Have you seen this man? Spotted at Snape Maltings while on holiday camping in Suffolk last week. This was a very welcome break after the pressure cooker environment I've been enjoying no enduring for the last few weeks while Niobe has been taking her A levels. I will just say to all similar Mums - "and Breathe"!



These stripes are on the possibly most photographed beach hut in the country in Southwold. Niobe wanted a "last" camping holiday before she goes away to Uni.
My bones are starting to resent this form of self abuse and cried "enough" as I tried to raise myself from the air bed each morning resmebling the actions of a beached whale. Still the weather made up for it!



Southwold's beach huts are notorious - as much for the cost as for their colour with some going for £70000 (yes seventy thousand).



I have to say though I rather like the dark more brooding huts found just across the river at Walberswick and can imagine myself whiling away the hours in a Virginia Woolf "Room of my own" type way.



Especially one like this - equipped right down to the East coast essential item - a hot water bottle for the beach! Why had I never thought of that!



Having some time way gave me the chance to sit down quietly and finally work out how to crochet a ripple - I've been going to a crochet class for several week over the spring but realised that the only way to get it is to PRACTISE. So with the sun blazing out at 5.30 I got in with it and cracked it. The biggest decision I had to make in my jamas was - what colour next?



I managed to track down a great car boot in Kessingland not far away and had some great finds - fabrics, art deco Barribal playing cards, little Kodak Brownie camera and a big old Peak Freans biscuit tin.



Not to mention this fabulous wooden hat box? It still has some battered old labels on it and is a great size. Niobe was a bit taken aback as I referred to it as my bedside cabinet in the tent. It worked a treat for my specs and lamp at night!



I'll let you have a closer look at my fabric finds - loving this grey and pink floral barkcloth



and then I found this piece - as new. Wow. Can't beat it - that feeling you get after a successful car boot! Who needs abseiling, paragliding, for their adrenaline fix? Not me!

Hope you're all enjoying these summery days. Hopefully I'll find some time to get round some of your lovely blogs soon - but that will be after the OFSTED inspection. As chair of governors I'm up before the inspectors this morning. Best go and brace myself!

Useful or beautiful - or both?

Please forgive the excessive number of pictures of one item,



but I was thrilled to find this huge beautiful afghan on Friday. The colours are



to die for, its pure wool,



and it's massive.



It has faults - a couple of grannies are starting to unravel but I'm hoping that my new crochet class started last Tuesday will give me the skills to put them right.



In the meantime it can only be moved carefully, gingerly, so as not to increase the holes...

I'll never be cold again!

Car boot treasure

Just thought I'd share with you my latest finds and purchases. 4 crocheted afghans -these were a bargain so I bought all 4. They aren't exactly Cath Kidston colours - in fact they look like very 60s colours to me. They're all made of wool though and are warmly autumnal.



This was a real crockery finding weekend - the blue and white patterned plates match the cups and saucers in the picture below and there were 6 tea cups and saucers and 6 smaller coffee cups and saucers. Just lovely. As are the pink patterned vintage plates too.

This tin was unusual in that it looked like a 1930s design but was in great condition and had 3 opening drawers.



I struggle to define my taste sometimes as although I love the beautifully embroidered tablecloths and old faded quilts, I also have a penchant for 50s design. I was drawn to this partly hand painted tureen...



... and was even more thrilled when I'd bought it to "spot" these in a bag under a table. Unfortunately somebody must have had fun smashing cups as there are 12 saucers but only 2 matching cups. So if anyone has any ideas for the lonely saucers (or indeed has the cups without saucers) please let me know!



Favourite find were these lovely old tins. Words not needed. Couldn't leave them there - they need me to look after them.



And now the pink set - I thought initially that this was some of the utility ware china - see side bar that I collect and it was very reasonably priced. There were 54 pieces of this including two perfect tureens! When I googled it to find it was a 1930's Wedgewood design so wouldn't have been cheap. I'm convinced this has sat in somebody's cupboard for the last 80 years as it is perfect. It has now replaced my cheap IKEA set bought only a couple of years ago which already shows every knife mark.



I've been wanting a little yacht for some time - all I need now is the new bathroom to replace my turquoie monstrosity. I've been sorely tempted to photograph it and see whether anyone could claim to have one worse than mine!

There were also some lovely little 50s religious pictures and this St George picture which you can see better in the picure below.



