Vintage Matlock

A couple of weeks ago I visited Matlock for a spot of Christmas shopping. I've heard there is so many lovely shops to visit and I wasn't disappointed.

Here's a quick round up of the quirky independent shops I came across.

Magpie Antiques - 18 Dale Road, Matlock DE4 3LT

This little gem of a store sells vintage retro home decor, over two floors. There vinyl collection is well worth a look if you're a music lover. The staff with super helpful which is always a bonus, they pointed me in the right direction to find all the other shops I wanted to visit on my list.

The Vintage Rooms - 117 Dale Road, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3LU

I've heard so many fantastic things about this place, check out there IG, you'll be hooked! The Christmas window display is absolutely stunning, a mixture of a vintage dining room setting with handmade snowflakes and tasteful taxidermy. Instead the store is set out beautifully - I was like a kid in a sweet shop. I could have walked out with everything. A great place to visit for vintage home & wedding gifts. I will definitely be returning soon.

Riverside Vintage - 77 Dale Road, Matlock DE4 3LT

A delightful boutique selling some bloomin' lovely vintage china pieces. I couldn't resist purchasing some lovely vintage china dinner plates - which will be upcycled to make one off clocks in 2015.

Matlock Antiques & Collectables Centre - 7 Dale Road, Matlock DE4 3LT

Oh my goodness, this place is like an Aladdin's cave, three floors full of antiques, vintage & retro finds. I spent over an hour having a good rummage. There's definitely something for everyone in here.

Us Retro - Crown Square, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3AT

A small but amazing little store is Us Retro. Full of lots of retro finds including advertising, kitchenware, pottery & my favorite -  the vast collection of rustic food crates. A couple of these made there way home with me. They will look fantastic in the yarden with some spring bulbs.

Matlock you definitely will be on my places to visit again soon, has anyone else been recently?

Betty & Walter

Lisa Levis’s (nee Stickley) designs have been a huge inspiration ever since my days at university. I love how shes mixes vintage inspired patterns with quirky touches "modern with a vintage flavour". Since launching her new brand Betty & Walter in 2013 I've been smitten with every collection each season.

party rain liquorice apron

B & W is in inspired by her Aunt Betty and Uncle Walter, which I think is just lovely. The mid century retro prints for the new 'Allotment' range are inspired by vintage cookbooks and Uncle Walter's love for growing his own veg. I just love how there's a story behind each print and pattern....and those product names, bloomin' fantastic! I especially find the photo-shoot snaps very inspirational, mixing the retro finds with each new collection.



treacle toffee tote



pineapple souffle make up bag

After meeting the team back in the Summer at Selina Lake's handmade fete in Guildford I've been wanting to send the lovely ladies a personalised gift. The black & white spotty retro plate discovered in a local vintage store was crying out to be up-cycled with the B & W logo, with a hint of Heart Vintage of course. Here's the final design for you all to see - photographed in the lovely 

B & W studio. 

Heart Vintage for Betty & Walter

Make do & Mend

This month's make do & mend is......vintage lightshades.

patchwork fabric lightshade via At Home In Love

I recently updated my guest bedroom and wanted an up-cycled feel as the main wall features a gallery space for all my Heart Vintage plates. I wanted something different for my lighting....something individual.
I love the idea of using a collage of found fabrics and recovering it like the above photo..... 

up-cycled doily lightshade via Mollie Makes

or maybe recovering the wire shade with vintage dollies like this one is Lisa Meunier's home. I can imagine lots of pretty patterns on the walls when this turned on.

up-cycled wire lightshade via La Maison D'Anna G

The guestroom is painted with midnight blues and white, with accessories in mustard and aqua.

I love the shape and idea of spraying in a accent colour like the above lights, I managed to find similar in my local charity shop for a couple of pounds each....

...and here's a sneaky peek of my guestroom, the floor light base has been passed down to me from my grandmother. After stripped the shade of its fabric I sprayed the wire it in a bright aqua shade - I'm pretty chuffed with it the final result. 

It's feeling a lot like Christmas.....

It's four weeks until Christmas and I've been a busy bee...... I'm working on lots of new designs which I hope to add to the Big Cartel shop this weekend :) including more sets of plates which seem to be extremely popular for Christmas presents this year. 

Both sets inspired by vintage wall decor ideas - the birds taken from the retro brass swallows and the butterfly inspired from butterfly taxidermy.

I've also been working on new card ideas, including these packs of Christmas Cards for my stockist Alkaline I've up-cycled pages from vintage books with well known carols, copper paint & black tape. Hopefully I'll be added some packs of these to my shop too this weekend.

