Tag Archives: Vintage

Feb 13 2013

Valentine’s Day…

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Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my bubble of baby poo and plastic toys - I forget to treat myself.

Sat here now - my nail polish is chipped, my hair looks like a lion’s mane and I’m wearing a jumper with holes in it (It’s gone 5pm). It’s enough that I get 10 minutes on the laptop and an ice-cold sparkling water whilst Dexter is sleeping off the afternoons exploits.

Valentine’s Day used to be my favourite day of the year. I would go to work and leave Love Hearts and anonymous cards on my colleagues desks. Now the day passes by pretty uneventfully with some frantic card opening and stolen kisses in bed before Craig heads off to work and my day with Dexter begins.

This year I started thinking about it how to make it special. Having had a miserable start to the year, I thought we might need cheering up. I even posted on Twitter and Facebook appealing for ideas for the man who has everything.

Despite my efforts, the best I could come up with is buying him a pair of trainers from Schuh - I was that close to buying them when I realised I don’t even know his shoe size! How bad is that? We have a child together!

Eventually we decided to pool our money, go to the Baby Show the week after Valentine’s and stay over in London in a posh hotel. It won’t be overly romantic as we have our little man with us - but hopefully we’ll fit a few precious moments together when Dexter is sleeping.

As this means I won’t be getting a present this year. I’ve decided to enter John Greed’s blogger competition in the hope that I’ll get £250 worth of pretty things to make me feel extra special. I’m so frazzled I had to use an excel spreadsheet to keep an eye on the total! I also created a Pinterest board with some sweet vintage dresses to complete the look.

I’ve chosen this beautiful Thomas Sabo Silver and Freshwater Pearl Adjustable Charm Bracelet (£25.95) - I simply love pearls but have really dainty wrists so this will be perfect. Accompanying this on my wrist will be a stunning DKNY Gold Glitz Watch reduced from £99 to just £86.50. It’s that really flattering bangle style that fits the contours of your wrist so snugly.

For a touch of costume glamour I’ve also plumped for the intricate Swarovski Rhodium Plated and Crystal Pavé Flower Hortense Ring at £79.00. I LOVE this ring. As we’re yet to find my dream engagement ring, I haven’t got anything sparkly for my fingers at all. This would stop me moaning at Craig as it would catch the light beautifully.

Finally the Martine Wester Gold Plated Hollywood Pearl Encrusted Collar Necklace (£57) would pull the look together. The look is very Audrey Hepburn’esque and girly - just what I need to get me up off the sofa and turn me back into a yummy mummy.

Now I just need Craig to take me somewhere glamorous…

 

If you’d like to take part you’ll have to be ridiculously quick as they pick the winner tomorrow. Good luck to everyone involved and thanks to John Greed for being so generous with the prize.

 

Feb 6 2013

Going Girly… Cath Kidston

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Looking around our home I’ve noticed that Craig seems to be winning in the his / hers stakes and there’s a distinct lack of girliness. Although we tend to agree on the ‘big bits’ (furniture, pictures, and carpets) - when it comes to accessories, we’ve been lazy.

When Craig and I met and decided to start a home together (in the space of about 3 short weeks!) - both of us had our own places and we went through the age-old ritual of sorting though each others bits… no pun intended. We did the usual “I’m not so keen on that”, “That’s okay…” thing - we were in that funny polite (and short-lived) phase before you delight in saying feel you can say exactly how much you hate each others choice of duvet cover.

The result? We’re left with a real mixture of knickknacks and accessories that neither of us are attached to, but we can’t bring ourselves to throw away. Everything feels very bland, colourless and boring. I seem to have fed all my creativity into Dexter’s room, and none into rooms that Craig and I spend most of our time in.

Cue Cath Kidston. I’m determined to have a slice of her in every room.

I’m a massive fan of her prints. They’re so distinctly pretty and instantly recognisable. Her name has become synonymous with all things country, shabby chic, and most importantly, British. Slipping little pockets of it throughout the home has an instant uplifting effect and screams of nostalgic chintz. Whether it reminds you of Grandma’s house, the cool girls from school (you know - the ones that have gone on to work as fashion buyers for Topshop), or walks in the country - you instantly feel proud of our heritage and transported back to your childhood.

