From Grandma, with love

A few weeks ago my uncle arrived at our house laden with plastic bags filled to the brim with what he called “junk”, found during a late spring clean he’d been having at his house. He wanted to throw these things away but was reluctant to do so without consulting my mother first. These posessions had belonged to my Grandmother who died in 1995 and had been collecting dust in various parts of the house (he lives in the ancestral home) ever since. I had a fleeting look and dismissed it as indeed junk. When my mother and I found time to investigate the bags properly we found ornaments I remembered from childhood, the special occasion trifle bowl that was the centre piece of every Christmas table, photograph albums and something rather special.

At the bottom of one of the bags we found a small handmade box made from picture postcards, sewn together with cotton and finished with a lone blue button. My mother immediately recognised it as belonging to her Aunt Clarissa, who died in the early seventies. It was full of jewellery. Below are the highlights of a box that was filled with more treasure than I could ever include on here, and my absolute favourites.







This was my Grandmother’s best necklace. It’s good as new and so beautiful. I love the flower clasp.


A gift from the English seaside.

I have an extensive collection of inherited brooches and this is my new favourite. I'll be pinning it on my blazer as soon as the cooler weather comes along.


Ladybirds!



One man’s junk really is another man's treasure!