Forthcoming Attractions: Early May 2012

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vintage orange enamel Cathrineholm "Lotus" kettle with vintage orange floral patterned apron and orange floral print Staffordshire Pottery mug

There isn’t the usual number of items in this Forthcoming Attractions post. It’s just that they really summed up the last few days. We had a magazine photoshoot on Wednesday chez H is for Home. The groovy flower-power apron represents the hours of cleaning we had to do before they arrived – and the fabulous Cathrineholm kettle represents the endless cups of tea that kept us going! It’s not that we live in a dirty house or anything, but there’s a constant battle against coal dust & dog fur.

Both items will be hitting the shop soon – and a further post about the photoshoot will follow very shortly too!

Fine Finel Find!

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detailed view of red, vintage Finel enamel mug decorated with repeating bird pattern | H is for Home

Perhaps ‘find’ is too strong a word – more a patient track down. We’ve long coveted this particular enamel mug designed by Kaj Franck for Finel.

red, vintage Finel enamel mug decorated with repeating bird pattern

We’ve been holding out for a really good example, in pristine condition. Our wait ended this week when we won the bidding on a well-known auction website. We just love the stylised birds and fiery colours – it really is a stunner!

view of the base of a red, vintage Finel enamel mug decorated with repeating bird pattern

Finel is responsible for some fantastic pieces of enamelware.

red, vintage Finel enamel kettle

Great designers such as the aforementioned Kaj Franck, Seppo Mallat and Antti Nurmesniemi worked for the company.

detailed view of a red, vintage Finel enamel kettle

Their pieces are decorative, functional & well made.

large, vintage Finel enamel bowl decorated with mushroom pattern

We have quite a few pieces dotted around the house including cups, teapots & bowls.

detailed view of a large, vintage Finel enamel bowl decorated with mushroom pattern

This bowl is decorated with a fabulous mushroom design. It was probably intended for the kitchen or dining table, but ours seems to have adopted the role of tea light storage container!

collection of blue vintage Finel enamel bowl decorated with circles in a square pattern

We also like to keep examples for sale in the shop. We currently have one of the teapot/kettles shown above. Also, this lovely set of bowls – perfect for serving starters, salads, curries, desserts – anything really! It consists of one large bowl with the geometric circle/grid design and six smaller bowls in the same vibrant blue.

detailed view of a collection of blue vintage Finel enamel bowl decorated with circles in a square pattern
One more design that still eludes us is the repeating red & white heart shape one – but we’re keeping our eyes peeled!

Forthcoming Attractions: Early April 2012

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vintage Lena & Al Eklund tin coasters and vintage jigsaw with hey diddle diddle nursery rhyme illustration

We’ve assembled some new items that we’ve picked up recently. They’re all arranged on a lovely vintage kitchenette – itself a recent auction purchase.

vintage Lena & Al Eklund tin coasters and vintage jigsaw with hey diddle diddle nursery rhyme illustration

We often put these kitchenettes in our antiques centre pitch – they’re good sellers and an added advantage is that they’re great for displaying lots of other items whilst they wait for someone to give them a good home. They require varying amounts of work when we buy them – a good wash usually – then painting, fresh lining paper etc. This one’s had its thorough wash, but apart from that, it’s good to go. We like its caramel colour and daisy patterned paper.

pair of vintage perpetual calendars

Moving onto the smaller items – two perpetual calendars to start with – one wooden, one red-orange plastic. Both probably dating from the 1970s. Perfect for the home office desk or shelf.

TG Green Domino spotted cream jug and vintage Worcester Ware coffee tin

Also sitting on the upper shelves are this pottery jug & coffee tin – slightly earlier in vintage – both 1950s/60s. The jug was produced by T G Green and is from their ‘Domino’ range – we like the colour and simple polka dot design – ideal as a milk jug or for displaying cut flowers.

vintage Worcester Ware coffee tin

The coffee tin was produced by Worcester Ware. They made some lovely metalware items around this time – storage tins, place mats, serving trays, waste paper bins and so on.

set of vintage Lena & Al Eklund tin coasters

Sticking with the metalware theme, we have this very vibrant set of coasters. These were designed by Lena & Al Eklund and produced by Laurids Lonborg of Denmark. Are they fruit trees or flowers?

vintage jigsaw with hey diddle diddle nursery rhyme illustration

Next to the coasters on the main photo is this fabulous children’s wooden jigsaw. It features the nursery rhyme, ‘Hey diddle, diddle’. It was made by Arrow Games Ltd and we guess it dates from the 1960s. We love the illustration – it is signed by the artist ‘Hutchings’ although we haven’t established a first name yet – perhaps someone out there knows?

vintage Mousie Mousie party game

This sweet little party game will be of a similar age – this one produced by Spears Games. Justin says he’s got some vague memories of playing this with his granny. Who needs an X-box when you’ve got ‘Mousie-Mousie’?

pair of vintage Thermos flasks

With summer approaching, thoughts turn to picnics, camping and trips to the beach. Colourful melamine and vintage Thermos flasks always prove popular from now until November.

pair of vintage Thermos flasks

This sweet little vase was made by Hornsea Pottery and is part of their ‘Rainbow’ range. There were lots of shapes made in this pattern – plant pots, vases, ashtrays and cruet sets.

vintage saucepan on atomic wire pan stand

To the left of the main photo is this tall pan stand – the red ‘atomic’ ball feet are a nice touch. On it sits a set of three aluminium saucepans with teak handles – they’re totally unused and have a great stylised flower design in eye-catching orange & blue.

various vintage enamel kitchenalia items

We always make sure we have a selection of vintage enamelware in stock. Its always popular as it gives a retro feel to the most modern of kitchens, without breaking the bank!

D is for… Daisy

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The vintage skirt below was the inspiration for today’s post. It recently caught my (Adelle’s) eye in the window of one of Manchester’s Northern Quarter vintage shops – a real bargain at just £2!

vintage black and daisy patterned skirt

So this post is going to be a feast of fab flowers…

vintage Staffordshire Pottery mug setvintage Staffordshire Pottery mug set

vintage drinking glass with orange & yellow daisy pattern

vintage Figgjo Flint 'Turi' cup and saucer vintage 'Dolly Days' cup and saucer designed by John Russell for Hostess Tableware in the 1960s

A gallery of items that incorporate daisy motifs or simple, stylised blooms.

vintage gravy boat decorated with simple flower motif

vintage flower patterned make-up bag vintage flower patterned oven glove

montage of vintage daisy patterned enamel pots and pans

set of vintage flower patterned coasters designed by Al and Lena Eklund set of vintage flower patterned coasters

vintage Pyrex bowl decorated with green flower motif

These striking patterns often catch our eye on a crowded market stall or auction room full of boxes.

vintage flower patterned tea towel

vintage flower patterned curtains

We had so many examples to chose from – this is just a small selection…

vintage Staffordshire Pottery storage jar

vintage Staffordshire Pottery storage jar vintage Staffordshire Pottery storage jar

vintage Genia Sapper 'Heidi' fabric

vintage flower patterned curtains vintage flower patterned bedspread

vintage Genia Sapper 'Heidi' fabric

…hope you enjoyed our choices!