Sometimes you can stumble across a shop which you could happily spend an age in. It could be because there are so many items that appeal to your loves, or that it smells wonderful, or that there are so many nooks and crannies that the browse becomes a treasure hunt from one space to the next. And sometimes a space can tick all the boxes, and more.

This is what I adore about Tantalus (Bond Street, Brighton) – it has a bit of everything I love to experience when I am shopping. For a lover of old, pre-loved items that bear the glorious textures of  history it is an Aladdin’s cave of useable antiques and beautiful things, which double up as an eclectic range of changeable shop fittings for the stunning smaller goods also available for sale.

A vintage cut glass cake stand holds jewellery, or deliciously smelling soaps artfully wrapped in tissue or organza. A printers tray frames spools of brightly coloured ribbons like miniature artworks. Display cabinets bearing hand painted signs from a bygone era are resurrected honestly as holding areas for new pieces which need to be kept safe before sale. An old chemist’s cabinet holds the newest and very best organic and natural scents from some fantastic makers.

But the use of reclaimed and antique pieces must be treated with care – a scheme can fast fall from the beautifully eclectic to the realms of the dusty and dark junk shop, so a really keen eye has to be at work to ensure the interior ties together well. The key to this is to master the art of merchandising display, which many people play at but few conquer. I am glad to say that the interiors of Tantalus tie together fantastically to create a light, almost ‘gentleman’s club’ feel, with interest, intrigue and eclectic elements pulling the visitor from one section of the shop to another.

And the fact that the interior changes so often means that you will always discover another beautiful thing whenever you visit. I guarantee you could go in looking for a natural soap and come out with some beautiful socks and a bottle of the nicest smells you nose has ever experienced.

A truly lovely interior.

Tantalus, 28 Bond Street, Brighton, 01273 738828

Written by Claire Potter

Walking into Vintage at Goodwood you can tell this isn’t going to be any ordinary festival. For starters, you make your entrance via a red carpet. And if that isn’t enough there’s the real vintage high street complete with John Lewis, traditional pub and policemen chasing naughty schoolboys. You’ll also notice that on the wall of fame, where the festival’s best dressed can hope to find their photograph, 1950s style skirt suits, tuxedos, and elaborately coiffed hair outnumber the denim-shorts-and-wellies uniform of most festivals ten to one. This is because Vintage at Goodwood is the brainchild of two entrepreneurial designers, Gerardine Hemingway MBE and Wayne Hemingway MBE, co-owners of ‘Britain’s premier collection of cultural artefacts’, and Lord March, the brains behind Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival – and, as anyone who has ever been to one of these events knows, he certainly doesn’t do things by halves.

It’s hard to describe the atmosphere of the festival as there’s just so much going on. Dance troop performances spring up every now and then in front of shops and on the red carpet. If it’s raining, you can escape by watching Bugsy Malone in the cinema or grab a bite to eat in the Tanqueray Torch Club. There’s the huge red Pimm’s bus at one side of the field, and the 80s Audi Quattro Warehouse club at the other. Kids could the first day, mess around on the water bed – quite simply a giant (think swimming pool sized) orange water bed plonked next to the Leisure dome – or be entertained by the redcoats in the 50s style Butlins. You could enjoy a makeover in the Beauty Box salon (if you didn’t mind queuing out the door) or watch leather clad bikers zoom around the Wall of Death.

There was, of course, also the music. You could boogie on down to the best of British funk, soul and reggae in the Soul Casino, or enjoy a pint and have a go at the karaoke in the traditional pub. On the main stage bands like the Faces and the Buzzcocks wowed audiences with their sets and remarkable ability to keep their hair despite a good few decades of rock-and-roll lifestyle.

