I rescued this rather forlorn looking doll's house last year and have given it a new lease of life!
Handmade in the 1930s, it was already a unique and beautifully crafted object, it just needed a bit of TLC!
And as it had
the look of a pre-War house, I chose the colours to match a classic 30s
Metroland house. A pale yellow, with dark green trimmings and a nice
cheerful bright red front door.
The toymakers Tri-ang often used the same colour scheme for their doll's houses around this time.
I also added the 'mock Tudor' effect on the gables, that is so familiar on these types of houses.
Put brick effect paper on the chimney and tiles for the roof.
And I also made some windows, with matching green frames ...
I went a bit crazier with the colours inside though!
A bright pink bedroom ...
A fabulous 1970s orange for the lounge.
I picked that to match the groovy 70s curtains that were already there!
And a nice blue upstairs, that also matched the existing curtains and carpet ...
There were amazing discoveries as well!
Just like when renovating a real house, original features can suddenly appear.
As I hacked away at the old woodchip wallpaper stuck on the walls, hidden wooden fireplaces were revealed, which was a nice surprise!!
I then put a bit of vinyl flooring down for the hallway, which I painted in a mustard yellow ...
The house was great fun to do, all it needs now is a new home!
This is a one-off, as it was handmade, and now with my own colour scheme, it will be unique thing to own.
It will probably be too big for some vintage fairs I'm doing, so it may only appear at outdoor and salvage fairs, but if you want it, let me know!!!
Just put some new bits into my unit down at The Customs House in West Bay, Dorset!!
Here is a sneak preview of some of the things ...
A gorgeous railway poster printed onto canvas.
It features a Great Western Railway poster from 1927, for the town of Marlborough in Wiltshire.
Which seemed to be a handy stop-off point for the North Wessex Downs, and the nearby Savernake Forest. It was painted by the artist W.E. Leadley (1902-73).
Some classic 1970s Mr Men books, the simple, but brilliantly drawn cartoon books by Roger Hargreaves.
A great 1960s jigsaw puzzle, called a 'Jig-Map'.
I have several of these in my unit and they are great fun to do, as they form the shape of the country or continent.
This one is for South America, and like the others, has great illustrations on it.
They are surprisingly difficult to do as well, although I'm not an experienced jigsaw puzzler!!
As is often the case with vintage jigsaws, there is unfortunately one piece missing, which is a shame. BUT, you do get the Place-Name Quiz all complete, including with the original envelope and all the name tags in the cardboard holder, which is extremely rare!
You had to place the names of the cities around the map, slotting them into place, you even get the answer sheet as well!
This is a brilliant retro mini table-football game!
Its so small it can just be placed on a table, instead of the big ones that have their own legs.
It probably dates to either the 1970s or 80s, so is a classic retro game, and loads of fun too!
A Bournemouth home shirt from their iconic 2015/16 season ...
This was the club's first season in the Premier League, in fact the first in the highest division in their entire history.
And they more than held their own, in one week in December they amazingly beat reigning champions Chelsea 1-0 away, then the following week beat Manchester United 2-1 at home!!
They finished up in 16th place, and have since become an established and respected Premier League club, a remarkable achievement.
And the shirt is great too!!
A really stylish and well-made top, with that classic retro-looking club badge of theirs.
More football stuff here, four fantastic books on Manchester United.
All you ever wanted to know about the famous Red Devils, with an encyclopedia, an illustrated history, a player by player guide and a brilliant book that has four DVDs of classic historic matches!
So run on down to The Customs House in West Bay and don't miss out of these and many more goodies!!
I love old vintage cameras, they are often design classics, and you just wonder how many holidays they've been taken on and how many photographs they've taken!
I've got several in the ArtPix Storeroom for sale, and this one below is a great example ...
This is a Coronet Twelve-20, that was made in Birmingham in 1950.
It actually looks much older, with its classic Brownie box camera shape, and Art Deco styling.
This is the 'Colour-Filter Model', which perhaps would have made it quite modern for the post-war era.
I love the little colour filter feature on the side of the camera!
It also has its original case, which is always a nice extra to have as well.
I'm certainly not a professional photographer, so I don't actually use these vintage cameras, I just appreciate their design and age, but I sell to people who intend to use them, which is fantastic.
