Easter Extravaganza

Where does the time go....I have just realised that it is a whole *year* since my last blog post!
I have no excuse except for being busy with life. I really would like to be blogging properly again....maybe I will be better in 2016?

The V&H Fairs & Vintage Jumbles have taken up my time, they are just as much fun as always & the Jumbles are becoming very popular.

Our next event is the Spring Fair in Chipping Sodbury which we are holding on the Easter weekend for a change so expect all things bunny, chicky & cute!

It will be an Easter Extravaganza on Saturday the 26th March. Now in our 8th year, the V&H is a firmly established favourite on the South West vintage scene. Our fabulous sellers from across the South West & beyond always make a huge effort to bring along their best stock & display their wares on attractively arranged stalls. The V&H has always presented the very best combination of vintage treasures & handmade delights.

Expect to find everything from vintage home wares, toys, haberdashery, fabrics, clothing, books, jewellery accessories & more, plus beautifully handmade hats, decorations & gifts to suit all tastes. In addition, our favourite vintage publication, Pretty Nostalgic, will be there & of course our fabulous tea room will be serving teas, coffees & home baked cakes to raise funds for local good causes.

So, why not join us on Saturday 26th March at the Chipping Sodbury Town Hall, South Gloucestershire, BS37 6AD. We are open from 10am - 3.30pm. Entrance is £1.00 (children free) & there will be special Easter treats for the first 50 visitors of the day.

Blow away the cobwebs this spring! It's time to look forward to lovely days out....so why not plan ahead and add the fabulous Original Vintage & Handmade Fair to your diary? If you are a fan of nostalgic days gone by and perfectly handmade creations then this is the event for you.

If home decor is your passion then you won't be disappointed as we have a wonderful selection of soft furnishings, small furniture, lamp shades, pictures, quilts, china, glass and country style brocante. 

If you are looking to spruce up your vintage wardrobe in anticipation of warmer weather or just fancy a little treat we have that covered too with beautiful vintage clothing, handcrafted jewellery, heirloom dolls, beautiful cloche hats, brooches and needlefelted animals.

For those who love to create their own heirlooms we have oodles of vintage fabrics, haberdashery, patterns and much more. 

Vintage toys and games are always to be found sprinkled around the hall with time worn and well loved bears, rabbits and even rocking horses awaiting new homes.

After enjoying this cornucopia of vintage treasures why not relax with a cup of tea and slice of homemade cake and support local good causes in our little tea room?

We look forward to welcoming you to the next V&H Fair which will be held on Saturday  23rd May from 10am - 4pm at the Chipping Sodbury Town Hall, Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire. BS37 6AD.
If you are one of the first 50 visitors of the day you will be treated to a free goody bag.
Entrance is just £1.00 (children free).
vintageandhandmade.co.uk

Many of our readers & visitors will know all about the fabulous Pretty Nostalgic Magazine & Society. You may remember that they launched at a previous V&H Fair where many vintage lovers snapped up magazines & memberships. No longer just a magazine, Pretty Nostalgic has evolved into a Society of dedicated Nostalgineers - those longing for the simple & charming ways of days gone by.

The Vintage & Handmade Fairs are proud of our association with PN & we are delighted to announce a fun new collaboration which will launch at the Spring Fair on the 23rd May in Chipping Sodbury.

The Pretty Nostalgic Society will be taking over the stage at this event to bring you all sorts of interesting activities & information.

Just some of the fun to be had on the day....Nicole & friends will run an upcycling activity, using recycled haberdashery to decorate Alice bands and make brooches etc

There will be a make do and mend exhibition of antique and vintage items which have been mended and repaired or were used to mend and repair.

They will host a crochet creation competition with a theme - everyone who enters will be given a free magazine and a prize will be given to the winner, so bring along your creations!

There will also be crochet and knitting advice and a drop in and learn area.

The stage will be set with tables & chairs so you can sit & try out an activity, chat about vintage & handmade & make new friends.


