Little Shop Update

Although I came home from the V&H Fair with lots of empty boxes there were a few things that hadn't found new homes so I'm in the process of adding them to my shop.

There are tins like the lovely one above & the cute puppies below.....


Pretty bits of china such as this shabby chic vase.....

....and this scrummy salt & pepper set.....

....a pretty 1930's cake plate with handle.....

.....and this gorgeous pink glass lemonade set (which would be perfect for Pimms on a hot summer day!)




I'll be adding a few more things later in the week so will let you know about those too.

Hope you can pop in for a browse!

Linen in the vegetable garden...

I thought these photos would make you smile!

After the V&H Fair I had to wash all the vintage tablecloths that we used on the tea tables. Some of them were quite tea stained & one had had an entire cup of coffee spilt on it.
Now I'm going to sound like a washing powder advert, but I just wanted to tell you about the merits of "Vanish". I sprayed all the stains with Vanish spray, then put them in my washing machine on a hot wash - I added a scoop of Vanish powder to the usual washing powder & I was amazed that every stain came out & they were all beautifully clean!

As there were a lot there wasn't space for all of them on the line so they ended up being pegged on the plant supports in the veggie garden!



On my way back into the house I took a few shots on the patio. If you click on the photos they will enlarge.

This is my favourite David Austin rose which smells wonderful.




My wirework stand which, as you can see, needs some more plants.




The honeysuckle next to the back door which smells lovely & the bees love it too!

News Flash!

Pop over to the Vintage & Handmade Blog for a peek at who made it to the front page of our local paper today.....

Sunday Show

After such a busy & exciting day on Saturday at the Vintage & Handmade Fair, you'd think that on Sunday I would have been relaxing with my feet up reading a good book & drinking lots of tea wouldn't you?

Well, you'd be wrong - it was another early start as Miss Cottage & Dylan were going to a horse show, so off we set at an early hour yet again to watch & cheer them on.

Here are a few photos to show you how smart they looked & how well they did!

It was a lovely day, so being out in the sunshine, propped up on the Landrover & watching the jumping wasn't such a chore!

Fab Fair!

Well, what a fabulous & thoroughly vintage day it was yesterday! I have just about got my breath back as it was another early start this morning as Miss Cottage was taking Dylan to a horse show so it was up with the larks for the second day in a row!

We arrived at the hall at about 8.00am to start setting up & it was lovely to meet up with our fellow bloggers & stallholders again. There was a frantic flurry of activity & it was very quiet too, as everyone concentrated on setting up their charming stalls. The wealth of goodies on offer was just amazing.

The cakes that everyone contributed were wonderful & made our Vintage Tearoom a great hit too.

When I opened the doors at 10 am there was a queue down the road of eager shoppers waiting to come in & it didn't stop all day as floods of lovely ladies (many decked out in lovely vintage style dresses) & a few gentlemen escorts, enjoyed a leisurely browse & shop. The hall was full & had such a friendly atmosphere.

I was so pleased to finally meet so many blog friends all in one place & everyone I spoke to thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Miss Cottage & her Beau were rushed off their feet serving tea, coffee & cakes, while all the stallholders were busy all day with lovely goodies just flying off the tables into capacious Cath Kidston bags!!

Mr Cottage was our photographer for the day (as well as stand-in dishwasher when things got frantic!). He took quite a lot of photos which he uploaded to Flickr as I couldn't put them all here.

I have included a few photos of my stall in this post but to see all the pictures please have a look here: PHOTOS







I'd just like to thank all the stallholders & all of you lovely bloggers for coming & making it such a fantastic & memorable day. Also to Miss Cottage & her Beau for working like Trojans, Mr Cottage & Mr Custard for their help & support & of course my partner in crime, Michele!
So M, are you ready for the next one? ;-)

If you want to read more then visit the V&H Blog where I am accumulating links to posts about the fair.

Sweet Treats

Today Miss Cottage & I have been immersed in flour & sugar, butter & eggs, chocolate & icing sugar as we prepare baked goods for the Vintage Tearoom at the Vintage & Handmade Fair tomorrow.
We made the cup cakes above (iced by Miss C)

Tiffin

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Scones, which will be served with jam & cream

All our stall holders are probably in the same state today so we can offer you oodles of delectable treats to eat along with a cup of tea or coffee.
My lovely daughter & her beau are giving up their Saturdaay to take charge of the kitchen & will be at your service tomorrow serving teas & cakes.

I know many of you won't be able to come & will miss all the fun, but I do have a little treat for you too - Mr Cottage has agreed to be our "official" photographer, so will be taking photos during the day. He has promised to pop home now & again & post some photos on the V&H blog so you can perhaps imagine you are there & see all the lovely stalls & goodies on offer. So, if you'd like to join us in spirit do check on the blog during the day.

I'm sure everyone will blog about it afterwards too.

So, we still have the car to pack & that's about it - pizza for supper tonight I think!
I'm so looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

More Yummy Goodies

Today Miss Cottage & I have been sorting out & washing dozens of vintage cups, saucers, tea plates, cake plates, milk jugs, sugar bowls & teapots to use for the teas on Saturday, so you can rest assured they are clean & plentiful!

During the past two weeks Miss C has been industriously sewing some very pretty things which will appear on my table. She really enjoys sewing & is particularly good at machine applique & embroidery (which is why she will be studying Textile Art at uni come September!)

As you can see, she has made some lovely bags & tea cosies as well as adorable embroidered covered buttons & badges (made up courtesy of Michele's trusty badge machine!)



I think this tea cosy has to be my favourite - it took her ages to sew all the strips on to form the Union Jack!


Tomorrow is baking day - don't forget you'll be able to try out lots of delicious cakes at the fair too!