Monday, March 31, 2008

Embellished Shoes.

1. Take one pair of unworn satin shoes.

2. Glue small scraps of pretty vintage floral fabrics all over the surface. (I used PVA glue.)
3. Line the innersoles with antique French wallpaper.
4. Add layers of old lace fragments and braids.

5. And finish with miniature millinery flowers, pearls, buttons, beads and glass glitter on the heels.
Have a great week,
Niki x

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Easter Weekend Activities.

In the UK we have a bank holiday either side of the Easter weekend (Good Friday and Easter Monday), so ideally, it should be a relaxing holiday from work. Unfortunately, my hubby was away for a week in Seattle, USA, until Sunday afternoon. My eldest daughter is visiting the friends that she made in Montana last year and won't be home again until tomorrow. So, although it wasn't the weekend off that I would have chosen, I still managed some time-out......
The Shepton Mallet Antique Fair had been organised, (possibly unwisely,) for the Easter weekend. I visited on the Saturday, with a friend.

Some of my purchases included these C1950's boudoir slippers - funnily enough I barely have one decent pair of shoes that I wear myself, but I have a small collection of vintage shoes that I shall never be able to wear, due to their tiny sizes! Very sad!

Blackpool holds some special memories for me, so the little hand painted silk pincushion HAD to come home with me.

I adore this photos of the stunning flapper girls in their matching dresses. (I would love to know what colour the gorgeous silky fabric was.) The seated girl, second from the left, looks very mischievous and seems to be causing a few glances from her companions!
I'm sure that they would have had some ostrich plumes in their wardrobes - these came from Sue, who had a stand at the fair. I'm going to arrange them in a large china jug on my dressing table.

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Hail stones fell on Easter Sunday, as I waited for hubby to come home......
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And on Monday we decided to visit the Mells Daffodil Fair for a couple of hours. It is a traditional English country fair, with stalls, side shows, a hog roast and entertainment such as Morris Dancers and Town Crier Competitions.
To escape the crowds and eccentrics in silly hats(!), you can wander through the beautiful spring gardens of the Manor House.


Which rounded off the Easter weekend very nicely.
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I have decided to set up my own Flickr account, so that I can load extra photos relating to my blog posts for anyone interested in seeing more. (They load quicker than on to Blogger, so I am hoping to save myself a few extra moments, which I shall use to comment on other blogs - something that I struggle to do, sometimes.)
The mosaic below is made up of just some of the wonderful photos that I have discovered on Flickr since I joined, taken by some very talented ladies!

1. Blossom, 2. Ceramic Powder Box, 3. Pretty Pastels Cottage Charm, 4. Bella Collage, 5. Inspiration books, 6. DSC_16210001, 7. Vintage Baubles, 8. IMG_0876, 9. IMG_1488, 10. blue roses, 11. French wire form, 12. Pretty Lady, 13. Foil Eggs and a Basket, 14. Vintage dress, 15. Antique store, 16. Vintage dress, 17. brownvelvet_4Chocolate velvet & vintage rhinestone bracelet, 18. round robin "beauty" 3, 19. M.A. round robin "Violette" 1, 20. recital dress, 21. pretty millinery purses, 22. IMG_1748, 23. IMG_1435, 24. IMG_1849, 25. vintage french ribbonwork, 26. DSCN2031, 27. flowers, 28. sweet little nest 018, 29. feb 184, 30. mannequin., 31. im at home., 32. recycling., 33. bath room., 34. playing house., 35. the lover's meet -, 36. fairys shoe's.
I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter weekend too.
Niki x

Friday, March 21, 2008

Happy Easter!


"Happy Easter!"

Springtime flowers.

Seasonal branches with dainty decorations.

Treats for my girls, with a touch of vintage bling.

'Share the bounty' - my hens eggs for a friend.

A painting by my daughter - our hen 'Budgie'.

Easter bonnets.

A treat for me from Etsy, by Rustiqua

Wishing you all a happy Easter break.

Niki x

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Boudoir Babe!

My Hubby has been working abroad a lot recently. On his return last week, we went out on a little shopping trip to our local junk shop. Over the years a large amount of new/repro stuff has been creeping into the stock there and I was beginning to loose interest in going to look. But I'm so glad that we did this time......

Sitting in one of the cabinets was this beautiful French boudoir doll.
Well, what can I say, hubby bought her for me and I just adore her.

Such beautiful sultry eyes with 'real' eyelashes. Deep red painted lips and blushed cheeks,

And silk yarn hair set in rolls, typical of the 1930's from when she must date.

Her Chinese silk dress is entirely stitched by hand and is trimmed with diamante bars at her shoulders.

Luscious long legs in gold high heeled shoes and cotton lace edged bloomers hide beneath.

My boudoir babe sits in our bedroom on an antique French chair -
Oh la la!
Thank you hubby! xx
Thank you to everyone who purchased a vintage hat from my blog - there are a few left if anyone enjoys dressing-up ! See post below. Niki x

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Vintage Hats For Sale!

As some of you may know, I have collected vintage hats for many years and also sold them at antique and collectors fairs. I have decided to offer a large collection of mostly 1950's American hats for sale on my blog. Each hat is £5 (GBP) plus P&P, is in good wearable condition, or ideal for use in displays in the vintage style home. You could also add flowers and vintage trims to make them extra special too.
If you are interested in any of the hats , please quote the ref: number of your chosen hat/s and email me via my profile or leave a comment and I will get back to you. I can accept cheques from the UK or PayPal worldwide. (The photos should enlarge if you need a closer look.)

L107 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank You!

AA42 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank You!
H135 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank You!
J129 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank You!

D101 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank You!

B109 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank You!

N114 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank You!

A105 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank You!

L101 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank you!
K121 - Sorry, I'm reserved.
N123 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank You!
H125 - Sorry, I'm sold. Thank You!

Lastly, a collection of 6 veil hats, some are hanmade and some with small issues such as little holes in netting - all six for Sorry, we're sold. Thank You!
Thanks for looking! Have a lovely weekend,
Niki x