In addition, the first 50 visitors of the day will be fortunate enough to receive a copy of this wonderful publication to take home & treasure, so do come along & join us & the Nostalgineers for a truly lovely day out. 

This and that....

I have had a fairly busy few weeks so far this month. Last Saturday I attended the Vintage Bazaar in Devizes with Mr C for company. We had a very pleasant day with quite a number of my treasures going off to new homes including the lovely 1950's Mobo 'Prairie King' rocking horse. As you know, I am rather fond of rocking horses and have several dotted around my home. Unfortunately I can't keep them all as they do take up rather a lot of space so Mr C is always pleased when they canter off to pastures new!
Click on the pictures for a closer peek.

I have also been updating my stock at the Gloucester Antique Centre. They always do a great job with their themed window displays & this month it is a nursery window & there I spied my lovely vintage Silver Cross doll's pram which comes complete with cover & a fringed sun canopy. I had one of these as a child which provided hours of fun with my dolls so I am rather partial to them.

A job which I have been meaning to do for a long time is to have our headboard recovered as I fancied a change of colour scheme in our bedroom. Some time ago I bought a roll of this beautiful 'Doves' linen fabric when Lewis & Wood  had a sale. I finally had it done & it was returned this week looking so fresh & pretty. I think the upholsterer did a great job of placing the birds to their best advantage. I have plenty more fabric so curtains are the next project.

I have just realised that this Mother's Day will be the very first in 25 years that I have had without one of my children at home....The Boy is away at university & The Girl has gone off on a jolly to Edinburgh.....the joys of your children growing up!

This week will see me gathering together some vintagey bargains to take along to the next Vintage Jumble in Rangeworthy on Saturday 21st March which runs from 10am to 1pm.

It is held in the village hall (BS37 7LZ), entrance & parking are free & there are always lots of lovely goodies to be found at bargain prices, not to mention the delicious cakes served by the WI in aid of the senior citizen's annual village party.

Why not come along & join in the fun?

Jumble all the way....

Tomorrow is the first of the Original Vintage & Handmade Fair events of the year - so why not join  Michele & I for a fun day out at the V&H Vintage Jumble Sale in Box. 

Saturday 28th February 2015
at the Selwyn Hall, Box, Wiltshire
SN13 8NT
10.00am - 1.00pm

The Vintage Jumbles have become a firm favourite with bargain hunters locally & further afield. Some of your favourite Vintage & Handmade Fair dealers will be having a clear out & offering vintage goodies at bargain prices starting at just 50p.

There will be everything from china & glass, textiles & toys, books, ephemera & much more....something for everyone. The hall will be full to capacity with tables piled high with bargains galore, so come along & relive the days of the good old village jumble sale!

Free admission & plenty of free parking.

Home made cakes, teas & coffees will be available.

www.vintageandhandmade.co.uk

V&H Christmas Fair

What do you want for Christmas this year? Santas & fairies? Angels & reindeer? Vintage decorations? Unusual handmade gifts? A unique vintage item for that person on your list who has everything? A special Christmas or New Year outfit? Whatever it is, you have an excellent chance of finding everything you need for a perfectly vintage Christmas in a jolly, festive atmosphere at the 6th annual Original Vintage & Handmade Christmas Fair in Chipping Sodbury on the 13th December.

Firmly established as a Christmas favourite, this popular event is always full to bursting with delightful stalls brimming with wonderful ideas for Christmas.
Carefully selected vintage dealers, artists & creative designer-makers from the South-West & beyond will be displaying their wares for your shopping pleasure.

Entrance is just £1.00 (children free) & there will be free Christmassy goody bags for the first 50 visitors of the day.

Our popular tearoom will be back with lashings of tea & coffee & scrumptious festive treats served on vintage china by the hard working ladies raising funds for local charitable causes.

