15/08/2026
My passion for antique shops goes way back to when I visited an auction with my aunty as a child. But it really took hold in my teens, when I started regularly attending local antique fairs.
Back then, my purchases were mostly jewellery. I still have some chunky silver bracelets I bought all those years ago, and I wear them to this day. I’ve always been drawn to anything that sparkles, so rings will probably always bring me joy and leave a rather large hole in my pocket! 😂
Alongside my love of jewellery, I’ve always had an eye for finding a beautiful piece at a good price.
In my early 30s, my love of vintage took a new direction. I started rescuing old pieces of furniture that were destined for the tip or bonfire and giving them a new lease of life. At first, I upcycled pieces simply for our own home, but eventually I decided to turn my passion into my own little upcycling business.
With a busy and stressful career as a Nurse Manager, upcycling became my escape. I could spend hours completely immersed in cleaning, sanding, painting and styling each piece, and I absolutely loved every minute of it.
Over the years, I’ve met some truly interesting and wonderful people through selling my pieces. I’ve laughed so much with a friend who used to come along with me to collect furniture including the many times we picked up pieces that absolutely should NOT have fitted in the car but somehow, we always managed it! 😂
I’ve also been lucky enough to see some incredible homes along the way from discovering beautiful interiors and original features, to visiting a whole house still covered in 1950s wallpaper, and kitchens that looked as though they had been untouched since the 1960s.
There’s just something incredibly special about vintage. Every piece has a story, and you never quite know what you’re going to discover.
No one can quite imagine how excited I still get when I see a beautiful vintage find. ❤️
And I honestly don’t think that feeling will ever go away.
However, as much as I loved the business, there was also a side of it that eventually became difficult for me. I found myself increasingly dealing with people who would question the price of a piece or spend time haggling over it, without perhaps realising how much work went into rescuing and transforming each item.
Every piece had hours of my time behind it, finding it, collecting it, often cleaning it from top to bottom, repairing it, sanding it, painting it, sourcing the right products and finally giving it a beautiful new lease of life. There was also the cost of materials, fuel and, of course, my time.
I completely understand that everyone has a budget, and I never expected everyone to love or buy my pieces. But after a while, constantly having to justify the price of something I had poured so much time, care and passion into started to take away some of the enjoyment.
Eventually, I made the difficult decision to step away from the business.
It wasn’t because I had fallen out of love with vintage quite the opposite. I think I simply needed to get back to enjoying the things I love without feeling that every find had to have a price tag attached to it. Don’t get me wrong I still do the odd piece, but most are for myself.
And even now, I can walk into an antique shop, vintage fair or see an old piece of furniture and feel that same excitement I had as a child. ❤️
Here are just a few of the items I have sold over the years and textures items which make me smile 😄
