Random Vintage Musings

Vintage Foundlings

2010-05-24T08:13:00.015+01:00

I've been away in Cornwall for a few days and managed to partake in a spot of treasure hunting, so I feel at least I did a little work while I was away! I've found lots of fab jewels to make into pretty things and also managed to find lovely display pieces for the shop and stand.

This post is going to be very visual as I have so many pretty things to show you, and these pics are only the half of it, there's loads more I need to clean and photograph!

A sweet little boy holding a bunny, Sylvac swan vase, miniature jugs, kissing squirrels I love it!

I found some beautiful vintage postcards that I have fancy plans for.

Look at that cute Sylvac dog peeping through.

A beautiful 1930's water jug and glasses that I absolutely love, I have a feeling I might be hanging on to those as they're too lovely to part with.

I think the kitsch white oil burner dotted with vintage rose cabochons is pretty quirky. The cabochons are the original 1950's lucite so this piece has got to be from the 50's or 60's, but don't quote me on that!

The blue beaded necklace is from the 1950's the colour just pops.

The dressing table set is pretty wacky, dating from the 30's or 50's (I can't remember, even though I had a long conversation with the dealer about it), it's a fantastic colour and perfect for the shop. The little dish holding the glitzy 50's earrings is so delicate and dainty with it's blue flower design.

Right, now we move on to the sparkly bits.

I thought the rhinestone ship brooch and the mother of pearl rosary beads (below) would make a pretty pair.

More chains . . .

The little boot charms are fab and I was so pleased to find more tiny key charms, don't worry Shirley I haven't swiped yours!

Odds and sods . . .

More fun 50's pieces, the bright coral coloured bracelet is fab.

This pretty postcard caught my eye as did this amazingly sparkly deco clip.

I managed to find some lead crystal chandelier prisms that really catch the light, perfect for earrings.

And finally at the end of the treasure hunt, a gin & tonic (or two) in the garden is the perfect little treat.

Rob Ryan

2010-05-15T08:58:00.007+01:00

I just thought i'd share a few pics of Rob Ryan's work.

My Home by Rob Ryan

I first spotted some of his pieces in Liberty's Christmas window display a few years ago and it was love at first sight! Rob specialises in paper cutting and screen-printing and makes the beautiful intricate pieces that just blow me away.

No Minute Gone Ever Comes Back Again - Rob Ryan

There's a real old fashioned fairytale quality about his pieces, which is probably why they appeal to me so much.

Our Adventure Is About To Begin - Rob Ryan

I Can't Forget - Rob Ryan

You Are My Universe - Rob Ryan

I think this one is my current favourite, now to find the £2700 to buy the original, think I need to make a bit more jewellery .

Random Vintage on the High Street.

2010-05-12T21:26:00.019+01:00

The reason i've been so quiet on the blogging front lately is that lots of exciting things have been happening, and it's all been a little crazy to say the least. Random Vintage has found a new home in the centre of Cardiff, or to be specific 28 -30 Royal Arcade, Cardiff. We are in a fabulous new shop called Joie de Vivre based in Cardiff's beautiful Victorian arcades.

There are 12 different sellers based in the shop each one offering something a little bit different. Downstairs there's a more contemporary feel with sellers including Kathryn's wonderful Barefoot Books.

Belinda's Fripp Accessories sourced from France.

Lovely Lisa and Ceri hand make their fab Me & Thee signs.

Jodie Hook makes beautiful handmade contemporary silver jewellery.

Savonnerie luxury soaps and toiletries

and lots more!

Upstairs there's a vintage boutique with a number of fab sellers including moi with my two jewellery ranges (random vintage & random vintage repeatables), quirky random vintage curios & vintage styles decorations (in the shop by the weekend!).

We also have Mel & Debbie with Serendipity Vintage, i've done a few fairs with Mel & Debbie in the past and they sell really beautiful items and have fantastic displays.

Mel has the most gorgeous vintage fashions & accessories and Debbie sources amazing vintage homewares including enamel pitchers, vintage china & fabrics.

Emily Hooper Designs is also based upstairs. Emma makes the most gorgeous bags using vintage fabrics, each bag is handmade and unique and has fantastic attention to detail.

Emma also makes quirky headbands using vintage ties as well as corsages, and reworked vintage jewellery.
Last but not least we have Maggies Dress.

These ladies have an amazingly vast selection of vintage clothes and accessories dating from the 1940's to the 1980's, they really do have something to suit any occasion!

So as you can see it's a shop full of delights with lots more to come, this is only the beginning! My area is currently only half full, simply because I haven't had enough stock to fill the space but i've been a busy bee and have been making lots of newbies to stock the shop, I can't seem to make things fast enough at the moment. Please pop in and say hello, we've had fantastic feedback and it's so lovely meeting new customers!

Photos courtesy of Lisa Audsley and Kelly Weeks Jodie Hook and Savonnerie

Busy, busy, busy!

