The early bird....

So, today was officially my first visit to a car boot sale in 2012. Having been rained off last week, I was pleased to see a dry day forecast, so I set my alarm for 6.30am, and sprang out of bed (no, I didn't spring, I eased myself out rather slowly) and decided that I would go. At first, it looked less than promising. A biting northerly wind, not too many stalls and lots of sad looking clothes and bright plastic toys. But soon, I did find a few little treasures, the best being this 1950s dolls tea set. It looked as if there was just one tiny cup, but as I picked it up, the seller said he had a few more pieces if I was interested. And so he searched his boxes and I finished up with a set of six tiny cups, saucers, a tea pot and jug (and the extra item at the top).
What else did I unearth? A sewing box, I can't pass one by (especially if someone tells me it belonged to their German grandma!)

Some jolly retro melamine:

And many random odds and ends including a wooden mallet, a stool to refurb, some paintbrushes and a trowel (as you do at a boot sale). I'd heard that there was a new brocante-style market taking place in nearby Uppingham, and as it was still only 9am, I thought I'd drop in there, too.

These lovely things were most definitely not at car boot prices, but I enjoyed having a rummage and it's such a pretty town. 

Out of my price range, but I loved the way this stall holder had displayed her goods. I just made two very small purchases. Some haberdashery ribbon:

And a pretty gardening book.

And then home to wake up eldest son, and warm up with some coffee, poached eggs and bacon.

Friday night, Saturday morning

Younger son had a couple of friends to sleep over last night, so I tucked myself quietly away and sorted through some more sale items. I was given lots of old photographs, and have been wondering how to use them. I decided to make up some little button cards to sell. I like the way they turned out. There were a few I couldn't bear to cover up, however (dated 1929):

And this one:

 This morning, delivered C's friends home and carried on to a contemporary craft fair in nearby Oundle. My friend Lucy had a stand there. 

Lucy's stall looked beautiful.

She made everything here. These pin pots are very sweet:

And I loved the patriotic brooches. Her work is so beautifully finished....

Time for coffee and flapjack before I left:

And yes, I made a small purchase from Lucy. I just could not resist it.

This and that

The days have flown past this week. At work, I've had the May magazine to complete and, of course, it's the Easter holidays, too. The boys are older and more independent now, but I am still required in some ways ;) Anyway, that's as may be, my thoughts have strayed craft-wards and vintage-wise occasionally, so prepare for a long and rather rambling post. 

I ordered this gorgeous book from the Book People and it came today. I'm thrilled to bits with it. Although I love crafts, and have loads of ideas, I don't find any of them easy to execute. If I am working from a pattern, I need instructions to be v-e-r-y  s-i-m-p-l-e. This book, which isn't just aimed at children, although there are a lot of child-friendly makes, is wonderfully clear. The ideas are adorable. It shows basic stitches for embroidery, and covers crochet and knitting, too.

Birds! 

Lots to browse through and plenty of inspiration. I'd highly recommend this. £3.99 seems like a bargain to me. 
On my travels today, I had the urge to call in at the antiques centre. It seems ages since my last foraging trip, and I was getting withdrawal symptoms. So, after I'd been to the market for food, I popped in for a mooch. I was so glad I did, as I found this amazing shawl:

It is such a beautiful thing. It is fragile and worn in the middle (I think it's silk), but I don't mind that. The edge looks as if it has been hand hemmed and knotted with wool tassels.

It's modelled here on my late Grandma's pink Loom chair. I wonder if the shawl comes from the 1930s? The tree pattern seems very much of that time.
The charity shops were heaving today, the world and his wife seemed to be in there, so I didn't spend long in them. I just picked up one children's book, which has some fabulous illustrations inside. They are by Joyce Lancaster Brisley, who also wrote and illustrated the Milly Molly Mandy stories, which I love from my childhood.

I like a wooden horse, too. 

This has to be the best drawing of the lot....

I know just how they feel......

Rained off

We woke early this morning and decided we'd go to the annual Bank Holiday Monday car boot/flea market that's close by. But the rainy forecast had put everyone off and we rolled up to find that it was cancelled. Such is the roller coaster life of a committed thrifter! I came home and decided to make some things for my sale. So I've spent a happy afternoon chopping up fabric remnants for patchwork packs. 

So, no new treasures to show, but I have been sorting out a few older finds. I love this little Royal Albert tea plate. 

And an incredibly over- the- top embroidered table cloth that I bought at last year's Easter boot.
Meanwhile, my husband was upstairs booking us a summer holiday. One with plenty of sunshine guaranteed....

A weekend in Brighton

We spent the holiday weekend with my sister in law and her partner in Brighton. We always enjoy our trips here, and we're regular visitors. Brighton is so vibrant. It has a totally different feel to our area. 

My older son always says he wants to live in a city after we've been here for a few days. I'm pretty sure I felt the same at his age. Still do, sometimes. 

So many interesting little shops.....

Great houses....

End of pier antics....

And mini golf on the sea front.

 This is Roedean School, looking for all the world like Bleak House in the grey morning mist. 

Vintage is everywhere

I've been into old stuff for as long as I can remember, and it's funny to see how mainstream vintage has now become. Yesterday evening, I went along to a local restaurant launch, and the whole building has been fitted out in a retro style. 

Even the bar is an old VW camper van.

Plenty of old, local signs, some interesting nooks and quirky touches.

The only thing I didn't appreciate so much were the 'vintage' Pirelli calendar pics, but that's just the old 1980s feminist in me.  Some fires never dim :)

Repainting the furniture

It is that repainting time of year, as my vintage sale approaches, and I delve into my shed for all those worn out pieces of furniture which I've promised myself I will transform. First up is this old stool. Rather a sorry sight when I bought it:

A lick of Farrow and Ball's French Gray, a turn with the staple gun and some Cath Kidston oilcloth and it is good to go. 

Then there are the printers trays. Seemed like a good idea when I found these two for a snip. The patina wasn't nice enough to leave plain, but repainting them was a real labour of love. All those little nooks and crannies! One down, one to go.....

And finally, a more ambitious task is my old dolls house, which I want to do up and sell on, as we have no room to store it. Still very much a work in progress. Hopefully I'll be finished by May 7th...

Our house feels very relaxed today. It's so good to be away from the timetable for a couple of weeks.