Thursday 22 October 2009

Dead leaves and the dirty ground






Despite the chilly, damp and grey conditions this morning, thursday just has to be my favourite day of the week. The weekly morning car boot sale is great for unearthing vintage gems as the majority of traders are either retired folk or house clearance traders. As most people are at work there's virtually no competition and more goodies for us!

This morning's rummage has yielded two 1960's framed prints, a Danish minimalist Jacob Jensen telephone, a haul of high-end, unused cosmetics (YSL, Sisley,Clarins, Lancome and Clinique), a yellow melamine picnic set and a couple of vintage leather bags, which look much better in the flesh .

Any tips for car boot sales?
  • Take an empty plastic bag for kneeling on so that you can get down and (not) dirty in large piles of clothes.
  • Don't be afraid to dive into boxes and suitcases in search of hidden treasures.
  • Be very wary of "designer labels", if it looks too good to be true it probably is.
  • No sane stall holder will be insulted if you try to haggle.
  • Look at the stall holder before looking at their stall as smartly dressed, older people are likely to have better treasures than a cash-trapped student or a young family.
  • Take plenty of change and some strong carrier bags and make sure you wear a bag that goes across the body and fastens securely.
  • Don't be hindered by excess bagage. If you buy a bulky item ask the stall holder to keep it in their car until you have finished looking around.
Another reason why I love thursday? A local church holds a monthly jumble sale at 2pm. Again, as most people are at work it's generally just us and a handful of pensioners. As we go regularly everyone knows us and it's lovely to have a bit of a gossip whilst rummaging. The pickings are mixed but today's purchases included the 1950's style boned rose print prom dress and a pretty box containing some gorgeous vintage seamed nylon stockings.

5 comments:

  1. i have that dress - it's soo 50s, that i couldn't believe it only came from george at asda - i loved it so much i also tracked down the black version!!

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  2. It just goes to show that it's silly to be a label snob! xx

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  3. Amazing haul.
    I've been super motivated to go around the charity shops here, but there is NOTHING! Seriously. Not even some vintage/pretty homeware! I plan to keep trying though, every time I walk past I feel like diving in.

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  4. Daisy, I was inspired to go second hand shopping by Goanmad too but became so despondent with the lack of treasures! I kept at it though, and it's really only been within the last two weeks that I've managed to find pretty things. Finding that phone gave me a real thrill, I think I'm hooked!

    ADORE the dress, can't believe it's George @ Asda. What a scoop on the cosmetics too!

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  5. Must admit the cosmetics are my favourite find of the day. The dress is gorgeous, it looks like a fifties starlet has wandered into the bedroom and cast it aside. XX

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Lots of love, Vix