Christmas wishes!

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

The webshop is closed now until Jan 2nd 2010, but you can still place an order to reserve your item. Any orders will be posted during the first week of January.

Thanks to all of you who have made purchases through 2009 either from the website or at a fair and who have followed the website and the blog ( sorry I'm not much of a blogger :-) )

Have a great festive time.....

Lots of Christmas wishes

Carol xxx

Thank you!

This is a lightening quick post to say a big 'Thank you' to everyone who came to 'The Jewel Box' stand at the Nec last week.

Jen and I had a brilliant show, it was really buzzy and bustling everyday and we seemed to be on the go the whole time. Lots of our regular customers came to browse and buy or to just say hello and we had lots of new faces too which is great. It was lovely to meet Denise and her friend Eve who I think thought they had found a sweetie shop for grown ups :-)

I'm really busy this next couple of weeks as the run up to Christmas starts in earnest. I'm sorry to have neglected the website recently and hope to get round to photographing and uploading some new stock, I will do an email flyer to all those registered when the update is complete. Time just seems to be in short supply and I often want to be in three places at once! Working for yorself is great, but I often wish there was more than one of me :-)

Carol x

P.S. Next week Colston Bassett Store ( Leicestershire) host their annual 'Girls Night Out' for Charity. This years charity is SCKIN a local charity for skin cancer awareness. It is on Weds 11th Nov 7.30-9.30pm. Tickets are on sale at the store; for further details email info@colstonbassettstore.com

October 'Antiques for Everyone'

Well, time has certainly flown by really quickly since the last Nec 'Antiques for Everyone' show in July, but despite the short period between the two shows Jenny and I have managed to find some great vintage jewellery and accessories which will be on sale for the first time at this Winter show, October 29th - November 1st.

Whatever your taste in jewellery we try to have something for everyone and our prices suit every pocket as they go from as little as £10.00 to over £1,000. We also have vintage handbags and silk scarves. Come and say hello :-) Our stand number is M35

Antiques for Everyone is a quality standfitted show with a wide range of antiques and collectables including Art Deco, Fine Art & Jewellery etc...
For more details about opening times etc, click the link : Antiques for everyone

Website customers please note : Any orders placed the week of the show will be posted out 3rd Nov.

Autumn vintage stock

Just a few lines to let you know I have added some new vintage stock to the website today, including the beautiful hand painted silk scarf heading this post!
New items have been added to each section but make sure you scroll down to the end of each list as the software on the site puts the new items at the bottom and I don't always get round to moving them nearer the top!

That feeling of Autumn is everywhere now, especially in the garden which is starting to look bedraggled and tired. As I get older I feel more sad about losing the warmth and light of the sun, but I LOVE winter clothes, especially coats, boots, scarves and gloves, so there is some compensation :-)

Vintage TOOTAL & SAMMY scarves!

Just to let you know I have just added some great vintage TOOTAL & SAMMY mens scarves to the website today. Take a look when you have a few minutes to spare, we have all colours and designs from classic green paisley to rockin red !

They are a wonderful accessory and not just for men....they can look just as good on women too :-)

If you want a bit of history to the 'TOOTAL' label I have found this link bespoke-me

Life's a beach!

A week ago was opening day at the Antiques for Everyone show....how time flies!!!

It's great to see everyone there, customers, friends and other standholders some of whom who we only see at the show. It is quite a social week, you see some people every day for a six day stretch so you make lots of friendships, talk loads and have a laugh :-) Thank you to everyone who came to see us, especially Nic, Ashley and Emily :-) Thanks also to Mr Martin for all the free marketing advice and help and to Mrs Martin for being happy to chat whilst we plan our next move!

As usual I am totally blooped out ( so much standing! ) But, on Tues we nipped into Nottingham for a few bits and saw this amazing site!

Life's a beach in Nottinghams Old Market Square
It was complete bedlam, but the kids were loving it, a bit of sand and water and they will play all day :-) I think it is a great use of the newly re-furbished Market Square and it is a bit of fun for the families who may not get a holiday this year due to the horrid credit crunch, at least the kids get some sandcastle time and a few fairground rides

To aid my post show recovery we had a coffee in Chocolate Utopia on Friar lane as they give you a handmade chocolate with your drink, wonderful for restoring depleted energy levels or as a reviver when out having necessary retail therapy. The chocolates are handmade on the premises and are excellent quality with lots of choice of flavours etc.........YUMMY!

