Vintage At The Southbank

On Friday my lovely girl and I took a little trip to london to visit the Vintage Village at the Southbank.

As soon as we arrived we were greeted by the sight of the vintage style seaside, themed river bank.

Brightly painted beach huts and vintage ice cream and fish and chip vans were dotted along the river bank.

Once inside the vintage village as well as all the lovely vintage clothes and home wares stalls there was a pop up vintage tea room.

On the vintage high street there were a range of shops including the beautifully decorated Horrockses shop.

The dresses on display were gorgeous and the prints were the inspiration for the lovely vintage style bed linen.

In the shadow of the London Eye the Chap Olympiad took place.

I arrived just as the cucumber sandwich discus throwing event was taking place.

Also on the high street was a hair salon courtesy of Batiste if you fancied a couple of Victory Rolls and right next door a beauty salon courtesy of Benefit to add the finishing touch.

A colourful vintage fun fair was also in full swing.

Of course Cath Kidston had set up shop and were launching their new Autumn range.

We had a great day, the sun shone and there was a fabulous outdoor food market at the front of The Royal Festival Hall. I managed to track down Vicky of Vicky Loves Vintage who was selling in one of the marquees. Vicky is a regular seller at our vintage fairs but this was a completely different league !

Of course I made a couple of purchases but I was quite restrained.

I found this gorgeous double eiderdown in the Oxfam pop up shop.It is in wonderful condition, lovely and plump with no stains. I gave it a quick wash and dried it on the line in the sunshine yesterday. This was a real bargain considering where I found it and certainly much cheaper than on ebay.

I also found this cute Chad Valley seaside pail on the lovely Acorn and Will stall.

This pretty vintage French 1930s fabric covered box was another bargain find.

All in all it was a wonderful day, I will certainly be back next year if it returns.

Dreaming Spires and Vintage Fairs

This little lady arrived in the post this week. She was very grubby but after a gentle clean came up looking fine. She has now joined the rest of my little bisque dolls.

We have had a lovely extended weekend which included a trip to Oxford.

This time the sun was shining and we had a tour of the city on an open topped bus followed by a relaxing lunch in Jamie's Italian.

We always love wandering around Oxford, peeping in to the colleges and exploring the narrow little streets.

The mellow stone looked lovely in the sunshine although the sun seems to have disappeared behind a cloud in this picture.

Yesterday I somehow managed to squeeze in a small boot sale and two vintage fairs in to the space of a couple of hours !

The first fair was a lovely little vintage fair in the church hall at Earls Barton. The tea and home made cake was delicious and there was a lovely atmosphere. Sharon from Clover Cottage had a stall and it was great to catch up with her.

This gorgeous linen , embroidered table cloth was one of my favourite purchases this weekend.

The gorgeous pink eiderdown was a purchase from the second fair we visited and I couldn't resist it although I know I don't need another one ! As soon a I got it home I gave it a gentle wash in the machine and got it out on the line in the sunshine to dry. The two little hand painted glasses were found at the same fair.

The lovely yellow Jasmine Ware jug was found at the Earls Barton fair and the Tala cake tin and rolling pin at the second fair in Northampton.

The rolling pin is really pretty, I think it dates to around the 1930s and is hand painted with flowers and butterflies.

The Spring Country Living Fair, Mother's Day Treats and Vintage Treasures

This is a bit of catch up for the last couple of weeks I am afraid as I have been rather lazy and not managed to do a posting for a while. Anyway a couple of weeks ago I went off to London with my lovely girl to The Spring Country Living Fair. Although it was exceptionally busy it was still good fun and there were some beautiful stands. Afterwards I had a browse around Camden Passage antique market. I was really surprised to come away with this Union Jack bunting at a bargain price. Not what you expect in London at all. I think it dates to the 1940s or 50s and is in pristine condition with 27 flags. It wasn't exactly cheap but knowing what this is currently selling for on ebay I know I got a bargain. Mr C has been looking for some of this original bunting for ages for us to use at The Northampton Vintage Fair and we hadn't found any at a reasonable price.

Of course I had to pop in to Cath Kidston to spend some money I had been given for my birthday. I treated myself to this lovely bag which is a great size for shopping.

This large vintage Kilner jar was from Acorn and Will's stand at the fair. I think it looks great used to display some cheerful daffs.

The Bluebell Posy candle smells wonderful and was purchased from 'Made In Pixieland's' beautiful stand.

The large fabric covered box was from Velvet Ribbon's lovely stand.

This rather delicious eiderdown also arrived last week. I originally purchased it with the idea that I would probably sell it. As usual by the time it had been washed and dried on the line I had decided I couldn't let it go and it has joined my ever expanding eiderdown collection.

Mr C and I had a day out a couple of weeks ago visiting places recommended to us by Debbie of Lalabibaby. First stop was Hitchin flea market where I found the old French linen mangle cloth and the pair of vintage Kilner jars.We also stopped off at a lovely cafe and deli for some lunch. I couldn't resist a photo of the window displaying the delicious looking meringues.

We then headed off to Country Matters in Hexton where Debbie sells some of her beautiful handmade quilts. This is a village hall which has been turned in to an Aladdin's Cave of vintage and hand made treasures and a lovely tea room. I found the red vintage shopping basket and the old pond yacht. On our way home we stopped at a house clearance shop and I picked up some pretty cups and saucers and old tin sandwich box. All in all it was a lovely day out so thanks Debbie for all the recommendations.

Finally on Sunday I was very spoiled by my lovely girl. These beautiful flowers were delivered to me on Sunday morning and I love them. They are stunning pink roses from Jane Packer, displayed in a pretty pink hat box. They are still going strong and look as good now as when they were delivered.

In the afternoon we headed off to Canon's Ashby which is our local National Trust property.It was as beautiful as ever and we wandered around the house and gardens.I love this gate and think I have probably shared a photo of it in a previous post.

The views from the garden are stunning and it is so peaceful. I would definitely recommend a visit if you get the chance. There is also a lovely tea room and shop as well as a second hand book shop. I managed to find a pile of old Ladybird books very cheaply which are destined to be turned in to more bunting to decorate the next fair.