Tuesday 25 September 2012

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall.....



   You're staying with me!

Poor Diana Ross, despite being the centre of attention at Sunday's vintage fair her reputation as a demanding diva obviously preceded her and so she's still mine. If I had a quid for everyone who said they'd come back for her later I'd a rich woman. 


Despite his misgivings Jon's prepared to put up with her hanging about in the hallway for the next couple of weeks. I've booked up for two more vintage fairs (the next event's on my side bar if you fancy coming) so hopefully she'll find a loving home next month.


Is that a new frock? Oh yes! You knew I wouldn't be able to resist a teensy peek at the other traders' stalls now, would you? After all, it's loud, it's from the Seventies and, if the "experts" had their way, totally inappropriate for Autumnal dressing.

Barry M Cyan nail paint with a stack of jewellery (yellow wooden bangles courtesy of Mrs Allnut), the turquoise ring on my index finger was from Valerie.

The near-biblical rainfall scuppered my plans for a walk to the bank today so I popped over the road to my parental home to do a bit more house clearing. This is what I came back with:

Clockwise from top left: My favourite childhood card game, Oxfam's Happy Families (from 1972); a bag of my late Great-Aunt's tapestries from the 1950s; I was given this money box when I was born; Framed 1950s stylised sailing print; 1930s guest room picture; 1950s place mats and coaster set; Hand-painted Royal Winton Chinoiserie cruet; I bought this ink drinking bird from Wales in 1976; My Mum hated these crystal sherry glasses they received as a wedding gift in 1966; Detail from my kitty; These 1970s patchwork storage tins are still stuffed with paper and have the 59p price stickers on their bases; 1972 National Trust wildlife Snap (another childhood favourite); My Grandma made this door stop as a house warming gift for my parents in 1971.


I have my memories, I don't need material things to keep them alive. Hopefully some of this lot will find appreciative new homes soon.


1970s poppy print maxi (£10, Pelsall Vintage Fair), Hair flower (made by me)
Right, I better get to the bank before the rain starts.

See you soon!

67 comments:

  1. Love the new maxi! I can't believe the rain we've had - biblical is a pretty good description. Good luck with the other vintage fairs!

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  2. Most excellent new maxi! Perfect for autumn or winter wear. I love the photo in front of the mirror - it looks like your alter ego is Ms. Ross, and I'm sure she approves of what she sees back.

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  3. Love your dress, my dear Vix.
    The absolute QUEEN OF VINTAGE and style.
    Love you!!!
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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  4. Ms Ross just wants to hang out with you a little while longer, I'm sure she'll find another home when the time is right. I LOVE that dress Vix - I've been thinking I need more maxi dresses (after being Ms. I don't like Maxi dresses for so long) and this one is just fabulous!! The colour really suits you.

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  5. I love that mirror!!!!!
    And that dress is gorgeouso on you doll! :-)
    Have a fab day! xo

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  6. Yay! You got to keep the Diana Ross mirror. It's super, although I think there is a similar situation whereby my other half would be less keen than me!

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  7. I would have a field day at your stall! :)
    Love the jewellery shot, some fantastic chunky jewels. I'm trying out your cleaning advice on mine this week - got some bits to polish up.
    xx

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  8. I would so come to your stall if I lived slightly closer than the bottom of the world where I am now and I would bring the other Sue with me as I have no idea where you are in England. Plus she would have to look after me as I have never been out of my own country. They say don't leave town 'til you've seen the country and I still have the south island of my country to visit. I have a thing for Royal Winton at the moment so I love your set. That and Duraware.

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  9. I feel relieved that Diana is safe on your wall, I'm sorry for Jon, but the wall paper reflection in it creates a wonderful effect!
    I love all the things from your childhood you bring home, those cards have amazing illustrations on, the cat-money box is so cute and the door stop is the most lovely I've ever seen!
    You are so beautiful in your new maxi, that flower child print and colours make me want to wear a lot of flowers in my hair!!
    Love

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  10. Oh Diana, I see big things happening for you! I think she's going to be the subject of a vicious tug-of-love at one of your upcoming vintage fairs - she'd love the drama! And what beautiful treasures you've retrieved from your Dad's place - I've been looking for one of those crazy ink birds for years, they used to crack me up as a kid:)). I adore your new frock so much, the colours will give the public a well-deserved autumnal wake up slap - c'mon people, ditch the beige!! We'll change the world together Vix;)) xoxoxoxoxoxoox