2010-04-27T20:21:00.017+01:00

I've neglected the blog for the past week or so, and have been pretty busy with various things including a little of this . . .

Tewkesbury in the sunshine.

A bit of this . . .

Found treasures - A selection of pretty Edwardian brooches.

A lot of this . . .

Westonbirt Arboretum I took millions of pics at Westonbirt as it was so beautiful with all the blossoms coming out, you can see more on my Flickr! If you get a chance to visit Westonbirt, I urge you to go, it's such a beautiful place.

I also had a peep at these . . .

Broadway

Bourton on the Water

And enjoyed a lot of this . . .

Twig - A beautiful florist in Tetbury

Sassy & Boo - Tetbury

To be honest that is only a handful of things i've been up to, there's more to come.

The Rock Follies Fair in Tewkesbury was fantastic, we had a great day and met lots of lovely new people including the fabulous Michelle & Sally from The Amethyst Angel, two incredibly talented ladies. The lovely girlies from Pegg Lane had gorgeous pieces and Claire from Second Hand Rose had some great vintage clothes at fantastic prices. Random Vintage will be doing the Wave Vintage & Craft Fair in Worcester on 31st July, a fantastic show and we're really looking forward to it.

Other jobs we've been working on include the Random Vintage facebook page, hoorah! Random Vintage now has it's own Facebook page so become a fan and receive exclusive info on news, events and exclusive discounts!

I've also been working on a new summer jewellery collection some of which is now being exhibited in the Milkwood Gallery in Roath.

A new collection will also be going into the Washington Gallery tomorrow, so as the title says it's been 'busy, busy, busy'.

A little break!

2010-04-16T21:10:00.003+01:00

Just to let you know that the shop will be closed for a couple of days while i'm away doing the Rock Follies fair and exploring the delights of the Cotswolds, we've got lots of lovely things planned!

Come and say 'hi' at Rock Follies! See you soon.

Pearl Lust

2010-04-15T16:20:00.011+01:00

Today i've been having a bead buying day. I haven't bought new beads for a while, i've been finding lots of vintage pieces and making use of those, but when I discovered that a big bead supplier was in town I thought i'd better pay them a visit. They had a huge range of stock in a dazzling array of colours, but I only seemed to be drawn to the pearls.

When I make jewellery, the beads that I reach for time and time again are pearls. I use them in most of my pieces, their creamy luster goes with just about anything and they are a timeless classic. So while everyone else was coming out with baskets full of stones in bright blues, greens, oranges and reds, my basket had a distinctly cream look.

Unfortunately I managed to find the most expensive string of pearls on display,(no matter what i'm looking for I always manage to pick the most expensive thing) and decided I had to have them. They are the gorgeously huge, smooth creamy ones at the front on the pic below.

I think i'll use them to make a necklace for my mum, and then I can borrow it!
Along with the pearls I did manage to find a couple of other strings, some pretty pale pink coral, faceted kyanite and jade barrels, so I do have a hint of colour.

I've also been getting ready for Rock Follies Vintage Fair in Tewkesbury this Saturday.

I'm really looking forward to this fair, it's nice to be going to a different area. We're going to make the most of it and stay a night in Cheltenham and one or maybe even two nights in Tetbury and have a tour of the Cotswolds, visiting Broadway, Cirencester, Bourton on the water etc. Can't wait!
There will be some pretty new summery pieces making their first 'appearance' and I have some new large pocketwatches that i've been busy making up today, pairing them with vintage pearls, charms and keys. So if you're footloose and fancy free on Saturday come along to the vintage fest and say 'hello'!

Deer Inspiration

2010-04-13T13:41:00.012+01:00

Along with birds and rabbits, I also have a penchant for deer. For Easter my lovely mum bought me the 'kissing stags' shopper by anorak that i've had my eye on for ages.

So I had a browse and found these . . .

A beautiful photograph by Sharon Montrose

Hand sculpted porcelain deer couple by Amaris Arts

Moose head light by a Norwegian company called Northern Lighting

Deer t-shirt on Ebay

I've finally added a couple of Random Vintage Curio's to the shop, more will be added, it just seems to be such a long laborious process! But this little fella was listed.

This is a little newbie.

I bought the charm when I was in London last week, I purchased it from a quirky little vintage fair I happened upon. The deer is teeny tiny and was made in Belgium in the 60's, i've paired it with a beautiful teeny faceted sapphire briolette. Not sure if i'm going to let go of this one.

The shop has been updated with some new spring/summer pieces, take a peep!

Pictures that make my heart go a flutter

2010-04-12T18:02:00.010+01:00

I discovered these today . . .

How beautiful. I want that yellow dress.

By the interior stylist Twig Hutchinson.

Fairs & Frames

2010-04-11T16:52:00.013+01:00

Well, it was a good start to the Love Vintage Fair yesterday as the weather was gorgeous. I was up bright and early to make the quick trip to Wenvoe, very easy for me as it's only 5 minutes from my house.

