Happy Vintage Christmas

I've been busily decorating the house today for Christmas :-)

Christmas songs blaring out and a little glass of my home made cassis

all added to the occassion and now I'm getting ready for the first

Christmas party of the season tonight.

 

Thought I would put all my "vintage" christmas dec' finds together ths year and mix in some new one's too on the kitchen plate rack - enjoy!

 

 

 

The china choir boy and the plastic Father Christmas are my favourites.

Can't wait for Christmas - it's the only time I use my special 1950's crockery :-)

He never spoke about it...

I picked some Phlox and Elder from the garden yesterday -

sometimes I prefer garden picked flowers to shop bought ones -

they feel more "homely". Although I have to admit, I do find it difficult to walk past the small florist across the road from me, without popping in - even if just for a look at the latest blooms :-)

 

 

I think they look really nice on this old table, with a photograph of my grandad and his brother. 16 and 18 years of age, in 1914 and they were preparing to go to war. His uniform is drowning him! He died when I was young, so I never got to speak to him about it. Probably best, as apparently he never breathed one word to anyone about his time away. 

I would have liked to have known him better, I can vaguely remember him. Tall, white hair and wellingtons, a very quiet man, with a really kind smile - always in the garden with his dog, Meg, or tending his pigeons.

He loved his pigeons, and an American came over to buy his most famous bird in the 1950's- who was called "Annie" - she was a well known champion in her day. But grandad just couldnt bear to part with her.

 

My new hang up - pure indulgence for the vintage bride!

I bought this beautiful Victorian lace from a lady whose parents worked in the Nottingham lace factories in the 1940's.

Not sure if this is Nottingham lace - it looks very French to me...

palest of gold in colour and intricate tiny lacework details - absolutely stunning!

Anyway, I have a lot of this and it's all stored in a box and not getting admired, so I decided to make something beautiful with it.

I decided to make a very special hanger for a very special dress. Afterall, we can spend hundreds of pounds on beautiful wedding dresses, so don't they deserve a little preferential treatment in the wardrobe?

 Just look at the amazing detail in that lace - must have taken an age to make!

 I've added mirror backed, mother of pearl and metal buttons

from the Victorian era through to the 1950's

 Handle is bound in gold satin ribbon and finished with small vintage leaf brooch.

If you can't live without it - it will be in my folksy shop later at

http://folksy.com/shops/bloominglovely

Vintage Lace & Diamante Paste Tiara

I found an excellent way of stiffening up vintage lace, so now I can use all the beautiful lace and ribbons I have languishing in my loft, for all manner of things. I used to use a product called petal porcelain which you could turn real flowers, lace and other delicate items into porcelain... but I can't find it anywhere now.

Anyhow...Lots of starch and a secret ingredient seem to do the trick! This piece of vintage cotton trim was just perfect for a 1950's style tiara, and I have added tiny pearls and sewn into place a diamante paste necklace whose chain was broken...way too pretty to throw away!

As always it is a "one of a kind", no other like it in the whole, big, wide, world!!!

Please take a look at my Folksy shop for other designs...and if you have a specific style in mind or maybe a special piece of jewellery that you would like Incorporated into your tiara, then leave me a message and I'll see what i can do for you.

I'm feeling all 195o's tonight!! Found a stash of beautiful old vintage buttons, beads and flowers and have decided to make a "Vintage" Tiara... so if you know of anyone who is getting married...going to a prom...or just LOVES tiaras - then please direct them to my Folksy shop where my new creation will be when complete! Have a look at the pic below, to see what I have to work with...

I'm thinking Hollywood...Weiss, Trifari, Sphinx and Exquisite...Watch this space!