The Other Duckling

Loved up...

2012-01-25T06:10:00.000-08:00

What better way to greet your loved one on Valentine's morning, than with a great cup of coffee, kept toasty warm in one of these cute cafetiere cosies...

Loved up...

2012-01-04T07:05:00.000-08:00

We haven't had any of our handpainted love-seats on the site for a while but we've just recently painted up this little beauty in a gorgeously lived-in creamy beige. Worth a look if you fancy a little bit of something lovely...

Flutterby Butterfly...

2011-11-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

This rather special vintage butterfly wall cabinet is handpainted, perfectly pretty and we LOVE it. We've been surprised that no-one's snapped it up already but our photo doesn't really do it justice... it would make a fabulous Christmas present though if you're on the hunt for something a bit different... otherwise Erica will kidnap it for our bathroom revamp in the new year.

Jack Frost is in town...

2011-11-24T02:07:00.000-08:00

This morning's definite wintry chill and that hint of frost in the garden got us thinking Christmas thoughts... We reckon it's not time to decorate till December but that's not to say we're not going to have a sneaky peek at a bauble or two, and maybe we'll just dig out the festive blocks...

Brrrrrrr....

2011-10-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

Definitely time to add an extra layer for optimum night-time snuggliness and this gorgeous quilt beats a moth-eaten bobbly old blanket hands down..

Must-have blackboard...

2011-10-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

Our handy vintage framed blackboard has only just been added to our almost-finished kitchen, and already it's filling up with our baby girl's hectic social schedule... won't be long before she's using it to create her own chalk masterpieces...

Potty but pretty...

2011-10-05T02:48:00.000-07:00

This gorgeous rose chamber pot is after a home. Perfect for popping a plant into, for adding a splash of colour to a cranny or for potty training a very refined toddler...

Looking for a wonderful wedding present?

2011-09-02T02:24:00.000-07:00

If you're running out of wedding pressy ideas and need to find something special, why not go for a gorgeous embroidered coffee cosy? Made to snuggle round a cafetiere they're the perfect thing for lazy newly wed breakfasts in bed... and fear not we have tea cosies too.

Fancy a dip?

2011-08-15T12:13:00.001-07:00

When we needed a gorgeous gift for a friends wedding, a set of these pretty dipping bowls sprung to mind. Perfectly suited for serving a splash of soy with sushi or a selection of sumptuous snacks, they're as pretty as a picture and went down a treat.

Win win win - with Dorset Cereals

2011-06-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

This week we're super excited to be taking part in Dorset Cereal's ace spin the bottle competition. We've got two sets of some of our favourite furnishing flourishes to give away to whoever spins and wins so why not pop over to their wonderful website here and have a go? There are packs of yummy cereal up for grabs too and the site is definitely worth a good browse around if you've got a tea break coming up...

For the person who has everything...

2011-06-23T02:49:00.001-07:00

Stuck for a little something? Looking for a gift that's postable and practical (sort of)? Want to raise a smile without breaking the bank? Looking for an original end of term 'thankyou' pressy? What could be better than an egg cosy shaped like a guinea pig? Problem solved.

Dotty about spots...

2011-06-01T01:51:00.000-07:00

We love to have plenty of polka dot... and we're fairly fond of a morsel of melamine too so these fabulous little melamine dinner sets are right up our street. Cheery red or pretty sky blue, the choice is yours... we're thinking red for a drab day indoors and blue to take out for a sunny picnic in the park. You can buy each piece individually, or as a set and the teeny price tag is pretty dotty too.

We're in 'Let's Knit' Magazine

2011-04-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

Erica's been chatting to the lovely ladies at 'Let's Knit' about her work, and there's an interview in this month's edition of the magazine. There's a great cardigan pattern in there too that she might just have a bash at...

Parsely, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme...

2011-04-19T01:25:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a bit of tidying up and sorting out at this time of the year to make you feel virtuous so if your spice rack is in need of a bit of a spruce up why not upgrade your dried herb collection by popping them into a set of these cute herb tins. Simple. Then you'll definitely deserve that deckchair break in the sunshine...

Love is in the air...

2011-01-27T03:43:00.000-08:00

We're starting to feel a little bit loved up in preparation for Valentine's day so we've gathered a sprinkling of little love tokens that might just suit the object of your affection...

why not woo them with a simple hanging heart like this one...

or something a smidgeon softer like this fabric heart...

or how about a gorgeous garland of hearts?

or a pretty pearly button heart?

this loved-up mug might do the trick...

and this little cushion could be good for cosying up...

or maybe woo her with a pretty frame, and promise to share a romantic photo opportunity sometime soon to fill it with...

