I love.....

KNICK KNACKS!

Having recently moved, I've taken great pleasure in opening all my boxes and rediscovering some little gems. I'm still hunting for my red spotty coffee pot and matching mugs (Cath Kidston of course!) but I have found plenty of other delightful bits and pieces lurking amongst the practical household stuff.

Some of the knick knacks I've bought over the years for myself but many of the items have been bought for me (especially by my lovely mum who's a real magpie and finds the most amazing things!)

I have always loved these ceramic chicken egg holders - my mum had been looking out for one for me for a while so I was thrilled when one finally turned up!

This honey pot was another present - love receiving gifts that have some history behind them, it's always such a lovely surprise and you just never know what you'll get! As you can see in the background, I also have a Wade Natwest pig (the baby one) but have yet to collect the whole set (my Dad has them all!) I do have a very special one though that very few people own - I actually won  'Cousin Wesley' Natwest pig in a competition run by the bank some years ago! I was overjoyed!! He is currently kept in a very safe place...will get him out of his box when I'm feeling brave!

Since I was a child, I have loved the Homepride man. I had the Homepride baking set which I still have but unfortunately, is somewhere in a large cupboard at my parents' house which is full of other such treasures! (Cannot wait to go rummaging through our childhood toys..!!) This condiment set was a birthday present last year along with the Homepride moneybox in the background. They are just brilliant and make me smile everytime I see them on my shelf in the kitchen.

I don't have a huge collection but have recently started to collect Cornishware - I adore the blue and white stripes. I'm not a stickler for original pieces, I just love the look of them

I know nothing about these lovely butterfly shaped dishes but I spotted them in the window of a local charity shop and they really caught my eye - they are so pretty!

These pots were another fabulous find and given to me as presents by my mum and dad. I had wanted a Sylvac strawberry pot for a long time and this one is just gorgeous! The orange marmalade pot was a fantastic bonus.

I love this telephone so much! It's an original and came from my OH's house in London. So glad he brought it back with him when he moved back to Lincolnshire and it works!! We had it wired up so we could use it as a proper working telephone.

Ahh, campervans. I know they're really popular these days but my love affair with campervans and VW Beetles started when I was around 8 years old. My Dad bought a navy blue Beetle when I was at Primary school and I loved it! I remember cramming the back of the car with duvets and pillows for us to sit on for our journey to Norfolk for our camping holiday. The Beetle made that lovely little whistling noise as it pulled the trailer along that contained our 1970s brown and orange tent. The tiny triangular windows only let in a mouse's breath of air into the car but we didn't care. We thought our car was the best especially since the Herbie films were out aound that time too. Then one sad day as we were travelling home, a taxi pulled out of a side road and our poor Beetle was a write-off. I vowed to get myself a Beetle and a Campervan when I grew up..well, so far I don't have a full-scale real version of either but I do have a small collection of both in miniature, which suits me fine for now. The Beetle/Campervan fund is ongoing!

I have a total obsession with toadstools..I have them dotted all over the house! This little cluster consists of moneyboxes and felted versions by Winnibriggs House (oh OK, it's my fantastically talented Mum again!!)

I think this dandelion seedhead paperweight is beautiful - so cleverly done by Saramade. We used to do lots of shows in Norfolk where they were also exhibiting... I had to have one!

Books are another huge love of mine...paperbacks, cookery books, home styling books....I could spend hours reading (sadly, that rarely happens these days with two small children...apart from kids' books of course!)

I adore Ladybird books - me and my brother had lots of them as children and I used to spend hours reading them and looking at the lovely illustrations. I particularly remember Cinderella and her amazing ballgowns...hopefully I will also find that book lurking in the cupboard-at-the-top-of-the-stairs. Quite valuable these days but I would never sell it! 

I now also have a fairly large collection of Warne Observer's books which cover a vast array of subjects from Wild Flowers and Large British Moths to Furniture and Architecture. I started collecting these after finding two in a box in my parents' cellar. They belonged to my Dad who let me have them as I loved the amazing illustrations. One of my particular favourites is British Birds' Eggs with some of the most beautiful illustrations. The other reason this one is special is because it belonged to my OH's lovely mum who we sadly lost in 2000 (aged 57). She won the book at school - the same one I attended years later. I'd known her and the family from the age of 16 so I'm glad that we have kept hold of it to show her gorgeous grandsons when they're older.