’s just that they really summed up the last few days. We had a magazine photoshoot on Wednesday chez H is for Home. The groovy flower-power apron represents the hours of cleaning we had to do before they arrived - and the fabulous Cathrineholm kettle represents the endless cups of tea that kept us going! It’s not that we live in a dirty house or anything, but there’s a constant battle against coal dust & dog fur.
Both items will be hitting the shop soon - and a further post about the photoshoot will follow very shortly too!
Justin arrived home with this dress last week after a trip to a local auction.
He was well aware that it may not find its way into the shop.
It’s very ‘Me’ - vintage, bright and very versatile. I’ll wear it on its own, with this thin belt, with brightly coloured tights, over trousers and/or a blouse - the combinations & variations are almost endless!
…and what a groovy pattern!
In the same week he came across this vintage Welsh wool tapestry handbag. And he was even more certain that I was going to keep it for myself - I have a cape and a purse in the exact same fabric & colour!
It’s in absolutely mint condition - and look at its gorgeous brushed steel clasp!
Perhaps ‘find’ is too strong a word - more a patient track down. We’ve long coveted this particular enamel mug designed by Kaj Franck for Finel.
We’ve been holding out for a really good example, in pristine condition. Our wait ended this week when we won the bidding on a well-known auction website. We just love the stylised birds and fiery colours - it really is a stunner!
Finel is responsible for some fantastic pieces of enamelware.
Great designers such as the aforementioned Kaj Franck, Seppo Mallat and Antti Nurmesniemi worked for the company.
Their pieces are decorative, functional & well made.
We have quite a few pieces dotted around the house including cups, teapots & bowls.
This bowl is decorated with a fabulous mushroom design. It was probably intended for the kitchen or dining table, but ours seems to have adopted the role of tea light storage container!
We also like to keep examples for sale in the shop. We currently have one of the teapot/kettles shown above. Also, this lovely set of bowls - perfect for serving starters, salads, curries, desserts - anything really! It consists of one large bowl with the geometric circle/grid design and six smaller bowls in the same vibrant blue.
One more design that still eludes us is the repeating red & white heart shape one - but we’re keeping our eyes peeled!
This amazing pattern is from a sample of vintage fabric designed by Jacqueline Groag in the 1950s - one I’ve not seen before.
It forms part of the Designing Women: Post-War British Textiles exhibition currently on at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London (ends 16 June 2012).
The exhibition celebrates the work of, amongst others, Lucienne Day (1917–2010), Jacqueline Groag (1903–86) and Marian Mahler (1911–83).
We’ve assembled some new items that we’ve picked up recently. They’re all arranged on a lovely vintage kitchenette - itself a recent auction purchase.
We often put these kitchenettes in our antiques centre shop - they’re good sellers and an added advantage is that they’re great for displaying lots of other items whilst they wait for someone to give them a good home. They require varying amounts of work when we buy them - a good wash usually - then painting, fresh lining paper etc. This one’s had its thorough wash, but apart from that, it’s good to go. We like its caramel colour and daisy patterned paper.
Moving onto the smaller items - two perpetual calendars to start with - one wooden, one red-orange plastic. Both probably dating from the 1970s. Perfect for the home office desk or shelf.
Also sitting on the upper shelves are this pottery jug & coffee tin - slightly earlier in vintage - both 1950s/60s. The jug was produced by T G Green and is from the ‘Domino’ range - we like the colour and simple polka dot design - ideal as a milk jug or for displaying cut flowers.
The coffee tin was produced by Worcester Ware. They made some lovely metalware items around this time - storage tins, placemats, serving trays, waste paper bins and so on.
Sticking with the metalware theme, we have this very vibrant set of coasters. These were designed by Lena & Al Eklund and produced by Launds Lonborg of Denmark. Are they fruit trees or flowers?
Next to the coasters on the main photo is this fabulous children’s wooden jigsaw. It features the nursery rhyme, ‘Hey diddle, diddle’. It was made by Arrow Games Ltd and we guess it dates from the 1960s. We love the illustration - it is signed by the artist ‘Hutchings’ although we haven’t established a first name yet - perhaps someone out there knows?
This sweet little party game will be of a similar age - this one produced by Spears Games. Justin says he’s got some vague memories of playing this with his Granny. Who needs an X-box when you’ve got ‘Mousie-Mousie’?
With summer approaching, thoughts turn to picnics, camping and trips to the beach. Colourful melamine and vintage Thermos flasks always prove popular from now until November.
This sweet little vase was made by Hornsea Pottery and is part of their ‘Rainbow’ range. There were lots of shapes made in this pattern - plant pots, vases, ashtrays and cruet sets.
To the left of the main photo is this tall pan stand - the red ‘atomic’ ball feet are a nice touch. On it sits a set of three aluminium saucepans with teak handles - they’re totally unused and have a great stylised flower design in eye-catching orange & blue.
We always make sure we have a selection of enamelware in stock. Its always popular as it gives a vintage feel to the most modern of kitchens, without breaking the bank!.
