5-6-7-8 Vintage

Paris!

2012-02-11T15:55:00.000-08:00

Yep, this week i managed to take a day off from endlessly updating the Etsy store and i had a little day trip to Paris! I stumbled over a cheep Eurostar ticket deal on the net and although i'm supposed to be saving money i convinced myself that i could combine working (i.e. flea market visiting) with a fun day out. Above are a slightly random selection of pictures from my trip. It was so cold that after taking a few snaps in the morning i decided that i couldn't remove my gloves for the rest of the day which put paid to any more photo taking. Plus since I've been to Paris a few times already i didn't really feel the need to go and take any snaps of the main sights (bar Montmartre- i took loads of pictures of tourists taking photos of the portrait painters in the square from the comfort of a warm cafe. None of them actually wanted to sit down and have their portraits painted- it is February after all) I got some slightly strange looks when i stopped to take a pic of the store 'Sympa' (above right) I think I've walked past this shop every time I've been in Paris and it always confuses me how such a mess of a shop can be right on the main through-fair between the tube and the Sacre Coeur.

New York Dress

2012-02-03T15:44:00.000-08:00

It's absolutely freezing outside here in London so for once i gave the Friday market at Portobello a miss and instead spent most of my day updating the etsy store. This is my favorite dress of the day, it's a gorgeous shape and it has the best print of New York City with Skyscrapers, Parks and people going about their daily business. Click here for the listing.

Tomorrow i'm at Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair at Spitalfields Market. I'm slightly scared at the prospect of being outside for most of the day and i've been stalking the BBC weather website for most of the week (Spitalfields is half covered, but it's open at the sides so it'll still be freezing) I'm off to dig out my winter boots and warmest coat x

Meow

2012-01-26T06:41:00.000-08:00

If you follow me on twitter you'll be well aware that I've spent most of the last couple of days endlessly updating the etsy store with a whole load of summer stock. I'll be posting a few of my favourites on the blog later on today, however for now here are some slightly odd Victorian cat postcards i stumbled upon the other week. I can't quite decide if they are cute or creepy, my favourite is the second one down 'The Rivals'. On the reverse the sender writes that she is going to try to Photograph her own dear cat 'Emmy Lou' and turn her into a postcard...

My Favourite Cardigan & A Facebook Page - Finally

2012-01-11T16:49:00.000-08:00

I've been spending a bit too long today faffing on the Internet, getting a few listings done, but mostly trying to work out how to set up a facebook page for the store. I think I've finally managed it and thanks to everyone who has 'liked' it so far! I've mentioned briefly on the blog before that I'd quit my old job to concentrate on the vintage selling so i'm trying to get a bit more organised and will be updating the page weekly with where i'll be trading. It may not be the best time to become self employed (every time i turn on the news it's full of doom and gloom about the economy) however I'd been working in retail merchandising for over 6 years and I'd known from day one that it wasn't really what i wanted to do...

Anyway I'm feeling pretty optimistic about the new year, there are lots of markets planned and i have a few other projects I'm working on too. The pics to accompany this post are slightly unconnected; i rediscovered them when i was going through market pictures for the facebook page. The first is of my favourite ever cardigan, It has knitted Indians and Buffalo's on it. The second pic is of Elena of Pintuck Vintage wearing a kind of Blanket/ Gilet type thing that she bought from me. It kind of reminded us both of LA although i actually found it here in (un)sunny London.

Etsy Update

2012-01-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

Shop Capes & Coats
Shop Dresses

So I've just about recovered from my hectic weekend, which means it's time for another etsy update. I was going to save up all of my coats & jackets for future markets, however i seem to have so many now I'm not quite sure how I'm going to store them all!  I was contemplating keeping the Red checked cape as it was actually made in Totnes in Devon (which is near to where my parents live)

Also- as a mini test I've also uploaded all of these to ASOS marketplace. Click here to see the listings. I've never used the site before and so far nothing is showing up in any of their main categories (I'm hoping that's just their site caching and nothing that I've done wrong at my end!) If anyone has any feedback about marketplace then let me know, I've done a quick survey of my friends and haven't managed to find anyone who's actually bought anything on there yet. I do love some of the photos, but I'm not sure about the whole 'street style' angle, sometimes it makes it difficult to see the actual item that's being sold.

Spitalfields Affordable Vintage Fair

2012-01-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

I've just got back from a busy day at Spitalfields Market, my first fair of 2012 and also my first time at Spitalfields! I'm a bit too exhausted to write very much so I'll let the pics speak for themselves (these are all of my stall, it was so busy i didn't get a chance to look around the rest of the market). The last photo was taken when i was waiting for my taxi home, a passing tourist commented on the perfect positioning of the moon behind Christchurch's spire and i just had to snap a (slightly blurry) pic.

The next fair is on the 4th Feb, join the facebook page here for updates!

Dartmoor & Happy New Year

2012-01-03T16:36:00.000-08:00

Coat- Pintuck Vintage
Boots- Rachel Red Lips Vintage
Faux Fur Hat- £8 Select

Hope everyone's had a great new year! My first post of 2012 is a bit of a cheat as it was taken last Wednesday on a trip up to Dartmoor with my parents. We'd actually gone on a hunt for some Dartmoor ponies (followed by a pub lunch) but they were all in hiding so we took photos by the old stone bridge instead.

My coat is a recent purchase from my friend Lena, and the hat is also new. I bought it from Select, which might be one of the worst UK high street stores, however it is also one of the only clothes stores in Paignton where my parents live. It's fairly cheap, i was bored, waiting to meet a friend for drinks and all the staff in there are super friendly, what more could you ask for! I am setting myself a high street shopping ban for the rest of the year though. I spent yesterday clearing out my closet and i have so many clothes I'd forgotten i even had, i think the next two weeks could involve a large amount of eBay listing! My only other new years resolution is to be more organised. I am starting by writing out 'to-do' lists every night before bed, so that's what I'm off to do now!

Etsy Update- Bags, Boots & Shoes

2011-12-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

1, Woven Straw & Leather Kenyan Basket Bag
2, 80's Two Tone Shopper
3, 80's Vintage Brown Leather Buckle Shoes
4, Victoriana Leather Lace Up Ankle Boots
5, 70's Welsh Tapestry Satchel
6, Vintage Tan Leather Brogue Detail Shoes
7, Vintage Brown Lace Up Ankle Boots
8, 80's Vintage Two Tone Spectator Shoes

New Items added to the Etsy store this week! Click on the descriptions below to go straight to the listings. One of my new years resolutions is to get the whole of my market stock up onto the etsy store. Although the weekly vintage markets have been going well i do seem to be accumulating more stock than i know what to do with so i'm also going to start doing weekly ebay listings to try and clear some space in my room. I'm also going to be at the Judy's at Spitalfields January Sale on the 7th, click here for more details, it should be a great event, but as there's so many traders (all with sale rails) i'm going to have to resist the temptation to start shopping for myself!

Boxing Day

2011-12-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas everyone! Hope you all had a great day yesterday. I just about made it up in time today to go for a walk around Cockington village with my parents. I've never been there before (which is strange as it's about a 5 minute drive from our old house) but it's one of my sisters favourite places in Torbay. One of her friends recently got married in the church in the second pic- although it was mid summer and probably less spooky looking. Hopefully i'll get time for a mini etsy update before returning to London on Thursday, with no markets planned until the 7th January i'm not quite sure what to do with myself over the extended Christmas break....

LA iPhone Pictures

2011-12-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit rubbish at posting any more of my LA pics, however this week Elena sent me some of her iPhone photos and it reminded me of all the things i was planning to write about but didn't quite get around to. I am slightly jealous of the hipstermatic camera, it's terrible that the one thing I'd really like for Xmas is an iPhone, and even then that's only for the hipstermatic app (well that and the ability to check google maps on the move, I've spent way too much time getting lost this year)

From the top left;

1, The queue at the rose bowl flea
2, At the rose bowl
3, Eating french toast at the Intelligentsia coffee house Pasadena.
4, The Ace Hotel Palm Springs
5, Swimming in the Ace pool- my first swim in 15 years (probably the first time I've been somewhere warm enough to swim in the past 15 years..)
6, Sunset
7, Jukebox at Millie's Cafe, Silverlake
8, View from the observatory
9, Rain at the Long Beach flea market
10, Venice beach

Etsy Update- My Favourite Dresses

2011-12-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

Today I've been working my way through the first part of a major Etsy store update. Indeed it does look slightly summer-y, and not really appropriate for the near gale that's blowing outside, however as I've been taking mainly jumpers & coats to the market each week i felt that these all deserved to see the light of day sooner rather than later.

These are all up in the store now! Hopefully there will be another lot up tomorrow.

Flounce Vintage

2011-12-08T16:12:00.001-08:00

1555 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles

I was planning on doing a mini 'vintage guide to LA' type post, but looking through my photos this evening i realised that the majority of pics i took were of just two stores! The first of these is Flounce Vintage in Echo Park which Lena had read about on the Internet before we went, and which we were pretty keen to visit after getting bored of rummaging through rails of polyester in numerous other stores.

I pretty much wanted to buy everything in Flounce, although this of course meant that i ended up going away empty handed. I can't quite remember why i didn't buy the amazing lady bug scarf above, it was one of the best things i saw on our trip! Apart from the photos the one thing i did take away from the store was the importance of props, and so i'm going to try and hunt out a few exciting display items for my stalls (starting with some proper hat stands that i've ordered this week- i can't wait for them to arrive!)

Etsy Update- Skirts

2011-11-26T14:42:00.001-08:00

Well I'm back from the US but i haven't quite recovered from the jet lag. My parents have been up in London for the past few days so I've been doing lots of family things. I've also been doing my stall at Hanbury today and I'll be back there again tomorrow bright and early so the lie in I've been dreaming about for the past few days will have to wait until Monday! I have loads more pics from my travels but first a small etsy update before i forget. I photographed all of these skirts before my trip but hadn't got around to uploading them to the store until now, i have a small heap of dresses to add and hopefully these will all be up by the middle of the week.

Oh, and i know I've cut the top of my head off in each pic. My housemate have bought a new unit for our living room so now my tripod no longer fits in it's usual space. I may have to do some furniture re-arranging sometime soon!

Joshua Tree

2011-11-20T20:35:00.001-08:00

Dress- Gap (via a thrift store)
Satchel & Sunglasses- Vintage

Thanks everyone for your comments on the last post! I'm still on my travels and at the moment I'm In the little bungalow we've rented in Silverlake in LA. It's rained so much today the flooding has actually made the news and so we're hiding inside and drying off our shoes.

