~Stall Photos from Rivers Meet Market~

Stacy @Sostacysews and Lexie @secretthimble and I have had a lovely day at Rivers Meet Market in May. We were pretty quick at setting up our 3-in-1 pop-up shop - all ready with 30 minutes to spare for our flasks of coffee and jubilee chocolate brownies...
I aimed for a red, white and blue theme including some jubilee union jack bunting on the gazebo.

Best-sellers of the day for me were candles, vintage fabric, brooches, vintage knitting patterns and bric-a-brac. Unfortunately my tea cosy, mug warmers, pincushion and bunny didn't sell...

Below - some of Lexie's cushions made from repurposed coffee sacks and embroidery hoops - available on www.etsy.com/shop/secretthimble

Some of Stacy's lovely bags (right of photo) and she had lots of cross-stitched badges and cards that will shortly be for sale at Vintage Rose in Selby, North Yorkshire       http://www.vintageroseselby.co.uk/

It's a shame the warm sun didn't show it's face but thankfully it didn't rain!

~Photos from York Festival of Vintage~

Good job all the stalls at York's Festival of Vintage were tucked inside the race stands as it was a very wet weekend.  I did feel sorry for the owners of the vintage cars outside, who probably didn't get the attention they deserved, because of the rain.
I had a lovely day out with friends old and new, including meeting up with Sally from Poppycock blog (and Bob the bunny, of course.) Here are some photos of the stalls...


I so very nearly bought this pink wool blanket on the left (£12)



Bob The Bunny admires the vintage fabric on Sago Designs stall...
(You can now make your own Bob with one of Sally's lovely kits - see here)



Lovely Jubilee display by Living by Liz - I loved this stall.
Some people get it just right don't they?

This pretty stall had lots to look at too...

including vintage cosmetics, labels and packaging...

Vintage fashion show


There was a good mix of homewares, vintage clothing, reworked vintage, vintage inspired crafts, as well as bands, dancing and the excellent nostalgic collectors hall where it was a pleasure to meet Mrs Day, who is a member of a 1940s living history group called UK Homefront http://www.ukhomefront.co.uk/.  We had a nostalgic sniff of the carbolic soap and she let us in on some vintage and thrifty household cleaning tips.
I also bought some trimmings and buttons from the lovely Cool Crafting stall who had come all the way from Cumbria.  Have a look at their lovely website and blog http://www.coolcrafting.co.uk/
My last purchase was a spontaneous splurge on a gorgeous 1950s dress, which I am just carefully washing and pressing, so I'll share that next time...

~50s Night Prep and spring cleaning~

I've done a bit of Spring cleaning in the kitchen, rejigging the contents of my wall shelves, and the china cabinet as it had all got a bit busy, as it does at times, when you have a bric-a-brac habit. The china cabinet was a Sue Ryder charity shop find last year at £30.  It's quite plain with a bow front and has 2 keys, and glass shelves in good condition.  I painted the fabric back panel in F&B Hardwick White. It houses my teensy glass animals including Bambi at the front, who a friend bought for me as he looks like Small Dog!

Sentimental cup and saucer trios and old glassware...

I've put utility china and 1950s Midwinter pottery on my shelves, including my Nana's dish/ash tray from the Coronation, as we are taking part in a 1950s themed 'Safari Supper' tomorrow night.  This annual Spring event has 16 local couples donning fancy dress and traipsing round the village for themed canapes, starter, mains and dessert at different houses. It's a cheap meal out as you just host one food course -past themes have included Pop Stars and the 1970s, but being a 50s housewife tomorrow night will suit me down to the ground! I'm doing a main course and have got the Brandy & Babycham, Port & Lemon and Crabbies (and some food of course) all ready. I'll take plenty of photos and hopefully post about it on Sunday if I'm up to it!

Again, apologies for not posting much, still feel like a Hamster on a wheel, though I am enjoying reading all your lovely posts the last couple of days.

Just off to finish sewing a petticoat now...  They were too dear to buy online, £40 or £50- so I bought 3 metres of black organza locally for £6. What a nightmare though!

Have a lovely weekend - hopefully the weather will be good for gardening!

~Teapot and Teacup gardening~

Succulent plants, such as sempervivums ('houseleeks') are ideal for container planting in
vintage crockery odds and ends.  I have a stone trough outside planted up with succulents and alpines, but they are also ideal plants for sunny indoor windowsills - mine are happy in an unheated conservatory in Winter, and spend June to October outdoors in a sunny spot. 
From one of our 'miscellaneous boxes' from a local auction (£1 for a box of random old pots and kitchenalia) came this gorgeous old teapot, missing it's lid. It's a beautiful Gibson's Staffordshire pottery teapot in an unusual hexagonal shape. I used a well-draining planting mix of 50/50 horticultural grit and compost, and just repotted the offsets that my other sempervivums have grown.  They root easily and soon grow over the container sides.  This one flowered beautifully in the summer...

If you look closely you can see the spindly roots that the baby plants are sending out.

I do the same with pretty teacups...