I'm not sure why I couldn't resist this tin biscuit barrel but its just so reminiscent of my sixties childhood when boys were obsessed with guns



Finally I found this lovely little 30s handerchief box.



This really was a great booting day - and I haven't even mentioned the kitsch Russian dolls and my other set of china, fabrics and linens. It was only when I got home I realised I'd acquired 4 new tureens! Which is just silly!

Have a great weekend!

Love Wend

Boot style?

When I posted this picture on Flickr a few days ago I was amazed that somebody flagged it as a fave. I realised I haven't shared any pictures of home on my blog. Usually that's because with all my vintage finds it's not often as tidy as it should be. However I have been decorating our snug so some serious clearing has had to be done. The snug is my official name for, as Alan Bennett would say, "the other room"



Very little of what I have matches and that is ok - I like it like that! Rooms are constantly evolving as one new find replaces another. The picture above is my favourite chair - a Laura Ashley firm button back from 20 years ago - shabby but still the most comfy chair I have, and speaking of comfy the throw on the back is a vintage Durham Comfy. The cushion is an Elizabeth Bradley needlepoint which I snapped up at a charity shop. (£100 new on the website so a snip at less than £5, pad included!)



This chair is a 1950s Lloyd Loom in gold. The gold has mellowed over the years and I have several pieces in this colour. This was picked up at auction. The ones in good condition I keep inside, those that have had a bad paint job get relegated to outside. I never paint LLs as I prefer to see their faded worn colours.



This one was also picked up at auction - the back is caned but the seat is sprung and is covered in a very 60s nylon cover which would be great in the right setting - but not here! I have just put the seat in a vintage grain sack. I love that you can see the red stitching across the sack. Niobe bought me the little crocheted sausage dog for my birthday.



The little cabinet to the right of the chair I picked up at the car boot for £4 a couple of weeks ago - it isn't Lloyd Loom but it fits in fine. The one to the left is an old sewing cabinet.



This is my favourite piece of furniture - totally impractical - (how many people do you know who like spending long sitting on a church pew?). Still it fits in with the "useful or beautiful" test so its allowed to stay. It's good for setting off my cushions! I have stuffed a grain sack with a couple of pillows for the seat itself.



My cushions are a mix of vintage ones that I have rescued and put new backs on to stop them disintegrating further, some bought and others I've made myself.



On the hymn book shelf I prop 50s floral (Vernon Ward if I can find them) pictures and books with great covers.



Behind the Lloyd Loom are shelves which have lots of my car boot finds, my Timothy Richards doorways and some of my non-orange Art Deco Myott pieces.



And finally some bits of car boot haberdashery faffed and put in an old glass pot!



You've seen Vintage Style, Bazaar style and Flea Market style. Mine is a mixture of all three with some Car Boot Style thrown in!

Hope you're enjoying the sunshine

Love Wend

Obsessive Compulsive?

I'm really pleased to have received an award from Ann from Vintage at the Corner House. Apparently I now need to list my 5 current greatest obsessions and pass the Award on to some other lovely bloggers so the biggest problem is reducing them down to just 5 but I'll give it a go.



1 - My newest craze - celery vases. I used to see these at an antique shop in Castleton Derbyshire but was too mean too buy them. Recently I have spotted a few at car boots and last weekend I gave in and bought two of them. I believe they hark back to Victorian times but have no idea of the age of those I bought. Suffice to say they just had to come home with me - any ideas on how best to display them would be gratefully received



2 - Education - I make no excuses for this one. I'm a firm believer that we have to do what we can to help and support the next generation to be the best they can be. It can't all be left to others. Some children have so little in terms of the things that many of us take for granted - love, security etc. I've come across parents with no time for their children and parents who won't allow books into their houses! What chance of a future do those children have? I'm Chair of Governors at an inner city school trying hard to do what I can to support the staff in their difficult work. Not only do they have to be teachers, but psychologists, nurses, carers,social workers, artists, musicians and inspirational leaders but they have to have an indomitable spirit to see them through some of the tribulations that inner city life throws at them. I take my hat off to them all.If any of you have thought about getting involved as governors I'd say do it!

Ok, I'll get off my soap box now.



3 - Crocheted blankets - I hadn't realised these were quite such an obsession until Jabopee's comment on my last post so they have had to be included in the list




4 - Architecture - new, old and downright quirky - (especially follies). I'm afraid when I go anywhere I'm constantly looking up above the shop fronts, checking out gable ends, fanlights, and columns be they Doric, Ionic or Corinthian! I love the simplest of dwellings to the most magnificent of mansions. This little house above was called "Fantasia". Its like a little dolls house standing alone in the middle of a road in Aldeburgh - delightful.



