Where does the time go?...

I feel very remiss at not having blogged in nearly two months! I wish I had the answer to my question of 'where does the time go?'

As I sit here I gazing out of the window it is clear that autumn is on its way as the leaves on the trees begin to turn. The arrival of autumn sees me moving into a lovely new house- this is a big part of the reason why I haven't blogged in so long but I have also been busy getting together an autumn/winter collection for acorn & will. I have been lucky enough to uncover some gorgeous houndstooth fabric and I have used this to make some holly earring and evie brooches. When I found this lovely lady I just had to have her to use in a photo for the new autumn homepage on my website which is coming soon. Her outfit is the height of fashion this season!

I have been busy making lots of rings, brooches, earrings and hair accessories using vintage fabrics that pick up on the current trends for autumn and winter. I have never been a slave to fashion, as a peek inside my wardrobe would testify to, but I like the idea of being able to wear a ring or a brooch that can bring an older outfit up to date! In the current economic climate it is also an affordable way to revamp your look. I have seen loads of magenta and purple on the high street and so I have kept one of these mrs pea rings and twiggy bird brooches for myself! A perk of the job!

I don't wear black, I am not sure why, but my twin doesn't either so I am guessing it is because my mum rarely, if ever wears it. I have been sure to include some black in the new range as I know I am in the minority!

Here are some of the other goodies I have been making.

On that note I should make some more things to take along to the fairs I will be attending in the lead up to Christmas! More details will follow on these....

Barnes Fair

I think I can safely say the best purchase I have made in a long time is the gazebo I bought just as Homebase was closing on the night before the Barnes Fair. My optimism that the rain would stay away was dashed when I saw the BBC weather forecast on the 6 o'clock news.

Luckily with the gazebo and the fact that the heavens did not really open until it was time to pack up, nothing got too wet (apart from my shoes which are now two toned due to the water marks)! Although the sun barely shone it was a lovely day. I was able to wander around as my mum minded the stall. I was tempted by lots of gorgeous treasures but due to a lack of space in the car I was restrained and only came away with a set of six cups and saucers and a kitsch angel. I have plans to line the cups up on my mantelpiece and plant hyacinth bulbs in them in Spring and after a good clean ( in case my mum is reading this) I have grand plans to use them to decant homemade pink milk jelly into! The angel's wings move when you wind her up and she glows in the dark- I think she will be featuring in the range of vintage Christmas goodies I am currently putting together to sell at fairs and on line.

I am getting much better at parting with the treasures that I have for sale. It was tough to part with this picnic hamper but part with it I did. From the floral pattern on the china, to the cutlery and the colour of the lids of the tins there was a lot to ooh and ah about!

A lady bought it as a wedding present- I think that is such a good idea! I also said goodbye to this very cute Triang rocking horse but again it went to a good home- I admired the skill of the lady who bought it as she hung it from her pushchair and wandered around Barnes Green.

The poodle made it into another pram and the Scallywag book was bought for a little girl whose nickname is Scallyway so all in all things went to good homes. Now I think about it with these things gone there was room to fit some more purchases into the car... oh well!

Anyone for tennis?

With Wimbledon fortnight drawing to a close I thought I would mark this sporting occasion before it is too late! I found this vintage Victory tennis game on my travels. My mum recalls playing this game and I think this version was superceded by Swingball, the game that I used to play- those were the days when I actually partook in some form of sporting endeavour!! The contents of the box are in good shape but it was the images of the lid that captivated me. I think this is too lovely to be shut away in a cupboard- it is worthy of being put on a shelf to be admired!













While out and about I came across this other tennis themed bit of treasure and I simply could not resist this lovely lady.... While tennis whites and strappy sandals are not exactly practical I love her for her novel choice of footwear! I will be taking both of these with me to Barnes next Saturday. I am really looking forward to the day- there will be some great stalls there and the location is lovely. More details of the fair can be found at www.barnes.village.org.uk I am on stand 278 so do come and say hello if you make it along.

Getting back to the tennis, no Wimbledon is complete without strawberries and cream! I went fruit picking this week at West Green Fruits in Hartley Whitney. It was so enjoyable rummaging between rows of strawberry bushes in search of ripe red fruits. This is what we came home with.... I wish you smell them... they were delicious!

I am off to look at a 7 day weather forecast... fingers crossed it is dry for next Saturday!

Fun in the sun

A dip in the sea would be just the ticket to cool off in this heat! I love this image, it is from a gorgeous 1920's vintage bucket. When I was about seven I won the Confidence Cup for swimming- the competition included blowing bubbles under water and doing a star fish- and I have a photo of me proudly clutching the cup with a rather unflattering swimming hat on, much like the one in the picture!

I love the seasons and after the last few summers of rather average weather it is a real treat to be able to enjoy such warm and sunny weather!

I got up yesterday to go to a bootsale and it was a lovely feeling wandering around hunting for treasure in a cotton dress with the early morning sun on my back. This is certainly preferable to those frezzing winter mornings when with each step I feel my foot might snap in half it is so cold!