...dressing the tops with grit for drainage. I don't drill holes in the china - just make sure you hardly water them - do not overwater them or they will rot. They make lovely home-made presents too, or for a fund-raising plant stall. Does anyone else plant up bric-a-brac odds and ends?

~I ♥ Vintage China~

If I'm out and about shopping in the nearby small town of Tadcaster, I can't resist a quick mooch in my favourite charity shop. Today I am really pleased with this Colclough bone china tea set for £2...

...incomplete, but there are 16 pieces and it will happily fit in with all my other mish-mash of vintage roses china.  I also got a few bits of kitchenalia for pence; including this lovely baking tin and long palette knife...

and this Grindley 'Ivory' sandwich plate...

I picked up the Sainbury's magazine today which has an emphasis on frugal food and eating on a tight budget. If you get chance have a read of the article by Fiona Gibson on p31.  I think Fiona was a features writer or editor on Just Seventeen magazine in the 1980's (remember that?) and now she writes about her family life in rural Scotland.  It's a very amusing description of the new phenomenon of yummy mummies who appear to be competitively bargain-hunting, so-called 'bric-a-braggers' who truthfully, or not, boast about their charity shop finds and harp on about foraging, thrifty living and frown on extravagance.  She suggests it's now more socially unacceptable to be seen spending money, and that even if some are still spending they may be pretending not to, and concealing their purchases.  Very interesting and very funny!  

~Nostalgia - Tupperware~

I love a bit of nostalgia - whether it's memories jogged by music, certain smells or old household objects.  Thrifting probably follows on from that I suppose. As a child I loved wartime stories and studying fabric and costume through the years. And, as a child of the 70s, Tupperware is something that triggers lots of childhood memories for me. A while ago my Mum got me 2 yellow harvest Tupperware canisters at a car boot sale, and I was lucky in Hornsea last week and managed to get a larger orange canister for 20p...

A great price luckily - search  'vintage tupperware' on eBay and take a look at what they sell for. They are in good condition, with lids that fit well in the trademark Tupperware ridged fan shape that I remember so well. I'm saving them in my caravan stash for tea, coffee and sugar storage.
So to satisfy my nostalgic brain, I did a little bit of reading; and Tupperware, the iconic durable and flexible plastic, was invented by Earl Silas Tupper in America in the 1930's, and came over to the UK as a Party Plan selling idea in 1960. My Mum did Tupperware parties in the 1970s and I particularly remember having the Busy Blocks...

...which had a letter of the alphabet on them and contained a corresponding green plastic figure. Many hours of simple fun in the early 1970s! My Mum and Nana being keen bakers I also have fond memories of the Tupperware pastry mat...

and children's party food of sausages and cheese& pineapple on sticks being served in this Tupperware dish...

I often look at L and J, and wonder what strange, insignificant or iconic objects, foods and smells my children will remember associated with their growing up. 

~Saturday Thrifting Bric a Brac~

Despite wanting to attend Leeds Corn Exchange Cornucopia food festival today, due to being semi-hibernatory and tired lately I couldn't muster up the energy. Have had a quietish day, food shopping and a mooch around 3 favourite charity shops.
Today's finds are mostly bric a bric in nature- the best 3 are below...


Imperial Bone China Trio £2 - Local charity shop

 And this teaset; it's incomplete, but has a cake plate, milk jug & sugar bowl - love the Autumnal colours...


Ridgway Pottery Queen Anne Bone China teaset £3 - Hospice charity shop

and last but not least, a Boden linen jumper - slightly snug for me in a size 10, but good for layering...

...for the grand sum of 50p, I've left the price tag on to prove it! Like a lot of you fellow thrifters, I find you can still get some astounding good-luck-bargains,  though pricing is very hit and miss. It must depend on which volunteer is sorting and pricing that day and I also find that different charity shops are good for sourcing different things.  This jumper was hanging on the rail next to a washed out long-sleeve New Look
t-shirt for £2.50!?! Bizarre, but that's half the fun isn't it...

~Car Boot Sale in York~

I was early to arrive at York racecourse Car Boot Sale this morning in the mizzle/drizzle, as other members of the family were up and off to work and sports clubs. A real treat to go on my own, this is a regular large car boot sale at York racecourse with the fab backdrop of the old Terry's chocolate factory. Free entry and free parking is a bonus too. More details here. I was so excited; the anticipation of what I might find was almost unbearable! A few pictures of lovely finds now;


Retro St. Michael pillowcases



1950's Midwinter teapot (damaged but lovely)





Vintage floral picture



Vintage eiderdown fabric



Handknitted cream blanket



Handknitted cardigan

We also have another local car boot sale tomorrow so I'll be up early again....

~Recent projects~

Well, I've managed to sell a few bits of bric-a-brac on Ebay - enough for me to buy some pretty new flower fairylights for the conservatory. I'm just listing more now, including this recent find, an old sewing tin, complete with contents, including a fab vintage needlecase which is just like the ones in Cath Kidston.

I've also finished a couple of cushions- this one from vintage linen and a vintage hankie which I'm listing on Ebay. It has a feather pad ...

and wooden buttons on the reverse...

and this patchwork cushion, handsewn with love and smiles whilst we were in Cornwall...

