Making Hay Whilst The Sun Shines ...

We really have been trying to make make the most of these glimpses of blue skies recently.  Taking time to re-stock, polish and dust the shelves and, most of all, try to take as many photos as possible before the all too familiar grey skies return.  On days like today, when the sun shines one minute and the heavens open the next, it feels like you're playing a game of Snakes & Ladders.  New shoots in the garden prove that Spring is steadily approaching and yet the cold grey days make you yearn for cuppa after cuppa...  Our selection of good old Utility Beryl cups and saucers are just perfect for this time of year.  That beautiful soft jade green that echoes Spring and offers the comfort of that traditionally shaped cup and saucer warming our hands.

Also in the Scullery we have added a selection of new tea towels, very traditional and vintage in style and texture.  Not only do they evoke images of French Country houses and brocantes, but they also lend themselves perfectly to cushion and bolster covers!  They are available in pairs and sets of three.

Herringbone woven cotton in natural colourways with blue or raspberry red stripes and  traditional linen style Glass Cloths - the sort you had when you were a child.

Elsewhere in the Emporium we have added 1940s sewing books and patterns, very pretty floral linen cushion covers to embroider, fabulous books and a sprinkling of ephemera. 

We'd love you to take a peep.  Toodle pip for now.

Milly and Dottie

On The Shelf...

www.millyanddottie.com

Mend, Mend, Mend!

We have recently added many lovely vintage threads and wools to the shelves of our Sewing Room.  Beautiful colours for mending, darning, embroidery, sewing or display.  When the lure of the Great Outdoors is not quite as tempting during these cold, grey days, now is a great time to get on with that pile of mending or sewing projects that have been stashed away for a rainy day.  The perfect time for a spot of "Make Do & Mend" - A New Year, new month, new resolutions, but old threads of course!

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Flora & Fauna

A quick wander round the garden this morning, revealed emerging shoots, bulbs and beloved primroses braving the elements and mustering their strength to face the elements.  Whilst the temperature seems to be plummeting, these reassuring signs that all is well in the garden and Spring may well be on its way offers nearly as much comfort as the custard creams in the biscuit tin!

In our Library at the moment we seem to be gathering our own little Nature table with all manner of books.  Our little nod to the oncoming months and the delights that await us.

Happy New Year!

A rather belated but heartfelt Happy New Year! A huge 'thank you' to all of the lovely people that have visited us over the past year and a big 'Hello" to new and returning friends.  We wish you a healthy, happy, peaceful and rain-free 2014 (not completely rain-free you understand, just enough to stop us from being permanently soggy....

As life slowly returns to normal, The Grotto has retired for another year, tinsel and glitter have been swept up, the biscuit tin replenished, the Shop doormat swept and some new goodies placed upon the Shelves.

We hope to see you very soon.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Love 

Milly and Dottie x

Greetings!

Greetings from our Christmas Grotto!

Ho ho ho! We’re so excited, it’s our favourite festive time of year. Christmas is fast approaching,  the decorations are coming out, the temperature is coming down, and well, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!  

The scents of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves waft through the home and when our cats aren't busy tinkering with the Christmas baubles, they're busy wrapping themselves in the festive gift wrap.

We have been very busy recently sending off our brown paper parcels to our lovely customers, old and new.  We have been lucky enough to have had our Emporium featured in “Homes and Antiques” magazine, both the December issue and their  special Ultimate Guide to Christmas  and we’re enjoying the thrill of seeing our names in print and our baubles on display!

In between our daily trips to the Post Office and cups of tea and custard creams in the Stockroom (purely to maintain sugar levels you understand!), we have been filling our shelves with more vintage seasonal finds and festive gifts.

We hope there are goodies and gifts enough to please everyone.  There are gardening books for the green fingered. Vintage pretties for the Boudoir, beautiful prints  in the Attic, a wonderful selection of tins in the Box Room (these would be lovely lined with tissue paper or filled with sweets or cookies).  The shelves of our Nursery are full of vintage puzzles, toys and posters to keep young and old amused.  Beautiful haberdashery  on the shelves of the Sewing Room. 

There are books aplenty in The Library from mystery to mayhem, books for boys and girls of any age.  If you fancy a spot of festive cooking or know somebody who does, there is a wonderful selection of kitchenalia in the Scullery (not to mention the perfect something to keep your sprouts warm and toasty on the Christmas table).

Not to forget the Grotto where you will find a vintage array of festive finery and the odd fairy or two!

Wishing you all a wonderfully vintage Christmas.  May your Christmas lights twinkle, your baubles glisten and your fairies weave their magic.