NumberNineteen

Hello Again! ~ Number Nineteen Vintage

ll!  I'm so sorry for my extended absence!  I have been incredibly busy with Number Nineteen Vintage over at Etsy. I am having so much fun with it.  Finding English antiques is the best treasure hunt that I've ever been on but the best part is finding other people who love all things English as much as I do.  

I've been concentrating on transferware, ironstone and royal memorabilia but I'll snatch up any English antique or vintage that catches my fancy.

Recent transferware finds

Some of the English royal memorabilia currently in the shop

I hit the ironstone jackpot recently and it's now listed in the shop

I spend almost all of my weekends at Estate Sales and flea markets, scouring Craiglist or listing items.  I spend a lot of time on Instagram as well, both let people know about my business and what's generally going on with me.  It's become such a great place to find other people with the same interests AND the eye candy!!!  It reminds me of the old way of blogs, where there is a sense of community.  Of course, anyone who is familiar with Instagram knows that there is another side, full of selfies and fakery, but I've found that it's easy to find the good folks.

A recent inspirational photo that I posted on Instagram

If you would like to see what I'm up to on a daily basis or what is inspiring me, follow me on instagram: Kflemingantiques

 

 

Big Changes and a BIG Announcement!

You've probably noticed a pretty big change around here -- the blog has a new name!  I've thought about changing the name of the blog for a long time.  Vintage Pretties was a good name for the blog when I started it eleven years (!) ago.  However, I think that the name should reflect what the blog is now -- about my love of vintage but also about so much more.  Why Number Nineteen, though?  The number 19 has always been my lucky number -- I was born on the nineteenth and Chanel No 19 is my perfume.  

The new name goes with a big announcement -- I'm opening a new shop on Etsy -- Number Nineteen Vintage!

Number Nineteen Vintage grew out of two of my loves -- for England and antiques.  About two years ago, a germ of an idea came to me -- how could I combine those two things?  Two years of planning, dreaming, sourcing stock and working hard are about to come to fruition on October 1st, when the shop is launched.  I am so excited about this venture -- it truly is a labor of love.  

What will you find at Number Nineteen Vintage?  Here are a few sneak peeks...

Antique English crocks

Beautiful ironstone pieces

Scottish tartans

English Transferware

English cottage style art

Coronation Memorabilia

All of these things and much more.  The shop will officially open on October 1st at Number19vintage.etsy.com.  To see more of what is in store, follow me on Instagram for previews and an exciting giveaway!  I do hope that you'll stop by!

Very Vintage Back to School

Once again, the summer slipped past me and blogging went to the wayside.  It was a good summer, though it felt shorter than usual.  It seemed like I was just starting to relax and then I had to go back to school.  

I've been back to work for about two weeks (the kids first day is this Monday) and I'm starting to look forward to fall.  The light coming through the windows is at a certain fall-ish angle and every so often, we have a cooler day.  I'm starting to think about making stews and casseroles and pumpkin bread.  

I was in a particularly back-to-school/fall-ish spirit this afternoon and pulled together a few things to get the house in the proper mindset.

The dining room table is all ready for studying.

An old globe, ruler, vintage primers and scrabble pieces cover the main subjects.  Yes, I happen to have these things just lying around my house.

Can't forget the kitchen table.  Because who knows when you might need a pencil during breakfast?

 

My next post is likely to be on the first day of school.  My baby is going into 7th grade.  7th grade.  Someone slow down time, please.

Vintage French Seed Packets

Hi all!  As I'm getting settled into summer vacation, it seems like it is rushing by so quickly!  Slow down!  Today I'm sharing a fantastic gift that I received  -- completely original, vintage AND French.

My sister is lucky enough to have a sister-in-law who lives in the south of France (I know, right???). When said sister-in-law had a baby last summer, a visit was in order.  Before she left, I asked her to bring me something wonderful home from France.  She delivered beautifully -- she brought back six vintage seed packets that she found in a Paris flea market.  Even writing "found in a Paris flea market" sounds amazing, right?

They are so beautiful.  I'm in love with the bright illustrations and French text.  She gave me four flower and two vegetable packets.  We hung the framed flower packets in my craft room, at the entrance.

You can see here that there is a short angled wall that serves as sort of an "entrance" into the room.

The vegetable seed packets still have the seeds in them.  Look at those beautiful radishes. 

We placed the vegetables in the kitchen, right beside my aprons. 

She gave them to me last Christmas and I think that they were my favorite gift that I received. 