...is destined for my best friend, J's caravan. Oops I've spoilt the surprise now; see you for a catch-up on Wednesday,  J!

~More Bric-a Brac~

I've just returned from the Yorkshire seaside where I paid an overnight visit (husband and child-free) to my Mum and her friend P, who were both having a stall at a car boot sale here at Strawberry Fields in Bridlington.  I've found lots of treasures there over the years, so couldn't resist a quick jaunt. It fitted in well as J and my husband P were off fishing together all day today. So,last night, we had a nice girly evening in at Mum's seaside caravan and an early start this morning to Strawberry Fields...
Amongst today's treasures is this tea cosy-  I know I can knit, but it's the real-deal of tea cosies!

I also bought a huge white damask tablecloth and 12 napkins for £5, and colourful doilies too numerous to mention...

By 10.30am I was on my way home, but called via Hornsea (as in Hornsea pottery), I can recommend the charity shops there, if you get the chance to visit. I got this black teapot for £1, the fold-up cake stand for £1.50, 6 viners cake forks for £2 and the teacup and saucer for 50p.

...and 4 Woods ware bowls for 80p. Lastly the rose cake plate and 4 side plates for £1.50.

Time for a thrifting rest now methinks. (And some more Ebay listing perhaps to make some room!)

~Charity Shop Marathon~

10 charity shops in 2 days... Not bad going considering the kids are at home and family life is busy. I have tried not to buy everything I fancy, mainly because I can't afford to at the moment. Thrifting is tricky territory though - on the one hand you've got to grab it when you see it -  it's a never-to-be-repeated-offer; but it's important to have a little voice saying the following;

1. 'do you really need that?'
2.  'will you use it?'
3. 'where the devil will you put it?'
4.  'can you sell it on?'
5.  'and anyway you already have 5 of them'

This teaset was a real gem I think, 1950s Broadhurst 'Alpine' - gorgeous colours and shapes, edged in silver. In VGC; just a little crazy in places; just like it's new owner!

It passed the 5 question test; 1. Yes    2. Yes   3. China cabinet    4.Yes     5. No, I don't. 
I paid £5 for the set. Something that didn't pass the test was a wooden hostess/serving trolley for £3, but I still feel guilty that I could've rescued it, painted it, used it and loved it.

~Saturday's festival~

On Saturday I had a little stall at a local festival - I think it looked quite pretty...

nice bric-a-brac, homemade teacup candles, chutney, cake, cushions, vintage knitting patterns, textiles, handbags and scarves. Including some cake stands I made from vintage china and glasses from an idea spotted in a magazine...

...the weather was rainy to start off with; but when the sun came out it was glorious. My lovely friends from Hello Lola and Sugar Pie Lemon Drop were there too and we drank lots of Yorkshire Tea from
 Little 'Urn (and the odd glass of Pimms!)

~Seaside Outing~

I think of the East Coast seaside as my spiritual home - I spent a lot of my childhood and teenage years there. After a hectic week I've spent a day and night at the seaside which is just enough to charge my batteries and blow the cobwebs off. This view makes my heart sing...

...it's the good old North Sea, honest. And this too

I love the pebbles on the beach, the wooden breakers; and the sound of the waves.
I fitted in a quick look in the charity shops and second hand shops of this lovely town too; and came away with some more vintage melamine (1960s Melaware 2 cups for 40p- one still has the label on from new!) Look at the handle shape, and they are my favourite shade of green too;

and a lovely crochet blanket for £1. Away into the caravan stash they go!

~More mid-week treasures~

On my day off today I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to (one of) my favourite charity shops in a nearby small town, which never disappoints.  Real vintage gems of bric-a-brac, fabric, table linens and glassware are to be found; and it's all I can do to be ruthless and strict with myself.  Todays gems amongst 3 bags full of linen, fabric, a blanket and vintage scarves, is this rose picture, in a lovely mount and frame for £3 - already on my bedroom wall

 and a huge pair of unlined curtains in this vintage cotton sateen fabric, which was Made in England (hurrah!)again for £3

These will be squirrelled away in my 'Caravan Bottom-Drawer' inspired by the pretty curtains in Curlew Country's gorgeous caravan (see here), where they will wait patiently for my dream to come to fruition!

~Mid-week treasure & pleasure~

Some people have a penchant for shoes or handbags; it appears my vice is bric-a-brac. I admit it.

I've found that sometimes you spot the best thrifted things if you aren't really looking. I was in a rush this outing but I did well - this week's finds that have made me smile are this ribbed jug with the roses motif that I absolutely love, and the Meakin bowls will be put to one side for my (aspirational) vintage caravan bottom-drawer. The fabrics were blouses, very cheap as that particular thrift shop were about to have a refit and had a sale.  They will go on the patchwork cushion pile of hexagons-in-waiting.

This gorgeous flanelette sheet was only £2.75.  It will be lovely in winter; I have such cosy childhood memories of flanelette sheets, heavy blankets and eiderdowns at my Nana's house.

And to top it all off with a cherry, my July Country Life was waiting on the doormat when I got home. Get the kettle on and the ginger nuts out!