Had a little wonder around my local town today to get rid of my trapped feeling after spending so long indoors the past couple of days. 


Got myself a few bits including a 50's table tennis set in the cutest box! 49 pence!


Also, I got myself The Dame Vera Lynn biography. Now she might not be everyone's taste, but as a child, myself and my dad would watch war documentaries and films and I was taken by the whole 40's period from a very young age. Dame Vera Lynn was the forces sweetheart, I have two CDs of her songs I love to listen when in the right mood.

A huge contrast however is the next book I got - The lost life of Eva Braun. It looks fascinating. The mistress and wife of Hitler. 23 years his junior. What sort of woman loved Hitler? I shall find out! The last one is a readers digest book - road to recovery - 1950's. A bit to keep me occupied for a week or so!


Happy thrifting this weekend folks! Xx

I've been pretty tired and poorly the past couple of days. Not much done at all. Feeling very irritable so I'm off to bed with some new fabrics, my crafty books and mags and my kits and see what I come up with. Some may call it therapy. Night all xxx

More swag!

We got up bright and early to sell at our local car boot sale on sunday morning, only to peep through the curtains and discover it was piddling down, very depressing. We looked at each other and shook our heads  - Shall we just go and buy instead now we're up? Yep. That was the plan. Not really hoping for much in the damp weather we headed on down the bleak and grey, wet roads to find it all surprisingly busy. All stalls were inside the cattle barns and so we at least were dry and slightly warmer - but what a difference - no torches this time - it was light!  Is spring really coming? It's been a long time coming that's for sure!


Anyhoo...some pics of my swag...

Selection of vintage Noddy items!

Hornsea Saffron Dish

Couple of vintage games/activities

A lovely pinny - is it 70's or earlier..?

3 cushion covers

Some 1970's fabric?

Lovely solid glass jug, need a good wash and shine up

Couple of vintage maps, which I got for backs of future furniture!

Six piece crownford coffee set

6 vintage books - 10 pence each, all tatty, but great for upcycling - was so pleased about this!

Not vintage, but loved this cushion, this one is staying put!

Very cute little toy bunkbed complete with mattresses and sheets!

Lovely shade of blue solid glass dish - love this!

Tupperware bowl, love this shade of green.

Again, non vintage, but loved this paperchase laptop bag.

Phew, so that was it - I LOVE Sundays, best day of the week - roll on next week :)

To finish off a great day, we had a tea party for Lewis who is 13 today in fact! 

Here he is making a wish before blowing out his candles, although looks more like praying to me. Wonder what he was desperately praying for?

Flea fun

Sunday's flea was a great success, the sun shone on us all day and after my initial 'Eak' moment at the start when I realised jut how much I had brought along with me and the time I had to set up, I relaxed and enjoyed it! 


It was just so lovely, fun, and everyone was so kind, including the company of Sophie from Faded Grace who came to say hello whilst there!


Didn't get any chance of looking around myself *sobs* But managed to buy a cadburys chocolate biscuit tin from the stallholder next to me - here it is pictured next to my charity shop pair of glasses I got myself today..


*Sorry for rubbish photos taken by my ipad*

Two cute glasses accumulated from charity shop today   - goes lovely with my CK kitchen ware!




Today's hunting got me an off white topflite 60's suitcase which when cleaned up came up lovely. I'm meant to be selling it but think it looks rather nice under my TV with my lounge blankets on. Oops! 

Alongside the case, I also got these...

1950's retro magazine rack from Charity shop.

50's Escalado game from auctions.

Funky 70's Sutton tablecloth and napkin set, still sealed. Unwanted item someone left at the auctions!

One of a collection of boxes and tins from an auction in Bath this week. Someone had been keeping small birds eggs in them. Lord knows how many years they had been in there!!

I also found a 50's wedding cake topper in a box at the auctions today, the buyer of the box wasn't aware of it and I cheekily asked if I could buy it off them, and so I did, very cheaply, and I'm so very happy with it, I will take a photo for next time!

