Monday, February 1, 2010

It's February, so it must be red...

I have been doing a little search for red beauties around the house this morning... ... to accompany the beautiful February photo on Niki's Nostalgia at the Stone House calendar.
Even though I can't beat Niki's selection of vintage Valentines and other charming rosy items, I think I found some lovely bits and bobs to brighten up the rather grubby space under our stairs.
I made the heart bottle cover for Ben's Valentine's present years ago, and it usually stays around the house somewhere, looking decorative. This bottle is pretty too, with a design of grapes around it - we saved it from an apéritif this summer.
Another red vintage tin? This one was full of quince paste once upon a time.It's Spanish - I found a recipe for Membrillo here.Unlike the tea tin and the paste one, I think this sugar tin is quite modern. It has a very vintage design but they are still made with that very retro look - roses and a little metal coffee pot.
Here is a jumble of red loveliness! Maybe Manka can tell me if that pretty red and black embroidery is Hungarian? I think it is from Eastern Europe somewhere. I have a lot of this width and two wider pieces which were clearly cuffs.The vintage scarf is sadly damaged, having 'bled' in the wash some decades ago, but it was 1€ for three, so I didn't complain! The red ribbon is also vintage and came in the sewing basket which is proving popular over on Flickr (a habit developed during this recent illness).All in all, I'm awfully grateful for Niki's calendar, and the way it's giving me a chance to do a monthly display of some of my vintage delights!
j
Thanks for all your well wishes and concern. I'm feeling better day by day, and am now really just waiting for my hormones to go back to normal so that my strength comes back. Tedious, but perhaps a chance to have a look at a few more wonderful items from my collection!

29 comments:

Jen Walshaw said...

What a lovley selection of all things red. Me and the boys are decorating a cake stand with season and month approriate goodies, we have just made heart lolly pop flowers for it and last night we sewed a scrap paper heart garland - jonny boden does send me far too many books, so we cut them up.

Take care, rest well and try and do as little as you can.

Anonymous said...

Hi Floss ! Your pictures are so lovely , I especially like the old red tin .
I'm so sorry but I can't tell you if that embroidery is Hungarian or not.I think the motifs on it are not tipically Hungarian however its colours were used in old Hungarian embroideries but maybe not together.Red, black and blue are our colours but maybe not mixed. Well, I'm not sure . I'm not an expert :(

Michela said...

..this is an heresy!!! I thought you had even a blue Saint Valentine!!!
Are you sure you want to teach for the rest of your life?! Your display is simply divine!

Andi's English Attic said...

What a lovely collection of reds. I especially like the quince tin. xx

Marigold Jam said...

What a lovely idea to make a little still life each month like that. Love your selection of red things. Keep getting better and you'll be back to noraml soon I'm sure.

Jane

Rubyred said...

What a lovely collection! My favourite colour too!
Rachel x

Pink Feather Paradise said...

I love your red collection, definately a month for lovely redness... you never know I might even get a card and a flower this year... doubtful but hey... I can dream... lol

glad your on the mend...

big energy giving hugs
Alex
x

Carole said...

Well, I would be very embarrassed to find anything red in my house... not much of it except in the fabric closet !
As for the embroidery, I would say that it's Ukrainian... just by intuition ! I lived in Hungary for some time and have also seen the colour combination but not really these motifs. I would say further East, but maybe still close enough to the border ?
I'm off now to hop on Manka's blog, I always dreamed of brushing up on my Hungarian and finding a blog in Hungarian and English - and here it is !! great :-))

Floss said...

Ah ha, Ukraine? I shall ask Olga...

Catherine said...

Check my blog!

m said...

ooooh those pics are fabulous! Love the red theme for Valentines. Thanks for popping by Michellemadethis too :o) I love the sound of your big warehouse/charity shops :o) M x

Niki Fretwell said...

Hi Floss,
What a sweet thing to do! I love your old tin collection and all the textiles. And lucky for us, 'Bonne Mamon' jams are available in the UK - delicious! (At least I think that is a jam jar lid included in your display!)
Red is one of my favourite colours for adding impact to the home - so cheerful and vibrant.

Have a great week (and month ;-))
Niki

Dawn said...

A lovely little splash of redness there(and no blood spilled either!)
I don't have much red in my home - it doesn't get a look in with all the blue!

Shabby Chick said...

I love red! It all looks gorgeous, especially the tins :)

Mel xxx

Anonymous said...

A Lovely romantic collection :o)
Gosh, I am limping around a bit today with a thumping headache and sore throat, hope am not going down with something nasty.
ThankYou for Your comment today, I will look out for Your Candlemas post, it sounds very interesting!

xxx

Sumea

Olga said...

Hi Floss! Glad you are feeling better - keep it up and fully recover soon! I'm glad you cheered yourself up with that red February decorations, the red colour is so bright, I bet it scares the gloomy mood and weather away :)I love bright red (3 walls and the ceiling in my living room are bright red). As for the embroidery - the pattern is unfamiliar to me ( I don't believe it's Ukrainian), but I must admit the colours are very typical of Eastern European embroidery. Here you have an example of Ukrainian works:

http://uaprom-image.s3.amazonaws.com/201221_w640_h640_stoleshnica70x70.jpg

And here is something from Belarus:

http://slav.olegern.net/images/rushniki.jpg

http://images-4.moifoto.ru/big/1/85/1772446qan.jpg

Kelly said...

Loving all of the red goodies!
I am having a valentine giveaway I'd love for you to pop over and join in!

Floss said...

Oh, Olga, those links are lovely! But as you say, the colours may be right but the patterns and stitches don't match. Is there any chance that mine could be Scandinavian, I wonder? I need to do some more research.

VintageVicki said...

I love red - whether its roses, fabric or my lipstick :)

silverpebble said...

Floss your February reds are just the cheeriness I needed. Your little arrangement is just as lovely as the image on the calendar. Oh to be under your stairs peeping at the treasures for real!

Ele at abitofpinkheaven said...

I love how that red looks! It just makes a person feel happy. Your display makes me want to reach into the picture and touch all that beautiful red.

Ele at abitofpinkheaven said...

I love your little reality check paragraph. It amazes me how some people think their life is horrible, and bloggers that don't dwell on negativity must have a fairy tale life every second of the day! I'm with you on the dog hair!

Lola Nova said...

I just love all your red, all the items are wonderful!
You have inspired me to go find some vignette items of my own.

Luisa said...

There is nothing like a colour grouping to lift one's spirits!
Hope you are getting enough rest.
Luisa
x

The Curious Cat said...

Hey, I just tried to leave a comment but not sure if it was processed? Hope it was... but I was hoping you are okay and apologising for not knowing before. Need to catch up! xxx

The Curious Cat said...

Hmmm...I think it got lost...xxx

bellaboo said...

Oh I do love red,my favourite colour,and I have a lot in my home! Seeing those tins reminds me I have some vintage ones somewhere...must look them out...

Bellaboo

A Bun Can Dance said...

I love all those red things collected together! I have a big weakness for old tins, and I don't think I have any red ones so it is a treat to see yours in the photos!
I hope you are still resting and taking care - keep smiling and enjoy your pancakes!
Denise x

Lululiz said...

Even though I am not really a "red" person, I love your display. The embroidery could well be German or Dutch, I have old embroidery pattern books which show similar designs.