Let's spring into life

It may have snowed this morning but now the sun is shining and it feels as though Spring is just around the corner.  This morning, with the snow falling down, we decided to re-vamp the shop at No. 21, (The Market Place, Shepton Mallet, Somerset) into its Spring look and no sooner had we finished than the sun came out.


Now we have a lovely open space full of pretty things to tempt you.  Things to cheer you up if winter takes hold again, things to enjoy wearing and using if Spring is really here. We have brought in new furniture, comfortable and stylish rocking chairs from the 1930's to make fire hugging even more fun, pretty tables, chests of drawers, little cupboards and much more.  There are loads of new pictures, especially the lovely French fashion ones from 1945 and 1947, studio pottery and pretty tea sets and dinner services.  In fact, dare I say, if we haven't got it you probably don't want it!

 Now that No. 21 is fully stocked again my focus is on getting all my vintage stock ready for Devizes
Vintage Fair on the 8th March.  

Its always a good event, buzzing with vintage-lovers,al
lots of interesting people to talk to, appreciative buyers to sell to and generally a good time is had by all.

Do come along, its at the Corn Exchange, Devizes, SN10 1HS from 9.30-3.30.  We can guarantee fun and bargains and its only £2 per adult for entry, a vintage bargain.

 And, if you can't come to the Devizes Vintage Fair you can always come to No. 21, Market Place, Shepton Mallet any Thursday, Friday or Saturday when we are open from 10.00 - 4.00.  There are three rooms full of interesting and lovely things.

Finally, if even that isn't possible, then Moments Remembered will be at the Antique and Vintage Fair at the Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet on the
14th,15th and 16th March.   I shall have different stock again for that fair and am busy finding and preparing some lovely things which will certainly tempt you.

New Year, new plans

 

Its the New Year and having decided not to stand in a cold muddy field for 3 days this month at the Bath and West Antique Fair, I chose to spring clean and spruce up my stock at No. 21.   Having space in the Shepton Mallet shop was great fun over the Christmas period and we had a couple of late evening events where the mulled cider flowed, the mince pies were eaten, the conversation was fun and where, most importantly, we were able to help sort out people's Christmas present buying problems.

 

At. No. 21 there are two floors of lovely items for your home and garden spaces plus a large collection  of vintage clothes and jewellery.  From Arts and Crafts furniture to exquisitely hand painted furniture, hand made cushions, studio pottery, 1940's French fashion prints there really is something for everyone. Dinner and tea sets, glasses and decanters, vintage Liberty items, Victorian tiles, antique door furniture, hand made items out of beautiful old wood, splendid antlers - basically if we love it we search for it and then sell it.  We are open 3 days a week in the winter, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10.00 - 4.00 or call if you would like an appointment to view at any other time07545350686.  We only live around the corner and are happy to open up to show you our lovely collection.

The photos here are of our items in room 1 on

the ground floor. We have a further room on this floor and then a large selling area on the floor below.   Each room has a different colour and theme so if blue is not your colour, don't worry, I'll post images of more of our collection next time.  I promise you, there is something for all tastes, whether for yourself, your home or as present.  I am looking forward to a really good 2014 bringing lovely things to you either at No. 21 or at the Antique and Collectors Fairs at the Bath and West from March onwards.  By the way, No. 21 is at 12 Market Place, Shepton Mallet - right by the market cross.

Late night openings are now over for the pre-Christmas period but a lot of my current stock can still be seen at No. 21, Market Place, Shepton Mallet where we are open from 10.00 - 4.00 Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  If you are still looking for that elusive Christmas present I am sure we can help.

My stock ranges from Arts and Crafts furniture through to modern studio pottery covering Victorian china, vintage clothes, stunning pictures and almost anything else you can think of.  I buy what I love so the collection is very eclectic and full of fun.  Do come and see my lovely things.

I shall be starting the New Year out on my rounds to buy more special objects ready to increase my stock for the Antique Fairs at the Bath and West Showground.  However, I will not be there in January, I will have to wait until March to show my things off - that is, unless you come to No. 21 for a preview!

Now that I have my own dedicated space at No. 21 we are organising a Christmas event to tempt you with a selection of lovely presents.  We will have a huge selection of gifts for you to give or beautiful things to keep for yourself.  From furniture, to vintage clothing, to glass, pottery, china, candles, jewellery, vintage toys, and quirky objects.   From £3.00 to £500.  We are sure you will find something to delight. 

 

We will be offering nibbles and mulled cider to bring that Christmas feel to Shepton Mallet and, of course, the Christmas lights will be shining brightly just outside.   Parking is free in Great Ostry and you can simply walk through the little lane to a warm welcome.

 

We hope to see you to share a little Christmas spirit together.

With Halloween over its definitely time to start looking towards Christmas which to my mind is a time for indulgence.  No, not for the children, but for us women who work hard all the year and then are expected to provide the special Christmas Day that the family always expect. Not for many of us
ladies the longed-for break from routine, just the additional rushing to get everything perfect for everyone else.  OK, we can do it but let's treat ourselves first! 

Now is the time to buy that little something that could allow us to relax while we rush around the shops, drag in heavy bags of special food, wrap presents, work on the social arrangements for the holiday and keep smiling throughout.  With one of these in the wardrobe we know that we too can be ready for all the Christmas entertaining, despite the huge list of additional chores to fit into life.