I managed to find a copy of Vintage life in my Sainsbury's today, huzzah! So I'm off to bed to read it with a cuppa. Night all xxx

Beautiful Elizabeth

The last few days, when I haven't been sanding and paints units, I have been standing in my garage furiously tagging and packing my goodies for Sunday's flea market at the bath and west show ground, near shepton. 


Amongst all the clutter, I came across some old illustrated magazines and ephemera that I'd forgotten about, including books and papers on the coronation of George and of his wife, the Queen Consort,  Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon , who I had only really known and thought of, as the queen mother. God rest her soul.


It's not like I hadn't seen pictures of her as a young lady before, I had. It's just that I never took the time to really look and appreciate them, and today I took a break from the madness and I did just that.


What an elegant and beautifully dressed woman she was and what a handsome couple.


What do you all think?

Beautiful...

Love her outfit here, is that a long dress or could it even be a trouser suit...?

Love how even in all her regalia and on an official engagement, she has her handbag!

How I remember her.

I like to remind our kids that those people you view as 'wrinkly old people' were once youthful, vivacious, beautiful/handsome youngsters such as themselves and they probably have a story or ten to tell you! As I'm sure Elizabeth would have many more in the royal household!

This isn't Elizabeth, but this was on the back of one of the Illustrated magazines and thought it so cute!

I'm wondering whether to sell the magazines as is, or to remove the adverts such as this one and frame them? Seems such a sin to do so, but they really are so lovely and wasted!

Sunday swag!

In Sunday I braved the bitter cold, popped on my hat, gloves, grabbed my swag bag and drove the desolate, dark roads to my local boot sale.


Swoon! In the torchlight I found some coronation jigsaws from the 1950's and some vintage 70's toys and more Tupperware ( just need the VW camper van to match now..) after getting back and cleaning up my wares I then decided it wasn't enough and drove down the motorway to a boot sale in Swindon. There, joy of all joys! A man was shouting at the top of his voice "everything in the boxes 10 pence each or fill a box for a pound" well if only you could have seen me, in I dived at high speed, no shame whatsoever! I came out with glassware, vintage scales, tins etc! The last stall I found some early 1970 Twinkle books. They have brought back some lovely memories.


The rest of the day I spent cleaning up my Sunday swag in front of the fire. Meg the cat is fond of my Sunday swag, without fail, she comes to sniff everything I bring in and watches me with interest when I'm cleaning my new treasures.


Today was spent in my garage sorting and labelling stock and boxes. I rediscovered a box of linens of which included a white whole cloth blanket I'd forgotten about, it's now on my bed looking lovely, why didn't I use it before!?


Oh and before I forget - I got myself a couple of great books on Saturday, following a lead from a fellow blogger - I found in Poundland a copy of Good Housekeeping's 'A War Brides Guide to the USA' Over 100'000 women married american soldiers during  WW2 and they were all shipped over after the war by the american government, can you imagine it? Good Housekeeping did a special for these brides, a guide in how to settle in, make friends, even the difference in language/slang. I was thrilled to find this still in the shop, guess how much ;)


I'm now off to bed with a cuppa and a copy of 'making' magazine - love the suitcase organiser and dear Santa, please please can you bring me this lovely old sewing machine 10 months early?

Meg watching me with interest....

Pretty please Santa :)

I love this!

Today's read...

Gorgeous coronation jigsaws I found, hooray!

Found in Poundland!

Some of my swag!

This weekend I suffered rip roaring toothache, so on Sunday morning, where I would usually be found hunting vintage finds at my local boot sale, i was instead in bed feeling sorry for myself. Later on that day I tagged along with my OH to a toy collectors fair at the Bath & West ground, Shepton Mallet. Despite their protests on the way there, the kids loved it and I got myself a a dinky lady penelope car and a lovely shabby old dinky vw van which is now pride of place in my kitchen window. I want the real life version, but this will do for now! So, despite my lack of vintage thrift, I managed to raise my spirits with a good reminiscence session and a fair win! Happy days!