I had changed the display so it seemed to take me forever to set up, but I was ready to go for the 10.00am start.

All the stands looked fab, there was such a great vintage vibe. I was next to Nest a vintage homeware/kitchenalia stand run by Anna and Shirley, two very lovely ladies who have the most beautiful vintage items and set their stand out beautifully with fantastic attention to detail.

Nest

The above pic was taken by Dommie, as usual I forgot to take pics of everyone elses stand. Dommie also took a nice pic of my stand, everyone elses pics are always so much better than mine!

I also met Sarah & Steph, two fab girls with a great stand selling vintage bags and accessories. Sarah had the most amazing quirky lamp that she had put together using vintage pieces, it was really wow and I wish i'd taken a pic to show you. One thing about doing these fairs is you're always guaranteed to have great chats with lovely people and good cake (courtesy of Sue, who still hasn't given me her apple cake recipe)!

The large picture frame is a new addition to my stand. I've been looking for a large vintage frame to use for display for a while, but hadn't spotted quite the right thing, the ones I found were either too small or too expensive. Then, the other day on a quick flea market trip I spotted this baby lurking in a dark corner.

I snapped it up straight away and when I got it home set about the 'transformation'. Now, this frame had obviously been lurking in a dark corner for a while as it was filthy. Not just a little bit grubby, it was disgusting, the cloth I used to clean it was black. It took me nearly 2 hours to clean all the grime off, yuk, yuk, yuk. A Farrow & Ball paint job was then required to bring it up to scratch, finishing with a cotton background, vintage lace trim and a few vintage mother of pearl buttons. I was pretty pleased with the finished piece (see above pics)!

Quick Peep!

2010-04-09T19:35:00.005+01:00

This is a super fast post as I still have a gazillion things to do before the Love Vintage Fair tomorrow.

I've been working tres hard the last few days making new display props and new pieces of jewellery. I have also made a few cotton shopper bags with a vintage vibe and plan to test the water with them tomorrow, I think they're quite funky but what will the good Love Vintage folk think?!

Another new product I will be showing tomorrow is a beautiful range of organic handmade soaps, I know it's a bit random, soap on a jewellery stand, but there is a story to this so i'll save that for another occasion.

They look so pretty on my little shelves.

Right, can't stop, still have lots of little bits to do. Love Vintage will be a great show so please come along and say hello.

Love Vintage, Wenvoe Community Centre, Wenvoe, Vale of Glamoragan 10.00am - 4.00pm

P.S. I will close both shops on Saturday just in case I oversell.

London, Anthropologie & Ugly Betty

2010-04-06T09:15:00.025+01:00

Yesterday I had a day trip to London.

I haven't been for at least a year which is very unusual for me as I usually make a visit every couple of months. I had two aims, one was to visit the Van Gogh exhibition at the Royal Academy and the second was to visit the new Anthropologie store on Regent Street. I only managed to achieve one of these, guess which one it was.

I did go to the Royal Academy with every intention of visiting the Van Gogh exhibition but by the time I arrived a rather large queue had formed (please view exhibit A below), so you see I did try.

If I had followed the careful plans I had made the night before, I would have had plenty of time to visit the exhibit on. Whereas instead of leaving the house at 7.00am to be in London around 9.30am, I left the house at 9.15am and by the time i'd reached London and found parking it was about 12.30pm! I concluded that I didn't have enough time to queue and then view the exhibition before meeting my friend for lunch, so the mission was abandoned. I will have to try and go to London again before it finishes, I must be more organised.

I did manage to make a quick stop here.

I do like Fortnum & Mason and they had some fab window displays that I managed to get a few, not very good, snaps of.

How cute is that Easter window!

The Easter eggs in the blue box in the middle were so pretty, they had little vintage style flowers iced onto the chocolate, unfortunately you can't really see that in the pics, oops.

The windows had a very retro 50's feel with huge hairdryers and pink vintage typewriters.

After the delights of the Fortnum's window, I moved onto the magical world of Anthropologie. Once again my picture doesn't do the Anthro window display any justice, if you click on the picture below you'll get a bigger/better image!

I first discovered Anthropologie when I was in San Francisco 3 years ago, I remember walking into the shop and just thinking 'ahhhhhhh it's so beautiful'. I had exactly the same reaction 2 years later in their shop in New York and have been desperate to visit Anthropologie again, so when I discovered they were opening up a store in London I was as pleased as punch. Visiting an Anthro shop is just such a fabulous experience, the attention to detail in their displays is fantastic and their products are beautiful. Of course I managed to find a few hundred things I liked, though I was very restrained and only purchased one item, partly because everything I liked was really expensive and i've bought so much lately I couldn't justify spending any more.

My little purchase.