The defining feature of Vintage at Goodwood was, however, the fashion and design. You simply couldn’t go without dressing up. The attention to detail was fantastic – each area was compiled by an expert curator dedicated to their era (see videos here). Everyone entered into the spirit of the event – from stallholders who managed three days of mud in court shoes, to festival goers who managed to pull together immaculate outfits each day in their soggy tents! Queuing for my free makeover, I got chatting to an Adam Ant – also waiting to have his makeup done. Elaborately dressed, he worried that his outfit wasn’t quite up to scratch. That’s how high the standards were. However, the festival wasn’t snobbish – disco studs in joke shop wigs and medallions rubbed shoulders with ladies in vintage Chanel suits and the exact shade of lipstick that was popular in 1955. It retained the ultimately eclectic, welcoming vibe that a festival has – making Vintage accessible for those just out for a laugh and a go in the roller disco, as well as keeping the dedicated vintage lovers more than satisfied.

By Amy Sandiford-Watts

Madison Honey Vintage is Kimberley Vernonn’s creative outlet: ‘I create romantic and dreamy, fabulous hand-made limited edition jewellery, using vintage and modern trinkets to create cute little kitsch treasures.’ Named after her baby daughter Madison Honey , Kimberley’s company has been trading since December 2009. Being made redundant gave her the opportunity to transform her lifelong hobby – she has always made jewellery for family and friends – into a business she could develop at the same time as being a full-time mum.

Kimberley loves to scour boot fairs, flea markets and charity shops for beautiful vintage jewellery which she then recycles into her own modern designs, often inspired by the trinkets themselves. ‘I’ve been really into nature inspired pieces recently as I found a vintage necklace with gold plate leaves…’ Ranges popular with her customers are the Skull Cameo Lockets with black satin bows, French charm necklaces and Alice in Wonderland charm bracelets. No two pieces are ever quite the same but Kimberley has a passion for her occupation, and she says every piece is made with love.

There is nothing Kimberley loves more than to be given a commission to source unusual or rare charms – she’s currently on the look out for scissors and other sewing related charms for a fashion designer client – and expects to grow this service when her website is up and running soon. She will also invite prospective customers to contact her with ideas for customised pieces. She confesses to having recently been tempted to keep for herself a one-off bracelet she made especially for a friend using skull cameos and vintage silver charms: ‘I had to control myself…!’

Kimberley’s creations can be found here on The Brighton Collective website.

She sells at some craft fairs as well (including Telscombe Craft and Gift Market on the third Sunday of every month) and dreams of a bricks and mortar shop one day, to go alongside her online business.

Written by Catherine Meek

There’s nothing I love more than browsing the pages of design magazines – Elle Decoration, World of Interiors, Homes and Gardens etc. I also love to flick through Country Living and Country homes and interiors. I often come across images that I just adore – whether it’s a cushion, a lamp, a vase of flowers. Last year (there was a period of time when I had a LOT of time on my hands) I went through the magazines cutting out anything that caught my eye. Since then I have occasionally got this folder out and used the cuttings to create cards for friends. It’s cheap, it’s personal and scores a LOT of brownie points!

I was really interested when I found out about Rosie Granger who has been making collages for six years. ‘I’ve always been a collector of interesting bits & bobs – pictures from newspapers & magazines, old labels, tickets, scraps of tissue-paper and lovely vintage paper…’ explains Rosie (to my delight!) ‘and I have a couple of books full of words I’ve ‘collected’ – lyrics, or passages from books & quotes which I use in my artwork’.

Her artwork has a real retro, nostalgic and idyllic feel to it. ‘I love the style of the ’40s and ’50s’ says Rosie. ‘The fashion, design and the music’. ‘And things of a quite utilitarian nature really capture my attention, so I often use pictures of vintage radios, telephones and clocks in my collages’.

Rosie came to Brighton in 1989 to study Art History at Sussex and, like many, stayed on in Brighton after graduating. At that time Rosie’s artwork took an illustrative style using pen & watercolour. She sold paintings & handmade cards through Brighton outlets and had a market stall once a week.

Rosie tells me how she gradually moved away from drawing and painting as a result of the demands of a young family. ‘I started making these collage-pieces about 6 years ago, as birthday cards for friends and family’ she explains ‘I think my two daughters have had an influence too, with butterflies, flowers and glitter also featuring, these days!’

