What's on-trend this season?
Scroll down for the latest items of desire in the antiques and collectables market!
Candlesticks & Holders!
Still on-trend, just about anything that holds a candle is popular! Vintage candlesticks and other holders come in all shapes and sizes, and all materials! If you are a traditionalist, go for the antique brass stick holders, some are pairs, for a mantlepiece for example, others like chamber sticks, have a push-up wick mechanism and are usually single. Arrange your single candlesticks in groups for the best effect. Or do something similar with a different range of candleabras using fairy lights for an extra atmospheric touch! Use deeply-coloured & twisted taper candles too for
maximum quirky effect!
Other holders include cut-out metal cylinders and shapes that allow light to shine and flicker from the sides in attractive patterns. All of these work with tee-lights or battery operated equivalents and look great on dining tables or on the hearth at Hallowe'en!
Little boxes & chests of drawers
Little stacks of drawers, & wooden boxes, have always been on-trend, whether it's the miniature aspect that fascinates us or the sheer usefulness of such an item is up for debate! Choose a wooden item with deep, rich tones for Autumn. Some little boxes have decorative clasps and hinges, these are especially attractive. Fill them with your vintage buttons, favourite jewels,
bath salts, or tea!
For drawers, the same applies, and the king of all of these is the apothecary's chest with its many mini drawers. The larger pieces of furniture make much sought-after home decor and suit almost anywhere within the home, but everyone loves the miniature masterpieces ideal for table tops and shelves. Ideal for little bits of jewellery, seed-collecting, or even as advent calendars, the drawers are usually just large enough for the tiniest of curios! Don't let's forget printers' trays too...our latest display housing macabre vintage curios has proved very popular... see below!
Little boxes and chests in store at
Hoptroff & Lee
plus curios from the printers' trays!
See them in the window now!
Until October 31st
Be creative!
Take a new look at the old printers' block trays and think of all that painstaking hard work to print a few words and icons. These days, the empty drawers are used to display little bits of art or collectables, and although this has been around for a few years now, it's still going strong with lots of new angles!
Use quirky scrapbook paper to line some of the larger sections. Make your designs stand out by allowing larger items that sit proud of the tray. Search for actual printers' blocks to make your display truly authentic. Customers tell us they use theirs for natural collections like acorns and conkers, and for sewing accessories in their craft rooms. Whatever you have in your tray, you can hang it on the wall or stand free on a bookcase top or shelf and surround with plants, vintage items or quirky bits and bobs. If your tray still has its original brass handle, all the better!
The Autumn Garden
@ Hoptroff & Lee
Welcome to Autumn, when the last of the sun's rays brighten the tops of the trees and there's a burst of colour in the fields and parks.
Birds are flying South, animals and insects are building their nests for the coming Winter months. We can all take inspiration from this wonderful season to decorate our homes and gardens. This year, create a feature within your garden that will cheer & nurture you during the Autumn months and brighten dreary days ahead....all with the help of some well-chosen vintage items!
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When planting and harvesting in the garden, there are some lovely old planters around for your autumn tasks! Some age-worn terracotta pots are a big favourite, retaining a bright orange glow among the foliage.
Old buckets, bowls, & crates make a great display and are ideal containers for autumn bulbs. Vintage trugs, wire & wicker baskets are a delightful way to collect fallen fruit & the last tomatoes, and to display dried grasses
and flowers.
Group baskets and pots in the garden on seats and patio tables with your gnomes and stone squirrels for the best end-of-year display in the street!
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Wildlife in the Garden...
how much do you know?
Encouraging and protecting wildlife in your own garden is important all year round. But in Autumn we are heading for times when it is hard for wildlife to find sustenance. We want to ensure that there are places for the birds, and maybe small mammals like woodmice, to come when it's cold, and provide areas for insects to hibernate. Hedgehogs were once known to hibernate from Autumn onwards, but with our increasingly milder winters they have been staying awake longer and may need food that they cannot naturally find, and a place to retreat to if the weather turns cold. All of these creatures need our care, and there are plenty of vintage items that can help
you get started!
Vintage nature books are a great place to learn about the habits of some of our more common garden inhabitants and what we can do to help them in winter. These books always have such nice illustrations helping you to identify creatures, and become more knowledgable in their care. Here at Antiques in the Alley, we like to hand-pick some well-illustrated examples that we know you'll just love! Observer books are particularly lovely, & Ladybird titles have some unsurpassed illustrations.
See selected titles in store now: selling fast!
Birds
Our feathered friends need food and water all through the cold season and we can choose how we do this by knowing our birds better. Dunnocks, sparrows and blackbirds, for example, are ground feeders so they will make do with scatterings of food on the earth or left on an old tray on a low wall (or on the bird table, of course). Watch out for the local cats though! Bluetits feed in the shrubs and trees so a type of hanging feeder is ideal for these birds, preferable containing fat, soft seeds or peanuts.
The type of beak/bill a bird has makes a big difference too. A robin, for example, has a soft beak to feed on worms and insects, so dry mealworms and fat-based treats are more suitable for him, whereas birds with harder beaks, like the finches, are able to deal with the tougher bird seed mixes. Try to make both types available and avoid food scraps which can attract rats.