So, bring along your friends & family (children are warmly welcomed) and join us for a fun day out and an enjoyable start to the 2014 holiday season.

November

Time does fly and I've just realised how long it has been since I last wrote a post. I don't even know if anyone is still reading my blog after all this time! My time seems to be taken up mainly with hunting out vintage treasures, keeping my unit at Gloucester Antique Centre stocked, organising the V&H Fairs with Michele and looking after animals. The garden has been tidied up for winter, the chickens are moulting so we don't have any eggs, I have made chutney for Christmas with the last of my tomatoes and my neighbours excess apples.

 I thought I'd share some photos to highlight what has been going on in my life instead of writing reams of text for you to read as there is a bit of catching up to do!

I surprised myself by winning a cup at the village show for my flower arrangement (a vintage cup of course!).

Dylan had a bath...yes, that is newsworthy!

I bought a new car - another Mini (my third so far!)

The Boy started university in Wales ....when did he grow up??

We held our V&H Textile & Fashion Fair in October.

We have had a wonderful feature about the Christmas Fair in the December issue of Homes & Antiques Magazine - out now!

The Girl & I made some new cushions for the winter.

 

We had a fun family trip to Gifford Circus in Bath.

Toby hurt his paw....don't worry, he is fine now!

The Girl & Balli have had lots of fun.

And Dylan got new pyjamas!

FUN AT THE FAIR

I can't believe that amost a week has gone by since the Spring V&H Fair! I have been meaning to write a blog post & show you my stall since Sunday but as always time just seems to fly by.

So...here goes....it was a lovely day as usual with 40 stalls brimming with wonderful goodies & 800 eager visitors making a beeline for their favoured items. Everything from jewellery & ceramics to vintage toys & fabrics...even a flower bedecked taxidermy 'pink footed goose' made an appearance on Niki's stall! The ladies of Rangeworthy kept everyone plied with endless cups of tea & coffee & delicious cakes which raised almost £300 for charity - well done ladies!

Thanks to all the fabulous stallholders & visitors for making it such an enjoyable day.

My stall.....vintage swans, books & china.

 The vintage toy department.

I even had some boy's toys!

Daffodil teaset.

Bluebird china.

 Little toys.

Doggies.

Dollies.

More toys.

Snowy - a very big dog.

If you'd like to see photos of the fair do pop along to our Facebook album here: Spring V&H 2013

SPRING V&H FAIR

Spring has sprung & it is once again time for a vintage treat! Michele & I extend a warm invitation to you to join us at our 2013 Spring Fair tomotrrow, Saturday 25th May, at the Chipping Sodbury Town Hall, South Gloucestershire, BS37 6AD from 10am - 4.00pm.

This popular event is always a joy to attend with 40 stalls brimming with scrumptious vintage goodies & divine handmade lovelies.
Carefully curated to showcase some of the best vintage dealers, artists & creative designer-makers from the South-West & beyond, it is a day not to be missed.
With everything from vintage china & glass, toys & games, books & ephemera, fabrics & haberdashery, homewares, handmade hats, quilts, notebooks, cards, purses, bags & so much more, you will find much to inspire & delight you!

Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee & homemade cakes in our Vintage Tearoom run by the Ladies of Rangeworthy to raise funds for charity.

Entrance is just £1.00 (children free) & there is plenty of free parking all around the town which has a fabulous High Street filled with independent shops, so make a day of it!

We hope to see you there for a fun day out.
www.vintageandhandmade.co.uk

FIRST FLEAMARKET OF THE YEAR

 

Yesterday Mr C and I went to our first fleamarket of 2013. While I'm rummaging for bargains Mr C amuses himself taking photos of all the weird and wonderful things on offer, so here is a taster.....

China... 

 Little chairs...

People...

Teddy bears...

 Furniture....

Antlers...

Big chairs... 

Street signs...

Coats...

Watches...

Spider!

Titanic...

Socks...

and the saddest thing I saw....

:-(