Caught My Fancy -- May

I don't know how the last week slipped by, but I totally forgot to post!  By the time that I realized it, it was the middle of the week & I decided to wait until this week.  After months of having nothing on my social calendar suddenly I have something going on every weekend.  I'm chalking it up to spring and the end of school drawing near. Warmth & freedom -- an irresistible combination.  Here are a few things that have caught my fancy this month:

Lucketts Spring Market - Last weekend I went to the Lucketts Spring Market for the second year in a row.   This year, no rain!  They moved it to a new location, more suited for all kinds of weather but the rain held off this year.  It's a bit farther for me, but I enjoyed it.  My girlfriend & I had a great time catching up while perusing the booths.  I found a few small things, all of which will be found soon in my etsy shop.  

 

Love Actually Sequel - If you haven't seen the Love Actually mini sequel that was made to benefit Red Nose Day, you must check it out.  They manage to tie up loose ends and answer the  "I wonder what happened with..." questions.   It's funny and heartwarming and satisfying.

(photo from House and Garden UK)

The Winnie the Pooh House Is For Sale - The house around which A A Milne created the Winnie the Pooh books is up for sale.  It is surrounded by the places that inspired The Hundred Acre Wood, Pooh Corner and more.  And, the interior is just as wonderful as you would imagine Christopher Robin's house to be. I want it.  Or, I want to vacation in it.  Currently on the market for 1.85 Million Pounds (!).

(photo from The Great British Afternoon Tea Company Instagram Feed)

The Great British Afternoon Tea Company - Since going to tea with Hope over Spring Break, I've been fascinated with tea parties.  On Instagram I stumbled across the most wonderful purveyor of tea parties this side of the Atlantic, Andrea Bradley Golombeck.  Her company, The Great British Afternoon Tea Company, puts on the most beautiful, elegant and delicious looking teas that you've ever seen. Her IG feed is pure eye candy.  And, she seems like a total sweetie.  Check her out!

Alrighty, I'm off to take advantage of the sunshine and get into my garden.  I hope that you all are enjoying a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

An Anglophile's Space

I thought that I'd take you on a little tour of my special space.  It is called the craft room, but it has become my craft room, yoga room, business center and private space to create and just be.  

I have filled it with my favorite things, bits and bobs that capture my heart or bring back memories.  More and more, those bits are little pieces of England that make my Anglophile heart sing.

Each corner has a bit of England.

This little cabinet holds souvenirs from various trips, including a china phone box from London.  Topping the cabinet are just a few of my pieces of royalty memorabilia.

This shelf shows off the rest of my ever growing collection.

These two books, given to me by a lovely co-worker, are the latest additions to my collection.

Even my inspiration board has a red phone booth.

It's not all about London, as you can see from these prints of English country cottages.  The one on the lower right once had a working thermometer.

In this corner is a vintage British biscuit tin with a seaside village scene.  The English seaside?  Why yes, don't mind if I do!

I'm always finding more bits of England that need a spot in my room.  The ideal, of course, would be to go back to England to pick them up in person....!

 

Flea Market Finds -- Vintage Pond Yacht and Antique Ironstone Jars

For the second time in a month, my antique scores were few but excellent!  I went to the first Arlington Flea of the season (wooohoooo -- flea market season is back!) yesterday morning.  I got there early and found this gem almost right away:

It's a vintage English pond yacht -- sort of a kid's toy that really sails in ponds.  I've seen them in a million movies and shows that take place in England and France in pre-WWII days.  

It's such a charming toy and makes a fun decorative piece as well.  I haven't seen one in person before so I'm really excited to have found it.  It will find a place in my Etsy store eventually.

Later that day, I was puttering around on ebay and found these amazing antique ironstone crocks.  I just love old black and white transferware pots like these.  I love that they were once everyday household items.  They are in perfect condition and on their way to me, all the way from England.  They will also appear in the Etsy shop.

**I thought that this post was published a week ago, but just discovered that it was sitting in "draft" status!  So, this week, you get two posts :)**

Estate Sales Finds - Vintage Antique Store Sign and Black Transferware

I was rockin' it old school this weekend (old school for me)...I went to an estate sale!  I haven't been to one in at least a year...maybe longer?  But the ad caught my eye: "Antique European Decorative Arts & Antiques"...I couldn't resist. 

Drool worthy, right? 

The prices were really high unfortunately, but everything was beautiful. I snagged a few things, one thing for myself and the rest for Etsy.