Antiques for Everyone!

Next week is the 'Antiques for Everyone' show at the Nec in Birmingham. I can't believe how quickly it has come around again!

Jen and I have been trying to do as much of the deciding about what goes where, display and stockwise at home this time instead of trying to figure it all out on set up day. To that end we have been sorting out what to showcase in the big cabinet by laying it out shelf by shelf, that way it should take up much less time to do the display when we get there.

I find it is so much harder to motivate myself to do all the preparations and planning in the summer as I want to be outside gardening etc. However, I seem to have got everything together in plenty of time by working really hard during the bad weather....we have had soooo much rain! Then, when the sun is shining I have been doing repairs and pricing etc on the bench by the wall at the bottom of the garden.
Whilst sitting on the bench I have kept a close watch on one of our Japanese Acer trees because for the third time in four years we have had Goldfinches nesting there. This year they had three chicks and I could just see their little heads peeping over the edge of the nest if I looked up into the branches. Luckily Richard and I were both sat on the bench when they decided it was time to try out their wings and one by one they had a very vigorous and rather noisy flapping and fidgeting about, each coming out onto a nearby branch and having a look around.
Richard managed to get a pic of one of them later that day, then they were gone! We have seen them flying about so hopefully they will survive and come back next year :-)

Hope to see you at the Nec show :-)
For further details click on the link 'Antiques for Everyone'

New vintage stock for June

Just a quick post to say that I have finally managed to do the new vintage upload!!!

I've added quite a lot of vintage accessories, some summery silk scarves and some jewellery, so please take a look if you have a few minutes to spare :-)

I should have done the upload weeks ago, but I find it so hard to be cooped up inside on the computer if the weather is nice and the garden is looking so lovely I want to be out there morning, noon and night :-)


We have also been out and about quite a bit, I love going to outside venues like vintage car rally's or steam fairs and last week we went to an outdoor Antique Fair at Stamford Meadows which is a wonderful venue near the river in historic Stamford Town in Lincolnshire.
We saw lots of people we haven't seen for ages so we spent most of the time chatting and catching up on bits of news and gossip. We also saw quite a few dealers that we haven't come across before so it made it interesting. I bought a few pieces of stock, which was an added bonus to the glorious sunny day!

Decadent Deco days.....

Hi Everyone,
This is just a quick update post while I try to make headway getting my new stock photographed and uploaded onto the site :-)

Firstly, thank you to everyone who came to see our stand at the NEC 'Antiques for Everyone' show last month. We had fairly good trading, but the new look of the show meant some customers couldn't find us and the majority found the new layout very confusing. A bit of a straw poll of visitors and stand holders over the duration of the show seemed to find very few in favour of it.....Feel free to add a comment about it!

The week after the Nec, I go completely 'bloop' ........ You do so much talking to everyone and standing up all day, it just wears you out emotionally and physically....

Anyway, I have had chance to re-coup because as an Anniversary treat we went up to 'The Midland' in Morecambe, the Famous Art Deco hotel featured in TV dramas like Poirot and host to lots of stars and celebrities over the years.
Up until a couple of years ago it was completely derilict and in danger of falling into the sea and being lost forever.........Then a miracle happened, Urban Splash bought it and brought it back to life, restoring the unique Art Deco architectural structure of the building and refitting the interior in a sypathetic modern boutique style.

This fabulous sweeping, circular staircase is an original feature......Wonderful for making an entrance :-)


The restaurant has beautiful panoramic views across Morecambe Bay. The gentle shades of blues, greys and beige browns of the view out to sea added to the white quality of light you get up on that part of the coast is very restful and calming......


Right.....back to the grindstone!

'Antiques for Everyone' at the Nec

All this week I have been busy making lists and trying to get organised for the 'Antiques for Everyone' show which is held at the Nec in Birmingham 16th - 19th April.