The pics above are all from last Thursday when we took a detour on our drive to LA to visit the Joshua Tree National Park. I've wanted to visit for a while, partly due to friends having been there, and partly from following so many American bloggers who all seem to have been too. I think it may have been my favourite place from the trip so far, it's so different to anywhere I've ever been before and it's made me start dreaming about moving to the middle of the desert (although I'm such a Londoner i'd only last about 5 minutes). I took so many pictures of rocks, Joshua trees and cacti that they're all starting to blur into one when i look back at them. I can't quite believe that i was somewhere so hot less than a week ago, it seems like a distant memory now....

The Rosebowl Flea

2011-11-15T20:26:00.001-08:00

If you've been following my twitter you'll already know that I'm in the US! I meant to write a little post before i flew (last week i did add a number of things to the store, and then had to close it for the duration of my trip) Currently I'm in Palm Springs, lounging by the pool and making up for the fact that we haven't really has a summer this year in the UK. However here are some pics from the Rose bowl flea market in Pasadena that we went to last Sunday. It was certainly the largest flea market I've ever been too, we got there for 8, left when everyone was packing up at 3.30, and i don't think we'd been round even half of it! I've practically filled my suitcase already so i might have to buy a new one as we're off to another market in LA next Sunday.

Buttons

2011-10-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Just listed some amazing buttons in the etsy store...i was contemplating adding the white ones to one of my winter coats to smarten it up but they're a bit too big to fit through the button holes- whoops.

Prom Dresses & A New Apron

2011-10-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm off to the Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair tomorrow and as i haven't posted for so long i thought I'd take a few pics while packing all my things this afternoon. The amazing Prom Dresses actually belong to my friend Margo's godmother, but I'm taking them along to sell for her. The last pic is of my favourite new find, a gorgeous 50's apron with a print of dancing people. I might keep this one if it doesn't sell tomorrow!

My big news is that I've finally quit my job! actually i resigned at the end of August but i agreed to work an extra month until they found someone to replace me (although they haven't yet...) It'll mean more etsy & ebay updates, hopefully a bit more blogging, and more importantly some actual days off, working 7 days a week is starting to drive me a bit mad!

Shoreditch Vintage Fair

2011-10-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

Just over a week to go until the Shoreditch Vintage Fair. I'm feel a bit inundated with all the knitwear & coats I've been stocking up on for the winter fairs, the suitcases are taking over my room, the hallway and part of the living room now too.

I'll be back tomorrow with a proper post...I've been in bed with flu for most of the past week, I'm just starting to feel human again!

This Weekend...

2011-09-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say I'll be at Hanbury Vintage Market again this weekend. We're open for both days for the first time in ages, what with the summer holidays, festivals and other summer activities we've all been taking it a bit easy for the last few weeks. Unfortunatly the rubbish weather means that I'll probably have to pack most of the summer stock away until next year. I'll be spending tomorrow evening sorting out all the Coats and Jackets I've been hoarding over the summer.

(p.s. my favourite recent purchase is the cat satchel in the second pic- if it doesn't sell it'll be up on etsy on Monday!)

Walthamstow Vintage Fair & Tea Party

2011-08-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday i took at trip over to Wathamstow to the Vintage Fair & Tea party in the Nag's Head Pub. The lovely Emma took these pics for me on her iPhone (as usual I'd forgotten my camera) and then after a few too many ciders i ended up with two new dresses and a skirt, all bought from Naomi from the Vintage Mafia (who used to sell at Hanbury and who will be at the Enfield Vintage Fair next Saturday if you're in the area!) The dress in the top left hand pic is an amazing late 30s/ early 40s number and i really need to try and get some proper pics of it someday soon.

In other news, yesterday i turned the big 3-0 and to celebrate i went on the pedalos on the Serpentine with my (reluctant) sister, bought an enormous ceramic owl cookie jar from Anthropologie and then ate way too many cupcakes and made myself feel a bit sick... because that's what grown ups do (probably!)

So-en

2011-08-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Again it's been pretty quite on the blogging front, I'm contemplating a move that will hopefully give me a bit more time to spend on the blog and the etsy store, and more importantly a much needed day off.

Excitingly I'm featured in the August issue of So-en Magazine as part of their Vintage shopping feature and along with some of my very favourite vintage stores. Reading this feature has made me realise how much i need a proper fringe trim, I'm going to go and sort one out in my lunch break tomorrow!

The Sea

2011-07-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

This evening I've been busy taking some more pics for the etsy store and while downloading them i found a couple of pics from my trip to Devon last week. The dress, if not that exciting, is probably one of my most worn purchases. It was originally a mid thigh length number and it has the sweetest crochet collar (which is completely hidden by all of my hair!)

In other news- I've been getting everything ready for the market this weekend, i think it might be my last one for a month due to holidays, family visits and other summer related things. I'm looking forward to having my weekends back and hopefully spending some time in the sun.

A Long Awaited Etsy Update

2011-07-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

                   50's Floral Prom Dress Size Small            20s Style Watercolour Flapper Dress Size XS



              Peter Pan Collar Retro Floral Dress Size M 50's Floral Day Dress Size X Small

The above have all been added to the Etsy shop this evening! I've only managed four listings and I'm feeling a bit exhausted after a long day at work so the rest will have to wait until later in the week.

In Print

2011-06-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today i got my hands on a copy of the August issue of 'Madame Figaro Japan', it's devoted to London and there's a little article about Hanbury Market which features a couple of dresses (original listing pics below) and a bag from my stall! It's all very exciting although sadly all three have now gone to better homes.

Even if you can't understand Japanese I'd recommend picking up a copy if you live near London or are planning a trip. There are loads articles about different shops, markets and cafes. Plus there's some really detailed shopping maps so hopefully they'll be no more aimless wandering when looking for the out of the way vintage stores....maybe it's just me that does that, i am contemplating getting an iPhone so i don't spend quite so much time being lost.

Clerkenwell Vintage Fair

2011-06-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Today i've been selling at Clerkenwell Vintage Fair, my first proper fair. It had a great turnout (especially considering it's the hottest day of the year so far...if i hadn't been trading i would have definitely gone to the park!) I was sharing a stall with Elena and managed to resist buying anything from her stall...or anyone elses. Although i think it might have partly been down to the fact i felt too hot to consider trying anything on. I've signed up for the next fair which is in September (click here for details)

In the pic above i'm wearing a 40s dress i bought from my friend Justa (who sells at Hanbury with me) a vintage straw bag and some topshop sandals. I've been feeling a bit sad about the lack of outfit posts recently, but i'm putting it down to the terrible June weather, hopefully now Glastonbury's over it'll pick up a bit!

Lula

2011-06-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

As I've been spending less and less time at my computer recently i didn';t even realise the new Lula issue was out. Possibly i got bored waiting for the last one (i was stalking newstand.co.uk for updates for a good couple of months) Anyway today i spotted it in the window of Waterstones on oxford street (i didn't know they stocked it in there?) and ran in and snapped up a copy. Here are a few pics for those of you who haven't got hold of a copy yet x

Weekend I-Phone Pics

2011-05-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

My blogger account seems to be mis-behaving this evening so i still can't answer any of your lovely comments, It keeps making me log in, over and over again, and it's getting a bit like groundhog day....

Maybe I'll have some more luck tomorrow but for now here are some i-phone pics Lena took of the market last weekend. I'm wearing a dress i bought from her earlier in the day, the print kind of reminds me a bit of a Celia Birtwell print. I think it's my new favourite dress and i can't wait to wear it again tomorrow x

This Week's Finds

2011-05-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

Phew- I've been at the market all day and I'm slightly exhausted but i though I'd just post a couple of pics of some things I've picked up in the past couple of weeks.

I seem to be buying increasing amounts of slightly useless odds and ends. The fabric and lacy bits above were all part of a bag full i bought from a house clearance. I ended up with loads of hand made lace, quite a few of which were so delicate and were falling apart and shredding from age. I'm really not quite sure what I'm going to do with them but hopefully I'll be able to make something out of them. Also i only found the one sleeve from the above pic, i searched high and low for it's partner but to no avail...

Also, thanks to everyone who's 'liked' the facebook page! We just need to start remembering to update it now! x

More Markets....

2011-05-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

I feel like i haven't posted any market pics for ages so here are a couple from the past month, sorry about the blurriness! Some of my favourite items are in the photos and I'm a bit sad i didn't get a chance to take better photos before they were snapped up! The two blue dresses above were from my own wardrobe. The 40s inspired one was really difficult to part with but it's always been just a bit too big and so I've never worn it outside the house, luckily it went to a good home this weekend.

After months of debate we've finally set up a facebook page for the market (we've been badgering the organiser Richie to set one up- but we haven't had much luck so we're doing it ourselves!) Click here to 'like' us and to get updates on when we're open!

Bank Holiday Weekends

2011-05-11T14:04:00.002-07:00

I feel like I'm always apologising for my lack of blogging at the moment. Normally it's due to working too much and not having enough vintage/ blog related things to ramble on about...but over the last couple of weekends I've been crazily busy, taken loads of pics, and just not had a chance to post them all!

Over the Easter weekend i went on a day trip to Brighton with my sister. I'd been trying to have a shopping free weekend and i managed to resist most of Brighton's Vintage stores. I used to live in Brighton circa 1999-2000, when there were probably about two vintage stores..now there are millions! The one shop i did go in was Kate & Aud (27 Trafalgar Street, BNQ 4ED) where i took these sneaky pics, it's just down the road from the station and I'd recommend a visit if you're planning a day trip!

50's Dresses In The Garden

2011-04-24T04:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I'm so behind with replying to all of your lovely comments, I'm planning to have a massive blog reading/ email answering session later on today!

I've just got back from one of the most amazing boot sales ever! I spent way too much money, although hopefully I'll be spending this evening listing everything and might make some of it back (fingers crossed). The 50's dresses above were my favourite purchase, they were all from the same lady, she had a whole rail of amazing things (i had to go and drain my bank account and then head back in- luckily i get paid next week!) A couple of these will hopefully be in the store tonight along with some pretty floral skirts and some mini dresses.

I'm off to meet my sister for lunch- hope you're all enjoying the sun!

Sun!

2011-04-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

50s Dress- From My Friend Margot
Straw Bag- Borrowed from my Etsy Store
Belt & Sunglasses- Car Boot Sale
Shoes- Topshop from many years ago...

This weekend i have four whole days off! No market, no work, but i have collected a mound of things I'm supposed to be listing on etsy...they might have to waist though as it's been such gorgeous weather that i spent most of yesterday in the Garden sunbathing   Today i had a little wander around London fields, sat in the park for a bit and then got slightly lost looking for a jumble sale (it was supposedly on the 6th floor of an old industrial building near the canal, we got the goods lift up then got a bit scared wandering around the empty corridors and came back down again)

This is one of my favourite dresses at the moment, like the dress in my last post i bought it from my friend Margot. I've been feeling slightly confused about the change in the weather, the majority of my outfits depend upon the black tights/ ankle boots combo and I'm not feeling brave enough to get my legs out just yet.

