Milly & Dottie

Milly & Dottie's Love Tokens

2012-02-02T11:49:00.004Z

With the first snow of the season falling, one’s thoughts could easily turn to cuddling up in front of a crackling fire. Baby it may be cold outside but soon our hearts will be warming as ‘tis also the season for love with Valentine’s day just around the corner. Bluebirds will be twittering and hearts will be fluttering and Milly & Dottie will be busy playing cupid by stocking the shelves with some choice gifts for your loved ones..

It is traditional to give flowers and chocolates to a loved one, but how about an alternative bouquet which you will find in the Attic with a beautiful floral calendar.. or if Bon Bons are more appropriate.. there are charming vintage chocolate boxes in the Box Room. Silks and satins, pearls and lace.. the Boudoir has oh so pretty silk purses and Bohemian glass earrings.

Find something to cuddle in the Nursery with dear Herbert the teddy bear.. or fill your heart with a good old romantic novel which you will find a plenty in the Library with I Capture The Castle or with The Lover’s Pocket Book or poetry ...

send some sweet nothings with a vintage Valentine card from the Study..

So why not say it with flowers.. say it with vintage.. say I love you with something special from Milly & Dottie’s Emporium this Valentine’s Day..

50 and counting ...

2012-01-27T10:52:00.003Z

Crack open the Wincarnis and pass the custard creams - we've reached over 50,000 visitors to our Emporium! Thank you so much to everyone who has visited, browsed the shelves, met us in the stockroom and enjoyed some of the treasure. We certainly have been overwhelmed by all your visits, lovely comments and friendships we've made along the way. A much needed new doormat is on its way and maybe the front door could do with a lick of new paint...

Whilst our somewhat glazed expressions seem rather bemused, we really are jumping for joy! So thank you all very much. Chin chin and toodle pip!

You'll Find Us In The Cellar

2012-01-18T15:32:00.003Z

Oops! We completely forgot to mention to you our winter sale that is now on in our Cellar. There are bargains in our basement, you never know what you might find! Have fun rummaging, we've left the light on for you and there's not a spider in sight...

Home Chat

2012-01-10T11:40:00.007Z

There are times in the day when there is nothing better than a cuppa and a quick browse through a magazine or two. Here at the Emporium we were looking through some of the magazines we have on sale at the moment. They are a far cry from the full colour glossies available on the shelves today and offer nothing of the tantalising glimpses into other people's homes or wardrobes that we have become so used to nowadays. But their modest plain paper printing and dashes of colour are far more interesting in many ways.

For perfect vintage bedside reading we have this wonderful edition of 1949 Mother and Home on our Boudoir shelves. This is full of fashion, cooking, beauty and knitting tips. Oh how we love this fair isle knitting pattern

Articles about dressmaking from sale remnants of fabrics remind us that this was a post War Britain, still struggling to its feet. The food recipes reflect the shortage of food supplies and making best use of all that was available.

In our Cellar there is a 1918 Christmas edition of Home Chat magazine, special in its way because it is the first peace time Christmas edition of the magazine for four years. The magazine is full of lovely nostalgic adverts and in amongst them are adverts reminding us that food rationing was not just introduced in the 1940s.

Recioes for Christmas puddings and mincemeat are offered using rations "very different from the puddings of pre-war years, but quite nice all the same" (we wonder what they really tasted like!).

Warnings to women about economy hair tonics appear on pages, stressing the dangers of buying low price beauty products in a time of economy....

Pretty dance dresses are featured, for, as Camilla and Lady Betty say,"Dancing is in Favour again" after four long years of World War.
And, poignantly, a little paragraph on things they say about Christmas
"First peaceful Christmas for five years. Won't it be absolutely topping!"
"Simply must find some trifles for the children's stockings: the tiniest things please them."

Woof Woof!

2012-01-05T10:18:00.002Z

Happy New Year to you all!
Well the first few days have been rather grim weather wise, but help is at hand... cheer up your winter wardrobe with this 1937 fashion tip!

2011-12-19T18:50:00.001Z

A Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Milly and Dottie!

Happy Memories

2011-12-02T11:17:00.006Z

We recently posted this video clip on our Facebook page and were very surprised at the number of happy memories it brought back for us both and for our customers.

The annual trip up to London to see the lights, a visit to Hamleys and one or two of the other Department stores, Liberty's or Selfridges perhaps. No trip would be complete without a visit to Santa, a photo taken and a nosey round the toy department.
We may be looking through rose tinted glasses but it all seemed a tad happier then. Yes, there may have been the hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers but there certainly wasn't the mass buying that we see today.

Christmas presents were real treats to be savoured. If you saw a doll you liked, and were lucky enough to receive it on the big day, you knew that that was your main present and that you were very lucky indeed... Do you remember the feel of Christmas cards too? The paper and wrapping paper had such a distinctive feel to it... and do you remember making stained glass Christmas cards at school, rainbow coloured tissue paper, black card and glue everywhere!!

Invariably there was a chill in the December air as you stepped onto the pavements after the cosy warmth of the Department store, but you were wrapped up warm in your hat and scarves and best coat. Perhaps a trip to buy some hot roasted chestnuts would do the trick? Milly remembers there always being a chestnut stall just up from Liberty's by the London Palladium - is it still there?

Back in our own grotto, we would like to thank all of you who have paid us a visit. Santa's shelves are very much lighter than when we opened! We are still adding stock so please pop back again for a visit, you never know what you might find. Many of the items that we have sold recently have sent us on many a trip down a festive memory lane!

If like us, the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping leaves you feeling a little less jolly than you should, how about a wander through the Emporium. Many a vintage Christmas gift is waiting on the shelves to be shared.

From colourful, floral prints in our Attic and vintage calendars to take you way back in time,

a touch of pampering in the Boudoir, childhood delights in the Nursery, books for young and old,

fiction and fact in the Library,

rations, recipes and receptacles in the Scullery and

sewing bits and bobs in the Sewing Room.
Have fun! Keep warm and please let us know of any Christmas childhood shopping experiences you can remember.

Christmas Shopping

2011-11-01T10:36:00.006Z

If you go down to the Grotto today..
You’re sure of a big surprise..
There are sparkly, twinkly, shiny things
That are truly a treat for the eyes…

With books, ribbons and fairy lights
Santas, reindeer and festive treats
That are sure to delight ..

Do go down to the Grotto today
To find some Christmas Treasures…

The Christmas Grotto is now officially open for all of your early bird Christmas shopping!

Behind the scenes...

2011-10-11T08:51:00.026+01:00

Sorry that we've been away from the blog recently. Lots of treasure hunting going on at the moment, dusting of shelves and sipping of tea. We have scaled the heights of our rickety stepladder (an old wooden one of course, whose steps make very good homes for our cups and saucers, biscuit crumb tea plates and balls of string), and reached the tallest shelves in the Emporium and we are full to bursting with new goodies.

