Hello! Remember this amazing vintage dress I found for £2.99 in a local charity shop a couple of months ago? I've been wearing on repeat since I got back from Marmaris. Living in a proudly ethnically diverse town such as ours it's not unusual to find Asian textiles in charity shops but they're usually saris, kurtas and salwar kameez suits, not vintage dresses like this, made for the export market in the 1960s & 1970s.
With my India via Walsall dress I'm wearing a Rajasthani bangle I bought in Jodhpur and my Ottoman rings from Türkiye.
I bought my silver and coral pendant from Tibetan traders in India and the earrings are Kuchi bought from a charity which raises funds for displaced Afghan people.
My Moroccan leather bag was £8 from Vinted.
We arrived back from our travels just in time to see the first Oriental poppy bloom and this time I didn't cheat by helping it out of its fuzzy coat!
I snaffled this black cotton off the shoulder top from a charity shop on my way home from our swim yesterday. It's just what I was looking for to go with my All About Audrey skirt, not that I charity shop with a wish list, that's behaviour bordering on the crazy!
Turkey changed its name to Türkiye in 2021 making this unworn top at least four years old.
My friends G'n'T bought me this Nepali necklace many years ago. The agate cuff (originally Traidcraft) is an ancient chazza shop find.
The Afghan turquoise & silver earrings (Vinted) and the Kuchi cuff (eBay) are more recent finds.
For the first time in my life the colour of my toenails don't match my fingernails. I'm such a rebel! I did Google Lens my nails to see if I could find a similar paint but all I got was heritage tomatoes...
By bizarre coincidence we had some in the fridge and they are a near perfect match!
Since the demise of Wilko we've started shopping at B&M for household essentials and, like Wilko, its virtually impossible to stick to a shopping list. On Monday we went in for bird food and came out with these retro inspired plant holders!
They weren't a totally frivolous purchase, after a reshuffle the hearth in the lounge was looking decidedly empty.
The previous day I'd come up with one of my great ideas, suggesting to Jon that he build a shelf under the bay window in the lounge. As luck would have it we had the perfect bit of wood, part of an Edwardian skirting board we'd liberated from a skip ages ago. The cast iron Singer brackets were leftover from our Lockdown kitchen makeover.
I love how the peeling paint on the shelf matches the existing window ...minimalists call it scruffy, we vintage fiends call it patina!
Another addition to our ever-evolving home is what's hanging on the wall above the vinyl cupboard...
Another charity shop find on the way home yesterday. It's a framed ceramic tile decorated with an image of an antique chair. It cost £2.99, the same price as my white dress!
Love your outfits and your jewellery is fab. I think your nails are terrific too. The plant holders look at home and gold star to Jon on his woodwork. It's rainy and chilly here in the south East come back 🌞shine. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear from you, Sue! Thanks for visiting! After a mostly gorgeous week we've got clouds and showers today, a sure sign it's a bank holiday weekend! xxx
DeleteHow serendipitous that blouse was there when you walked by. My daughters each have had Hmong handbags bought by local women in the cities and have just loved them and used to worn thin. I need to add to my list to look for both of them. That purse was a buy.
ReplyDeleteI love the colourful Hmong embroidery, I'm not surprised your daughters have worn their bags out! xxx
DeleteOoh, I want everything, all of your jewellery and all of your vintage glass! ( I already have a collection of the glass. ) A few years ago I managed to find two silver and turquoise tribal necklaces on the same day, in different chatity shops in our nearest little town, my husband treated me to both of them. Some time later I bought a silver and turquoise bracelet at an artisan market, which went perfectly with them. I'm still searching for the perfect ring.
ReplyDeleteThe black off the shoulder top looks great too. I used to have those poppies in my garden, but eventually they disappeared, I must look out for a packet of seeds.
Is the black cat sticker on your window or the van?
Jean.
Just enlarged the picture on my phone and can now see that the cat has suckers and is a thermometer on your window! Lol!
DeleteHello Jean! It sounds like your a fellow magpie, attracted to bright colours and trinkets! How lucky to find two turquoise and silver necklaces in locals charity shops on the same day and to find a near matching bracelet at that market. There's some fantastic jewellery on Vinted (and some is insanely cheap) but, be warned, it gets very addictive and I can waste hours looking for things!
DeleteYes, that's a black cat thermometer, it predates William by a few years and came from a charity shop (where else?!) xxx
Great buys. I love them all. There is absolutely nowhere in New Zealand where one would fine fantastic stuff like these in charity shops. Nowhere. Sadly.,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ratnamurti! he vast majority of the stuff in our charity shops is awful - either tatty or tacky fast fashion, it's so exciting to uncover a gem! xxx
DeleteI'm so behind - I'm working backwards to your Türkiye posts, Vix! I am drooling over all of your silver jewelry - and love those yellow talons! What a cool tile! It looks wonderful. Well done on the shelf, Jon!
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping over, Sheila! xxx
DeleteI love dresses like your white one and isn't that bag gorgeous!! X
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jess! xxx
DeleteHi Vix, lovely to see more of your extensive and unique jewellery collection. It is great that these pieces find a new and much- appreciated home with you and are worn frequently again. I am sure the ‘ new’ black top will prove a must useful item in your wardrobe. I rather like the chair tile- I have a fairly similar chair in my bedroom and like the way it has been sympathetically mounted and framed. I think the charity shop prices with you are rather more realistic/ reasonable than here with me in Scotland. Ours are becoming increasingly expensive.
