I've worn this All About Audrey crushed velvet dress, bought second-hand via Vinted, to the pub but yesterday was the first time I'd worn it charity shopping where it not only got lots of love but brought us some chazza luck, too.
2 x unbranded cotton prairie skirts, a Topshop maxi with the £35 tags still attached, a 1980s English-made fake fur coat and a contemporary faux snow leopard coat for the Kinky Shed and a Frida Kahlo tee-shirt for me.
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Vintage 1950s souvenir scarf from Paris, 1970s St Michael scarf, 1970s Van Heusen shirt, 1960s patchwork suede handbag & a British-made 1980s Harrington jacket for the Kinky Shed. Jon's keeping the American Apparel tee-shirt (their tee-shirts are USA-made & great quality) and the box of thread is for me.
A Jamaica track top with the tags still attached, a 1970s American-made satin jacket and a Ted Baker wool bomber jacket with the most insane lining which Jon's pinched.
Autumn Meadow maxi dress from hip Venice Beach label, Raga (currently retails at $120), vintage 1960s tartan wool dressing gown, vintage 1960s Indian cotton maxi dress by Java, Vintage Ben Sherman shirt and a NATO-issue camo jacket.
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These English Heritage bone china measuring cups are decorated with a design inspired by 18th Century Chinese wallpaper. They're a bit twee but really useful for Jon as he's always having to ask me to show him the difference between a dessertspoon and a tablespoon when he's cooking!
These bronze souvenirs cost a fortune in the museum gift shops in Greece. Athena with her spear, Athena with her chariot & the Spartan warrior were £1 each and the lady on the counter gave me the tiny Minerva with blue enamel eyes for free! Some chancer on Etsy's got the same Athena with spear listed for £165...utter madness!
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| Constance Collier as Athena (1912) by Charles Buchel (1872-1950) |
Often referred to as Pallas Athene, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, war and heroic endeavour and is the patron of Athens. She is depicted with a shield and spear and the aigis--a snake-trimmed cape adorned with the monstrous visage of Medusa. Her consort is the owl.
I blend in with the garden so well I could be in camo!
The bluebells continue to bloom, the wild garlic has just started to flower and there's frogspawn in the pond. It ain't particularly warm today (12°C) but its starting to look a lot like Spring.
During lockdown we made it our mission to tame the garden, five years on and the wilderness has won the battle. I can't watch Gardeners World any more, it makes me feel inadequate.
All is not lost though, this clematis has bloomed for the first time, I rescued it from the clearance shelf in B&M last year.
Over the last week we've rewatched the wonderful Boys from the Blackstuff (currently on the BBC I-player) and binge-watched the superb Australian Apple Cider Vinegar & British Toxic Town on Netflix.
Swords and sandals at the ready...we've just started watching Troy: Fall of a City (originally on the BBC, now on Netflix). I'm not saying I'm a geek or anything but the category for tonight's Pointless prize final was gods and goddesses named in Homer's Iliad & Odyssey. All three of my answers, Demeter, Thetis and Hephaestus were pointless!
Thanks for reading, see you soon!
That crushed velvet All About Audrey dress is divine, and yes, you do blend in with your garden. It's a relief to see we're not the only ones whose garden, which was lavished with love during lockdown, has reverted to wilderness. I'm amazed that anything - apart from honesty and bluebells - has survived at all in ours.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, you did extremely well in the chazzas. Your Frida Kahlo tee-shirt having a hidden Primarni label made me chuckle. Been there, done that, I'm afraid :-) xxx
Thanks, Ann! It's a huge relief to hear tat I'm not alone in neglecting the garden now we can travel freely! xxx
DeleteWhat a delightful mix of vintage finds and personal stories! I love how you’re able to uncover such hidden gems in charity shops, and the way you weave in little personal touches—like the funny tale of the Frida Kahlo tee—is just charming. Your garden sounds enchanting, too, despite the battle with the wilderness. It’s lovely to see how things evolve with time, both in fashion and nature!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very kind comment, Melody, Thank you! x
DeleteThe dress is gorgeous and it suits you so well!
ReplyDeleteThe clothes are fantastic and so are the cups.
Your garden is heavenly but I think it needs a lot of work!!
Thanks, Katerina! Keeping the garden tamed is a nigh-on impossible task, I'm sure even Heracules would struggle with it! xxx
DeleteWow such great finds Vix
ReplyDelete.I liked everything but especially that lovely red tartan dressing gown .That rescued Clematis has grown so well .. stunning blooms on it .