In fact the stockroom is so full that we've taken to sipping our tea most days in our little caravan - A few pots of paint, the odd crocheted blanket or two and it's scrubbed up a treat - so handy when we just need a moment or two...

So there we sit in our colourful hideaway whilst around us vintage chaos reigns....

Horse shoes to bring us good luck

A girl can never have too many earthenware jars

We don't know how many times we've lost our glasses so building a case for them seemed the sensible thing to do...

Scissors, tongs and other utensils for days when you need scissors, tongs and other utensils

Perched on the top of our shelves are milk jugs for our tea

Enamelware for days when we can leave the stockroom and go pick flowers...

Bits and bobs waiting to enter the sewing room

Our "packing area" - to be quite honest, we're not sure what most of these things do, but we recognise a ball of string when we see one!

Every Emporium needs a fire bucket...

And toys for rainy days -

And at the end of the day when things look like this ...

We beat a hasty retreat on one of our bicycles, panniers full of parcels and string, to the Post Office. We have to admit though, we do pend most of the day dreading clambering up the ladder to the eaves to choose our bicycle.

Hope you've enjoyed the little tour, it's courtesy of a local rural museum of course, but we do like a daydream when we're huddled up by the woodburning stove...

Back in the real world, we really do have lots of vintage bits and bobs recently added to our shelves. If you fancy a ride on your bicycle, we'll light the stove, polish the steps to our caravan and tidy the stockroom...

We smell treasure....

2011-09-23T12:25:00.001+01:00

LOTS OF NEW GOODIES ADDED THIS WEEK!
Wishing you all a happy, sunny weekend.

Dottie's Day

2011-09-18T00:01:00.002+01:00

I've poured the tea and baked the cakes. Decorated the cake and cleaned up the candles from my birthday bash (only joking, fresh clean ones of course!). I've combed my hair, found my prettiest party frock and brushed the crumbs from my lap.

So Dottie dear, please drag yourself away from all that present opening and let us wish you the bestest "Happy Birthday". Hope you have a wonderful day xxx

Make a Wish ....

2011-09-15T07:00:00.004+01:00

Don't be shy Milly ... It's time to huff and puff and blow out those candles and make a big wish!
Wishing you many many happy returns on this very special day... with love from Dottie xx

La Rentrée

2011-09-09T08:50:00.008+01:00

The French have a word for it that sums it up beautifully - "La Rentrée". That time of year when the lazy days of summer draw to a close, when children gather their new school uniform, bags and books and head off, full of good intentions, to start the new academic year, when businesses open after summer closures and, life continues full swing.

Here at the Emporium we are trying to embrace La Rentrée. Whilst those golden days of September that we all love, seem very elusive this year, there is something very exciting about the prospect of a new season.

A time to take stock (not just literally), a time to plan, a time to look forward, a time, we hope, for long country walks on misty early Autumnal mornings and smoky afternoons, a time to ransack our wardrobes in search of cardigans, gloves and scarves, a time for warming meals, for jams and pickles and a time to restock the custard cream tin.

So, whilst we may well have stepped down a pace recently, we're putting our best welly foot forward, dusting down the Emporium shelves re-starching our aprons and polishing the front door bell...

New goodies on the shelves....

Vive La Rentrée!

Two's Company

2011-08-18T09:46:00.002+01:00

The party had to end sometime and now that the bunting has been carefully folded away and the last cake crumb has been snuffled we felt it time to announce a lucky winner of our ‘Milly & Dottie are Two’ prize.

Do you remember that Milly & Dottie asked you to help them celebrate their second Birthday by thinking of your favourite double acts? I am sure many couples came to mind, Tom and Jerry, Mapp & Lucia, Cheese and Pickle, Tintin and Snowy, Apple crumble and custard, Burton and Taylor, Sunday with the newspapers.. the list goes on and on …
We were delighted that you joined in with the spirit of the occasion and eagerly shared your favourite double acts with us and how we have enjoyed reading your suggestions..
These are just a few of our favourites ….
Noddy & Big Ears… Morris Minor and vintage picnic case in the boot..
Bare feet and newly mown lawn… Soft white snow and mistletoe… Morecambe and Wise… Peaches and Cream… Darby & Joan… the smell of fireworks and the taste of baked potatoes… mismatched china and faded tea dresses …
In fact we loved them all.. so it made the task of choosing a winner very difficult indeed. We felt the best thing to do was put all of your suggestions into a hat and ask our Saturday girl to pick one out …
So we are very happy to announce that the winner of our Milly & Dottie are Two competition is Bare feet and newly mown lawn. We both love that feeling at the start of summer when your feet touch the grass for the first time, you can sense the delights that summer has in store. Congratulations Kate and thank you very much to all the other entrants.
A suitable double act prize will be on it’s way to the winner just as soon as Milly & Dottie can finish their tea and custard creams.. another firm favourite

Milly & Dottie Are Two!

2011-07-23T16:00:00.005+01:00

Hip Hip Hooray - We Are Two!! What a lot of fun we've had along the way and we would love you to join in all the festivities going on in the stockroom. Amidst all the jelly and custard, balloons and bunting, blind man’s buff and pass the parcel, we thought we would hold a little competition to celebrate.

Taking two as our theme, and Milly and Dottie as our starting point, we would like you to let us know of your favourite double acts. We’re not just talking Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, or Romeo and Juliet – how about strawberries and cream, gin and tonic, eiderdowns and sweet peas, hot chocolate and a good book, afternoon tea and a floral dress or fish and chips out of the paper?

Let us know your suggestions – the more the merrier and a birthday present or two will be sent to the one that most tickles our fancy.

Before we get out the stepladders and totter up to the top to hang the bunting and birthday cards, we thought we should let you know that the shelves are full of some lovely new finds. Vintage chocolate boxes And Empire Exhibition souvenirs in the Attic, gorgeous French sewing patterns and coloured knitting needles in the Sewing Room, new tins aplenty in the Box Room, books, books and more books in the Library. Cups and saucers are on the Scullery shelves, both Utility and commemorative and a charming pooch is settling in in the Nursery.

A big 'thank you' to you all for visiting us over the past two years and making this so much fun.

We’re off now to squeeze into our party frocks and do so look forward to reading all your favourite double acts and seeing you in the Stockroom.

Hip hip hooray and toodle pip.

Milly and Dottie

Hot Off The Press....

2011-07-11T15:06:00.004+01:00

Just to say that we have been lucky enough to have a mention in the new issue of Mollie Makes magazine. Issue 3 on sale now! A lovely new lifestyle and crafts magazine full of wonderful ideas.

