At the last market, in May, it was a couple of my sunny coloured finds that were snapped up straight away.

This Barker Bros. primrose yellow jug went to a new home where it was destined to serve custard for-ever-more {a fitting purpose if you ask me}…

Vintage Barker Bros. jug

And these glorious green storage canisters were parcelled up and packed off to spruce up someone’s new kitchen. I love how even the mundane becomes magnificent when it’s just the right shade of vintage…

Five green vintage storage clip top canisters

I’ll be digging out more of my lovely vintage treasures for this weekend.

I’ve also been working on some more pictures to put up for sale. The vintage framed tobacco cards {previously mentioned on here} have been such a hit in the shop*, that I’ve created some more using the same series of British birds, and also a new pair with these pretty Brooke Bond tea butterfly cards.

Vintage Brooke Bond tea butterfly cards in hand painted frames.

Do pop along on Saturday if you can. Umbrellas optional, sunny dispositions essential!

{* the shop = Unique Chique, Alton, Hants}

The best bit of all was getting my painting gear gathered together in one hugely pleasing place…

Bottom: A variety of Annie Sloan Chalk Paints, waxes, tacks, wood treatments and upholstery tools; Middle: My wide selection of brushes {but none so useful as my trusty all-rounder, the Create Vintage paintbrush}; Top: Various pots, cloths and scraps of sandpaper

Inspired by a new sense of order, I decided to raid the painting cupboard and do a quick makeover on this sweet little wooden chair found for a bargain price at a secondhand shop.

BEFORE

As proof of how far Annie Sloan Chalk Paint goes, I managed this small project with an undercoat of Old White followed by barely half a tester pot of the superbly subtle Antoinette.

AFTER

All in all, I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself. With a place for everything, and everything in its place, I may even get on with some other shelved painting projects soon.

Amazing what can be achieved in just a week. Between confirming our space on Monday and unloading our boxes early on Saturday morning, we had created a viable showcase for my precious, much-loved stock. A few lovely fabrics here, some self-styled crates and stands there, and a kindly donated vintage ladder thrown in for good measure made a handsome temporary home for it all.

By Saturday evening we were EXHAUSTED!

We’re back to do it all again on June 22^nd. Same place – Tweseldown Racecourse, Bourley Road, Church Crookham, Hampshire, GU52 8DY.

Him: I’ve got some wood in the garage, I’ll see what I can do.

{there follows an interlude of several hours, some sawing and a whole lot of banging, plus a very quick paint job from me…}

Mr CV’s homemade ‘vintage’ crates

Me: Pretty good!

The perfect way to showcase my cute collection of small pressed glass jugs.

A small selection of pressed glass cream jugs and a fantastic pitcher {found just this week}

And one step closer to being ready for my stall on Saturday. Things are taking shape!

Today was one such occasion. Allow me to introduce one of this PAIR of rare Royal Doulton rosebud design oval platters. Makers stamp indicates a production date between 1902-1922.

My radar says simply BEAUTIFUL!

Royal Doulton rosebud design oval platter 1902-1922

It’s going to be a busy week – selecting my stock, refining a final few pictures and contemplating how best to set it all up.

Amongst other things, I will be parting company with this beautiful Poole Pottery coffee set I stumbled across recently. Has there ever been a more dreamy colour combination than that dusky pink and milk chocolate?

Poole Pottery coffee set including six teacups and saucers; sugar bowl; coffee pot & hot water pot. Other pieces also available.

Will be posting more beautiful finds here as the week goes on. And if you can make it down on Saturday I’d love to see you there!

Tweseldown Artisan Market; Tweseldown Racecourse, Bourley Road, Church Crookham, Hampshire, GU52 8DY.

Saturday 25^th May; 9am-4pm

Vintage British Birds cigarette cards

Anyway, finally, a flash of inspiration and here is a small selection framed and mounted:

Framed vintage British Birds cigarette cards picture by createvintage.com                                                {available at Unique Chique, Alton}

I’ve just prepped more, which are ready for framing any day now. You could say they’re waiting in the wings… {but that would be a terrible pun!}

Really happy with how my new branding is shaping up. Especially pretty when teamed with some of the lovely pressed glass pieces I’ve been selling in the shop. Here’s a little look…

Create Vintage branding

Cute little pressed glass cake plate

One of many sweet little pressed glass trinket pots {yes, there is an obsession developing!}

All branding was done by the extremely clever Emma at Forty Two Limes. She’s a face from my magazine days, now to be found creating strong, stylish identities for  fledgling brands. I think she’s captured just the right look for Create Vintage.

Here’s a little step-by-step I snapped last week while making the most of a lovely day in the garden…

You will need… A frame {I used a lovely vintage one which I painted in Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan in Old White}; chicken wire {a medium gauge}; wire cutters; staple gun and 10mm staples; a pair of sharp scissors; hessian or other fabric of your choice.

Step 1: Cut the chicken wire to size

Step 2: Staple into place {not too many staples at this stage – you’ll go over it again when you place the fabric}

Step 3: Cut the hessian or other fabric of your choice to size

Step 4: Staple into place at regular intervals

There you have it…

Finally I painted some sweet little wooden shapes I had and stuck them onto wooden pegs.

And here it is in action {see what I mean about the paraphernalia!} Truly handy, and an adaptable, stylish way to create an ever-changing collage of your everyday bits and pieces.

A variety of memo boards will be for sale at Unique Chique in Alton. Prices vary depending on frame size and style, but generally start at £40. For specific size requirements and bespoke commissions, including individual fabric or colour requests please email hello@createvintage.com.

Mind you, I have had to diversify my taste a little to keep up with demand in my new home – Unique Chique in Alton. I’m getting the distinct impression that the people of Hampshire like a more literal version of vintage.

So, as well as my own personal choices – something sleek, simple, timeless, stylish, like these elegant stoneware Purbeck Pottery coffee pots…

Purbeck Pottery coffee pots, £20 each

I’m also throwing in a bit of chintz – like this Johnson Bros. Victorian teapot…

Johnson Bros ‘Victorian’ teapot, £25

After all, you’ve got to give the customers what they want. Right?

So, there have been lengthy deliberations about manufacturing and margins {dull}, and colour schemes and wrappings and ribbons {delightful}. And the end result is this…

Introducing the Create Vintage paintbrush RRP £8.50

Yes, paintbrushes.

I don’t profess to be an expert at furniture painting, but as you know I’ve dabbled. It all began when I was lucky enough to be shown the techniques by the master herself, Annie Sloan. One thing that struck me when I started is that while there was an array of paint to choose from, good brushes were hard to find. So much so that I started to send Mr CV off on little missions when he was in France to find me full, round-headed brushes. Like an artist would use – but bigger!

The ones he came back with were perfect for the job, but somehow lacked any style. Nasty plastic handles in lurid colours. So, an idea was born. How about an effective brush that was specifically designed for furniture, but still had style. The result is this:

•  A 50/50 mix of natural, unbleached pure and synthetic bristle, which allows the paint to flow so you can still get authentic brush marks, along with a smooth application.
• A full, round head that is perfect for curves and corners and intricate details. Furniture isn’t flat and one-dimensional {like a wall}, so neither are our brushes.
• A natural wood handle and simple silver effect collar. Lovely to hold {and not bad to look at either!}

At the moment we stock one size, which I’ve found ideal for most big and small projects, but particularly suited to chairs, small dressers and picture frames.

The Create Vintage paintbrush retails at £8.50 and is available now. We will also be offering wholesale in boxes of 25. Please get in touch at hello@createvintage.com for further details.