Now we are ONE !!

Well almost..

On the 25th July 2009.. Milly and Dottie put on their starched pinafores and smiles and opened the doors to their exciting new emporium.. otherwise known as Milly & Dottie's Emporium.
We have had great pleasure in welcoming visitors from far and wide, many who have shared our journey through this first year of enterprise
We would very much like you to join us in our 1st Birthday Celebrations this weekend... by putting on your best party frock and a fresh ribbon in your hair. There will be jellies and ice-cream, sticky buns galore, cucumber sandwiches and a delicious iced birthday cake with 1 pretty candle to blow out.

To celebrate our 1st anniversary we have a whole new exciting department to browse with the party occasion in mind.. 'Pass the Parcel' which has all kinds of everything to provide for your own vintage party.

Would you please join us in singing...

Happy Birthday to us
Happy Birthday to us
Happy Birthday dear Milly & Dottie's Emporium
Happy Birthday to us..

Hurrah !!

It's party time !!

Plain Sailing ...

This weekend I have cultivated a mild obsession with shipping lanes .. following a little pink blob on the map as it courses it's way across the North Sea. I have finally unravelled the mystery of those oft heard names on the radio Dogger, Fisher, German Bight, Humber and Viking. This isn't just any little pink blob that I have been giving my rapt attention.. oh no.. this 4mm object on the cat's cradle of shipping lanes, is a 'Tall' ship called Stavros S Niarchos.. which has on board a very special cargo heading for Denmark...


That precious cargo is in fact my son who is sailing across the beautiful briny sea to the port of Aalborg in Denmark as part of a crew who will deliver the majestic ship on Thursday to take part in a Tall Ships Race.
This exciting voyage is organised by the Tall Ships Youth Trust and apart from learning the ropes, climbing the main sail and scrubbing decks.. it claims to be character building..


I should say ... Just keeping upright on the sloping deck and not turning several shades of green as the ship rises and falls, is enough to put hairs on anyone's chest!
I can't wait for my boy to return.. hopefully without the sailor's tattoos and scurvy, whence my salty sea dog will be welcomed with open arms and a fish supper !

Cause for Celebration ...

They say there is no peace for the wicked which makes me think I must be a very bad girl ..
I naively thought that after the vintage textile fair last Saturday, that life might just slow down a bit.. but NO.. not a bit of it.. and no sooner had we washed up the last tea cup and swept away the remaining cake crumbs.. than Jayne and I were busy chatting about the next fair in November and ticking off the days already!


Last Saturday was a grand day.. a great gathering of kindly folk bringing their beautiful vintage textile wares and purses to the event. The sun shone, the people smiled and the tea flowed, lots of cake was consumed (not just by me) .. in fact a bit of a cake fest was going on in the kitchen as you can see..

It was a cosy affair.. make that Fair... where our wonderful team of ladies and gentlemen, set up their stalls laden with a fine display of vintage textiles, haberdashery, French linens, knitting paraphernalia, vintage clothes, cushions and a lot more besides...


We welcomed new members to the V & H family and opened the doors to new visitors.. and when Jayne and I closed the door at 5.30 p.m and heard the door click behind us.. we felt a great sense of contentment, that a good day had been had by all !
To capture the mood and sights of the day, go and see the photos at Vintage & Handmade blog.

In fact this last week or so has seen a lot to celebrate and there is more to come..

On a particularly sublime summer day in June ... Mr Custard and I set off to meet a new friend and customer in Abbotsbury.. a place I had only ever seen on the map and coincidentally on BBC Spring Watch that week.
We arrived in the chocolate box pretty village to be greeted most warmly by Rachel, her husband and their very bouncy, four-legged friend, Martha. In fact we really felt like we were meeting up with old friends.. the conversation flowed whilst we sat in Rachel's beautiful kitchen and I tried to resist..(but failed) the plate of freshly baked scones sitting on the table ..winking at me!
An hour or so later we had to drag ourselves away.. but it was a painful extraction.. to leave these lovely folk and this scene behind us as we turned our car home..

The whole purpose of this visit was to deliver some of my greeting cards to Rachel for her brand spanking new gallery .. Lazyhill Gallery located just a hop and a skip from the coast in Abbotsbury and beautifully furnished with some of Britain's finest artists and makers merchandise.

If you are heading south to Dorset this summer.. please, please go and say hello to Rachel in her beautiful new gallery. I can guarantee that you will not come away empty handed!


She would love to meet you and is a bit of a blog lurker on the sly so probably already knows you! Forgive me Rachel.. but I have nicked your photos as they are so much better than mine..


We are definitely due another visit.. and hopefully next time we won't have to leave in such a hurry.

One more excuse to crack open the elderflower bubbly (which incidentally is very,very bubbly and threatening to explode all over my utility room) is Milly & Dottie's appearance in the pages of Vogue magazine this week.. Yes.. we have finally made the catwalk as vintage models!!!
Joking aside.. Milly & Dottie have made it onto the Sewing Guide pages and we are tickled pink.. as you can see!

The emporium is full of lovely new, or should I say old.. vintagey old, items.. and Haberdashery is just one of the departments with new stock on the shelves..


This gorgeous little dressing table would be a perfect home for all your buttons and beads!

So as you can see, there have been many reasons to be cheerful this week.. with just one more to come.. when my darling boy turns sixteen this Saturday! Now that will require some bubbles!