I stand the show three times a year with my lovely friend Jenny and we really look forward to seeing all our regular customers, meeting new ones and most especially showcasing all the wonderful vintage jewellery and accessory treasures we have searched high and low for.

We travel all over the UK and sometimes overseas to buy stock and each year it gets more difficult to find lovely things in really good condition at the right price. With all the cheap imports and reproductions flooding the market it is hard to find people selling good genuine vintage jewellery as it is obviously much easier to make a living buying and selling stock that you can order over the phone!

It has been a long gap since the last Antiques for Everyone in October 08 and we have both been squirreling away all our new finds in a special drawer. Every two or three pieces you buy eventually add up so, we have lots of exciting, fresh stock that is on sale for the first time at this April show.

Accessories are just as hard to find as jewellery and I think it is because unlike today, from the 1920's until the 1970's when we we became more of a consumer society, women had maybe two, or at the most, three handbags, one for everyday use, one for best and perhaps a special one that matched a particular outfit or was an evening purse. I have been lucky to get a few wonderful 'Corde' handbags in hardly used condition so I am looking forward to seeing them displayed together on the stand.

If you want more information about the show click on this link 'Antiques for Everyone'

The floorplan of the show is slightly different this year but we are in more or less the same place in the hall as before, section 2 stand W18.

Please come and say hello :-)
Carol x

P.S. Thanks to everyone who looked at or bought from the accessories sale on the website. Please note : Any orders received from the website during the week of the show will be posted week commencing 20th April.

Mad March discounts!

Just a quick post to say I have launched a special spring promotion on the website!
All the Ladies and Mens vintage accessories are now on SALE :-)

Lots of gorgeous vintage silk scarves, Tootal scarves, handbags, etc...

If you have had your eye on something, take a look, it may still be available!

Thanks for looking......

A purple patch...

Sometimes you find yourself in trend without even realising it....
Whilst the weather was really bad and we were snowed in, I started to look through all my findings and spares. I have beads, stones and pretty bits and pieces, a lot of which are genuine vintage or antique that I have have collected over the years. I have always kept any broken or damaged jewellery, as I hate to throw anything away especially if it's old and twinkly and also because I don't like to repair anything old with something bright and new, it just looks totally wrong in my eyes and makes me feel I can't sell it as authentic & original. I think I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to my vintage jewellery :-)

Saying that though, I love the idea that old findings, spares and otherwise useless broken bits can be used to make a completely new piece of jewellery or artwork. I have made things ever since I can remember and one of my new year resolutions was to try to give a little more time to craft in general, so when the snow came down I got stuck in and had a few hours faffing about making earrings, some of which have gone into my etsy shop Vintage Jewel Box and some still to be listed.....
Well and truly into a creative spell, I had recently gone out and bought some Rowan wool with the intention of reviving my crochet skills.....This hasn't quite gone to plan as I couldn't make head or brim of the hat pattern that I have, but determined not to give up completely I had a go at the flower corsage that came with it..........Yey! success :-)

As I made the earrings I put them on stands on my window sill, the corsage is sitting on there as well, alongside the amethyst crystal and my set of lilac perfume bottles......Mmmm all shades of purple......

I beavered away happily and five purple themed pairs of earrings later, I thought I had better change tack as not everyone will share my love of the colour, so I went for another favourite, black :-)

Well, french jet is a classic and if a girl can't have too many pairs of black shoes or trousers then the same must go for earrings too :-)

Although, with my most recent purchases being a purple jacket and wonderful dark purple handbag, I think for me, purple has just become the new black!

Oooh baby it's cold out there...

Well, what a week!

The weather here in the UK has been the most wintry we have had for maybe 18 years...Most of the country has been blanketed with snow which has resulted in chaos on the roads, at Airports and lost days at work and school for many people.
The children have loved it as many haven't really seen snow so it was a whole new experience for most. My eldest nephew struggled home from school on Monday with a huge snowball so he could finish making his snowman when he got home. I think he thought it would all vanish as quickly as it came so he wasn't taking any chances :-)

Even the birds seemed confused by the snow. The blackbird sat on the fence looking very downcast and those that couldn't use the bird feeder were scavenging around the bottom of it looking for the odd seed that had been thrown out. So, I put on my polkadot wellies ( I knew they were a good buy ;-) ) and cleared the table for some bread and leftovers....