Amsterdam

2011-04-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

I've been procrastinating all evening, meaning to list some things on etsy, or eBay, or sort out all my bills through online banking...i haven't managed to get around to doing any of these but i thought i should share a few more of my Amsterdam pics (before i forget, or before it all starts to feel like a distant memory)

I bought the 50's Sailor dress from my friend Margo (who has a stall at Hanbury Market too) and it had it's first outing in Amsterdam- and i think it was also the first time I've gone without a coat and cardi this year too- how exciting! Sorry about the guy walking past in the background. Amsterdam's canals aren't the best place for isolated photo ops plus my camera died right after this photo was taken. The first pic is actually stolen from Ellie's blog, she has loads of lovely pics of our trip.

I was actually very good and didn't do too much shopping. I have to say a big thanks to Stef for the great vintage and cafe recommendations. I walked past the amazing Laura Dols shops (bottom pic) every day, and although they had the most amazing dresses i didn't buy a single thing! The same wasn't true of the flea markets....there may be a few pairs of ankle boots popping up in the etsy store in the next week or so. I could have bought almost every pair in the picture below, but with only one suitcase it was pretty stressful trying to pick the best from such a massive selection. The Otherist was another great shop which was also really close to our apartment. I kept walking past when it wasn't open, but luckily i eventually got to have a peek inside. It really reminded me of a slightly less gruesome version of 'loved to death' in San Fransisco.

Also this week I've also finally joined Twitter, click here to follow me!

House Of Hackney Pop Up Shop @Castle Gibson

2011-04-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

Today i've been having a break from the market, and vintage listings and everything else that goes with it. Instead i wandered over to Stock Newington with my friends Ellie and Naomi to visit the pop up shop/ cafe at Castle Gibson. Ellie sent me a link to this place a few weeks ago (when we were trying to think up photo shoot locations- before we realised how expensive it was to hire anywhere) so we were really keen to go and have a nose around the place without having to part with any cash. It's only open this weekend but you can take the virtual tour around the building on their website by clicking here. My photos don't really do the place justice, it was pretty amazing!

The Apartment

2011-03-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Dress- Topshop
Shirt & Boots- Vintage

This is what my friend Lauren calls my Yodeling dress and it's first proper outing was in Amsterdam this weekend. These pics were taken by Ellie in my favourite corner of our Lovely Amsterdam apartment in the Jourdan. It had an amazing spiral staircase, white painted floorboards and the best view over the canal. I spent a good couple of hours each day staring out that window watching the world go by. We all spent some time debating whether we could all move to Amsterdam, and live in an apartment just like this one...until i met up with my friend Stella on the Saturday (who lives in the city) and she pointed out that it was one of the most expensive places to live (sob).

Lont Antiquariaat

2011-03-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

I've just got back from Amsterdam this evening...and I'm feeling pretty sad about being back in London and the prospect of going back to work tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll pull together a proper post but for now here are some pics of an amazing bookshop that was just down the road from our apartment. It was closed the first few times i walked past (maybe that was a good thing as it meant i could take lots of sneaky photos of the window displays) however yesterday afternoon it finally opened and i somehow managed to stop myself from buying a stash of amazing Dutch Children's books -they look so much more exciting than anything i remember from my childhood! Hope everyone else has had a great weekend x

A New Lace Dress & An Etsy Update

2011-03-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

Dress- £5 Charity Shop
Shoes- £3 Market

I found this amazing lace dress in the charity shop at the end of my road. I was actually mid way though photographing it for etsy when i realised it had a large hole in the lace...which means i get to keep it- yay! I'm not doing very well at letting go of things at the moment! I'm also not doing very well at saving money for my trip to Amsterdam...Anyway here are a few things that did make their way into the store- a couple have already sold- sorry!

1, Handmade Floral Dress
2, 70s Floral Tea Dress
3, Handmade 60s/ 70s Silk Dress

4, 60s Lace Wiggle Dress- Sold

5, 80s Leaf Applique Day Dress
6, Lace Peter Pan Collar Dress- Sold
7, 70s Checked Folk Skirt
8, Oriental Watercolour Print Shift Dress

9, 80s Floral Velvet Skirt
10, 80s Fruit Print Mini Skirt
11, Black & Gold Wiggle Dress
12, 70s Folk Paisley Smock Dress

13, Pink Smocked Peter Pan Collar Dress
14, 80s Floral Shirt Dress

Woof!

2011-03-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

I've just got back from a busy day at the market and I'm way to tiered to write up a proper post...so here are some pics i took a couple of weeks ago. These 50's postcards were on one of the other traders stalls at Hanbury. I actually really wanted to buy them off her, but they were just for display (and she really didn't want to part with them)...I think the first one is my fave!

Balloons

2011-03-10T15:50:00.000-08:00

Boat Print Dress- Topshop
Vintage Cable Cardi
Vintage Van Dal Shoes

Thanks everyone for your comments on the last post, i feel like i can't quite match up to it with any of my usual pics (but i'm getting excited about planning the next shoot already) These pictures were also taken last weekend. After finishing up with the etsy pics we took the balloons over to the park to set them free. This Topshop dress is actually one of my favourites at the moment, i've been wearing it again today, i'm still feeling guilty for breaking my high street shopping ban though....

The pic below is of a shop on Portobello road that i walk past every week on my way to the market. They always have such amazing things in the window, but i've never been in as it's always super early when i'm walking past.

In other exciting news, i'm off to Amsterdam at the end of the month, does anyone have any tips for things to see/ markets to visit? I've been once before, on a school trip in the late 90's, and i'm sure it's changed loads since then!

5-6-7-8 Vintage Lookbook

2011-03-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

This weekend my friend Ellie and I had a mini photo shoot for my Etsy store. Some of these items are in the store already, and the rest will hopefully be up next weekend. Ellie's just started her own photography blog (check it out here) and I'm hoping to borrow her photography skills for some our door shoots when it gets a bit warmer. I'm really excited about how these turned out, and it was a really fun day (and yes we ate all the cup cakes once we'd finished with the shoot, couldn't let them go to waste!)

Hope everyone's had a great weekend x.

J'adore Dior!

2011-02-27T15:33:00.000-08:00

Vintage Dior Dress
Vintage Belt & Shoes

This Dior Dress is probably one of my best thrifted finds ever. It has a gorgeous ruffle around the neckline, sadly I've got too much hair so it's not visible in the pics, but trust me- it's amazing. I bought it over a year ago from a flea market in south London (it was stupidly cheap- £3!) but haven't actually worn it until today. I think I'm always a bit scared about throwing coffee over myself, I'm terribly clumsy whenever i put something special on. I'm on a mission to either wear or sell everything in my wardrobe, and since i don't think i can bear to part with this one I'll need to think of a few more occasions to wear it....

The pic above was taken in front of my friend Margo's stall. She always has so many great things...and i really really love her table cloths, if only they were for sale!

One of the highlights of the past week was my Moo Cards delivery, i am quite sad and got very excited about my very first business cards. I'm rubbish with anything graphics/ design related, but it was so easy it's kind of inspired me to try and create a better banner for the blog.

Lace Collars & A Giveaway!

2011-02-25T16:37:00.000-08:00

I feel like every post I've done recently has started with me talking about how busy I've been, and then i promise myself I'm going to be a better blogger and post a bit more regularly, take some outfit pics (now that the sun is actually shining) and list everything in the etsy pile that's taking over my hallway! This week actually started off in a fairly relaxing manner, i left my phone charger behind (unintentionally) on my trip to Liverpool and so had a whole weekend free of phone calls, emails and eBay/etsy listings! To make up for it I'll be at the market this weekend and I'm even going to try and get up super early tomorrow to photograph some of the dresses I've picked up for etsy over the past couple of weeks.

I took the pics above during an eBay listing session, i was planning on selling both the dress and collar, although when i tried them both together i changed my mind and decided i had to hang onto them...for the time being anyway. If you're after a lace collar of your own I'm doing a giveaway on Starr's blog, click here to enter. Hope you're all having a great weekend x

Dartmouth

2011-02-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

Dress & Hat- Topshop
Bag- Kingston Antiques Market
Shoes- Portobello Market

I've been meaning to post these photos for the past week, but I've been feeling too tiered to write a proper blog post for them (which they probably deserve) These were all taken on my trip to Dartmouth to visit one of my best friends Will. I really love visiting the town, partly because there are so many great Tudor buildings, and partly because the main transport links to the town from Torbay involve either steam train, boat, or both! This time i cheated and took the bus (then the ferry) next time I'm definitely getting the train, it's probably quicker as it doesn't have to navigate all the narrow country lanes.

Whenever we meet up we always seem to do the same things in pretty much the same order; coffee and cinnamon toast in Alf-rescos (it has a terrible name but is actually a great cafe), then a little walk around the town, out to the fort and then to the two or three antiques shops. There's also a Vintage store where i picked up this bag last year which I've been carrying everywhere since!

I'm sorry I've been so bad at responding to all of your comments, i feel like I'm still catching up from my last trip and I'm off to Liverpool first thing tomorrow!

13th Feb

2011-02-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

I have to confess I've been a bit of a deadbeat blogger this week, i still have some Devon photos I've been meaning to post, and the pile of things destined for the Etsy store is getting bigger by the day....

Anyway this weekend I've been for coffee at the Hurwundeki Cafe, to the theatre to see The Children's Hour and I've just finished packing all my things up for the market tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow night with a proper post! x

Devon Car Boot Sale Finds

2011-02-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

Today i went to one of the smallest car boot sales ever in the multi story car park in Newton Abbott. I used to go every week when i was younger, but I think I've probably become a bit spoilt by the amazing Battersea boot sale. Newton Abbott really can't compete, especially on a cold windy day in February when it's chucking it down with rain and a few of the sellers were already packing up there stuff by half nine.

Anyway somehow i still managed to find a few good bits and pieces. The opera glasses in the top pic are my favourite find of the day. My sister and i have been trying to go to the ballet at least once a year so they'll be perfect for our next trip, and they even came with their original box! The fan and leather purses below were from the same seller. I thought i might use the fan as a prop for my stall, and I've already been using it for a few eBay pictures i took this morning. The purse and driving licence below are both stamped with 'Torquay' which is where my parents live, I'm contemplating using the driving licence holder for my Travel card as i can't actually drive!

Etsy Update- Welsh Cape

2011-02-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

I've been attempting to pull together a mini etsy update from my parents house, i found loads of amazing things on my tour of the charity shops, but the 'actual listing' bit is proving a bit more tricky. I managed to take a few pictures in their garden early this morning before it started to rain, but now their computer keyboard is driving me a bit mad (all the letters have worn off so it's taking me forever to type my listings- it's making me realise how much i need to learn to touch type!)

This cape is now up in the Etsy Store, a big part of me wants to keep it, but the last thing i need is any more coats!