Are you all set for Christmas? I'll be buying all my gifts from local businesses and Etsy, will you be buying handmade too this year?

Make do & Mend

Well after a busy month or so I'm back and hope to post more regularly. The website is up and running and I've had so much lovely feedback from you all. Lots of you have put your orders in for Christmas too which is so exciting, it seems word is getting around about my handmade business.

As well as up-cycling for Heart Vintage I am a huge lover of up-cycling for my home too. I rent my little Victorian terrace in Leicester, its full to the brim with charity shop finds and car boot bargains. I like to 'make do & mend' with everything and anything that catches my eye.

my first 'make do' post is about......vintage hankies

vintage hankie bunting via Kolorize

A bundle of these lovelies was given to me last month, each one very different but very pretty, I'm looking forward to up-cycling these beauties. I love the idea of pretty floral bunting, this idea would be great in Summer outside in my yarden.

up-cycled patchwork table runner via Dottie Angel

I have a collection of crochet bits and embroidered tablecloths....mixed with my floral hankies would make a stunning patchwork tablecloth.

up-cycled patchwork curtain via Dottie Angel

or maybe a a patchwork curtain, The morning sunlight highlighting each individual pretty pattern would look beautiful. I think these would make a lovely new old edition to my bathroom. 

I hope this feature will be the first of many, as I share my inspirations I will also share my 'makes' as and when I finish them. Do you up-cycle? I'd love to see your 'makes' too.

Flying Birds

Last month I did a little giveaway over on my Facebook & Instagram page. Sara the lucky winner received her special post this morning "Today is a great post day in my house! Please head over to Lisa's Instagram and then over to her sparkly new website. Her plates and pretty things are Da'Bomb  and maybe you could have a great post day in your house too." I reckon Sara was delighted with her gift, she got them straight up on her wall and sent me this lovely photo, they look right at home! The flying swallows were designed for my recent photoshoot, my take on the iconic flying ducks of the 1950s. Many of you have been asking about these, so I've decided to add a few sets to my shop just in time for Christmas and don't forget personal messages can be added onto the reverse at no extra cost.

Heart Vintage has a website!

So I launched my shop, started a blog and attended some amazing events so far with Heart Vintage. It made sense the next step would be to have a website. Using Blogger for my blog I thought it would be fairly easy for me to use a basic template to launch a website. The templates are very 'bloggy' looking so I needed to alter this to make be more like a website homepage. CSS & HTML codes sorted this little issue out....I never even knew what these were a few months back. Although at times I got a little frustrated, being a graphic designer I knew how I wanted it to look I just needed the programme to do what I wanted. I'm really happy with the result, the photos from my photoshoot look perfect against the clean layout and simple fonts. I've also added some customer testimonials, such lovely words, I can't quite believe they're talking about my product, it makes all the hard work worth while. In the future I'm hoping to add lots of vintage home & fashion inspiration and 'mend & make do' page. The website will go live later this week, yay!! www.heartvintage.co.uk

Te-Amo Vintage Fair

Last weekend Heart Vintage joined a bunch of lovely traders at Regent College, Leicester for Te-Amo Vintage Fair. The sunny weather a perfect location set the scene for the fair, just outside the city centre a stones throw away from De Montfort Hall. I had a lovely day and it gave me chance to try out a couple of new products, including my jam jar candles. My new stall layout was complimented too, everyone loved the photos from my vintage photo shoot.

I'm looking forward to attending more fairs next year, including a wedding fair in the spring. But for the rest of this year I'll be concentrating on designing.....including a range of vintage clocks, adding new designs to my greeting cards and plate ranges and also launching my website....busy little bee.

New Stockist - Alkaline

I popped down to my new stockist this week to see the new delights Jen has in store. Full of retro and vintage, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure, there's something for everyone. If only I had a bigger house! Before the years out Jens hoping to start craft workshops at the weekend, I've heard a lampshade workshop is on the cards...my home definitely has room for a retro lampshade.

It was lovely to see Heart Vintage plates amongst the retro art and bevelled vintages mirrors on the wall. I'm looking forward to working with Jen on new products for Alkaline over the coming months....including my vintage plate clocks. Alkaline is situated in the West End of Leicester, on Hinckley Road...stock is constantly changing so if you see something you love grab before it goes.

