Off travelling....vintage style

I have been going through things in the house to get rid of - rediscovered this lovely little suitcase in the back of the wardrobe (oh, don't pretend that you don't have a stock of stuff there too!) and decided that it has to go.  Took one photo - then added in the vintage Worcester Ware tin tray/table that I bought at the car boot at the weekend (by the way had sucessfully hidden this in the boot of the car - Dom decided to take a holiday from work yesterday and took the car to do the shopping...busted!) - then added in some 1950s fabric that seemed to match - then thought that the purses that I have been making might go too - then remembered that 28 years ago (yep, my mind works in a strange way) someone gave me these vintage holiday labels.....phew, my work is done!

Dom winced when he saw the tray and said that two of this type was the maximum allowed...

I love this Miss Dannimac - it is the most delicious yellow and perfect for Spring.  I thought that Bronte might like it as it is a great style...sadly she has told me that yellow is just not her colour.  I may have to 'move it on'...sniff, sniff.  The Horizon holiday labels were given to me many years ago - in my early days in London I worked as a nanny to the then casting director of the National Theatre.  Quite simply the best job I have ever had - I would go to the theatre at least twice a week and always go back stage and meet everyone in twinkly theatre land. Everyone knew Gillian and she would always kindly introduce me - though I was very gauche and had no idea what to say.  I was a little stage struck by it all.  Anway long before she was a casting director Gillian was a holiday rep in the 1950s and these were a souvenir from those days.  Of course I kept them as Gillian was so kind to give them to me!

Vintage cushions for a bit of cheeriness

Now I do like a bit of colour and have one of two (cough, cough)  vintage bits and pieces to try and introduce colour and pattern into the home.  Dom chose the decoration for our 'front room' (known previously as the 'other room' - this is because I was brought up in a two up, two down house and we had a kitchen and the 'other room' - gradually changed to being the 'other room' - now upgraded to the 'front room'. Phew!!).  Anyway Dom chose the colour scheme for the 'front room' and that colour was......beige!!!! Triple yuck - he is on the brink of capitulation as two girls and I keep on moaning and complaining about the dullness of it all.  I have been gradually sneaking in colourful, vintage (of course) cushions and Bronte sneakily said last night:'Let's bring colour in slowly and he won't notice...tee hee'.

Here is cushion number one:

Bag in the making

It would be very nice if my photos remained on my blog rather than be scattered to the four winds.  Thank you.

Now some of you will know that I am partial to a nice bag made from vintage fabrics - I have them piled on my vintage coat hooks (five deep plus in places!). Shocking really but I find it hard to give them up - even more so when I see the price of a bag in Miss Cath Kidston's Emporium!!!  Staggered that cloth bags, made with vintage fabric, cost £38!!!!!!  I spied a bag in there made from my old bedroom curtains - fortunately I still have my old bedroom curtains so....

Anyway the bag that I made last night has a vintage embroidered spring basket (topical you see!) and delicious wooden red button and ditsy daisy fabric.  Just right for trit trotting around Miss Kidston's Emporium and tut tutting at the cost of her items!!  You may have noticed that I am rather fond of exclamation marks!!!!

There are two sides to me...

Mmmmm - updating this post as I see there is a link on ghastly pinsect to this....I wonder if you read this blog?????? If you do then you will know my thoughts....

This has always been my trouble - I like too many things and too many different styles.  Hence my house ends up looking a hotch potch, rather than the unified, streamlined icon of design that I would wish for!!!  These two placemats sum up the 'problem' quite neatly. On the left we have a typical 1950's geometric design - I like this because it is bold, colourful and makes an impact.  On the right we have a typical 1960's flowery design - I like this because it is pretty, colourful and makes an impact. So everywhere in our house has a bit of both and everywhere there is a bit of clashing going on with the two very different tastes.  Which is your favourite?

A Dolly Darling has come for tea

Do you remember these?  My sister and I loved them and would save pocket money for several years to buy one - we had built up a nice little collection over the years and eventually (as is the way of most things in life) they were put away (in a very nice vanity case I seem to remember) in the loft.  Spin forward in time many years - I had left home, all my sisters had left home and my mother was about to leave that home.  My brother had returned home (from one of his many sojourns abroad) and was helping to clear out that loft - along with my old doll's house all of our treasured Dolly Darling collection was thrown away.....and burnt.....Fast forward a good few years and about four years ago I 'found' my favourite (school days)  Dolly Darling for sale.  Back together again

I have got to stop making bags!

However I just have  a few more to make!  Yesterday we popped over to the Isle of Wight (10 minutes on the Hover and 10 minutes from our house to the terminal - so it is popping!) - lovely time on Ryde beach, stopped for tea at grandmother's and of course popped into the charity shops (rude not to!) - bought a few bits and bobs including this piece of embroidery for £2.  Started sewing within five minutes of getting home...

Do you remember Aqua Manda??

When I was about 12 my older sisters all had Aqua Manda - I never did - how I longed for a bottle of perfume or talc.  I admired the bottles from afar and examined the adverts in Woman's Own.  I never did own any of these exotic potions...until day!!! At the car boot I bought an unopened bottle for 50p - so something that I had yearned for has been reduced to such a low value! How times have changed.  I might put this in Bronte's 70's bedroom and it will go a treat on the shelf