Polly from ‘Cross Street Press’ (who I will also be featuring on the blog) encouraged Rosie to come up with a few collage pieces to frame and show alongside her lino-cuts. The originals and some Limited Edition giclee prints are on sale in Brighton in the Frame Factory www.frame-factory.co.uk where Rosie works part-time as a picture framer.

By Helen Ruff

Sara Norwood creates wall art, cushions and accessories. Her work blurs the boundaries between textile design and illustration. Here is the recipe for her particular style:

- A teaspoon of narrative

- A dash of novelty

- A pinch of interactiveness

- A small portion of humour

- A tablespoon of imagination

- A large tablespoon of fun
Sara’s ethos is to create art and articles in the most eco friendly ways as possible and inject them with humour and imagination. Having always been fascinated by animals they regularly appear in Sara’s work, as do street scenes, often of Brighton and sometimes the two combine to tell a story.

I really love the fact that Sara uses vintage fabrics as the backing for her cushions!

‘My work is inspired essentially by everything around me’ explains Sara ‘I am a bit of a big kid and love anything a bit magical or off-beat’. She tells me fairytales and folktales often inspire her as well as graphics and illustration. ‘I love the imagery of 1970′s craftbooks, as well as funky vintage fabrics and Scandinavian textile design. I am also a huge fan of Japanese craft, design and Kawaii culture’.

Before settling on textiles Sara turned her hand to varied creative pursuits – from graphic design to pottery (!) but drawing has always been her main passion. She holds a first class honours degree in Surface and Textile Design and is a member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen, a prestigious association for designer-makers founded in 1887 by William Morris and Walter Crane.

Originally from London Sara moved to Brighton with her family when she was 12 ‘I love Brighton’s laid back quirky atmosphere’ says Sara ‘and the fact that there are all walks of life here. You never know what you’re going to see next, you can be walking along the road and see someone dressed up as an enormous white rabbit and not even turn your head…..in this way, living in Brighton very much inspires my work!’

Sara’s work can be viewed and purchased via her website www.saranorwood.co.uk, at Pebbles Homestyle & Gift Store, 86 High Street, Rottingdean and Pardon My French!, 15 St George’s Road, Kemp Town. She is happy to undertake commissions – perhaps you would like a personalised accessory or art piece, incorporating your pet or street into a design…..

By Helen Ruff

The Baglady of Brighton revamps, revives, and recycles vintage fabrics, trimmings and odd bits and bobs to create unique and unusual bags, pouches and purses.

The ‘Baglady’ herself– designer & creator Katy Dormer (who is much more glamorous than she sounds!) fuses together an array of unusual textures and patterns in clashing colours. ‘Giving a new lease of life to old and almost new, means everything has a use and nothing gets wasted’ she says.

Materials are bonded together using traditional techniques such as weaving, quilting and embroidery.

On her website www.bagladyofbrighton.com she features different styles such as ‘Seaside Inspirations’ – these pieces take inspiration from Brighton seascapes. ‘The designs and textures evolve from observing the tidal ripples and the vibrant, moody colours of the sea’ says Katy.

The ‘vintage’ section features luxurious satins, lace and pretty floral prints.

‘Camp Kitty’ is a character that also features on Katy’s bags and purses so I asked her about her inspiration for this. ‘The kittys came about after I was given a box of whiskers cat treats for my cat Clyde’ she explains ‘He turned his nose up at them and instead of throwing the box away I thought the lid would make a great template and so it did!’

Katy explains that she scours charity shops for fabrics and is very lucky to have lots of great resources donated. ‘Its amazing what people hold onto because they love the colour, pattern or texture’ says Katy ‘it feels good to revive what’s been stuck in a cupboard for years!’

Katy grew up on the outskirts of St Ives in Cornwall, she studied Art in St Ives and Falmouth and Textiles in Farnham, finally moving to Brighton where ‘Baglady’ was born. ‘I started making a bag for my sister for a birthday present’ says Katy ‘she had a friend who loved it so I made another and so it started!’

I asked Katy how she came up with the fantastic name ‘Baglady’: ‘It popped into my head one day when I was having a sort out and caught myself laughing of the image of me headfirst in a bin bag rummaging for fabric to re use before it went in the bin!’

