French dressing

My final post from our French holiday comes from the ancient Dordogne town of Monpazier, where we came across this gorgeous little kidswear boutique called Piquepoule, whose Dutch owner hand-makes beautiful Liberty print dresses for little girls in lovely vintagey styles (I'm hoping she might introduce some boys' rompers soon!). I also loved the paintbox bright tees and polos below. Inside is beautifully decorated, combining antique sewing paraphernalia, piles of fabric, old stone walls and crisp, bright colours, as well as an atelier and craft table for little visitors.

Inspiration from France

40s motorbike propped up in Saint Pompon Village

Van Gough chairs in the abbey

Worn cobbled floor

Vintage enamel kitchenware found in St Pompon attic sale

 Pretty candles from gorgeous Monpazier boutique Lilly Mary

Handmade pottery found at Monpazier market

 Cute cup from Lilly Mary

Milo loved his bunting

French Fancies

I'm afraid moving house and a holiday in wifi-less rural France has put paid to my blogging of late - and I now have a backlog of lovely things to post. The Dordogne provided plenty of vintage inspiration - flea markets, faded antiques, medieval market towns and some suitably chic boutiques.

 La Petite Minoche in the picture-perfect village of Daglan is a lovely hat shop where the young milliner creates vintage-style panamas and cloches, as well as contemporary looks from her atelier within the shop. Her wares are displayed on vintage hat stands, with framed antique fabrics and pressed flowers on the walls. Milo loved the little play area set up for mini hat lovers (although, he only likes his bike helmet at the moment.)

Pretty Knits

One of my favourite birthday gifts for Milo was a gorgeous handmade knit cardigan from Emma Embery (whose boutique I featured recently). I love the perfectly embroidered mini cars, balloons, the striped grosgrain ribbon and colourful buttons - can't wait for him to grow into this one! 

Bath Time

I promised a post on my highlights from our recent weekend in Bath - such a fantastic city with plenty to tempt me. I loved gorgeous home boutique Kiss the Frog Again for its mix of reclaimed and up-cycled vintage furniture for children and adults:

While Hansel und Gretel is a den of Alpine-inspired goods with one of the cosiest cafes I’ve ever seen in its basement - serving up the best strudel and hot chocolates in town:

The city also has its own fashion museum with a huge collection of historical dress - a great resource for vintage lovers. An exhibition dedicated to vintage wedding dresses is just about to start, appropriately on Valentines Day and running until January 2012. It will include the museum’s collection of wedding dresses, as well as previously unseen photographs of 30s couture dresses.