I want one of those!

 

I`ve been researching activities for the tea party events we will be holding at Splendid Days HQ and found this adorable bracelet with beads that look like berries .It`s one of those things you didn`t know you wanted till you saw it! It`s from a favourite website www.frenchgeneral.com , a company inspired by vintage French fabrics .Of course English vintage fabrics are my absolute favourite but these are very lovely!

I also rather fancy one of these beautiful handmade beaded flowers to pin on my new tweed coat .However being a vintage girl I will be hinting to my lovely girls to go to the local flea market and find me a vintage brooch for my Xmas present, preferably a sparkly pheasant or a pretty flower .I can feel another vintage collection coming on....

Do you like vintage tea parties with added exciting activities ?

Do you like making things and also eating yummy cupcakes and other delicious treats? I`m in the process of making some gorgeous French General fabric decorations for the Xmas tree at Splendid Days HQ .We always cut one of our own trees and they are huge so need so many decorations! It`s very relaxing cutting up the fabric whilst listening to some Xmas tunes and nice to be making something other than vintage bunting for a change!

.Here at Splendid Days we are just revving up to launch our very own tea parties with a vintage with added creative activities to take place at our gorgeous converted barn in Sussex.

These parties are an ideal way to treat yourself and your friends to a delightful few hours of homemade activities and enjoy delicious Splendid Days afternoon tea treats all served on our gorgeous vintage china.Perhaps if you are getting married then this could be a really enjoyable part of a hen weekend!Or perhaps you are looking for new ideas for a girlie weekend break.If crafty activities don`t do it for you then we have some other glamorous activities on offer from vintage make up demo`s to a boudoir photo session.We can wind up the vintage gramaphone and transport you back in time whilst you are pampered! More details will follow soon.

The men need not feel left out as you are also more than welcome and if crafty activities are not your thing then we can highly recommend our fabulous local mountain bike hire company who can put you through your paces and finish up at Splendid Days HQ for some well deserved yummy tea and cakes.Great for the girls too!

We are about 1hr and 15 mins from London and 5 minutes from the train station .If you are planning to make a weekend of it  then we can recommend some great places to stay from cosy picturesque downland villages to the bright lights of the quirky and buzzing city of Brighton .

Do get in touch if you are interested in finding out more ,we would love to hear from you!

Sally and the Splendid Days team x

An Autumn Barn Dance for Leon Restaurants

This weekend we opened the barn doors of Splendid Days HQ to host an event for Leon restaurants, London. Leon is owned by John Vincent and Henry Dimbleby and it`s a fantastic chain of restaurants that specialise in healthy but delicious fast food. Knowing we were being asked to do this by two discerning foodies was a great compliment! Do visit their fabulous website and take a look at what they are up to and if you are ever in London drop by -the food is delicious !www.leonrestaurants.co.uk 

The brief was an Autumn barndance with masses of bunting and lashings of cream tea and hot mulled cider and the event was a prize for one of their very lucky customers.We don`t do anything by halves here at Splendid Days and couldn`t wait stuck into styling and planning the event.Venue, food, flowers, planning, styling and set up were all by Splendid Days and everything came together fabulously on the night! 

The theming was rustic with straw bales and old apple crates dotted around the barn topped with red cushions.Richly coloured flowers were mixed with hedgerow finds of holly and wild sloe and chunky church candles were displayed in our zinc buckets tied with red gingham ribbon .A touch of vintage glamour was added by using our glass cake stands and our bunting handmade from vintage fabrics was the essential finishing touch!

 

We provided a delicious array of layer cakes, meringues, fluffy scones and jam with cream and a variety of yummy flavours of cupcakes .
 

 

Pictured above are cherry and almond sponge cupcakes with a cherry filling .We also made toffee apple cupcakes -an apple sponge topped spread liberally with cinnamon butter icing and topped with a final layer of toffee sauce and fresh apple slices .The final flavour was the Splendid Days classic -blueberry and cream cupcakes - a vanilla sponge with a blueberry jam suprise filling topped with vanilla cream and decorated with fresh blueberries .The cakes were served on vintage plates in a variety of pretty patterns  and our glass cake stands. 

Hot steaming mulled cider was served from our fabulous vintage punchbowl and soon warmed up the guests as the snow fell .