Blooming Lattice Cardigan - Anthropologie

I didn't get the green version pictured, I bought the navy one which I think they may have sold out of, I can't find it on their site. Though the green is nice, I personally thought the navy was much prettier and the lattice collar and nude frill are shown off perfectly against the navy, whereas I think they get a little overwhelmed on the bight green.

What I was very tempted to buy but have resisted . . . for the time being.

Grasslands Dress - Anthropologie

A beautiful 70's style dress with the sweetest little embroidered blue flowers, I thought this would be perfect for the Summer.

Galloping Filly Skirt - Anthropologie

Love, love, love this skirt! The colour, the print, the netting, fab.

After the Anthro love I sauntered along to another favourite shop Libertys and spent a happy hour or so mooching around this beautiful store. I popped into the haberdashery department to have a look at my friend Gill's beautiful ceramic buttons that she's recently started supplying to Libertys.

I made a small purchase, this pretty journal, illustrated by Grady McFerrin, whom i'm going to have to investigate as i'm loving his work.

Finally as I walking through the backstreets of Covent Garden I came across a bit of a commotion. There were film cameras, photographers, security guards, and as I am a nosy person I went to find out what was going on and who did I spot . . .

America Ferrera aka Ugly Betty. I'm not sure what they were filming, could it be Ugly Betty or has that series now finished?!? Anyway, I managed to get a few pics of her while they were filming. I found it slightly amusing that when the director told us mere spectators to 'act natural' whilst they filmed the shot, we acted far from natural and carried on taking pics whilst looking slightly starstruck.

I sensed she was getting slightly irritated by the crowds after the 5th take, so I decided not to go up and ask her where she got her shoes from.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T13:20:00.005+01:00

Photo Courtesy of Small Treasures

Happy Easter everyone, hope you have a lovely day! The sun is shining and i'm with family and friends, so it's all good.

Lots of Clothes

2010-04-03T08:05:00.010+01:00

I seem to be going through a shopping phase at the moment. I'm always shopping but I go through phases of buying particular items such as books, shoes, beads, music, prints, nik naks, you get the idea. My current shopping craze is clothes. This is nothing new for me, I have 3 wardrobes jammed with pretty things, but I haven't bought any new clothes for a while and now I just can't stop buying things!

Maybe it's the change in weather, we had been having a few sunny (slightly) warmer days, though those have now gone and the weather seems to be very confused, not knowing whether it's snowing, raining, windy or sunny, it changes every 5 minutes.

But I digress.

Spring is in the air and springy, summery new clothes are everywhere, calling me to try them on and telling me to purchase them.

So, I thought i'd give you a peek of the pretties i've been purchasing.

Navy Cardigan - H&M

I have approximately 4 million cardigans, but I loved the sailor style look of this one with the gold button details.

Peach Frill Skirt - Urban Outfitters

I've been fancying this for ages and finally snapped it up when I trotted into Urban Outfitters in Cabot Circus the other day. And yes kids, they're opening one up in Cardiff very soon, so watch this space.

Grey Pointelle & Lace Vest - Urban Outfitters

The picture doesn't do this sweet vest justice. I love vests and along with the cardi's I have a more than a fair few, though I didn't have a grey lacy vest, so obviously I had to have this one.

Navy & White Polka Dot Dress - Urban Outfitters

Yes, Urban Outfitters again. Looks great with the new navy cardi.

Nude Frill Dress - H&M

I wore this dress to a show the other day and can't count how many people said they loved it, people actually stopped me in the street, everyone thought it was a vintage piece. After so many compliments I went back and bought the taupe version!

H&M have a few treasures this season. I hadn't been that impressed with them lately, nothing really took my fancy, but at the moment they have a few lovely pieces that are really worth looking at.
Sometimes I like something in there but when you put it on it can look cheap, and to be fair some pieces in there are very cheap, but you don't want it to look cheap!?! These dresses don't, when they're on they look like you bought them in a swanky boutique.

Along with the dresses I bought some very sweet vintage style ruffle collared tops in pale pink and red, both of which match the cardi, hoorah.

And to finish off my shopathon, a pair of Office shoes, i'm not sure if i'm going to keep these yet. Though I did think they'd look nice with my grey Falk leggings and polka dot dress.

Alice

2010-03-31T14:32:00.013+01:00

I do have a bit of a thing about Alice in Wonderland.

My Nana bought me my first Alice book when I was 8, I was enchanted by the story of Alice and her adventures and the book has always remained one of my favourites. This particular version was illustrated by Anthony Browne. He's an amazing artist and his Alice pictures were very surreal, full of weird quirky details that used to delight me. Thinking about it, when I was 8 I think I preferred the odd illustrations rather than the story itself.

Over the years, i've been (very slowly) collecting 'Alice' books and now have, wait for it . . .6!!! Not very many I know, but they are all vintage, and all wonderful.

When I discovered that one of my favourite, favourite, directors Tim Burton was making Alice in Wonderland, I was over the moon.

