Dress clips were fashionable from the 1920's to the 1950's. They were usually worn in pairs to add interest to the neckline of a sweater or dress or to glam up a plain pair of shoes. Some dress clips were fastened together in a purpose built frame to be used as a brooch.

As a piece of vintage collectable costume jewellery dress clips can still be used to add a touch of sparkle to an outfit.

Try them-

• clipped to a ribbon and used as a choker.
• worn on the collar, lapel or pockets of a dress, sweater or jacket.
• attached to an evening bag or a belt buckle
• on a hairband, beret or hat

The dress clip I am about to list on The Duke Street Duchess shop on Etsy is made from silvertone metal and rhinestones and would give some vintage glamour to any outfit.

Miracle Flintlock Pistol Brooch

Miracle are a British company famous for making Celtic, Scottish and Irish jewellery.

This flintlock pistol brooch was manufactured by Miracle in about the 1960/70s. Made from silvertone metal and with coloured glass stones made to resemble agate set in the handle and barrel of the pistol this brooch is certainly an unusual design.

This brooch is for sale in my Etsy shop.

Stratton Pocket / Handbag Ashtray

Just added a Stratton handbag / pocket ashtray to The Duke Street Duchess shop on Etsy. Although smoking is for most people not politically correct this is a very collectable item for those collectors of Stratton and /or smoking accessories.

Made from godtone metal and with a blue enamel lid this item was made in around the 1950s/60s.

Inside the cigarette rest swings out to reveal the ashtray. Although there is a little damage to the inside as would be expected of an item used for this purpose, priced at £12 this would make an ideal gift for smokers or collectors

Blackberry Picking

Blackberry picking or bramble picking as we used to call it in the area of Scotand where I was born was as much an autumn tradition as trudging through the fallen leaves and searching for conkers.

Any blackberries that made it home were either made into jam or baked with apples to make a fruit crumble.

This gorgeous 1950s print reminds me so much of that carefree time! Entitled Blackberrying you can find it in my Etsy shop

Needlecraft Practical Journal

I am always being asked where I source the vintage prints and items I sell in my Etsy shops. Well we are lucky enough in Alnwick to not only have an excellent auction house-Railtons but to also have Barter Books which is one of the largest second hand book shops in the UK.

I also like to trawl the local charity shops and have come across a few little gems on my travels.

The Needlecraft Practical Journals I have just listed in my Duke Street Duchess shop were a recent find amongst a box of books I bought at a recent auction. They are in excellent condition considering they are more than 100 years old.

The Needlecraft Practical Journal was an Edwardian publication by The Manchester School Of Embroidery. They not only covered a number of vintage needlework topics including crochet, knitting and embroidery but also included a few pages of adverts.

Although I have only listed two for now look out for more in the next few days. They are an ideal buy for anyone interested in vintage needlecrafts and /or Edwardian life.

Long time no hear!

It's been quite a while since my first post. Hopefully it won't be as long till my next one.

Thought I'd tell you a bit about my two Etsy shops.

My first shop is " The Duke Street Duchess". The name as you have probably guessed was taken from the BBC TV series " The Duchess Of Duke Street" and as my address is Duke Street I thought the name appropriate. It has been open since March 2009 and from it I sell costume jewellery, china, handbags, boxes, books, etc. As long as it's vintage, its not too expensive to post and I like it, I sell it.

My other shop, opened in March this year is Prints and Pastimes. From this shop I sell vintage prints for framing or for use in collage, decoupage, scrapbooking and other papercrafts.

Well thats all for now. I'll be back soon to tell you more about my vintage enterprise.

New Beginnings

This is the first of hopefully, many posts on my new blog. I have set up this blog to tell of the trials and tribulations a vintage, if not antique lady of 57 years has trying to sell vintage items over the internet.

For somone who knows very little about vintage and even less about the internet all I can say is wish me the best of luck. I am going to need it!