 

The band arrived and they soon had everybody dancing the night away ,when it all got too hot guests retreated to the garden to sit on the straw bales surrounding the log fire fire pit .If you are looking for a fantastic band to make your event go with a swing I would highly recommend them .(They are called Tight Squeeze,web address to follow) 

All in all we really enjoyed putting this event together and using our vintage wares to give it an authentic feel. If you would like help pulling off a fantastic event of your own or would like to hire some of our vintage goodies then do give us a call as we would love to help! 
Sally x

Wonderful Wiston

This weekend I exhibited at the fabulous Wiston House in Steyning .
What a stunning venue it is, with its sweeping long driveway through park like grounds populated by grazing sheep and wild deer.If you are hankering after a Jane Austin style wedding then this could be the place for you! 

This is me setting up the display which took ages as I couldn`t decide which pieces to leave at home and so came with boxes and boxes of goodies.Luckily I had trusty assistant Pam with me to help!

The finished result! 

How lucky to be in front of the most gorgeous fireplace and mirror.

The view through the window opposite overlooks the beautiful grounds.

 

This is a close up of some of the blue and white vintage crockery collection. Some of the brides and grooms looking around seemed to be rather taken with the idea of having blue and white crockery on their big day.

I don`t know any other hire companies with a huge collection of vintage blue and white crockery to hire so if you want to set the trend now is your chance! It`s all very Ralph Lauren!

 

Pictured above are some of the delicious raspberry and vanilla buttercream cupcakes, these didn`t last long and although I turned up with 125 I left home with only 2! 
All in all we had a fabulous day.
Thank you to Amanda Deane at  Wiston House for the very kind invitation and thanks to everyone who stopped by our stand to say hello and have a look at the vintage crockery.
Do get in touch if you decide to go vintage as we would love to help make your day Splendid !
Sally x

A work of art.

 

A fabulously British work of art .

Nice sit down and a cup of tea anyone?

 

I went for a walk today around the farm and there were so many berries on all the bushes and trees.I thought these red berries would look great in one of our vintage flower jugs .

The one Mr Darcy would drink from.

Some of the men out there might be thinking they`re not too sure about vintage tea parties .In which case may I suggest when choosing your teacup from the delightful and resplendent tea party table you chose one which reflects your handsome and dashing Mr Darcy side (see above )

Drinking tea with your lady friends has always, as Jane Austin knew, been about more than just the wanton consumption of tea and cake(although that is an exquisitely delicious part of it ) .......enough said!

Some things are hard to resist.....

This is what happens after a photoshoot, it really shouldn`t but it does I`m afraid to say. The cake was sandwiched together with jam,cream and fresh sliced strawberries and it was absolutely delicious!

Victoria Sponge Cake

Here`s one we made earlier standing proudly on it`s vintage cut glass cake stand and antique silver tray .

These are some new teacups we have added to the collection ,they have a beautiful pattern inside and are particularly girly! Don`t worry if that`s not your thing as we have a whole range of colours and patterns. It`s always fun to see who is going to chose which teacup at an event .

Victoria sponge is a real truimph and I don`t know anybody who doesn`t like it.

Next year we have lots of brides who have chosen to have vintage themed tea parties as part of their wedding reception and I`m sure their guests will be completely delighted to relax and indulge in some scrumptious afternoon tea treats .Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best and afternoon tea is a great British tradition that can`t be beaten .

If you are planning event then you may like to know that we can deliver the whole afternoon tea package from the gorgeous teacups to the teapots ,vintage cake stands, silver trays ,flower jugs, bunting and much, much more We can also cater for your event and style your venue or marquee and help you plan the final look .

Do get in touch for our extremely reasonable packages!

Lovely scones,jam and clotted cream.....

Sometimes only scones will do so and today was one of those days ....

and nearly always the simplest things are the most delicious -and these were scrumptious

And if you`re having scones then you will need a pot of tea.-served in a vintage teapot of course, lets do things properly shall we ? Oh and don`t forget the bunting darling!

Then you can scoff the lot with wild abandon .

And remember -get the best clotted cream and your favourite jam to go with them,for me it HAS to be raspberry .

Why I am so lucky

I sometimes think I have the best job in the world and to find this adorable gem was indeed a happy moment, could any teacup and saucer be more adorable ? 

Anyway she is now safely nestled into the Splendid Days collection and anyone that gets to sip tea from her at a tea party will ,I feel ,be very pleased to meet her .

 
Do you like stone urns? I found this the other day ,actually I found two of them in an antique shop .I thought they would look fantastic either side of an entrance to a marquee . They are just over two feet high and with filled with fabulous flowers they could make a real impact .



If you want to hire them I can deliver them to your florists for you and then they could conjure up a fabulous arrangement .

There are three florists I am mad about at the moment -

No 1.Kiki and Cole in Hurstpierpoint (they have a really lovely artistic website and have a real vintage vibe .Some of my flower jugs and punch bowls have been used by them before .) 