This obsession also covers street furniture - phone boxes and letter boxes and yes I'm sad enough to know the names of the different types of phone box! This one (a K6) was in Walberswick last week surrounded by old and new bits and pieces to entice the tourists into the shops...I used to think all this craning of the neck would prevent a double chin in old age but it didn't work! Anyway, if you like phone boxes etc visit 5ftinf's blog - for green letter boxes and black phone boxes!

5 - Thrifting - this is as much a lifestyle choice as an obsession. Can this be a compulsive disorder because if it is I have it big time? I get withdrawal symptoms if I can't get out to "hunt" at the car boot because its raining and there won't be anyone there, becoming very irritated and not good to be around. I don't always have to buy but I need to go to make sure I don't miss anything! Does anyone else suffer from this?

This post has begun to feel very confessional!

So, moving on, who to pass this award to when there are so many great contenders ???

I've decided on "5ftinf", "Linen and roses", "Jaboopee",Menopausal musing and "Kay loves vintage". Even if you decide not to do the post feel free to add the award - you deserve it for your fabulous blogs!

And last but not least I must thank Diane for her fabulous giveaway whic arrived today which I'll post about soon.

Have a great weekend

Love Wend

30 minute trolley dash!

Joining in this weeks Cath Kidston debate I have to show you my finds this week.
How lucky have I been in the charity shops. A couple of vintage aprons...I love the fabrics that these aprons are made of - so of their time.



A pair of 1987 Laura Ashley curtains for £2.99...Lots of charity shops now charge more if they can spot a label - Next, Laura Ashley etc but they don't seem to have wised up to peering into the seam to check the selvedge yet! Not sure whether I will use them as curtains yet - although there's nothing wrong with them I might just have to turn them into a tablecloth and matching napkins. (There will still be plenty left over.)Mmm -I'll see.



And another crocheted blanket...

And just look at it - it's huge! Its folded in half over my washing line! It's in perfect condition and made of wool. Regular readers will know that I have found several of these recently and I can't leave them behind. This cost little more than a new ball of wool!



Here it is laid over my garden bench. I'm so thrilled - I hadn't even intended going to the charity shops today - it just happened that there was an empty parking spot just outside as I was passing!



So here they are all together - a brilliant thrifty Saturday. And all for less than £10 all together!



I'll just leave you with a couple of pictures to give you an idea of where I might be for some of next week - can you guess?



I want to check out this amazing sculpture to see how much it has rusted over the last couple of years and update my pictures of it. The complete phrase is - "I hear these voices that wll not be drowned."

Have a good week.

Wend
xx

Reasons to be cheerful 1,2,3

With a nod to Ian Dury for those who remember!

Wonderful - a sunny Sunday! Oh bliss - this happens rather less than it should. I'm always amazed at how many sunny Mondays there are when I'm back at work!

Well no choice I have an internal mechanism that can eject me from bed much had to get up and dri, Early on Sunday has to start with a car boot and despite a slow start, where I thought my only bargain was to be half a dozen energy saver bulbs, I found this little table for the garden. I'd been looking for one but had been too mean to pay shop prices! Anyway I thought it was cute and it doesn't even need painting.



Next, a crocheted blanket. Regular readers will know that the last thing I need is another one of these! But I had to ask how much it was. "50p?" she said. Well it would have been rude to leave it wouldn't it? And it's made of pure wool! Yes its a bit bright but it will be good in the car!



Then an empty frame - another 50p. I was really pleased to spot this following my trip to Oxford last week - see last post. When I saw it I realised that it might just be the right size for a thrifted flag I've had for ages. Its very old and has worn very thin so wasn't up to being upcycled into anything else. The frame wasn't quite big enough but rather than cut the flag I've just folded it within the frame in case I get some other inspiration for it. In the meantime I'm pleased with how it looks! Should I paint the frame? - mm not sure....



It was only when I went to get the blanket from the washing line that I realised how patriotic the blanket looked and put the framed flag with it to take photos.



Not a huge haul today but I'm still thrilled with it.



And the 1,2,3 (in addition to my trio of "stuff")? - Lots of sunshine, a line full of dry washing and a bucket full of snails who will not now be able to feast on my hostas!

Have a good week.

Love Wend