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  11. Oooh another fabulous Summery maxi, if anyone can keep the spirt of summer alive during a downpour its you! x

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  12. Lovely maxi, and I'm so glad to see Miss Ross on yer wall. Personally, I'd have snapped her up as soon as I'd clocked her.
    Have a terrific week.
    Em
    xxxxxx

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  13. Hurrah! Who cares what you should wear as long as you're warm, comfortable and fabulous at this time of year! You're far less sentimental than me, I'd keep everything! But then if you're selling you can make money for a wonderful trip to India. Plus thanks to the blog you must have a photo record of everything! I wonder if you'll come back with Diana next week?! Xx
    Oh I forgot to mention how gorgeous you look in that dress!!!

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  14. Gorgeous dress, I can see why you had to have it. Love your treasures from your ancestoral home. I've got a kitty string holder identical to your money box. xx

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  15. Vix, I love those tapestries! They're adorable. If you're after selling them, please let me know. I'd love to give them a new lease of life. x

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  16. Great post!

    3 words LOVE YOUR STYLE :)

    I'm an instant follower of you now :)

    Please feel free to check out my blog if you have the time

    Love,

    Janice
    the-fashion-milkshake.blogspot.nl

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  17. How could anyone walk past Diana? !

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  18. Glorious frock, Vix, it was worth a tender of your profit anyway! Keep up the colour and glamour, despite the crapulous weather, I say!
    So will Diana find a permanent home in your hall, or will Jon have his way and flog her off at the next fair? Watch him, he might sell her for a pittance just to get rid... I am now singing "Reflections of the way life used to be..." I do like a bit of Supremes.
    Look at all those treasures from your dad's house... I find it much harder to part with things than you do, though you are absolutely right, memories don't reside in material objects, we carry them with us always. But there is something so evocative about items which remind us of childhood, don't you think? One look and you are transported back!
    Go go go for the fairs, I can see this becoming your thing, Vix - you might end up on the Apprentice, getting Alan Sugar to invest in your vintage emporium! xxxxxx

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  19. Holy bejayzus - that frock is splendid and YOU are EXQUISITE in it! Absolutely LOVE this new maxi - and the bangles of course (esp the lovely handpainted large one and the beaded yellow - it's almost warm enough to wear bangles again here!). I'm quite partial to the mirror and I've glad you still have her. Love you more than yellow floral maxis! Sarah xxx

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  20. Oooooh gorgeous frock! And congrats on being our favourite UK blogger :) I do wish I could have shopped up a storm at your stall at the vintage fair. I'm sure your stock would have been swoon-worthy, as everything you find is vintage gold. Xx

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  21. Did you get to the bank? And were you depositing or withdrawing????

    I'm still trying to figure out Diana Ross...is it truly a mirror?

    What interesting loot from your parental home. Is there anything left over there?

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  22. If I lived closer I definitely would have been at the fair. Hopefully Diana will find a good home at the next one! x

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  23. woops, I commented but something went wrong. Anyway, what I was saying is that If I were you, I would definitely keep the kitty bank. Ti's too cute.
    Yellow floral dress looks fantastic on youj.

    xx
    maya

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  24. Beautiful dress. Gloriously inappropriate for this pissy weather!! Cheered me up no end.
    Glad Diana resides with you for a bit longer. Got any tips or observations for selling at a vintage fair? Plenty of us keen to pick your creative brain.

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  25. Diana's looking very at home on that wall Vix, and your dress is gorgeous, I love yellow. When we moved to this house I decorated with a lot of yellow and Pat wasn't mad on it so I changed it over the years, but looking at old photos, I decided the yellow is coming back, the house looked much more cheerful that way. Wish I could get down to the vintage fairs you're taking part in, they look brilliant fun, though I might bankrupt myself buying goodies. I love all your finds from the past at your parents' home. I always used to get one of those ink drinking birds every time we went to Blackpool. I am too sentimental about things and would probably end up keeping it all even though I know you're absolutely right and memories aren't in things. xx

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  26. Hmm, what was I saying about fairs being addictive? LOL, no, I realise you're on a mission, good for you. Lovely summery colours on that maxi, would you be jealous if I told you I had to bring the air conditioner back upstairs this weekend just gone? It's only been downstairs (i.e. out of use) since mid-June!

