I think I signed up for a record number of swaps over the festive period. I really enjoyed putting them together and it gave me the opportunity to make some lovely decorations. You may remember last year I signed up for an Advent Swap and I enjoyed it so much I did it again this year. The idea was to send 25 small items and I loved choosing the little items and wrapping them. Of course I was equally happy to open a small gift every day through Advent! I was paired with Melanie, aka The Patchwork Robin, who sent…
-
-
If you’re looking for a little luxury this Christmas then look no further than The White Company. I do like The White Company and often pop in to the shop in Brent Cross as I find it the perfect place to buy gifts. I have to admit I rarely treat myself though, which is why I was delighted to receive a little box of treats from them just in time for Christmas. This vintage crystal star decoration is perfect for giving your Christmas decorations a vintage vibe. The striking glass design is uniquely hand crafted and hung from an antique-style…
-
I’ve been on a bit of a splurge recently, buying vintage cookie cutters from a well known internet auction site. Most seem to come from the US and the range is huge compared to the ones I’ve found here in the UK. This week my little collection grew and I have some great seasonal cutters, including candy canes, gingerbread houses, drums, candles, trees, holly leaves, Father Christmas and even reindeer. As much as I love to use my cutters when baking biscuits there are lots of other things they can be used for. I used some cutters as gift tags…
-
We all have them. Those items that make our heart beat just a little bit faster when we see them on a shelf in a charity shop. We’re currently in Devon which for me is charity shop heaven. Although we’re only here for a weekend, over the summer we went glamping for a week (which made me long for electricity and hot running water!). We visit my father in law so I have a few old favourites where I know I’m likely to pick up some special items. I like to refer to it as the charity shop triangle –…
-
It’s not often I receive emails from people which I have to read a couple of times because they are so lovely. A couple of weeks ago I received a comment on my blog from Emma at painted style who had read how much I love vintage Fisher Price and offered to send me the Fisher Price school desk for my collection! Fisher Price vintage loveliness They are top of my charity shop wish list as I follow them on ebay whenever I see them, but hadn’t purchased one – yet. Emma said “I’ve been car booting for decades and…
-
There are so many Christmas crafts I want to make this year. For the first time in my adult life I have decided we’re having a colour theme so hopefully the house will look co-ordinated for once. The theme is very simple – red and white, with a vintage vibe. Vintage letter cards banner I’m ashamed to say we already have our advent candles up on the mantle piece, which I de-cluttered specially. They look lovely and I’m wondering if I’ll want to light them when the time comes. We’re trying to keep the house tidy and clean as we’re…
-
Ok, I’ll admit I’m addicted to vintage Fisher-Price. The products are just so nostalgic and such great quality that my children enjoy playing with them as much as I did. I always see vintage Fisher-Price in charity shops and they are not too expensive to collect. In fact I spotted an original Fisher-Price telephone in a shop in Pinner yesterday but thought I might get told off if I brought another one home! Anyway, I wanted to showcase some of the toys I’ve bought recently so please join me on a little nostalgic trip back to my childhood. The Fisher-Price…
-
I have a new hunting ground, Westbury in Wiltshire, where my mother has recently moved. We’re currently visiting and I was able to visit some of the charity shops. The first charity shop was an Age UK where the toddler spotted a Tomy Thomas & Friends Post Office Loader. He has a Big Loader at home which he loves so we bought this too on the premise we keep it at Nanny’s house. When we got it home we realised it was complete but missing the instructions and balls! Hhhmmm. However, it was easy to put together from the picture on…
-
I’m not quite sure what made me buy these. I have a thing for souvenirs of London and thought they were kind of kitsch. There was a set of four on a shelf, featuring a view of Leicester Square, Soho Square, Sloane Square and Berkeley Square. I’m a proud Londoner and knew I wanted the Leicester Square and Soho Square tins. Pre-children I had a pretty good social life and loved going out in the West End. Charity shop guilt kicked in though. How could I leave two tins on the shelf when they were clearly part of a set?…