Lace

2011-02-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

Last year i posted a couple of pictures of one of my favourite shops, Revivals in Totnes. I'd actually been really looking forward to going back there, so much so that i started having nightmares last week that it might have closed down, or that someone might have taken it over and given it a 'makeover' (l'm such a geek for deaming about vintage!). Thankfully neither of these things had happened and within about 30 seconds of walking i the door l'd spotted a handful of dresses I'd love to own (it doesn't just stock vintage, i spotted a Chloe tea dress hanging behind a mac by the front door). The shop itself is a bit of an Aladdin's cave, the most amazing dresses are tightly squeezed onto the racks, it has a low ceiling and even garments hanging from the ceiling beams. I sneakily took these pictures in the tiny back room, which is filled with the lace wedding dresses, but which also doesn't seem to have a proper roof (there's a thin sheet of plastic sheltering these beauties from the elements!) I was trying to be good so l didn't buy anything. But theres a couple of dresses i'm hoping will still be there when i next make it down to Devon...maybe when I'm not quite as broke....

The Return of Winter

2011-02-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

Coat- £3 Local Charity Shop
Bag- Kingston Antiques Market
Boots- Portobello

It's freezing again! I got my friend Lauren to take some pics on our lunch break, but it was a bit too blustery to sand still for any length of time so again we resorted to a corridor vaguely hidden from the office. This week has been super busy for me, i had another stall at the weekend and now I'm getting ready for a trip home to see my parents tomorrow night. I have a mountain of things to do tomorrow at work before i go though. Oh and I also took lots more etsy photos at the weekend but I'm not sure if I'll have time to get them all up before tomorrow...they might have to wait until next week.

I'm really looking forward to having a couple of days off work and hopefully I'll be able to get my mum to take some proper outfit pics for me...

The Most Amazing Girl

2011-01-25T16:25:00.000-08:00

I don't normally post other peoples pictures on this blog- however my housemate just posted a link to these photos on facebook and i just had to share them. They are by Elena Rendina and feature Lily Cole, click here to see more. My lovely housemate Jenny did the make up for these- well done Jenny she looks amazing!

Etsy Update

2011-01-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

1,Laura Ashley 50s Style Dress
2,Rothschild Scalloped Collar Coat
3,Burgundy Floral Tea Dress
4,Leather & Tapestry Rucksack Backpack




5,Zig Zag Pearl Embellished Cardigan
6,80s Bow Front Cocktail Dress
7,60s Floral Ruffle Dress
8,70s Paisley Day Dress

9,60's Leather Mod Buckle Shoes
10,Leather Lace Up Chocolate Brown Shoes

I feel like this blog is pretty much turning into an extension of my Etsy shop- but I'm going to blame the January weather, which is basically making me want to hibernate and do as little as possible. Yesterday i had a bit of a crazy Etsy/ Ebay updating marathon which involved taking pics for most of the morning and then doing listings for the whole of the afternoon and evening. My housemates were busy working on their art portfolios and tax returns respectively so we kind of kept each other company and distracted each other with numerous cups of tea. Today i ventured out to the Battersea Boot sale and although i was trying to be good i ended up buying a massive amount of stuff for the stall, I'm just not sure where I'm going to store it all! Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

All the items above are in the Etsy store right now, click on the descriptions below to go straight to the listings.

Jeans Day

2011-01-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

60's Lace Collar Blouse- Hanbury Market
Box Bag- Car Boot Sale
Jeans- Primark
Ankle Boots- Portobello

Yep, I'm wearing jeans, i literally never wear jeans! I bought this top from one of the other sellers at Hanbury a few months ago and although it's one of my new favourites i really can't get it to work with any of my skirts. I'll be pairing it with shorts in the summer months but for now my only pair of dodgy primark jeans will have to do.

Thanks Lauren for taking these photos! We were dashing to M&S to buy some sandwiches for lunch so the crazy colours are because these were taken in an underground car park on the way...I am looking forward to spring and it hopefully stopping raining for long enough to get some outside pictures!

Market-ing

2011-01-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

Cardigan- Pintuck Vintage
50's Dress- Market (£3 but it needed quite a bit of work!)
Shoes- Possibly for sale in my Etsy store from tomorrow (they are slightly too small for me)
Bag- Car Boot Sale

Today was my first market of the year and i was both excited, as I've been collecting up ankle boots all over the Christmas break, and also a bit scared as the last market was on 'Snow Day' and was a bit of a disaster. My friend Elena (Pintuck Vintage) had the stall right next to mine so i spent most of the day eying up her selection of ankle boots. She took a few quick photos of me in one of the lulls between customers and although i look slightly awkward and geeky in the pics i though I'd post them anyway (who knows when I'll next get a chance to take any outfit pics- it's so cold and dark here at the moment). I love both the dress and the cardi but I'm not sure about the two of them together....I guess that's what happens when you get dressed in a hurry in the morning! I'm going to be selling again on Sunday 30th Jan at Hanbury Hall, 22 Hanbury Street just off brick lane, come and say hi if you are in the area.

Oh and the gingerbread men and women in the last pic were our mid afternoon snack. Sorry about the crazy colours in the pic x

Etsy Update- Dresses & Skirts

2011-01-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

I've been doing some spring cleaning this week and all of the above are now available to buy in the Etsy Store. I'm actually a bit sad about parting with some of them, especially the first and the fourth ones, part of me is hoping they won't sell and then i can justify keeping them!

Umbrella

2011-01-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

Coat- Charity Shop
Collar- Beyond Retro (sewn onto coat)
Dress- Topshop Sale
Boots- Market
Umbrella- £2, from my local Charity Shop

Sorry about the blurry pics! Today i have had a really productive day, i took lots of photos for eBay & etsy this morning, then i went to Broadway market where one of the vintage stall holders was having a clearance sale. It was slightly sad (as he had one of the best stalls) but i picked up quite a few bargains- and with each purchase you got a free pair of shoes! I picked up a few copies of Lula for my friend Mel and then i met up with my friend Ellie, it was starting to get dark so she quickly took these pics on our way to the pub. Phew. I'm back at home now and just finishing off a few etsy listings before bed.

Hope every one's having a good weekend! x

Belated Christmas Dress

2011-01-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

Vintage Mary Quant Velvet & Lace Dress from a shop called Avalon in Portland
Snow Boots- Car Boot Sale
Alice Band- work sample sale

My mum's just sent me a link to her Christmas photos so I've stolen this pic of myself in the dress i wore on Christmas day. I bought this dress on my US trip this summer, i was originally intending to wear it on my birthday, but it was too hot so i saved it for Christmas instead. It was my first ever white Christmas so i had to go and stomp around in the garden in my snow boots, although there was lots of snow it was actually sunny and almost warm in the sun.

Suzz from La Fille D'or recently tagged me in a '7 things about me' post, i don't think I've written too much about my life outside of thrifting on here so i thought I'd give it a go...

1, I'm not great with technology. I've never owned a games console, my mobile phone was the cheapest i could find (£3.49 bargain) and for my first two years of ebaying i used my housemates various computers; i did eBay listings most weekends so I'm actually surprised any of them are still talking to me!

2, I turn 30 next summer and I'm getting slightly scared already. I still get asked for ID almost every time i buy alcohol though.

3, At uni i took a short course in Japanese. I can hardly remember any of it but i have a couple of language Cd's and i keep meaning to listen to them.

4, I've lived in my current house for four years and i think it might be the longest I've stayed in one place. My parents renovate houses and so we moved around quite a bit when we were younger, although always within the same area. Once we actually moved into the house right next door to the one we had been living in (I guess we saved on the removal men)

5, I used to be massively into music and i have CD's and records stacked up to the ceiling on one wall of my little room. I've never really downloaded anything from the Internet, partly due to point one but also because I'm a bit of a geek and i love collecting things and putting them in order.

6, I can't drive, ride a bike or swim.

7, Last but not least, i have a non-identical twin sister called Emma.

I'm not really sure about tagging etiquette so I'm not going to tag anyone in particular, maybe consider yourselves all tagged!

Berlin Flea Markets

2011-01-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

I'd like to start this post by stating that this definitely isn't a comprehensive guide to the flea markets of Berlin. When i planned my trip i hadn't even intended on visiting any shops or markets, partly because the intention of the trip was meet up with my German friends, and partly because it was New Years, and hey, nothing would be open anyway. It was only when we were relaxing before going out to our New Years party that i started browsing some Internet sites to check if any of the markets would be on the next day, and to my surprise it said they all were. I guess it should have aroused by suspicions that the listings all gave summer & winter times for each market, the same info had been copied over for each weekend of the year....

To cut a long story short, i did a circuit of all the markets on the Saturday, nothing was open. I followed the same route the next day, and almost everything was on- result! If you want to visit Berlin for the markets my main advise would be- 1, buy a better guide book than i did. 2, maybe don't go in winter. I'm not too sure if snow and vintage go that well together.

Arkonaplatz (Sunday 10am-4pm) nearest tube- eberswalder str.
My guidebook referred to this market as 'the trendiest', it basically gave two word reviews for each place, but i thought it was fairly accurate. This was the prettiest of the markets slightly hidden in a square off the main road, it was probably the best for browsing as it had lots of amazing furniture and home wares that were unlikely to fit in my tiny suitcase. The top three pics were all taken here, and yes i was slightly worried about the expensive retro furniture and snow combo.   I settled for some amazing patterned vintage coat hangers. My friend Yvonne looked at me very strangely when i stated that these were my find of the day- but i really do love them, i wish i had been able to buy more as the seller had a whole table full (the sewing boxes in the first photo also belonged to her- i really wanted one of these too)


Mauerpark (Sun 9am- 5pm) nearest tube- eberswalder str.
This market was much bigger than Arkonaplatz and had a greater range of sellers, proper junk stalls, crafts, food and serious vintage dealers. There were a couple of stalls that stocked a great range of ankle boots and bags, their prices were cheaper than London but they weren't exactly bargains. I did pick up a few pairs of ankle boots and a new bag to carry my purchases home in but i had to rummage for these on some of the cheaper stalls. My guidebook told me haggling was basically frowned upon- but i managed to barter the price down on everything i bought (and i was obviously a tourist) so it's worth a try.

Kreuzberg Flea Market off Bermannstrasse on Chamissoplatz (Sat & Sun 8-4) nearest tube- gneisenaustr
Ok so this wasn't actually on when i visited. I did take the photo below of the square it was supposed to be in which was very pretty and featured in 'the book' as a site in it's own right (the most typical square of pre-war Berlin apparently) Sadly this market sounded like it may have had the best bargains so i might have to go back in the summer to check it out.

Garage, Ahornstr 2 (Mon - Fri 11-7, Sat 10-6) nearest tube-nollendorfpl
This isn't actually a market, but it's the only vintage store i visited on my trip and this was partly as it was super close to the apartment i was staying in. Inside it looks a bit like beyond retro, however the rails at the back of the shop are all sold by weight. You need to rummage a bit to find anything good, and it's difficult to work out how much everything is going to cost (I'm bad at judging weights) oh be careful of heavier items like jumpers and jackets!