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  27. YAY you got to keep Diana! (Well at least for a bit!) I just keep picturing her in "Mahogany"! The fairs and flea markets (here, they don't really do vintage fairs unless they are super high-end, think Patou gowns) become a little addicting since there is such a lovely camaraderie between dealers, as well as buyer interaction. I wish my dang hand would heal so I could do a few more before it gets too cold here! I hope you do really well at the fairs & even more so I wish I could attend, if only to see the fab Vix! (and more than likely clear you out.) I feel the same about "things", I've held onto family pieces because I was the only one in the family interested in "old" stuff only to find it making me sad. I have the happy memory, but don't need the sadness of having the clutter, or the happiness of sending it on to someone who will love it. Hence the mighty clear out continues! XXX

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  28. Sounds like you are having a lot of fun at these fairs. So happy to hear that! :) And of course you look lovely in that Maxi.

    ∞ © tanvii.com ∞

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  29. Pretty dress in a nice color. The hair-flower completes it.

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  30. Beautiful dress! I think it can be quite autumnal, the colours are right, just add a woolly shawl and some leggings and it'll be perfectly fine for wearing on a chilly day!

    I was wondering if you had sold that mirror! The 'I might be back for it later' line can be very annoying but I've used it myself on a few occasions just to get out of the way of overly enthusiastic sellers! They make me feel very uncomfortable! ~♥~

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  31. Such an unsually pretty dress, adore the painterly colours, like an ode to autumn. xx

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  32. Love the frock, mu MUm had one just like it! I'm prewtty sure she made her's mind you.

    I would be very very happy to give your kitty money box a new home if you ever feel like parting with it. x

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  33. I don't get the dress for the seasons trip. I wear black in the summer(sin of sins) and I have a bright green coat and a purple coat for winter. All that overcast skies need a bright contrast, why would someone wear gray on a gray day?

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  34. apologiesfor the above I can type really! that was meant to say my Mum *good grief*

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  35. I'm in love with your new dress and your old kitten <3 <3 <3

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  36. Bowing to Britains Queen of Vintage!!!
    Diana and Vix in a diva face-off of Fabulousness!!!
    I love the new maxi--it has orange in it so that makes it autumnal!!
    Such wonderful stuff from your family home! thanks for sharing those little bits of you!

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  37. I was hoping Diana stayed with you!! Great blog :)


    xo,

    estroJEN

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  38. Wow gorgeous dress!! Hehe I would be doing the same I think peeking around at other stalls lol! ~Good luck with all your fairs ~Love Heather

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  39. Love the dress! Wish i was closer so I could come to these fan sounding tales xx

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  40. I wish I could attend your fairs! Love your cheery yellow dress, Vix, you're fabulous.

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  41. Lovely dress as usual, much better than all the drab greys and blacks worn around here.
    I'd like to buy that ink drinking bird if you will, I had one back then too and I've been looking for another for a while.
    X

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  42. Ha ha ha! That mirror is FAB! Not as fab as the dress, but fab all the same. FAB! (ha ha ha)

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  43. love your 'totally inappropriate for Autumnal dressing' maxi, love that sunny yellow print and your smile!, everything is perfect to cheer up the day!
    besos & sol

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  44. This flower on your hair fits the look perfectly! ;)


    http://petticoatplayground.blogspot.com/

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  45. You're a ray of sunshine in that dress and accessories. It fits you beautifully, too.
    I love the little creatures on the National Trust game. Glad you have the ability to find these items from your past new homes. I have raided the trash bins in my apartment building to salvage things people just chuck out. Lots of useful stuff or stuff I find good homes for.
    I arrive in the UK a few days after your next fair. I'm curious as to when the one after that is.

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  46. What a perfect spot for such a fierce diva! She is most worthy of being hung in your house. This sunshiny dress with all its ruffles and perfectly puffy sleeves has me smiling this morning. You look radiant, it can't be raining outside no way. I love you that don't do brown because its fall, you rock my colorful world!

    Look at all stuff you cleared out, good for you! I love seeing all these things and hearing the stories to go with them. I love that I walked in that house and with you guys and saw where you grew up. Now I'm getting all sentimental. Ugh.

    Yeah for another fair!! You will soon run out of stock and be on your way to cheap delicious curries and beautiful beaches. Wish I could go!

    Loveyou!!!!
    XXOO
    Krista

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  47. This could not be more true and I love you for it: "I have my memories, I don't need material things to keep them alive"

    You rock! Best of luck with the fairs! xxx


    the magatha

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  48. Loving the new dress, just what you need on a dull wet day. The weather is truly horrid and it's still bucketing it down.

