Babushka Antiques

Babouska Antiques in Westmere is as the name suggests — packed to the brim with antiques often of a Russian persuasion. It’s a peculiar place that isn’t open very often — just four hours a day, three days a week — but if you can manage to get in during these strange times you’ll find a really excellent range of china, ceramics, glass and other oddities. My flatmate collects Russian dolls and always finds a new and interesting variation when we go there. I think the weirdest one we ever found was shaped like a Russian doll but had grotesque caricatures of the last seven Russian leaders on each doll. They were super creepy but really fascinating — who would make this stuff? And why?

This cute little shop tucked away in Westmere is more museum than retail outlet, and I love the quaint feel of everything in here.
They specialise in pretty bone china and pottery as well as collectible glass. Don’t be deterred if it looks closed up when you venture past… it’s only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 11am-​3pm. It’s a great place to poke around for a unique gift or a little something for your own china collection.
I recently found a lovely china tea cup set in here, for a hens’ party. Basically, the theme of the hens’ party is 1950s pin-​up and we’re starting out the /​afternoon evening with a high tea. Everyone is to bring along their own vintage tea cup set, which will be gifted to the bride-​to-​be at the end of the tea party! Such a brilliant idea, where the bride gets an awesome collection of eclectic and vintage teacups to add to her ‘dowry’!

You can never have too many of a) lipsticks and b) teacups. This is the unspoken rule. Except now I guess it has been spoken.
Well. back to the matter at hand. This antiques store deals exclusively in teacups and drink and serveware. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it, I thought I must have died and gone to heaven. How many places can you go to these days that you can actually buy novelty teaspoons to add to your own teaspoon collection! Needless to say I went a little mad in this store.
But I actually needed some cups and things anyway, and this option is way cheaper than buying whole sets from Briscoes or somewhere and so much cuter!