Vintage Vintage

It's been a busy few weeks of buying and making so this is going to be rather an extended list with a lot of pictures really. I've been looking out for vintage women's magazines from the 50's and 60's and have started to gather quite a few. I'm loving the colours and the graphics. The idea is to break them up for various projects but I can't quite bring myself to yet.

I can't help but feel that I have missed out by never being a member of the Woman magazine Wooden Spoon Club... just look at the furnishings in their office. I be that "pickle and chutney session" was a highlight.

I went to one of the local auctions and bought a few things. My plan was to buy lots of French linen as there were loads of boxes of it for once. Sadly though lots of other people had the same idea and the prices ended up being sky high - especially when you add the auction fees on.

As consolation for not buying what I came for, I broke my own rules and bought a couple of things that I fell in love with. One was this Bakelite and chromed picnic set...

another was a thirties chrome and oak ceiling light, (which is, ahem, too big for my low ceilinged twenties house)...

Of course my justification at the time was that I can sell them on the website but I just need to gaze at that picnic set a bit longer before I can sell it. Quite how I thought I would ever be able to post that ceiling light I don't know - I'm still working on it!

The picnic set came with another little leather travelling case with a fantastic travel sticker on one side. I'm guessing it's from the late thirties from the style and colours.

From other sources I've got two gorgeous pieces of vintage fabric to add to the Fabrics section of the shop. This really hard to find original Rupert fabric...

...and nearly 5 metres (!!) of this fantastic fifties atomic fabric - unused and just waiting to be turned into something by someone!

Just in case you thought that I have done nothing but spend... I have been making a few things too. I finally got around to finishing Betty - the splendidly cuvaceous, Mad- Manesque underwear mannequin.

I think she's from the sixties actually but she's now sporting a mixture of pictures and text from the French Echo de la Mode magazines.

This activity caused Mr Vintage to coin the phrase "decoupage, my ass" but we won't dwell on that.

Whilst my decoupaging hormones were still raging I also covered an old table with an old map making something new and useful out of both I like to feel; and proving to the family (if any more proof were needed), that I am right in never throwing anything away.

Finally I have started on making my Christmas stock for the shop and the fairs. I've got a good stack of the cherry-stone filled heat packs building up and I'm making a start on some Christmassy things...

I haven't even memtioned the hours I've spent salvaging and washing and ironing hand made crochet lace trims,

or the kitchenalia that I bought...

They have made it onto the website so have a look if you're after vintage haberdashery or tins!