Dull and wet days...

2011-01-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

Dull and wet days getting you down? Brighten your rooms with these lace printed candles - available in three colours, they're big enough to shed a gorgeous glow and they'd make a lovely present too. xxx

Happy New Year

2010-12-30T06:54:00.000-08:00

We've had a super busy Christmas - knitting like mad, packaging up piles of festive parcels, keeping our fingers crossed that the snow wouldn't delay our deliveries and cuddling our gorgeous new baby girl in between times.

We're looking forward to a 2011 full of good cheer, a sunny summer, less gloom and doom and a great selection of fabulous new furnishing flourishes coming to The Other Duckling.

In the meantime, Happy New Year.

Website work-in-progress

2010-10-23T02:25:00.000-07:00

We're having a little refresh and tidy-up of our website at the moment so don't be alarmed if it looks a little bit wobbly once in a while. All the important stuff is still working fully and soon it'll look better and work better than ever... and then we'll be all ready to add some festive trimmings...ho ho.

Cheered up chairs...

2010-10-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

We've been hard at work sprucing up and revamping some lovely vintage chairs for the site. Here's a little sneak preview but expect to see some more popping up in our fleamarket finds collection over the next little while too...

Five minutes to spare?

2010-10-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

Why not take a trip to our facebook page and have a look at our brand new photo gallery, full of interesting fleamarket finds and inspirational revamped furniture. Lovely.

A proper cup of tea needs a proper tea-pot...

2010-10-06T02:56:00.000-07:00

Some days it just seems right to have a cuppa by your side all day long, and if they keep coming perfectly brewed from a proper teapot, so much the better. Today is definitely one of those days so we'll be using one of these too...

Cosy up by candlelight...

2010-10-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

Now the nights are starting to draw in and everything's getting a bit dingy by going home-time, it's not a bad moment to stock up on the tealights and add a gorgeous cheering glow to to your home. We've gone wild with these sundae glass holders and let them twinkle across the mantelpiece, sparkle in the grate, cosy up the kitchen and add a bit of romance to the boudoir. Go on - get glowing.

Suffering with squashed sandwiches?

2010-09-22T01:08:00.000-07:00

If so, this brilliant set of eight snazzily coloured sandwich boxes is nothing short of a culinary godsend - especially at this challenging 'back to school' time of year. Perfect for transporting snacks of all shapes and sizes, for storing food in the fridge or for keeping bits and bobs (food or otherwise) tidy, these sturdy storage solutions are super value too.

Smashing

2010-09-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

We've been hunting for some eggcellent eggcups to go onto our site (and our breakfast table) for a while now, and we reckon we've cracked it with this cheery melamine eggcup set. Our little green horse egg cosy looks pretty impressed anyway...

Best left well alone...

2010-08-24T09:29:00.001-07:00

Sometimes we spot a bit of furniture that's just so lovely that all we do is give it a little bit of a clean, add a dab of polish and hope for a cosy nook in a new home. This vintage chair is just such a thing (though it's happy sitting alongside our favourite new 'Pip' wallpaper for the time being)

A bird in the hand...

2010-08-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

We do have a penchant for anything and everything with little birds on it... and if it comes embroidered, like these pretty hooks, so much the better. Perfect for glamorously displaying gorgeous jewellery, they just need a strand of beads and a silk scarf or two to really make them sing...

Bright new look for our favourite bowls

2010-08-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

Our sturdy melamine bowl sets have been a sure fire winner this season, and we're excited to have got our hands on a vibrant new colour range. They still make brilliant serving solutions, are perfect for picnics and handy for storing... and this new set will give a stunning splash of sunshine colour to your sideboard.

The perfect placemat...

2010-08-10T02:38:00.000-07:00

Natural hemp, cute embroidery, little pink birds, peacocks and flowers. And they're nice and chunky and sensibly sized to boot. What more could you ask for from a placemat?

chill out with a cherryade...

2010-08-02T05:28:00.000-07:00

We love these cutely retro soda glasses with their little bunches of cherries and gilt edges. Ideal for a serving up some cool cocktails or something iced and fizzy. Roller skates optional.

More tea, vicar?

2010-07-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Mixing and matching vintage teacups to create an eclectic country garden high tea is easy when you know where to start. Just take a look at some of the cute cups & saucers we have in our fleamarket finds collection, whip up a tray of fairy cakes and pop the kettle on...

A touch of lavender...

