Winter Blues

No no, I'm not at all miserable; just wearing blue and trying to keep warm and dry!

 

 

Life is very, very busy at the moment and any illusions I ever had about being in control and organised have all but disappeared. 

At least I've found the Christmas cards; I distinctly remembered buying a load dirt cheap in January and putting them away in a safe place. It's taken hours of ransacking cupboards, drawers and turning the bedroom upside down to find them. (They were on the attic landing. Obviously.) 

Better write in the buggers now, I suppose.

I found this 1960s Prova wool pinafore dress in a charity shop recently and have been wearing to death. Prova was British Home Stores in-house brand in the 1960s and 70s. 

The sheepskin jerkin isn't vintage, but I love its 1970s vibe, and it is proving a useful extra layer on chilly days. 

 

Apart from hunting for Christmas cards and going to work, I've been out for a Christmas meal with our shop's volunteers, enjoyed a much-needed chazzing-and-coffee jaunt to Doncaster with my mate Joanne, and celebrated my friend Sue's birthday.

And yesterday, we braved the rain and went to an event in the cathedral commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Sheffield Blitz. 

 

 

We had a version of that Tell Me quiz game in the 1970s, and it is still being produced now.

 

 

The parachute silk wedding dresses were lovely, and look at Sue's daughter rocking her Victory rolls.

 

 

There were even free mince pies from God. 

 

 

From the cathedral, we headed on to the Nichols Building for a browse.

 

 

We puzzled over that errant apostrophe in the Glamorene Carpet Shampoo'er, until Sue suggested it replaced a missing p. 

Of course.

While I have several friends who might appreciate a male torso complete with whip, it would be a challenge to wrap.

 

 

1960s Prova pinafore dress, 1970s shirt, sheepskin jerkin, top and velvet leggings- charity shopped

Boots - retail (sale)

 

Despite the fact that my blogging presence is barely visible at the moment, I'm linking to Patti's Visible Monday.  

And I'm hoping to come and visit everyone soon! 

xxxxx

Misty Blue

I don't seem to have got my act together to do an awful lot this week.

No, I'm not blaming the dreary weather (though it doesn't help the spirits).

 

I just seem to be struggling to get myself going - anyone else feeling like that?  

 

 

 

 

 So if I've got a touch of the blues, I might as well wear them too. 

 

This is a dress which lovely Emma Kate sent me a while back, in the same parcel as a wonderfully colourful patchwork maxi skirt, seen here.

Yeah, I know it is probably (oh alright - definitely) a nightdress. 

 

It's brushed nylon and has 1970s written all over it.  

 

So it's obviously far too fabulous not to wear out and about.

 

 

See?

70s-a-rama.

 

That little navy-gravy-petrol suede waistcoat is coming in very handy as an extra layer. A cardigan would cover up those delicious sleeves, and that would be a sin.

 

 

Yesterday, my mate Jo suggested we visit the Nichols Building, an antiques and crafts centre, so we did.

 

The area round and about has seen better days, there are plenty of boarded up businesses and pubs, the odd burnt out building, and it's all a bit desolate.

The Nichols Building used to house a grocery wholesale business, and still has the original Victorian tiles in the entrance.

There is an eclectic mix of vintage clothing, homewares and furniture, vinyl, and crafts.

 

A sale rail? 99p an item? That will do nicely!

 

 

 

Sadly this 1960s halterneck maxi dress wasn't on it...

 

 

 

 

Great kitchen display... 

 

...and the living room is rather cool too.

 

 

 

 

 

Plenty to look at and admire, but I only bought a couple of dresses; at 99p, it would have been rude not to.

The slinky black 1970s disco dress and the purple/white 1960s Hawaiian dress caught my eye.

 

 

All the other bits and bobs are charity shop finds from the last week or so. 

 

Tiny 1950-60s ceramic elephants - 50p

 Hornsea OBD vase - £2

1950s (bakelite/celluloid/early plastic?) eggcups - 50p

1950s pitcher - £2 

 

 

I assumed this was a carafe for water or a milk jug, but apparently it is a syrup pitcher. I've never heard of one of those before, but I can picture one in an American diner in the 1950s. Although I must say that lid look pure Deco  to me.

 

 

That's what I love about charity shopping - you never know what you're going to find that you've never seen before.

 

Now if this rain could see its way to stopping, I'd be very grateful; there's a flea market with my name on it tomorrow, and it's tricky negotiating the stalls with an umbrella.

Thanks, Universe.

 

 

PS. I rang HR again. Still no news on the job front. 

It's not as though they're selecting a new Pope, is it? What can possibly be taking so long?

 xxxx

A confession, an afternoon and a night out

There's something I have to tell you.

It isn't easy to say, so just listen and don't say anything until I've finished.

You know how I kept firmly to my resolve last year, and only bought secondhand. And you heard me say here that I didn't think I would be shopping on the high street anymore. And here that I had to live frugally this month.

I have sinned, Sisters of the Thrifty Vintage Order.

I only popped into Dorothy Perkins to look at tights (I want some leopard print ones and cannot find them anywhere.)  I spotted this jumpsuit. Heavily reduced in the sale. I bought it.

                                                                        I can't look you in the eye.

After all I promised... I am so ashamed. It meant nothing to me, and I felt so dirty and guilty afterwards. Please try and forgive me. We can get through this.

That said - it's bloody great, isn't it? Completely inappropriate for the weather now, of course, and an LB has to do the buttons up for me at the neck whenever I go to the loo, but hey, whoever said style had to be practical?

On Saturday, we ventured out to the Nichols building, an old grocery wholesalers which has been converted into an antiques, crafts and vintage centre.

I had been meaning to go for ages and finally got round to it, there were lots of lovely things to peruse, not to mention a fine little cafe.

                                                            Eldest LB enjoying the hat section.

I played too. Yes, I realise now I have the hat elastic over my forehead, a fact the LB omitted to tell me.

                                                         Loved this frock but it was a bit pricey.

               Really loved this 1970s Susan Small frock. So much so that I bought it. I know, I am bad.

                                                   Look, it's a Helga porn star chair - woo hoo!

I look mighty shite in these photos  - hair needs washing, pasty face, multichinned. I need more slap on, I think. I should have taken lessons from Karen - pop over to her blog to see her hilarious more-is-more make-up tutorial!

                                              She was very patient but she eventually got a bit fed up....


On to my night out - went to the theatre, darlings, an unusual occurrence these days, accompanied by these 2 lovely ladies.

That's Claire on the left, who bought us the tickets to see "Company" at the Crucible theatre as Christmas gifts. She lives 4 doors away, we went to her house for New Years Eve. And there's Sally on the right, looking as good as she has ever done in all the 30 years I have known her! The three of us shared a house for a year in 1988-9 so we go back a bit.

                                                                         

                                                                       And this is what I wore.

1970s chevron lurex maxi skirt (99p, Ebay - the seller threw in the matching purple top for free), black ruffle top (charity shop), belt and bracelet (Oasis sale), gold shrug (free, clothes swap with friends), silver and gold pendant on leather thong (Greece, another life)


Musical theatre isn't really my thing, but I enjoyed the production, the 1970s costumes and hair were fabulous, and we necked some Prosecco afterwards, while chatting too much to remember to take any more photos. Oh well.

A good day.
Hope you have had fine weekends all. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx