dream house ....

what is your dream house?

mine changes regularly .. sometimes its a massive detached house on a tree lined road with a huge garden..other times its a white weather boarded cottage by the sea, and then sometimes its a little cottage with roses around the door and ivy growing up the walls with a gorgeous cottage garden...i think it does depend on if I've been watching "escape to the country" or if we've been on holiday or out for a drive and i have seen a type of house that day.. I'm very fickle i have to tell you !!.. ( is it just me but when Ive been anywhere and i love the houses .. i go home and get straight onto "Rightmove"so i can have a nose around the houses in that area!!

anyways i have my dream house at the minute.. i see it everyday, its really me .. its a pity that its meant to hold butter!!..

yes my dream house is in the form of a butter dish!!..

my mum brought me this last week and its been taking pride of place on my little yellow shelf ever since!..

it comes with trailing roses around windows and doors

stuffed to the brim window boxes full of blooms

lovely original blue shutters framing all the windows,

so if you ever hear the nasally tones of Lloyd Grossman asking " who lives in a house like this" and you see the prettiest cottage ever .. you'll know that its me !!

ey a girl can dream cant she.. !!

the sun is out there somwere

Ive been sat looking out of the window and the sideways rain that's coming in is pretty depressing i have to say.. this basically is like the last weekend of summer isn't it.. what a weekend to end on..it pretty sums up how pants this summer has been!!...

Ooo what a negative intro..sorry about that, you can almost hear me sucking them lemons cant you!!..

i keep looking out of the window desperately trying to see the sun that is behind the grey clouds that are centre stage at the minute... in fact if i squint my eyes a little I'm sure i can see a touch of blue sky, you have to think positive!..

so I'm going to post a few pics that i took the other evening around 6pm, the sun was casting a lovely glow around the back of the house that i had to take some pictures, so for days like this i can remember that the sun has made a few appearances over the past few weeks!!

its making me feel a bit better already and if i look on the positive side.. the rain is watering my plants which ive kept forgetting to do so its doing me a favour at least!!..

oh and the ducks will be happy !!

a tale of two tea towels !

in the past Ive blogged about tea towels, i do have a bit of love of them, pretty ones though not the old ones you've had for years and have become like crisps!!

so last week after reading a certain email id been sent i realised that i was going to be able to write about tea towels again and not actually come across as a bit of a saddo like i usually feel because id been asked to do a review!!

i know get me doing a review.. this is a first !..i think several bloggers have been asked to do it so I'm good company..and it will be interesting to see what we all chose!..

the company is http://www.all-tea-towels.co.uk the website is like tea towel heaven!..

there are tons of gorgeous designs and as i had to pick a couple to review i was like a kid in a sweet shop i didn't know what to pick.

well i finally made my choices..

so i got my parcel all wrapped up in tissue paper.. i love getting things wrapped up in tissue paper i dont know why!!



you know that i had to choose a floral design first!..

so i went for the Victoria Rose Flowers Delightful this was from the "flowers and nature" section of the website

and its really is Delightful!!.. it has the most loveliest rose design on it ..lovely muted colours so it doesn't come across to garish, with lovely touches to it like the edged pattern, and the trailing roses over the top...




to me its like a beautiful piece of fabric that should be seen and not stuck in your tea towel drawer so i shall have this out at all times ( not to be used however...far to pretty!)

it really is a very pretty vintage piece isn't it!!

now for my second choice i picked the Scandinavian Folk Art tea towel, this was from the "world" section of the site,

this is more of a retro design which is a bit out of my comfort zone as i tend to veer towards the flowery side of vintage but there was something about this design that i really liked.. i love the bird print




and the real retro colours that have been used here, the blues and reds with oranges and yellows work so well together..


i just love this one, i just think again its a lovely piece of fabric and i may even frame this one and hang it up on the wall as its pretty cool i think !

so many thanks to Al from All tea towels for letting me review your scrummy tea towels and even better getting to keep them..and i am glad that its another lovely website for me to peruse to !!..