2010-07-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

We've just added these super chirpy hanging birds to the site. They're filled with lovely lavender, made from a fabulous selection of fabrics and would make an ace addition to a set of drawers that need a dash of colour, or as a cheery light or blind pull. They smell yum so would work well as a wardrobe freshener too, but we reckon they're a bit too pretty to be shut away...

Not hanging around for long...

2010-07-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

It may be the wonderful sunny weather, or the fact that gardens and hanging baskets nationwide are bursting with florally fabulous colour and we fancy bringing a bit of it indoors that means there's been a bit of a rush on these gorgeous coat hooks. How could you possibly not love that little bird perching amongst the petals?

Bake it better

2010-06-30T04:15:00.000-07:00

Baking is so much more fun when you have something brilliant to beat it all together in and this fantastic vintage French mixing bowl makes us smile and reach for a rolling pin every time we see it. Nigella, Delia... you'd better watch out because we're putting our pinnies on.

We've featured in 'insight'magazine...

2010-06-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

We were pleased to see a fab piece about our website in this week's 'insight' magazine. Featuring shots of our vintage teapot, revamped bushel box, painted chairs, rabbit cushions, magnetic frames and mini blackboards we hope it gave a good introduction as to what we're all about (though Andrew was just excited to see he had been quoted in print :)

Make a note...

2010-06-22T01:55:00.000-07:00

If you're after a handy solution for directing guests to your garden party, or if you always need a nudge to remember to put the bins out or feed the guinea pigs, these cute mini blackboards may well be the answer. Scribble down your message and dangle from a doorknob for a snazzy alternative to a scrap of paper.

Also available in gorgeous green...

2010-06-02T01:26:00.000-07:00

We've got our hands on a gorgeous green Farrow & Ball and added it to our range of painted chairs. The Lovebirds chair is particularly perfect in this summery shade.

P.S. Our chairs make an ideal wedding gift because we can hand paint a personalised message on the rear of the back panel to make them that extra bit special. Makes a nice change from a toaster too.

Summer evenings deserve candlelight...

2010-06-01T01:19:00.000-07:00

We've heard a rumour that the sunshine will be back a bit later in the week so we'll be enjoying eating supper outside in the garden once again. We've been after some pretty, windproof candles for the table for a while now and these lace printed candles seem perfect. In three summery colours, they're big enough to shed a gorgeous glow and they'd make a lovely present too.

Al fresco anyone?

2010-05-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

We're really pleased to have this gorgeous handmade pottery on the site. It's a fabulous Mediterranean blue and every piece is uniquely special. We're particularly fond of the pretty flower plate, and can't wait to serve up some olives in that bowl...

Perfect for picnics

2010-05-25T00:21:00.000-07:00

What a scorcher we had last weekend... We celebrated the sunshine with some serious al-fresco eating - barbies, picnics and summery salads. Our excellent jewel coloured melamine bowls came in super handy for serving up in style, transporting delicacies and storing valuable leftovers. They're stackable, sturdy, dishwasher-proof and sooo useful. Long may the sunshine last.

The sweetest thing...

2010-04-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

Our current favourite thing has got to be the perfectly titled bon-bon dish.
They're as pretty as a picture an ace for nibbles to nestle in. We especially love this little glass dazzler...

and the colour of this svelte beauty...

They make us want to pop out and buy a quarter of toffee bon-bons.

'Note to self' in style...

2010-03-30T01:44:00.000-07:00

Make a break from doodling your messages on the backs of old envelopes, and your shopping lists on the back of your hand with something a bit more snazzy. These gorgeous revamped vintage plaster frames make brilliant blackboards that will still look smart even when scribbled on.

Run rabbit, run

2010-03-25T05:04:00.000-07:00

There's no speedier route to an instant spruce-up than with a crisp new cushion or two and we're loving this little bunny. He's hand printed onto top quality linen union and you can find him here. His pigeon pals are similarly fabulous too.

vintage ceramics anyone?

2010-03-10T01:38:00.001-08:00

We've been on the hunt for lovely vintage ceramics for a while now, and Andrew found he couldn't resist this quirky salt & pepper pair. For these, and some beautiful vintage crockery, why not visit our fleamarket finds collection...