Katy tells me she has recently met knitwear designer Suzan Pearson through Brighton and Hove Chamber of commerce and they are in the process of setting up a design collective to share an open studio. She says she is looking forward to working with creatives from different disciplines.

The Baglady of Brighton’s studio is at 19 Montpelier Place, Brighton and appointments can be made by contacting Katy on 07747650795 or bagladyofbrighton@googlemail.com

Her work is also sold via Retail Therapy; 101 Gloucester rd, North Lain, Brighton and at a regular craft market on 1^st Saturday of every month at Friends Meeting House, Ship street, south lanes, Brighton

By Helen Ruff

Gillian Bates is a lady who does like to be beside the seaside!

She is a professional designer-maker who specializes in embroidered textile art. I discovered her when my quests for blog subjects took me East to an old haunt of mine – the elegant seaside town of Eastbourne.

Gillian is a self confessed fabric lover who produces textile art in the form of wall hung canvases. ‘I’m a little bit obsessed, it’s perfectly true’ she says ‘I go funny around fabric’.

She collects vintage and reclaimed fabric to incorporate into her work.

Gillian is heavily influences by her local environment. ‘The brilliantly idiosyncratic, seaside towns of Sussex, their wonderful residents and stunning architecture continue to be the single, greatest driving force behind my work and a constant source of enjoyment and inspiration’ she says.

She goes on to explain that other influences include seaside postcards, vintage film footage of seaside holidays and mid 20^th century tourism advertising.

I know what she means exactly – I’ve got such vivid images in my mind! – old black and white images of people sporting amazing retro swimwear, donkey rides, deckchairs, windbreakers…. Punch & Judy! Even wandering along the promenade in Brighton or Eastbourne these days you’ll be struck with a whimsical sense of nostalgia… the bandstand, seagulls stealing your 99, tourist shops selling sticks of rock and ‘kiss me quick’ hats, the amusement arcade…

Anyway – I digress!

Gillian explains why her work is so heavily focused around her local area ‘I believe that habit and habitat draw a veil over our eyes. We become so accustomed to the people and places we see everyday that eventually we fail to see them properly at all. My aim is to pull back the veil and in doing so reveal the extraordinary and beautiful wonder of everyday life’.

In addition to textile canvases Gillian also produces a range of other contemporary textile products. Her quirky and colourful textile postcards are particularly popular – the debut collection having completely sold out. The handmade textile postcards are created using digital images of the original, textile canvases. They are printed on cotton and backed with a white 260 gsm postcard. Postcard designs include ‘Brighton Pier’, ‘Eastbourne Pier’ and ‘Bournemouth Pier’ and are an absolute bargain at just £3.50!

Gillian’s obsession for all things textile led her to successfully gaining a BA(Hons) in Textile and Surface Design in 2007 . During her studies she was shortlisted for the RSA Fashion Interiors Bursary Award.

Do you remember when you used to finish a roll of film, rewind it and take it to be developed in its little black case? The element of surprise was fantastic wasn’t it?!

Cassia Beck has been telling me all about her vintage cameras and the inspiration behind her work.

‘Brighton is full of inspiration!’ says Cassia ‘I am inspired by shop window displays and the seaside attractions I once hated. The Helter Skelter and Carousel on the pier are part of my most popular photographs’.

Cassia evokes a sense of nostalgia in her work by using vintage cameras – the results look like something unearthed from a time capsule due to the scratches and fluff on the lens. She explains how she started out: ‘I knew someone who owned a Holga camera, I fell in love with the saturated colours, vignetting and light leaks’. She bought a Kodak
Duaflex which she uses to produce these fantastic images.

When you look at her seaside collection – the helter skelter on the pier and an image of the seafront carousel which she has romantically entitled ‘A Love Affair Rekindled’ – you really get a sense of good old fashioned ‘Britishness’!… of a time when life was simple.