Thanks, Linda! That tartan dressing gown needs a bit of TLC but it's a great quality piece, nice enough to be worn as a coat. xxx
DeleteThat green dress is amazing. There’s something about green that always captivates me. It’s otherworldly or something. Spring weather is a massive let down this year, I’ve not made that much of a start on my yarden really, it’s been far too cold. Xx
ReplyDeleteI hope you've shared the lovely weather we've enjoyed here since Sunday, it more than makes up for all the greyness and rain. xxx
DeleteYou really did do a lot of gardening work during lockdown. It was so inspiring and I was always keeping up with it all. It was something to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteAwww, thank you! x
DeleteLOL I had to Google Primarni; that did make me laugh.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds very classy when it's Primarni! xxx
DeleteHello Vix do you make anything with your wild garlic? I made garlic butter for the first time this year it is currently in the freezer. Love the green dress.
ReplyDeleteHello Maeve! That's a brilliant idea. I've printed off a recipe and Jon's on it. Thank you! x
DeleteOh, I love the braids! So great about this haul! Wow, you do know what to find and are very inspiring! Lovely garden spot for these photos. Such a delightful post. So great to find those skirts. & much much more. Thank you so much for being here. Such a blissful post 💙🌍💚🌸🌸🌸🌸 Thank you for your comments too!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Ellie! x
DeleteThat light green velvet dress looks fabulous on you.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks so pretty and magical this time of year.
No matter where that Frida Kahlo shirt is from, you wear it with grandezza!
Happy Weekend
Thanks, Andrea! xxx
DeleteWonderful chazza haul but the highlight (for me) of this post is you admitting that you do not watch GW anymore. I gave it up some years ago - got fed up with feeling inadequate and shouting at the telly things along the lines of "you're having a laugh, some of us have lives as well as gardens". Mine is also going feral but that seems to be how the wildlife like it.
ReplyDeleteTally over the last two days includes a MASSIVE male heron, hedgehogs, a hare, plus numerous Blackbirds, Dunnock, Jackdaw, Robin, Chiffchaff, House Sparrows, Woodpigeon, Song Thrush, Greenfind, Bullfinch, Oystercatcher, Wagtail, Wren, an occasional Goldcrest and two pairs of Song Thrush who are definitely nesting at opposite ends of the garden. So my lack of order, weeding and general 'proper' gardening cannot be too bad? 🤪
oops, sorry, Song Thrush twice . . . maybe because they are so pretty. 🥰 And maybe a GreenFINCH . . .
DeleteThat's made me fee so much better! I was feeling increasingly guilty every time we tuned in. I've never liked gardens that are beaten into submission, our lawn is mowed twice a year and there's piles of leaves and branches everywhere, hoping to encourage some hedgehogs.
DeleteI absolute love your garden, it was always a huge inspiration when you used to share snippets on your blog. That's an incredible (and enviable) variety of birds! xxx
I see a lot of tourist souvenirs on my thrifting adventures too - the resell on them is ridiculous. My "Lewis" Vuitton scarf is on The RealReal for over $700 (it's a FAKE, and I paid $1.95). I do love the "Dali-esque" look of those statues, though.
ReplyDeleteI hope Jon's going to wear that bomber inside out to show that gorgeous lining!
Gardens always win. I remember all the work you did during the pandemic!
Hello Sheila! I didn't know that tourist scarves were particularly desirable, I usually rework them into tops or cushion covers! That's crazy about your Lewis scarf. I've got a friend who collects fakes, the more obvious the better! xxx
DeleteJust say you're rewinding :)
ReplyDeleteYour new dress is fabulous. It reminds me of the colour of fresh new beech leaves in the spring. Xx
Rewilding, sorry. X
DeleteRewilding sounds so much better than lazy! xxx
DeletePrimarni t shirt looks nice, I buy their tees they are now doing all cotton and not that nasty nylon stuff... and making an effort to source ethically and to use recycled materials although they are at infant stages are at least trying. Your garden looks wild and exciting - there will be wildlife creeping about as it's undisturbed - I would be proud of it!! Your pond alone must be a magnet for frogs, toads and dragonflies. Gardeners World is a nice program but it is all about the sanitised version, real gardens don't look like that unless someone has far too much time on their hands in my view. Nice to see an Audrey dress in your collection - Im going to the Brighton shop next week for my fix!