I went to see it a couple of weeks ago, and was very impressed. I was slightly overwhelmed by the IMAX & 3D, as this was my first IMAX movie, but I thought the movie was fab, though I know people who were disappointed. The sets and costumes were amazing and I really enjoyed the new twist on the story with the grown up Alice. And to top it all off I spotted a pic of my favourite actress, Helena Bonham Carter, wearing a silver pocketwatch at one premiere and a gunmetal one at another, both identical to mine!

I have trawled the internet trying to find a better picture of the necklaces, but to no avail, so you'll have to squint, very hard.

Whilst i'm on the subject of pocketwatches, i'm going to be adding some new beautiful pocketwatch pieces to the shop soon. I've got some larger, detailed pieces that i'm finishing and hope to add in the next week or so, so keep your eyes peeled. Last time I had the larger pieces they sold out in 2 days and i'm expecting these beauties to do the same.

Where does the time go . . .

2010-03-30T18:56:00.010+01:00

when you're trying to set up a website? Well, not even a website, just a new shop. Yesterday I spent the entire day trying to work out the HTML code to load a background image to 'prettify' my Big Cartel shop. I get so frustrated on the computer, you go on for 5 minutes and end up being on for 3 hours, I feel like I waste my day. I suppose that's why people pay someone to do their websites for them, it takes so much time, I can think of many other things i'd rather be doing!

Anyway, I have made the decision to expand my Big Cartel shop and hopefully use that as my web page. At least i'm going to trial it for a few weeks and see how that goes. I've wanted to expand the Random Vintage online shop for a while, but have been uncertain as to the direction to go in. Over the next few weeks i'm going to add lots more jewellery and Random Vintage designed decorations, i'm also planning on adding a few vintage pieces i've been saving for a special occasion.

I've listed a few new items today so check them out here.

When I was uploading my pics on to Flickr today I found the most amazing picture.

It's by a fantstic British artist called Clare Owen Here are a few more of her pieces.

I'm not usually a fan of cat pics (i'm more of a dog person), but I thought this was fab. I think it's because the little boy (or is it a girl) reminds me of one of the characters from one of my favourite films, 'Bellville Rendevous'.

I love the red haired lady, I wish I could look as chic her, i've got the polka dot top, now I just need the green beret and the birds.

Merci!

I ♥ Etsy

2010-03-28T17:11:00.007+01:00

I've had a happy morning browsing the latest wares on Etsy and I thought i'd share a few of my favourites with you, if you click on the pics you'll go straight to the Etsy shop.

I found a few lovely vintage dresses in this shop.

I love, love, love the lacy prom style dress, but where would I wear it?!
I also found this lovely lemon dress in another Etsy shop

It's such a pretty dress, perfect for summer, I love the style and pale lemon colour.

A few pieces of delicately painted china took my fancy.

And as always my penchant for anything with birds on it shines through.

I've wanted this bunny print for ages.

I think this spun cotton Easter girl figurine is so quirky, she may be mine by the end of the day, I don't think I can resist her for much longer.

There are a million more things I could purchase on Etsy. There's such a staggering array of beautiful items on there I find it so hard to choose a few favourites, and i'm very pleased to have my little shop nestled in amongst them.

Little Treasures

2010-03-23T12:36:00.004Z

A few new pieces have been added to the 'olde shoppe'!

Happy Tuesday.

Star Spotting

2010-03-16T12:04:00.010Z

Well it's been a busy few days. As I mentioned in my previous post I had 2 fairs last weekend and i'm still feeling a little wiped out!

I had a fab time at the Cardiff show on Saturday, there were some great stands with lovely stall holders and lots of tempting vintage treats.

My stand was looking quite jammed, think I need to work on my display for the fair next Saturday, i've got a very pretty vintage cupboard that i've been wanting to use for ages, i'll have to give it a lick of paint.

The new pocketwatches went down very well as did the message in a bottle necklace. I'm down to my last few bottle necklaces now, so if you want one it's best to purchase it sooner rather than later! I'm unable to get any more of the tiny bottles so i've had to come up with a new design with some slightly bigger bottles, still sweet but not as cute as the originals.

I only managed to get a few snaps of Debbie's stand at the show, but I promise i'll take more pics at the next show. She had beautiful vintage homewares and the display was so pretty, my dingy photo doesn't do it justice!

I've got my eye on that pretty mint green teapot (on the middle shelf in picture below), think i'll be snapping that one up next week.

Though I did make a purchase from Debbie, I bought this little gold and mint coloured teapot as a pressie for my mum.

That's the trouble with these shows, you see so many things you like to end up spending all your takings! Mel had the most gorgeous clothes on her stand and I bought a pretty peach vintage slip from her.

