Lavender & Old Blankets

Sunny days, and seeing everything in the garden come to life reminded us of the lavender we dried last year at Cow & Ghost Towers. It's always been a favourite plant with both of us, and the smell brings back many happy childhood memories.

Does anyone remember the black and white film 'Arsenic & Old Lace'. This is the updated Cow & Ghost 'take' on it.... 'Lavender & Old Blankets'.

As many know, we love a Welsh blanket. Sadly over the years many become damaged beyond use. We enjoy recycling them and giving them a new lease of life as cushions. There are often offcuts, and we can't bear to throw away even a tiny piece. We now have a box of 'bits'....

Had the idea of making them into lavender bags. Great for use in drawers, and on pillows as lavender is a great aid to good sleep. Didn't take long to find a few small pieces in the store box. 

Some folding and sewing

Hey Presto. A collection of lavender bags ideal for storage,

and pretty enough to display.

We'll be bringing a selection along to our next fair in Newport, Pembrokeshire. Hope to see you there.

May....

A quiet weekend after a busy few weeks at Cow & Ghost.

Fantastic weekend May 7th and 8th. Two fairs. Great day on Saturday in St Peter's Hall, Carmarthen. Good to see old friends, and also met some great people. Sadly it is the last of these events, but they are making way for a new summer event by the same organiser. Something to look forward to.

On Sunday we returned to the Waterfront Museum in Swansea. This event has achieved the difficult task of blending vintage with handmade. The two overlap and compliment each other perfectly.

We chose a larger pitch than usual and created a stand alone display of our Welsh blanket items. Very pleased with how it looked. This side of the business has been steadily expanding over the last year.

The popularity is so great we plan to attend events over the summer with just the blankets, cushions and related items. Cow and Ghost events will continue as usual.

On the subject of blankets, we can't resist showing these two beautiful examples. We have sold both this week, but wanted to share, as they both have real WOW factor.

Cow & Ghost's next event will be a new one for us. Looking forward to pitching in Newport, Pembrokeshire. Beautiful part of the world. Great place to spend the next Bank Holiday weekend.

Sunny days

Nice to have a few sunny days. Cow & Ghost have been out stock hunting today. Some lovely sunny finds to bring to our next fairs. Delighted with this picture. The photograph doesn't do justice to the colours.

Trio by Radfords called 'Idyll'. Wonderful hand painting. Particularly like the little stone path in the pattern. More visible on the plate and saucer.

Not long until our next fairs. Two in one weekend. May 7th and 8th. Two of our favourites. Carmarthen and Swansea. Looking forward. Hope to see you there.

New from old

As many of you know, we love Welsh Tapestry Blankets at Cow & Ghost. Sometimes we come across one that has damage, and can't be used for its original purpose, but still has life left.

We'd just sold a collection of beautiful cushions made from a large green tapestry, and were hoping to find something we could rescue and re purpose.

Like buses, you wait and a few - 3 in this case came along at once.

Thrilled with the impact cushions from this blue Meirion mill blanket make.

Photographs simply don't do justice to the colours.

We also acquired one in grey and one in pink. I've yet to cut into the grey one,

but have started on the pink. 

By chance we have a complete blanket in the same pattern in stock, so thought we'd display them together.

Plans this week to boost the stock and create a real splash of colour at the fairs we're attending in May. Looking forward to Carmarthen and Swansea Bay.

Fun at the fair

As always, a very enjoyable day at the Vintage Fair in Crickhowell on Saturday April 9th. Enjoyed catching up with friends and met some lovely people. 

Treated ourselves in the evening to a pizza and a little tipple at the wonderful Canalside Cafe in Talybont On Usk. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Little jaunt on Sunday to the open garden day at Penpont House near Sennybridge. Highly recommended to all vintage fans. Wonderful walled gardens, and a real sense of age and the past in the lovely things among the plants. We were particularly drawn to an antique garden roller.

Already looking forward to the next Crickhowell Fair. Two more this year :-)

April thoughts.

April has arrived, and really feels like spring now. Started the month with a family wedding. A chance for Cow and Ghost to enjoy while the sun shone. The glasses contain water of course....

As ever, things have been busy in the back ground. Always adding to the stock. 

We started selling framed prints of Ladybird books

earlier this year. They have proved a success,

so pleased to have gathered a small stock of 

original books.

Tins are always popular. We have all sorts of things

stored in them around the house. Lots of new ones added,

but this is a particular favourite.

Some painting and sewing to work on this week, but we are ready for, and really looking forward to the first of the Vintage and Antique Fairs in Crickhowell this year. Always an enjoyable day. The fair has a great mix of treasures, and the town is great for a wander. Hope to see you there :-)

Busy Easter

A busy few weeks at Cow & Ghost.

Very enjoyable Fair last weekend with Hel's Belles Boutique in Gloucester.

Blackfriars Priory is a magnificent building, and a wonderful setting for a vintage event. If you're ever in the city, it is worth going to have a look.

Since the Fair we've been busy sorting and adding to our stock,

as several events are coming up. As well as sourcing items, have put the recent sewing classes to use and made some cushions.

This beautiful Welsh tapestry blanket was in wonderful condition, aside from 4 prominent coaster sized holes, Finally felt brave enough to cut it up and it has a new lease of life.

So far 6 lovely 20 inch cushions, and quite a lot left over for future projects. These are a generous size, and have used the same blanket as backing, making use of the original fringing as much as possible.

We'll be bringing these, along with lots of new stock to our next event, which is the fair at the Clarence Hall in Crickhowell. Always an enjoyable day.

Look forward to seeing you there.