Am Zeughaus, on Am Kupfergraben (sat- sun 11-5) nearest tube- friedrichstr
This was less of a flea market, more a collection of stalls by the side of the river and its probably worth visiting just for some sightseeing and photo opportunities even if you aren't interested in the market itself. There are probably many more stalls in summer, but even though the market was fairly small there were a couple of great stalls selling old postcards, books and magazines. I really wanted to buy some old photos of Berlin, but i didn't have much time to look through the piles. Luckily i spotted a old German sewing magazine and i thought this would be great as an 'authentic' German souvenir. It doesn't have a date but I'm guessing it's from the 50's or early 60's. Oh and the 'pattern' section in the middle is just crazy, i can't imagine how anyone could differentiate between all the different lines!

Etsy Update- Bags, Bags, Bags....

2011-01-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great new year! I got back from Berlin late last night and I've already started on my first New Years resolution- which is to spend more time updating my Etsy store. Today I've listed all the bags above (and a few more) and it's taken me the best part of the afternoon. I did get slightly distracted by all the 80's films on TV though.... Next weekend I'm planning on listing some dresses and knitwear, maybe some boots too. I'm hoping to have most of my stall inventory online by the end of the month as i only have a couple of markets planned for January & February.

As my second resolution is to blog more frequently I'll be back with a post about Berlin flea markets tomorrow. x

Cotswold's Part Two

2010-12-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

Vintage Bag, Shawl & Boots (all either from car boot sales or charity shops- i can't remember!)
Coat- £10 Liverpool Car Boot Sale
Hat- Gift from my Mum (But i think it's from Tesco)

This is basically what I've been wearing out and about in the snow every day for my trip to the Cotswold's, and I'm off to Berlin on Thursday so i think I'll be sticking to this combo for a few more days yet. I'd actually been using the shawl as a throw on one of my chairs but it was so cold i though I'd start using it as a scarf instead.
All these pics are from the various towns and villages around Paxford (where we were staying) I would definitely recommend a trip, all the towns are so pretty and the countryside is beautiful too. I can imagine the locals hate everyone taking pictures of their houses so we were trying to be a bit discreet.!

Oh and i promise the next post will be slightly more vintage related- I've been neglecting the etsy shop for a few months but I've decided I'm going to do a few less markets in the new year (it's just too too cold) so I've got a small mountain of things to list in the next couple of weeks. My new years resolution is to try and do a batch of new listings every week, has anyone else thought about new years resolutions yet?

Chistmas In The Cotswolds

2010-12-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas! I'm in the middle of nowhere at a little cottage my parents have rented for the week. Sadly there's no longer enough room in their house for everyone to stay at once so this was a great alternative- plus it was the perfect white Christmas and i don't think I've ever seen snow on Christmas day before which made it possibly the best Christmas ever). I managed to get some photos of my Christmas dress but there on my Mum's Camera so it might take a while for me to get them off her.

I'm using my sisters boyfriends laptop and the wi fi is pretty slow so it'd taken me about half an hour to upload the image for this post. I have taken about a million more pictures of country lanes and thatched cottages covered in snow so hopefully I'll have time to download them sometime soon. The top photo is actually the view out of my window, it was the first thing i saw on Christmas morning, and also my first proper view of the snoa, as i travelled up after work on Christmas eve. The pics below are of my snow covered boots and the icicles on one of the houses in the village. All the houses are covered in icicles but these were the best!

Snow, snow, and more snow.

2010-12-20T15:08:00.000-08:00

It's still snowing here and I've given up any attempt to pull together outfits. Today i had to be at work at 6.30 in the morning (on the opposite side of London) and so i ended up with the most random selection of clothing, two of my warmest jumpers, 2 pairs of tights and some dodgy 70's snow boots....i was still freezing though and kept my scarf on in the office for most of the morning. I'm feeling slightly lonely in my house tonight as all my housemates have legged it to try and get home in time for Christmas. One of them had her flight home to the south of France cancelled, so with the Eurostar also in chaos she's attempting to get a ferry and three trains to make it down there in time.

I'm actually cheating with these pics, some are from the weekend and some are from a week or so ago when i got quite excited about the snow and the prospect of a white Christmas seemed much more appealing. The pics below were taken by Lauren on our lunchtime walk to the Charity shops in Shepard's bush. I'm wishing I'd had time to take some outfit pics in Victoria Park at the weekend, but i was a bit too scared to take my tripod out with all the people playing in the snow! I also, stupidly, did my stall on the Sunday. The whole of Brick lane was pretty deserted but luckily i managed to make some money by selling a couple of things to the other stall holders who had managed to make it there.

Christmas Markets

2010-12-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates recently- like everyone else I've been rushing around trying to prepare for Christmas, trying not to get too overwhelmed by work, and now I'm in bed with a cold and resolving to take it a bit easier for the next week. One of the reasons I've had zero free time is that last weekend my friend Margot and I and a stall at the Vintage Market on Brick Lane (the one just above the up market) It was quite exciting to be doing the stall for three whole days Friday to Sunday...well my stuff was there for the three days, i was at my 'proper' job on the Friday so Margot held the fort! One thing it did make me realise was that running a stall as a full time job is pretty tough. There were so many sellers with amazing things, and they all had so much stuff. I struggled to fill my half of the stall as i haven't had a day off to go thrifting for a couple of weeks and had already sold my best pieces at another market the week before. My resolution for the new year may be to try and do more regular etsy updates, and less markets, at least until it gets a bit warmer anyway....

Oh and I've been trying to contact the winner of my Lula Giveaway. If your name is Louise and you don't have a blog i have sent a message to you through google with my contact details- please get in touch!

Ebay Update

2010-12-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

Today I've been hiding from the cold and so i thought I'd finally get around to some new Ebay listings. I've been feeling a bit guilty about the number of shoes i own so a couple of these are from my closet. My favourites are the first brocade pair but i never go anywhere fancy enough to wear them! Click on the description below each to get directly to the listing.

       Gold Brocade Shoes Shoes Size 5                            Vintage Lace Up Woven Leather Shoes



                       Lace Up Hush Puppies                                CoCo Quilted Velvet Court Shoes

         Bruno Magli Suede Heels                                               Lace Up Leather Hush Puppies

Lula Issue 11 Giveaway!

2010-12-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

Today i finally got my hands on the new issue of Lula. Like quite a few others I've been stalking their site for the past couple of months trying to find out what was going on, and if issue 11 was ever coming out. Then i saw it pop up on eBay earlier in the week, and i even saw a girl reading it on the bus on my way home from work yesterday! Today i braved the Christmas shoppers on Oxford Street and it was surprisingly easy to find, or maybe i was just lucky- it was in the first newsagents i went in.

I've been trying not to post too many scans on my blog (mostly because there are so many other blogs that do it so much better) but there's not too many Lula scans popping up yet so i thought these might whet your appetites until someone gets round to doing a better job than me. I seem to have chosen some pretty gloomy images as my favourites but I'd like to point out there's lots of colour in there too.

Anyway i bought a couple of copies so i thought I'd do a little giveaway for one of my lucky readers, it's almost like an early Christmas present. All you have to do is be a follower of the blog (through google- i haven't yet worked out how to see my followers through bloglovin). If you don't have a blog that i can contact you on please leave your email in the comments below. I'll draw a winner next Friday 10th December.

Good Luck!

Bows & A New 50's Dress

2010-11-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

Homemade 50's Dress- £20 (shop on Lark Lane, Liverpool)
Bow- The Loved One

I've been meaning to take a photo of the handmade bow i received from the Loved One for the past couple of weeks, it's been sitting on my dressing table waiting to be worn. I've spent most of the past couple of weeks in massive woolly jumpers but today i went to the V&A with my sis and thought i would dress up for the occasion. I took these pictures before i left my house, it was actually already dark by the time i made it to the museum, plus it was so cold i didn't take my coat off once! I also got a bit distracted and started taking pictures of all the clutter in my room.

I bought this amazing dress last week from a Vintage store on Lark Lane, which seamed to be the Liverpool equivalent to Hackney's Broadway market.  The road is lined with vintage homeware stores, cake shops and deli's. The women who owned the store where i bought the dress said she was turning her shop into a tea room after Christmas, which was a shame as she had some lovely things, but it did seem like the perfect place to open a tea room!

Liverpool

2010-11-21T13:21:00.000-08:00

Gloverall Duffel Coat- £20 Ebay
Boots- Pintuck Vintage from Etsy
Scarf- Market £1
Bag- Absolute Vintage
Tights -H&M

I've been in Liverpool this weekend visiting my friends and their new baby. This is my cheesy tourist photo taken next to the Penny Lane sign, we took a bit of a detour to drive down the road even though there's nothing particularly special on it. Right after this was taken a bus load of tourists turned up, their bus was actually painted to look like the magical mystery tour bus too! I also have a photo in front of the famous cavern club- but there are some random tourists lurking in the background.

I thought it was going to be freezing so i was wearing my Gloverall coat for most of the weekend. It is really warm although as it's a young boys size it has cropped sleeves so i ended up having to wear my crazy arm warmers with them.

In general I've had a pretty relaxing weekend, we went for a walk around the centre and the Liverpool docks, then we went to a few second hand stores and had lunch is a cute cafe called 'Onion'. I bought quite a few things for my stall next weekend along with a black 50's dress and yet another winter coat for myself (i was actually planning on selling it- but it's so warm I'm going to have to hang onto it, at least until after my new years trip to Berlin!)

The photo below is taken outside a second hand furniture store, i loved their random display of chairs outside the shop and it reminded me of a store in Bethnal Green which is underneath the railway arches, it's basically where all my furniture has come from!

Ice Ice Baby

2010-11-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

60's Coat- £30 ChiChiRaRa in East Dulwich
Boots- £3.50 Market
Bag- £18 Vintage store in Devon

I've just realised i had this partially written post saved in my blogger account since Saturday.  I was desperate to take some photos in actual daylight, but as i was busy preparing things for my stall on the Sunday i didn't venture much further than the shops at the end of my street.

I bought these boots on the Friday from Portobello, i was actually intending on selling them but they're really comfy so i think I'll hang on to them. I also bought a gorgeous Norwegian jumper, again i was planning on selling it but i made the mistake of trying it on and I've been wearing it for the past couple of days (it's amazingly warm and it's making me feel slightly festive)

The coat isn't actually a new purchase at all, although the colour and the furry collar is suspiciously similar to the one in my last outfit post.  I didn't realise how similar they were until i hung them next to each other on my coat rail. I promise my next outfit post will not include any coats at all....

Hello Kitty

2010-11-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist these postcards of slightly odd dressed up cats, although I'm not sure if they're cute or a bit disturbing....

