boot sale sunday

I spent the weekend by the coast in Broadstairs and made it to two boot sales on Sunday, out of town boot sales are the best. I tried to be discerning in my purchases but for prices as little as 10p I came away with quite a haul. Classic English utility homewares - Denby pottery, New Hall stainless steel and Falcon enamel ware, folksy Vileroy and Boch platter, studio pottery vase, glass pear and marble candlesticks.

Meanwhile, I am turning part of my garage into a prop store for location shoots. A big garage clear out first, then ultra cheap shelving from Ikea and I can empty my cupboards and sort into categories, I cant wait. And of course a great excuse to keep spending my 10p's.

All this and more random pictures on if you follow on instagram

charity shop round-up

I have steered clear of charity shops lately as I keep having the feeling that I have too much stuff. But every now and then I spot something and weaken, here are a few of my latest finds - copper plant holder and marble mortar and pestle (top trend for materials here!) more Pengiun poets, enamel tea pot, ship in a bottle (essential I would say) and yet another birdie. Cue massive clear out!

simple things

I found this 1965 Waddington's game in the charity shop (sometimes I feel like the little man in the top hat on the front cover, always running!) I think its Ludo with boats so I can't see it taking over from the Xbox this christmas, looks nice though. 

And on the subject of simple pleasures, I am on The Simple Things magazine blog today, they asked me to do a little Q&A, hope it has turned out ok! Read all about it here and find out details of a festive discount in my shops.  

spain 3 .... vintage

There is a very robust, larger than life quality about the vintage furniture to be found near us in Spain which I love. If I had a giant shed to furnish this is where I would go. Ultima Parada (Last Stop) housed in a vast old ceramics warehouse on the road to La Bisbal. They sell a fine selection of industrial relics, sturdy tables, chairs and eclectic lighting. They also have their own elegantly scruffy cafe, DejaVu where the very chairs you are sitting on are available to buy, and from the end of September a sunday flea market.

my melamine

The collection is growing, I can't get resist the simple lines and the orange and off pastel colour palette.

rocking horse baby

I hope this is not the start of another obsession!

rocking around

It has taken me 20 years to find the perfect rocking horse, it's a bit late now but here it is. This mid-century fellow complete with plaited tail and real stirrups was hanging around our local flea market for a couple of weeks and needed a home. He is very sturdy which is a good thing because as I have discovered, you are never too old to sit on a rocking horse!

weekend finds

I found this enamel coffee pot in the flea market this weekend, not sure about the swirly pattern but it's a fab orange and it was the wooden handle that did it for me. The Jonathan Adler elephant bank was 50p in the charity shop - funny what some people throw away! 

No sign of a Christmas tree here yet but the illuminations have been switched on! I always hang a rope of lights from top to bottom of our tall skinny '60s house, looks lovely for very little effort!

too much stuff

I had to clear my kitchen today for a shoot, this is just a tiny bit of it.... it's not going back!

Some new postcards arrived yesterday, rather a lot of them, all on recycled stock so kind to trees.

A huge thank you to Sandra from Germany who emailed to let me know that I had the measurement wrong on my wallpaper shop page, making it seem to be the most expensive wallpaper in the world. Yes indeed, it should be £52.00 for a 10metre roll not a 1metre roll.

And many thanks to Irene from Bloesem who featured the wallpaper in her new Mondays quick start slot.

weekend break

Some images from last weekend, staying with my sister by the sea, sea breezes, corners of her house and cherry picking in the sun, perfect.

four flasks short of a picnic

I think I am sorted for vintage thermos flasks now and should probably stop buying them. Same goes for
plates but I really love the pattern on this one.

twiggy shelves 2

My twiggy shelves are leading a glamorous life of their own and have popped up in this months Elle Deco (how? I don't know!) I remember puzzled amusement from family and friends when I brought these hand crafted rustic shelves home from the junk shop - ha!

a teak habit

After a fantastically busy open studio weekend we made the epic trip to Newcastle and back yesterday to collect Lucy and a car load of her stuff from university (terms seem to end before they begin these days).
We had a look around Jesmond where she will be living next year (huge improvement from slummy halls of residence). I couldn't resist a beautiful vintage teak bowl from the Oxfam shop there, because you can't have too many teak bowls. Then I got it home and realised that you can.

day out in Brixton

I get a lot of my fabric from Brixton market and have been noticing it's transformation lately. Although you can still buy six inch African snails ready for the pot and all your fruit and veg and plastic buckets, there is now a new generation of vintage shops, cafes and delis in the covered arcades. A bit too trendy for some but I think it's lovely and a great day out. You can eat your way around the world and pick up vintage bargains like this tapestry handbag. I added an orange leather shoulder strap so that I don't look too much like a Welsh granny.

Don't forget open studio here this weekend, details are on the Dulwich festival website along with listings of other events and artists. Or email me for information if you can't find it on the website.

happy couple (lovely dress)

This weekend we are celebrating my parents diamond wedding anniversary, married sixty years ago in 1951. I can't help thinking that my mum's lovely dress reminds me of another famous wedding dress!