‘Something Old, Something New’…..

Walking around my local car boot sale early the other morning, I was suddenly struck by how much modern ‘stuff’ was piled on all of the tables. In many cases, the stall holders must have bought some of the items only a year or so ago, and here they were trying to claw back the odd 50pence, when goodness knows what was paid for the goods in the first place. Acres of plastic and children’s toys aplenty, dodgy decorative gimmicks such as dancing daisies and singing fish plaques that come alive when you clap your hands at them; as well as mountains of lampshades, old saggy cushions, DVD’s and clothes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for recycling, but was half of this stuff actually needed in the first place? So many seem to jump on the next fashion to hit the high street, only to fill their homes with yet more trinkets to replace the ones that are now out of favour…..

Those of you who have visited a large car boot sale in the past, will know that stalls with genuine antique items are few and far between. You really have to scan hard sometimes to find that odd item from a granny's attic or perhaps a small item of furniture that has been cluttering up someone’s garage.
Having written my blog for over two years now, I know that many of you are on my wavelength. Us ‘vintage-loving-girls’ know the secret of not being influenced too much by the high street and glossy magazines and to be comfortable surrounding ourselves with time-worn objects that have far more character than anything that could be bought new. There are items in my home that I have had all my married life (23 1/2 years now!) which I still love. (Yes, hubby is one of them!) We eat from vintage china, textiles are recycled continually, furniture plays a merry game of ‘musical chairs’ about the house, as I find new ways to use it and places for it to sit for a while. It’s a way of life that I have always enjoyed and I love how our home is unique and uncontrived when filled with the pretty objects that we want to look at.

Furthermore, should any of us decided to part with some of our vintage treasures, we are far more likely to see a return on our investment, or at least to break even. Once a purchase has been made on the high street it is unlikely that said item could then be sold the next day for the purchase price. Most of us don’t buy with a view to making a profit, I know, but we can feel slightly smug knowing that if the time comes, we are quite likely to get our money back on a vintage item, to spend again on something else that we prefer.

I’m aware of the irony with what I am saying; here I am offering vintage goods for sale in my on-line shop - I would be lost without the modern technology that allows me to have my small internet business. Of course there is a place for modern articles in our homes, but I will always prefer to surround myself with the older pieces whenever possible.
For example, would you prefer the ‘Hemnes’ mirror being sold by IKEA for £39.00 at the moment?...

Or a Barbola rose topped creation; an indulgent £20 auction purchase many years ago?

The 'Spindle' table lamp from Habitat at £55......

Or a £1 plaster lampbase, purchased from a car boot sale, topped by a recycled lampshade frame with a handmade vintage fabric cover?

Lakeland sell a china cake stand for £14.99......

My original 1950's ones came from charity shops for less than £5 each.

The 'Southwold' fabric covered arm chair by Laura Ashley costs £525....

Whereas my comfy old armchair was re-covered in a C19th French linen sheet for around half that amount.

Finally, a touch of sparkle from Accessorize; the snowflake brooch costs £10

Or you could have several for that price by buying at a flea market!

"Happy Shopping"....where ever you prefer to shop!

Enjoy the weekend,

Niki x