New Etsy shop update - lots of faded antique French treasures and vintage dolls.

I've been working hard today to update my Etsy shop with some lovely old finds all from my own collection.  There are a lot of antique French finds but also some of my 1960s dolls that I started collecting about 10 years ago. Unfortunately I don't have anywhere to display them so have decided to sell them on for someone else to enjoy.  I will post a link to all the items so if you see anything that takes your fancy then just click the link and it will take you straight to that item.

Fabulous 1960s Twiggy Big Eyed Pose doll.  These dolls were made in Japan in the 1960s to display the fashion of the time.  They are wonderful, quirky dolls and I always dreamed of opening a shop one day and using them in my window display.  These are rare dolls especially in this condition and style.

1960s Twiggy Big Eyed Pose Fashion Doll

1960s Twiggy Big Eyed Fashion Pose doll 'Jill'

1960s Twiggy Big Eyed Fashion Pose Doll

1960s Twiggy Big Eyed Fashion Pose Doll

Now for my French fancies!

Gorgeous Antique French Sedan Chair Display Vitrine. Perfect for your Mignonette doll displays.

Antique French Jewellery Box with original key.

Antique vintage cloth mannequin hat wig stand.  Great patina and display.

Lovely old French Globe de Mariee Wedding display cushion

Antique Portrait

Antique French Mirrored Art Deco Powder box

Vintage Child's Ballet Frothy Tutu

And finally.........

Vintage cloth hat wig stand mannequin for Milliner

So there you have it, a few more treasures for you to peruse.  I'm hoping to add more next week as I am downsizing my collections (reluctantly I might add!) as we have recently decorated and there isn't room for them all to be displayed in the manner they deserve.

Hope you see something you like, FadedVintageRose :)

It's only taken us 10 years to finish decorating!

Over the past year we have slowly been decorating our flat, making the most of our limited space and finding room for all my treasures.  I have been collecting for years in the vain hope that one day I'll own a country pile. This hasn't happened yet (I still live in hope that it will) so rather than waiting and storing we thought we should actually put my collections on display.

First thing I had to do was find the wallpaper. This took about 5 years to find exactly what I wanted! I wanted something that wasn't too modern or dominating and something that looked as though it had been there for years. I came across this wallpaper on eBay and it cost $15 per roll. When I bought it the exchange rate was really high so it was a real bargain even with shipping from the states.  We finally got to hang all my pictures and I love this wall so much. Nothing has been measured or organised so it's completely higgedly piggedly, just the way I like it.

My collection of fabric boxes finally have a place to go.

And a shelf I've had for 10 years finally got put up so I could display some favourite treasures.

The missing piece to the bedroom was some extra storage. I finally found THE cupboard and it fits perfectly. It's also like a tardis so we can fit loads in it although I've been allocated only a certain amount of shelves and I CANNOT start spilling over to the others!

It has taken us ages to get it right but I'm so glad we took our time as it is exactly as I envisaged it. I love spending time in there just looking at everything as it feels like there's always something new to see and every piece has been lovingly searched for over the years. I feel a real sense of achievement when I walk in there :)

A charming Arts and Crafts diorama

I have just added this utterly charming Arts and Crafts doll diorama to my Etsy shop. I bought it about a year ago in the hope of doing something with it but never got round to it so thought someone else may like to fulfill it's potential!

I'm not sure when it was created but it's certainly vintage and certainly handmade. The amount of detail is amazing and you could keep as is or use the different pieces to create something new. It's not the finest quality but it definitely has a certain country charm about it.

If you'd like to give it a new home and give it the attention it deserves then just click the link, FadedVintageRose

I'm just getting used to how Etsy works and will be adding much more as time allows and will always post links here for my blog followers :)

I have officially opened my new Etsy shop!

Two years ago I set up an Etsy shop. Two years later I've finally stocked my shop! Unfortunately Faded Rose Vintage had already been taken so on Etsy I am known as FadedVintageRose. I have listed some of my Roldan and Klumpe dolls

and will be adding lots of French faded treasures over the next few weeks so be sure to check back often.

FadedVintageRose

Here comes Steffini

Somebody has been looking forward to the start of Wimbledon haven't they Steffini Grafter?!

The summer season is upon us so the dolls will be coming out to play, you have been warned!

The story of a Jiffy bag addiction.

I have a strange addiction to collecting jiffy bags and cardboard boxes.  Every time I get something in the post I keep the packaging.........just in case.  The fact I don't send anything in the post so don't actually need 100 used jiffy bags or 50 large cardboard boxes doesn't come into it. I also like to collect tissues and ALWAYS have one about my person.  I don't like the tissues you get in handy pocket sized packets as they're too smooth so I always seem to have varying sizes of loose tissues in my bag, in my pockets, up my sleeve, shoved under my bra strap.  It's a habit Mark hates but I just can't stop!  Anyway to help with the jiffy and box addiction I decided to go cold turkey and throw away ALL the bags and boxes in one go. Mark had to lend a hand otherwise I would have kept my favourite ones and been back to square one.  Whilst sorting the bags out I came across an envelope which contained 5 old French prints that I bought ages ago and completely forgot about so not only do I have more room and no longer have to climb a mountain of jiffy bags to get into bed but I found some forgotten prints that I love and am looking forward to framing and hanging. A win win situation although the tissue situation is still very much the same :)

"Now I'm not one to gossip................"

"Hyacinth! Long time no speak, how the devil are you?"

