Wallpaper time

The walls of most of the rooms in our home are painted white, giving a feeling of bright, light and space.  Occasionally though I come across wallpaper I just have to find a place for.  This happened several years ago when I found rolls of Laura Ashley Summer Palace in a sale bin.  My hubby wasn't sure about the bright vibrant pink birds, but I loved it and just knew it would work with all the white.  We used it in the hallway and painted the stairs pink to match, never failing to get comments from visitors..

Its been up for about 5 yrs now and is looking a little tired so I thought I'd look for something equally stunning to replace it.   Because this is a feature wall as you walk into the house and only needs a few rolls of paper, I can afford to spend a little extra on something really special which will transform the space but not blow the budget.  This is always a good idea if you want to introduce some pattern or colour into a room without spending a fortune.

I love this Mrs Peel  by Fired Earth 

Or how about a game of Mini Moderns Backgammon in Mustard from John Lewis

Love this Mini moderns "Do you live in a town? " 

Subtle but beautiful Sanderson Squirrel and a dove

This is my favourite at the moment  Marimekko Ystavat Wallpaper in grey

I'll let you know what we decide on.

Bootsale Season is back !

In the days before the shop and the storms, I was known to drag myself out of bed at 5.30am every Sunday come hell or high water and whatever the season.  This past winter I have to admit to rolling over and flinging the alarm clock across the room or if I was feeling a little uncertain, dragging myself out of bed and peeking through the curtains before hurrying back to my warm cosy nest.

Not this morning though.

The forecast was for bright sunnyness and even my normally stalwart hubby wasn't going to deter me when he declared from the depths of the duvet that he wasn't coming.  I positively sprung out of bed (well, not really, but you get the picture) and set off to the Exeter cattle market with that lovely feeling of adventure and what will I find today ness !

I wasn't actually prepared for the the sight that met me as I rounded the corner of the road on Marsh barton.  Queues of cars in every direction !  I think almost the whole of Devon had turned out.  Unable to park in my usual early bird car park I had to settle for a bit of a hike to get to the bootsale.

Not impressed !

Although there were more sellers than the park could accommodate it wasn't the greatest day in terms of treasure found, or maybe I was particularly selective as I am closing the shop and don't really want too much stock at the moment.

Here is a selection from my little haul.

 

Pretty pink ceramic heart bowl and butter dish 

 

Pale buttermilk metal planter/basket

 Basket !  ah !  How I love wicker baskets !

Wooden utensil trug

 

Vintage painted mirror, will clean this up and give it a little shabby treatment and it will be good to go.

A couple of pretty wooden heart trugs and a huge haul of painted wooden hearts

Likig up with the lovely Liz at #MagpieModay

One man's trash

 

I found this monster of a table at the bootsale.  It was dark, stained and very, very heavy solid wood.  The top was beyond redemption but I could immediately see the potential with all the detail to the underside and legs.

When I looked at the piece I imagined a wonderful ocean swept piece of furniture sitting perfectly in a beachside retreat.

After a LOT of sanding, several coats of white paint, a top coat of beautiful clouded sky from the Origins range by Dulux, some gently rubbing down and waxing I am really, really pleased with the result and if it doesn’t sell.  I’m keeping it !

When family and home have to come first

Its with much sadness that I have to close my beloved shop.  Its not a decision I have made easily and have shed more than a few tears of late trying to make the final call to the Landlord.  Its been a glorious if not stressful ride for the last year but I really didn't appreciate how much time and energy it would take.  My family and my health have suffered and you don't get a second chance with either of those.

I've been lucky to have the opportunity to realise my dream and whose not to say I might even return to it down the line, but for now I am taking a bit of  rest when I close up.  I will then return to a job I know well, with people I like and respect and which will give me much more time to spend with my young family.

I've met some pretty amazing people over the last year in Exmouth and I will certainly miss all the chats and laughs.  I think good old fashioned customer service is sadly lacking in this country these days so hope at least some of those customers will appreciate the service I gave them.

Its not the end of  The White Approach brand and after a break I will be returning to select fairs and events.  I might even get my website back up and running properly too.

At the moment I am feeling very fragile and just a bit of a failure but I know I have made the right decision for my family and myself and hope I will feel it is the right decision at some point soon.

Anyway, the last day I will be open is .Saturday 29th March so if you are in the area, please do pop in for a browse and a chat before then.

Many thanks indeed to all the lovely friends and customers who have taken the time to search out my little tucked away piece of heaven over the last year.  I have truly appreciated each and every sale.


Karen XxXx

IKEA in Exeter

Many, many years ago whilst serving in Germany I came across a store which was way ahead of its time in terms of design and product innovation called IKEA.  You could shop for everything you needed for the home, following a pathway around the shop past every kind of room design and fill your basket to overflowing with affordable homewares and gadgets you might not really need or even know what they were for but they were cheap and looked good.

