Sunday 31 October 2010

I had a great time at the Vintage fair at Northampton - photos are on lots of the other blogs. There were some great finds there and I managed to find an old leather document wallet which looked just the right size for my lap top. I took a chance and like Cinderellas slipper it was a perfect fit! The next day we went to a Camper van fair in Stafford. It was great fun looking at the camper vans and what people have done to them to make them individual



Loving the fifties china in this one...



This one was a cut above with a giant champagne glass and ice bucket and yes - you can see goldfish in the glass!



Some folk go to all lengths to impress so we followed the instrucion to look up (note the tassels around the ceiling!)...



to find a modern take on the Sistine Chapel dotted with tiny little lights in the roof!



But this one was pretty impressive with its sink and cooker in a slide out unit at the back where you could keep dry by standing under the boot lid!



I've been off work so managed to find a few goodies - these from the 20p shop! This is a basement in a very run down record shop but I keep going back and finding something else that grabs me.



This week some clean copies of Practical Householder. My mum remember this magazine - these copies are from the late fifties.



I love the front covers in particular and thought there might be some interesting adverts inside.



I didn't find much to grab me with the adverts but started to read the articles to see what I could learn. I couldn't believe some of the suggestions -



What about making your own lightbulbs by switching them on and dunking them in paint? Yep that's a good idea! Health and safety conspicuous by their absence in the fifties!



Having just paid £10.95 to have my boots re-heeled I wish I'd read this last week!



Make your own ironing board! Well it would certainly be greener and more environmentally sustainable...



Waming the soil - well that's going to be really useful this winter...



But I thought this was brilliant - make your own electric blanket. So does anyone have 85 feet of wire they can let me have to stitch to one of my old blankets please? Its getting a little chilly round here.

Have a good week!

Love Wend

15 comments:

  1. O My goodness all that wire can you imagin ;-) Looks like you had a lovely weekend. I love the look of the campers. Those magazines are great i have a couple of them from 60's and they are a laugh to read, enjoy yours. Dee ;-))

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  2. Love the old Practcal; Householder mags. I remember my grandfather mending his own shoes and sticking a Phillips Stick-a-sole on shoes was common practice to make shoes last longer back then. Another trip down Memory Lane for me! Love those camper vans too - I'm imagining setting off on a trip in my own little house now though not sure I want to wash up outside in the current temperatures!!

    Jane

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  3. Wonderful campers! I clean for a couple in their eighties once a week and use one of those little wooden ironing boards..... I also use one of those upright metal hoovers from the fifties (the ones with the zip up bag you can empty)! It's like being in a time warp in some respects and I love it..........

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  4. How funny - I collect the Pracical Householder magazine - and have just posted about another one I bought at the weekend!
    Love the camper vans too, how I'd love one!
    x

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  5. There are Camper Van fairs? So jealous.
    You know, I tried dunking a light bulb in paint once....don't remember much afterwards. :D xx

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  6. I absolutely love those campers - I want one! xxxx

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  7. The camper van visit looks like fun, people must spend all their spare time on them, if only I'd had the forsight years ago to buy a few :)
    I think we have a pile of those mags in the loft must see what madness I can find.
    Cate x

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  8. Wow what stylish camper vans!
    It was nice to meet you again at the Northampton fair and link person to blog! Linda x

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  9. I gave my brother-in-law one of those magazines once - my sister would not let him make her anything that was in it - I wonder why!!
    Glad you enjoyed the fair, see you in the Spring

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  10. The camper vans look wonderful fun.
    My Dad used to have Practical Household, he build some very dodgy kitchen units form hardboard!

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  11. I love camper vans and used to have a split screen one in the 80s - I wish I still had it! Those Practical Householder magazines look very interesting, but I'm not sure that I could attempt the electric blanket - I can just about wire up a plug!

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  12. What a laugh! Your posts always make me smile.

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  13. Dear Wend, I wonder if you'd mind me putting a link to your blogpost about Julie Arkell on my blog? I'm going to be doing her workshop next March at Hope & Elvis. Thank you, Chrissie

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  14. Thanks so much Wend! I'm going on the Sunday, so will see you there!
    Chrissie

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