William!!

Hope that many of you will have seen the first episodes of BBC's new 'William' production. It's been broadcast at an odd time though ... 12.30pm but luckily we spotted it and recorded it. all the better to freeze the frames and check out the 'stuff' on the kitchen shelves ... sad I know but I just love the BBC period productions for the scenery.
Lots of lovely school posters to be seen. I have some in stock. The doggy acting rivals that of the young and older stars!
Definitely a series for retro enthusiasts to wallow in.

Catch up on BBC I-Player :)

Happy Christmas!

Hi there, just wanted to wish all of our customers and blog followers a Happy Christmas! Oh bliss oh joy ... I have a new version of Photoshop to tackle as well as a recently purchased new camera and a mysteriously arrived update to my HP scanner (which has changed its screens beyond recognition) ... am I thrilled? Well, actually no!
The fact is that my techy knowledge and skills have evolved very, very slowly and now I'm struggling to adjust ... sad but true (probably ungrateful too).
It's been a bit like trying to learn to think in another language having spent my whole life thinking in English.
Anyway, less of that, I'm sure I'll lurch into the 21st century eventually.
Many thanks to everyone who has visited the shop, visited the first Nostalgic Mix fair, taken a table at the fair and/or followed the blog. XXXX

December opening times!!

During December, until Christmas This'n'That will be open Monday to Saturday (including Thursday which is usually a closing day).
We'll also be open late (until at least 9.00pm on Tuesday, December 7th, 14th and 21st.
On Christmas Eve the shop will stay open until 2.30pm (or later if the town is still busy).

Vintage & handmade Fair at Chipping Sodbury on Sunday 28th November!!

We have visited before and loved every minute of it! Better still this time ... Paul (aka Mr Fixit) and I will be there selling vintage and handmade goodies from This'n'That. See you there?
XX

Nostalgic Mix .. the sequel!!

Many thanks to everyone who has sent messages or called into the shop to say how they enjoyed the fair
.
There will be another (hopefully many more!!). I have provisionally reserved the hall for Saturday, March 26th 2011. There's a bit of sorting out of numbers of tables and how best to use the space bearing in mind lessons learned from the first fair, but if you would like to go onto my mailing list when bookings are being taken then please use the email me link and head your message 'Nostalgic Mix 2' ... Thanks.

As before, I'm telling bloggers first.

Apologies for the delay in putting on the last batch of pics. and sending off feedback forms (coming soon) to stallholders ... but ..... how about this for mitigating thingies?... my PC died, the router died, the new hub threw a hissy fit and ignored my laptop and then the laptop ground to a halt and finally, the printer (not to be outdone) refused to find anything and sat in a self-absorbed silence.

Black clouds hung above my desk and thoughts of hurling the unco-operative things through the window swirled through the red mist!!

Nostalgic Mix

Well, October 9th came and went in a flurry of stalls and a crowd of visitors asthe first ever (and not the last!) Nostalgic Mix Fair took place in the Civic Hall in Totnes.

A very big thank you to all of the stallholders and their helpers and also to our hundreds of visitors!

So sorry that it's taken until today to get some pictures posted but my PC died, the router threw a hissy fit and my elderly laptop refused to recognise a new home hub!!

Oh well, they say that these things come in threes. Thanks to a very nice lady in the call centre (Delhi I think) all is fairly well now and the laptop and hub are on speaking terms whilst the old PC sits in the corner being shunned!! I know that doesn't help but it makes me feel better.

I plan to put all of the pictures (including a lot more of the busy part of the day) onto the Nostalgic Mix blog which I will link to this.
More soon.....
XXX

THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9th IN TOTNES CIVIC HALL ... LESS THAN A WEEK TO GO NOW ...!! click on this text to link to the list of stallholders

Well, it all seemed like a good idea at the time ... and such a long way off!! Not long now though, I hope that lots of bloggers will be able to come along and enjoy the Nostalgic Mix Fair, our Saturday Totnes Market and our shops and cafes :)

Admission to the fair is free and there will be a tea shop.

My blogs seem to have become a bit like London buses ... none for ages then several come along at once!!

