An Estate Sale in Priors Marston

Funnily enough, I was on eBay searching for a turkey platter to send to my daughter in New York, when I came across a link to The Old Vicarage in Priors Marston, Warwickshire. The sale was scheduled for Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23.
Suddenly, this event moved to the top of my to-do list for Saturday and all thoughts about turkey platters flew right out of my head!

I have lived in England for five years now and this is the very first time I have seen an Estate Sale advertised. So naturally the excitement was intense. You see, in the area I lived in New York State, these sales are common and are a regular form of entertainment and collecting all rolled into one fine day out.
I rang the owners, Judith and David, to inquire about some of the items I was interested in and set about planning my route.
I wanted to wake early in order to be out and on the roads, driving through the gorgeous Autumn countryside, taking the rural back roads and enjoying the drive. But only on the way home!
On the way, I wanted the fastest way to get there in order to be there as early as possible. I wanted to move to the very front of the queue in order to have the best shot at finding what I was looking for before someone else got to it first. That is how it's done in New York.
But most of the time it is near impossible to be anywhere near the early entrants due to dealers who arrive with tons of 'pickers' and take up all the first numbers, and they get the best things before you ever have a chance.

So imagine my surprise and amusement when one lone woman stood before me in the field across from the home, asking me if this was the right place! We two were the first and second people there! Oh how that intensified my excitement!

I was searching for an iron bed. And they had two - one looked like a modern reproduction and the other was a lovely antique. They also had two very nice wooden beds in full size.
But I didn't buy any of them. Instead I found some lovely vintage items to take home to our cottage.
A pretty little chest of drawers,

a dresser-top mirror,

a fire screen,


and a set of six linen with drawn threadwork and embroidery placemats.


And all fit nicely, with room to spare, in my Smart car.
And yes, the slow drive back through the countryside on a fine, sunny, autumn day was both relaxing and glorious!
If you have nothing planned for tomorrow, why not go for a country drive and stop at the sale?
Judith and David are lovely and have a house filled with unique and wonderful things!

xxx
Maggie

Busy as a Summer Bee!

Hello everyone!
Where has the time gone?
I have been remiss in not writing more but it seems the more I am doing the more I still have to do.
What is that old saying, "Ask a busy person to do something because she is the one who will get it done?" Or something like that. I am reminded, too, about goldfish growing in proportion to the size of theri bowl! The more complete in my tasks, the more there seems to be to still finish.

Sooooo here is the brief:
Katie left to spend the summer in America. It is a well deserved visit with family and friends, as well as to try to get some time in on a placement for an internship she needs to complete for university.
She took with her my hastily finsihed wedding invitations so that her sister woulf have them to mail out before July.
They turned out nicely and Elizabeth was pleased, so that is a job well done!


No sooner were th invitaiotn completed, then I was asked to work on revising and editing a manual for a new company my brother-in-law will be opening. Most of it is finished, but I still have more to do, and have been working on that feverishly so that they will have it in time for an upcoming audit.
I have been adding vintage items to my Etsy shop, EnglishPreserves, and when I can, I have been trying to add things to my handmade shop, SweetScarlett.
Recently, I had a request for a custom order, personalised, Wee Lucky Penny Book, from Julie, for her friends who just had a new baby girl.
I had a lot of fun making the book for her and the results are fab!
Here are some of the images . . .

The cover of the book

The end paper with the Queen Victoria Penny and the title page

The inside pages personalised with baby's name and unique message

The last page and end paper

There have been a few orders for custom printed business or calling cards, too, so that has been keeping me busy, too, and my printer gobbling up ink!
And finally, I have added a new design to my bookplates - it is from an illustration from a French nursery rhyme book from the 1920s - so sweet!

Let's face it, although the handmade shop is more rewarding, the vintage shop is where the sales are these days. So more of my time gets spent listing things in EnglishPreserves.

Which brings us nicely into an adventure my husband and I have had.
We attended our first local auction several weeks ago.
What fun!
We bought two boxes of vintage and antique linens and have been selling them on etsy and on ebay.
It is a lot of work - so much laundering and ironing - but allows me to keep a few for myself and sell the rest to get my money back, and it is so much fun to go to the auction, too!
I have no photos of any of them yet, but here are a few things to be found in EnglishPreserves, soon!

A darling little wooden box with carved lid

A fabulous little miniature teapot

My sister is slowly improving slowly - baby steps for her - and although her situation is quite serious, we are all thankful she is still here with us. And we thank all of YOU for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers for her. Bless you.

Until next time . . .
xxx
Maggie

PS - what books are you all reading? I am afraid to admit that Oliver Twist is still about 20 pages from the end!