We had Cheltenham on the Sunday. I have to say it was a disappointing show. The Pittville Pumprooms is a beautiful venue, it's basically the old spa in Cheltenham and it's a very grand building with the most beautiful rooms. Unfortunately for me and one other stand we were put in a dingy hallway next to the toilets! It was a terrible position, the light was bad and the jewellery looked dull. I was getting quite depressed as people weren't even coming in to our 'room', but we ended up with some ok sales and it was worth the journey in the end, though i'm not sure if i'll do the Cheltenham show again. Mothers Day also had an effect as it was a very quiet event, usually the Blind Lemon Shows are packed, but I think everybody was out treating their mum's to lunch.

But, there was a flurry of excitement during the quiet day. Lily Allen was at the show doing a bit of vintage shopping, she was very petite and pretty, at one point I was standing next to her and I felt like a giant! Apparently she's opening up a vintage shop in London which will be fab i'm sure, I just wish she'd come in our room to have a look at the jewellery, oh well next time.

All the Fun of the Fairs!

2010-03-11T19:14:00.007Z

I'm just finishing a few bits and pieces in preparation for not one, but two fairs this weekend. On Saturday Random Vintage has a stand at the new Serendipity Vintage Fair in Cardiff city centre. This is taking place from 10am - 4pm, in the United Reform Church in Windsor Place (near Bar33 & Buffalo), just off Queen Street. As i've mentioned before this is a new venture being organised by Mel and Debbie from Forever Vintage, two dates have been booked (13th & 20th March) and if all goes well this will be a regular Saturday event.

(picture courtesy of suchprettythings on flickr)

There will be stands selling a variety of vintage goodies icluding clothing, jewellery, accessories, homeware and textiles. There will even be a vintage style tearoom selling delicious homemade cakes, so please come along and join in the fun! We'd really like this to become a regular event and the more support the better.

I have a few new pieces for the stand and there's a few quirky 'prototypes' that i'll be showing for a new collection that i've been working on. There will be plenty of new pocketwatches, hoorah! I've got some lovely new designs in and the pocketwatch tree will bloom once again after it was wiped out at the last Cardiff show.

The second show of the weekend is the Blind Lemon Vintage Show in the Pittville Pumprooms in Cheltenham on Sunday. I love Cheltenham and am hoping this is going to be a great show, even though I have an underlying worry that it might be a little quiet as it's Mothers Day! My poor Mum will not be having a day of rest as she will be helping me at this event, though I have promised to take her out for a fancy meal in the evening as compensation. She always helps out at the Blind Lemon Shows as it's quite a big event and it's much easier for me to have a second pair of hands, she always sells far more than I do. Thanks Mum you're a STAR!

Pretties

2010-03-09T17:44:00.006Z

A few new pieces that will be appearing in the shop in the next few days and the shows this weekend.

A vintage rhinestone collar with a pink opal and vintage charms.

A quirky piece using a few of my favourite things.

The message in the bottle reads 'Follow your heart'.

Finally a few vintage millinery flowers that arrived from the US, so pretty.

Oxford Wanderings

2010-03-09T14:56:00.021Z

On Sunday I had a lovely trip to Oxford to see my very brainy, handsome and extremely tall cousin Paul who is in his final year studying Law at Oxford University, he's a clever boy.

I've never been to Oxford before, even though numerous friends have lived there at various times over the years, i've never managed to squeeze in a trip to see them, so it was about time I made the effort. I was not disappointed.

Such a beautiful city, we had a fantastic time exploring the university grounds and wandering down quirky little lanes and finding quaint little pubs. Unfortunately the day just wasn't long enough, after a long relaxed luch (we like to do a lot of eating and drinking in my family!), and a wander round the University we ran out of time. I will definately have to go back for a second visit asap, I didn't even get a chance to root around in any of the wacky antiques shops they have dotted all over the city.

St John's College, where Paul has his Uni accomadation and studies Law.

The grounds of St John's College with the beautiful crocus. How lovely it would be to wander through there on the way to your lectures in the morning, actually I don't think i'd bother going to lectures, i'd just lie about in the sun.

Jammy student accomadation, I don't remember my halls of residence at uni being quite so nice.

Worcester College

A furry friend and some slightly blurred feathered friends.

All Souls college, for the brightest of the bright. As you can tell by the pic, the light was starting to fade by then, I cannot tell you how cold it was, sunny yet freezing!

Mr Brainbox himself, I think he was pointing out the emblem for the law school?!?
A great day was had by all, we'll have to do it again very soon.

Disappearing Act

2010-03-04T08:09:00.007Z

Errr, I realised I haven't blogged for ages, only one post in February, disgusting! It's been a very busy few weeks, getting back into the swing of things with the shows. First of all we had Blind Lemon in Bristol.

Above photos are courtesy of the Blind Lemon Vintage website

The show was quite good but not as busy as I was expecting it to be, I think generally everyone found it quite quiet. Though I did meet some lovely Spanish ladies who own a boutique just outside Madrid and they bought some quirky Random Vintage pieces to sell in their shop, which was great. I like the idea of my jewels heading off to sunnier climes!

