Upcycled Crystal Blind & Light Pulls ....

In my travels I come across all kinds of beautiful antique and vintage bits and bobs, that I take home thinking happily to myself .....'i'll find a use for that, it's so pretty'.
Anyway I have finally found an actual USE for some of my bits and bobs! 
Being a little short in the leg I cann't really reach the Velux blind pulls in my bedroom and the bathroom string light pulls often provide tha same problem too - so i decided to make a blind pull.

I used a piece of 1930's Grograin ribbon and a very pretty antique Victorian crystal droplet that would have originally been on a chandelier to make mine.
If you can't find a crystal droplet, then you could string old beads onto a wire and tie them on to your light pull or attach them to your blind with some pretty ribbon.

At our vintage shop we've got lots of lovely odds and ends for you to make your own vintage home improvements with!

Make A Vintage Belt

Not only do I love buying and selling vintage things, but, I also love upcycling and making new things too.
With finances tight at present - if you're wanting to update your wardrobe, try a 'new' vintage tie belt, it looks lovely, is totally unique and and is recycled too.
This project is really easy and you need only the most basic of sewing skills - so I thought I'd share it with you...

1. You'll need an old or vintage men's tie and a small old or vintage buckle - this needs to be one that does not have a prong.
2. Loop the thin end of the tie round the central bar of the buckle and secure with a pin, making sure that the front of the buckle is showing on the front of the tie / belt.
3. Secure the thin end of the tie to the back with a few small, neat stitches and hey-presto you've got a 'new' vintage belt.
4. If you want a fuller looking belt, you could try using a long narrow vintage scarf or cravat....

 Good Luck & Enjoy
Sarah x.

Sarah's Top 10 Tips For Buying Vintage

I adore that feeling you get when you find that perfect piece for your home, wardrobe or, in my case, vintage shop. It's one that all of us vintage treasure hunters know and look forward too! I also hate that feeling of sheer unadulterated disapointment I get when the buying goes less than well.  So over the decades I've been buying, I've created a little list of Golden Rules that I follow, to make sure I get the spine tingling excitement rather than the muddy mood, when out and about buying!  Here they are......
 

1. If you see it and know you have got to have it, don't dither, just buy it.

2. Check it carefully for flaws or damage that might change your mind.

3. Find out the price.

4. If the price seems too good to be true, it may well be, so be VERY cautious and double check the item, making sure it is a genuine vintage or antique piece and not a fake of any kind and double check for flaws. If you're not sure, at all, then just walk away. (Unless you're happy to spend the money on a repro, fake or damaged item  - if you accept it as thus and like at that price see point 1!)

5. If you find that the item is too expensive or at the top of your budget, ask for the best price - there's often a deal to be done!

6. Ask questions and talk to the dealers. Building a relationship with dealers will get you better products, at a better price and more information on what you're buying.

7. If really want the item and can pretty much afford it, but, the price is still making you uncomfortable, walk away for a few minutes - get a bit of perspective and see if there's anything you like better. If you haven't changed your mind and the piece is still there when you get back then it was meant to be!

8. Always check the item again before handing over your cash - just to be sure.

9. Go to fairs and sales at the start and end, at the start all the best things are still there, but, you'll have to jostle with all the dealers. At the end the sellers are packing up and they'd rather sell something than take it home again, so they'll often do a good deal.

10. Always smile, be polite and friendly, it's amazing how well people react. I've had lots of free items and great discounts given to me because the vendor said I was the first person to smile at them that day! Finally enjoy!

Sarah

P.S. If you love vintage, but, hours of wandering looking for that perfect item are not for you then pop in to our online vintage shop. We've done the hard work, so you can browse over 5000 genuine antique and vintage items from the comfort of your home!

Vintage Blooms Make for Happy Homes....

Do NOT chuck out your Chintz!

The fabulous world of vintage takes a lot of influence from current fashion trends, so a spot of catwalk and people watching tells us that florals are blooming everywhere right now. We also know that where clothing fashions go, home-ware styles follow. So with tops, dresses, bags and skirts tiptoeing through the proverbial daisies, now is not the time to chuck out your Chintz - hang on to it!

Eclectic mixes of colours and styles will work very well and are bang on trend and adding in a few pieces of vintage china, an old chair back cover or a vintage print can give your home an instant hit of vintage summer.

If you’re feeling a bit adventurous and want to excercise you creative talents, why not make a cushion or two?

Vintage fabrics, floral pillow cases, old table cloths and mats and even pieces patchwork are perfect and can often be found a very little cost and up-cycling worn out clothes, in pretty fabrics into a new cushion is a great way to sprinkle summer around the place without blowing the budget.

HOW TO: Make a Cushion.

Decide what shape and size of cushion you want to make and gather enough fabric pieces for it. You could use several small pieces stitched together – it’ll give a pretty patchwork effect. Wash and iron your fabric taking note of the different types of fabric, which may need different wash and ironing temps.