Hip Hip Hooray...

2011-06-28T12:13:00.001+01:00

Summer's here today and we have a new parlour page and lots of new goodies on our shelves!

Midsummer Madness Sale

2011-06-17T14:19:00.016+01:00

It is hardly the weather for mad dogs and Englishmen to venture out of doors at the moment, without donning their sou'westers and gumboots. What happened to flaming June.. or summer for that matter?
Milly and Dottie have been feeling as grey as the proverbial clouds and so thought we would brighten up these heady summer days (!) with a little madness of our own by having a Summer Solstice Sale in the Emporium. We couldn't wait until the 21st of June so have started our sale a few days early and have reduced the prices on many of our vintage wares as you will discover by looking for the items which are highlighted in red text. Now is the time to grab a bargain .. from a useful vintage printer's tray in the Attic.. pretty glass earrings in The Boudoir to brighten up your summer wardrobe.. Lovely tins in the Box Room for keeping those cream tea scones in.. or how about a Steiff bunny in The Nursery to cuddle on these cool summer nights! Alongside these sale items are many new and interesting items too.. so no need to reach for your rose tinted glasses .. just pop along for some retail therapy to chase the rainy day blues away... but hurry.. as our sale will end a few days after the 21st of June. Happy shopping!

Keep Young & Beautiful

2011-06-13T14:40:00.010+01:00

Monday morning, and here at Milly & Dottie HQ the weather is decidedly bleurgh and to make matters worse the drizzly skies are conspiring to give us "bad hair days". Or is that just our age we wonder?
We might have found a solution

What do you think? To our minds, it looks scarier than the highest roller coaster ride at the fairground. Not sure if either of us would fancy plugging ourselves into a permanent wave machine that bears more than a passing resemblance to milking machine crossed with a chandelier...

We're strictly "wake up and wash your face" gals, the least time looking in the mirror these days the better. We were heartened when we found this lovely book the other day though...

Full of the most wonderful beauty tips from the 1930s and offering help for the over 30s (no mention alas of the over 40s or 50s - we guess it's just a question of following the advice and then some...). Physical exercise is, alas, advocated. The author expects the reader to 'sag around the waist" has visions of our hips running to fat along with our bust and imagines us sitting round shouldered, poked head and hollow chested ... how right she is.

But worry not, help is at hand - there are exercises aplenty - but oh dear they do involve wearing the dreaded navy blue knickers that we had to wear at school. Tips on walking properly which would, it seem, result in us striding along a la Joanna Lumley in Ab Fab.

Our wardrobes are also considered and perhaps our favourite tip is to always choose knickers "With a slippery surface" (and, we're guessing, reach from your waist to your knees!).

There are chapters on hair (rather a lot of the hairstyles seem to require being plugged in to the aforementioned "milking machine"), aids to a lovely skin, manicures. keeping well in all weathers, and (ha ha) how to put on weight.

We're off to beautify our throat and chins, guard against prematurely greying hair, indulge in some powder puffs, reduce our legs and launder our collars.

Overcoming Troubles...

If you however, are sitting "hollow chested and round shouldered" whilst reading this, you might like to read more - the book's in The Library. And if you fancy some vigorous striding through the departments of the Emporium in lieu of those physical exercises, we're happy to tell you that there are lots of new goodies lying in wait for you.

Down the Garden Path...

2011-05-27T12:43:00.028+01:00

Now is the time to dust off your wellies, tidy your trugs and untangle the garden twine.. With an early Spring this year, gardens up and down the land are looking gloriously rich with plentiful blooms. The warm weather of April made us forget the arctic winter and our plants showed willing by shooting up and growing at a rate of knots. Unfortunately this also included the weeds which put on a race to break the record for the biggest explosion of Dandelions we have seen for many a year.

Chelsea Flower show each May has many keen gardeners salivating over Salvias, palpitating over Peonies and swooning over sweet smelling Roses.. not to mention fretting over snails and all the ruin that they can do to your prize blooms overnight. Whether you are an armchair gardener or a hands on gardener, Milly & Dottie have several floral lovelies in the emporium to whet the appetite for green fingered pursuits..

Scatter some seeds around your border and fill the garden with blooms that the bees will love you for ...

To aide your planting schemes .. flick through the pages of this lovely book ..

To keep those pesky moths at bay.. pop one of these pretty Lavender sachets in your knicker drawer or a pocket in your wardrobe, to leave a scent of an English garden ..

Lie back in your hammock and fill your mind with poetry whilst smelling the roses ...

Of course Milly & Dottie always like to put on their best Crinolines whilst pottering about in the garden..

As dear old Monty would say.. Enjoy your garden whatever the weather.

Knickers, Needles & Knitting

2011-05-10T12:24:00.013+01:00

Oops you've caught us! Sitting in our stockroom, kettle boiling, munching on the custard creams and leafing through the vintage magazines.

We love browsing through the pages of these old women's weeklies. It's not just the articles and stories that grab us - more often or not its the adverts that really interest us. They tell us so much about the lifestyles and aspirations of the time. These magazines, directly after the war, reflect in their ads, a time of austerity and rations, but also a time of optimism and above all, invention. With goods slowly returning to the shop shelves and rations increasing it's interesting to see that recycling and ingenuity were still required.

During the war, silk as a fabric was required to make parachutes,so the luxury of silk lingerie was forbidden. In May 1947 there appears an article on using parachute silk to make lingerie and a blouse, (Please click image to enlarge). A fallen or discovered parachute became treasure indeed, A case of necessity being the mother of invention if ever there was one! We also found this interesting post here, should you wish to read more.

The 1940s sewing and knitting books that we have in our Sewing Room seem to be very popular. Not just for the vintage patterns and styles but, we think, for the common sense of recycling and reusing that prevails in them. This video is absolutely fascinating.

The wonderful "Make Do and Mend" leaflets produced by the Ministry of Information are packed full of recycling tips and hints - from recycling old tweed jackets, making blouses from oddments and unpicking knitted garments to reuse the wool.

That's if you could get hold of the knitting needles ...

We love the sense of reusing items and perhaps that's one of the reasons we love all things vintage. Sometimes in today's throwaway society it's good to reuse what we already have, to find a new purpose for a pre-used item and take note of all those women's magazines!

Of Bunnies & Butterflies, Baa lambs & Bees

2011-04-27T10:42:00.012+01:00

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter and were able to enjoy some of this marvellous Spring weather. It has been good to leave the stockroom and custard creams behind for a few days and don our wellies and summer frocks and head for the hills for a spot of walking, talking, animal spotting and chocolate scoffing.

It certainly has been "Famous Five" kind of weather hasn't it? Long days spent outdoors with the promise of Aunt Fanny's famous fruitcake to welcome you home at tea time! The odd glass or two of ginger beer to keep us going and mercifully not a glimpse of Uncle Quentin to spoil the day...

