November 2015 : New in!

With this unseasonally mild English November weather comes the opportunity for more trips in search of treasures.

In recent weeks I have been fortunate enough to find some more additions for MillCottageRetro on Etsy and below you can see some pictures. A few pieces have been found locally in charity shops but most are from either the Malvern or Shepton Mallet flea markets or from further away in vintage shops in Cornwall. A few have been purchased online and some from an antiques centre near Northampton. They will be added to MillCottageRetro soon.

A couple of interesting Hornsea pieces

Carltonware coffee set

Hornsea dishes

Lamp base and lamp

Mid century glassware

Studio pottery set

Meakin cups and saucers

Scandi vase and frosted glassware

Portmeirion coffee set

Vase from Cinque Ports Pottery in Rye

September already!

Hi all,
Amazingly the summer is at an end and the 'dog days are over' - maybe we will have some Indian Summer sun this year?

We had an interesting trip to Amsterdam early in August and the sun shined for us but unfortunately did not get to any of the great vintage shops that are there, however, we did see the Matisse exhibition at the museum of modern art called the Stedelijk

 There is a bumper selection of findings and rescued treasures this time as there was no blog in August.

All on Etsy at MillCottageRetro already: Woods Piazza Ware jug; two Portmeirion zodiac mugs;
a Bjorn Wiinblad pin dish.a book on abstract art and a small travelling clock modelled as a yacht

Already listed: a small wooden toy elephant; a Lancraft laminated wood bowl; and a Danish style bowl

All the above plus a pair of Ravenhead glasses designed by Alexander Hardie Williamson - all already listed

The following are newer acquisitions which will be added soon:

Holkham Pottery cups, milk jug and sugar bowl

JAJ Gaiety ware serving dishes in the yellow and turquoise snowflake pattern

A German jug to the left, a Midwinter Stylecraft jug to the right and a Holkham Pottery mug at the front

Some glassware in assorted patterns

Super size orange brandy glass with three Wedgwood disc candle sticks designed by Stennett Wilson

Great album cover design on two classical music albums; a Chance handkerchief vase; a Portmeirion Totem vase and a Westclox clock

Some contemporary style jewellery

Some pretty 1920s floral brooches

These are some pictures of items to be added to our sister shop RedRococcoGarden although some of the pottery pigs are destined for MillCottageRetro

We hope that you enjoyed looking at our photos!

Recent findings: June / July

More lovely things pictured here:

Studio pottery - planters and small vase - the larger one is Purbeck Pottery and a tall slender stemmed glass (possibly candle holder). All listed except the glass.

They say that brown is going to be the new colour!  Striped German pottery planter and ovoid jug. (Jug listed on Etsy)

Two pieces of Scandinavian design glass in red and green with a mid century sugar container by Jie of Sweden. 

Teak flat bowl and variegated wood bowl with metal rim plus four cheerful little Pyrex agg cups.

The vase on the right is from Denby; on the left is from Kilrush Pottery in Ireland and in the centre is a lamp base by Poole Pottery (both vases listed).

Here is a Norwegian serving bowl with a selection of vintage scarves and a Bjorn Wiinblad designed wall plaque in Rosenthal's Aladin series (Wiinblad plate listed)

More thrifting finds

First picture of recent findings - you can see a red Dala horse and a blue Dala rooster which are iconic Swedish folk art pieces. The small white vase is an unusual piece by Hornsea, the large orange and black pot is, in fact, a lamp base by Alvingham Pottery in the 70s and the large bowl in which the rooster sits is by Midwinter in the Piccadilly pattern. All of these (except the Hornsea pot) have already been added to MillCottageRetro on Etsy

Moving further left on the shelf display and here is a small pink jug by English pottery Shorter & Sons, behind that is an attractive enamel plate showing possibly a Parisian scene. In front of that is a blue Dala horse (already sold) and a wooden bull carrying cocktail sticks on his back - an unusual piece. The chrome dolphin is a bottle cap and screw cap remover.

Finally on the shelf below is a collapsible fruit basket which looks rather like a tiki style bag when folded which can be carried by the handle. Also a botanical hand painted charger by Denby designed by Albert Colledge and a small minimalist style polar bear by Hornsea Potteries. The book has cover art by Robert Powers, an eminent science fiction artist. All the above named (except the polar bear) are included in my Etsy Store already. This weeks blog is short and sweet this time but I hope you like the pieces here!

Garden Office Improvements: new photos

Those of you who have been following my blog may remember the construction of my "Garden Office" about this time last year - well we have made some improvements including a carpet, a display cabinet for vintage children's memorabilia and a small mid century cabinet which houses a collection of vintage mid century children's books as well as providing a display area for new acquisitions.
Here are some photos:

April finds

There are some fab finds this month as can be seen from the pics below which only feature some of the items. The better weather means more opportunities for seeking out those special pieces.

In the first picture is a J& G Meakin coffee pot and creamer set in the Aztec pattern - there are cups and saucers too but not all are featured here. There is also a yellow Jie ceramic and teak cruet set which would brighten up any dining table and kitchen. The large blue glass vase is a 1997 reproduction in the mid century style by Dartington which means that it cannot be listed on Etsy yet as they only accept items over twenty years old - it will be living with me a while longer!. The tiled wallhanging at the back is also a new find.

In the picture below you can also see a yellow and black stripy mini storage jar set by Hornsea Potteries and a similar stripy fat lava vase from Germany.

Below are two cheerful Phoenix pyrex bowls  and a Portmeirion white Totem milk jug and sugar bowl - the design is very rare in white. In the background is a studio pottery planter from Purbeck Pottery in subtle brown shades.

In this picture below is a blue Denby milk jug and two Denby Manor Green pieces: a pie funnel and an egg cup. Next to them is a Dartington glass vase designed by Frank Thrower and behind that a laminated wood vase with plastic liner and a Kilncraft plate. Alongside is a pretty 1930s 40s flowery tea or coffee pot, a Denby Manor Green vinegar jar and three small hand painted studio pottery dishes. Incidentally these are displayed on my mid century display cabinet with shelf and below can be seen a glimpse of part of my collection of c1950s children's books - I have made a few improvements to my office and will adding some pictures soon.