If in doubt...

if in doubt put up a shelf !!..

this should be my motto in life... the hubbys is " when all else fails.. hit it with a big hammer!! "

obviously hes talking about diy here.. hes not a hammer wielding maniac!

yes but my last resort for things is to just put another shelf up..theres always room for a shelf and that means theres always room for more pretty things to enter the house!!..

so i was faced with a little dilemma last week when i got my new cake stands.. as the triple tier one would really only fit were i had previously had a two tier one.. so i then had to find a home for the two tier one.. now i couldn't put it on top of my dining room dresser as you wouldn't be able to see it and i do like seeing my pretties out, but it cant be any were to handy for chubby hands to get hold of as that would be the last i saw of it !!..

so anyways i did a little bit of re-jigging things around on the dresser and its found a little home just sat in the middle of it.. so i moved some tins but then realised they didn't fit anywhere else on my dresser .. ( phew can you keep up with the crazy life that i lead!! )

what would be my solution... a shelf that my mum had given me a few weeks ago that had been in the boot of our car since.. i got it out.. got the hubby to get the power tools out and up it went.. which meant that i was left to faff about afterwards!!..

it is straight but as our house is the house that jack and his mate bill built the door frame isn't straight which means it looks a little on the wonky side but its not the hubbys dodgy diy skills but the door!!!..

so this is just yet another shelf that i can now have fun with adding to and hanging things off it the possibilities are endless and as soon as this one is filled up to capacity I'm sure I'll find another space on a wall somewhere for another one...do you think this could be a condition i have.. like shelfomania !!

i spotted some fairy lights the other week when i went into Liverpool that I'm going to save up and get as they are really cool and will look adorable on this shelf so I'll show you them as soon as i get them!!..

Gift and Thrift...

it was our wedding anniversary the other week..we were very romantic and went to Drayton Manor theme park with the kids and my sister, brother in law and their brood to !!.. yes it was a romantic day walking hand in hand through Thomas the Tank land and gazing into each others eyes over a picnic bench burger and chips in front of us and a crying kid along side!!!.

actually it was a lovely day, the sun shone all day and the kids for most of it were brilliant..we would go back as it was great for the kids small and big!! and you can camp there so if you want to pace yourself or go back for more you can.. so we said perhaps next year we'll think about camping .. (hmm you might find that i stop in the hotel and go down and see if everyone is alright in the morning!!)

so as it was our anniversary this means little gifts were purchased and given to each other.. usually the hubby buys me an item of clothing that i then return to the shop and buy something that 1. fits me.. and 2. is actually to my taste!!.. he does try i know but i did have to ask him this year not to buy me any thing that resembles clothes !!..so the clever little thing took himself off to Cath Kidston and bought me these sweet little tins




and some gift vouchers yay..which means i get to go back again and buy myself some other scrummy things!!..very excited.. and I'm going to go on a complete child free day so i can stay in there for ages just looking at everything!!

then a friend bought me the sweetest mini cake stand, and i just adore it!!






isn't it funny how something so little can make my day!!?

it really goes with the little yellow shelf doesn't it .. I'm loving yellows and limes and pinks together at the minute..

i obviously am going to have to buy some mini paper cake cases now and make some ultra cute cupcakes to go on it aren't i !!..

and from small to big .. how gorgeous is this triple cake stand






this was off my sisters inlaws who are part of our extended family ..its even better when they know your taste isn't it!!..

so they bought us the lovely cake stand which has now took pride of place in the kitchen and this adorable little heart hanger with a cupcake design on


.. they know me so well.. don't think the hubby was as impressed with it as me but he'll live!!....

so from gifts to thrifts ( see what i did there!)

here's the latest charity shop buys ...

this gorgeous mirror .. so small and delicate but pretty heavy actually...


my mum isn't sure if its actually silver, theres no stamp or hallmark on it but it could be couldn't it!

.. it does need a bit of a clean up so will set to that , just love the amazingness of the back of it so much detail






.. it seems a shame to put it on the wall as you miss out on all of that ..

a rather modern picture for me but i thought it was quite cool, and it was still in its wrapper, guessing somebody changed their mind..


i know were this is going but i need a few more pictures that are similar in style or colour before it goes up on the wall!

just thought both of these items have been paid for by my mum when we were out so i guess this is thrifted that was gifted !!

have got a few more things to show you but battery has run out on camera so cant today.. im sure the suspense will kill you but you'll have to wait a few more days heehee..!!

