All I want for Christmas...

I am already thinking about Christmas (Yes I know its only September!) and with three young children the main thing I'm thinking about is their christmas presents.
We have done the 'Let's spend £200 in Toys R Us' which only ever left us with a dent in our wallet and unused toys!.

As a child I remember being so very grateful for our recieved gifts and treasuring each and every one and there seems to be very little gratitude for anything in todays society. I hope that my husband and I instill a thankful attitude in our children. A huge reason why I am so obsessed with the bygone eras. I can't imagine my grandparents or parents carrying on like some of the children (and adults!) in todays society. Sorry..rant over..back to the toys =)

The toys I see in the high street stores have no substance whatsoever with their expensive price tags and excessive packaging I loathe to buy anything this year, especially when Poppy, Henry and Ted would rather play with the boxes they came in!.

A few weeks ago I bought two wooden trucks from a bootsale for £1.00 and a hobby horse also for a £1.00. From all the expensive toys my children have, they have played with these bootsale finds more than anything they own. I also found a 1950's dollshouse in a charity shop for £8.00. It is called 'Chestnut Villa' and it is simlpy beautiful. Handmade and in a little need of some tlc but still ever so perfect.

So for this year we shall be buying recycled, second hand and vintage toys for them. And not only toys...Poppy will be getting a jam making kit, a gardening kit ready for spring and vintage books ( The orignial Enid Bylton books are AMAZING and have a beautiful childhood innocence about them). I think there is something very special about vintage toys and books and if you hunt around you can find some real little treasures.

Here a a few of my finds;

I would really love to find some retro fisher price toys..here are some of my favourites.

And of course Christmas is not just about presents. We shall be spending it with our loved ones, attending mass and having lots of laughter. Roll on the holiday season. I am also really excited about some crafty projects I am attempting for presents so in a few weeks I'll blog all about them. I'm going to attempt handmade soaps, scented candles and Jam and pickles!.

Lauren x

What a fabulous day!

Firstly I want to say a MASSIVE thank you to all the stallholders and attendees that came to 'Keep calm and have a cocktail' on Saturday.

There was lots of laughs, vintage and raspberry cocktails. It turned out to be a very intimate, relaxed event. With a few handpicked stalls, a quirky vintageesque location and the right music the day turned out to be just how I wanted.

Thank you to 'Tigerlily' for lending us their beautiful bar, with its parquet floor, 50's lamps and comfy sofas. There was lots of vintage sold and cocktails drunk...I can't wait for the next one.

Lauren x

I want a 50's kitchen

Well, we have already bought our kitchen for our house and it is so far removed from 1950's!. Think stainless steel neff appliances and beech units. All I really want is a stand alone dresser, enamel bread bins and kitsch china.

Now, the accessories I can get together. But I have to do something about the beech units!. I am think about using 'Plastikote'. It is basically a spray paint that can be used on a million and one different surfaces.

'Why not give your tired kitchen units a new lease of life? You can use spray paints to quickly refresh your existing cupboards and drawers, making it simple to achieve the look of a new set of units at a fraction of the price and a minimum of effort.' (From the Plastikote website)

I'm super excited to revamp our kitchen now and as soon as I start I will be posting with progress. I shall have my 50's kitchen!.

Lauren x

What the butler saw!

Well, I have taken the leap and opened up my very own little concession at 'What the butler saw' 119 Leigh Road, Leigh on sea, Essex.

It is a super quirky shop filled to the brim with one off ecelctic peices including furniture, fashion, jewellery, kitchenallia, homeware, lighting....the list is endless!. With 10 different dealers and the forthcoming opening of a vintage tea room it is a must for all vintage loves.

I am open under 'Poppy-Lauren Vintage' and have stocked up my area with tons of 40's/50's kitchenallia, cakestands, glassware, china, teapots and teacups, crochet blankets, mirrors, bedding and sooooooooooo much more.

As usual the wonderful pictures are taken on my trusty blackberry, but I think you get an idea of how cute my area is!. It makes me so happy that my hobby has turned into a business venture and I get to share all the gorgeous things I have such adoration for.

Please pop in and say hello if your in the area and I will have a website up and running very soon so everyone, everywhere will be able to buy their very own peice of yesteryear.

Lauren x

Keep calm and have a cocktail.

There is a little over three weeks until the pop up vintage party at Tigerlily Bar, Leigh Road, Leigh On Sea, Essex.
So, I thought I would introduce you to our wonderful stallholders and what goodies they have to offer.

JEM;

Jem is Jane and Emma; two sisters with a love of all things crafty and cakey. All our items are upcycled or vintage inspired and handmade by us. Including greeting cards, broaches and badges, earring, cushions and bags.

www.hellojem.blogspot.com

http://folksy.com/shops/hellojem

Nicky and Vibrant vintage;

Vintage fashion and accessories from the 1940's through to the 80's.
It all began as a little hobby.... Being a lifelong lover of all things quirky I became passionate about collecting and wearing stylish vintage clothing and accessories about five years ago, particularly those from the 1940s and 50s.
Nothing makes me happier than shopping for vintage, its thrilling!. You never know what beautiful, elegant, timeless pieces you are going to find. All my items are all carefully hand-picked with love, so all my fellow fashionistas can take a little piece of style from a bygone era home with them.

TootBagEye;

Tootbageye is looking forward to appearing at the Keep Calm and Have a Cocktail vintage party on August 13th.
Tootbageye is a venture to offer affordable one off items that have been upcycled from old into new. In looking for the old we also find lots of interesting items that deserve another chance. Truly believing that if this generation doesn't do something about the over production of cheap goods our legacy to the future will be a world of unusable plastic junk. By recycling and upcycling perhaps we can send a message [albeit small] that there's enough stuff already to go around, and bar the essentials there's really no need to make much more. Enough of the soapbox mantra come along and see our range of jewellery upcycled from vintage earrings and buttons and our signature make of tea cup candles [no it's not too soon to buy candles], plus more if we can fit it in.

http://www.tootbageye.co.uk/

Gem's frosting;

Delicious handmade cupcakes and cuptails (cocktail flavoured cupcakes)

We have a tiny bit of space left for one other stall, Ideally something vintage as we have lots of lovely crafty bits. Please email me @ lauren_sutherland@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to be involved.

Lauren x

I love the 50's!

I love love the 1950's! I find it a very comforting era, I think as I associate it with my nan's house. The ercol furniture with its sharp spikey exterior and the quirky retro prints.
I have been looking around for some gorgeous bits for our home and I came across the Sanderson website www.sanderson-uk.com

Sanderson do an amazing selection of 50's inspired wallpaper and fabric prints. I think the 'FiFi' print is gorgeous and what a story behind it!.

An original 50’s Sanderson wallpaper, ‘Fifi’ was recently discovered in a customer’s loft where it had been hidden away for the last 50 years. The design depicts the typical hourglass silhouette described as ‘The New Look’, a trend pioneered in 1947 by one of the most iconic fashion designers, Christian Dior, who was very influential throughout the post-war period. (Taken from the sanderson website)

I desperately want an original ercol dining table and chairs!. They look fab with the sanderson prints.

Look at this fab kitchen courtesy of http://www.hungry-texan.com/2010/11/kitchen-tour.html

Fabulously 50's!!