Spring cleaning the shop

Today I deChristmassed my stock at Custard Hall and looking through the sales book I realised this lucky lot all found new homes for Christmas. Even,you will note, grumpy panda! Panda was bought by a lady who had one as a child but her mother had removed the eyes??? Now she has one with eyes, if a little on the cross side.

 All that is, apart from PJ Puppy and Kangaroo who were sat on the shelf feeling a bit sorry for themselves!

Whilst all has been going brilliantly at Custard Hall I've somewhat neglected my unit at De Danann Antique Centre. This is where my beds are on display and will be a showroom for larger items. Yesterday it had a huge tidy and declutter and today I returned with polish and hoover in tow!

 I've got a bookcase and chest of drawers in the hallway just waiting for a makeover and then they will be heading here in the new year.

 You can view beds and the like at our website www.jelly-jam.co.uk



Pssst - Today's the day!!

Lots and lots of last minute making going on here this week. Sewing, painting, waxing, papering, mod podging... you name it I've done it.

Today is the launch of Custard Hall and I spent a few happy hours there last night pricing and prettifying.

This memo is made from original old cowboy fabric.

 Yet more lavender pillows from the vintage alpine fabric - it's eeking out well.

After Saturday's suitcase sales I had to cover another two to replenish. This time I've made a cowboy themed one

 

 and another with Ladybird children.

Topping up the cot full of cushions

 More utility china crates

 A stunning Mobo horse just ready to be found under the Christmas tree.

 

  I'll post some more photos tomorrow after the launch but this is what it was looking like at about 10pm last night! 

 

 

Time to catch up with a coffee and all your blogs now...



Welcome to Custard Hall

Well here it is, as promised, my space...

Sunday afternoon saw me set about transforming this empty little space into part of Dorchester's newest shop on the high street and a vintage one at that!!

This little adventure has all been a bit of a whirl over the last three weeks. I have a new friend Jenny who turns out to be a blogger too. So lovely to meet someone and then find out they share the same past time! Anyway, Jenny told me about a new vintage shop opening in Dorchester town centre and even better gave me the number. After dilly dallying last week she egged me on and hey presto here I am nearly ready to go.

 Custard Hall in Antelope Walk opens on Thursday and will remain open into the evening for Christmas Cracker Night. Mine is only a tiny part of what looks to be a great shop selling vintage china, collectables, clothes, books, furniture...

 Just got to fill my downstairs space and get everything priced...

If you're in Dorchester do pop in and take a nosey.



Swapping and space

This was the scene in my kitchen this morning. Ages ago I signed up to take part in Laa Laa's Advent swap. Imagine my delight when this lovely box of goodies turned up from my swap partner PJ of The Snail Garden. I knew it was going to be good by the care that had gone into the wrapping and tagging!

PJ sent me this lovely handmade card which is just fantastic and I've no idea how she did it.

 Yesterday saw the opening of Present 1. My little jammers were very excited about this. They have been intrigued by the whole swap business - sending presents to a stranger. On shopping trips they have made suggestions, along the lines of "You could get this for that lady" - sometimes appropriate, sometimes not!

 So they were thrilled when I unwrapped not one little stocking but two and each with a cute little chocolate Santa and told them I thought they were probably for them.

Today was definitely not for them but me. A mini perfume - lucky me!

Thank you so much PJ if you're reading. I can't wait for tomorrow.

 

Meanwhile so dry weather has meant I could get better photos of my bags for my etsy shop.

It's a bit depleted now because I had a great time at this little event and had to come home and delete the listings!

Mrs Darling's Festival of Christmas saw two lovely customers trundle off with suitcases and others with cushions and little makes.

 In my garage this week these two rather sorry pushchairs (yes that's what they are) have been undergoing a makeover.

 This one had a complete respray, its original seat cleaned and new ribbon trim.

Finally I shall leave you with a space and tomorrow I shall let you know how it came to be mine, what I'm filling it with and most importantly where it is...



A tale of many beds

Two years ago this month we made an impulsive purchase. A bit of a gamble. We were offered the hospital beds from the ship RFA Sir Percivale. The pictures below were the ones I was emailed and show the beds in situ! The ship was in dry dock and being scrapped. A certain percentage of the material has to be recycled so we came about a van full of bunks and beds...

They travelled south from their Canada Dry Dock in Bootle all the way to our lock up in Dorset!

Malta not Bootle!

We needn't have worried over our gamble. Once they were shot blasted recoated and cooked they looked fantastic... 

 ...in our sitting room.

 Most were done in cream or white but as we had so many I tried one in red!

Well in six months they'd gone and we thought we'd never get any more. I kind of wished we'd kept a set of bunks but they were the first to go.

However last week a customer part exchanged her bed for a different one. She'd bought it in its original state but her daughter wasn't keen. So hurrah, one bed is back with a big Jammer sleeping comfortably in it...

...for now. My girls know their beds don't hang around long.

On the fridge this week I've got bargain blossom from the discount bucket in Waitrose and the teapots are breeding.

A cold one

I have loved looking, with just a hint of jealousy, at all the snowy photos on your blogs this weekend. Much to the jammers disappointment we've not had any of the white stuff down here, but it has been mighty cold. All of a sudden I am feeling the benefits of double glazing! We've never had it before and never wanted it, however there is something to be said for popping the heating on and the house warming up. Last winter we had ice on the inside of the windows! This year it's just the tap that's turned icy.

So we've warmed up with good old comfort food. Homemade curries and then pasties for lunch. I do love a good pasty and so do the little jammers. Cheese and mushroom for me and cheese and veg for them.

just in case that sounded a bit healthy there's been plenty of sugary comfort going on too...

 Waitrose do amazing vegetarian fruit jelly sweets.

And my corner shop sell trays of mis shapen tiffin. You have to get there when they arrive as it's gone in a flash. This weekend we were lucky, depending on how you look at it!

Even my shop is a bit warmer than usual. We had heating installed a couple of weeks ago and just in time too. I took a couple of refurbished cots in this weekend and had a furniture reshuffle.

 

 

 Both my little jammers slept in a cot similar to this French one when they were babies and toddlers. It's in the attic now as I couldn't bear to part with it!

For those of you that asked after my COD post I'm at The De Danann Antique and Vintage Centre, Dorchester, DT1 1NF
Do pop in if you're local.

Keep warm

x