Tag Archives: antique

August 21, 2016 · 9:00 am

English Country Garden

2014-06-01 14.52.50

How many gentle flowers grow
In an English country garden?
I’ll tell you now of some I know
And those I’ll miss I hope you’ll pardon
Daffodils, heart’s ease and flox
Meadowsweet and lilly stalks
Gentain, lupine and tall hollihocks
Roses, foxgloves, snowdrops, forget-me-nots
In an English country garden.

Nana Mouskouri, remember her singing this?

Globally speaking the biggest selling female artist of all time. As a multi linguist she sold all over Europe, America and Asia. Quite surreal to think of this young woman from Crete singing about native English flowers and gardens.

This garden is in Cheshire. Very close to home. The Dower house to a big estate, and open annually for charity. I love it here. An oasis of tranquility, adjacent to a beautiful boating lake swamped in yellow lillies, and overlooking a village green opposite a cluster of ancient cottages reserved for estate workers.

The garden to be absolutely frank, isn’t the most cultivated or colourful or groomed, but I like it for those reasons. The English love a good nosey, and here is the perfect excuse, pay a couple of pounds, wander round the borders and the arboretum, and pretend, just for a short while that you are Lady of The Manor, about to disappear indoors to prepare for dinner, you’ve maybe been out earlier with your trug, collecting rose blooms for the table, not it’s time to break out the pearls and enjoy a glass of chilled champagne in a crystal coupe.

If you’re going to have a dream, have a big one!

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Filed under england, English Countryside, flowers, Gardening, home

Tagged as antique, architecture, culture, family, garden, homes, mansion

August 20, 2016 · 4:32 pm

Ciao Bella!

Here we have a gorgeous strand of Vintage Italian Murano Glass beads.

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In everyone’s favourite; blue and white. I think these are exquisite. Beautifully made, each bead unique and individual, capped with a sweet little gilt fixture, and then hand knotted in silk in between, in pristine condition.

Murano is a little collection of islands, just to the north of Venice, Italy, famed for its glass making. In 1291, all the glass makers in Venice were forced to move to Murano due to the risk of fire, and the tradition of bead making began. The glass makers soon became highly revered, and were allowed to wear swords, and marry into the nobility. Murano glass is highly collectable, and sought after. This colour is rare.

This gorgeous necklace is the perfect summer accessory, would look fabulous with white linen.

Available to buy here in my eBay shop, or directly via Paypal. You won’t be disappointed – it’s amazing!

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Filed under Gorgeous

Tagged as antique, costume jewelry, fashion, gift ideas, gifts for women, glass, Murano, Retro, vintage, Vintage clothing, vintage jewellery, vintage jewelry

October 22, 2015 · 9:19 pm

I Want the World to Be Glass….

“If you treat glass right, it doesn’t crack. If you know the properties, you can make things; the color of dusk and night and love. But you can’t control people like that and I really, really wish you could. I want the world to be glass.” (Cath Crowley, Graffiti Moon).

On Venice’s famed isle of Murano, glass masters keep alive the art of lampworking. Each of the beads in these graceful Murano earrings is individually made over a hot flame, uno alla volta.

A unique, individual, antique, dusk coloured pair of luscious earrings, available here!

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Filed under Accessories, antique jewellery, antique jewelry, antiques, gifts, italy, Murano, Venice

Tagged as 1950's, antique, antique jewellery, Art Deco, earrings, gifts for her, glass, life, Murano, musings, poem, Venice, vintage earrings

October 19, 2015 · 12:22 pm

Painting with stitches?

‘Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration.’ Quote by D H Lawrence.

Stunning embroidery by renowned artist Alison Holt. Take a look at her website, really interesting work.

Her work is a marvel, at first I thought this recently acquired piece was a painting, but it is in fact stitched. So clever, such talent. Alison’s work is sold for thousands of pounds.

I have this fabulous garden embroidery by her for sale in my shop.

This is a rare, collector’s item, and won’t be around long. I’m very tempted to keep it.

What do you think?

Alison Holt:

“Each piece is a combination of silk painting and stitch. The painting creates depth, perspective and richness to the work and combines effectively with stitch to give detail and texture

I started to explore my love of the countryside, flowers and gardens through the medium of embroidery finding it the perfect vehicle to express the colours, textures and shapes I find so fascinating. I try to combine in my compositions a sense of light and an interesting juxtaposition of colour, shape and texture. I aim to capture moments in time as an artist who has colour, line and texture to play with. I consider myself a painter that uses threads, an artist that draws with a sewing machine.”

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Filed under blossoms, collecting, Craft, fine art, flowers, Gardening, Interior Design, Knitting, life, Lifestyle, love, Musings, painting, Textiles, Vintage

Tagged as antique, embroidery, fine art, gardening, hobby, knitting, sewing, stitching, textiles, threads, vintage

December 13, 2013 · 7:12 am

Manx Man Triskelion

Triskelion

Quocunque jeceris stabit

The latin motto of the Isle of Man translates to – whichever way you throw it, it will stand. But best not to throw this little toby jug, as it is made of bisque and wouldn’t be very happy. It’s a very unusual object featuring the Manx man and cat and to the other side a brace of herring, alluding to the national dish of Spuds and Herrin. Mmmmm.