Wine and Roses

What's your favourite thing on a Friday? Today it was receiving a parcel from the lovely Tomye who surprised me with this gorgeous vintage Paula Brooks maxi dress.

Check out the print.

The parcel also included this fabulous Indian bracelet amongst other things which I'll reveal soon.

I'm frocking knackered this evening but nothing a quick half at The Wheatsheaf followed by an evening in front of the TV with lashings of alcohol and a home-made pizza can't fix.

The new bag made it's maiden voyage.

How fabulous to be able to wear peep toes and bare legs in almost-October.

Have a brilliant weekend whatever you get up to.
See you soon.
xxx

Booty-Licious

"Hello, Sixties lady", a seller shouted this morning, "have you seen that amazing 1960s Beetle on the car park today?" "Yes, I came in it." I replied with a big smile. Yootha is rather gorgeous, isn't she? 

It's been a busy day what with a jumble sale preview (yes, I get to go through the stock before the general public go in), a car boot and a drive out to the next county. There's enough washing hanging in the garden to make the neighbours think I'm taking in laundry.

The car boot was full to bursting, but, as is often the case on such a beautiful day, it's full of the most uninspiring tat and typical of our British mentality, full of people who don't care what they look like as long as they get a tan, hence a humongous amount of half naked folk who really ought to know better.

This animated Elvis looks more Emo than rockabilly , in fact I think I might have fancied the King if he'd  looked like that. I thought of Scarlett but couldn't stretch to the £25 the man wanted. The way he swiveled his head and mouthed "Thank you very much" was terrifying.

There's always loads of vintage suitcases at car boot sales around here. I couldn't possibly fit another one in the house.

I can't understand why anyone would want to go to Ikea when you can furnish your home for a few quid by car booting.

This wall-mounted leather cupboard is rather intriguing. Yours for a tenner.

What on earth's Jon got?

I know I said I'd got enough retro lamps last week but how could I resist this 1960s vision of kitsch? It reminded me of something George & Mildred would have had in their home.

So awful it's kind of attractive. At £1 I couldn't resist.

More vintage sunnies for the collection (20p)

I love this antique tapestry handbag with an embossed silver bar (£3). 

I couldn't capture how gorgeous this silver handmade suit really is. It buttons up at the back and is lined with pink silk. It fits perfectly. £2

Who needs a special occasion to wear glittery tights? 10p

1960s crochet long-line waistcoat 40p

This beautiful navy blue lace shift has sheer silk sleeves and had been painstakingly handmade. It has got a liner but I took it out for the pictures.

These 1970s Saxone Young Colony "Alice" suede shoes are missing the laces but are in perfect unworn condition. 40p

A seller I know gave me these coin belts for free knowing I liked "weird" stuff. 

 Hawaiian mini dress (£1.99, Banardos), 1960s leather boots (£4.95, British Heart Foundation), Suede jerkin (£1, car boot sale), Great-Great Grandmother's pocket watch and 1970s Foster Grant sunglasses (20p, car boot sale)

Just time to reheat and eat the rest of last night's curry before I dash off for hospital visiting. 

Thank you so much for your kind words about Dad, it's hard at the moment and it really does mean a lot that you care enough to comment....I love you all. xxx

Move Over, Jarvis

I'd planned a special car boot sale post for today, took my camera around the field and snapped some crazy stuff but when I took delivery of a parcel from the fabulous Curtise on my return it all went out of the window. 

Look at this freaking Bernshaw frock, I'm lost for words over it's amazingness. I can't wait to wear it barefoot at the next Goan beach party. 

Curtise has now officially replaced Jarvis Cocker as best person ever to come out of Sheffield (and I've been in love with him for twenty years).

I'm going to have a mid-week beer and a curry in it's honour & try not to spill any down myself.

It's another early start for us tomorrow, a jumble sale, a car boot sale, collecting our latest eBay buy and visiting Dad (who's still in hospital). I still haven't found that ring, I reckon Lakota's right and a Borrower really is wearing it as a tiara.

Have a fantastic evening and see you soon.

Night(ie) Life

Another beautiful sunny day, perfect for walking to the shops in my nightie, taking delivery of a new pair of boots and finding a long lost pig. 

It's another nightie from my vintage Friday finds. Like yesterday's it was hanging on the dress rail and if the elderly volunteers in the charity shop consider it suitable for day wear then who am I to argue?