I think these little boleros are just what will put a spring in my step (or even a feeling of Christmas goodwill).  Knowing that I could just pop one of these over a  simple black dress or even trousers and a top will enable me to relax as the chores pile up and the clock ticks away. No need to allow half an hour to get changed and presentable, let the door bell ring and I can rush upstairs while the family offer drinks and appear within minutes as the most elegant hostess.

 

 

I had managed to collect half a dozen of these vintage boleros but have already sold four of them.  These two are for sale at No. 21, Market Square, Shepton Mallet and if they are still there by next Friday they will be coming with me to the Antique and Collectors Fair at the Bath and West on the 8,9,10th November.  The sequined one is £15 and the 'Darling' pearl and pleats is £25.  

 

 

I'm so sorry that I have been away from my blog for so long.  The summer has been wonderful and I have had lots of interesting trips around the UK, France and Italy collecting little treasures.  Now I am back in full swing ready for a winter of selling. 

 

For me, and hopefully for some of you, the good news is that I now have a permanent space for some of my collection in the Interior Antiques and Vintage shop, No.21, Market Place, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5BE.   I am in residence at least once a week and when I am not there my colleague, Belinda will be happy to show you the Moments Remembered collection as well as her own beautiful furniture, clothing, jewellery and interesting objects.

 

Now that I have full (or nearly) use of both hands I am back on the Antique and Collectors Fairs again and have already sorted and packed some of my summer finds ready for the Shepton Mallet Fair on the 8th, 9th and 10th November.

I hope I will see you there. 

 

Apart from my very special summer finds I will have furniture, textiles, studio pottery, china and pictures plus, of course, some very tempting items for Christmas gifts for all the family and for your special friends.  Come with a list and a big shopping bag!

 In the summer I managed to find some wonderful fashion catalogues in France dating from 1945 and l947.  The lady who sold them to me told me that they had been her grandmother's. As a dressmaker in Provence at the end of the war she was kept very busy copying the latest styles from Paris for the fashionable ladies of Provence. 

 

There were quite a lot of notes and measurements on some pages and it is lovely to think of the grandmother having sewn these beautiful garments for her clients.  The pages that were not written  over, I have framed to make these lovely pictures. 

 

The prices range from £9.00 to £25.00 and I have been really pleased with the success I have had in selling these to happy customers.  I still have some left which are currently in the shop at No. 21 and which will then come with me to the Antique Fair at Shepton. 

 

For something completely different I have also found a lovely handmade toy tractor (probably from the 1950's) which is a real joy so that will be coming to Shepton with me along with this elegant Art Nouveau style vase which I found at a vide grenier in Provence...and, of course, lots more well-priced objects to tempt you. 

So, please forgive my bad blogging habits.  I really have not been lazing the summer away, its just that I have much more fun finding special objects rather than typing about them!  

 

I hope we will see you in No. 21, at the Antique Fair in Shepton or at one of our special pre-Christmas events which we will be hosting at No.21.  More details to follow.

 

 

It's been so long.....

I feel so bad for neglecting my blog but after my time away searching for goodies I managed to put my right hand out of action which has made typing (amongst most other things) pretty impossible.   However, I now realise that I am off to France in the next few days to spend a month camping and searching my favourite markets for interesting and wonderful objects for the autumn.  

I have managed to do a couple of fairs (using mainly my left hand) and was pleased with the success of some of my newest finds which just flew off the stand.

Every fair seems to bring buyers who fall in love with different things.  Generally, for the last few months

tea sets seemed to be back in favour again and I have sold all styles of them to people from all over the world. 

 

In the red roses of the Midwinter set I sold the coffee set, tea set and dinner service within a few hours of having them.  Like Marmite, people either loved it or hated it!

 

The traditional hand painted Victorian tea sets were as popular as ever and the rather elegant bone china tea sets were also very popular.  It is amazing how many foreign buyers are drawn to our old English tea sets.

 

 Luckily I have spent 5 days searching around Somerset and am pleased to report that I have another good collection for the September Antique Fair at the Bath and West and at the Vintage Bazaar in Devizes on the 30th August.

What I have not managed to find is a replacement for the wonderful Somerset Apple Orchard oil painting which I sold in the first five minutes of the Fair being opened.  I loved it and the lady who bought it loved it even more!   I was sorry to see it go, especially right at the start of a fair as it was a good crowd puller.  Unfortunately, despite hours of searching numerous auction houses I have not yet found anything similar to replace it, but  I'll keep searching.

Another fella I was sad to say goodbye to was Dobbin the horse.  He had obviously been lovingly made for a family child and although his mane was tatty, his tail thin and his saddle worn out but the love he had known in his life so far shone through.  As he headed off to the north of England I was very pleased to know that he had found an owner who was going to carry on giving him the love he deserved.


As ever, at the Antique and Collectors Fair, my collection of studio pottery sold well.  I really enjoy meeting true ceramic collectors who know so much more about the pots than I do and are always happy to share their information.  I am learning fast but I am still really only at the stage of knowing what I like and buying that.  As so many dealers buy my studio pottery from me I know that I have a lot to learn about pricing it - however, for anyone looking for a bargain I guess I am a good stall to visit.

Must dash now, off to the Shepton Fleamarket, one auction left to go and then it's France here I come.  I hope you have a really good summer and I look forward to showing you some of the interesting objects I know I am going to find in France.