Boutique and Unique - Vintage Living, Baslow, Derbyshire

Vintage Living in Baslow is a real find.  Owner Sarah Copley began a life long interest in antiques at a very early age, unsurprisingly since both her grandmother and mother were in the business. She deals in original distressed and decorative painted furniture, sourcing stock from England, France and Europe.

      

Sarah's trained with Ann Maurice the House Doctor so has a wealth of experience to help you with your interior design. Her amazing shop is full of lovely furniture and accessories dressed cleverly so you could simply transport the it straight into your house.

    

And if you want more than just a bit of inspiration, Sarah is going to start running courses that will help you to  style your home and work with colour.

All images (c) Vintage Living

Boutique and Unique - Hambledon Gallery, Blandford Forum, Dorset

Another great reason to live in Blandford - Hambledon Gallery on Salisbury St.
Slightly off the beaten track this shop is a hidden nugget of retail treasures.  

They have two floors full of beautiful things: women's and children's clothes, toys, glass, china, toiletries, table linen and quilts.  And if you really insist I suppose any of their products would make perfect gifts too!

The upper level is devoted to beautiful designer women's clothing.  Labels include Great Plains, John Smedley, Masai Ali Capellino and Johnstons Cashmere.

Downstairs in the toy shop, we love their traditional and wooden toys.  It is a veritable treasure trove for little people.  Labels include Charlie & Lola, Olive & Moss, Trunki suitcases and the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

There is something to cater for home makers too.  Vintage inspired baking utensils, paper party pieces, glassware, picnic essentials and gardening implements too.

    

And their stylish window displays are sure to tempt you in - at any time of year.

All images (c) the Hambledon Gallery

     

Boutique and Unique - the Vintage Bazaar, Hartley Wintney

A date for your diaries.  Next Saturday, the 27th April at The Victoria Halls in Hartley Wintney, the Vintage Bazaar will be holding another of their amazing fairs with over 30 traders selling vintage clothing, textiles, collectables and homewares.

The Vintage Bazaar was set up three years ago by Lizzie and Clare who came up with the idea.  They felt that Frome was a perfect venue to sell all things vintage as well as Clare's fabulous cloche hats. The Bazaar has now spread to other towns. 

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Exhibitors include Rebecca's Aix  and Les Jolies Choses 

as well as Angela's Vintage with their lovely display of nostalgic items from the 1930's and  1940's which includes English Embroidery, Linens and Haberdashery.

     

Refreshments are available in vintage style thanks to Lavinia's Tea Party 

The Victoria Halls are in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire. and doors open at 9.30, finishing at 3 pm.

Boutique and Unique - shops and the arts - Quay Arts, Isle of Wight

We've been lucky enough to supply the Quay Arts Craft Shop with some of our hats and having just sent off another order, I thought I'd check out the centre as it is so much more than just the shop.

This converted 19th-century brewery warehouse complex overlooks the river Medina.  A light, generous space with three galleries, theatre, shop and cafe/bar, as well as artists' workshops and studios, it's a great place to get the measure of the island's and other regional craft makers, whose work is available to buy in the shop.  Items include ceramics, glass, textiles, metalwork, wood, jewellery and of course knitted hats!

Their theatre is named after Anthony Minghella, the Island-born Oscar-winning director and offers theatre, comedy, music, dance, kids and literature with a cinema that shows the best in world and classic film.

I must book a weekend away and pop over to check it out for myself.

Boutique and Unique - the Linden Tree, Huntly, Scotland

It's so exciting to see a new shop brightening up the High Street.  The Linden Tree on the Square in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, must surely be worth a visit.

It opened its doors last Saturday and we wish owners Ingrid and Neil Binning every success.

Many of the crafters and artists have day jobs and spend their evenings producing much of the shop's stock which includes woodwork, cards, jewellery, toys, textiles and ceramics, including these lovely buttons.

And their first featured Artist of the Month is Anne Fenton.

Boutique and Unique - Hawthorn contemporary craft gallery, Blandford

Hawthorn contemporary craft gallery is yet another shop helping to make market town high streets a destination for shopping.  This fantastic shop is perfect for those looking for something quirky for their own home or in search of a truly original gift.

Everything is hand crafted  by design-makers and artists and over 70% of their stock is sourced within a fifty mile radius.  There are ceramics, jewellery, glass, wood, textiles, cards and prints.

An you will completely rethink about the art of felting when you see owner Stephanie Carswell's work.

At the back of the shop there is an Aladdin's cave of buttons, ribbons, vintage haberdashery and felt making kits for those who want to try a hand at their own creations.

Boutique and Unique - Sharland and Lewis, Wimborne.

I've just discovered Sharland and Lewis have opened a shop in Wimborne and wanted to share this hidden gem as it's perfect for getting inspiration to help with the finishing touches to your home or for seeking out original and stylish gifts.  

With shops already in Tetbury and Nailsworth, they  opened this lovely showroom last November in a converted old squash court in Deans Court.  They  stock decorative antiques and furniture,  contemporary ceramics and glass.  They have one-off retro ‘Fifties lights, antique mirrors, vintage quilts and they  sell beautifully packaged toiletries too.  There is a cute little enclosed courtyard at the front where they stock vintage garden furniture, galvanised garden tubs and old terracotta pots. 

And better still, if you're there at the weekend, on Friday and they  stock the yard with seasonal produce from a local estate literally a stone's throw from the shop - vegetables, fruit, herbs, and cut flowers from the kitchen garden, plus eggs, honey and preserves, tubs of spring bulbs and even logs.  And if you time it well you can have a look around the gardens at Deans Court where the produce comes from as they open their grounds several times a year as part of the NGS scheme.