No 2. Spriggs Florists in Petworth - from what I have seen the quality of what they do and their professional approach is really impressive. 

No3. Miss Pickering in Stamford-gorgeous website and my absolute favourite blog at the moment .

Come for tea

I don`t know if you realised but this is Splendid Days HQ.It`s a lovely old barn that we converted two years ago ,one day I`ll post the pictures of what it looked liked before - a terrible  wreck but I knew it would brush up very well indeed. 

Anyway ,this is the exciting bit ....We`re going to be using it for vintage tea parties (with added secret extras!) and other marvellous events .When the weather is really hot you can even have tea on the lawn,just like they do in Agatha Christie films .It has the most incredible view of the South Downs and little glimpses of the famous Long Man of Wilmington .You might even see some horses galloping around and some Spotty Gloustershire Old Spot pigs in the woods beyond. 

The other good bit is I might show you Bluebell and I`ll tell you all about her another day as I`ve got some scones in the oven that I need to keep an eye on . Bye bye for now , Sally x

Thrilling new additions to the Splendid Days collection

 









A buying expedition turned out to be rather thrilling last week when I found some absolutely gorgeous teacups and saucers .I can`t tell you how much I LOVE this particular tea cup and saucer .I think it`s now taken the top spot in my list of favourites.Lots of gold and a lovely floral pattern on the inside so that when you`ve finished your tea you get a nice surprise at the bottom of the cup .

I`ve also been working on a new recipe for red velvet cake as it`s something that many customers have been asking for and it makes a great statement in the middle of the tea table with it`s contrast of deep red sponge and the purity of the white frosting finished with some dark luscious cherries perched artfully on top -gorgeous ! Photos to follow soon but if you can`t wait have a look at the Mulberry website .They have a short film of their Autumn campaign and it features vintage crockery and table linen and a huge red velvet cake .

You can go down the more modern route of red velvet cake ,whoopie pies and cupcakes when you have a tea party or go down the old school, fabulously British Mrs Beeton route of spiced apple and sultana cake ,Victoria sponge and scones and jam -such alot of delicious choices ,what`s a girl to do! One things for sure though ,everyone loves a tea party and especially if the table is resplendent with marvellous vintage teacups ,teapots ,candelabra ,vintage linens and napkins and beautiful flower.

 I was also thrilled to find this gorgeous silver embossed coffee pot on my travels -it looks great filled with flowers .The tablecloth is also vintage and all hand sewn. Just imagine how long that took to sew.While we all slump in front of the x factor (some of us anyway !) why not dig out the sewing box and make something .I`m going to have a go at making corsages for my winter coats from vintage fabrics this winter as I`ve decided that 21st century life can sometimes deprive us of the feeling of satisfaction that can be had from making something ourselves ,plus I want something unique !

Our silver candelabra would look great with this coffee pot .All our candelabras are genuine silver plated vintage antiques and can be dressed up with pearls or flowers for a full on look or left simply.I always buy Prices candles as they are non drip and come in lots of lovely colours .If you are hiring from us these candles also fit into the holders perfectly so you don`t have the annoyance of shaving off the bottom of the candle which is a bore.

Bye for now and check back soon as I will be adding lots more photos and giving links to some great suppliers I met at the Designer Wedding Fair ,Battersea.

Sally x

A Splendid Day Out !

This weekend Splendid Days by owners Tim and Nicola to their stunning events venue Upwaltham Barns near Peworth as they were having an open day. The barns are very beautiful and have lots of exposed flintwork and original oak beams .Originally they were farm buildings but have now become fabulously cosy and stylish ,despite being huge! I loved the way they had used the old galvanised water troughs as giant flower containers .

Nicola was interested to see our vintage blue and white collection so I made sure I took our fantastic vintage blue and white dinner plates and side plates ,the handmade pinstriped napkins and my absolute favourite blue and white flower jug (one of many !) If you like the Ralph Lauren blue and white collection he so often does every summer then this vintage version could be for you! I don`t know anyone else hiring out so much vintage blue and white crockery and we have enough to for over 150 guests-but I`m still collecting! Act fast if you want this for an event next summer as everyone is falling in love with it .

I couldn`t turn up without my adorable vintage teasets ....and the strawberry and blueberry cupcakes were eagerly consumed at the end accompanied by delicious pink proseco in vintage teacups -perfect for fun hen parties! Gilles Dubourg, owner of Wines of Excellence kindly donated the yummy proseco(pictured above with Billy from Blue Lizard Travel www.bluelizardtravel.com ) Billy puts together fabulous travel experiences and her website is well worth a look.