ReplyDeleteBetty x
That's interesting, Betty! I must admit I like the diversity of their models. I've never been in the Walsall shop but can't avoid looking at the huge posters in their windows!
DeleteWe've got frogs and toads in and around the pond and do get lots of dragonflies later in the season. We've had an amazing variety of butterflies this week, always a good reason not to over prune the buddleia that spring up everywhere.
I'm so envious that you can visit Audrey, I hope you treat yourself to a few things! xxx
Your lockdown gardening posts were so uplifting back then. Been lots of complaints about Gardeners World being out of touch with real gardening. I only watch it if Adam's on!Our own little Beechgrove Garden prog is more to my taste. Love the Frida t-shirt 👕! Have a good weekend.xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ann! I do miss Adam and his lovely black cat, he was always a lot more down to earth and relatable than posh boy Monty! xxx
DeleteYou suit a tshirt Vix.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Julie! xxx
DeleteHi Vix, well done on all your many and varied charity shop finds. It is proving increasingly hard in my local charity shops to find good quality second hand and vintage buys and at reasonable prices too. I keep looking though just on the off-chance! I like your bronze Greek sculptures too and last year on holiday in Rhodes bought myself a children's book about Odysseus' return to Ithaca in Spanish to help me with my Spanish studies.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alysia! Sometimes I can visit the same shop for weeks and never find anything but it makes it all the more exciting when a treasure appears.
DeleteI've seen those children's Iliad and Odyssey books in Rhodes Town, what a brilliant idea to buy a Spanish version. xxx
Hello,
ReplyDeleteYou're the goddess in that green velvet dress! Although the souvenirs from Greece are wonderful! You always manage to make some fantastic purchases for your closet and for a bargain! I also loved your Frida Kahlo look and your garden looks fantastic! Hugs
Thank you, Marisa! x
DeleteYour garden and acquisitions always blow me away! You really know how to pull all the thrift and domestic planets into alignment. Can't decide which of any of that I like best!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alex! x
DeleteThe velvet dress is just wonderful , always love velvet. Glad it bought luck with some great finds. I know what you mean about the garden going over to the wild side , still trying to tame mine after a couple of years neglect.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jill! I adore velvet, too! The wildness happens so quickly, doesn't it? Nature is amazing. xxx
DeleteMethinks you and Jon (and Jacob Herrmann) might launch another channel: "The Feral Garden". Who needs herbaceous borders when one can munch on Empress of India nasturtiums and make pesto with homegrown ramsons!
ReplyDeleteHave no idea why I'm suddenly "anonymous".
DeleteI guessed it was you Beth even without the name! xxx
DeleteI love your finds- you really did well. My favourites are the cotton prairie skirts and the beautifil Java pansy dress!! The Frida tee is gorgeous. I have a few Primark cotton items which I have owned for over a decade and they are holding up well. Not all Primarni is tat (though a lot of it is!)
ReplyDeleteI like the fact your garden has fought back- you are providing a lot of oxygen production- we need that to fight against pollution!x
I can see you in both those gorgeous dresses, Kezzie!
DeleteThat's interesting about the longevity of your Primarni tee-shirts. I often see pretty things in charity shops but up close the quality and the pattern matching are horrendous, it's good to know that they get some things right! xxx
Love how you styled that Frida Kahlo tee.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hena! x
DeleteWow ... what a lot of brilliant charity shop finds. Kinky Melons will be restocked well in time for festival season. I watched Boys from the Blackstuff again last year, I'd forgotten so much of the story line that I was sure I knew really well ... and doesn't it look it's age now. :-)
ReplyDeleteI loved Boys from the Blackstuff. I found it so sad that so many of the stars had died. The 1980s looked so bleak, I'd forgotten how grim it was. xxx
DeleteI love the velvet dress, fits perfectly with your lovely garden! And the plaits are so pretty! How do you keep in such a good shape, do you exercise a lot?
ReplyDeleteLove that velvet dress on the greenery background, looking like a pre-raphaelite fairy!. And also lovely garden with lots of personality, even if a little bit wilder now!, but it's way more interesting!
ReplyDeleteAs a huge fan of anything Frida, I love that tee-shirt (even if probably not the best quality!) and love yours styling with that block printed skirt and those boots, lots of attitude!
besos