When we returned to the Emporium it struck us that many of our treasures reflected the kind of halcyon days that we have been enjoying.

Butterflies and bees fluttering from flower to flower.

Lambs gambolling in the fields

Children playing in the farmyard

And, wherever you look, bunnies appearing from nowhere!

Long may it continue...

Dottie's Dwelling

2011-04-05T09:20:00.004+01:00

It has been rumoured that Dottie lives in a dolls house.. though not strictly true.. she does live in a house with a family of assorted dolls and moth eaten teddies and toys.
Her home is also rather cluttered as any dolls house would be.. but for this special occasion, all Dottie's detrius was swept under the carpet and stuffed into cupboards and hidden from view from the unforgiving lens of the camera. This occasion was a lovely mention of Milly & Dottie's Emporium in May's issue of House Beautiful magazine.
If you look very hard, you might just spot Milly in the corner of the room trying to hide the packet of custard creams behind her back and wipe those tell tale crumbs from her mouth..

Spring Posy

2011-03-21T18:00:00.007Z

So Spring has sprung, the sun has shone, the days are longer and the windows are open!
In corners of our gardens or on woodland walks primroses start to appear and whilst, we may still spend our days dressed like this little boy, all wrapped up against the elements, we're sure it won't be long till we don our Spring frocks and wellies, garden trugs on our arm and a spring in our step as we step out into our gardens to sow our Summer seeds.

It is certainly an exciting time of the year, a time to embrace the daylight, enjoy the birdsong and the sweet scent of Spring blooms.

With this in mind we have been busy filling our shelves with all kinds of Spring related goodies. A Song to April and vintage wooden chocolate boxes for your Easter delights in our Attic. Petticoats and posies in our Boudoir – a delicious brooch especially for Mother’s Day and a pretty crinoline lady foil picture for your walls.

There are daffodils, poppies and birdsong in our Dovecote, just beckoning you out to the garden. Spring embroidery, vintage sewing kits and more Make Do and Mend in our Sewing Room., all manner of flora and fauna in our Box Room and jigsaws aplenty in our Nursery to keep you busy, from frolicking lambs to bunnies and chicks and velvety rabbits to grace your shelves.

If you fancy a read on the garden bench, why not have a look on our Library shelves? Daffodil story books, Spring time walks. The Darling Buds of May, butterflies and birds all await you.

So if you fancy a Springtime saunter, our doors and windows are open, the shelves are freshly dusted and, as always, there’s a welcome and a vase of daffodils waiting for you in the stockroom.

Rhubarb Rhubarb

2011-03-02T07:19:00.015Z

As a nation renowned for having a sweet tooth and penchant for all kinds of sugary confections.. we favour our puds and are fiercely proud of our old stalwarts such as Jam Roly Poly pud..a formidable concoction of suet and sticky jam guaranteed to stick to your ribs and other extremities. Or how about Sticky Toffee Pudding.. another calorific challenge..

Eve's Pudding, Floating Islands, Apple Charlotte, Eton Mess, Knickerbocker Glory, Rice Pudding, Baked Alaska, Peaches and Cream, Syllabub, Bread and Butter Pudding, Tapioca with a blob of crimson jam, Gooseberry Fool..there are many more from this larder of British puds and we expect you can add a few of your own favourites. Milly is rather partial to Spotted Dick whilst Dottie has a particular fondness for Rhubarb and Custard ... Rhubarb Crumble and custard to be precise ..

Anyone who has a rhubarb patch nestled in their garden, will have noticed the spires of ruby red stems sprouting, stimulated by the frosts. Rhubarb is a vegetable with a unique taste that makes it a favorite in many pies and desserts. It originated in Asia over 2,000 years ago. It was initially cultivated for its medicinal qualities, it was not until the 18th century that rhubarb was grown for culinary purposes in Britain and America. Rhubarb is often commonly mistaken to be a fruit but rhubarb is actually a close relative of garden sorrel, and is therefore a member of the vegetable family. Rhubarb is rich in vitamin C and dietary fibre. With delightful names such as Champagne and Timperely Early. So pull some of those ruby red stalks today, stew lightly and make a crumble topping. Smothered in lashings of creamy custard.. It's a marriage made in heaven !!

Notes From The Library

2011-02-17T10:54:00.002Z

We’re very excited about the books in our Library at the moment and would love to share them with you.

We really believe there’s something for everyone, young and old. From fabulous fiction to green tips for gardeners, from romance to mystery, from children’s stories to whodunnits - our shelves are full of vintage titles.

Not only that, but we are happy to say that we have some of our very favourite books lining the walls of the Library too. “I write this sitting in the kitchen sink”, the opening words of one of our all time favourites – “I Capture The Castle” is on the top shelf, in its rare dustjacket too.

For those of you who like a good costume drama and are looking forward to the BBC adaptation of “South Riding” this week, we have an early edition right next to the butterfly books.

Why not catch “The Puffer Train” for your “Holiday Adventures”, they’re right next to “Holidays On The Farm”.

Wildflowers and warblers sit happily alongside bee-keeping tips and buttercups, “Mrs Harris Goes To New York” whilst a 1940s holiday guide suggests” Holidays in Britain” and Elizabeth Taylor suggests “A Game of Hide and Seek”. Tales from St Trinians and other spiffingly good reads might be more your cup of tea.

Do come along and have a look, it really is worth a rummage.

Elsewhere there are many new additions – vintage embroidery in the Dovecote, Mending and Darning in the Sewing Room, Shop Letters in the Attic and more childhood delights in the Nursery.

We look forward to seeing you, please ring the bell loudly, we’ll probably have our noses buried deep in one of those books…

Love Is The Sweetest Thing...

2011-02-14T08:20:00.002Z

Monday Medley

2011-02-07T17:24:00.003Z

Please click to enlarge

Some of the goodies that are on our shelves at the moment....

In print...

2011-02-04T13:43:00.006Z

Lovely to see some of our goodies featured again in this month's 'Homes & Antiques" magazine. If you feel inspired by what you see, there are plenty more treasures in our Nursery

and Library.

Have a good weekend.

Just Because...

2011-01-25T16:33:00.006Z

Because the days are slowly getting longer...

The sun is trying to shine...

The birds are definitely chirpier

And this is such a lovely film, Jeanne Moreau so beautiful and you can't listen to this song without smiling!

Turning Over A New Leaf...

2011-01-06T11:57:00.004Z

Happy New Year to you all! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
With our tummies full of festive fare and our heads full of New Year's resolutions, we thought we'd share this WWII poster with you. Whatever leaf you wish to turn over this year, metaphorical, lettuce or otherwise, we wish you a year full of happiness, health, friendship and fun!
And if you are hellbent on making that leaf one of the spinach variety, perhaps you would be interested in this? A New Year, A New You....