About 20 years too late for me, IKEA it seems is finally coming to Exeter.  There was a time I would have been ecstatic about this, no more long drives down the M5 to Bristol or Birmingham to shop this iconic brand.  These days my taste has evolved and I prefer to spend my hard earned cash more wisely and buy sturdy, solid wood, usually, English made items I can lovingly restore to fill my home with one off unique items.

It occurred to me that instead of fighting the inevitable exodus of customers from my little independent shop, I embrace the Aladdin's cave of ideas and items IKEA has to offer.  So off I popped to Pinterest to get a bit of inspiration for just what you can achieve with a bit of imagination using items bought from IKEA.

Metal mesh lace planters made into  wonderful downlighter lamps.

This style of bookcase is always available at IKEA and very affordable.  Pop it on its side, upholster the top and add some feet and you have a bench seat which is not only attractive but comfortable and practical too.

Always lots of plain wooden furniture at IKEA perfect for painting and decoupage.

Chairs like this are perfect for this imaginative transformation

 

The vidja lamp perfect to add silhouettes to.

Just a few examples of what a little imagination can do.   So I say bring on the IKEA store !  I look forward to trawling their goodies and if you have a piece of furniture you would like me to transform for you, please do get in touch.  email info@thewhiteapproach.com  

Original piece of art GIVEAWAY

To celebrate the beautiful coastal community I live in and to cheer everybody up with this awful weather and strees many people are suffering, I have decided to have a giveaway.

 I am really excited to offer this wonderful piece of original artwork by the very talented Linda Bartlett who sells a selection of her coastal themed work in my shop.  Linda is inspired by the beautiful seaside towns and villages of Devon and Cornwall.  Each painting is unique with its own individual design, colours and features.

The piece measures 12 inches (31 cms)  by 16 inches (41cms) and is painted in oils (I think)
Worth £100 it can be yours !

 All you have to do to be in with a chance to win is one of the below. 

Leave a comment below

Follow this blog

Like the white approach living the vintage life  facebook page

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Giveaway closes on Tuesday 25th February at 4pm.  Open only to entrants from mainland UK only (sorry).

Winner will be picked by a random automated selector.

Good luck and Thank you.

Karen

The winner of the artwork giveaway drawn from all entrants on the blog, facebook and twitter is Kerrie Louise Preston.

Congratulations Kerrie, its a wonderful piece.  Please contact me with your address details .


         

This giveaway is now CLOSED

Thank you to all who took part.

Karen xx

The Spring Fair - NEC Birmingham

 

As a  new, small, independent retailer I wasn't sure how relevant the Spring Fair at the NEC Birmingham would be to me.  A huge event aimed at almost every kind of retailer I nevertheless thought it would be worth a visit if only to see what their trends were and what was being sold.  I was pleasantly surprised how organised and painless to enter the event it was.  We drove easily into the carpark, took a small coach ride to the main entrance, no huge queues and once inside easily scanned our (previously downloaded ) tickets to convert them into badges.  After a small wait we moved into hall one - Kitchen, dining and homewares.  It also included a new ecommerce section.

 

You might want to make use of the large selection of free guides on offer.  But beware, carting round all the literature you can't resist picking up throughout the course of the day, becomes a job better suited to a weigh lifter !  Those more experienced at these events can be seen smugly pulling bags on wheels ! 

Arriving at 9am on a Sunday morning was definitely a good idea, but I will say even when we left footsore and exhausted at 4pm it wasn't a huge crush of people.  The aisles are wide and the whole event feels spacious and well thought out.  Plenty of toilet facilities and a huge choice of food and outlets.  You actually don't even need to spend any money on food if you play it clever, many of the exhibitors have free food, sweets and snacks on offer and you can even pick up vouchers for free coffee !  Well who doesn't love a bit of free  (especially poor independent retailers like myself).  

I had been told that it was a vast event but the sheer amount of beautiful wares on offer had me gasping like a child in a sweet shop!   There were 20 halls from kitchen and homewares to toys and Christmas to art and framing, body and bath, outdoor living, gift and volume it went on and on and on.  I was told over 17 miles of exhibitors!  I must admit the Christmas section was lovely but in February my heart wasn't quiet ready to start looking at all that sparkle again.

I was hoping to see lots of new trends and ideas to take back to give me food for though for my own shop but sadly I didn't see anything new or inspirational in the nautical, French/Rustic home styles on offer at the show.  I did love the display the Spanish company above had but they seriously let themselves down with the member of staff I spoke to who had absolutely no idea about the stock or the price points of the items. 

