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 .