On the Therapeutic Benefits of Charity Shopping (and Blogging)

Oh, you delicious people have made me feel so much better!

Thank you for your supportive comments, and for sharing your tales of the unexpected twists and turns which life can take. I appreciate them, and you.

Having indulged in a whinge and a wallow, I shook myself and did the right thing - I went charity shopping.

 

 My darling friend Vix, always a voice of sound reason and good humour, reminded us in her current post that there are still vintage bargains to be found in the UK's charity shops.

 

She's right.

 

Three fabulous 1970s dresses - the first two are destined for Ebay, but the maxi with the splashy print is staying home with me. 

 

1960s vanity case; 1960s Warmco wool blanket; 1970s St. Michael top; and a large wicker basket. 

 

Those old St. Michael labels transport me back in time - I am pretty sure I had a top just like this when I was a teenager. 

 

Sadly, a 1970s size 14 doesn't fit me, but it's perfect for Eldest, she's perfectly happy for me to buy her clothes from charity shops. That's my girl!

I found this retro 1970s-style shirt dress last week - it's not vintage, but I liked the print and it was only £3.50.

 

And the denim jacket is definitely my Wardrobe Workhorse.  

 

Lynne is doing a series of posts on her excellent blog highlighting hard-working pieces which we wear to death. Once the weather is warm enough for me to ditch my winter coats, this is my go-to, goes-with-everything jacket.

Look - a grumpy-looking bird which isn't me, how refreshing...

 

 

Showing off my self-made tote bag - it's proving to be very useful, I can fit a whole heap of crap in there!

 

I think that's my smug I made a tote bag face. 

 

 

Denim jacket, shirt dress, cardigan, bangles, 1960s flower brooch, belt and tights - charity shopped

1960-70s steel pendant - Ebay

Shoes - jumble sale 

 

I'm linking up my charity shop finds with South Yorkshire escapee Max, feel free to join in. 

And thank you again for listening and letting me complain a little, and for getting it and being kind.

 

It means a lot. 

 

  xxxx 

Modelly

Perhaps Spring is finally here.

I walked to school this afternoon without a coat on!

 

 

All the better to show off this beautiful dress, which my dear friend Vanessa sent to me, along with assorted other goodies.

 

Green beads, a peacock brooch, handmade card, and two Woman's Weekly books.

The dress was one of Vanessa's own favourite frocks - it is time for it to start a new adventure, she wrote, and I am so happy she entrusted this fabulous 1970s dress to me, it fits me perfectly and I adore everything about it.

I did start the day with a jacket.

I like the fact that this outfit exists because of blogging.

 

 The dress and bag are gifts from bloggers, and the boots were bought with Vix at the legendary Second to None in Walsall, which I would never have visited if not for blogging.

 

I can't tell you how much this delights me!

Velvet jacket, necklaces and bangles - charity shopped

1970s midi dress - gift from sweetest squirrel Vanessa

1970s suede bag - gift from soon-to-be-mum Kelly

1980s boots - Second to None

Brooch - car boot

Sunglasses - vintage shop

In other news, the flea market proved interesting this week. No clothes, but all manner of other treasures came home with me.

I have been on the look out for a globe lamp for ages and finally found one; four early Ladybird books; and my first cardigan clips (the stall holder from whom I bought them seemed impressed that I knew what they were!)

Fabulous 1966 Boyfriend annual.

And these;

Magic lantern slides.

There was a little pile of six (they were tricky to photograph and 2 of the pics were unclear) and I just thought they were beautiful. 

 

No idea what to do with them... I wonder if they could be fixed in a frame somehow and displayed with a light behind them? Any suggestions? They are about 3" square. And how old do you think they might be?

Can I say again how much I love this frock?

 

(The greens in the print are actually quite vivid, the sunshine has bleached out the colours somewhat.)

Thank you, Vanessa, I'll treasure her.

 

 

Here you go, vintage label whores!

 

 

 

I'm all Modelly!

There are jumble sales and vintage markets to go to this weekend, the kids will be here, there and everywhere doing various activities with various friends, and there's a bottle of wine with my name on it in the fridge.

Hope you have fun this weekend!

xxxx

I spy...

...with my little eye, something beginning with "S".

A silk shift in the sunshine.

 

 

a sketch by the super-talented Anne at Spygirl - she has been kind enough to add me to her fabulous digital catwalk of blogging beauties;

 

and my dear blog friend Shelley sent me a splendid selection of gifts - a gorgeous beaded purse necklace and a colourful rustling taffeta confection of a maxi skirt. 

 

Thank you so much, Anne and Shelley - yet again, blogging has brought me into contact with such creative and generous people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a few comments at school about this outfit - complimentary, yes, but along the lines of I could never wear all that bright colour. 

Why ever not?

 

 

The very windy conditions were far more of a challenge than the clothes!

1960s silk dress - gift from our poor injured darling Sarah

Lurex fishnet tights - gift from my favourite Panty Ho Vix

Belt - gift from Supermodel Tamera

Cardigan, shoes and belt - charity shopped

1980s sunglasses - vintage shop

Bangles and necklace - charity shopped, retail and gift from gorgeous Tania

Being upstaged by a beautiful cat - courtesy of Jessie

These amazing fishnets were a real surprise.  

 

They seemed tiny when I got them out of the packet and I thought they would reach about as far as my knees and no further. And that's never a good look...

