VintageRetroKitsch

Retro and vintage wares are still enjoying a huge surge of popularity, so I thought I’d take a peek into the life of a seller who specialises in all things vintage, retro and kitsch…

Sarah, of VintageRetroKitsch, doesn’t just sell all things vintage, she lives them.  A visit to her house is enough to reveal not only a wonderful collection of furniture and curios, but that she has a keen eye for style.

I grew up in a victorian house and it is still my favorite style of property and I have always been used to being surrounded by older furniture, my parents had an antique shop when I was young and I have fond early memories of going to house clearances and being fascinated by all the things that people leave behind.

This has carried on throughout my life and although I have flirted with the likes of Ikea I have always come back to homewares with a past and now my home is a huge mismatch of curios and collectables but I love it.

Vintage suitcases and trunks look beautiful and also serve to hide the inevitable clutter of toys belonging to her young son.

Modern pieces and antiques are displayed side by side in perfect harmony

I started VRK really as I found myself coming across great unwanted things all the time and I was fast running out of space to bring them home and keep them! This coincided with a growing trend for vintage so I decided to try my hand at selling.

We started about 18 Months ago now and we are slowly building up a loyal fanbase. We try to do at least one fair a month and I have an Etsy shop although I am scaling that down as I am not sure its the right medium for vintage, I generate the most interest via my facebook page although I am thinking of sorting out my own website this year, just need a few more hours in my day!

Sarah’s love of vintage is so strongly evident throughout her home that it’s almost contagious.  I left her house wishing I had more room to stash beautiful things, and also with a very strong urge to plant things in teacups!  She has excellent taste and it’s wonderful to see someone who is living their passion.  Sarah trades on Facebook and, for the time being at least, on Etsy.  Sarah is based in Bolton and also takes her wares to various fairs in the midlands (for more details please visit her Facebook page) and if you’re in the area when she’s around I’d highly recommend a visit to her stall.

It is really the ultimate recycling as we are only really the caretakers of our lives . I love to look at some of my things and imagine the kind of lives they must have led, fascinating.

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Weekword: Tea

A list of all this week’s participants is given at the end of this post

Tea is the quintessentially British drink, suitable for every occasion.  I love it.  I also love tea accessories, and things which are tea-themed.  So this week my Weekword post is a showcase* of pretty things linked in some way with tea.

I’m in love with the Fay Red teapot and teacup by Greengate, and I keep going back and looking at them even though they’re ridiculously expensive.

If new china doesn’t float your boat, what about something vintage?  Sarah at VintageRetroKitsch teams vintage china with brooches and other accessories to produce beautiful one-of-a-kind gift sets.

What’s a cup of tea without a biscuit?  This tea towel by Jilty Drawings caught my eye at a craft fair in Brick Lane earlier this year.

More biscuity goodness, this screenprinted footstool is both beautiful and quirky.

Teaspoons are another essential item, and these custom spoons by AproposRoasters keep tempting me (I’ve only managed to resist because I’m still undecided as to what I’d have etched on my spoon).

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog for this week’s Weekword.  Don’t forget to pop by and see all the other participants too!

• Sally at Sow & Sew
• John at The Healing Seed
• Jeneveve at Timballoo
• Sally at Diario
• Emily at Ready for an Adventure?
• Katy at Creating Misericordia
• Rose at Rose’s Year

Next week’s word will be hosted by John at The Healing Seed, so please visit his blog on Monday to find out what the next word is (let’s see if we can keep Weekword going uninterrupted until Christmas shall we?).

*Photographs have all been borrowed without permission from their shop listings, but I hope the owners will forgive this in exchange for the publicity!

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