Would you?

Although It's Been Said, Many Times, Many Ways - Merry Christmas To You

2010-12-23T16:58:00.005Z

Season's Greetings from us both! A big, big ' thank you' to all our visitors and we look forward to seeing you all again soon. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Wonderfully Peaceful and Happy New Year.
Milly & Dottie xxx

Oh bring us a figgy pudding...

2010-11-30T11:51:00.012Z

Well, once again we seem to have missed Stir Up Sunday. the Sunday before Advent which is traditionally the day set aside for making Christmas Puddings. It is a time when traditionally the whole family would come together to take a turn to stir the pudding mixture in the bowl, make a wish and a charm or coin to the mix. Finding the coins or charms on Christmas Day would bring weallth, health, happiness and a little caution to the pudding eating! Traditional tokens would include silver coins for wealth, a thimble for thrift, a tiny wishbone for good luck and an anchor to symbolise safe harbour.

We do love a tradition and one that brings the whole family together earns extra brownie points too. Neither of us have made the Christmas Pudding this year and might have to resort to adding the odd sprig of holly or two to the few remaining custard creams in the biscuit tin for our staff Christmas treat!
We have had fun, however, sifting through old recipes for Christmas puddings and cakes. There are plenty to be found over here if it's a true 1940s flavour you're after. Milly went to a workshop one year on Christmas in the 1940s and it was fascinating to hear of the spirit of Making Do and Mend coming to the fore at Christmas. A time of true resourcefulness..

.If you fancy making your own mincemeat this year, we have this Victorian recipe for you, just click on the image to read it clearly.

And here is one from the 1940s for Wartime Mince Pies, issued by the Ministry of Food, (again please click on image to enlarge). Let us know if you have a go!

Rachel, one of our visitors to the Emporium recently bought lots of our jelly moulds. She contacted us to let us know that she intended to make quince cheese in the moulds. Always eager to see some photos, we asked her if she would let us see the results and she has kindly let us share them here. Aren't they gorgeous. They look so pretty too! Please read her wonderful blog to find out more. It's wonderful stuff!

So if any of this takes your fancy amongst all the other Christmas doings that we find ourselves knee deep in at the moment, the best of luck. Stir well, don't forget the brandy, mind those silver coins and douse liberally with wishes.

All that Glitters..

2010-11-03T20:10:00.043Z

You may be mistaken in thinking that we have been idle of late, all being quiet on the blog front, but this could not be further than the truth. M & D have been busy dusting down the shelves of their new department to welcome early bird shoppers for the Christmas season.
We are delighted to find ourselves between the pages of the BBC Homes & Antiques Magazine this month where they feature all manner of delicious twinkly glittery decorations including our own vintage Christmas collection of nostalgia.

So if you fancy a vintage flavoured Christmas, grab your hat and coat and come along with your baskets to browse our exciting Christmas Grotto...

You can choose from jaunty reindeer and jolly Christmas wrap ..

Flirty fairies and happy snowmen ...

Nostalgic Christmas cards and forests of miniature trees or bright beautiful baubles..

We have oodles of gift ideas in all departments..

Jolly good reads in the library, great graphics on vintage posters in the attic, wooden dolls for little girls or big ones in the nursery, Make do and Mend for Auntie Maud in the sewing room. Why not say it with vintage this Christmas!

Sowing the seeds...

2010-10-12T15:51:00.004+01:00

At the beginning of one of our very favourite books, The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E M Delafield, our heroine writes in her diary that she is planting her indoor bulbs. It is November 7th and she is interrupted by a visit from Lady B, who is quick to inform her that September or even October at a push is the best time to be planting them...
Well, unlike Lady Boxe we seem to be siding with the Provincial Lady - do we dream of having a house full of sweetly scented bulbs? Yes! Do we know that bulb planting time is amongst us? Yes! Have we done anything about it? No.
But today we found this vintage seed and bulb advertisement that made us want to rush for our pens and request a catalogue. It's hard to say what we most like about it. Perhaps it's the fact that the orders will be "executed with the utmost despatch." Perhaps it's the fact that we would have to write to request a catalogue, a good old fashioned letter. But do you know what? The thing that gets us really excited is that the offices are in Covent Garden, the old flower market and our heads are full of Eliza Dolittle and posies of violets...

A Pitter Patter Day...

2010-10-01T09:32:00.007+01:00

Well it's a "batten down the hatches" kind of day here in the Emporium and we've forgotten our galoshes and souwesters. No splishing or splashing for us. The ducks will have to play without us and we'll just have to do our ever so hardest to stay out of mischief.

Maybe we'll just get on with a spot of painting...

Just another day ..

2010-09-20T17:42:00.002+01:00

It's never a dull moment here at the Emporium . We thought we would give you a peek at the every day goings on in our busy lives. Oh where would we be without dear Mrs O, forever plying us with her Bourbon biscuits and gingerbread and witty anecdotes.
Well it's business as usual.. so if you will please excuse us we have customers to attend ..

It's Dottie's Turn!

2010-09-18T00:01:00.001+01:00

Dottie dear, will you please leave the washing alone! It's time to get ready...

No I'm not going to tell you, just run along, put your best frock on and favourite hankie in your handbag...

My, you do look ever so pretty!
Just sit in the parlour for a while whilst I go and fix in the music - don't get into trouble and promise you won't get your frock dirty, keep away from the choccy biccies....
Ready? Steady? Surprise!

Happy Birthday Dottie dearest (I hear it's quite the done thing to have a birthday this week!).

Come on then, I'll help you out of the chair... sort your frock out and pull up those socks of yours
Because it's time to have some fun!

Happy Happy Birthday and oodles of custard creams
xxx

It's jelly and ice cream time ...

2010-09-15T07:21:00.009+01:00

Yes.. it's time to dust down your frocks again and put on your silly party hats

Please gather round and join me in singing Happy Birthday to dear Milly....

We won't talk about age or anything like that.. though Milly might need some help with all of those candles!!!

Happy Birthday dear Milly.. have a wonderful day!

High Society...

2010-09-06T08:32:00.006+01:00

Hurry, hurry, hurry... we've just checked the calendar and realised there are only three weeks left to catch the wonderful Grace Kelly exhibition at the V & A. If you haven't yet been, it's time to pack your cucumber sandwiches in your Kelly bag and head up to the big city.

Milly went up in the summer to marvel at the sheer beauty and gorgeousness. Outfits and costumes from the actress's early days sit alongside the most glamorous couture, including the wonderful dress she wore to collect her Oscar. Outfits from her wedding ensemble are displayed with her now iconic accessories and the beautiful designer gowns she wore in her new role as a Princess.