They would be able to take photographs of a unique quality that no digital camera or Photoshop could recreate.
They are often bought by students, using them for projects, or people who have a passion for cameras, and I love the idea that they will have a continued life, taking great photos.
You'll have your chance to get your hands on this or some of the other vintage cameras at my next two vintage fairs ...
LOU LOU'S BOURNEMOUTH VINTAGE FAIR
Sunday 17th February
VINTAGE SOMERSET – WELLS
Saturday 2nd March
See you there!!
Very pleased to announce I've booked up to appear at this fantastic fair on Sunday 17th February!!
Come on down to Bournemouth Pavilion, right on the fantastic seafront, and enjoy a spectacular day of vintage goodies.
I did really well at last year's event, so can't wait to get back!
See you there!
We've all had a Batchelors Cup-a-Soup in our time, but now you can have one retro-style!!!
I've got these brilliant cups that date to the 1970s, that absolutely scream RETRO!!!
The company Batchelors started life in Sheffield in 1895, becoming known as purveyors of dried foods.
Their legendary dried soup in packets, the 'CUP-A-SOUP', were brought out in 1972, although they'd first had a go at it as far back as 1949.
My cups are probably items you'd send off for using tokens, or possibly used as promotional giveaways.
It's good to see the brand is still going strong, but I'm not that keen on their rather bland new logo and packaging, that's why it makes perfect sense to go retro!!
Mine have a perfectly simple and stylish design, with clear and legible type, and a cool block of colour underneath.
They remind me of the Pantone colour mugs you find in slightly upmarket stationary shops.
They'd be great to use to sip your soup, but as the design is so cool, can just be displayed in the kitchen.
You'll be able to find them at my upcoming fairs at LOU LOU'S BOURNEMOUTH VINTAGE FAIR on Sunday 17th February and VINTAGE SOMERSET in Wells on Saturday 2nd March!
I have here an exquisitely decorative item, with a brilliant name ...
You would just think that this was a dustpan and brush, but as befitting such a beautiful piece, its actual name is a crumb tray!!!
I love this name, and it does make perfect sense, as its real use was to sweep crumbs off a dinner table.
Which is far more dignified than scrabbling around on the floor sweeping up bits!
It does have an air of sophistication about it don't you think, with the very elegant shape of the brush, and the intricate flower designs and motifs.
You could imagine a butler or maid discreetly brushing up the cake crumbs from the afternoon tea!
So how old is it?
Looking at the designs it could be 1900s, with its vague hint of Art Nouveau.
But, taking a closer look, it could also be Arts & Crafts, which could nudge it back a bit further into the 1890s or as early as the 1880s.
So not only is this an unusual and ornate item, but is a genuine 'antique', in the real sense of the word.
Sounds like the name of an old ditty or funny limerick doesn't it?!
But it's actually the winner of a medal ...
I found this lovely item at the recent Giant Shepton Flea at Shepton Mallet in Somerset.
The fantastic Art Deco design of the medal caught my eye straight away, as did the striking image of the dancers.
The I.D.M.A. is the International Dancing Masters Association, which was created after a complicated set of mergers in 1930.
After yet more mergers in 1967, its now known as the International Dance Teachers Association.
As it was originally set up in 1930, it's tempting to think that they had a whole load of medals struck in the modern Deco style when they formed, and were still dishing them out in the early 60s as prizes!
It would have looked curiously outdated as a medal by 1961, but now of course looks sleek and stylish as a vintage item.
I don't think Mollie Mallett minded though as she was presented with her medal on 25th November 1961!!
It would originally have been held in a neat red box, embossed with I.D.M.A. in gold lettering, which has sadly been lost.
So who was our Mollie??
Unfortunately I don't know, but one reference did pop up online of someone on the Isle of Wight which fitted the time frame, so you never know.
Have chucked a big stash of the classic 1970s Commando comics into my unit at The Customs House at West Bay, Dorset.
So if you are a fan of these little gems, then lucky you!!
The comic first started in 1961 and is still going strong today, currently standing at Issue Number 5190.
My bundle of comics will help you start a collection, but you might need an extra room to collect them all!
Also in my unit are other faves from the 70s, Hotspur and Wizard ...
... and not forgetting the one and only Beano!