The eagle-eyed may have spotted I wore it with my Cher suede skirt out and about on Saturday. At £1.80 it's already working out to be quite good value.

These suede boots arrived today and I'm smitten. 

The sexy Krista sent me the Carnelian ring on the right, it's hardly been off since I got it.

This choker's my favourite find of last week.

Here's the long lost pig. He's a Victorian brass pin cushion I found as a teenager at a jumble sale. One of my rings rolled under the dressing table on Saturday night and found him under there when I was trying to retrieve it. Isn't he a sweetie? I still haven't found the ring, though.

1960s Keynote baby doll (£1.80, Walsall Hospice), Suede jerkin (£1, car boot sale), Suede go-go boots (£20, in a fit of over-indulgence), 1970s tooled leather duffel (£1, car boot sale), 1960s choker (£1.50, car boot sale)

Right, off to make tea for Jon who's slaving away hand painting Gilbert (and saving himself £2000 on a respray).

Wish me car boot sale good vibes for tomorrow, it looks like being a scorcher.

Indian Summer & An A to Z Of Me

Summer's arrived, albeit a tad late. 
The UK's set to reach the heady heights of 26 degrees by Wednesday so the vintage capes and my Kerrang boots are going to have to wait a few more weeks. Not that I'm complaining, it gives me a chance to wear some of the goodies I scored on Friday.

This monochrome dress is actually 1960s St Michael bri-nylon nightie. As you know I'm no stranger to wearing vintage bed wear as outer wear. It almost seems a crime not to share such gorgeousness with the world.

Ganesh pendant made by the glorious Helga

An Indian summer, any excuse to wear my Indian stuff, bindii and all.

Earrings (Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Auroville, Near Pondicherry, India))

I'm loving everyone's A to Z of me posts so here's mine: 


A-Age
44 & three-quarters, vintage and loving it.
B- Bed Size
King size, by accident rather than design. We bought both of our beds via eBay and never checked the measurements.

C - Chore you hate
All of them. I'm a domestic slattern.
D - Dogs
I'm a cat woman but partial to the odd plaster poodle.

E - Essential start to your day
A pint of water and at least half-an-hour of exercise.
F - Favourite colour
Turquoise, green, purple, orange, hot pink, canary yellow.

G - Gold or silver
Silver but don't object to bit of 1970s gilt.
H - Height
Sadly lacking, although I did gain 1.5inches after my hip was replaced.

I - Instruments you play
None, I'm tone deaf.
J - Job title
Queen of vintage
K - Kids
Don't be daft.

L - Live
Life to the full

M - Mother's name
Jenni. RIP.

N - Nickname
Smiler, Cher and Oi Hippy! by random strangers.
O - Overnight hospital stays
The first ill-fated hip replacement (they discovered no-one had ordered the right socket when I was with the anaesthetist and had to send me home) and then 8 nights following the hip op proper.
P - Pet peeves
Racism, bigotry, litter louts, ill mannered people, magazines, most TV, fast food, shopping centres, any mention of Christmas prior to mid-December, package tourism, poor timekeeping, mobile phone junkies, sportswear worn outside of the gym, queue jumping, adverts, people who haggle in charity shops........

Q - Quote from a film
"I've crossed oceans of time to find you." Bram Stoker's Dracula 
"Bring me the finest wines known to humanity." Withnail & I
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Apocalypse Now
R - Right or left handed?
Right
S - Siblings
Marcus, 20 months my junior.

T - Time you wake up
Around 6.50am
U - Underwear 
Only if I really, really have to.
V - Vegetable you hate
Celery and savoy cabbage.
W - What makes you run late
I'm never late.
X - X-Rays you've had
Hip (yearly since 2004), teeth, lumbar spine, cervical spine, thoracic spine, knee, arm and a brain scan. No wonder I'm radiant.

Y - Yummy food that you make
I'm a qualified chef so hopefully everything.

Taken in Trivanadrum, Kerala, 2007

Z - Zoo animal
Richard Parker, the tiger from Life Of Pi.

Vintage nightie (£3.20, Walsall Hospice), 1960s lime green vinyl bag (£2.95, Walsall Hospice)

 If you haven't already had a go at this then please do, I'm a nosey so and so.