Vintage Love: kitsch enamel biscuit tin

I love a bit of kitsch. And it doesn't get much more kitsch than this vintage, enamel biscuit tin.
It's whimsical, it's floral, features gingham, big hair, loving glances, soppy dog...what's not to like?

Given to me by my Gran a few months ago, I'm not sure when it dates from. I'm guessing 1970s, but may be even older. My Gran was an avid horder of enamel tins and she never liked to throw anything away. I'm certainly glad this one didn't head into the bin.
This vintage enamel tin sits in my kitchen making the place look pretty. If I'm lucky it stores home-baked delicious things, currently it has some brownies and rock cakes made by my Mum & gifted to me today...when it's full of cake, I'm a happy girl.

Vintage love: draw leaf dining table

We moved into our 1930s home back in November 2012 and we've been settling in over the past six months. This is the oldest house I've ever lived in and it has lots of period charm with picture rails, original doors and wooden floors. As I am a vintage addict, I can indulge my addiction and furnish the place with older pieces of furniture.

We needed a larger dining table and we did the usual thing of looking at newer pieces of furniture from the usual suspects such as Ikea. But I was really hankering after something older and stronger and dare I say, better made. I trawled ebay and there were lots of lovely pieces on there, but many were too far away or the auction price went too high for me.

A few weeks ago my husband was looking in the classified section of the local paper and saw 'Barley Twist Draw Leaf Table and dining chairs for sale'. Well, I only need to read the words "Barley Twist" and I'm sold. We rang them immediately and bought this beatiful table and four chairs for £50!

As a keen recycler and I like to buy pre-loved items as often as I can to reduce the strain dwindling natural resources. Obviously the table isn't in its first flush of youth, and there's obvious wear and tear to the piece. But I've always loved that about vintage items, they have a history.

Vintage love: Teabreak biscuit tin

I love vintage tins, but unfortunately I don't own many of them. I'm usually caught up in tracking down vintage fabric and tend to ignore things like tins. I do however own a few that have been passed onto me by my Grandmother. She has had them in her cupboards for so long, they have become vintage and collectable by accident...she just wants to get rid of them and I'm more than happy to give them a new home!



This particular tin dates from the 1950s, so it's pretty old. I like it because it says 'Teabreak' on it and quite frankly, tea breaks are my favourite part of the day.



It's actually pretty big as far as vintage tins go, it measures over 20cms tall. I really love it because it's so sturdy and chunky and can hold a myriad of crafty bits and bobs. Because it's been stored away for so long, it's actually in very good condition. A quick Google search tells me these tins are brass lined - which goes to show how well made it is - I doubt if they put brass in many biscuit tins these days!



In other news - the winner of April's giveaway...
Many thanks to everyone who took part in my blog giveaway last month. With all the excitement of Easter and the Royal Wedding, I haven't had a chance to announce the winner.



Comment number 52 was picked out by the random number generator - so congratulations to Amber L who writes the appetizerforacraftymind blog. A selection of vintage trims will be winging their way to you shortly...

Summer is here (hopefully!)

We've been experiencing some lovely weather in the UK recently. As our Summers are so unpredictable it's hard to get used to it, as before you know it the rain sets in! Because bouts of sunshine are so precious in this country I like to grab every opportunity to line-dry all my latest vintage fabric purchases.



We don't own a tumble drier, so nice weather is a godsend. We do have indoor drying racks which are great in the Winter and on damp days, but nothing beats a good airing on the line in the sunshine.



I purchased these fantastic vintage fabrics from the Chipping Sodbury Vintage fair, which I blogged about here. They are destined to be made into bags and lavender rabbits.

vintage find: recipe tin

I thrifted this tin for £1 in a local charity shop. I fell in love with the colours and the images. It represents a snapshot of times gone by when wheeling out your latest creation on a hostess trolley was the height of sophistication.



Judging by the images, it seems that you had to smother everything in aspic jelly in the 1960s or 1970s! This tin indicates that shops were starting to stock 'exotic' food such as bananas, peppers and grapes. After the rationing many people had to endure in post-war Britian, it must've been a relief to cook with some interesting ingredients again.





When I got home, I was slightly taken aback when I opened the lid and saw the writing inside 'Recipe for Preserving Children'.


It's ok though, not as sinister as it sounds at all. It's actually quite sweet and again highlights a time gone by when people allowed their children the freedom to play outside, get the sun on their skin and heaven forbid, get a bit dirty!



I think it's a really unique piece and I look forward to putting some of my own recipes in it.

vintage find: craft book

I picked up this vintage craft book from a charity shop in Clifton, Bristol. It's packed with ideas to create colourful crafty items ranging from customised clothes to lino print cards.



The book is published by St Michael, a UK based high street store. This book was published in 1977, but it's obvious that Marks & Spencers have always been ahead of the game with eco-friendly ideas, check out the fruit print reusable tote featured in this book!



Although it's aimed at children, but I still found it a good read! I am always trying to think of new ways to brighten up the recycled envelopes I use to post sold items in. There's plenty of colourful printing ideas to try out in this book.

vintage find: Jersey Pottery

I love retro ceramics, especially from the 1960s and 1970s. It ties in with my love of vintage fabric. I just love the bold patterns and colours found in vintage items.
I found this little Jersey Pottery pomander in a local charity shop and was really taken by the smooth brown and taupe loops on an off-white background.
I was even more taken by the price, £9.99 reduced to £1.99. Bargain!

Vintage Find: Magic Roundabout cup

I spotted this small cup in a charity shop in Bristol and knew I had to have it! I loved the The Magic Roundabout as a child in the late 70s and early 80s (although I must've been watching the repeats from the 1960s). I adored everything about it, the characters, the innocent story lines and the wacky colourful world they all inhabited.

Created by Serge Danot in 1965 the Le Manège Enchanté (The Horse-gear Magic) had over 500 episodes made. It became a cult classic here in the UK when Eric Thompson (Father of the actress Emma Thompson) started writing & narrating the scripts. I know now that students in the 1960s loved the The Magic Roundabout for the underlying drug references (what was Dylan the Rabbit on?!) and the psychedelic backdrop.

But this cup represents pure, innocent childhood nostalgia and it's taken pride of place in my vintage finds collection!

Vintage Love: jumble sale jar

I love my latest vintage find, a jar from a jumble sale full of sewing bits and bobs.

All for the bargain price of 40p!

I find this type of find so intriguing. I know that someone has collected these pieces of haberdashery over many years, dipping in to the jar when they needed a particular button or buckle.

I had no idea what was inside, but I was pleasantly surprised to see such a lovely mixture of vintage sewing pieces.

All it needs now is a bit of a clean and I can start using them!

If you'd like to see more retro goodies, head on over to my "Vintage Finds" board over on Pinterest...

Follow Pouch : blogging + craft's board My Vintage Finds on Pinterest.