Next we had a busy weekend with Cowbridge on Saturday and Cardiff on Sunday. I do have a soft spot for Cowbridge, it's a monthly show and I had a stand there all last year and it's great to see how it's grown. All the stallholders are lovely and when you do a show in Cowbridge it's more of a social gathering where we constantly chat, rather than any kind of work. If you haven't been to the Cowbridge Craft & Gift Show before I strongly recommend it! The quality of stands there is great with several of the stallholders having items selling in high end shops such as Libertys in London. There is a mix of vintage and new stands, with all sorts of gift ideas to suit any occassion. It's really not your typical craft fair, a lot of effort goes into this show and demand for a stand is high, Maggie and Sue have a very long waiting list!

Cowbridge itself is a very picturesque market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, well worth a visit in itself.

There are a mix of beautiful high end boutiques, quirky antique shops, pretty gift shops, quaint pubs and lovely restaurants to tempt you, it's definately the nicest town in the Vale.

The Blind Lemon Fair in Cardiff was a huge success. The good people of Cardiff went pocketwatch crazy, I sold all of my pocketwatch necklaces at the show! To all the people who came back for more, I will be getting them again, hopefully they'll be ready for the new Cardiff show i'm doing on the 13th. I'll have a couple of new designs to tempt you, so get there early before they all go! The Cardiff fair was really buzzy, there always seems to be a great atmosphere at that show and people were wearing the most fantastic outfits.

I managed to get away from the stand for a few minutes to hunt down some new treasures.

Sparkly vintage rhinestone brooches and earrings.

Vintage mother of pearl birdy brooch.

Old photos and vintage brooches (I love the bright floral piece)!

Finally some keys and a vintage charm, that picture of the little boy (at least I think it's a boy, who knows?) bought a smile to my face, I had to have it.

I'm sorry I don't have any pics of the stand at Blind Lemon because it was looking particularly pretty and the pocketwatch tree was great, a few people did have their pics taken with the stand, if you could email any pics to me that would be fab!

More Shows!

2010-02-03T09:47:00.005Z

Just a quick update to let you know i've had confimation on a few more shows. Love Vintage is a fab show that's taking place in Wenvoe on 10th April. I did the first one Maggie and Sam organised last October and had a great time, it's a beautiful venue and the stands were gorgeous, a really nice vintage mix, so i'm looking forward to that!

Here's a snippet of my stand, though I don't think the pic was actually taken at that show, but you get the idea.

I'm also going to be taking part in a new vintage show which is being organised by two lovely ladies Mel and Debbie. Mel owned Forever Vintage in Penarth, a treasure trove of vintage delights, with clothes, jewellery, vintage millinery, old postcards, lace gloves, shoes, bags etc. She had the most gorgeous displays, it was a real feast for the eyes. Sadly it closed last autumn and Mel has been on the look out for a new unit to sell her beautiful wares, (though I think she has a stand in Jacobs Antique Centre if you want to take a peep).

Last night I had a phone call from Debbi(possibly the nicest lady ever) with some exciting news! They had found a fab unit right in the center of Cardiff and wanted to do a vintage show there. There are going to be 8 stands (including me), selling a range of vintage pieces including homewares, textiles, clothing, bags and jewellery. There are two Saturdays booked, the 13th and 20th March, and if they're a success they're hoping to make it a regular Saturday occurance, so fingers crossed.

What to do . . .

2010-01-29T13:01:00.008Z

I've been finding it hard to get back into the swing of things, in the jewellery sense, I still seem to be in Christmas mode which is ridiculous as we're now at the end of January! Though things are now gradually moving and inspiration has (started to) come back and i'm gearing up for the spring/summer shows. I've been working on a few new ideas so I thought i'd give you a peek.

Pretty summer earrings, i've already bagged a green pair for myself, even though they probably clash with my hair!

Some vintage floral cabs, seem to be going with the flowery theme. Not sure what i'm going to do with these yet, maybe a simple pendant necklace.

I have bowls, pots, plates and jars full of bits and pieces i've scoured from near and far to make my jewellery. They are all patiently waiting to be used in one piece or another. These pics are just a tiny sample of my collection, I tried to organise everything at the beginning of the year but then I got bored, so this is as far as i've got. Maybe on a rainy day i'll do some more, we'll see.

A few vintage buttons and a mix of vintage faux pearl and my favourite vintage mother of pearl necklaces.

I store a few of my beads in this vintage type tray. I can't tell you the number of hours it took me to paint it white, I thought it would never end, but I think it was worth it.

Right, back to work.

Day Tripper

2010-01-24T18:47:00.019Z

Had a couple of days out last week, a day in Cirencester and (another) day in Bath. Popped up to Cirencester with my mum to visit the Anqiues & Collectables Fair they have in the Corn Hall every Friday. It's a great fair with a really interesting mix of stands to suit all tastes and, fortunately for me, all price ranges. I picked up a few treasures.