I bought the first two from the shop 'loved to death' on Haight Street in San Francisco and the last was from La Meow on Etsy. I've actually sent all of these to my friend Mel as part of her birthday present, but i had to scan them before i packaged them up.

Stormy Weather

2010-11-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

60's C&A Coat- £24 from Trade In Sheppard's Bush
40's Suitcase- £4 Local Charity Shop
Van Dal Shoes- £4 Market

This is my second attempt at taking pictures in my dark little room. The weather's been so terrible all week i haven't been able to entice anyone outside for long enough to take any outfit photos. In order to get these light enough to post i had to play around with them for ages in flickr , and then add any number of effects to try and disguise the grainy-ness.

This is my new winter coat i bought last week. I'd been eying up a couple of coats in Topshop but i found this one in the Trade store near my office and it was about a quarter of the price of the ones in Toppers, and much better quality. I always have problems finding vintage coats in small sizes however this one is perfect. I felt a bit weird the first time i wore it as it's slightly longer than I'm used to- but looking back at the photos i think it's the perfect length.

Etsy Update

2010-11-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

         80's Floral Micro Mini Dress                               90's Checked Smock Dress

    Ditsy Floral Micro Mini Shirt Dress                        70's Folk Boho Gypsy Dress

      Handknitted Cable Knit Jumper                           Ditsy Floral Peter Pan Collar Dress

I've just finished adding these to the etsy store, you can click on the link under each photo to get straight to the listing. Hopefully I'll be doing another big update next week as i have heaps of Knitwear i need to photograph.

Cheshire

2010-11-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share a couple of photos from my weekend 'up north'. I took millions of photos of the bonfire and fireworks on my little camera- but none of them came out very well. So instead here are some photos of my walk this morning around the village and Tatton park. The fist two pictures are of the orchard in the garden of my friend's family home, it was so pretty and i got the opportunity to try the apple and damson jam they'd made with the fruit off these trees!

Sadly I'm back in London now and working on a mini update for Etsy, I'm missing all the country air already x

Bonfire Night

2010-11-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Vintage Chelsea Girl Jumper- £2 Portobello
Dress- Topshop (years ago)
Vintage Russell & Bromley Boots

In an effort to be a slightly more productive blogger i have re-arranged my room so that i have a bit more space for some outfit photos. When i say 're-arranged' i basically mean that I've moved my arm chair from one side of the room to the other, and somehow i now seem to have loads more space! These pics were actually a mini test to see if i can squeeze all of myself into the frame (just about as long as I'm not wearing heels!) But I really loved the jumper that i wore today so i'm happy to get a couple of pics of it, I'm getting even more obsessed with crazy knitwear than before! Part of me thinks i might have to sell it as it looks a bit chunky on me- but maybe i can just wear it while lounging around my very draughty house. The Jumper is from Chelsea girl and i had a long phone conversation with my Mum last night about the store and the things she remembers buying from there. I don't think she's hung onto anything though which is a shame...

I'm off to Cheshire tomorrow to attend a Bonfire themed party, then maybe if i'm not bored with the fireworks i'll be going to the Victoria Park display on Sunday. I can't wait. Hope everyone's having a good weekend. x

Bloomsbury Festival

2010-10-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

Coat- £3 Charity Shop
70's Dress- Market
Bag- £10 Kingston Antiques Market
Boots- Red lips Vintage on Etsy
Skinny Belt- Car Boot Sale

Today I've ended up wearing almost exactly the same outfit as last Saturday so this post is kind of a mix of both weekends. This pic was taken by my mum last week when we stumbled over the Bloomsbury festival whilst on our way to the British Museum. There were a few craft and food stalls, some live music, and then different art installations in each of the squares in Bloomsbury. My favourite was the paper bird canopy in Russell Square, which was also the only thing i remembered to take any photos of.

One of the reasons this dress is getting quite a lot of wear as it's one of my warmest. Its made from a kind of thin wool and has the cutest collar (which i later took another pic of as it's completely covered by my hair 90% of the time) I'm feeling slightly obsessed with the 70's at the moment, maybe I'm turning into a bit of a closet hippy. Topshop sent out an email with an 'Abigail's Party' theme last week and one of my colleagues immediately forwarded it to me as the dresses all reminded her of me! I can't quite afford Topshop's crazy prices at the moment (what's going on with the £400 dress in the new Kate Moss range??) so I'll be sticking to hemming a couple more of the 70s smocks I've got in my alterations pile!

Also on a 70's note, i thrifted this amazing huge knitting bag today, it doesn't look quite so enormous in the pics below. I am deliberating over whether to keep it or take it to sell on my stall tomorrow. I've got about 5 knitting bags already and i rarely use any of them!

A Weekend Off

2010-10-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend my parents have been visiting London hence it's been pretty quite on the blogging front. I've been spending most of the last few days eating, taking long walks and doing other touristy activities. Somehow i didn't manage to take any photos though so I've posted one of myself and my Mother in Looe in Cornwall from a couple of years ago. I'm feeling slightly sad remembering the shoes I'm wearing in the pic. They were my favourites and fell apart shortly afterwards. It's also reminded me that i need to hunt down some more film for my Polaroid Camera...

Luckily my mum shares my passion for a good rummage so we went to Battersea boot sale on the Sunday, and then for a proper Sunday lunch. I ended up with lots of great things for the stall, however a few of them have already made it into my wardrobe. I need to pack away the rest before it all ends up in my own closet!

Oh and also there is a little post about me over on the Modcloth Blog which I'm quite excited about!

Market Number Three

2010-10-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Today I've been selling at the Hanbury Hall Vintage Market, it was my third time selling and i managed not to have any major disasters. Last time both my rails fell over because i overloaded them with heavy winter coats- note; if you are looking to buy some new hanging rails don't get the cheep Argos ones! I'd sold quite a few things before getting my camera out to take some pics, and I'm regretting not getting some snaps of the vanity cases i had as I'm slightly sad to have sold them...

Anyway I'm exhausted and so I'm off to bed now, hope you've all had a good weekend!

The 'Alexa' Dress

2010-10-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

Dress- £65 Joy
Bag- La Meow, Etsy
Chelsea Boots- £4 Portobello

Apologies for the random rubbish in the background of this photo, it's the less glamorous side of my tiny yard, but a very large spider has built a giant web which stretches from the washing line to the ground, making my previous outfit spot a bit inaccessible!

This is actually the outfit i wore last night (with the exception of the bag that arrived in the post today- i think it might deserve a post of it's own later in the week- it's my new favourite thing!) The dress I'm wearing is a copy of the Alexa Chung for Madewell dress, it's from a shop called 'Joy',which i rarely go into, but there is a branch at the end of my sisters road so i sent her to pick it up for me earlier in the week.



Anyway last night i was in one of my local pubs on Columbia Road and bizarrely enough who should be over the other side of the bar but Alexa herself! It took me a while to realise that it was actually her, i kept starting at her outfit, then realised she looked a bit like Alexa Chung...and that the guy she was with looked a bit like Alex Turner...Doh. At least i was far enough away for her not to notice my ripped off dress!

Mini Ebay Update

2010-10-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

Clockwise from Top left;
1, ASOS Mini Folk Dress
2, Topshop Flapper Style Dress
3, 80's Bow Front Shoes
4, Primark Grunge Revival Romper

I'm doing my stall again tomorrow (at Hanbury Hall, just off Brick Lane) so today I've been busy packing everything up, and trying to decide what to leave behind. I'm finding it pretty stressful lugging so much stuff around so I'm trying to stick to knitwear and scarves and other things that are suitable for the chilly weather we've been having this weekend. I am the least practical shopper ever so i have only just got my head around the fact that people buy things to wear straight away. I am always buying gloves and furry hats in August, and pretty summer dresses in October. Unfortunately i normally pack them away somewhere and then forget i have them and then end up buying something really similar a few months later!

I just had enough time today to photograph and list a few dresses for Ebay. I kind of don't want to sell them- but they are all slightly too small and as they are high street dresses i am going to hope that i stumble across them in a bigger size one day soon!

Check Mate

2010-10-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

Dress- Pintuck Vintage on Etsy
Bag- Vintage Store in Devon
Cardigan- £2 Portobello Market
Boots- Red Lips Vintage on Etsy

I've given up on trying to find 'glamourous' locations for my outfit pics, so today i got my friend Lauren to take a couple of pics next to the underpass in Shepard's Bush, which is basically my daily trek between the tube and my office. At least today it was actually sunny though, believe me the walk in on a grim Monday in the middle of winter is pretty much the worst walk ever, plus I always end up looking like a drowned rat as it's such a windy road you can't use a brolly without it breaking!

I think this cardigan might be my new fave, i love the colour, the aryn knit and the leather buttons. It was only £2 but that was due to the fact it has been shrunk in the wash by it's previous owner- it's a bit tight but i can just about get it on! I've been on a bit of a knitwear buying mission for the past couple of weeks as I'll be doing another stall at the weekend! I am starting to feel a bit like a proper market trader, although i can see that as it gets further into winter i'm going to find it difficult to make any of the early morning markets..

All photos by Lauren!

Autumn Polaroids

2010-10-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been a bit uninspired on the blogging front lately, especially now that it's getting
colder and darker and i seem to be spending every minute of daylight cooped up in my office
(i face a blocked up window which is pretty much the most depressing thing ever!) Anyway
after reading Suzz's Post about fall in New England i remembered I've had these Polaroids
sitting in my flickr since last year. Admittedly Hackney's leaves look slightly grubbier but
after re-looking at them I'm starting to get a bit more excited about the change in the weather.
All i need to do now is track down somewhere in London that makes the fabled pumpkin
spice latte that I've reading about all over the place....

Saturday

2010-10-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

Dress- £5 Battersea Boot Sale
Bag -£3 Flea Market
Shoes £2 Portobello

I've been really busy at work all week and so basically spent my whole day yesterday lying around the house, leaving only briefly for my weekly trip to my local charity shop. Today i made it to the boot sale at Battersea, but i got there quite late and ended up missing most of the good bargains. In the end i bought a couple of dresses, some padded coat hangers and a battered vintage suitcase. Sadly the dresses are both a bit too small so i might have to list them on ebay next weekend.

The dress i wore yesterday was bought from Battersea from a couple of weeks ago. I love the print but it's actually got some crazy ruching around the waist so it might end up on ebay too, probably just as well as i have sooo many dresses, my room is starting to resemble a shop! My favourite purchase of the past couple of weeks are these suede shoes below. They look a bit 40's but i think they're actually from the 80's and they are so comfy, which makes a change from all my other heels.