This weather creates opportunites to do so many lovely things....Building sandcastles

Or perhaps a spot of fishing....

Both of these images are from an old childrens paint box which depicts scenes from the different seasons- each one just as charming as the next.

Another activity for the adventurous among us is surfing- this piece of vintage fabric is fab and so unusual. My next task is make it into some constance cushions using this fabric for one side and a yellow and white polka dot fabric for the other side.

Whatever you are up to in this heatwave I hope you have fun doing it!

Fun on the farm

I am lucky enough to have spent a sunny few days on an idyllic farm in the picturesque Kent countryside at the Wealden Times Midsummer Fair.

Thursday was the set up day for the Fair and sadly for my bank balance I kept getting distracted as I watched other stallholders transform two empty marquees into a shopping paradise. Next door to me was Petite Maison, and Theresa, the lovely lady who runs this business had not even finished unloading her van before I had snapped up one of her gorgeous benches! This was the first of several purchases I made but sometimes some things are too lovely to pass by!

The wonderfully chosen location, a working farm near High Halden, coupled with the sunshine created a really successful event. The atmosphere was great- there was a barn where lunches were served amid masses of cottage flowers, wigwams, a tea tent and some delightful piglets! This little one was too sweet not to snap!

Many visitors to the fair fell in love with these cute piglets, but unlike the goods on sale during the two days theses couldn't be taken home. Many of my favourite finds sold but they have gone to good homes which is very important! Much of the china in this cabinet is now no longer in my possession so I need to get collecting ready for my next fair at Barnes.

There are plans for another fair next summer and for a Christmas fair as well and so I am finding my mind is increasingly focusing on the festive season but in the meantime there is a summer to be enjoyed!

I have tried to capture the best things about summer on the new homepage for the acorn & will website. I also made sure I picked a range of accessories made from lovely summery vintage fabrics to take along last weekend and I shall be doing the same for the Barnes Fair next month!

On that note I really should get back to making some daisy rings!

All the fun of the fair

After a really great day at the Vintage and Handmade Spring Fair last weekend I am busy preparing for the next fairs I am going along to. It will certainly be hard to beat the atmosphere of this fair and the countdown is on until the next one on 14 November and I have already booked my space to be there! Sadly I forgot my camera so I have no photos of my own from the day but it is well worth checking out the website as it has details of all great people who took part in the day http://vintageandhandmade.co.uk/

My house is like an assault course as I navigate my way around all the boxes that remain packed up ready for taking to the Rare Brand Market on Monday. The pictures above show some of the vintage china I am in the process of pricing up to take along. I adore all of this 1950s china and it is a real text of self control not to put it in my own cupboards for me to keep.

As well as having separation anxiety over the china this feeling extends to the linen I am taking along as well. I keep delaying pricing it up- perhaps this is in the hope that I run out of time so I have to keep it for a while longer!

Oh well there is only so much procrastinating a girl can do, I shall continue adding to the goodies to be packed up and I shall console myself with the thought that I am sure these gems will go to good homes!

Little Girl Lost

The world of blogging is a new to me and I must confess to feeling a tad bit unsure of myself as my fingers tap away! Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not a lover of technology far preferring good old fashioned pen and paper to a keyboard. However in the last six months I have come to grips with managing my website and so I have decided it is about time I took the plunge and started blogging...

I feel a bit like I am on first date and as with being on any date I should begin by introducing myself... my name is Daniella and as I have already alluded to I am rather an old fashioned kind of girl. This manifests itself in many ways including my love of all things vintage. This passion has inspired me to start up acorn & will. When I am working on things for acorn & will I am at my happiest ( except perhaps when I am doing admin type things)! There is nothing better than finding some treasure or a beautiful piece of vintage fabric which I can breathe new life into and my aim is to use this blog to share some of these special things with you. It will be a place for thoughts, comments and anything else I can think of.

As I type it is the first day of summer and so I thought I would give a sneak preview of some images I had taken last week for the new homepage I am planning, to mark the change in seasons...

The dress you see hanging over the suitcase is simply gorgeous- I had considered cutting it up to make some constance cushions and gracie girl zip purses but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The ladies in the 1950's must have had tiny rib cages but I was determined to squeeze into this dress and squeeze into it I did! I can bearly breath but it is worth it!

my fab sis, Hayley, whom I am sure I will be mentioning lots more bought me this a lovely vintage picnic set. I am crossing my fingers I will be using it lots this summer! On that note I am off to enjoy the evening sun and I hope you do too!

acorn & will online store

It is true to say that the new look acorn & will website was a labour of love for me and a test of patience for the lovely Mark from ADX Media who created the pages that you see.

The pages reflect my love of all things vintage from the cute and kitsch to delicious vintage fabrics. There are over 300 unique items available to buy online including vintage accessories, jewellery, fabrics which are all hand made in england mainly by me! The range is ever changing so it is worth returning often to see what goodies have been added!

It's safe, secure, and fun...
visit acorn and will

Now that I have mastered the website I plan to enter the 21st century and begin to blog but one step at a time and I need to find the courage and learn the skills to blog!