tea and biscuits

I am a big fan of a cup of tea and a biscuit, as regular readers will probably already know.

In fact, one of my favourite interweb sites for whiling away a happy half hour or so with a cup of tea and a biscuit by my side is NiceCupOfTeaAndASitDown.com, a fantastic repository for all things tea-and-biscuit-related.

Do pop over and check it out if you are also that way inclined.

Whilst I try for the sake of my waistline not to go too biscuit crazy, I tend to concur with the slogan they used in the advert for Rich Tea biscuits some years back: “a drink’s too wet without one”.

So those little lovelies at the top of the page are hard to resist… especially as they are totally calorie-free.

The reason for this is that they are actually pocket mirrors, rather than delicious, crunchy beverage-accompaniments!

I broke my pocket mirror the other day by unwisely propping it on the bathroom windowsill to examine a blemish close-up. I watched helplessly as it slid onto the stone floor and smashed. I hope it doesn’t signal seven years bad luck.

Woe was me until I ordered a replacement:

I’ve bagsied that one with the red flower, bottom middle, from Rachel at My Rainbow Vintage Home, who makes them.

If I hadn’t, I’d certainly be after one of those biscuity numbers from Steph Baxter’s Happy Pencil Etsy shoppe.

After all, they are just so sweet! ♥

worth queuing for

Well, I made it to the vintage fair yesterday!

I couldn’t believe the number of people queuing outside when I got there, just fifteen minutes after opening time.

Young and old, male and female, trendy and – ahem – not-so-much, outrageous and ordinary, it seems there’s nothing quite so enticing as the prospect of a roomful of old clothes and second-hand knick-knacks to prize all sorts of people out of the house of a Sunday afternoon!

Just take a look at these lovelies and you’ll see what I mean…

I’m no exception to the lure… and I copped some lovely things, for not-very-much money. I could have spent so much more.

I did try on one frock, but, assisted in my willpower somewhat by the fact that it was just a tad too tight around the hips, I managed to restrain myself.

I did find a few little bargains though…

Firstly, a nice tank top:

I do like the look of a fair isle tank top over a frock!

This one had previously belonged to the (male) stallholder and had been knitted for him by his mum when he was a teenager, from a 1940s pattern. Somewhere I own a photo of my own dad wearing something similar…

Secondly, a scarf to add to my bedspread-in-waiting collection:Thirdly, this embroidered felt knick-knack:

“What is it?” I hear you ask. “I have no idea!” is my reply. But my plan is that it will be unpicked and the two halves will become a couple of little pockets on some future garment project.

And finally… I saved the best until last:

Aren’t they gorgeous?!

I’m not quite sure what I will use these two lovely patchwork pieces for yet, but who cares? I’m sure they’ll come in, as my mum used to say.

So I didn’t go home with any 1960s shoes. And unlike most of the throng at the fair, I didn’t buy a frock.

But I think my little treasures were well worth queuing for nonetheless.

something for the weekend

As you may know, I have a bit of a thing for vintage.

I do love a good rummage, me.

So I wanted to visit this rather spiffy-sounding event the last time it came to Nottingham. But life got in the way, in that way it does.

However, if I can slip into town for a few hours this afternoon, here is where you will find me (probably trying on shoes!)

Well, as long as life hasn’t got in the way in the meantime.

blue is the colour

Once again I have embarked upon a love affair with Scandi ceramics.

Isn’t this design just perfect?

That deep, deep blue against the white is just wonderful.

This pattern is Mon Amie (French for “my friend”) and was designed by Marianne Westman for Rörstrand.

Would you believe that something so fresh-looking was actually created back in the 1950s?  I have to admit, even I was surprised.

The good news is that despite it’s vintage provenance, Mon Amie is not just a thing of the past.

Instead of trawling ebay endlessly for the odd damaged example of this lovely china, it is still in production so you can actually buy the design from a UK supplier!

If the name Marianne Westman seems familiar, it’s probably because she is also responsible for a number of other iconic designs, including one of my favourite-ever fabrics, the gorgeous Belle Amie:

Hmmm… I wonder if I can justify buying enough to make a summer frock?

Then perhaps I can colour-co-ordinate myself with a teacup to match!

cross stitch cravings

I don’t know about you, but I keep coming across (excuse the pun!) beautiful cross stitchery at the moment.

I have done a fair bit of cross stitch in the past. I do like the rhythmic, relaxing nature of it.

Also, if the piece isn’t too large, you can carry work about with you to whip out in locations where a sewing machine just can’t go.

But it’s main disadvantage is that it takes so long to complete.

I have plenty of other stuff to be getting on with just now – sewing room relocation, dress alterations, stall preparations and shop listings as well as the usual sewing – so I don’t think I will be embarking on any cross stitch projects in the foreseeable future.

But I have plenty of inspiration for when I do.

shoe fetish

Ever since I gave my gold Miu Miu going-out shoes to my niece in Australia I have been yearning for a beautiful and affordable replacement.

It’s not that I spend every weekend tripping out to the sort of parties that necessitate sparkly shoes, as I’ve mentioned before.

The fact that I hardly ever even get invited to parties doesn’t even come into it.

No, it’s more about the idea than the reality.

Without a pair of party shoes in my wardrobe, I sort of feel that my partying days might be over for good.

Whereas, with some suitably glamorous footwear stashed in my boudoir, I can imagine all those parties I’m not going to, feeling that somehow, they are a possibility in which I simply choose not to indulge.

There are literally millions of party shoes in the shops. Generally they are aimed at leggy youngsters with much better balance than I (I can’t manage heels).

They’re not for me.

So once again I turn to vintage and that era of a certain je ne sais quoi, the 1960s.

Shoes from the sixties are pretty but have more sensible heels. They go with the sort of frocks I wear.

I hanker for a pair.

It’s a bit of a gamble buying shoes over the internet.

But it costs nothing to browse.

And it’s nice to dream until my perfect footwear option comes along.

All of the vintage lovelies above were found on Etsy. As ever, you can hover over each photo to find out more and click to be taken to the item in the seller’s shop.