This company interpreted the French rustic look beautifully and their display had many reproductions of the (authentic) items I sell in my shop.  I was interested to see the much sought after French bottle drying rack making an appearance.  This item is destined to be copied and appearing on the mass produced high street soon I am sure.  I did love the spiral egg rack too.

They also had this great table, very similar to the wood and slate table I have in the shop.  I think we will see more and more of these multifunctional tables appearing on the high street and slate was everywhere.

Although I met lots of British companies who make and sell only British made products, I was disappointed that the exhibition didn't make more of the "Made in Britain" companies.  I would have expected to see a showcase of these companies as the show was open to many international visitors.  There were a good number of British companies exhibiting, but they were dotted around the vast halls.  I actively sought them out as I try really hard to sell only made by and in Britain products and particularly support small independent businesses.  I really liked buttonbag especially as they just published this great book of crafts just for boys !

 

Other beautiful independent British companies many of them located in the Summerhouse I will certainly be following up on  included :

CRUMBLE COTTAGE

URBAN APOTHECARY

DUCKY DORA

SHOELESS JOE

STONE THE CROWS

MENS SOCIETY

PLAIN SLATE

OHH DEER.COM

CLOCKWORK SOLDIER

BRONTE BY MOON

 I am so glad I made the effort to attend this event and although I didn't really see too much I would consider innovative and was saddened to see so many people buying the mass produced cheap stock like lemmings.  I did meet lots of small independent retailers exhibiting who felt it was a good platform for their products and most of whom were feeling positive and optimistic about being there.

oh and one last thing, forget about OWLS !

PENGUINS are the next big thing !

Unique Stock instore

One of the best parts of owning my own little business is the shopping for stock !  I am asked on a regular basis where I buy from and of course I couldn't possibly tell !  But it is a selection of new and immaculate quality used items.  When I source new stock I will always sell it for below the RRP as I firmly believe in showing people you can have a beautiful home on a budget.

I found these gorgeous pieces this weekend and feel for sure they will not hang around for long.

 

Hand crafted in Portugal.  I have two sets of bowls, side plate and dinner plates.  All beautifully decorated in turquoise and cream, made from ironstone with a high shine glaze they are truly beautiful.

 

The bowls are £6 each (RRP £11)  the side plates are £6.50 each (RRP £13.50)  and the dinner plates are £8 each (RRP £16.50).

Sails and Canvas join the white approach

I'm absolutely thrilled to announce I have taken the plunge and introduced another great local business to the white approach shop.  The innovative Sails and Canvas based in Topsham, Devon make an array of must have products from used Sails and Canvas (of course).

Choose from cushions, bags, bolsters, bean bags and the most amazing dog beds.  All of which can be customised !

I will have a selection of products in the shop from tomorrow to give you a taster of what is available, but feel for sure this is going to be a huge success in the seaside town of Exmouth where my shop is located.  Don't worry if you live further afield, products will very shortly be added to the website.

 

Look at the dog bed !!!  How fab is that !  Its fully washable.  Customers have been snapping them up for their cars.  Perfect for those muddy paws !

I predict the shoppers will be a huge success.  Large and roomy with rope straps long enough to carry over your shoulder.  With a clear section on one side these are going to be perfect for the beach.
The nautical style is classic and timeless so investing in one of these you are guaranteed to always look stylish.

All items are hand made in the Loft in Topsham.  Customisation available at no extra charge.

Come and see us soon.

Exciting times.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Well, the first six months in my shop have flown past.  It's been a roller coaster of ups and downs, doubts and highs and I am learning everyday.  I plan to write regular posts this year on what is is to set up and run a small bricks and mortar business in an age of recession and internet shopping.

I am running a sale in my shop at the moment which, is frankly driving me insane as it looks cluttered and jumbled and totally out of line with the look I am trying to achieve, but, I am distracting myself with the plans and sourcing of stock for the Spring look which will consist of the ever popular :

Nautical style.  Living by the seaside and having my shop in a coastal holiday destination I have many customers interested in nautical  products.

White, White and more White .  I love white, no matter how I try to diversify I always come back to this wonderful , calm colour and I will be sticking very firmly to my guns with my furniture this year.  More and more people are (finally) coming around to what I have been preaching for most of my adult life that white is THE only colour to use in your home for many reasons.

French influence.  Again another style I adore, although in recent years it has become harder and harder to buy authentic French homewares at reasonable prices.  I hope to accent the shop with French inspired items and where I can find them for a good price, authentic pieces.  There are hopes that we might even fit in a trip to France !


In the meantime please pop over to my facebook page to see the daily updates or take a peak at my Pinterest page for work I have carried out for customers, images that inspire me and what I think the trends in homes will be.

Happy New Year and may 2014 bring you all that you wish for.


Karen xx