Make a paper pattern or template for your cushion in your desired shape and size. Use sticky tape to build it from plain paper if necessary, but, don’t be tempted to use newspaper, it is bigger, but it will mark pale fabrics.

Place the paper pattern on the fabric and if fits with 1 – 2 cm to spare, then pin the pattern to the fabric.

Next cut out your fabric, leaving an additional 1 – 2 cm around the edge of the pattern.

If you are using small pieces then you will need to sew them together and press the seams, until you have made a piece big enough to take your paper pattern, with an additional 1 – 2 cm around the edge.

Once you have got two fabric cushion shapes cut out, place them together, with the outsides of the fabric facing each other and the wrong sides showing and pin them together.

Stitch around the cushion shape, leaving an edge of 1 – 2 cm and an opening for stuffing of about 10 cm.

Turn the cushion right side out and iron it.

Stuff the cushion with stuffing. An old pillow is great for this, (it can be machine washed at 40 degrees. The pillow does need to be a modern fibre filled one, not feather or foam. Cut open the pillow and pull out the wading and pull it apart with your hands until it gets all fluffy and then stuff the cushion, use plenty and if the cushion looks a bit lumpy, then pull the wading more and add a bit extra.

Once your cushion is stuffed, just fold under the raw edges of the opening and stitch it up.

A few vintage buttons or some left over beads from your button box, stitched on will finish it off nicely.

STOP PRESS: As this article went to be published I had a brainwave (Yes quite rare)! A very quick and pretty cushion can be made from a vintage nighty or pyjama case. All of the cutting out and most of the sewing is done for you, you’d just need to stuff it as above and then stitch up the opening! Brilliant!

Make your home blooming lovely!

http://www.steptoesantiques.co.uk/index.html

Longer Days and More Sunshine......We Hope.

The clocks have gone forward and we are all feeling the benefit of longer days and more sunshine. As ever we have been promised a BBQ summer, but this year I have faith in the weather man and have already broken out the Flip Flops! Things have been busy here and we are all very excited about a bundle of Antique and Vintage Cameras new to our Housewares Department, some snazzy Lucite Bangles in every colour under the sun and some pretty Antique Belt Buckles, guaranteed to add a touch of class to any outfit this Spring.

Steptoes Dog



Nudes and pastel shades are all the rage at the moment and don’t show any signs of budging from our High Street this season. The good thing about this trend is that anyone can make it work just by customising your accessorise, and our Lucite Bangles are just the ticket!

Ninety Nine Gifts



The very talented Claire Murphy designs and makes beutiful jewellery from fabric waste and vintage and antique buttons. Each piece is unique and handmade here in the UK by Claire, so they are very eco-friendly and ethical so make a statement with a chunky button necklace.

New Stock For Christmas & A New Website Too!

We've been really busy adding new stock ready for the christmas gift buying season, so there's loads of sparkling vintage jewellery, handbags, evening bags, toys, games and homewares coming online and our departments are just groaning with stock.

NEWS FLASH: The new vintage inspired and recycled gift & homewares shop is up & running. There are loads of lovely gift ideas and cute things for your home. The business is socially responsible, we send 10% of the proceeds to social and humanitarian charities and projects and it is carbon neutral too - so the feel good factor is guaranteed! Come & check us out at www.ninetyninegifts.co.uk

Where has she been ?.....

Hello Again!

Sorry i've been away for so long ... feel very bad ...... very busy ...... lots of excuses ..... blah blah blah ..... boring!

Anyway, here I am back again, trying to get to grips with blogging ... it's all a bit new and it'll take me a little while to get the hang of doing it, so please bare with me!

A bit of an update for the last 2 years!:

Finally managed to produce baby after several attempts.

We moved business into new premises, with showroom & proper storage, the baby objected to sharing her cot with vintage handbags - unreasonable child!

I now have a lovely assistant who works with me quite a lot and keeps me organized!

Re-branded the business, so we're now Steptoes Dog Vintage Wares, with a lovely new logo, all thanks to the guys at Lazanby & Brown in York.

Re-designed the website, so it has a neat new look and fly-out menu on the homepage so you can access all of the departments from there - cool and easy to use too!

We now offer a stylish gift wrap service for the small accessories and jewellery, to save you the hassle of doing it yourself.

We also now stock a range of greetings cards so you can order your vintage gift, card and wrapping and have it sent direct from us to your recipient - how easy is that!

Please rest assured that whilst i may have been really slack in the blogging department, i've been working really hard sourcing vintage treasures, but, more about that later!

In meantime, as a penance for being so slack, i'm going to eat a pot noodle - i've haven't done that for about 2 years either!

Don't forget to check out the website, we have 8000+ genuine antique and vintage items on there!