Sunday 27 December 2009

Leavin' On A Jet Plane.........

Kate Moss at TopShop blouse (Xmas present), Customised jeans, ripped dance tights and tiger buckle belt (Jumble sale), Vintage braided waistcoat (Charity shop), TopShop vest (Car boot sale), Leather ankle boots (Local market), Earrings and turquoise bangle (Xmas presents), Other jewellery (India)

My bags are packed, my eyelash extensions applied, I'm epilated to within an inch of my life, the contents of the fridge have been eaten and we're ready for a 3am getaway tomorrow morning. The itinery is Manchester - Heathrow- Chennai , landing at 1am local time where the estimated ground temperature is 32 degrees centigrade.


Happy New Year to all my lovely members and anyone else reading!




See you on 17th January, 2010



Saturday 26 December 2009

Vain as a peacock

Vintage dress (Clothes Show), Patent platforms (Market), Necklace and bag (Xmas presents)

Well, it wasn't too bad a day after all! Spending time with our nearest and dearest, amazing pressies, the Royale Family on the TV, curry for lunch and even a touch of snow on the ground.....

One of my lovely pals made me this beautiful peacock feather bag....


......and this pewter sci-fi necklace is another fabulous gift.

Off for a night out on the town, the last chance to catch up with pals before we jet off to India on Monday morning. Catch you all later.



Thursday 24 December 2009

Season's Greetings!


Thanks for reading my blog!
Lots of love and luck, 
Vix xxx




The Morning After The Night Before......

 Dress (Monsoon Fusion), Sparkly leggings (Car boot sale), Perfume bottle pendant & vintage high-heeled wellies (Charity shop), Silver jewellery (India), Stephen , one of our three cats (Present), 1950's chair (Salvaged from a skip)

After a wild night out and a surprisingly heavy snowfall we're off for a precarious walk into town to stock up on drinks and supplies to see us through the next few days. It seems only right to pop into a local pub to partake in a drop of festive spirit before we trudge back, after all don't they say "hair of the dog that bit you"?



 
Glass Chandelier (Laura Ashley), Curtains (Jumble sale), Papier mache trinkets (Indian street markets)

See you later!

Wednesday 23 December 2009

Second-hand Rose

Today's outfit is all pre-loved:


Warehouse hareem pants (£1.04 eBay) & Mango skinny fit top (60p Car boot sale) worn with some of yesterday's charity shop finds - vintage ankle boots (£4), tweed waistcoat (£1), Fendi belt (50p), Urban Outfitters bell pendant (99p) and slouchy hat (48p).

Total cost: £8.61

Some more of the finds on my charity shop spree included:


Urban Outfitters purple lacy tights 48p

Hyacinth blue perspex necklace 99p
Urban Outfitters "Salad Bunny" servers £1.30

Tuesday 22 December 2009

Sweet Charity

Just a few of the pretty things I picked up on my last charity shopping expedition of the decade:

From top: Fendi leather belt (50p), Vintage wasp waist belt (£1), Faux leather plaited belt (£1)

Urban outfitters pendants - Silver bell 99p and Black perfume bottle £1.99

Urban Outfitters headbands 48p each, Kate Sheridan purse 50p



La Perla nude body £1.99

Vintage suede ankle boots with stacked heels £4

More to follow....

Monday 21 December 2009

Make Do And Mend

Vintage early 1970's needlecord maxi skirt (Charity shop), TopShop angora wool "boyfriend" cardi and sewing stool (Car boot sale), Silver jewellery (India), Rug and wallpaper (Laura Ashley), Fire surround and brass companion set (Skip finds), Sewing box & Regency period neo-classical vases (Inherited)

It's far too cold to contemplate venturing out so I've used my time wisely and finally got round to repairing those clothes I keep pulling from the wardrobe and hastily replacing when I realise they are missing buttons, holey or in need of re-hemming.

 
With a roaring log fire and my favourite tunes playing in the background what better way to spend a sub-zero winter afternoon?





I've never had to buy any new sewing paraphernalia, I've inherited lots and there's always a bag or basketful to snaffle at car boot or jumble sales. As well as being ultra comfy the 1950's green tweed stool I'm sitting on opens out into a satin-lined sewing box, a boot sale bargain at only 50p. I love the way vintage sewing supplies are packaged and you can't beat a traditional wooden cotton reel. 


Sunday 20 December 2009

Sunday Girl.........

Maxi dress (Jumble sale), Vintage Levi's jacket and Dunlop wellies (Charity shop), Arm warmers (TopShop), Willow trug (Car boot sale), French enamel house number (Reclamation yard)


 
Snow has finally reached the Midlands! Feeling festive, I gathered some garden greenery to make a rustic door spray.

 

 
After selecting choice sprigs of ivy, laurel, fir and berry-laiden holly I snipped off any excess foliage and tied the tops together with a length of vintage red velvet ribbon.


Doesn't everything look pretty with a light dusting of the white stuff?




Saturday 19 December 2009

Saturday Morning Ritual


The only way to spend a chilly Saturday morning has to be snuggled beneath a vintage eiderdown with a fresh pot of coffee and the weekend papers.

Wooden slatted tray (car boot sale), Vintage paisley print quilt (jumble sale), Stove top coffee pot (part of a collection), Original 1960's Portmerion "Greek Key" coffee cups (part of a set passed down from my parents)

Thursday 17 December 2009

Cheers!

Breaking news! British Airways has won a High Court injunction blocking the 12-day strike that had been planned for Christmas. This means that my much anticipated holiday is back on and despite my stinking cold I fully intend to celebrate this evening.



1960's "Nouvelle Vague" wool dress and black shoe boots (Charity shop), Silver bangles and rings (India), Urban Outfitters tassel necklace and H&M tassel earrings (Car boot), Faux fur duck-down filled hat (jumble sale).

It's freezing cold here and tonight's plan are fairly low-key. A brisk walk into town, catching up with friends over a couple of pints in a traditional real ale pub followed by buffet night at our favourite Gujarati restaurant.


I'm not sure what I loved most about this dress when I spotted it in a charity shop last year, the cosy wool content, the glorious retro print or the fabulous label. Old clothing labels are just superb , embroidered and often with kitsch designs. So much more care was taken with the production of vintage clothes as they weren't mass produced. I'm intrigued to find out how a dress made in Bologna ended up in a industrial Black Country town.


Wednesday 16 December 2009

Waste Not , Want Not.........

Vintage silk midi dress (Charity shop), Silver patent platform boots (River Island), Bolero (Handmade), Antique silver and bone bangle & Agate choker (Car Boot), 1930's Bakelite bangle (Grandma), Silver jewellery (India)

My Christmas shopping's all done and wrapped, the cards are written so all I can do now is to sit back and wait for news of my British Airways flight. To pass the time I got creative with some bits and pieces I had lying around:
 

Fun fur fabric remnant found in Mum's loft, bought in the 1960's to make me a pram coat.

The string tie from hand-made paper journal bought in India
A watermarked vintage silk damask cushion cover found at a jumble sale

With guidance from a 1970's dress-making pattern and the addition of a couple of wooden toggles from my button jar I created a cosy fun fur gilet. Now I can wear my summer dresses all year round.



Hand-made gilet made from vintage fun fur, lined with antique silk damask.