Ah, boys' toys! Leo had a great time checking out all of the 'trove' from a recent buying trip! Lately it's become more difficult to find good 'stuff' at the sort of price I need if the shop is to remain relatively inexpensive ... that day was the exception though! Paul and I had a great time and have lots more goodies to bring in for sale in the shop and at 'Nostalgic Mix'. Mustn't forget the Vintage and Handmade Fair in November either. We'll be having a table there for the first time and we're really looking forward to it :)

As a retired teacher I feel able to describe my 'boy' Leo as having "a lively and enquiring mind." Maybe I'll find a few more miniature bits and pieces and take pictures of our 'giant' cat!

All of these pieces of 'trove' have disappeared into Paul's workshop for tlc ... and maybe the odd trip down memory lane?

However, when a lad's favourite sunbathing spot is filled with 'trove' it all gets a bit much!

Happy Days! ... Yes, before the unwanted and foolish efforts to turn Noddy and Big-Ears into some pc shadow of their former selves .. I could go on but best that I spare you more ranting about that!!!

... and now for a long overdue 'virtual visit to This'n'That ...

We always have a mix of plates, jugs etc for your shelves and dressers. In this picture you can also see our 'emergency Scrabble alphabet' ... so many customers have asked to buy ceratin words/letters having seen our labels around the shop. One gentleman came in on Feb. 13th and bought the letters YRAREMM

Babycham glasses are as popular as ever as well as Pony, Cherry B, Britvic, and so on. I often have long conversations with customers (of a certain age) about those early alco-pops!

As winter draws on ... the collection of pure new wool blankets and merino wool baby blankets grows .. more due soon!

The collection of vintage school posters has expanded to include some from 1930's ones as well as the ever poular Enid Blyton Nature Plates.

It's alwats a joy to have an original, vintage picnic box or hamper in the shop. This one even has it's original Brexton china and cutlery plus bakelite topped jars and pots. I always have some in stock but in the winter they are tucked away in our storage.

The swimming cozzie is a very slender "Slix" one from 1960's I guess. It is ruched and boned ... very elegant!!

The flowery li-lo is brand new but just like the ones from 1950's ... it even smells all rubbery like the old ones did! I have them with big roses and spots on the reverse and another design with small roses on one side and stripes on the reverse. They come from Denmark and are one of my favourite summer lines. No doubt I'll stock them again next year :)

I've started to sell china as 'trios' (cup, saucer, plate sets) so that the customers collecting to mismatch sets can build up a varied collection quite easily.

We've also been selling 'Tea for Two' sets with two cups, saucers and plates plus a two tier cake stand and sometimes cream and sugar too!

I'm so please that china is becoming popular again. When the shop first opened in 2004 we sold lots of sets and then suddenly it all slowed down.

Love Ragdoll cats!!

So, so sorry that it's been so long with no new posts for This'n'That. Summer has passed in a blur of visitors at home, busy High Street in Totnes (wonderful!) and preparations for the first Nostagic Mix Fair.
More of that later .... must share this with you (hope the link works).
www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2010/sep/08/ikea-cats-ad
As followers already know I love my ragdoll cats. This handsome guy is Leo (you'll see him creeping around in the background of some of the 'stock' shots done in the garden at home.)
Well ... there I was watching goodness knows what on TV and suddenly it's the dreaded ads again but the screen fills with beautiful kitties, mostly raggies ... so sweet!

Preview of Lidi's picture for the 'Nostalgic Mix Fair' publicity!

Time for a virtual visit to the This'n'That shop!

Lots more vintage school posters all mounted and wrapped ready for you to frame (& a great reduction negotiated with the local framer for This'n'That customers!!)

Enid Blyton, Ladybird, Rupert etc. still This'n'That favourites!

Some great new embroidered cushions ... from £8.50!

Lots more china coming in daily (from my secret china hoard which has been growing over the winter. I'm having such fun unpacking it since usually I've forgotten what I packed away so at the moment every day is loke Christmas Day!!)

Lashings of ginger beer kits to make your own brew for those Blyton adventures!

Just can't resist books. Originally I intended to limit myself to just two shelves in the big bookcase but now they are threatening to take over!

Bliss, Oh joy! Now they are making little notebooks just like the Peter Rabbit books with a beautiful picture on the cover, usual front/back pages, marker ribbon and a colour printed page (all the rest are blank for you to write upon).

The garden corner of the window is still popular and filled with gift ideas.

The bookcase with those famous guinea pig egg cups and other bits and pieces of this and that!

Also, more posters on offer. I have sorted out some of the Enid Blyton nature plates which are not quite good enough for me to pay to have them mounted and wrapped but great bargains for you to frame at home.