My luck is in!

I've finally got a new role with the same employer so should be safe for another year. (As far as anyone can be). I've moved into the job and am getting used to a new routine. Outside of work I seem to be in mega organisation mode and getting nowhere as something always comes up which takes precedence over what I actually want to do.



A few months ago I spotted these drawers in a landscape designer's office and asked for first refusal if he decided to sell them. I was amazed to get a call last week offering them to me for a very reasonable price. I've wanted some haberdashery drawers for years but knew I could never afford them so decided to go for it!



The drawers have a little divider about 6 cm in so you can fill the front bit with lovely bits and hide all sorts of stuff behind. I have a list of things to put in all the drawers but haven't had chance to fill them all yet. Can't wait!



I have started with a couple though - wooden cotton reel and doilies



I might have to save one for scarves. I've always worn scarves and tend to hang on to them. On my charity shop run last week I found a shop where somebody had clearly disposed of a collection which covered from 50s onwards.



As you can see I bought quite a few although I won't keep all of them. They cost the same whether they were polyester, acetate or silk!



Sorry about all the pictures - I loved them all!



Not sure I can wear this seventies one - but I am tempted!



Hope your Christmas preparations are going better than mine!

Love Wend

I thought it would be quiet once Niobe went to uni but hadn't realised quite how many things I had committed to to prevent empty nest syndrome!



One of these is a cabinet at Hopkinsons, a former hardware shop in Nottingham now converted to gallery, studios, antiques, vintage and of course a tea shop. It's early days for the space and it needs to get a greater footfall but I like what they are trying to do - to help young designers, artists and business people who can hire space, a studio or a cabinet. The venture is non profit making with any proceeds being ploughed back into the community...



One floor is taken by the Shop of Originality who have a number of designers doing their thing - some including stamps...



including Amy Winehouse as you never saw her before.



One of the designers, Sarah Davenport designed the world's first rocking piano which she rocks as she plays. Yes, it does need regular tuning but its great fun and she's hoping that someond like Elton John or Jools Holland might be interested. Jamie Cullum apparently couldn't fit it in his house. There's a clip of her on Youtube if your'e so inclined...



All I have to do is keep the cabinet filled with delightful and irresistible items. That's got me looking at my collections to see what I can include. I got some of my glass together in the sunlight and started to appreciate it again.


I researched some pieces eg. the lady carrying the basket was found at the bottom of a job lot years ago and although I quite liked her I didn't think she was anything special. She's hung about in various spots being largely ignored. I might put her somewhere more prominent now I find she's an art deco figure, Lucretia made from frosted uranium glass by the German company Walther and Sohne in 1936.



Not sure I can let her go now. A quick check of e-bay suggests she's quite desirable. Might have to keep her then. I'm going to struggle to fill my cabinet at this rate!

Have a good week!

Love Wend

Recent finds

Thought I'd just share some pictures of my latest find in the vain hope that one of you may also think that I found something beautiful... Often I find that my nearest and dearest do not appreciate the things I find and love. Indeed some regard me as a bit of an oddity...so I had to smile when I saw this in a shop window! Obviously I wouldn't dream of spending the £180 it cost on such an item (unlike a customer in the shop who was proudly saying she had the same up at home. However I did find a pack of the Lexicon cards in a charity shop last week for a couple of pounds. Just wondering what little bit of advice I should assemble - maybe "to thine own self be true". What is your mantra?



I digress. When I saw this raggy piece of cloth in Lincoln I was hooked. I touched it and felt its soft texture - worn thin by years and years of use and love.



I pulled it out and marvelled at the subtle shades of patchwork pieces. Parts of it had worn so thin the top layer had disintegrated...



to reveal another layer of lovely patchwork underneath. I hesitated to ask the price and when I did had to wait for the assistant to ring the manageress. I was saddened when I heard eighty and thought I would have to return it to the shelves of despair but decided to just check.



"Not eighty but eighteen! It's Victorian you see." I do indeed. Oh decisions - what on earth can I do with it. Useful or beautiful? It won't register as useful - its days of providing any useful function are long behind it. Beautiful? Well it was to me.

Reader I bought it. (You knew I was going to say that didn't you?)



It has some unspoilt parts so I've folded it and put it on the back of a chair and I stroke it as I walk past and think of the comfort it has no doubt provided in years gone by. Unfortunately our cat has rather taken to it (she's no respecter of my stuff!) so she's going to have to spend the rest of her life outdoors!



I also found these lovely little hand painted tea plates, jug and bowl. I don't even "do" tea but they also spoke to me.