The simplicity and elegance of the earlier outfits just shout 'Style" and made Milly rush home, put her feet up, press the 'play' button on her "Rear Window" dvd and, well, drool over her cup of tea. Days of re-watching "To Catch A Thief" and "High Society" followed and she can now be found wafting around the stockroom, shop apron tightly cinched at the waist, her glasses perched on her nose "Grace Kelly style" and has taken to wrapping the parcels sporting long white gloves - a case of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" if ever there was one!

A Good Yarn ...

2010-08-26T18:00:00.010+01:00

Milly and Dottie are delighted to be featured in this month's 'Sew Magazine'. Slight mix up with our identities, but that's nothing new.. we often forget who we are!

Wish You Were Here?

2010-08-10T10:21:00.010+01:00

As you can see from the photo, Milly and Dottie have ventured forth from the stockroom into the great outdoors. Just ten minutes pushing them pedals and we're all in a tizz. Those map directions are becoming as clear as mud... by our reckoning and with the wind behind us we'd be sitting on the clifftops by lunchtime, judging by the map we're heading directly inland with all thoughts of sticks of rock, fish and chips on the beach and the odd ride or two on the seaside merry go round growing less likely by the minute. We really should have mastered the art of cartography before we set out, or at the very least clearly worked out our left from our right before leaving the Emporium...

Oh the joys of summer holidays! We feel exhausted before we've even left home - days of planning our wardrobe, Mary-Janes and floral dresses, constantly checking the lights are out, the electricity is off, windows locked, custard creams carefully wrapped away and for those of us still lucky enough to have a milkman, that the milk has been cancelled.

Finding a suitable holiday can be equally exhausting, Luckily for us we have this wonderful 1940s guide book in our Library with all kinds of hints and tips for holidaying in Britain. We have plumped for the cycling option but were sorely tempted by the more sedantry idea of snail watching (not nearly as much risk of becoming saddle sore!).

For the more adventurous amongst us it suggests joining the circus for the summer (how very Famous Five is that!).

How about exploring the countryside as a companion to the rural postie, according to the book, just ask at your local rural post office (my how times have changed).

Of course there are always the joys of living under canvas - have any of you been watching the wonderful Britain Goes Camping - watching from the comfort of our stockroom it all looks jolly good fun.

As for us, we think we're just going to pedal where the fancy takes us, we've got enough sandwiches to last at least another half an hour or so... see you on the beach.

Polka Dot Party

2010-08-03T19:19:00.006+01:00

Now that the party hats have been hung up for another year and all the cake crumbs swept under the carpet.. it is back to work for Milly & Dottie. No more games of pass the parcel.. other than our usual date with brown paper and string in the stockroom.
We had a lovely birthday and are most grateful for all of your well wishes for our first anniversary..
One of our regular visitors and customers to the emporium celebrated our birthday in such style with her two beautiful furry friends.. and even iced a cake with our names..
Thank you dear Beverley for your kind and generous gesture.. I do so wish we could have invited you and all of our friends, whom we have met along the way in our first year of enterprise, to join us in a cup of best Rosy Lee and a slice of your very fine cake.

NOW WE ARE ONE !

2010-07-23T11:30:00.007+01:00

Well almost..

On the 25th July 2009.. Milly and Dottie put on their starched pinafores and smiles and opened the doors to their exciting new emporium.. otherwise known as Milly & Dottie's Emporium.
We have had great pleasure in welcoming visitors from far and wide, many who have shared our journey through this first year of enterprise
We would very much like you to join us in our 1st Birthday Celebrations this weekend... by putting on your best party frock and a fresh ribbon in your hair. There will be jellies and ice-cream, sticky buns galore, cucumber sandwiches and a delicious iced birthday cake with 1 pretty candle to blow out.

To celebrate our 1st anniversary we have a whole new exciting department to browse with the party occasion in mind.. 'Pass the Parcel' which has all kinds of everything to provide for your own vintage party.

Would you please join us in singing...

Happy Birthday to us
Happy Birthday to us
Happy Birthday dear Milly & Dottie's Emporium
Happy Birthday to us..

Hurrah !!

It's party time !!

Balloons. Blancmange & Blind Man's Buff

2010-07-22T10:03:00.004+01:00

We're just going through the party list - streamers, paper chains, candles, cake, jelly, party games (need to wrap the Pass The Parcel), sweep the floor, blow up the balloons, iron the tablecloths and enjoy....

What's the betting we forget the invitations!

Wednesday Wobble

2010-07-21T11:45:00.005+01:00

Oh no! We've forgotten the jelly! You can't have a party without a jelly... We'll have to go and ask the grocer, just like the advert tells us too.

Which flavour should it be?

Plain old jelly or jelly and custard? And what about the sprinkles?

Rolling Pins At The Ready...

2010-07-20T09:42:00.005+01:00

Lots of food to cook today - we will definitely be baking the butterfly cakes, eclairs and cheese straws. We might be holding back on the rainbow blancmanges but love the sound of the individual fruit fools.

As for the cake we baked, well that needs icing but somehow the almond paste recipe using mashed potato powder doesn't sound that appealing ...

Bake Me A Cake As Fast As You Can...

2010-07-19T10:40:00.003+01:00

So today we are mostly baking. You will find us amongst the sugar and spice and everything nice. If we find the candles it might be just be a case of having our cake and eating it too!

Walking Happily Ever After

2010-07-09T18:08:00.004+01:00

Far too hot to be walking anywhere today of course, but this advert from 1950 brings back so many memories. If you have to go out for a stroll what could be better than in a pair of Mary Janes? Red of course!

2010-07-02T17:06:00.003+01:00

A big 'thank you" to everyone who recently entered our "Jolly Good Read" Competition. We had a huge response and had great fun reading your suggestions, replying to your emails and jotting down book titles for us to read in the future. We were amazed to find that your book suggestions evoked so many memories for us both. It has been lovely talking to you via email about your books and having our rather addled brains jolted by books we really should have remembered to mention in the first place.
We felt it only fair to draw the winners out of a hat, vintage of course (we couldn't decide between my swimming hat or Dottie's shower cap) and three lucky people have had a bundle of books sent their way.
Our "Jolly Good Reading List" contains our favourite entries, books we have read, books we wished we'd mentioned and are now kicking ourselves for not remembering them in the first place and some we will definitely be reading in the future.
So, if you're stuck for some reading matter this summer, look no further:

The Diary Of A Provincial Lady - E M Delafield
Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
I Capture The Castle - Dodie Smith (Milly's cockahoop that this got a mention!)
Frenchman's Creek - Daphne du Maurier (or indeed anything by Daphne du Maurier says Dottie)
ABC Murders - Agatha Christie, you can't beat a whodunnit to get those grey cells working
A Room With A View - E M Forster
A Box Of Delights - John Masefield (new to us sounds very good)
Mapp and Lucia - E F Benson (Milly is kicking herself for not mentioning this)

And for childhood memories
Milly Molly Mandy - Joyce Lankester Brisley
The Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton
Famous Five Mysteries - Enid Blyton
Ballet Shoes - Noel Streatfeild (how could we have forgotten this!)
Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

Thank you all once again for taking part. If you find yourself in a comfortable chair in the shade sometime and feel like having a read of any of the above, please let us know what you thought.
Happy Reading!

