dorothy stiven vintage homewares

The First Reclaimed Home Fair. Photo by @paulgrundy

September has been a busy month for us selling at some really lovely Fairs. First up was Catesby’s in Exton, Rutland which was such a treat as it was in such beautiful surroundings and organised with such care and love by Jonathon and Neil. I hadn’t visited that part of the country before but was really taken by the area. Look out for their Christmas fair and do visit if you can. There will be some lovely things to buy and their cakes are utterly delicious! Then it was on to an old favourite, Queens Park Day in NW London. I have been doing this one with Lorna of Rosemont Vintage for about twenty years now and I can honestly say it just gets better and better. Just the right blend of summer fete, stalls and entertainment for all the family in one of the nicest parks in London.  Then the last Fair of the month was the Country Brocante, at Daylesford in Kingham in Oxfordshire where, despite the rain, customers flooded in to snap up all the wonderful things on sale. Another not to be missed for the future if you haven’t already visited.

So now we look to October and a big date for us…yes, Saturday the 27th October is the second Reclaimed Home Fair which I organise with Heather Lawson of @hellishdesigns.  We had our first event in April in the Town Hall in Chipping Norton and it was a huge success…fabulous stalls with a great range of vintage sellers as well as some really creative makers. We are working hard to make the second similarly wonderful so please come along and visit us in the Town Hall in the centre of the town. Entry is just £1 and we also have a little tea bar with homemade cakes. We will also have a special event in the downstairs hall during the Fair…more details to follow. To keep up to date follow us on Instagram @thereclaimedhomefair

But before then I must get out searching for treasures. I have various buying trips coming up so please follow me on Instagram @dorothystiven to see what I find along the way!

Hope to see you soon.

Love Dorothy x

I have been very neglectful of my website of late as have been posting on Instagram see @dorothystiven, but a couple of people have told me they like popping in here so I will try and remember to update more frequently! Firstly thanks to all of tour lovely customers who came to buy from me and Lorna (@rosemontlondon) at the Barnes Fair yesterday. It must have been one of the hottest and one of the biggest Barnes Fairs we’ve seen and we think we have had a stand there for at least 15 years. It’s always a great Fair for us, my only regret is that we always are so busy we never get a chance to go around an visit the other fantastic stalls! So, stock is much depleted, but don’t worry as I will be out buying over the next few weeks both in the UK and France in the run up to my next Fairs. Which, if you can make it along, are…Queens Park Day in North West London on Sunday 16 September where you will find me, again with Lorna, in our usual gazebo with our usual black and white flooring so do look out for us. And don’t forget if you are looking out for anything in particular then drop me an email before then to dorothystiven@aol.com and I’ll see if I can help.

After that it’s the beautiful Country Brocante at Daylesford in Kingham, Gloucs on Saturday 22 September alongside the Harvest Festival. This is not to be missed! It is absolutely gorgeous day out in a wonderful location with really beautiful stands. I will give you more info nearer the time but put it in your diary now!

And another date for your diaries is the Reclaimed Home Fair (@thereclaimedhomefair) which I run with the super stylish Heather Lawson (@hellish44). That’s in the Town Hall in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, on Saturday 27 October from 10-4pm. We had a fantastic inaugural event in April and I’m totally confident the second will be every bit as wonderful… a lovely selection of stands, very nice teas and cake in a beautiful venue.

Well that’s probably enough to keep you going! I need to get on and get out treasure hunting!

Hope to see you in the months ahead.

Love Dorothy x

If any of you follow me on Instagram @dorothystiven you may have noticed that I am involved with a new venture which I am really excited about. The Reclaimed Home Fair @thereclaimedhomefair, which I am organising with the super stylish Heather Lawson @hellish44 , will have its first outing at the Town Hall, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire OX7 5NJ 10-4pm on Saturday 14 April. Admission is just £1, coffee and cake is available and we hope you will be bowled over by the range of wonderful stallholders who will be exhibiting. Heather and I decided to launch the Fair in Chipping Norton as we both have stands in the excellent Station Mill Antiques Centre in the town and love the vibe of the town centre. It’s always busy and has such interesting independent shops and regular markets. Chippy, as it is affectionately called, is, of course, in the Cotswolds, much loved by tourists,  but we have noticed that it has also become a fantastic hub for antiques, interiors and general style.

We would love you to come along and see what we are offering at our inaugural Fair which promises to help you to reclaim your home from the mass market. We have stalls offering antiques, vintage, textiles, hand sewn gifts, decorative pieces, Spring flowers to name but a few.

Also to tempt you we are running what I think is a really interesting workshop, featuring Rebecca Lawson @malmo_and_moss, the hugely popular Instagrammer whose take on family life and interiors style is really worth following (just ask her current following of over 50,000!) and the Antiques/homes/interiors journalist Alice Roberton @alice_roberton who writes for a range of publications including Reclaim magazine. Both will be offering advice on how to Capture Your Style thorough Instagram, Blogs and Print. It will be an interactive event so there will be plenty of time to ask Rebecca and Alice for tips about using Instagram as well as where they find their interiors inspiration.

Cost is £15 and includes entry to the Fair, a glass of fizz and a goodie bag. Places are limited so if you would like to book a place then email thereclaimedhomefair@gmail.com  to get details of how to pay to secure your place.

Hope to see you there!

Love Dorothy x

Looking forward to taking part again in this really inspirational Fair in London on 3 March. It is not only a feast for the eyes but also gets the juices flowing when you see such a range of stallholders with shedloads of amazing style. Everyone is different, but all passionate about what they do. Please come along and say hello.

I will post pics of some of the stock I will be taking along before the Fair, so keep looking out. You can also see images on my Instagram site @dorothystiven

Love Dorothy x

Is it just me or are people putting up their trees and decorations early this year? Walking around our village it’s a treat to peak in through the windows to see such different festive decorating styles…some minimalist, some a testament to bling and some which I can see are old favourites making their annual appearance. I have also been at some wonderful Christmas Fairs where I’ve found lovely hand made decorations as well as some unique vintage gifts. Aren’t church hall Fairs a much more pleasurable shopping experience than battling your way along Oxford Street? Especially as mulled wine is usually involved.

I still have some pretty bits and bobs for Christmas in my stand at Station Mill Antiques in Chipping Norton Oxfordshire if you find yourself in that neck of the woods. I also have a few quilts left over from the haul I brought back from the USA recently. Some are good to go, others are a bit more careworn..but would be perfect for you crafty people out there. Email me at dorothystiven@aol.com if you are keen to see what I have left in stock, or keep looking at my Insta feed @dorothystiven as I will post some pics soon.

More Christmas chat to follow in the weeks ahead…for now it’s time to get those Christmas Carols playing.

Love Dorothy x