    I may well pop over to the next vintage a for a mooch. If I do I shall definitely pop over to say hi.

    X x

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  49. Hi Vix!

    I have seen the previous post - nice fair, loads of stuff! and you say you did good that is great!
    There should a few events like yours soon in Mtl - can't wait, you find the best stuff -

    You look lovely in that 70s dress and who care it is not fallish!

    Ariane xxxx

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  50. Hi my dear! So pleased the vintage fair went well and you managed to keep the Diana Ross mirror too, result!! Looking lovely in your new vintage frock, that colour really does suit you so well too xx

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  51. Oh yippee she stays.
    The dress is very sweet, I wouldn't of said loud. But either way I love it certainly something I wouldn't of passed up.
    Anddd finally I absolutely love the door stop your gradmother made howvsweetbthat would for a little girls room.

    Off to look at the bio on your next fair, hmmm and to see if I can get myself stuffed in someone's luggage to the UK to get along for a squiz.

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  52. You look utterly beautiful, what a glorious dress- glorious is the only word for it!! Like the sun on a cold day, a halcyon day in the winter!

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  53. Stunning dress! I think you must have THE most fabulous collection of maxi dresses, so gorgeous!

    Yours sincerely,
    Sara from Ladylike Delicacy

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  54. That dress makes you look other wordly - in a good ethereal way.

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  55. That frock is super fabulous on you but your bare arms are making me feel chilly, you obviously don't feel the cold like I do. I'm afraid I side with Jon on Ms. Ross but great stuff from the parental home which I'm sure will fly.
    xxxx

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  56. That frock is swooningly divoon! Love the shape, the sleeves, the print,the colour,the FIT!Great score! Of COURSE you had to come home with a treat for yourself!
    Ha,poor unwanted Diana Ross!! I'm sure there's someone out there ,waiting for her...!!!
    Biblical rain?! UGH! We've had biblical bloody cold headwinds cycling home this week...I just close my eyes and think of my ass.
    Love Helga xxxXXXxxx

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  57. Oh all these lovely things. Love the kitty box and the doorstop. I'm such a sentimentalist that I struggle to part with tokens of my childhood. I'm becoming a bit harder as I get older though (and more interested in having money to spend on thrifting as well as spoiling my daughter rotten). The fair looked so much fun. I would have been there in a shot if I could xxx

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  58. I love how the last photo gives the impression that your reflection IS Diana Ross. Mine is faulty and shows me a bargain basement version of Maggie Gyllehall!

    Fab new frock, I knew you'd come back with something x

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  59. You look so pretty in your pretty yellow dress!

    I adore the kitty money box :)

    For the record, I also love the Diana Ross mirror.

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  60. Well, at least you get to enjoy Diana's fabulousness a bit longer, and speaking of fabulousness--YOU look so gosh-darn gorgeous in that dress and your pink lipcolour!! I don't believe you're over 40 because you look about 25 here.

    Love the momentos you brought back with you -- it's true that you don't need to keep the stuff when you have the memories, but some stuff, like the adorable kitty money box really should stay with you ;)

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  61. You and the dress look totally beautiful, Vix!

    And the mirror? There's always that one item that gets picked-up dozens of times but ends up unsold at the end of the day. My experience has been that that's usually the one piece you want to put online and get way more than you were asking at the sale. However, I can certainly understand you not wanting to ship something like that. It'll sell soon.

    Look forward to hearing about your upcoming sales. This last one sounded so exciting!

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  62. First: You and your dress are soo beutiful!

    Second: Diana - Ilove her!

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  63. That yellow is gorgeous on you.

    I was heavily into '70s gear in my early-mid 20s, then I let it fall by the wayside by I am becoming obsessed with it again. i think some of you ladies are rubbing off on me. I caught myself searching for "polyester dress" on etsy the other day. :D

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  64. Well I am glad you get to keep Diana Ross, even if it's only for a little while longer. *hahah* Your dress is beautiful!
    The kitty money box is SO super cute!!
    Those drinking birds always make me smile. *Such little oddity's they are*

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  65. That maxi is AMAZING! I love the colours, and it looks absolutely gorgeous on you.

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  66. wow what a pretty dress? its divine x

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  67. Lately more than ever I have finally realised that memories are far more valuable than the material goods themselves. I can really relate to what you said about the treasures from your parents home. Sometimes, as important of place they may once have played in your life, it's time to let go of certain toys, bric a brac and books xxx

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix