Sunday 29 January 2012

Govancroft Vase

It is amazing what you learn from vintage bits and pieces!


I picked up this sweet little vase in a charity shop yesterday.  I was intrigued by its stamp - Govancroft, Glasgow.


When I got home I googled it did a bit of research and discovered that there the Govancroft Potteries Ltd were started in 1911 in Potter Street, London Road, Glasgow, and made, among other things, jugs for the whisky industry.


This little vase is only 8 inches in length, but I'm sure I've seen loads of these - usually green and usually much bigger - in various antique and charity shops.  In fact, I'm sure my Granny had one (as did most Grannies, I think)!


It needed a good clean and now its ready from some flowers - small narcissi would look lovely in it - must get some tomorrow.


Hope you all found great bargains this week - I'm popping over to Flea Market Finds to check them all out.

Love, Liz

Friday 27 January 2012

Dogs and Props and Knitting Patterns

Isn't this vintage knitting pattern cute?  Love the little toy dog.  


I'm sure Vintage Jane would have a lovely little story to tell about him.


It would seem that knitting patterns for men's jumpers and cardies had to involve a manly prop of some description!


A pipe ... or


secateurs ...


or golf clubs ...  or

a brightly patterned scarf?????? 


Poor wee soul, look at his face!
Have a great weekend.

Love, Liz
But, if all else failed, then sports equipment was the answer ... surly child optional!

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Book of Burns Poems

Its Burns' Night tonight and I wanted to show you this old book which was my Granny's and as you can see, was very well used.


I think that along with the Bible, many  household in Scotland would also have a copy of Burns' poems.


Here's a epitaph Burns wrote about a Mauchline (East Ayrshire) man - sounds like a bit of a character!

Lament him, Mauchline husbands a',
He aften did assist ye;
For had ye staid whole weeks awa',
Your wives they ne'er had missed ye.

Ye Mauchline bairns, as on ye pass
To school in bands thegither,
O, tread ye lightly on his grass,
Perhaps he was your father.

There's a good site where you can find out more about Robert Burns, his life and poetry at - Robert Burns Country.


I've written about Burns, Highland Mary and the Greenock connection here.

I'm not going to any Burns Suppers this year (sob, sob), but if you are - then have a great time!

Love, Liz

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Everybody's Doing It!

Along with lots of other bloggers, one of my new year resolutions was to learn to crochet.  Everyone seems to be doing it at the moment!


Yesterday was the day!  After watching a few tutorials on the internet, a few false starts and lots of unravelling, I finally finished a square - and then another.



My Granny taught me to crochet when I was about nine and I crocheted a huge multi-coloured blanket.  There was even a phase in my primary school when all the girls brought their crochet to school and we would sit in the playground and crochet during playtime!


This time I used a large hook, just to help me get the hang of it (no, nothing to do with ancient eyesight).  This means that there are large gaps in between wool, but I'm so pleased that I don't mind.


I found a small cushion pad (9" square) and sewed up the squares.  I now have a wee cushion.  I really want to crochet some smaller squares now that I've got the hang of it.  It's a bit addictive, don't you agree?


Love, Liz

Like lots of others, I'm having trouble commenting on some blogs at the moment - I haven't been neglecting you, honest.  Hope it gets sorted soon.

Sunday 22 January 2012

Tulips and Plates

It's been a long time since I found any really pretty plates, but this weekend was a lucky one! 


First of all I found these gorgeous Alfred Meakin pretties.  Love the colours and the deco design.


Then I found these - no maker's mark, but pretty just the same.


Great colours in the tulips to brighten up the day.  I have notices that here in Scotland the mornings are getting lighter and I didn't have to put my lights on till after four o'clock yesterday afternoon!   Yeah!!!!!!  Signs of spring :-)



Hope you are having a lovely weekend.


For more lovely treasures come on over to Sophie's Flea Market Finds.

Love, Liz

Thursday 19 January 2012

Dresser Dressing

It's amazing what you can find about the house!


My kitchen dresser needed a bit of cheering up after I had taken all the Christmas bits and pieces away.  I missed the cheery reds - so decided to have a look around the house to find some colourful additions.


Compare before - as in blog header - with after. 


Much better, or a bit cluttered?


I love it - enjoy looking at some of my favourite things all in the one place and it really cheers up the kitchen!


Perhaps time for a new blog header?

Love, Liz

Tuesday 17 January 2012

White Bristol Tea

Its been a while since I joined with the Tuesday tea parties, but its nice to be back.
I found this pretty little white tea set in a local charity shop.  Particularly like its simplicity and the lovely shiny glaze.


Made by Bristol China in England, it is very plain, but the cups and saucers have a pretty little edge detail.



I think it looks great in either a vintage or modern setting.


Love, Liz

I'm joining Martha for Tea Cup Tuesday and Terri at Artful Affirmations.

Monday 16 January 2012

This and That

Watched the new BBC series last night - "Call the Midwife" and really enjoyed it.  Set among the poverty of London's east end in the 1950s its full of gritty drama and vintagy details.  The series is based on the books by Jennifer Worth (biography) which I'm immediately putting on my "to read" list!


I've been making a larger picture to go with the little ones I made last week. This time I'm doing it in a collage style, using lots of scraps, photographs, old adverts and other bits and pieces.  I began by completely covering a large piece of cardboard with the same napkins as I used earlier.


The good thing is that I can change it when I want, because it is going to be in a frame and that should clamp it together.


And another thing (well, two things, actually)! ...........................

1.         Wouldn't it be great if someone invented a device which meant that we could make cakestands from our vintage plates without having to drill holes in them?  Perhaps it could be held together by suction ... or something!

2.         Wouldn't it be great if someone came up with a magazine which was a cross between "Homes and Antiques" and "Molly Makes" - which was full of gorgeous vintage fashion, china, linen, home decor, books, crafts etc, etc, etc!

Oh well, just some Monday thoughts!

Love, Liz

Sunday 15 January 2012

Coronation Glasses

At first I wasn't sure when I saw these four sherry glasses in the charity shop - I don't usually buy glass items.  But the colours on the crest really attracted me - and I gave in.



They commemorate the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.  The crest shows the lion of England and the unicorn of Scotland joined by the crown.


They'll be great to use when we celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee later in the year.


Looking forward to seeing what you have found over at Her Library Adventures - Flea Market Finds.

Love, Liz


Saturday 14 January 2012

Rosslyn Chapel

Visited Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian yesterday.  The last time we were there was about fifteen years ago, and its amazing how many changes there have been. 

Rosslyn became ultra-famous after it was mentioned in Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code".  My heart sunk a bit when I saw signs for the car park, coach park and overflow car park -  the first intimation of the huge rise in visitor numbers.  Then there was the new "visitor centre" which you have to go through to get to the chapel - paying £8.75 each in the process!  There was a shop selling the usual tee shirts, playing cards, baseball caps etc and a cafe.   This is what greets you as you approach the chapel itself.


No photography inside - don't suppose my photographs would do it justice anyway.


Lots of conservation work going on so the place is covered in scaffolding.


Inside is amazing - its now heated and there are guides on hand to answer questions.  The carvings are magnificent and there are display boards explaining what everything is.


A lot of the outside of the building is still accessible and I took some photos - mostly of the cheeky little faces which are all over the building, both inside and out.  You can read about the Green Man symbolism here.


Overall, I was very disappointed with my visit.  When I knew we were going there, I thought, great, I'll be able to do a blog post about how wonderful Rosslyn is.  I had been absolutely fascinated, intrigued and awestruck on my previous visits all those years ago.  This time - I can only describe it as if someone had turned the atmosphere switch to OFF!


Can't even begin to imagine what it would be like in summer with coach loads of visitors!  The only good point was that there was hardly anyone else there yesterday, so we were able to wander around in peace and quiet with no kids running about.    But it didn't compare with the old days when you just wandered around an almost empty building and let your imagination take over as you gazed on the intricate stone carvings.  Usually I get a "buzz" from old buildings, but I'm afraid, despite the new bio-wonderful heating, Rosslyn left me cold!


Love, Liz