Meadowsweet China Pattern by Ridgway
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All About Meadow Sweet Grove
Meadow Sweet Grove takes its name from a set of dishes used on the dinner table in my childhood. This blue and white china featured an idyllic cottage in the English countryside - the pattern was called "Meadowsweet" and I still have a few surviving pieces! I always thought; “Who wouldn’t want to live in that peaceful and pretty home?” |
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I have always been drawn to gardens, older charming homes and vintage items. The feelings evoked are hard to explain - I just know that they weave a magical spell around me and make me want to stay forever!
So now I live with a Grumpy Old Garden Gnome (my husband) in a beautiful 1912 Edwardian home. This little house is tall and narrow and sits on a very tiny city plot ... which he has lovingly converted, into a “little piece of country in the city”. The garden provides us with quite a few of the ingredients that I use in my recipes. The Littlest Fairy in the Grove (my daughter) has instinctive wisdom that provides me with inspiration for some of my blog articles. She also creates some of the GIFs and videos that I use and you can see her artwork on Meadow Sweet Grove’s website under “Rhian’s Renderings”. |
Your home is your sanctuary and is infused with your type of magic. I believe that strength and grounding grows when you live in a home that reflects your taste and is filled with items that truly express your own unique leanings.
Sometimes, on my daily outings and errands, I see treasures that I can't bear to leave behind. It is such a pleasure to serve meals on vintage or retro china, to wear unique jewellery and to be surrounded by sweet figurines, trinkets or seasonal do-dads that radiate good vibes. They greatly enhance the contentment and pleasure I take from my home.
Buying and using vintage or pre-loved items helps to serve Mother Nature in a direct way. An item is kept out of the landfill for a while longer and the demand on manufacturers is reduced. And as vintage items are frequently of a much higher quality than today's items ... they tend to hold their charm, last longer, and were sometimes even designed to serve multiple functions; thus meeting the very definition of sustainability. Quite often, money is saved too!
Sometimes, on my daily outings and errands, I see treasures that I can't bear to leave behind. It is such a pleasure to serve meals on vintage or retro china, to wear unique jewellery and to be surrounded by sweet figurines, trinkets or seasonal do-dads that radiate good vibes. They greatly enhance the contentment and pleasure I take from my home.
Buying and using vintage or pre-loved items helps to serve Mother Nature in a direct way. An item is kept out of the landfill for a while longer and the demand on manufacturers is reduced. And as vintage items are frequently of a much higher quality than today's items ... they tend to hold their charm, last longer, and were sometimes even designed to serve multiple functions; thus meeting the very definition of sustainability. Quite often, money is saved too!
And very often you can find a vintage item that, if manufactured today, would automatically require batteries to function, even though the technology has long existed for it to operate manually (eg wind-up alarm clock). (You will find some of these items in my "New Days, Old Ways" category). Sometimes, the charm lies in the country they hail from, or they simply add an uniqueness to your home that can't be found by following the trend of the day and buying goods that are widely-distributed to multiple stores. To that end, you will see that most of the items I sell in my "Vintage" & "Pre-Loved" categories are from many different countries around the world (eg Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Japan and more!), and also from various eras - each chosen for their quality or uniqueness.
When I do offer new items for purchase, I try to also select, where possible, items manufactured in a variety of countries, or from the handmade/cottage industry. As you can imagine, this can sometimes be quite difficult to achieve. The world has put so much of its manufacturing "into one basket", so to speak. But I do look diligently for these items and you will see some of them in my "Brand New" category. Again, they are selected for their special character.
I share a special fondness for fairy tales, mythologies and folklore and thus you will notice many categories dedicated to the wee folk! "Fairy & Wee Folk", "Fairy Tales & Mythology", "Dragons & Unicorns" and "Witches & Wizards" - just to name a few! So much delicious folklore and customs are woven into the holidays and these are celebrated in my seasonal categories as well.
The fairies and I welcome you to visit the Grove often -- to enjoy seasonal articles and images, comfy home cooking recipes and a little bit of folklore. You may also find some enchanting and unique items in the little Shop at Meadow Sweet Grove - which I endeavour to stock with vintage and eclectic treasures from many different countries around the world.
Good magic! Vicki
I share a special fondness for fairy tales, mythologies and folklore and thus you will notice many categories dedicated to the wee folk! "Fairy & Wee Folk", "Fairy Tales & Mythology", "Dragons & Unicorns" and "Witches & Wizards" - just to name a few! So much delicious folklore and customs are woven into the holidays and these are celebrated in my seasonal categories as well.
The fairies and I welcome you to visit the Grove often -- to enjoy seasonal articles and images, comfy home cooking recipes and a little bit of folklore. You may also find some enchanting and unique items in the little Shop at Meadow Sweet Grove - which I endeavour to stock with vintage and eclectic treasures from many different countries around the world.
Good magic! Vicki