ReplyDeleteHello Alysia! Your bedroom chair must be gorgeous, the one on the tile looks very much like something from the Aesthetic movement, I wonder if there was a series of them featuring different design eras? Our charity shops are generally really cheap, I've been to some towns where the prices are crazy! xxx
DeleteI am embarrassed to say that I had forgotten that Turkey as was has changed its name. Love your reuse of what you've already got in to make your shelf. We're the same and always start with what we've got here already. Am currently sewing some rather nasty acrylic black lace that I took off a dress some time ago onto the bottom of my morris dancing skirt as I wanted a longer.one, but didn't want to buy anything. It's perfect for this project. Arilx
ReplyDeleteI have trouble remembering how to spell Turkey's new name, Aril! That's a great repurpose of the nasty lace! I've refashioned a tatty kaftan this week, I love it when inspiration strikes! xxx
DeleteNow dwelling in a modern villa flat, I covet deep window sills for the placement of plants and solar-powered cats. Your shelf constructed of repurposed materials is a brilliant solution to the situation, the new feature blending nicely with the original site. Well cobbled together, Jon!
ReplyDeleteI get so frustrated with our lack of indoor windowsills, Beth! I'm waiting for William to take an interest and sit on it! xxx
DeleteThat is funny about the heritage tomatos. I so love your nails. Beautiful treasures! Adoring this dress I would be wearing it a lot too. So many pretty things. You are always inspiring 💗💗💗🌸🌸🌸🌸 Thank you for your comments. All the best to the last days of May 💕💗💕💗
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Ellie! xxx
DeleteYour India via Walsall dress is fabulous, and your ethnic jewellery is just perfect with it. I'm swooning over your Moroccan leather bag, what a find!
ReplyDeleteI totally get why you had to buy those plant holders, they're fantastic!
I had to chuckle about the heritage tomatoes, Google lens can throw up funny results sometimes. I will have a look if I can find a similar nail polish here! xxx
Thanks, Ann! I was so excited to spot a Moroccan bag in a more generous size, they're often teeny! xxx
DeleteThe dress is pretty, and the jewelry makes your outfit special.
ReplyDeleteI think poppies have such a vibrant red color. I love these flowers.
The black off-the-shoulder shirt suits you very well. :)
Thanks, Andrea! x
DeleteWe have a B&M opposite school. May just take myself over there tomorrow....
ReplyDeleteYour new dress is a beauty. You look super pretty in it. I love your new Turkiye rings too (I actually d I dnt know they changed their name, I on y recently noticed an alternative spelling!!)
The new shelf is great! Xx
Thanks, Kezzie! I bet you'll come back with far more than you needed if you're tempted to pop into B&M in the way home from school. xxx
DeleteTotally in love with your Indian-via-Walsall dress, as I have a weakness for embroidered and embellished clothes!. And obviously, I'm admiring every piece of jewellery you wear!, so fantastic bracelets and rings!. Your style is totally Fabulous!
ReplyDeleteLovely that you found that perfect top for your fab skirt and also lovely to see you in sandals (so unseasonably chilly here that nobody dares!). Looking gorgeous!
And so funny that your nails almost match those tomatoes, that's such a beautiful colour!
That framed tile is such an amazing find and makes me wonder who and why created something like that, so original and totally perfect for that corner in your home. Serendipious finds are so fab!
besos
Thanks, Monica! It's so much easier wearing sandals down to the swimming baths so I'm really happy that it's been warm enough to do so. xxx
DeleteLove all of those cabochons! Not just the jewelry, but the purse too. I also love the explosion of color in every room of your house. But it is especially lovely in front of your windows!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alex! xxx
DeleteThe idea of your finger nails matching your tomatoes instead of your toenails has just made my day. What a laugh, keep going, next week it could be cucumber green (or perhaps a green to match your fireplace tiles), and then you could go for some red cabbage red. I love that first dress in the top photo, so simple and yet so classy. You really are a jewellery fiend aren't you, but it all really suits you.
ReplyDeleteI have the same 'Singer Corp' shelf brackets, I need to look out a suitably vintage piece of wood to do them justice. I LOVE the framed chair tile.
Now that is a great idea, Sue, I could have nail polish to match the contents of my fridge!
DeleteI was so excited when I found that white dress. I asked the manager if it was donated with anything else, hoping for an array of handmade vintage dresses, but it came in alone, sadly for me!
Those Singer brackets are great, aren't they? I think we've exhausted our supply now! xxx
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing these details of your home decor, they help us to better understand the way you are as a person, both the pot holders and the plants are beautiful! And you always manage to shop so cheaply, and on top of that it's for charity!
Have a happy weekend!
Thanks, Marisa! xxx
DeleteFunny how some label details can reveal the age of clothes. Made in Turkey meaning that it was name before the country changed its name. I taught children from Turkiye, but I'm sure I still sometimes use the old spelling.
ReplyDeleteI have one skirt that says- made in West Germany. Now, that one is old!:)
I love all your tribal accessories.
You have a lovely home.
Fabulous how your nails matched your tomatoes!