Child's Play

2010-06-23T11:38:00.014+01:00

When Dottie was a wee lass she would spend endless happy hours, playing with her dolls.. dolls of every size, shape, material, character...any doll basically as Dottie was besotted with dolls..full stop.
Several years on.. and we won't say how many.. far too scary.. she still has a passion for dolls, but alas, not so much time to play with them these days.

Dottie's first love affair began with her first doll which was a Russian Doll otherwise known as Matryoshka Dolls bought by her mother, from the Ideal Home Exhibition in 1960. Not just one doll but a whole family of them to play with ...

The mother doll has lost most of her vibrancy... but then so has Dottie!

Milly remembers, shamefacedly, cutting the hair of her dolls and daubing them in felt tip pens, giving them one of her own special makeovers. How many dolls have suffered the same fate we wonder?

Dolls come in all guises and are a constant fascination..

These charming little bisque dolls are known by several names such as Frozen Charlottes, Penny Dolls and Dime Store Dolls. They were made in between the years of 1800 and the 1930's and were made from one single piece of bisque china to be sold cheaply.

Small but perfectly formed ..

There were many different characters made at that time before an alternative material such as celluloid was used to create inexpensive toys and dolls like this motley selection .. Not sure about the poor lass who looks like she has been under the sun bed for too long!

This lovely little nurse is made from composition, widely used in the manufacture of dolls heads and limbs.. she is reputed to have a good bedside manner.

Milly & Dottie's share many amusing and happy memories of playing with their dolls.. the washing of clothes in a Chad Valley washing machine, Barbie's first and last boyfriend aka Ken, Sindy's extensive collection of matching accessories and her annoying little sister Patch. Tressy and her amazing flowing locks of real nylon hair, Tiny Tears and her incontinence problems and then there were those disturbing Cabbage Patch Dolls.
I wonder where they are now and how many stories they could tell about having biro tattoos and skinhead hairstyles!

It's Official

2010-06-17T09:05:00.004+01:00

Please click on image for the full story

Oh dear. Our suspicions have proved to be grounded - all those mutterings from Milly and sighs of despair from Dottie. There it is, if proof were needed, in black and white so it must be true. It's official - Milly's only gone and lost her marbles!
If amongst your brown papered parcels you stumble across a slightly depleted, motley bunch of coloured spheres, please would you return them c/o The Stockroom. We appreciate your help...

Father Dear Father

2010-06-08T10:54:00.021+01:00

One of our favourite old movies is "Father Of The Bride", the original starring Spencer Tracy and the stunningly beautiful Elizabeth Taylor. Not only is it a very funny film but at times incredibly moving. We remember watching this when we were younger, laughing out loud as the arrangements and bills became ever more fantastic. Now watching it as an adult, it's hard not to empathise with "Stan" the father, how he seems so marginalised and surplus to requirements... and how very hard it is for him to come to terms with the fact that his little girl, his princess, is now a woman who will be leaving home. Oh we love it!

One of Milly's all time favourites is "Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House" starring the very gorgeous Cary Grant.

An all too familiar scene is the breakfast scene in the cramped apartment where the family sits down to start the day - Mr B tries to explain his job in advertising to his daughters who seem very nonplussed and keep quoting from their teacher. He then turns to his newspaper to find that most of it has been cut out by the daughters for their school work...
One of Dottie's favs is "The Railway Children", who can fail to be moved by the achingly moving scene at the end of the film when Jenny Agutter runs along the railway platform towards her father, calling out.. 'Daddy, my daddy' as he slowly emerges from the mist. Brings tears to Dottie's eyes every time ..

Do you have a favourite "Father" film? There are so many to choose from. If you could choose one film to give your father for Father's Day what would it be?

If films aren't your thing, or, more importantly, your father's, we have lots of lovely gift ideas in our Emporium.

If the idea of a kick around takes your fancy, we have a wonderful vintage game of football in our Nursery...

What could be better than this book in our Library - the original hobby book for "boys of all ages".

Perhaps your Sunday could be taken up watching a tie press being constructed, making helicopters or making a Union Jack - the instructions are all here!

Talking of Union Jacks, in our Attic, there's a lovely vintage one waiting to be waved.

If he likes nothing more than a potter in the garden shed we have some lovely 1930s gardening cards and hints here...

or for the man who has everything..but surely not a brace of gnomes.. these two cheeky chaps can be found in the attic..

If motoring is his thing, what about a Vintage Ladybird to explain the finer details... Or a vintage motoring guide?

Finally.. maybe your father was a big Biggles Fan.. and had aspirations to become a hero of the skies..

Whatever his fancy or persuasion.. you will be sure to find something to warm his heart on Father's Day, on the shelves of Milly & Dottie's Emporium.

Roses and Ribbons

2010-06-02T10:02:00.004+01:00

Oh we've just peeped out from the Dovecote and the sun is shining! We're planning to sneak out from the stockroom and do a spot of gardening. Maybe some jaunty red geraniums like the one in the picture, but then we'd have to dig out our matching jaunty red watering can, fork and trowel... not to mention our yellow sun hats with jaunty red ribbon to match our sunflower yellow dress with red trim... sounds like a good idea, as long as our aprons stay nice and starched.

Our knees would get awfully muddy in a dress that short, just as well there would be nobody around to see us. What's your favourite? Geraniums and gingham? Daisies and dungarees? Tulips and tunics? Poppies and paisleys or sunflowers and smocks?

Milly & Dottie's Jolly Good Read

2010-05-24T16:19:00.002+01:00

It's that time of year - the sun starts to shine, our thoughts turn to holidays, lazy days on the beach or in the garden and to the book that will be our new summer companion.

Summer holidays for Milly and Dottie conjure up images of lazing on a hammock or deckchair, our noses buried in a well-thumbed favourite book.

Before you compose your summer reading list, we would like to invite you to enter our competition, "Milly and Dottie's Jolly Good Read".