As well as seaside icons Cassia also shoots and sells nature prints – images of beautiful flowers entitled ‘I loved You Once’ and ‘Raspberries & Cream’. And…. As if these fabulous images aren’t enough…. she runs a second online shop (via Etsy) called ‘Lola’s Room’. The images in Lola’s room have a different look and feel about them and are achieved using a digital camera and post processing to wash out and fade the colours. The images are sweet, nostalgic and contain plenty of pastel colours! – Reels of pretty cotton, jars of sweets, cupcakes…

Cassia sets up still life shots at home using her much loved vintage ornaments as props.

Currently Cassia is working on a project with fellow photographer Shannon Blue. It’s a year long project entitled ‘A Year in Pictures’ whereby each photographer takes one
photograph a week of an everyday subject and they’re displayed side by side. ‘We thought it would be interesting to see our different view of the same subject’.

You can follow this project via the blog http://everydayvision.blogspot.com/ and you can browse and buy Cassia’s iconic images for yourself on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=8201757 and Folky http://www.folksy.com/shops/CassiaBeck
Her work is also displayed at the IO Gallery in Brighton.

By Helen Ruff

As a result of the recession we’re seeing a much more modest approach to weddings and events and the ‘DIY’ wedding is becoming increasingly popular. i.e. renting a barn and putting together all the elements yourself. What better way to jolly up a barn (or any room for that matter) than to adorn the ceilings and walls with metres and metres of kitsch, colourful bunting! The effect is reminiscent of a post war street party and give a real ‘village fete’ feel.

Sue Maulin runs www.buntingboutique.co.uk and lovingly makes metres and metres of bunting by hand. She offers a delightful mix of colours and patterns, choosing her fabric combinations very carefully and often using vintage fabrics to create the unique overall look.

You can rent the bunting for a special event – every packet of bunting consists of a 3 metre length and each 3 metre length consists of 9 beautiful triangles. The hire price is £7 per packet. Or you can buy the bunting via The Bunting Boutique website.

Sue, who has a background in fashion, also runs www.magpieandme.co.uk – a textile label that produces handmade functional designs such as brooches, purses and bracelets. Sue is strongly influenced by vintage finds and loves to blend old fabric and trims with soft leather to make her accessories.

Each piece is handcrafted with love such as the ‘leather flower bracelet’. The strap of the bracelet is made from embroidered vintage trim. It fastens with a hand made loop made from embroidery silk and a small button. The flower is made from a lovely soft lemon leather and has a mother of pearl button in the centre.

Each bracelet is handmade and comes attached to a card.

by Helen Ruff

I collect vintage china – I scour car boot sales and charity shops – and nothing breaks my heart more than seeing a beautiful, elegant bone china teacup complete with a chip or a crack. No matter how small the chip – it ruins the whole effect. And how about a stunning saucer with no matching cup?… Useless but surely no reason to leave the 10p item behind?

In fact I have a whole box of damaged/redundant items. So my heart practically skipped a beat when I came across Anna Tilson who makes incredible mosaics using vintage china. Like me, she scours car boot sales and charity shops carefully selecting vintage pieces to turn into beautiful, eclectic, precious objects.

Anna’s inspiration originates from Indian textiles and Islamic architecture to patchwork quilts and pink roses! She describes her style as ‘a combination of a Victorian boudoir and 1930s tea room – nostalgic and whimsical’.

Her expanding collection includes fancy mirrors, eclectic vases, romantic brooches, garden tables, flower pots and “wallflowers” (fancy floral wall plaques).

Anna Tilson was born in 1959 in London. She studied textiles and fashion at St. Martins School of Art between 1978 and 1982. After leaving college Anna become a freelance textile designer, setting up a studio in London. She set up her own business, making hand printed scarves and clothes. Outlets for her textiles included Neiman Marcus – New York, Liberties of London, the Crafts Council at the V&A and the annual Chelsea Crafts Fair.

In 1999 Anna changed discipline and produced a collection of beautiful mosaic works.

She works from her studio just off the seafront in Brighton where she runs mosaic workshops. If you’re interested in Anna’s work or would like to book onto a workshop please check out her website www.areaatlas.com

Anna regularly exhibits in the Brighton Festival and the following local shops stock her work: Appendage, Kensington Gardens & Wickle, Lewes High Street.

By Helen Ruff