Aye Aye Captain

2010-10-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Nautical Vintage Dress- Trade
H&M Tights
Gabor Shoes- Beyond Retro

I bought this dress earlier in the week from the Trade shop in Shepard's bush and I've been wearing it around the house today to help me decided whether to keep it or sell it. It's amazing but I'm pretty sure I'll have nowhere to wear it to and i really need to part with a few more things as I'm doing my stall again tomorrow. I also took a couple of pictures of my new hat box that i bought from Battersea least week- actually i think it was the hat inside that was being sold, but i was way more interested in the print on the box. I haven't managed to find anywhere for it to sit in my (very crowded) room, so for the past week it's been sitting in the middle of my floor.

Anyway i took these pictures just as the rain started today, and it's continued for the rest of the afternoon. I realised after i took these that i look slightly haggard- I'm going to blame it on my busy week at work and from too many late nights. After the market tomorrow I think I'm going to aim to do as little as possible for a few days so that i can catch up on some sleep.

Somerset House

2010-09-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

Coat- Charity shop
Collar- Beyond Retro
Leather Skirt- £1.50(!) Car Boot Sale
Russell & Bromley Boots- £15 Charity Shop
Bag- Car Boot Sale

Yesterday I went to the Elle fashion weekend show today at Somerset House with my sister, It was actually really sunny but freezing at the same time so i ended up having to dig out a 'proper' winter coat for the first time this season. This is one of my favourite coats but it's actually a bit of a DIY effort- i sewed the collar on myself as although i loved the shape of the coat it looked a bit 80's and frumpy without anything around the neckline.

I'm not really sure what i though of the catwalk show- the whole experience was fun but there were only a couple of looks i really loved. Most of the clothes were for sale inside Somerset house, so we went and had a good wander round afterwards. I bought some cute shorts from Lowie, which are a bit weather inappropriate but i love them anyway.

San Francisco...

2010-09-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

I've still go a couple of San Francisco posts that I've been meaning to write since i got back from my trip (it was just over a month ago but it feels like a distant memory now...) the second will hopefully be completed this week too- but first i thought I'd post a few photos i took in The Mission. My favourites are the first and last pic. That van in the last photo is practically camouflaged!

My friends Elena and Melissa had been to San Fran the previous year and so when i asked for thrift store tips they pointed me in this direction, or more specifically towards 'Thrift Town'. To be honest although it was massive i couldn't find anything good in their that day, it was worth a rummage, but i think i was being extra picky as i only had the one suitcase (and I'd gone slightly mad in Portland earlier that week) My favourite part of the day was the amazing dinner i had at a restaurant called Weird Fish, which i would definitely recommend to anyone paying a trip to the bay. I orderd the 'suspicious fish dish', they won't tell you what it is until it arrives, and even then i didn't quite catch what was in it....it was very tasty though!

Second Etsy Update of the Week

2010-09-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

~~Post Impressionist Dress~~ Sold Mexican Emb Floral Dress

80's Batwing Floral Jersey Dress Etienne Aigner Leather Satchel

I've just added three more dresses to the Etsy store along with a vintage Etienne Aigner satchel. You can click on the titles below to get straight to the listings (fingers crossed my linking skills have worked!)

The first dress is one of the slightly crazy thrift finds that i think probably deserves a much braver owner. It's been sitting in my wardrobe for a while but i don't think I'm brave enough to wear it out. The print is a slightly crazy patchwork of various portraits by the post impressionists, along with their signatures. It's definitely one of those dresses you'll either love or hate!

Liberty Scarf Hall

2010-09-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

v

These are a couple of pics i took at the Vogue Night Out in Liberty a couple of weeks ago, i feel like time is flying and i seem to be getting busier and busier each week (I'm sure this will calm down when it begins to get properly cold in London- i really feel like i could do with an excuse to not leave the house....)

Anyway back to Liberty! I met my friend Naomi straight after work so that we could make the most of the free drinks and other general activities. I really wanted to take a few sneaky pics in the store, but i only managed a couple of the scarf hall and the flowers outside, we found a free sofa in the contemporary fashion room and ended up nattering for ages, and missing most of the things that were going on. It was much more fun than meeting in a normal bar though. We did go to the scarf tying workshop in the brand new scarf hall. I think their scarf stylist got slightly carried away and fashioned some kind of Bikini top for me. I kind of liked it, and i really love the Greyson Perry print scarf she used. The headscarf she added was a bit of a necessity, my hair is not behaving itself at the moment! I got off lightly though, poor Naomi ended up practically mummified in silk scarves- i don't think she'd be too happy if i posted any photos though....

Did anyone else go to any of the events in London (or anywhere else)?

Pretending To Be A Market Trader!

2010-09-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pics of my stall at the market last weekend. I meant to post these during the past week but i got distracted with birthday parties and leaving dos.

It was quite fun pretending to be a proper trader for the day so i think I'm going to give it another whirl next weekend (fingers crossed there are still spaces available!) I've also had a good root through my winter wardrobe over the weekend and i didn't realise quite how many jumpers, boots and coats i had, so some of these will be joining me next week too!

Thanks Ellie for the pics!

Etsy Update

2010-09-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

                                                70's Paisley Print Dress Size M

                                                       ~~70s Floral Smock Dress~~ Sold

                                                Floral Cord Mini Dress Size XS

            80s Pleated Collar Dress                                    80's Nautical Stripe Romper

                                              Cute Floral Mini Dress Size S/M

                                                      ~~Pretty Check Day Dress~~ Sold

                 ~~60's Lace Mini Dress~~  Sold                                   Cacharel Stripe & Polka Dot Shirt



                                                   Cord Paisley Floral Romper

                                                     70s Boho Smock Dress



                                                      70s Pretty Boho Dress

After weeks of putting it off I've finally got around to a proper update for the Etsy store! I've spent most of the day taking pics and so I've a couple more dresses to list later in the week, tonight though I'm looking forward to apple crumble and custard (which is my reward for getting all of these up. Click on the link below each item to see the full listing.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend x

Friday Knitwear

2010-09-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

Cardigan- Pintuck Vintage on Etsy
Bag- Vintage store in Devon
Boots- Red Lips Vintage
Vintage Dress- Battersea Boot sale (but it's a dead ringer for an old Topshop one!)

Photo by Lauren

I'm feeling slightly exhausted after my stall yesterday, it was really fun and i learned lots of useful things for next time. Lesson number one is- get a taxi there! I think i am a bit of a cheapskate, and not just with clothing! It wasn't too bad taking all of my things on the bus, but now i can hardly move today, i think lesson number two is that i need more exercise.....
So here is a quick outfit post with pics i had saved from last week. This is what i wore to work on Friday, i guess this is my default daily outfit, boots/ dress/ cardigan combo. This is my current favourite cardigan though so it probably deserves a better blog post sometime. I bought it from my friend Lena who always seems to find the best stuff (maybe it's because she's better at getting up early for the markets!)

There's another picture here which isn't quite blog worthy. Oh, and i apologies, I've been really bad at replying to comments recently, tomorrow is going to be a night of blog reading and general catching up!

Ebay Update

2010-09-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

Next week i hope to do a big Etsy Update (finally) however for now here are a few items that are ending tomorrow on my Ebay, they're a mix of high street and Vintage as I'm trying to streamline my closet a bit. You can click on the descriptions below each one to get to the listing. Oh and sorry for the crazy hair and facial expressions- i normally edit my head out of all the pics!

Faux Fur Collar Tweed Mini Coat PRIMARK Cute Peter Pan Collar Dress

ASOS Cute Ruffle Floral Prom Dress 90's Vintage Grunge Floral Print Dress

Lace

2010-09-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Dress- H&M (years ago- it shrank in the wash!)
Lace Top- £1 flea Market
Shoes- $20 Living threads in Portland.

I was planning on posting some pics of the items I'm taking to the Vintage sale tomorrow, however it's taken me way longer that i thought to price and pack everything, plus I still need to go and find some hangers and dismantle my clothes rail. So here are some pics i took last weekend instead. This is what i wore yesterday for dinner, and also last Saturday when i met up with my friend Ellie. I have been trying to think of something to wear the lace blouse with for weeks, it's one of my fave recent purchases but it doesn't really match many things i own (i think it would look great with jeans- but i don't own any!) I've been trying to stick to the paler dresses in my wardrobe until my hair colour fades out a bit (the bottle said medium brown but it's really, really dark).

This is also a little glimpse at the nightmare that is my room! It's so tiny it's difficult to get the tripod far enough away to take any pics, and you can see my mountains of junk encroaching into the bottom right hand corner of the first photo.  And yes, i only realised that my scrappy piece of wallpaper was falling down when i looked at them later on my computer. When i first started the blog i intended to take more outfit pictures, but it's difficult in such a small space. I have no free walls to take any photos against so i normally take them in the living room, but it involves moving all the furniture around, and that's way too much hassle to do daily- my mission for next year is to find myself a slightly larger place...

Liberty Scarf Hall

2010-09-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

As usual I've been rubbish at posting this week, but i have actually managed to take lots of pics for once! Hopefully I'll be posting some of these tomorrow, but for now here are some photos taken at Liberty for last years Vogue Fashion Night Out. This years pics are pretty similar (i.e. more scarves and more mannequin heads) but i haven't managed to download them from my camera yet.

Oh, and on Sunday i will be doing a little stall at the Hanbury Hall Vintage Market, just off brick lane. Come and say hi if you are in the area, even if you don't want to shop it's a really sweat market and they normally have a stall selling tea & cakes too. Click here for a map! I am so excited as i haven't done a market before, i have been sneakily making price tags today at work (just had to wait until my boss had gone to lunch before printing them)

Boot Sale Bounty

2010-09-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today i went to the Battersea Boot Sale, which may have been slightly silly as I've been attempting to stick to a shopping ban for the past couple of months, but every time i venture down to south London i break it. I definitely think i have some kind of issue with boot sales, i get so excited i end up spending all of my money before I've even done one circuit of the sale, and then I'm always wishing i had money left for a snack (there's always a man there selling a great selection of cakes and quiches, way better than the burger van!) At least it means i don't end up getting home too late, and today it meant I'd finished just as it was starting to rain.

So here are some pics of my purchases, i also bought a big heap of dresses, but i haven't photographed them yet- i don't want this to be the longest post ever! The top photo is a bit dominated by leather. I've been wanting an old fashioned leather suitcase for ages, and this one is perfect, plus it was only £5. The satchel and the briefcase are both supposed to be for the etsy store, but I'm kind of tempted to keep them. Plus the strap on the satchel is a bit damaged so maybe that's a sign i should hang onto it! I also got a pair of tan shoes (i think they're from office) a Swiss woolen scarf and a leather belt. I took a close up of the belt buckle- it's an old girl guides belt!



I bought three more pairs of shoes, the glittery ones are old ballroom dancing shoes, they are actually almost exactly the same as a pink pair that i have, the 70's sandals and 80's cage shoes aren't really appropriate for the Autumn weather but i couldn't resist them.