3 LITTLE KNOWN FACTS:

  1. Cath Kidston is Kirstie Allsopp’s cousin
  2. Cath has an adorable Lakeland Terrier called Stanley who features in many of her prints
  3. She once described her London’s Holland Park shop as provoking a Marmite Reaction - “People either love it and want a little bit of it very much, or want to stab us.”

Well as a fan of the brown stuff, I can safely say I’m in the ‘Love it’ camp and once walked into a metal bin whilst admiring the shop front in my hometown, Reading.

Here are some of my favourites bits:

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Just the thing for cosy nights in - Dexter and I could wear cute Mummy-and-me matching prints! This Tiny Cowboy Sleepsuit is adorable, and it might shock you to learn that I have been known to rock the odd pair of pyjamas (when I’m not slinking about in Agent Provocateur undies of course (*cough… never)).

And when it’s time for us to bed down and dream of winning the lottery, Dexter could slip into his Dinosaur bedding and I could snuggle up with Craig under an Antique Rose Eiderdown - this looks so cosy and warm and would inject a bit of much-needed colour into our whiter-than-white bedroom.

PicMonkey CollageCK1

I need a new change bag for Dexter and have fallen head over heels for this Spot Saddle Bag - with some cute little pockets for keys and my mobile, all my baby baggage could be stowed inside this gorgeous little number. It’s also manly enough for Craig for when he and Dex head out alone to do boy-things.

With a contrasting wooden handle umbrella, it would inject some life into my outmoded wardrobe - I might even pass as ‘cool’ again. I’m pretty sure my trench-coat is circa 1970 so would match this perfectly.

For the living room, a simple splash of Antique Rose on our sofa cushions and I’d get the girliness I’ve been craving. Whilst snuggling with Craig on the sofa in front of the fire, I could also make a patchwork quilt for the new baby from these Cotton Patchwork Squares (it can’t be that hard… right?). A year on in, I might even have something beautiful like this to tuck a little madam up in.

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I just love how beautiful fabrics inspire crafty-folk and there’s some amazing creations on Pinterest by people turning otherwise dull objects into charming Kidston-inspired Decoupage / Handsewn Objets D’Art - like lampshades and iPad coverlets. The nice thing about Cath Kidston in particular is that she actively encourages it.

I’ve even stumbled across some Cath Kidston inspired nail-art that just goes to show how far this iconic woman has pervaded everyday culture.

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But, if you’re like me and haven’t seen a sewing machine since your mum sewed on your Girl Guide badges, there’s always online stores like Amara to pick up something beautiful - many of their lines aren’t available through the Cath Kidston site at the moment and there’s plenty of other aspirational brands to tempt you too (such as Missoni Home, Roberto Cavalli, and Pip Studio).

I’ve also put togther a Pinterest Cath Kidston (Wishlist) Board with some other gorgeous bits I’m lusting after, and some of those handmade treasures I mentioned earlier.

This is my entry to win £200 worth of Cath Kidston products from Amara, the luxury online boutique.

Sep 6 2012

Collecting for Dexter’s new nursery

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With an imminent house move, I’ve been out shopping for knick-knacks for Dexter’s new nursery. He hasn’t had much use of the one here in our current house as he’s been sleeping in our room. On the date we move, Dexter will be almost 20 weeks and we feel it’ll be time to introduce him to his very own room.

His new nursery isn’t huge, it’s a single room that will take his cot, a chest of drawers and a small wardrobe. Most of his larger toys (his playmat, his bouncer, tummy-time toys and sit-me-up cosy) will be housed downstairs in a toy chest as this is all open plan with plenty of room for the coexistence of adult spaces and ‘Dexter spaces’. We therefore need to make his nursery as comfortable and exciting as possible so he enjoys being in there.

What child wouldn’t want to sleep here?! From Nanny McPhee

I really love the look of toy-filled nurseries with there being something unique and special in every corner. Children’s rooms should be uncoordinated, cluttered and personalised in my opinion. Think the bedroom’s in Nanny McPhee and Horrid Henry. Their rooms are their own space and should reflect their growing personalities. It should provide a sensory experience for a baby /child with plenty to see and do to help them develop. Ultimately, I want Dexter to feel proud of his room so he’s learns to value his possessions and respect them.

