Something Out Of Nothing - Stuff For (Almost) Free

If you're anything like me (and you most likely are or you probably wouldn't be reading) you're fed up to the back teeth of the rampant consumerism that grips the majority of the population as soon as November strikes - endless wish lists and gift guides on blogs, adverts for tacky jewellery, celebrity-endorsed tat and naff leather sofas dominating the TV breaks and a veritable forest of supermarket Xmas offer leaflets which go straight from Saturday's Guardian into the recycle bin.

I'm confined to the house until Friday (when Jon's got something mysterious planned) as we're awaiting numerous Boombox-related deliveries and its both the dreaded end-of-year accounts and time to apply for our tourist visas, so, in between totting spreadsheets up, stapling receipts and swearing at crashing websites I'm diverting my attention by making use of stuff I've already got and not spending a thing.

I pimped up this standard charity shop denim waistcoat by hand-sewing a cool looking cross stitch I bought at a jumble sale to the back. The dress is a 1960s nylon nightie embellished with upholstery trim and braiding (I can't take credit for it, I bought it from eBay).

Today's lunch was curried parsnip and apple soup (the apples were free from a neighbour and the parsnips were on special offer on the market last week, everything else was already in the cupboard).

11b parsnips (peeled & chopped)

1 large white onion (chopped)

2 large cooking apples (peeled & chopped)

2 tsp Madras curry powder

2 crushed cloves of garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 litre vegetable stock

• Soften the apples, parsnips and onion in oil, taking care not to colour
• Add the garlic and spices and cook for 2 minutes
• Carefully pour in the stock, stirring until the soup starts to boil
• Turn down heat, pop a lid on the saucepan & simmer for 30 mins (or until parsnips are soft)
• Remove pan from the heat, liquidise, season to taste
• Reheat and enjoy.

The lovely Lucy Nation sent me this pretty 1950s tourist scarf earlier in the year, I was tempted to make it into a cushion cover but decided it would be far better worn as a skimpy halter. I sewed 12 inches of ribbon (saved from last year's birthday present wrappings) to the bottom of each corner and that was that.

One of my vintage family, Sandy, makes the most amazing creations adorned with sequins, beads and bling. She recently gave me a bag of leftover broken bits & pieces to play with so I made these last night:

1. I glued religious icons to a rhinestone-less pendant and threaded my silver snake chain through the loops.

2. The neon green and diamante creations were originally a broken statement necklace, I used some hooks from an old pair of earrings, threaded them through the loops and hey presto! Some Bollywood-worthy chandelier earrings.

3. The flamingo fabric patch was a present from Jennie years ago, I glued it to the fake agate stone and threaded both that and the broken bracelet with fishing twine and swiped a fastening from an old necklace.

4. I wrapped vintage braiding (left over from previous projects) and acrylic zips round plastic bangles and glued them into place.

Nightie/dress (eBay) worn with customised waistcoat, suede boots (Helgalicious)

I'm not sure when I'll next be around, there's a mad few days ahead.

Have fun and see you soon.

A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours

We had a lovely day yesterday, blasting out some hardcore dance tunes from Jon's Bad Boy Boombox and dancing non-stop for most of the day followed by curry and a catch up with some of our vintage family but, what with Jon's knackered knees and my ruined hip, we're counting down the days until we can strip off and lay on the sands of a Goan beach for a month.

Back in the old days of corporate whoredom I was contractually required to organise weekend events in addition to my usual 90 hours a week.  I don't know how I used to do it, these days I'm exhausted after just one event. No wonder I look half dead in most old photos.

My 1960s spotty maxi & Chelsea Tailor lurex blouse (99p & 50p, Cancer UK), Saluki fake fur (£3, car boot sale)

 It's not all hard slog though. On Friday Jo and Annie came to visit and we had a fabulous day, scouring the chazzas for bargains and trying on almost everything in the now-legendary Second To None.

 My Liberty House midi was too big, Annie's Carnegie maxi too small but Jo's St Michael skirt was just right.

As surely as night follows day, a restorative pitcher of cocktails and huge bowls of chips in Wetherspoons is what you get after a day of serious shopping.

My Second To None purchases? Van Allen 1960s cheesecloth smock (£3.50), 1970s C&A flutter sleeve psychedelic blouse (£6) and a fabulous length of vintage fabric (£2.25)

Gifts galore! From Annie - Indian chandelier earrings and stick-on fair trade paisley motifs.
From Jo - the purple velvet Indian crop top, the groovy 1970s metallic shirt and these incredible psychedelic pants...

....worn with a vintage suede waistcoat (from Liz, last Xmas), old skool Bukta leotard & Mary Quant scarf (both from jumble sales) and 1960s Welsh Tapestry Baker Boy cap (British Heart Foundation)

I'm linking to Judith's Hat Attack, Spy Girl's Blue Hues and Patti's Visible Monday

We've an exhibition preview, two vintage fairs (HERE and HERE), my birthday and our space within a shop opening next week and then we can finally start thinking about India. Be ready for packing posts, past travel photos and bikinis at dawn!

See you soon.

Women's Stuff

I was all set to walk into town today when the postman called with a bastard massive birthday parcel from Queen of Kiwiland, Helga. Off went my fake fur jacket, on went this luscious green crochet poncho and out I went.

I got so many elderly ladies stopping and asking if I'd made it myself I was tempted to start lying & telling them I had, but as I can't even get to grips with a simple chain, I thought I'd better be honest and not bask in someone else's glory.

Remember me mentioning a bizarre ebay buy we'd been to pick up on Monday morning? Well, this is it, a pair of 1950s shop display stands. 