We all of us have a favourite book or two, one that holds special memories, makes us chuckle, transports us to a different time or place and even makes us shed a tear or two - Milly has a penchant for domestic novels of 1930s and 40s, but her all time favourites are "I Capture The Castle" and "Love In A Cold Climate". Dottie, on the other hand, loves the windswept novels and intrigue of Daphne Du Maurier's classics, such as 'Rebecca', or the gentle Irish romance of Edna O'Brien's 'The Girl with Green Eyes'.

Over in our Library, vintage books have been flying off the shelves since our Emporium opened and we're so happy to see that you enjoy a good old read too! All manner of vintage books on a variety of subjects - children's books, cookery, nature and gardening, novels both tragic and comic have been bought.

What we would like to know is, what kind of book tickles your fancy? Is it flora and fauna? Meringues and macaroons? Kitchen sinks and afternoon teas? Jolly good adventures or a mystery or two? Is it Aunty Fanny's fruit cake and a Famous Five mystery that ticks your boxes or a touch of blackberry picking with Milly Molly Mandy?

Why don't you let us know your all time favourite vintage read? We will then publish a list in our Emporium and one lucky entrant will win a vintage book of our choice. Please send all entries to us at The Emporium at our email address info@millyanddottie.com. We really look forward to hearing from you.

Tales from the Riverbank ..

2010-05-20T12:43:00.000+01:00

There's nothing that Milly & Dottie like better than going on a picnic. With the mercury rising, the birds a chit chatting and the skies getting bluer and according to the good old BBC weather man.. our summer sun is to start this weekend.. it is time to dig out your thermos, wicker picnic basket and tartan rug.. Find a lovely flower filled meadow on the riverbank, lay down your rug and picnic feast... and just relax.

Don't forget to take lashings of ginger beer to wash down the eggy rolls and iced buns !

Mad Hatters ...

2010-05-17T09:59:00.000+01:00

My word, it's a beautiful, blue skies and sunshine filled Monday. On our way to the stockroom we stopped and gathered posies of violets and marvelled at how they offset the blue of our hat and earrings... Once we had removed our gloves and boiled the kettle we sat down to the arduous tasks ahead - with the onset of Spring, just what kind of a hat is a gal to wear?

The magazines are full of tips and advice and thankfully agreed with us that "is there a woman anywhere who doesn't respond to the exciting thought of a lovely new hat?"

But choose wisely - if the boater takes your fancy, please place firmly on the head with true Edwardian dignity, remembering that to wear it at the back of the head is so 1948. Furthermore, a short hair-do, a serene expression and a graceful walk are essential, well that counts us out...

We are pleased to read that in America the milliners favour "fruit salad" trimmings, with cherries, grapes and strawberries being de riguer - just a bit too tempting at lunchtime we think.

In Paris the hats are decked with ribbons in stripes and plaids in vivid shades (no good for the cowering wallflower...) and in London designers are opting for make-believe flowers, feathers and bead-embroidered motifs.

Now which to choose? Saucy sailor hat with a twig of glossy fruit? Mimosa sprays or plumes of curled feathers? Close fitting toques with pink roses and light green leaves with a haze of veiling? A neat little cloche with a very young air? Or a sophisticated restaurant hat with a beguiling veil?

Too many decisions... please ring the shop bell loudly if you visit, we fear we'll be busy in the stockroom with yards of ribbon and netting, bunches of dandelions and a tin of cocktail fruit...

Everything Stops for Tea ...

2010-05-13T17:05:00.000+01:00

Tea time has always held an affection in the British household.. from sugary delicacies in the Nursery to full blown cucumber sandwiches and pots of Earl Grey at the Ritz. Everything stops for tea and long may this tradition last.
As you probably know by now.. Milly & Dottie have a penchant for the odd biscuit or two.. with custard creams being their preferred biccie of choice and judging by the waistline on Dottie.. she has indulged in one too many !

We all have our tea time favourites that feed our childhood memories .. the heady delights of jam doughnuts..impossible to eat without licking ones lips, Fondant Fancies in all their lurid pink glory.. or slabs of Battenburg in pretty pink and yellow chequers...

Do you remember how you would be ravenous after school and dive into the biscuit tin?
Milly especially loved Wednesdays, really hungry after netball practice and her mother had done the weekly shop - a full biscuit tin and cream cakes in the fridge (but not for long!). Those garishly coloured cellophane wrappers were a sight for sore eyes and weary legs...

As a little girl, she would sit in the garden surrounded by teddies and dolls with a favourite tablecloth on the lawn, solemnly passing round the iced gems, hoping that the pink ones at the end would be hers.

Dottie's passion for these treats , started with the biscuit collection in the baker's basket.. in the days when the local baker would deliver bread. Nestled amongst the Hovis loaves would be 'Pimple' biscuits, otherwise known as Lincoln biscuits...

On Saturdays there would be Cadbury's chocolate fingers and walnut cake, Jammie Dodgers, Wagon Wheels, Penguins, Bourbon, Digestives, Pink Wafers, Fig Rolls, Shortbread, Jam tarts, Florentines, Macaroons, Eccles Cakes, Iced Buns, Swiss Roll, cream puffs, crumpets oozing with butter, muffins smothered in jam, Scotch pancakes dripping in honey, Mr Kipling's Finest, Tunnocks marshmallows, Blue Ribbon chocolate wafers and not forgetting that noblest of biscuits.. the Custard Cream.. we have loved them all...

Think back to your own favourites and how you would savour the sugary delights of the tea time spread.. Which were your chosen treats?

Dottie once lived very close to Huntley & Palmers Biscuit factory in Reading and could always tell by the delicious sweet waft on the air, what was baking that day.. it must be said that Custard Creams were the ambrosia of the day...

Crawfords, McVities, Cadbury's, Bournville, Wright's, Gray & Dunn and Peek Freans ... are just some who have all produced our nations favourite teatime snacks....

You will find a wonderful selection of vintage biscuit tins sitting on the shelves in the emporium.. So go and put the kettle on, draw up a comfy chair and have a cup of tea with us.. and a biccy or two!

Beginnings..

2010-05-06T19:42:00.000+01:00

Hello from us both. Milly Roses and Dottie Custard welcome you to our new blog. We hope you will join with us on our musings, flights of fancy, whimsical tales and, of course, our chats on all things vintage and nostalgic.

As some of you may know, our friendship has developed over the years as has our enthusiasm and love the flotsam and jetsam of forgotten years, and we now find ourselves proud owners of our own vintage Emporium.

Our daily chats not only revolve around our ever changing shelf display, but often lead us on all sorts of adventures, imaginary and otherwise. Those that are just too silly, like the ones involving hot air balloon flights along the coast, our imaginary cottage that we share in our dotage, and our frequent cravings for tea and cream cakes, we shall leave behind in the stockroom - but there are oodles we'd love to share.

So if you fancy grabbing a custard cream (they are, of course, essential) and a comfortable chair, please join us on our trips down memory lane…