Water for bathing and drinking should be in a shallow dish or something similar to an old metal dustbin lid sunk into the ground. This is usually just deep enough.
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Insects
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Insect stations are a great idea to set out in very early Autumn. You don't need to spend money on expensive pre-made huts, you can easily construct an area of your own with vintage materials. In a small space you can use a wooden box or crate, quite deep, with a firm backing. Fill it with several types of natural materials like hollow stems of the dried flowers from your garden, heather, twigs, fir cones, hay, even paper straws pushed firmly in between the other contents. Ensure it all fits tightly and is secure. Insects will snuggle into the tiniest places to keep out the cold. Place your box securely between the last of the flowering plants, preferably on a firm base of bricks or similar, and in a sheltered area, so that weary creepy crawlies can find their way to hibernation.
In a larger garden, a bug hotel can be constructed using an
old bookcase, cupboard or one of those very low mini greenhouses. There are a lot of vintage items with pre-made hidey-holes such as terracotta pipes, pots, bricks, tins, boxes and baskets and these can all be used in your winter insect residence.
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More about water
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Water butts and vintage metal dolly tubs are a great way to collect water during the winter and provide a higher drinking station for wood pigeons and crows. However, do ensure that hedgehogs cannot fall into deep open buckets and tubs placed beneath low walls. Hedgehogs love to climb and can run very fast, getting themselves into all sorts of scrapes, and although they can swim, deep water could mean fatalities, so ensure deep water is out of their reach. Shallow ponds can be made safe for wildlife by putting a small ramp in the water as an escape route.
Loose lids on water butts are a hazard to a curious creature like a cat or squirrel so ensure they fit properly or are held securely in place.
Vintage tubs and tanks also make great planters for your Autumn cyclamen and Spring bulbs.
Enquire today about vintage tubs, pots and bowls that can be used for wildlife and planting in your Autumn garden
Nature-Loving Rules
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Please be kind to all things in your garden. Some people don't like spiders, others rats, and the neighbour's cat is a no-no near your birdbath. Go easy on every living creature, they are there for a purpose and they cannot help their natural habits! Humane rat traps are available as are sonic sounds to ward-off cats, but you'll probably never avoid a flock of starlings! They are all inquisitive and
they all need to eat.
The Autumn Bar
When you've finished all that hard work in the garden, take time to enjoy a warming drink or two, al fresco. Make the last of warm sunny days by utilising an old patio table and some vintage crockery & glasses!
Cocktails and hot drinks for the Autumn season need to be colourful, warming, spicy and sparkling, with a surprising refreshing taste and perhaps a little kick! There are endless drinks ingredients and recipes to get you in the mood, but here are a few ideas.. and they're
all tried and tested!
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Read on......
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For true autumn colour the ingredients of choice are the jewel-coloured liqueurs like watermelon, orange, pomegranate, & cherry. These can be mixed with iced tea, cider or vodka in amounts to your taste. For a non-alcoholic alternative try clear and cloudy apple juices, and syrups like grenadine and agave. Pumpkin flesh can be added to a margarita cocktail for colour and texture if properly strained beforehand. Top it off with a dollop of fresh cream! Sparkling ginger beer is delicious on its own but it also mixes well with gin, apple juice and cider. Add lots of sliced apple, orange and lemon, fresh or dried, to garnish.
Making the effort with your drinks adds a cosy seasonal feeling, and choosing the right drinking glasses also makes a huge difference: tumblers, glass cups and flutes for long liqueur mixes, juices and tall teas all add to the visuals!
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We have selected vintage glasses, and drinks trays in the shop from November 4th
Colour & Kick!
Warmth & Spice!
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A hot coffee can be made even more comforting with the addition of a syrup like pumpkin spice, caramel or gingerbread. Another favourite addition to coffee is an Irish cream liqueur in mint or orange flavours, or a good quality brandy might be your favourite. Mulled wine and spiced cider are traditional warming drinks and you don't have to wait until Christmas! Add sloe gin to these for a little extra lift!
There are lots of proprietary brands of hot chocolate these days and they are particularly delicious spiked with rum and spices, or that famous Irish cream liqueur again!
Add cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla pods to your drinks & enjoy the pungent flavours.
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Herbal teas are becoming popular making a warming and colourful addition to the drinks table! Try rosehip, cranberry, cherry, orange spice, and the much-loved lemon and ginger. A good reviver is fresh mint tea, or for sleepy evenings there's lavender,
and camomile!
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Don't forget to present your hot drinks in long, clear glasses or suitably-coloured cups and mugs for the season: gold, copper, reds, yellows and chocolate browns! It all adds to the warmth! Vintage teapots are great fun so look out for the traditional Brown Betty, or some bright primary colours, and top them off with a knitted cosy! Or the novelty pots featuring seasonal creatures like owls, cats, and squirrels! It's worth noting that some vintage teapots are not recommended for use with boiling water due to their age, however you can use them for cooler liquids like milk. There are some lovely milk jugs
around too!
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HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING AUTUMN!
Pop in to see us Thursdays,
Fridays & Saturdays
10am to 4pm!
We're really on-season!