"I know I know, it's been such a long time, I've been sailing the Med with Dmitri"

"Yes Dmitri. Yes you do know him, tall, athletic, blonde, muscles in places you didn't know existed, impossibly tanned"

"Anyway I had to call as soon as I got back to tell you that I have some rather juicy titbits to tell you about Faded Rose Vintage although obviously I'm not one to gossip"

"First of all, she's been contacted by RDF Media asking if she or anyone she knows would be interested in appearing on a new programme that sees three rival antique dealers doing battle in private homes for items they can sell. The competing dealers tour the house inspecting everything of value. The owners are then faced with a bonanza of surprise valuations and cash offers on some of their most prized possessions. They can either accept or reject the offers. They are looking for people with collections of different antiques and collectibles to take part so if you wanted to take part Hyacinth just contact them by email secretdealers@rdftelevision.com or 0117 970 7674."

"It will be shown on ITV but as you know she's more used to dealing with the BBC ever since she appeared on Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting 8 years ago with Rippers and Bunty so I doubt she'll apply. Plus the fact that she found it very hard to deal with all the attention she got afterwards, everyone just wanted a piece of her but she's so modest, so shy, so retiring that she found her new found fame impossibly draining."

"Now the second titbit is that she is doing a giveaway on her Faded Rose Vintage Facebook page."

"Yes I know, the woman who doesn't part with anything is actually giving something away for free!"

"No, no of course you won't have to prise it from her cold dead hands. She'll send it to the winner with the minimal amount of fuss."

"It's a book on Charleston, you know the Bloomsbury group. I know, so generous, so kind, so giving"

"Just pop over there and say I sent you then like, comment or share the post tagged to the top of her page. The one with the photo of the book. The one that says giveaway. Her glamorous assistant is pulling the winner out of the hat on Friday so get over there tout suite."

"Well I must go Hyacinth, I'm off to the silent disco with Dmitri."

"Oh yes they're all the rage dear, all the cool kids go"

"Yes I know I'm (muffled muffled) years old but I've still got the moves...........no dear, you aren't invited, Au Reservoir!"

Cinderella called, she wants her slipper back!

Just before Christmas I went for a little mooch round a local antiques shop.  I didn't find very much until my eyes were drawn to a dusty old windowsill out the back of the shop and there it was, Cinderella's shoe!

Sitting all alone on that windowsill was the most beautiful and delicate silk shoe.  Apparently the owners of the shop own a rag yard in France and this was found in a cupboard.  I'm not sure how old it is.  They thought it was 18th century but I don't know enough to confirm this.  All I know is that I would barely be able to fit a toe in it!

It is quite long and very slender and looks to me as though a very well to do lady would have worn it.  It's in a very fragile state now but the fact it's survived is wonderful.

Finds like this are terribly romantic for me as it let's your imagination run riot.  Who would have worn it? When would they have worn it? Why is there only one?

Such a lovely find kept safe under a dome now where it waits for the Prince to come and return it to his Cinderella :)

Merry Christmas one and all!

This will be my last post before Christmas so I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a fabulous New Year!  

Next year I am going to concentrate more on my blog and start writing again as I have missed it.  I have been having fun creating little scenes to photograph for Facebook but that means I have sadly neglected my blog so next year things will change.

Having photographed said scenes I thought I would share some of them here for you to enjoy too.  I am normally a bit of a bah humbug when it comes to Christmas and just about put a tree up .  This year though I've become a bit obsessed and started creating lots of little Christmas scenes all round our home.  Never mind that it now looks like Santa's grotto due to all the fake snow flying around at least it looks festive!

It all started when I bought a little snowy cottage from my friend Simone at Ayres & Grace.  She had handmade it and I loved it as soon as I saw it, I want to live there. It gave me the idea to create a wintery scene and it went from there, there was no stopping me after that!

She then made the snowman to accompany the cottage and I added the background, fake snow, robin and little street lamp.  After completing the cottage scene I then came up with the idea to create an ice rink on a frozen pond.  Considering I never make anything myself I wasn't too sure how it was going to turn out.

Fake snow was involved again and I used a mixture of new and vintage accessories.  Doing these scenes has opened up a whole new world to me, Dolls House Miniatures.  Oh my goodness there is literally ANYTHING your heart desires!  I enjoyed doing these scenes so much that I have discovered you can actually take part in miniature workshops to learn how to create these scenes.  Guess what I'm going to be doing next year ;)

Then along came Father Christmas who was checking his postbox to see who had sent him a letter and whether they had been naughty or nice.

Christmas isn't complete without a production of Swan Lake.  Not sure where the reindeer appear in the original version of Swan Lake!

My Christmas angel.  He doesn't look too impressed with his new angel wings.

"A fairy is for life not just for Christmas especially when there's a cat involved" Faded RoseVintage 2013.  My beautiful Queen of the Fairies handmade again by Ayres & Grace.  Her name is Mildred and she is always with her faithful companion Tabby the cat.

My favourite one to create was this: 

 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse'

The idea came after I bought the beautiful fairy fireplace from Jane Chapman at Fairy Furniture.  I then added some dolls house miniatures, printed the wallpaper and flooring and asked Jane if she could create a bookcase to complete the scene.  She even made me a mini book of the Night before Christmas.  I love this scene as it allows you to believe that Father Christmas really does exist!


I am looking forward to sharing any new adventures with you in 2014 and I would like to say a HUGE, GREAT BIG THANK YOU to everyone that follows and supports my blog, it means a lot

On that note I will say

'Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night' xxx