Last weekend I posted my regular feature Weekend Discoveries and whispered about a new Artisan Emporium that had just opened in Clevedon.

Well today I am shouting aloud about the beauty of 19 Alexandra Road.

It's wonderful when you meet two individuals like Victoria and Becky, who are so passionate and so driven that they have taken their vision and made it a reality.

19 Alexandra Road is the most serene gallery style emporium, showcasing local artists and selling handpicked vintage pieces.  

I gasped when I opened the door, because from every picture displayed on the carefully thought through display boards to the unique finds laid out with space to pick them up and feel the history behind them, the attention to detail of two inspired shop keepers, shines through.

Every where I looked there was tiny details that piece together like a beautiful jigsaw. Vintage kitchen tables, wallpapered and painted for individual shop furniture, pictures displayed on giant boards as if in your home as a gallery wall display and flowers. Lots of flowers by the very talented Daisy Lane Floral Design.

19 Alexandra Road is quite different from a lot of vintage shopping experiences. Clutter free so you can really see everything that is for sale, every item has been polished and cleaned and displayed in a thoughtful and considered way, and you come away feeling special.

I loved the little touch of a bow wrapped round the awkwardly shaped tin box I bought and the tray and gold rimmed plate will be featuring in lots of Christmas blog posts! 

If you are local to the area then take half an hour to have a browse. It's wonderful to see a local independent business supporting local artists and sellers.

Welcome back to Sunday Prop Shop! Thank you to everyone who joined in last week. 

This week I am feeling blue. But in a good way.

Buying bargain props has become a little obsession.

I can't resist an odd plate here, something that could make a good background there, especially when I start to see a little collection forming in my cupboard outside.

One of my favourite things to do is admire them all together and then you can see any gaps in your hoarding. 

Kitchenalia is an easy thing to hoard and an easy thing to get carried away with. Storing lots of serving dishes and bits that get relegated to the back of the cupboard and aren't seen again unless they are packed in a box for a house move!

I know, I am at a point with my blue food props that I have everything I could need! Different styles, different patterns, different eras.

So when I am in a charity shop or at a boot sale my eyes are less drawn to the blue and more to the greens and reds. It's time to get festive! Only 6 weeks until C-day after all.

Blue is often tricky to photograph, especially in Winter. As the lower sun in the sky and the darker afternoons can make the whole photo look grey. Whites look dull and I often rely on the power of my Canon and editing program. 

My tip would be to take those pictures around 10am on a nice overcast day, in the garden, when the natural light is at it's most even. 

If that's not possible, like this week I have been on the road a lot working, I end up photographing a number of blog posts on a Saturday or Sunday morning, then take the following week to edit the photos ready to post.

Which is your favourite?

I adore the Bonjour painted side plate I won from Little Birdy Crafts and the Octopus plate I had for my birthday from Anthropologie. 

Whilst there is a tiny chip in the blue cabbage leaf, I still grabbed it off the charity shop shelf and paid £2, because it has a new life as a prop!

All the blue and white china I have bought from boot sales and charity shops for around 50p - £1 each. I use all of them in our everyday life too and they were perfect serving dishes for a buffet I hosted at a Nautical baby shower for a best friend recently!

I don't believe in having beautiful (even if not necessarily expensive) things that never get used. I love mis matching plates at dinner time and they all go through the dishwasher!

I love that they have history and they add interest to photographs. But I also love picking up little new accessories, like this snack bowl from Waitrose for a couple of pounds. A cute vase for a hydrangea head.

I brought a set of these mason jars from a local supermarket, home in my suitcase from America in the Summer and they make perfect cocktail glasses ready to be served on a little tray I found at a Christmas Market this week from Vintage Von.

On my ultimate wish list thought is an old fashioned wooden plate rack for the wall, so I could see al my plates in all their glory all year round!

Have you given anything a new lease of life as a prop? I'd love to share your photos. Link them up here and join in Sunday Prop Shop. I can't wait to be inspired.

I am so pleased when people take the time to link up. It's lovely to see everyone's posts every fortnight.

If you've gone to lots of effort with your photography lately, this is the place to show it off!

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Sammy is doing so well at school.

Settled, confident, the class character. He's brought home his first reading book and is relishing the challenge of learning to read.

I wanted to practise his letters at home in a creative way that Ollie would benefit from too. 

At 2, trying to get him involved in the book work is beyond his capabilities, but this idea went down a storm with both of them!

You need:

• baking trays
• magnetic letters
• icing sugar
• little sieve

Let them loose with the letters and after they have made their word, let them sprinkle the letters with icing sugar and then remove the magnetic letters.

The boys thought it was magic!

Simple pleasures, best played in the garden as the icing sugar goes everywhere!

Of course licking their icy fingers was the best bit.

What creative ideas have you tried to get your small people learning their letters?!