Good for the soul

had to go to Liverpool the other week for clothes for the boys.. i find it an experience at the best of times.. immediately feel like a country bumpkin among the hustle and bustle of the city and the pushing and shoving to get to the cheap clothes in Primark really grates on me!!..

anyway add to the pot a crying toddler stuck in a buggy with the most dodgiest of wheels and you can be sure that it really wasn't one of my best outings!!

anyway it was proving to be a real horrendous day and i was a little bit tense to say the least!!..

so just before i left for the train i popped in to the Cath Kidston shop just to have a look round and you know what .. it instantly calmed me !! ( think the fact that the baby had fallen asleep at this point so i could have a proper look round helped to!)

oh i love that shop..i love the bright colours and the prettiest things ever on show .. i even love the shop assistants!!.. in a city full of orange faces and blank stares looking back at you over the till they all seem so wholesome in their pretty tea dresses and pleasant expressions actually happy to help!!!..

i so want to work there it would fill me with happiness i should imagine!!

anyway as i had literally spent up on the children's clothes that day ( bah these pesky kids and their growth spurts!) i didn't have much to spend on me, but i did pick up this little beauty and it was actually a rather practical buy to considering the boys have managed to smash the previous ones that we've had

so here we have my "Good for the soul" purchase of the day .. a soap dish holder!!

how something so small and trivial can bring sheer happiness is probably really sad but not to me.. but then small things appeal to small minds don't they!!!

i love it.. and i love how the rose goes with my rose wallpaper



and i also love how its not going anywhere this cant be used as a boat when the boys are in the bath thus preserving its use for a bit longer than the previous soap dishes have fared!!

so the next time you are out in town and not having a good day ..nip into CK and feel the calmness come over you... or simply leave the kids at home that might help to!!

something old.... something new

something borrowed...something blue...

no I'm not getting married again.. ( ooo wish i could go back and have my wedding day again, to the hubby of course not to someone else.. would love the idea of planning it all again.. a different dress and a lot of country flowers and masses of bunting this time around me thinks.. i was a bit more "footballers wag/wife" when i got married !!..

anyways I'm off again there aren't i.. do have a habit of going off topic!!

anyway just thought id show you the recent additions to the Pretty Vintage household..

starting with something old which basically covers most things in my house.. always second hand or "vintage" we call it these days don't we, I would say majority of my house is either charity shop, freecycle or carboot and my wardrobe is made up mostly of ebay and charity shops.. i think its much more interesting ( but would so love a massive wad of money to go shopping though!!)

the hubby's gran gave me this original oil painting the other week, they've had it for years

.. i love it..

i love the pale shades , it all seems so calm and it goes perfectly in my bedroom

this fake flowery plant came from the charity shop the other day .. I'm not really sure about it but i just wanted a bit of floral goodness on my fireplace and it was only 70p so i bought it..not sure how long I'll keep it for as its a bit naff, but i do think the flowers are a bit pretty!!



picked up this pretty little barge plate , i really love these type of paint work .. id love a few more of these.. have to keep my beady eye out.. think it would look really pretty all grouped together !



and a sweet candle stick.. its small perfectly formed!! ( would like to say a bit like myself but then that was before i started to eat whole

packets of jaffa cakes to myself!! )

something new
my mum bought me this lovely heart hanging piece .. she wasn't sure of the colours but once i hung it up in my kitchen the colours seemed to find their place in amongst all the others !!

my fave shop B&M's came up trumps with these lovely canisters .. i just love the brightness of the colour combinations and i think they look a lot more expensive than what they actually cost

i bought this sweet little oil lamp .. well its oil lamp effect as you stick a tea light in the bottom, Ive popped it outside in the vain hope that we get a balmy evening and i can sit outside with lit candles dotted around ( here's hoping anyways!)

Something Borrowed

well technically its not borrowed, but i got this lovely mirror off freecycle ( what a surprise!) i haven't found a home for it yet so its just next to my dressing table.. i quite like it there actually it reflects light in to that little corner of my room.. i love the shape of it as well rather pretty!!

Something Blue

i came across this little haul the other day in the charity shop .. its a mix match of "Iris, Woodware" and "Royal Art Pottery".. all for £3.99 i wasn't going to leave it!!
its a bit of a rubbish pic as it was rather dark when i took it .. but I'm just loving the different shades of blue all together..