People of Norwich, thanks for all the stuff!

Hi all,

I am currently taking some time off at the moment, and have escaped that big smoky city of London and come to stay with my family in Norwich. Naturally, I have done a little secondhand shopping and picked myself up some delights!


Now first and foremost is my very favourite buy, and probably my most bizarre!

 

I picked up this vintage St John's Ambulance anatomical diagram wall hanging (almost as tall as me) for £25. 

Although I was trying not too spend too much money and I rarely buy things at such a price, I just couldn't let this one pass me by! I have been obsessed with old anatomical diagrams for years and been desperate for one of these. My excuse it that we were desperately in need of something to fill the void on the wall behind the tv. So if anything, it was a necessary buy....right? (I'll keep telling myself that)

This little vintage felt tilt hat cost me £5. It needs a clean and a bit of a steam and reshape, but it has lots of potential.

 This morning me and my friend set off to our favourite carboot for some very cold bargain hunting and these (along with a couple of presents for people which I cannot show you but am very pleased with) are the gems I picked up:

 

This skirt looks to me to be a vintage military skirt, possibly Navy? I'd guess this judging by the style and the nature of a lot of the other items on this same stall. It cost me £2! Very happy.

 

 The skirt has a curious little asterisk stitched into the inside of the waistband! I wonder why. Puzzling!

 

I am very pleased to have found this framed Lord Kitchener mirror, which probably dates from around the 70's. My Dad picked one up from a carboot previously and I found myself greatly jealous. So when I came across this one for £4 I snapped it up.

The grey box bag is a fabulous size for carting around all the rubbish that inhabits my handbag and even has little pockets for the things that so often get lost and tangled...lipstick, kirbygrips etc. A steal at £3.

The orange/red beads were £1, as were the clip on suspender straps still in their packet!

 

I am very pleased with my purchases and can't wait to get my mirror and wall hanging up in my flat on my return to London!

Pip pip xx

I'll Be Darned! recent vintage mends.

So as you all no doubt know (due to my wittering on about it, sorry lovelies!), I have a business that deals with vintage clothing alterations and repairs. 4 months in and I am so happy to be doing this!

I have been getting the most beautiful garments coming to me for work, and I thought that maybe I ought to share all these beauties with you....what do you think? I gets lots of inspiration from other vintage bloggers' wardrobes and secondhand finds, so I thought that you ladies might also take some inspiration from these lovely garments.

So this evening I have some wonderful vintage to show off to you....just try not to get too jealous (I have to try rather hard myself, there's lots of things I'd love to own)!

 

L-R: A beautiful beaded bustier, green lurex capris (part of a two piece).

 

 A vintage child's western shirt.

 

 Gold lurex trousers (part of a two-piece).

 

L-R: A 1940's gown with illusion neckline and embroidery, and a silk fronted bathing suit.

 

Red chiffon dress with gold trim and shoulder drape.

  

 

"Nettie Vogues" chiffon maxi dress with blue drape.

 

The back of the above dress, before and after!

To find out exactly what I did to each of these beautiful garments, you can pop over to the IBD Facebook page and read more.

Pip pip xx

A very belated Christmas pressie post!

Hola lovely people,

I know it's really quite belated, but I have FINALLY gotten around to taking some snaps of some of my wonderful Christmas presents. So I am going to share these pictures whilst I sit here drinking a G&T and trying desperately to stay up as late as possible (I am working a nightshift for the next three nights, so I need to get into the routine of sleeping through the day).

 

Two beautiful old suitcases to add to my collection!

 I didn't even know that those travel stickers on suitcases you always see in films were even a real thing until I got the case on the right! 

These gorgeous vintage nappa gloves were in my stocking from my dad and step-mum.

And beneath it is a book called 'Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas', published in 1971 and full of lovely illustrations!

Mr Mike got me this crackle-glaze phrenology head, they remind me of the phrenology head and palmistry hands we had in our family home when I was little.

That beautiful glass bauble has a clasp in the middle and is from my mumma.

A beautiful sailorette dress from my dear friend Luci (who has recently had a beautiful baby girl, Congratulations!!).

The dear yellow stocking was knitted for me by a family friend when I was a baby, and comes out every christmas! 

The bag in the background is a lovely brown leather handbag I recieved from my friends in our Secret Santa.

I got a load of cookie cutters this christmas from various people, as well as some lovely christmas cupcake cases, so I am going to have to do some serious baking in 2011!

And the orange ladybird is an old (though I'm not sure how old) portable radio. Alas, I cannot get it working, but I will find it a home because, well, isn't it cute?

This pair of silver bird ornaments hold photos in the little hanging flower frames. One of them has lost it's top branches, and the frames need a bit of fixing up, but oh my, I love them!

 

The union jack wooden bunting on brown twine and these books are all from Mr Mike!

The 'Figure Drawing and Fashion Designing for the Press' book has no publisher's date but from what I can work out is from about 1930 and is a beautiful old paperback book.

The pile of colourful covers are a selection of educational guide books for different aspects of sport and ranging in date from 1959 to 1970, with some colourful quaint, and some frankly very amusing little illustrations and diagrams!

This is a veiled red felt tilt hat made by my incredibly talented nan 'Trishe Darling'!

These vintage patterns were from my auntie, as was the brooch.

The Vogue pattern is from 1955, and the other is a McCall's 1960 pattern.

The booch....oh, the brooch! It's a gold coach with jewels (though it's missing a few) and is a commemorative brooch of the royal coronation in 1953!

I got 'The Unforgettable Glenn Miller' 12".

A red and white vintage childs toy mangle...yes that's right, a mangle! I might actually give it a try one day!

And I adore these old ceramic wall birds, I've always wanted a nice set. Just need to find the perfect wall space for them now!

 

A beautiful edition of 'Complete Needlecraft', printed in the 1940's from what I can work out, though it's hard to tell as there has been many reprints and the book itself is undated). This I can now add to my growing collection of lovely vintage sewing books on my shelves.

I got a beautiful vintage nail set too, in a little case.

And a foot! This foot is amazing...it is a hollow plastic leg with cement-weighted toes and was once upon a time used to display hoisery one would assume! My dad and step mum found this for me, and did some clever snooping, after discovering the name 'Martyn Fisher' printed on the bottom of the foot, aquired a pair of unopened 'Martyn Fisher' tights to go alongside it! How clever! I need to find a place to display my new leg, I may even use it as a vase, fancy that!

And last but not least...

Me and Mr Mike were treated jointly to this television from my parents...

we were given the popcorn containers as a clue and had to venture upstairs to find the tv. And I must say, Mr Mike actually did a little jumpy up and down dance in excitement upon discovery!

Christmas with my nearest and dearest is always a special thing, and with only being able to travel home on christmas eve and then spending the duration of my time at home feeling incredibly unwell and anable to hold very much of a conversation, I feel that I never quite got to express my appreciation to my family for their wonderfulness.

SO...

Thanks you to my mumma, step dad Ian, wee sister Izzy, brother Jake, dad, step mum Rosie, Mr Mike, nan and grandad and my aunt uncle and cousins for their brilliance, and sorry I was such terrible company! I love you all!

Pip pip xx