Hurray for cold weather..... I love winter clothes. It is a time to enjoy all those hats, scarves, gloves and boots that we have bought :-) My much loved fake fur coat has been taken out of the box at the top of the wardrobe, so glad I didn't give it away when it hadn't been worn for three winters.
Inspired by the cold weather and all the wonderful creative talent on etsy I have bought some lovely Rowan wool and purchased a hat pattern from etsy shop crocheteria . Somehow knitting and crocheting seems more appropriate during a real winter. Mind you it is probably about 15 or more years since I did any craftwork so I may need some help!

More snow is forecast so I am going to make the most of it and snuggle down in front of my fire, a pity its only gas logs but I can pretend ;-) Drink red wine, eat comfort food like cottage pie and make frothy hot chocolate to end the evening with....I may even make a start on my hat!

Lots & lots of new vintage stock!

Well, I have had my nose flat to the grindstone all week sorting out all the pics I have taken of the new vintage stock I had ready and getting it uploaded onto the website....
It always takes an age to list it all, probably because I am self taught when it comes to typing and although I use both hands, I only seem to use 3 fingers and a thumb ! Which makes for fairly slow and inaccurate progress ;-)

I have put a good mix of different things on, some fresh silk scarves including the gorgeous, not so shabby chic Liberty one above and as I am sure there is still quite a blast of winter on its way.....Sundays forecast is for snow from Russia!!! There is a warm and colourful Liberty shawl which is great for wrapping round your shoulders to keep nice and cosy when writing your blog ;-)
I have lots of lovely necklaces in stock so it is difficult picking out which ones to put on the site. I really like the rich sapphire blue of both of these and as they both have a completely different look and feel I put them both on...

If you want to join the mailing list for new stock updates just CLICK HERE and register your details. Don't forget to check the email update box !

So much to do...so little time!

There just don't seem enough hours in the day to get all the things you want to do, done and frustratingly the mornings are so dark that I feel as though I am emerging from a winter hibernation and really struggle to get cracking!

Tea always helps to wake up the little grey cells and get the body going.... At the moment my morning favourite is Broken Orange Pekoe which I bought from Betty's in York when we went up there on a visit to the National Railway Museum a couple of weeks ago. Digressing slightly, one of the reasons I bought the tea is when I was small, my Nana (in the pic above) used to have in her larder a wonderful Orange Pekoe Tea tin from the 1930's which I really coveted though goodness knows where it went?

Anyway, I can really recommend the museum for a day out, even if you aren't that interested in trains, which I am not especially, but the whole nostalgia of the days of steam was enough appeal. Richard wanted to see the new steam train the Tornado which was featured on a recent TV programme.
The museum has lots of vintage railwayana exhibits and you can peer though the windows of the Royal Carriages and see how sumptious and detailed some of them are inside, beautifully fitted out with little brass beds and dressing tables etc......Wonderful for a nostalgia lover like me.


We also had time to walk around the cobbled streets and have a look in the Antique centres which was great as there is so much jewellery in them for me to drool over. York is a great day out, I never seem to tire of going up there.

It was a good tea & cake day as the museum restaurant/cafe had very good food and huge slices of carrot cake which weren't for passing up...... At the end of the day I contrived to end up in Bettys Tearoom as we needed a little morsel of something to energise us for the drive home.

We had a nice pot of tearoom blend tea and as it seemed such a shame to have something I could have any day at home like teacakes or sandwiches I ended up with Chocolate Torte from the sweet trolley!!! Bad girl me ;-)

Anyway, I'm just waffling now about tea and cake when there is work to be done!
I have been quite busy most of the week getting vintage stock photographed so that when the Sale ends on the website there are lots of new and exciting pieces to browse.

I have also opened a shop, Vintage Jewel Box on etsy, which is a lovely site for exquisite handmade craft pieces and vintage. I have spent ages just looking at the wonderful things on there and bookmarking pretty corsages and vintage clothes that I would like to buy when I should really have been listing my own stock!
I am amazed at the incredible creative output some people have, its brilliant to see all this talent out there......very INSPIRING :-)