I've always had a bit of a thing for old skool advertising, I can lose hours looking for vintage shop fittings on ebay and pouring over old adverts in magazines. 

Both Modess and Lilia were on sale from the mid-1920s.

Here's some girls-about-town checking out the Lilia stand.

I'd planned to use the stands for displaying stock at vintage fairs and within our soon-to-open shop space in Blighty Bazaar,

I've had fun doing a trial run in the lounge for Sunday's fair.

But I couldn't resist snaffling the other for our bathroom.

I scrubbed away the surface rust with a bit of wire wool and that was it. Painting would have ruined it, I like vintage to look vintage.

Usually this kind of stuff can go for loads of money and I assumed I'd be outbid but no, I was the only bidder. Maybe people were put off by the sanitary towel advertising, silly buggers. Half the populate menstruate, hardly taboo, is it?

1970s poncho worn with psychedelic Jeannie Jersey maxi skirt (Georgia-May's Vintage), 1970s St Michael cotton and lurex top (darling Curtise) and a heap of junk jewellery 

The other day one of my vintage trading friends bought a vintage piece of airline uniform for his wife from eBay and the seller, assuming he was buying it for some pervy purpose, send him a bonus gift - her thong (fortunately a clean one). He's passed it on to me to use as a sort of relay baton, the holder has to do something inventive with it and pass it on to another member of the vintage selling crew.

Have you spotted it?

I've an exciting blogger meet-up planned for tomorrow. Watch out if you're in the Black Country and standing in the way of something good in a charity shop, you may get trampled to death.

See you soon!

The Way We Wore

My idea of "menopausal dressing" would involve elasticated polyester slacks, orthopaedic shoes and a fleece, but if the fashion bloggers say it's wearing hot pink, then who am I to argue?

Photo courtesy of Emma Charlotte Makes

My workwear got a rip-roaring reception from both stallholders and customers alike at Saturday's vintage fair. I couldn't give a toss about being youthful, been there, done that, had the bad skin & the angst and now it's someone else's turn. As long as I'm happy, who gives a toss if I look my age? Not me, that's for sure.

My outfit was provided by my dear blogging pals. The California-made maxi was from the beautiful & talented Jean, the recycled juice wrapper bangle from fabulously funky Senora Alnutt and the neon wig was my choice of Wonderland Wig from a competition Helen ran on her Mancunian Vintage blog.

1970s safari jacket (Age UK), French wool cap (bought 16 years ago), Carrot leg skinnies (Compton Hospice), R Soles snakeskin boots (eBay).

A man driving past Saturday's venue spotted Jon having a smoke outside and, accompanied by his wife, made a diversion to find him as he loved his style. He came away with a groovy 1970s green velvet smoking jacket Jon suggested would suit him.

Look at this tremendously stylish couple who paid us a visit over the weekend, they're Ros Jana's parents. It's obvious where she gets her beauty from.

The tea room was run by the ladies who sold me the groovy 1960s swimsuit last month and was incredible - and that's from a woman who doesn't "do" sweets. Not a naff c** cake in sight.

Angela Gore, London maxi dress (Judith and Bertha Vintage)

I sold lots but did I buy? Hell, yes. I spotted a twin to THIS dress poking from a clothes rail two pitches away and rushed over like a woman demented for a closer look, discovering that it was not only maxi length but two sizes smaller than my bit-on-the-big-side Baklash one. It belonged to the seller's Grandma, a former mayoress. It was one of her favourite evening dresses for official dos in the late 1960s.

It got its first official outing today, not a glam dinner dance but a mission to collect a couple of bizarre vintage items in Peaky Blinders country I'd won on eBay over the weekend.
(I'll share them later this week once I've scrubbed them down).

You're not mistaken, we did do two vintage fairs this weekend but, being the premenstrual dimwit I can be, I left the camera battery at home in the charger. You'll just have to believe that our pitch looked great and that I didn't wear beige, sportswear or a wolf fleece.

There's another vintage fair at Newhampton Arts Centre in Wolverhampton this weekend, looks like this week will be spent finding some more stock, it's a hard life.

See you soon!

Boom, Boom, Boom

This is no ordinary vanity case.

This is part of a project Jon's been working on, rescuing old and unloved pieces of vintage luggage and transforming them into bad ass boomboxes.




After weeks of being dragged around the geekish, male-dominated world of Maplin, sharing the dining table with odd-looking gadgets and popping to the Post Office to pick up mysterious parcels, today an electrician has awarded his vintage boomboxes a British safety certificate, meaning that not only are they cool to look at but they won't blow your house up if you use one.

That bloke of mine is not only a stylish beast but also a blinking genius.

We've another full-on weekend of vintage selling at Bridgnorth on Saturday and Mere Green on Sunday.

Here's just a teensy selection of the groovy clobber we'll have on offer, in addition to our custom built sound machines.

And if that doesn't tempt you, just wait until you see what I'll be wearing (courtesy of fabulous parcels recently received from dear friends, Jean, Helen and Senora Allnut).

1970s satin maxi (Baklash, Nottingham), Fringed leather crop top (the divine Helga), Cobalt and jade suedette ankle boots (£5, market stall), wooden beads (supermodel Tania), African trading bead earrings (supremely talented Tamera)

I was stunned to see that the wearing of bright pink being described as "Menopausal" so I'm planning on going overboard on Saturday (at 2 weeks shy of 47 I am probably on the cusp). When I tried my outfit on earlier one of the cats ran for his life. Let's hope it doesn't have the same effect on any potential customers.

See you soon!