Treasure hunting at the antiques fairs

It was a busy week last week of selling, sourcing and very early mornings! When the alarm goes off at 3.15am all you want to do is snuggle back under the duvet but I must admit, I love watching the sun come up with the anticipation of wondering what you are going to sell/find!

First up was Malvern Antiques and Flea Market, this fair is a great day out with plenty to see and buy, from trinkets for a couple of quid to fine antiques. Depending on the weather this fair is HUGE, and you need to get there super early as not queue to get in, one customer told me it had taken them half an hour to get in!

We were selling at Malvern this time, and when we arrived around 5.30am the fog was thick and swirling, but it didnt take long for the sun to come out, stock always looks nicer in the sunshine!

Here are a few snaps from the Malvern Flea, iphone pictures sorry!

Then we packed all up and Tuesday was treasure hunting at Lincoln show ground.  This fair is another two dayer, The first day is trade and costs £20 to get in, there are a lot more stalls on the Monday compared to the Tuesday. It costs £5 to get in on the second day, but there is still so many stalls to look at so we definitely thought it was worth the visit!

Then finally I got all loaded up again and spent two days selling at Europe's largest antiques fair in Newark Lincolnshire, this is a fantastic day out, but really you need to spend the two days there to make sure you see everything! I have featured this fair in a separate blog I took a lot of pictures!!

2014 yearly round up

2014 has been a busy year in all aspects! Vintique Tree had its first birthday in June, it feels like a dream to me still, but through serious hard work and the support of my family the business is going from strength to strength. Another first business wise was the launch of the new website, I would never had believed a website could take so much time to organise and set up but there is so much satisfaction in seeing the final site up and running and I could never have done it without the support of a very helpful friend of the misters!

The Vintique Tree shop at Whitemoors Antiques Centre near Market Bosworth has also been going great, being there over a year now I am starting to know what my customers like and many of them have become friends!

This year has been filled with new experiences with one of the most enjoyable being an 10 month upholstery course. Along with being fun and at times frustrating! the new skills I have learnt will hopefully help me grow my business. Now I don't have to walk away from all the beautiful but worn chairs I see at the fairs!

Continuing with the year of firsts, it was also our first wedding anniversary in June, I can't believe that we are no longer newly weds. We celebrated in our favourite country, Mallorca. The wedding feels like it was last month not over a year ago now!

Finally the most scary and exciting part of 2014 is that we sold our house! Since the summer we have been slowly packing our lives into boxes, we are moving further into the countryside.

Our current village is semi rural and is famed locally for its long tradition in horse and hounds. I must admit I will miss the sight of the sea of hundreds of beagles running down the street, but the sense of space at the new place is just lovely.

The mister is super excited about having a bigger garden where he can attempt to grow all sorts of veggies and fruits come the spring and for me the redecoration and hunt for the the perfect pieces for our new home is something to look forward to in the new year!

The only one who I am worried about for the big move is George, our British blue short hair cat. He does get nervy from time to time, especially when change occurs! Although I have been pleased with his behaviour so far, the boxes haven't phased him, he as seen it more of a game than anything. I really can't wait to see his reaction in a new environment, but I am sure once he works out he can sunbathe in the spring sunshine in the conservatory he will be grinning like the Cheshire cat!

Anyway I hope you all have had a great 2014 and thanks to all my lovely customers who have helped make my dream a reality, here is to a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2015!

Seasons Greetings Everyone!

Spanish adventures

It seems like my blog is a travel diary recently but  anyway, I thought I would break my holiday posts down into two because I have so many pictures! Another adventure on the wonderful island of Mallorca is a trip up, down, and around the mountains, Tramuntanas (I don't know if that the correct spelling! sorry!)

Here the air is fresh and clean and a welcome relief to the heat of the beaches. Our first stop was the tranquil monastery Lluc. Tucked away high in the mountains we managed to get there super early before the coaches arrived and had the place pretty much to ourselves, the views were stunning when we climbed to the peak of sanctuary a path through the olive trees which was created by Gaudi.

From here we travelled over the mountain and down a scary twisty road  and then on foot through a tunnel of rock to discover a to a little beach which in the summer is perfect for swimming and in the winter is the opening of the river into the sea. We spent a few hours here and did a bit of snorkelling.

Then it was on to one of my favourite places in Mallorca, Soller. A haven from the trashy tourist destinations in Mallorca this little town is full of bustling cafes and independent shops with a truly beautiful town square, which is the ideal place for a people watch and a big ice cream!! I want to live here!

A Spanish Market

We have been going to Mallorca for years and similar to our mini moon last year ( http://vintique-tree.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/mediterranean-moments.html ) we wanted to do something that takes us away from the crazy tourist areas and into the local culture. So armed with our map we set out into Mallorca's most central town Sineu. A farmers market come brocante has been happening here every Wednesday for hundreds of years and although there are stalls for the tourists to enjoy it still has the essence of its orgins with a animal quarter and local home grown produce. Worth a trip this summer!

I wanted to bring one of these handmade sinks home! So nice!

Bees making honey while you wait!

Grand old duke is York

A delayed post but been busy at the antiques fairs! York is a beautiful city and we had a lovely time especially in Betty's Tea rooms. It was like stepping back in time all the ladies were dressed in black and white and the tea was served loose with a little tea strainer! Delightful! Betty's is famous because in the war airmen would sitting downstairs and drink tea and chat, a mirror with their names etched on to it is still there! It crazy to think how life has changed since then!

We were lucky to get a window seat and enjoyed fat rascals and proper English tea! We were shocked to see that later on the queue was around the block to get a table, it proves how amazing the place is!

Another one of my favourite places in York was the Imaginarium https://www.facebook.com/YscHome It was possible the most visually stunning shops I have ever been in, defo worth a look at their facebook page, as it a no photo shop but you can see why, it so lovely everyone would be snapping away and blinding the shop assistances! Its sister store next door The Yorkshire Soap Company is also brilliant, just like a patisserie but with soap!

a good weekend all round x

the fat rascal - I must find this recipe!!

The Golden Fleece is the oldest pub in York and apparently the most haunted (Most Haunted tv show have filmed there!)  I particularly like the cat popping out of the white window!!

The Shambles, a lovely cobbled street full of quirky shops...

Hehe just made me laugh, outside a florist