2010-03-01T00:39:00.000-08:00

As promised, we've started adding some ace new bits onto the website. First to land last night were some gorgeously cheery new knitted cushions from erica quincey knits... including one in our favourite duck design, and some blooming marvelous flowers. Now the range is that little bit bigger there's room to mix and match for the full knit-tastic effect. They'll get their own space on the site soon (once we've had a bit of a spring clean) but for now they're here, and that's just for starters....

ps. thanks for modelling, Bonnie x

Snap happy

2010-02-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

Our fab friend (and excellent photographer) Graham popped over today to help us out with the huge backlog of photography that's built up as a result of all the exciting new products and and interesting fleamarket finds that we've collected over the last little while for the website. He did a stirling job (for this we thank you Graham) and only required a cuppa and the odd flapjack to keep him going all day long. Impressive. We're looking forward to seeing his snaps go live in the next few days.

Will spring cleaning hurry spring along?

2010-02-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

We definitely think it's time that Spring started making an appearance. The snow was lovely, it was great to snuggle up in front of the fire during those long dark evenings, and a crispy, cold Christmas was exactly what we were after, but now it's just cold and damp and frankly a bit depressing. We're thinking that maybe starting a bit of Spring cleaning might hurry things along. Nothing too strenuous, just a bit of cleaning and polishing - in fact maybe we'll just do a bit of washing up, but make sure we look the part...

...a cute, inspirational tea-towel...

...a vintage pinny with a bit of 'Mrs Beeton' style...

...and a washing up brush that means business...

Phew. Time for a cosy cuppa and a bit of carrot cake. Washing down the walls and beating the carpets can wait.

Exposed

2010-01-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

We've been spotted by some very stylish people, out and about in the chicest of cities....

...in London, Manchester and Birmingham's must have new weekly glossy 'Stylist'

Our knitted people cushion has made it into the Style list...

...and we're alongside a zebra, a guinea pig and some fabulous boots so we couldn't be happier.

Oval room blues

2010-01-20T02:04:00.000-08:00

Our new favourite colour for January is this gorgeous blue from Farrow & Ball. Sitting somewhere between duck egg and winter sky it's popped up on one of our latest painted chairs and we can't get enough of it...

New vintage & revamped - coming soon

2010-01-07T01:41:00.000-08:00

We're gathering some really exciting new pieces together for our f'leamarket finds collection. Once we've finished sprucing them up and giving them a facelift we'll unveil them on the site... (we can't wait!). Take a look here to see what we've got already.

We're Not On The High Street...

2010-01-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

We're very excited because we've been included on fab interiors and gifts website Not On The High Street. It seems people are spotting us already and we're super-pleased to be listed on such a high profile webspace...

Stay snuggly until spring...

2009-12-31T09:14:00.000-08:00

The temperature seems set to stay low for a while yet so we'll be cosying up alongside some woolly knitted cushions, adding an extra throw to our beds and making the dash to the bathroom a little less chilly with a rug or two. Thank goodness for santa and those snuggly slippers...

Our hanging hearts make a perfect little pressy..

2009-12-16T00:28:00.000-08:00

These little beauties have been going down a storm at our Christmas Fayres. They're embossed zinc and super-light so are perfectly postable if you're looking for a cute gift to send to someone special, or they'd make a much appreciated teacher's present. They look fabulously festive on a Christmas tree but similarly gorgeous hung from a handle or door knob all year round. Pop over to http://www.theotherduckling.co.uk/embossed-hanging-heart-484-p.asp if you fancy one.

Our first festive fair...

2009-11-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

We've just got back from a fun mornings' festivities in Surrey... It was mulled wine and mince pies all round and our hanging hearts, potion dispensers and sparkly hooks went down a treat. Still five weeks to go, but it seems it's definitely time to start thinking about stocking fillers and perfect pressies...

Find us on the 'house to home directory'...

2009-11-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

We've joined the fabulous 'house to home' directory... http://directory.housetohome.co.uk/directory/company/the_other_duckling_/351026

We're in the Daily Mail...

2009-11-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

We had a chat with Emma from the Daily Mail the other day about cosying up for winter and how to go about making your home into a haven for hibernation. Lo and behold she's included a little picture of one of our knitted pouffes on her interiors page and given us a lovely mention. Brill.

Time for a tea (or coffee) break Treffry style...

2009-10-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

We're super-excited about the fact that we've just added Poppy Treffry's gorgeous embriodered accessories to our collection. The cafetiere cosies are a particular favourite, but we've also got a soft spot for her 'waggy dog'...

'Waggy Dog' mug

'I love coffee' cosy

'Teacups' teapot

'Beach huts' cushion

The Other Duckling is blogging...

2009-10-28T05:51:00.000-07:00

The Other Duckling website has been live for a fortnight so it seems like the right time to venture further into the world-wide-web.

It's early days for this blog, but if you'd like to find out more about us, take a trip to www.theotherduckling.co.uk

See you again soon
Andrew