Yarden Photoshoot

So a while back I mentioned my photoshoot, I've had the piccies back...I'm totally in love. Linda Blann has made a wonderful job of capturing my work. We set the scene in my back yard...know as my 'yarden'. All my flowers were in bloom and it was a beautiful Summer's day. The photos will be used for my new website and promotional stationary for the vintage fairs I will be attended next year. We didn't quite have time for a portrait shoot (not that I was fussed about this, I hate having my photo taken) but Linda has a field and vintage chair in mind for this next year, I have a feeling a won't get out of it. 

Leicester Mercury - Press

Look who's in the Leicester Mercury More Mag!! Super excited they've wrote a piece about Alkaline, even more so that there's a couple of piccies of Heart Vintage plates - woo hoo! Looking forward to seeing the display for myself...great mix of pretty vintage of the bone china against the strong bold look of the retro pieces in the shop.  

Instagram Snaps - August 2014

I think I say this every month, but it really does feel like its been the best so far. I'm having so much fun designing and making my plates, all I ever wanted was to create something other people would enjoy.

.....To set up my Etsy shop and to get orders was a dream come true, I could only ever imagine that 'actual' shops would like to stock my wares! But it has happened and I'm still pinching myself. If you're ever down in the lovely seaside town of Brighton you can see my plates on display at the beautiful boutique clothing store Dig for Victory & also available to purchase in Leicester's newest vintage and retro shop Alkaline.

.....The photoshoot took place - I now have the styling bug!!! Looking forward to seeing the photos and to sharing lots more about it over the next few weeks.

....To celebrate my first shoot I'm having a giveaway, head over to my Facebook or Instagram to enter, this set of flying birds could be yours.

.....I've also had so many beautiful photos sent to me of my plates in your homes, this is one of my many favorites, head over to my Instagram to see more.

......oh and I have a new addition to the workroom, a glass cabinet to store all my vintage finds....my little craft space is much more organised now, I can't wait to spend more time in here! I have ideas for new ranges and another card range to finish :) Have a great September!

Vintage Photoshoot

For the last month or so I've been planning like mad in between plate orders and my full time work for my first Heart Vintage photoshoot with the very talented photographer Linda Blann. Finally it happened!!!!! From the images I've seen so far I'm super exciting to get the photos back. I managed to take a couple of sneaky shots myself......I can't wait to show & tell you more. To mark this milestone I am having a little vintage giveaway. The lovely flying bird plates I used on my shoot will go to the lucky winner, details over on my Facebook & Instagram.

Instagram Snaps - July 2014

I think this has got to be the most exciting month yet, I can't quite believe it, it feels like I'm in a day dream.

.....To be invited to Selina's Fete was a huge and overwhelming experience, the best day of the year by far for Heart Vintage. I was so nervous but excited at the same time.  I have followed her career since leaving university and to be involved at this event was bloody brilliant. I packed up my wares and left early for Surrey, I was literally like a pack horse. After my long journey I was welcomed by so many friendly faces which made me feel at ease. I had such an amazing day, learnt a lot, made some new friends and sold a few of my wares too - bonus!

.....I've been working on a greetings card range for some time now, I wanted to incorporate my love of flowers and up-cycling so it made sense to use old flower books as inspiration. I'm so pleased with the final product, these beauties are available to buy from my little shop now. 

....I mentioned last month that I had been busy designing a new range for The Exchange Bar, the song lyric designs are finished and are on display, they are also available to buy from my shop very soon.

.....this Summer seems to be lasting forever! I spied these supper gorgeous lanterns in Tesco in my favorite sherbet colours. I even got a matching BBQ, looking forward to spending the weekend evenings out in my yarden even more now.

.......and finally another milestone for Heart Vintage.....I have my first photoshoot planned for next month, so far I have the dress ready and lots of inspiration.

Greetings Cards

I've always wanted to design my own card range  - and now I finally have!!! 

I love old books, I have stacks of them, every chance I get I have a good rummage at charity shops to find any vintage flower books. I've been lucky enough to find plenty and I really wanted to put them to a good use. 

After designing my 'botanical plate range' it gave me the idea to use the pages of these old books along with my trusty sewing machine to create one of a kind cards. The illustrations are so beautiful I didn't want to over work the design so I simply added a small stamp design - these include birds and insects.

I'm addicted to using my vintage tape writer at the moment - if you don't own one you definitely need to purchase. My granddad who has sadly passed away labelled everything with this, I have so many of his old books with his initials stamped on the spine. I wanted to include the tapes into my designs, so each card has a message typed on the front - very simple but effective way of mixing the old with the new. Check out my range here my Etsy shop.