I know, I know, Dexter is only 4 months old. But I want to kick off this creation so he can add to it as his tastes develop. I’m a massive fan of Kath Kidston, Laura Ashley, patchwork and gingham - but I this isn’t my room and I don’t want to thrust my style on him (plus Craig would kill me if he saw flowered fabric in there). So instead we’re going for a homemade shabby look with the odd infusion of new technology. I only hope Dexter doesn’t grow up to be a minimalist and hate it!

Still from the Horrid Henry film - most mums would have a heart attack - I love it!

A week ago I tweeted that I wanted to find some UK retailers that specialised in homemade and handcrafted toys and soft furnishings. I got loads of responses from fellow mummy bloggers directing me to various Facebook shops, Etsy shops and websites. The choice was overwhelming so I’ve started cautiously. I’m certainly under no illusion that this project is work in progress and might never get finished.

So far, these are a few of my favourite things!

A competition win provided me with this personalised memory box. It’s entirely handcrafted and hand painted from a fellow blogger’s (Chloe from A Twenty Something Mum) Facebook business Daisy Days Designs. It is quite honestly, gorgeous. The level of detail that has gone into it is extraordinary; Dexter’s name has been embellished with sequins jewels and the little animals have felt detailing. I chose to leave the design up to Chloe as I fell in love with a box from her photo gallery on Facebook, but she also makes these to order for weddings, and other special events. In my opinion she also has the best handmade wooden block lettering which we’ll be buying soon. Full pricing and ordering information is available on her Facebook. Thanks Chloe for such a gorgeous prize xx

I also love this owl cushion from Knot Just Jigs. Currently priced at a very reasonable £13.99 without personalisation, £16.99 with, he’s a mixture of lots of different textiles and soooo soft Dexter can relax on him or cuddle him. I love the mix of muted blues and vibrant greens - it’s so irresistibly boyish and a fun addition to his bedroom. Knot Just Jigs also do other homemade designs which are equally scrumptious and have that vintage feel. Also available are a number of retro wooden toys, puppets, musical instruments and other goodies which are a distinct nod back to my own childhood. When Dexter is old enough for instruments - I’ll be revisiting this website in a heartbeat as I’m very keen to support UK businesses and love the idea of him playing with toys similar to those I had when I was growing up.

I also have these cute little car neon lights purchased from eBay. I’m under no illusion these are probably mass manufactured but I’m more than a little in love with them. I have this little fantasy that Dexter will ask for them to be put on at night-time whilst he falls asleep. If he’s been a good boy we’ll probably indulge him as they look so beautiful and provide a nice soft glow in his room (even though they’ll hike up the electricity bill considerably!).

Then there’s my embarrassingly large collection of wicker and wooden hearts and stars bought from my local antique shop in Reading - Fanny’s Antiques. I love this place to death! OH has banned me from visiting too often as I have a tendency to invent space to house new furniture.

I also want to build a photo canvas wall full of various sized prints, frame depths and orientations. I bought my first one from Photobox a few days ago and have been impressed by the price, speed of delivery and quality. Not a day goes by without me getting some kind of deal delivered to my inbox from Photobox so it’s easy to do this inexpensively and it’ll be lovely for Dexter and us to have such special memories forever captured in print. This one was free with just a £7.50 p&p - this was due to it being my first order but a Canvas Lite will ordinarily cost from £24.99.

Finally, there’s Dexter’s memory box. I suspect every parent does this! We’ve collected newspapers from the day he was born, special edition magazines from the year (Hello! and OK! have done fabulous Jubilee and Olympics specials this year), photos, cards, gift tags, letters, and toys - all for Dexter to enjoy when he’s older. This box is enormous and has plenty of room for our collection. We got this from HomeSense in Reading, but as they continually rotate their stock, I don’t think it’ll be available anymore. Craigy and I love these stores though as the prices are great (60% off RRP) and there are some really great unique finds from all over the world.

So that’s it - a mega post by anyone’s standards! I know nothing matches and this would be a clash of styles for some - but he’s child, and children should be messy and colourful!

If you have any other suggestions of sites for me to explore, or own a UK business and think you have some items that might fit in with my little collection - please do leave a comment below.

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