The Truth About Old Vintage Eiderdowns.... trust me you don't want to know!

It's cold wet and dismal here today at Lower Moorcroft Farm.  So this morning I lit a fire and settled down to a little web rummaging! and soon stumbled upon this delightful website selling new feather vintage inspired eiderdowns by Belinda Davies.

Her creations took me back a couple of years when frustrated with my local upholsterer (he couldn't even be bothered to send me a quote to upholster a small French chair) I decided to go on an upholstery course. 

Whilst on the course a woman popped in to ask the tutor if she would like an old vintage eiderdown that she no longer wanted as she thought the tutor could recycle the feather filling for other projects.  My tutor politely declined and later disclosed that old eiderdowns were full of old dead skin cells! from previous owners!  I can't tell you how that made me feel!

From that day forth I stopped buying vintage eiderdowns to sell on and have only ever purchased them to salvage the fabric.  If you have ever stripped an old eiderdown for the fabric then you will know just how disgusting they can be on the inside!

So if you want to be warm and cosy this winter might I suggest you buy a new eiderdown.  Belinda's eiderdowns are very pretty with many designs to choose from and they don't cost the earth!

Belinda Davies Eiderdowns

Until next time, Niki x

Christmas Trees and Heston's Mince Pies!

I recently stumbled upon this divine little Christmas tree at an antiques fair.  The tree itself isn't antique, new in fact, but it does look and feel quite vintage which appealed to me. 

I also bought a load of smaller Christmas tree broaches to sell but my mum bought them all off me for her Christmas fair!

The tree has been made in a similar style to old paste jewellery and I hate to think how long it actually took to make.  I now regret selling all my broaches to my mum but I do know the dealer is doing a couple of more antique fairs before Christmas so I think I will buy some more from her.  It's just that they are something a little different for the festive season!

Talking of which has anyone tried Heston's (Waitrose) Christmas mince pies!  I think he's missed a trick here.  The pies are different in that they are made with puff pastry but the icing on the cake ...so to speak! is the alpine forest sugar dusting ...and yes the sugar does smell like an alpine forest.

What disappointed me was that the dusting sugar was white, OK images of snow and all that but I think the whole ensemble would have been far more magical with green glitter dusting.  So I've just bought some emerald green cake glitter to decorate my mince pies with this year! ....will I ever grow up!

Until next time, Niki x

If you're not a dog lover you soon will be!

This gorgeous little dog is a felt sculpture by the scottish artist Domenica More Gordon.  Felt sculpture? matted lambs wool to you and me, but what a creation!

Take a look at her website to see more of her fabulous dogs and if you're not a dog lover you soon will be!

All her dogs are so expressive and it's rumored that even Brad Pitt wants to own one of her dogs.  Sadly she doesn't have any for sale at present, all sold out, what a surprise!  One recently sold for charity on an internet auction website for over $16,000USD   You can however buy cards on her website.

When you get the chance pop over to her website and enjoy her dog show domenica more Gordon