 

Just shows you have to give things a go - they do fit, and they are wonderfully sparkly in the sun.

 

I'm a lurex Panty Ho!

 

 

And I know I am preaching to the choir here, but there's nothing like blogger friendships, sharing the vintage love, and some bright colour to warm the heart.

Neutrals?

 

Err, not today, thank you!

xxxx

Rock-a-hula Baby

    

Have you seen darling Vix's post, where she challenges those of us experiencing what seems to be an endless winter to throw off the woollies, the fur and the boots, and wear something inappropriate?

My lovely friend Tania and my favourite supermodel Tamera have both done it.

So have I!

OK, so I didn't follow the instruction about floatiness, but I thought a vintage Hawaiian frock would flick a cheeky two-fingered salute to the wintry conditions which have continued to engulf the UK.

And I can tell you that leopard print faux suede t-bars were definitely inappropriate footwear, my feet got soaked in the snow. How I suffer, just for you.

Flowers and feathers? Yep, and not a woolly hat in sight. 

Ooh, a little bit of sunshine? Yes please!

Love the scooped back of this dress and the extra fabric in the pleat detail.

And because it seemed like a good enough way to spend Good Friday, I had a play around with my hair (I have limited skills in this area) and the new effects on PicMonkey (easier to manage than hair).

It's my natural radiance.

Littlest liked it, so she got the same treatment!

Don't let the angelic look fool you. She can be a holy terror. 

 

No doubt my mother would say the same of me.

1950-60s Hawaiian dress (flea market, worth every penny of the £1.70 I paid for it)

Shoes, feather fascinator, wool shawl, 1950s carpet bag, 1980s cats' eye sunglasses - Ebay

Bangles - charity shopped

Tights and chartreuse flower - retail

Orange flower - gift from fabulous Melanie Coconut

The camellia has buds, and the mini daffs are surviving the snow.

Spring will come. Eventually.

I am fondly imagining that I look a wee bit like the beautiful Brodie of Camelias and Crinolines in these photos. 

Maybe Brodie's mum...

Or older sister, let's settle on that.

Anyway, she's gorgeous and she sews like a dream and you should check out her blog if you haven't already.

Now banish the winter blues with a burst of hula-ing Hawaiian fun from Elvis.

Go on, really move the grass around!

   xxxx

        

   

You've lost that loving feeling

A foggy start became a sunny day.

Which was a bit of a metaphor for my mood, as it happens.

This 1970s maxi skirt was one of my vintage fair purchases on Saturday.

The colours are pure Krista!

See? The bright colours made the sun come out!

And darling Tamera's fabulous Frida pendant couldn't fail to perk up any outfit.

So I was ever-so-slightly in a funk this morning.

We have another jumble sale at school on Saturday, and I have been designated Captain of the Good Ship Jumble. I look forward to doing them, more than any other fund-raising event we organise.

However, there are disagreements about how to allocate the money we have raised for school - issues of who gets what and when are being debated. 

Giving away the money we raise is supposed to be the fun part, it's supposed to feel good.

So why am I feeling stressed about it? I have a rather acute sense of fairness, and I like things to be equitable and transparent, it troubles me when decisions are made without a cogent rationale.

I also worry that I sound like a pompous arse...

1970s maxi skirt - vintage fair

T-shirt, cardigan, bangles and hair flower  - charity shopped

Belt - retail (sale)

Sunglasses - vintage shop

1980s boots - Second to None, Walsall

Frida necklace - handmade by Supermodel Tamera

Grumpy face - all my own doing

 

 

 

 

And yeah, I might have a tiny tendency to think I am always right.

A Self-Righteous Sister, if you will... 

I will concede that occasionally I'm not. 

 

But I do run a bloody good jumble!

 

Off to cheer myself up by seeing what you are up to this week, my lovely friends!

 

xxxx

 

 

 

All tomorrow's parties

Doesn't the weekend roll around quickly?

I don't know where this week has gone.

I had all sorts of plans for sewing, including altering something to wear to  my fabulous friend Tamera's birthday party tomorrow, but the time has got away from me...

So here I am, in my hand-me-down dress from who knows where, ready to join all the fabulous ladies at tomorrow's party!

I have been on the hunt for a 1960-70s stainless steel pendant, and have finally found one.

Although it isn't marked anywhere, I like to think it was made here in Sheffield, the UK's Steel City.

1970s English Lady maxi dress - flea market
Ankle boots - community fair
1960-70s suede jerkin - gift from much-missed Lucy
1970s suede bag - gift from new human-growing Kelly
Necklaces and ring - charity shopped



We spent a lovely day with my dear friend Patsy and her daughter, browsing the charity shops, going for coffee, and introducing them to our favourite Chinese restaurant.

Patsy's daughter behaved impeccably and took this photo for me.

You can see what my kids were like...

I told you - they've gone feral.

I was looking on Youtube for clips of Nico and the Velvet Underground singing All Tomorrow's Parties, but all the examples I saw were Nico in her more ravaged later years, and I wanted to show her at her most iconic and beautiful.

So here's the song, accompanied by some stunning photos of a gorgeous woman.

And here, there is a great clip of her singing Femme Fatal (I wasn't able to embed it, but do go and watch it.)


Have a delightful weekend, check out the party frocks over at Tamera's!


   xxx