I also love any kind of craft work, my lovely Mummy taught me how to sew and knit as soon as I could hold the needles. In our family we were encouraged to be creative and no-one liked to see children idling away doing nothing so they would find you something to do. Happily for me my Aunts and Grandmothers patiently taught me the basics of baking, how to cross stitch or crochet or tackle a sewing pattern etc...
In my late teens and early twenties I worked in a Vintage fashion shop where we bought and sold vintage clothing, handbags, shoes, linen, bric-a-brac, etc and my new passion vintage costume jewellery. I hardly ever took home any wages because I was surrounded by temptation all week!
In my late teens and early twenties I worked in a Vintage fashion shop where we bought and sold vintage clothing, handbags, shoes, linen, bric-a-brac, etc and my new passion vintage costume jewellery. I hardly ever took home any wages because I was surrounded by temptation all week!
I
later moved to the Fashion Industry, working freelance for Independent
Lingerie and Bridal Designers. It was an interesting but difficult
time as the country was going into a major recession and a lot of the
smaller businesses were really struggling to keep going in spite of the
fantastic quality goods they produced. In 1990 I moved out to the
countryside and I left behind the ailing Fashion world and city life and
found freedom in a life straight out of the pages of ‘Country Living'
Without a job I had lots of spare time so I sewed, knitted and cooked more than ever before and spent many happy hours trawling local bric-a-brac markets, antique fairs and village jumble sales, filling my home with wonderful vintage finds. Along with things for the home I was also buying my old favourites, vintage clothes, accessories, textiles and jewellery.
Without a job I had lots of spare time so I sewed, knitted and cooked more than ever before and spent many happy hours trawling local bric-a-brac markets, antique fairs and village jumble sales, filling my home with wonderful vintage finds. Along with things for the home I was also buying my old favourites, vintage clothes, accessories, textiles and jewellery.
In the end with very little money coming in and no job on the horizon I decided to turn my hobby into a business and stood my first antique fair at the famous Newark Showground. Since that first fair I haven't looked back and over the years I have bought and sold vintage jewellery and accessories at
most of the well known antique and Art Deco fairs.
Times have changed over the years..... The Antiques trade is much more global and internet based so we have all had to adapt to stay in business but I enjoy the challenge of the new and find it taps into my creative side. I no longer live in the country and am close to the city again but we have a little oasis of a garden that backs onto a park so I can sit out with my knitting or my laptop! and still indulge in the 'Country Living' dream from time to time.....
Times have changed over the years..... The Antiques trade is much more global and internet based so we have all had to adapt to stay in business but I enjoy the challenge of the new and find it taps into my creative side. I no longer live in the country and am close to the city again but we have a little oasis of a garden that backs onto a park so I can sit out with my knitting or my laptop! and still indulge in the 'Country Living' dream from time to time.....
Carol :-)
Unless otherwise credited all text and images on this blog ©Vintage Jewel Box ® 2021
Unless otherwise credited all text and images on this blog ©Vintage Jewel Box ® 2021