As did the young lady in this picture. I'm easily pleased (especially at £2 for the china and £2 for the picture - and I rarely haggle.) I hate to think what might happen to these things if I didn't take them home and love them...

Love Wend

I took my vintage bike to Edinburgh but hadn't bargained for the hills and cobbles - it wasn't long before I decided feet were safer (if slower) than wheels.



Obviously I couldn't go without my car boot fix and was amazed at the subterranean car boot held four floors below ground level in a car park. It was quite surreal - very dark, very hot, very busy and quite weird. But I did manage to find a few bits and pieces particularly liking the little Susie Cooper plate on the right and the unsorted box of buttons. I paid more for these than I normally would but as I said - it was dark but I thought I could see some Art Deco ones - I wasn't disappointed!



I love looking at independent shops in other cities and wasn't disappointed although there weren't as many as I would have liked. I liked this plate found in one such store along with other similar ones. It can only be used for display as the image is merely decoupaged on but I can think of plates and images I could combine for my wall...Might have a go!



I discovered that there was an Anthropologie store too so had to take some pics - I do love their display ideas



What do you think to the jelly mould chandelier - fun - yes. Price over £900. So you probably won't be buying one. Still - great idea for the holiday weekend - empty the kitchen cupboards and see what you can do with a few bits of wire and some redundant stuff! Plus bling...Images to be posted on Monday please!



Love the display round the mirror ...



and I'd been wondering what to do with my stash of chair legs and other assorted bits of furniture...



and why didn't I think of adding odd spoons to piles of old books?



But it wasn't all vintage. Edinburgh was a real assault on the senses. It really is a cultural bubble with lots and lots to see and do. I didn't know the work of David Mach but the exhibition poster drew me in with its collaged image



followed by this amazing tryptych of larger than lif sized crucifixions in the window of the gallery made of...



coat hangers. Lots and lots of them - I had to take a closer shot to share with you. Quite amazing. As were the collages. This is a huge exhibiton over several floors with over 40 large scale collages based on the anniversary of the King James VI bible. One floor has been taken over as the artist's studio and you can watch him and his team working from lots of boxes of itemised images to make these works.



Next time I'll choose a different week when they also have the book festival...and certainly won't bother taking a selection of high heels!

Vintage at the Southbank

Last week I was excited as a small child waiting for Vintage at the Southbank. I had no intention of paying £60 to enter the Southbank Centre holding, what would no doubt have been, a great party with all the dressed up visitors and great music but I decided that I couldn't miss the FREE bits!

This is hardly the approach you would expect but London has brought the seaside to the city



with a row of brightly coloured beach huts with inspired interiors and other seaside effects placed along the riverside.



Each was designed by an artist



this one being inspired by a Lucienne Day design.





I had particularly wanted to visit the Vintage Village so for all you vintage lovers I'll share one or two of my favourite bits starting with the Horrckses tent...



Horrockses linens, famous from yesteryear used the occasion to launch their bedding range based on the old designs.

They also had displays of their old dress designs loaned by a collector.



The linens are going to be available through large department stores - House of Frazer etc. I can see these selling well!





Cath Kidston used the event to launch their autumn range. I'm afraid I'm not a fan of her new designs but do like to see the vintage items that have been sourced.



The peg bags and shoppers looked great hung up together



There were lots of great stalls with fabulous items but it wouldn't have been easy for the stallholders. They had had to pay hundreds of pounds for their stands so needed to sell a lot of stock to break even. I suspect that some will have struggled...

Crown paints launched their new range of colours -vintage of course! I couldn't find a paint chart but will be making enquiries. (What did we do before "Vintage" preceding any word suggested the item was more special than its non vintage counterpart?) That reminds me - I think I have some vintage items in my fridge - other than the cheese in which it's a good thing!

There were lots of other things to do with food from around the world, a roof top garden on top of the Southbank building,





the Peter Blake bus



and table tennis like you've never seen it before...



using a leather covered table with a "net" of old furniture books



and get this - a table covered with ping pong balls. This lady clearly has on her passport the occupation of ping pong ball gluer.

And I didn't have a clue how to play on this table



but this young lady was having fun!

Oh and the clothes, the hair dos (I so have to master the victory roll hair do), the miles of bunting. the dancing in the street , and the pure and simple fun that people were having were wonderful to behold. It was great and probably very shallow of me) to forget everything else going on in the world and just enjoy being part of something happy!

I should add I'm having a lot of problems posting comments - according to the system I'm not recognised! I am still checking out your posts and hoping that Blogger will sort itself out soon.