This treasure is mine!  I've been keeping my eye out for a vintage antique store or book store sign for a long time.  It was a little pricey, but I had to have it.  

Lots of good patina and red and you know how I love red.

I also found a nice set of English black antique transferware from the late 1800s.  There are 8 pieces altogether -- a plate, 3 butter pats and 2 cup and saucer sets.

The detail is beautiful and I don't see black transferware as often as blue or brown.

My success has made me start looking at the estate sale ads again in earnest.  Ones like this are few and far between, but I'm keeping my eyes open! 

 

Guest Bedroom Reveal - New England Coastal Cottage Inspired Bedroom

Our guest room is finally finished!

To refresh your memory, the before:

From another angle, the after:

You may remember that this room was inspired by our visit to Cape Cod.  Our rental cottage featured simple but cozy pieces, vintage touches and airy colors.  I wanted to evoke that open window, salty air freshness of our cottage bedroom.

The first step was the board and batten. I knew that it would add just the right cottage feel to the room. I showed Glenn what I wanted and he figured it all out on paper.  Days of work later, I'm in love with it! The architectural detail that it adds makes it look like an entirely different room.  It has exactly the New England cottage vibe that I was going for. 

I chose a simple white quilt and shams but added color with the throw pillows and wall prints. I found the vintage bird prints at Lucketts years ago, knowing that they would go into the guest room but not knowing what else I wanted. I made the pillows from gingham and the most adorable print from Moda.  In person, it reminds me of old flowered sheets from the 60s or 70s.

In the Cape Cod cottage, the master bedroom had simple white curtains that blew in the breeze.  I found these beautiful simple dotted swiss curtains at Country Curtains that reminded me of those curtains.  I love the scalloped edges and the quality from Country Curtains never disappoints.

These alabaster lamps, found at a thrift shop, are the perfect vintage touch.

This tiny tray with lovely words rests on one of the nightstands.

Vintage embroidered pillowcases for guests to rest their weary heads.

Each side has a different design.

One last look, with Grandma Fleming's cathedral window quilt draped over the bed.

I hope that you have enjoyed the tour of our newly finished guest room.  We've had several visitors since its completion and I've been so happy to provide them with a peaceful and pretty home away from home.

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September With The Family in PA

This post is super, super outdated but I really want to share the wonderful weekend that we had with my family in Pennsylvania the second weekend of September.  Work may have gotten in the way of my posting about it, but the glow of happiness from the trip remains with me.

There were so many good times over the weekend that we were there.  One highlight was seeing my gorgeous cousin who just turned one.  Lilly, you are just so adorable!  Her personality is just as bright as her hair (that hair!!!  I'm in love!!!).

 

We timed the weekend so that we could go to a massive antique machinery show/flea market.  Glenn & my uncle headed for the machinery, Hope & I went for the flea.  Of course :)  I only got one thing there, which is sort of a mystery piece.

 

Anyone recognize that mark on the underside?  I think that it may be ironstone, but I can't find anything about the mark anywhere online.  We looked at it with my uncle's jeweler's loop and found a very faint WM in addition to the Princess mark.  I got a very, very good deal on it and I'd love to know how old it is and where it was made.  I should take it to Antiques Roadshow ;)

Later in the day, Glenn & I went to a large antique mall, where I found wonderful things. 

I've been in love with everything tartan this past year & this tin is so perfect for fall and the holidays. As a weird bonus, it was filled with hundreds of little black buttons.  Not cool vintage buttons, just plain little buttons. Hmm.

I'll tell the truth, I would have probably paid just about anything for this cookie tin.  Usually you see cake tins, but never cookie.  And cookies are my THING.  I need to start baking soon so that I can fill it up.

A wonderful wicker wrapped bottle, found in a dusty corner, and a beautiful English transferware platter, which will eventually make it's way to my re-vamped Etsy store. 

My aunts (who live next door to each other -- I keep telling my mom to buy a house on their street so that we could visit everyone at once) had a Saturday night get together so that we could see all of the cousins.  There was so much good catching up and so much good Lilly time!  And, the food!  There is nothing like a Central PA family party for food -- 5 or 6 desserts, ring bologna, dips, more!

 

That would certainly have been enough wonderfulness, but on Sunday, there was a birthday party for Lilly!  A big tea party at their church thrown by her mom and grandmother.

I was kicking myself for leaving my good camera at home.  I had to make do with my phone, but I'm glad that I was able to capture some memories of a a great time.  Love you, PA family!

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