Selina Lake's Summer Fete

this coming Saturday, Heart Vintage will have a stall at Selina's Summer Fete in Guildford. Selina will be signing copies of her latest book, there will be a vintage tearoom, a flower stall as well as two floors of hand picked stall holders selling lots of vintage and handmade lovelies.

I'm so excited to be asked to sell my up-cycled vintage china wares including my plates and candles, I'll also be launching my greetings cards range too.

Yarden Love

since moving into my rental last year I've put all my time and effort into putting my stamp on the house. concentrating mostly on the decorating the yarden took a back seat. as soon as the warmer weather came this year I wanted to make the outdoor space another room to my new home.

I wanted to add an up-cycled feel and used second hand and found objects to create a space where I could grow veg & fruit and all the cottage flowers I've always loved.

willow was used to make a handmade trellis for my sweetpeas, recycled crates were used to make a vertical herb and flower garden and lots of vintage and found terracotta pots were packed full of perennials and seeds to create a wild garden look. I even made garden lights recycling glass jars and and adding vintage buttons and tealights.

How do you use your outdoor space, does it reflect your taste in home decor?

Instagram Snaps - June 2014

well another month over, the year seems to be flying by, its six months since I started my little venture and it's grown so much in a short space of time......

.....I'm a lover of home DIY, a little bit addicted to decorating my home, but since I've started Heart Vintage it has taken a back seat. The only room I am yet to finish is the guest room. I've done quite a bit of research (also addicted to moodboards for anything!if it needs research it NEEDS a moodboard) so I know exactly what I want the room to look like, the trouble is finding everything I imagine for it. I have however, decided on the colours. A dark indigo feature wall, lots of white and aqua highlights. I picked the ceiling light shade up from a local charity shop, removed the fabric and spray painted it - pretty happy with my little up-cycling project.

.....I try and visit my mum and stepdad as often as I can, we tend to try and fit in as much as we can when we do see it other, this weekend was no different. I lost count of the amount of car boots we went to, the highlight was definitely the Royal Three Counties Show, so much inspiration for my little yarden.

.....lots of hot weather meant I was able to work outside. The plants have finally flowered and this inspired my next range of Heart Vintage plates....botanical vintage drawings, go check them out over in my Etsy shop.

....I've also been busy working a new range for The Exchange Bar, a little bit of vintage and a little bit of music, can't wait to show you the final designs.

.....oh and I've been invited to attend Selina Lake's Handmade & Vintage Summer Fete next month, super excited to be asked! so much planning and designing to do. I can't wait until next month!

Instagram Snaps - May 2014

here's what Heart Vintage have been up to in May.....

.....it was Selina Lakes book signing at Powder Blue, the signing took place outside in the sunshine. It was a lovely day with vintage stalls and Heart Vintage wares.....I launched my up-cycled candles too.

.....wedding season is well and truly here, lots of beautiful wedding plates designed and printed.  

.....I've had a lovely request for a set of three bespoke plates of a little girls bedroom, I incorporated her drawings into the design to make it a beautiful keepsake.

.....my up-cycled hoops have been added to my stockist Powder Blue, I printed iconic 

quotes to make these a lovely additional to any vintage home.

....my vintage illustration designs are my bestsellers so far, another set has been added to my Etsy shop.

.....I made a trip to see my favorite artist's works in Manchester at the Lowry Gallery. The venue was also host to a food fair which attracted local food and drink stall holders. 

This was my favorite stall Ox Eye Daisy - I loved the up-cycled herb planters.

Selina Lake's Outdoor Living Book Tour

What a fantastic sunny day for a garden party! Powder Blue the boutique home and garden store in Leicester was the setting for Selina's Outdoor Living book signing.

Last Saturday Powder Blue's garden was styled with beautiful vintage inspired finds and pop up shops ready for Selina's visit. Retro Sugar made the most yummy and adorable cakes with vintage swan and ballerina cake toppers. Knighton Flowers had a pop up shop and supplied cottage garden flowers for the event, the arrangements were stunning.

The Heart Vintage range was beautifully displayed inside the store, I loved the pretty ribbon ties on my plates against the dark painted wall - this has inspired me to paint my guest room a darker colour and display all my pretty plates with pastel ribbons.

It was lovely to see Selina, we chatted about growing veg, paint colours and vintage china, she wrote a lovely note in my copy of her book too. Looking forward to her Summer Fete in a couple of months. Her new book Selina Lake Outdoor Living is available to buy now.