My friend Margaret also had a stall there (Nicola is her daughter ) and she sell fabulous vintage dresses shoes and fabrics and much more .Her stand looked terrific with armfuls of gorgeous silky, sparkly vintage dresses -all very Sienna Miller. Margaret has a shop (with no name-how cool is that? ) in Kemp Town Brighton and is regularly visited by designers from Top shop and other well know fashion houses who are looking to pick up one of her gems for inspiration for their new collections.So if you want to set the latest trend do pay her a visit -it`s next door to another one of my favourite shops ,The Brighton Flea Market .

Beautiful Bunting

Splendid Days have been busily buying armfuls of stunning vintage fabrics over the last six months and the sewing machines are being dusted down ready for a frenzy of bunting production! We will be creating various fabulous colourways to fit in with our vintage crockery  collection -The first colourway will be stunning blues which will work fantastically with our fabulous vintage blue crockery collection .To go with this we will also be making fabulous blue linen napkins .

The next collection will be a lovely mixed colourway in tones that will fit in with our gorgeous china teasets for that fabulously British afternoon tea look! Think vintage Colefax and Fowler and Sanderson Fabrics! We will also have some napkins in these mixed colourways to match which will create a fantastic vintage finishing touch.

If you have any particular colours or patterns you think would be lovely for your wedding or party do leave a comment as we would love to hear.

Check back soon for photos of our efforts !  Sally x

Join us on Facebook!

Splendid Days are pleased to announce that we now have a Facebook page in addition to our website and our Blog. We will posting lots of our excellent special offers here, adding photos of our latest vintage goodies for hire and keeping everyone up to date with our news and events. So if you are a fan of Facebook do make friends with us and feel free to add any comments or ideas -we would love to hear what you`ve got to say!

The Question Time Tea Party

David Dimbleby and his wife Belinda recently asked Splendid Days to provide a vintage tea party for the BBC Question Time Team. The event was styled by the Splendid Days team using vintage items in the beautiful downland setting of David and Belinda`s Sussex home . 


Delicious smoked salmon sandwiches,meringues and cream,scones ,fruity cupcakes and lemon drizzle cake were some of the scrumptious items on the tea party menu provided by Splendid Days .Speciality teas from Fortnum and Mason were also enjoyed and were served in beautiful antique teapots. Each guest had fun choosing their own vintage teacup and saucer, which came in a harmonious mix of patterns .

The table linen was hand embroidered and the centre piece was a white bird cage containing an iced lemon drizzle cake sandwiched together with lemon curd ,blueberries and buttercream cake on a silver cake stand . 

Floristry was also by Splendid Days and we used cut glass vases and silver epigines to display a delicious smelling mix of roses, lavenders and other scented summer favourites .

Croquet on the lawn ,striped deckchairs and sunshine completed the scene .

Splendid News

Splendid Days are very pleased to have been booked by David Dimbleby to provide a Victorian tea party for him and his  Question Time team this July .

A delicious spread will be lavishly prepared by the Splendid Days team with treats including scones with clotted cream and wild strawberry jam and fresh fruit jellies served in vintage teacups.

The event will be styled by the Splendid Days team in the wonderful setting of David and his wife Belinda`s stunning garden at the foot of the South Downs .

A hand painted three tiered cake with antique pink roses

Splendid Days has been busy making cakes to hopefully turn heads !

This is a three tiered cake which has a different flavour for each tier to please everbody .The pattern was inspired by vintage Victorian designs and was carefully hand painted freehand using natural colourings .The roses are a lovely antique pink colour and the ribbon is a gentle old gold colour . The cake stands on one of our vintage silver trays.

If you are looking for something a bit different from the traditional sugar flower form of decoration why not go for a handpainted cake and set the trend !

Vintage silverware meets 21st century modernity

At an event this weekend Splendid Days vintage silverware and a flamboyant pink floral arrangement were combined with 21st century modernity in the form of a glass bar that could be lit from below and looked fabulous at night .The whole event was a successful and stunning mix of old and new .

If you love the classic country house look an alternative could be an oak bar. Dress with silver canldesticks and vintage flower jugs with informal ,wild looking floral arrangements and place nibbles for your guests in vintage patterned bowls .The silver punch bowls would also fit very well with this theme .

It`s always worth spending time planning the look of the bar area as this is so often the focus of attention and it needs to fit in with the overall look of the event . There are many fantastic ways of usng vintage items at your event so keep following the blog for more examples that will be coming soon .