I bought a small selection of NFI Film programmes from a guy who had two whole mounds of them, i picked them based on the covers, but there are some interesting features inside too (i studied film history as part of my degree- so I'm a bit of a film geek) On the far left is a Vintage map of Paris, sponsored by Galeries Lafayette, i got this for free as I'd bought so many other items, i think he was just excited that someone else shared his passion for old films.

And my absolute favourite purchase is this copy of Vogue below from June 1975. I bought it from the same lady who sold me the suitcase in the top photo, I've seen her there quite a few times and she always has some amazing(ly expensive) vintage pieces and then lots of boxes filled with lace and trimmings. She had 4 issues from the same year and they all had gorgeous covers. I only had a quick flick through them before deciding on this on, but when i got home i saw that the issue was celebrating 100 years of Liberty. It has the most amazing illustrations by Alexander Vethers, i think i am going to scan them and hopefully frame them. Well one day i will, when i have some more wall space....

I've always loved Liberty prints, when i was younger my mother used to stitch little purses, glasses cases, picture frames etc out of Liberty fabric for a local craft stall in our village. I actually use on of my mum's 'glasses cases' as a case for my camera. It's a perfect fit.

Some Birthday Photos

2010-09-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

All Photos by Ellie

Here are a few more pictures of my Birthday Picnic from last weekend. I've actually just stolen these from my friend Ellie's facebook page, and she has quite a few more on her blog too! I really enjoyed decorating the garden, and although i can't take credit for any of the cake making i did assemble the cake stand from a few old plates i had. These photos have really made me want to buy a better camera, i quite enjoyed playing around with Ellie's DSLR, although normally I'm not one for spending money on anything vaguely technological (i have the cheapest phone and CD player, and I'm only just starting to contemplate buying an ipod!) Can anyone suggest a good (relatively) cheep Camera?

San Francisco Shopping

2010-09-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this post isn't really a guide to shopping in San Fran, it's more of a slightly random selection of Photos i took of my favourite window displays. And apologies for the terrible window reflections in this post!

I think my favourite shop in the Haight was La Rosa which isn't featured in any of the pics (i was way too scared to try and take any photos inside!) It had the most amazing range of 40's and 50's dresses, and some modern re-makes of 50's shoe designs. I'm really wishing i had bought a pair of those shoes now, i always feel a bit too scared to wear any of my older shoes, so i don't think i could bring myself to wear a 50's pair out of the house. They also had quite a few vintage swimsuits, now that i've seen how much they go for in London i'm regretting not buying one of these too!

I actually did buy the pink dress in the photo above. It was from one of the slightly cheeper vintage stores down the road.  I can't resist anything with a peter pan collar even though i was trying to be good and take sneaky photos in the changing room instead of making any purchases. I haven't worn it yet, but the material is fairly thick so it'll be great for Autumn, i'm just slightly concerned about it clashing with my hair, which is looking a bit ginger at the moment as the dye is fading out....




The Photo above is from the Perish Trust which is a great little shop i found via the Snail and the Cyclops Blog. I read that it has really variable opening times but luckily it was open when i wandered past, and there were a few other great shops on the same road so it was definetely worth a visit. Below is a window display from a bookshop in the mission, i think this one is actually my favourite display of the bunch.



And last but not least, a snap of the Community Thrift store on Valencia Street. It wasn't the best store but it was bright pink and so deserves a mention!

The 29th

2010-08-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

Picture by Naomi, Cake made by Ellie!

Today is a slightly scary day, it's my last ever 20's birthday- yikes! I have eaten so much cake i feel slightly ill, and i have loads left to take into work tomorrow for my work collegues. I managed to take very few pictures of the day, but Ellie brought along her new DSLR which provided endless entertainment and so i'm hoping to steal some more pics from her flickr later in the week. Oh and the cake above was amazing, my little camera doesn't do it justice!

Hanbury Hall

2010-08-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

I've been having a really lazy day today and instead of even attempting to get up early to go to any flea markets i decided to go and visit my friend Elena who was doing a stall at the Vintage fair in Hanbury hall. I've actually never been in there before, or even noticed that it's there, but i must be slightly blind as it's just opposite the side entrance to the Up- Market off Brick Lane. The hall itself reminded me a bit of a local village hall, and there were a few sofas dotted around and a little kitchen selling cupcakes and tea and coffee too. All in all much more relaxing that the rest of Brick Lane.

I really loved this Vintage hat above, and it was actually the same colour as the one that i was wearing! I don't normally wear hats (i.e. i have never worn a hat before, other than a knitted winter one) but i bought a couple at a boot sale last week and i am dying to get some wear out of them before it gets too cold and miserable. I'll try and get some better pics of this one sometime soon as it is really cute in real life..

I thought I'd take a couple of pics while i was there. I am always jealous of Elena's finds, and i often end up buying things off her when i go to visit (last week i bought an amazing green floral dress!) Anyway my favourite things this time were a couple of 1940's blouses and a 50's top (below left) The floral blouse in the very top right hand side photo had the cutest little stitched collar and pockets (detail below) if i wasn't sworn off shopping i would have been tempted.....

Oh and Elena has an Etsy store too which you can find here. I'm thinking about trying to do a market in a few weeks, it looks like so much fun, plus i am still drowning in a sea of shoes.

Dream Houses

2010-08-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

Today I've had a horrible day at work and I'm cheering myself up by looking back at my San Francisco photos, and wishing that i lived in one of the above houses. This is just a tiny selection of the pictures i took and so incase you haven't guessed yet, i am a complete geek when it comes to buildings. Next to the brick houses in my neighbourhood these colourful wooden panelled dwellings above looks so exotic! And there were streets and streets of them! I also love the metal fire escapes and am wishing i had a little metal balcony to fill with plants and drink my morning coffee.

I did study a couple of Architecture History modules at Uni, but i think I've inherited this passion from my Dad, you can't take him anywhere without him stopping to look in every estate agents window. Plus my favourite way to travel in London is by bus so i can see all the different neighbourhoods and imagine what it might be like to live in each of them. Maybe I'm just getting a bit restless in Hackney, but I've been slightly obsessed with interior magazines recently and contemplating renting a flat on my own, sadly i don't earn anywhere near enough- oh well i can dream!

Hopefully I'll have an actual clothing related post tomorrow. I have had a hair cut and feel less bedraggled than i have done for months!

Spring Cleaning

2010-08-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ellie

Since I've got back from America I've been feeling a bit stressed about the amount of stuff I've got, even more so than usual. So in an effort to shift things I've had a mammoth ebay listing session (it's been free listings all weekend in the UK) Hopefully I'll finally be able to see the floor of my room which has been covered in bags of clothing that was destined for the Etsy shop, but never quite made it there. I've also moved a few things from the Etsy store onto Ebay, if anyone is interested in purchasing anything you can message me through ebay, i am normally open to haggling! I'm also going to be listing a few more bits and pieces from Topshop etc next weekend (if i can bring myself to part with them that is).

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A London Canal Walk & A Portland Dress

2010-08-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Dress- $26 'Pop Up Shoppe' in Portland
Bag- £18 Vintage Shop in Devon
Belt- £2 Car Boot Sale
Sandals- $20 'Living Threads' in Portland

It's kind of gloomy today but still quite muggy and warm at the same time, I'd arranged to meet up with my friend Naomi, who i managed to con into taking some blog pictures for me (thanks Naomi x) I really wanted to wear this dress i bought a week or so ago in Portland (before the summer disappears completely) I was so sure I'd get to wear it in San Francisco, so much so i bought a needle and thread and took it in at the sides in my crazy motel room in Portland. It was a slightly bodged job but now it fits perfectly! Anyway the weather wasn't co-operating in San Fran but I'm still happy i bought it and finally got to wear it with the miserable London weather.

I feel like i haven't taken any outfit pictures for so long, mostly because I'm starting to feel bad harassing my friends, and i haven't quite plucked up the courage to take my tripod out with me. Also I've been feeling a bit uninspired and haven't liked the way any of my pictures have turned out.

Oh and looking at this has made me really want to book a hair cut- so that's what I'll be attempting to organise tomorrow! Hope you are all having good weekends!

Portland- Washington Park

2010-08-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

I was going to attempt to stick to some kind of chronological order with my holiday posts, but these are from my last day in Portland when i visited the Rose Garden and Japanese Garden in Washington Park. It was the sunniest day of my whole trip, although the morning started off pretty overcast (hence the dodgy leggings and 90's sundress combo- i really dislike wearing leggings, but they're so practical for travelling and when you can't quite work out what's going on with the weather!) I think if I'd realised how hot it was going to be i wouldn't have walked all the way up to the park from downtown, but i think the walk did me some good, and it meant i had a good excuse to buy an enormous ice cream from the van in the park.

Portland- Part 1

2010-08-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

Well i made it back from the US in one piece, but I'm currently drinking a large cup of coffee to help me get over my terrible jet lag. I am still feeling pretty excited about the whole trip and wanted to post a few pictures before i went back to work tomorrow and all of my holiday excitement disappeared completely. I am not looking forward to getting back into the 9-5 routine, i feel like I've been away for years.

I've taken so may pics but I'm going to try not to bore everyone with millions of photos of wooden houses and metal fire escapes, which seem to pop up in the majority of my photos (they count as exotic to a London dweller like myself!) Anyway i guess the original point of my trip was to go on a massive thrifting adventure, so my first post is mainly focused on that. However although i did visit quite a few thrift shops (and vintage stores) i actually spent the majority of my time in coffee houses, restaurants and just wandering around the city. It's a good thing i was able to control my shopping urges, i had the tiniest suitcase compared to everyone else on my flight, next time i go away for any length of time I'm going to invest in a new one. Plus there's nothing like having to lug everything you have around for a week to stop your retail urges!


The shop above was one of my faves in Portland, possibly because it was situated in one of the aforementioned wooden houses.  It's out on NW 23rd Ave and it was a lovely walk out there through some leafy neighbourhoods (i also passed a Goodwill on the way and picked up another couple of dresses) and the road also had the only Urban Outfitters i found in Portland, unfortunately even with the current exchange rate it's still too expensive for me! Anyway i bought the 50's dress on the right below, it's a bit faded in places but it could pass for being part of the pattern, and it was only $26 which i thought wasn't too expensive. The changing rooms were also decorated with lots of plastic flowers which i wanted to photograph. I guess the one problem of traveling alone is that you end up with lots of pictures of buildings, but very few of people and almost none of yourself!




Atomic Ashes was closed every time i walked past, but i had fun taking pictures through the window. I had a long wander through the Pearl District and wished i could live in one of the houses below, their flowers looked amazing!



Oh and i also got slightly addicted to Buffalo Exchange. I must have been in at least 4 different branches in the past week and bought at least one thing in each. I wasn't going to buy the Romper and Dress below (hence why i photographed them) but they were only $9 each and it's so difficult to find 80's dresses that actually fit (normally they are massive) plus i had the idea that the Romper would be perfect for sunny days, if there are any more sunny days left this summer!