Best of British - Part 2

A big congratulations again to my fellow UK Etsians; today I've discovered a whole host of British Etsy shops to gaze lovingly at... DRUMROLL PLEASE!

Vintage 1950s Bright Orange Iron

from Hedgerow Fancies (Worcestershire)

Spring Chicken Gocco Printed Notebook

by inkmeup (Scarborough)

The Bird and The Cage Thaumatrope Necklace

by adorapop (Wales)

Soft Gray Rose Bib Necklace

by MischaM (Edinburgh)

I hope you've enjoyed my little contribution to Etsy's European week; I've certainly enjoyed the opportunity to browse through all of these wonderful shops.

Best of British - Part 1

So here it is, the first of my posts dedicated to the UK Etsy community and the great items it has to offer; how excited I am that I have an excuse to browse through all of my fellow UK Etsian's shops without feeling guilty that I'm shopping instead of working?!

I've been selling on Etsy for only about 5 months now and yet I certainly see more British sellers now than when I first started; its very exciting and hopefully we'll see more great things coming out of the UK (and Europe) over the coming year! In the meantime though, here are some of my favourite items and shops hailing from the Great British Isles.

Long White Blossom Corsage Brooch from aaliciawedding (London)

Vintage Toffee Tin Box from Vintagekitty (York)

Hedgehog and Mushroom Baby Booties by Funkyshapes (Isle of Wight)

Wool Wrap Coat by 13threads (Edinburgh)


Vintage Tea Rose Sailor Top from LittleBeeVintage (Cornwall)

I hope you've enjoyed my little selection of items as much as I enjoyed discovering them; let me know if you have any suggestions for the next installment!

Celebrate Etsy's European Week!

As you may know, Etsy is celebrating it's European members next week with a 'European Week'; it's going to be a great way to discover some of the hidden gems made and sold by Etsians across Europe.

I've decided to join in the fun by publishing a series of blog posts during the coming week which focus on my own little corner of the European Etsy community - the UK - so I'm looking for your help in unearthing the best of British talent!

Please post links to your favourite shops and items which hail from the UK; I'll be featuring handmade items AND vintage items so get those links coming in!

At long last...

...Knock & Run has finally been launched! I'm so pleased to have everything up and running at long last; it feels like I've been planning it for ever but I wanted to try to have as much set up as possible before the launch. I hope all of the hard work pays off! I've already made my first sale so I'm hoping its a sign of good things to come. Here's a quick peek at some of my current favourite items:


Salt and Pepper Shakers

Brushed Metal Index

1919 Tennyson Collection

Do you have your own Etsy shop? Don't forget to leave a comment to let me know (I'm a self-confessed shopoholic after all).

Bold is Beautiful

Firstly a quick apology for the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks; things are quite hectic here as I get everything finalised for the launch of Knock & Run and also deal with a broken PC, a broken car and a teething baby! Who knows though, perhaps you'll all appreciate my slightly less regimented blogging style...

On the rare occasion that I take a break from all of the above I've taken some time to browse the stores of my fellow Etsians and naturally I'm always on the hunt for lovely vintage treasures. At the moment I seem to find myself drawn to bold prints and vibrant shades of green and yellow; perhaps I'm more excited about the arrival of Spring than I thought!

Here are just a few of my favourite finds discovered using the search terms 'bold' and 'spring' in the vintage section of Etsy (click on the images to visit the stores):

Handmade Retro Doillies by Beautiful Living

Vintage Amelia Earhart Luggage Set by AdVintagous

Vintage Metal Serving Cups by One Late Night

Encased Butterflies for Spring Flair by skyparlor

Do feel free to let me know if you've found another bold and beautiful vintage treasure!

Until next time (whenever that may be..!) x

And so it began...

So, here I am making my first ever blog post for She Loves Preloved! Hello. Nice to meet you.

I've deliberated a while over where to start and, as they say, the beginning seems as good a place as any.

I've recently returned from a short stay with the woman who surely started my obsession with hunting out vintage goodies and collecting beautiful things; my lovely old Nana. As a child nearly every holiday was spent at Nana's house and without a doubt my most prominent memories of those days are of trawling charity shops and boot sales looking for the next 'great find'. Over the years her 'finds' have literally taken over the house; I don't think you could find one cupboard door that isn't bursting at the hinges or a surface that isn't laden with ornaments and trinkets.

Although I've always shared her passion for treasure-hunting I must admit that it's taken me a long time (my full 27 years in fact!) to really begin understanding the motives behind her obsession; its not a need to shop that drives her but instead its the need to be surrounded by beautiful and interesting things; a need I (and you too, I'm sure) can appreciate. Looking around her house now I find that these shelves and cupboards adorned with what I might once have dismissed as junk are actually full to the brim with titbits you'd like to find in any well-styled contemporary home (with a little bit of kitsch thrown in for good measure, of course). So I took the liberty of snatching a few choice photos of this aladin's cave to share with you.

On my recent visit to Nana's I finally felt that I understood the woman behind the clutter. And, dear Nana, I think that woman has style.

Coming up... A look at my latest vintage finds... Updates on my journey to launch my home accessories store... and also keep an eye out for the tutorial I'll be posting in the next few weeks showing how to transform a vintage book cover into an essential office accessory...