Nearly time to hibernate....

what a busy few weeks we've had!!

and now bluebelle vintage is winding down for the winter..

i'm getting ready to hibernate with a rather large glass of wine

and stay in my lovely snug little cottage til spring!

One lovely fair left and its craft with a Bluebelle vintage twist 

at the stunning Guild Hall in Leicester.

Not my usual antique and vintage but a little bit of my creative side shining through..

Painted small furniture - Fabrics - Handmade bunting - Christmas decorations

& a few Vintage one off pieces...

see you at the Magical 15th century Guildhall in Leicester for a bit of Christmas magic

Saturday 30th Nov/Sunday 1st December

vintage love xx

half term..big yay from me!

i love my youngest daughter being home but usually get no work done at all

only theres a twist to this tale....

motorhome hired...check!

fantastic stock sourced...check!

 (i call them campers but the man at the hire place said they are 'motorhomes')

 and we're all going to MK Handmade & Vintage 

with a camper...oops motorhome ..full of fantastic vintage

(via a few days at my mums :)

see you all at the fantastic Milton Keynes Vintage & Handmade fair

 1-3rd November 9 til late (9pm i think!)

Free to get in and 120 of the best handpicked stalls 

& best of all...we can now start christmas shopping & not seem toooo organised & sad!!

Happy Vintage shopping wherever you are this half term hols

 xxxx

auctions are just addictive

and totally the best part of my job...

so what a haul i won today...

my favourite and craziest buy has to be the grandfather clock!

which is going to be my showstopper at the milton keynes vintage fair

 at the beginning of November (1-3rd)

watch this space....

Every day is a journey...

sometimes its a boring one..sometimes its not..

but if we start every day like its going to be boring..it probably will be!

so lets all think tomorrows going to be a good one..

and if it isn't ..well we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!

vintage love for your journey x

The end of the summer holidays is always sad for me...

I love my daughters home from Uni but get hardly any work done at all!

but hey...its the summer & i love lazy days of eating whenever we like 
& long derbyshire walks...even if its just for lunch in the nearby village pub!
Having everyone home also makes me realise what's important to me..
my family! (however scruffy they are :)

hope you all had a fantastic summer & are ready for the next big adventure!
vintage love x

late nights..

hanging around in the streets..

braving the cold in pyjamas..

Its so rock n roll at bluebelle vintage.... or is it?

erh no!

i'll come clean....we have a visiting hedgehog!!

we love his visits so much we stay up late and brave the dark in our pjs with a torch & 

a handfull of meal worms in the hope of spotting him..

(our neighbours gave us the mealworm inside info - they visit them as well)

and yesterdays big tada was he brought his wife to see us too!

they actually ate worms and stayed with us until we were soooo cold 

we had to go back to our lovely (vintage of course!) beds

...oh and have a brandy for medicinal purposes (any excuse!)

It felt like such a treat for him to bring his wife..like he was actually introducing her to us!

I feel truly honoured to have Mr & Mrs Hedgehog in my life :)

Roll on 11pm! 

vintage love xx

Busy busy bluebelle bee this month....

moving house (again) and house  full of family (yay)

but always find time for Newarke Antique Fair...

and not always selling :) this was my favourite purchase at last weeks fab Fair.. for my new kitchen...can't bring myself to buy 6 matching stools so collecting lovely originals one by one...in the mean time my lovely & very tolerant family argue over the one stool we have...one down ..5 fab stools to go!

one day we will all be sitting on lovely stools :)

Next fair for bluebelle vintage is a favourite of mine... the beautiful  Buxton Dome with the lovely Vintage suitcase event in October

vintage love xx

This year I've been keeping a low profile 

& have only been at a handful of local fairs...

And my ranges have changed...

I now have more furniture & curios and less china...

It wasn't a conscious decision..I just seemed to lean towards useful or amazingly interesting pieces rather than indulgent pieces that sit on shelves...

after all we are all in a recession and moneys a bit tight..

In the words of William Morris..

so if you just buy one thing this week

make it count xx

To distress or not to distress...

that is the question...

I'm a big fan of distressed furniture as its easy to live with 

& any scrapes can be disguised with a touch up of paint 

or a bit more distressing!

But this week I was asked to simply paint a table without distressing it...

hmmm...are people going neat on me?

is this the end of scruffy ...oops shabby chic furniture??

Not in my house  :)

but I'm happy to paint a piece of vintage furniture however you choose...

as always if you bagsy (or more politely select)  the furniture BEFORE its painted you are able to choose the finish & paint colour Free of charge!

Just ask to see photos of pieces waiting for their transformation 

when you next visit me at a fair - I've always got a barn full of tables, chairs & other curious vintage furniture waiting to be loved :)

vintage summer wishes xx

This is the way I walk to the shop.....

i could drive there in 5mins but walking along the river 

(which takes 25mins) makes me appreciate the beautiful world around me..

so you see..even the boring jobs can be made fantastic!

Take time to enjoy everything you do today 

vintage love xx

being poorly or sad is exhausting!

so look for inspiration in whatever you do...

After time spent travelling, moving house & recuperating I'm back with more vintage malarky.. now with a slight side ways shift into upcycling which i'm passionate about

my next fair at Matlock on saturday 15th june - sure to be a fabulous affair not to be missed!

Here's a few ideas from my recent projects.. 

(i'll have vintage crates & reels for sale)

  

 

and one that didnt quite work out....

Beautiful dog bed....fit for a princess

(very easy to make!)

 

but look where my Edith would rather sleep...

just goes to show you can't please everyone :)

Vintage love from me & my lovely Edith xxx

well i never..

 the sun has arrived and i am delighted!

my garden is full to bursting with flowers..many are wild flowers that  just decided to flower in my new garden - lucky old me! its an adventure waking up and seeing whats appeared..literally overnight!

so i have filled every jam jar, bean tin and teapot i have with oodles of wild flowers

so much nicer than posh shop bought ones :)

my mum was a florist but sadly i haven't inherited her finesse at flower arranging (or christmas tree decorating :) 

i just stuff as many as i can in the jar and think...tada..thats fab!

well maybe not fab but pretty enough for me..

enjoy the sunshine and the flowers xx

its sunny!!!!!

How I love the sun!

it makes me feel happier and healthier

(more reasons to move to the south of france!)

and it makes me want to be in the garden 

so today i bought 10 old cable reels and sat in the garden pondering what to do with them..

(They are one of my favourite things to work on)

here's a few projects..

au naturel 

£25-40 depending on size

perfect for the garden 

(can be varnished or beeswaxed)

or as a bedside table

or use as a coffee table 

 

a more ambitious project - bookcase carousel @£45

 

and a bit of fun - requires lots of sanding and takes forever to get it as neat as this & uses oodles of rope

(hence its more expensive @£65)

 so come along and see me at my next event in Matlock in June

where they'll be ready to buy & love

Find me at

www.bluebellevintage.com 

vintage love & take time to smile at the beautiful blue sky this week...

xx