Autumn @ Hoptroff & Lee
We love this time of year at
Hoptroff & Lee Antiques in the Alley!
There are so many lovely things to see and do, and, where antiques and collectables are concerned, we can take inspiration from this wonderful season to decorate our homes and gardens!
What's on trend this season & how do we work these items into our homes?
Trending....
Coloured glass and glasses
Mid 20th century furniture and knick-knacks
Toys, Dinky Toys, vintage Gerry Anderson, vintage star wars, warhammer, Sylvanian families.
Automobilia and Petroliana: classic car and garage items.
Old garden tools
Leather-bound journals
Plant theatres
Vintage fireside
Doctor Who memorabilia
Bringing Vintage Autumn into your
Living Areas...
Colour
There are lots of really deep and vibrant colours in glassware around this season including jade greens, cobalt blue, deep pink and purple. This applies to modern drinking glasses and vases as well as the older cranberry and jade green port glasses, antique eye baths and apothecary poison bottles. Put them in a windowsill for maximum effect or set tee-lights glowing inside! The traditional colours of the season are rich deep browns, russets, oranges and reds. These can be reflected in little wooden boxes and bowls, copper tankards and leather-bound books.
In stock:
Vintage clear and coloured bottles
Victorian eye baths
Coloured drinking glasses
Cranberry glass
Glass animals
Marbles
Light
Light is important on dank, dull days so enhance it with a candlestick collection! You will save energy too if you light your home with candles alone in the evening! There are so many candlesticks and holders to choose from: plain and decorative brass and silver plate, ceramic and wire, large, tall and slim, short and squat, or somewhere in between. Add to these a large variety of lanterns and tee-light holders, the choice is fabulous! Either formally pair on the mantelpiece or gather in clusters in a window or a shelf. Use good quality candles, protect surfaces, display in a safe place away from curtains etc and ensure a lit candle is never left unattended.
In stock:
Coloured glasses
Babycham glasses (make good tee light holders)
Candle snuffers
Wick trimmers
Oil lamps
Warmth
Copper and brass are great at reflecting the glow of flames. Cluster copper and brass around an old fireplace and watch the light! Add a brass toasting fork with an interesting finial, and toast crumpets and marshmallows around the fire. Coal buckets, log baskets and companion sets complete the picture so cosy up this evening with some antique favourites!
In stock:
toasting forks
pokers
copper kettles
companion sets
fireside animals
fire "dogs"
trivets
Garden
When planting and harvesting, there are some lovely old plant pots around for your autumn tasks! Some age-worn terracotta pots, old buckets and bowls, crates, and baskets make a great display and ideal containers for autumn bulbs. Old trugs and baskets are a delightful way to collect and display fallen fruit, the last tomatoes, and grasses and flowers for drying. Group baskets and pots in the garden with your gnomes and stone squirrels for the best end-of-year display in the street! When all of the work is done, purchase a vintage deckchair, perhaps, for a nap in the last rays of the dying sun?
In stock:
terracotta pots (only a few remaining)
step ladders (in our store...please enquire)
vintage garden tools (low stock)
Vintage street signs (low stock)
Ladybird books (low stock of nature subjects)
Some more great ideas for Autumn!
In stock:
Honey pots (low stock)
Bulb bowls
Modern glass bottles
Jam pans (sold out)
Autumn-walking in Stamford!
Here are some lovely places for a stroll in Stamford during the early and late Autumn season.
* The Recreation Ground: a beautiful green space divided into upper and lower sections. The lower "rec" has many well-established lime trees that turn a rich golden yellow in autumn. In both areas of the rec you will find some magnificent cedars, sycamore and red maple. These beautiful trees begin to change their colours from the very top and shed wind-dispersed seeds. Conifer and cherry are dominant and there is a deep copper beech tree close to the bandstand, usually losing its deepest colours by the start of the season.
You will see magpie, crow and woodpigeon and hear the trilling of goldfinch, goldcrest and robin. Grey squirrels frequent the trees.
*The Town Meadows: the meadows border the main shopping areas and spectacular views can be seen from the town bridge. The meadows are vast and mostly given over to pasture. The trees at the River Welland's edge are mixed and very pretty in autumn, along with some fiery wall creepers.
There is plenty of wildlife to be seen on and around the river including nesting swans in spring, grey wagtails, and Daubenton's bats, but in Autumn look out for ducks, geese, moths, magpies, robins and kingfishers! Depending on the weather, the river can become wild, rushing beneath the arches of Stamford famous bridge. At other times it is a smooth, meandering flow showing a calm river bed with undulating reeds, and brown trout and minnow in the ripples.
Seasonal drinkies!
This cooler time of year would not be complete without a drink or two to warm us! 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!)
Colour:
For true autumn colours 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 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. Well, that's one way to use your pumpkin! Top it off with a helping of fresh cream!
Warmth:
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 to garnish.
Spice: Add cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla pods to your drinks.
Sparkle: Prosecco, champagne or ginger beer can be the base for a sparkly drink. Or why not try an original retro drink like Babycham with a tad of brandy and 3 cocktail cherries! Cranberry juice with sparkling water, lemonade, apple juice or champagne sound good. Add a berry liqueur to your champagne or prosecco. Gin mixes well with ginger beer. Gin also goes well with lemon and orange juice if you don't like tonic.
Glasses: It's good to add a special set of vintage drinking glasses for your seasonal revels. It makes all the difference to the taste! Flutes, coupes, saucers, sherberts, Martini: all lovely vintage names for drinking vessels of bygone times! Branded glasses are emblazoned with the drink name and/or logo, and some are delightful with vibrant colours and fonts.
Hot drinks:
Add pumpkin spice syrup to a hot coffee. Other syrups for a comforting effect include caramel and gingerbread. Another favourite addition to coffee is an Irish cream liqueur of which there are many flavours like mint and orange, or a good quality brandy might be your favourite; and the quality DOES count! Mulled wine and spiced cider are traditional warming winter drinks. Add sloe gin to them for a little extra kick! 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!
Herbal teas are becoming very popular again and these can be warming and colourful too! Try rosehip or cranberry, orange spice and lemon and ginger. A good reviver is fresh mint tea, or for sleepy evenings there's lavender and camomile!
Cups: 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 novelty ones like little owls or cats, or a good old simple Brown Betty with knitted cosy!
In stock:
Babycham & champagne glasses: good for sparkly drinks
Selected drinks trays
Coloured glasses of all designs
Clear flutes
Jewel-coloured cups
Shot glasses