Two vintage prints dating from 1865 and 1883. The vendor had eight of these gorgeous prints and I found it so difficult to choose but I think I picked the best two!

A sweet, yet grubby, vintage bottle that I plan to embellish with vintage images, flowers and pearls, I think i'm going to try and alter a few bottles to sell on the stand. That's the plan anyway, don't hold me to it! I found these two little chairs and had to buy them, even though I don't know what i'm going to do with them, maybe use them as jewellery props for the stand?!

As a bird fan, I found this little framed emroidery quite appealing and for 50p, a bargain.

I also found three more swans to add to my collection. The lady I bought these from told me that the smaller ones were used for cake decorations which I find quite charming, but what kind of cake would they be used for? I assume weddings, or maybe christenings, answers on a postcard.

But by far my most exciting purchase of the day were these...

I use a lot of keys in my jewellery making so these were a great find, I tend to only use the small ones so the larger pieces will be finding their way onto Etsy soon.

Last but not least, I did find a few pieces of jewellery to have a play about with.

I did buy a few more jewellery pieces including a bracelet made from silver sixpences, vintage faux pearls and some tiny cameos but unfortunately these have disappeared, maybe into the depths of my handbag, so pics of those will have to wait.

After the fair we had a wander round Cirencester and had a peek in some of it's pretty shops. There are a number of independant shops here which is something I really like, i'd much rather buy from a small independant business than a large chain store. I also think you can find something a little bit different in independant shops. There's a fab little clothes shop I often pop into when visiting Cirencester, the owner always gets in a few different pieces in very limited quantities so you know that not many people are going to be prancing around in the same outfit as you! I bought the most beautiful Avoca coat. It was just calling to me from the racks, i'll wear it to death, or so that's what I keep telling myself, it was quite expensive and since i've just recently purchased two new coats I didn't really need another one. Oh well, it was half price in the sale!

I love my new coat.

Show Update

2010-01-20T21:52:00.006Z

Just a quick note to let you know, I have now updated the News/Events section of the website to list the Spring/Summer 2010 show dates. There's only a few listed right now but i'm waiting for confimation on some more so i'll keep you posted!

I've also been updating my Etsy shop. I haven't been using Etsy for a while as I was getting fed up with the fluctuating exchange rates, but I thought i'd give it another try. I absolutely love Etsy, they are so many talented artists and crafters displaying their wares on there. Though I do find it very dangerous, there are so many beautiful things I want I can't seem to stop myself buying them!

New Girls

2010-01-19T17:47:00.008Z

Here are a few new pieces i've been working on that will be going into 'ye olde shoppe' in the next few days.

The quality of these pics aren't that great but you get the idea! I had many plans for today, including taking some decent photos of the new jewellery pieces, but as usual any plans I make seem to go out the window and I end up not achieving anything I set out to do. I popped into town and bumped into a lovely friend I hadn't seen for a while, needless to say we went for a coffee and very long chat. By the time I got home and took the dog for a walk the light was fading, hence the not great pics!

Those of you who have seen Random Vintage at a show know I love my vintage pocket watch necklaces. The problem I have in making these pieces is finding decent vintage pocket watches. Pocket watches are either extortionately expensive or horrible and falling apart and i'm finding it increasingly difficult to sniff them out. So, I made an executive decision to buy some new 'vintage' pocket watches in order to tie me over, while I continue to hunt for decent vintage ones.

The new ones are small and very cute. They also work, unlike the vintage pieces I buy! I'm pairing them with vintage style charms to try and capture an 'Alice in Wonderland' vibe.

Though I think this is my favourite new piece.

A working magnifying glass and the vintage ships wheel charm that I told you about in my last blog, such a great pairing.

Foundlings

2010-01-17T21:55:00.021Z

I fancied a change of scene yesterday, so I decided a trip to Bath was in order to seek out some vintage treasures at the Saturday flea market.

Unfortunately due to the wet, cold and frankly quite miserable weather (see above pic!) the flea market was a bit of a disappointment with only 3 brave souls venturing to set up their stands. After perusing their wares and deciding that everything I liked was far too expensive (it seemed to be quite a pricey flea market) I came away empty handed and thought i'd try my luck in the antiques shops.

I wandered up to Bartlett Street and had a nose around the fab antiques centre, it has over 60 stands and an amazing selection of vintage goodies. I always visit the fantastic button stand with the most beautiful vintage buttons and trim and there's a lovely stand selling vintage rhinestone brooches, quite amazing but also tres expensive, so I just like to look and lust after them!

But by far the best stand, in my opinion, is tucked away in the far corner of the basement. I have no idea what the stand's called, which is terrible as I go there all the time, but it's a treasure trove of quirky, interesting, beautiful and unusual vintage pieces. There are boxes of vintage cracker jack charms, racks of old beads, quirky dolls heads, beautiful brooches, vintage sweetheart cards, old perfume bottles, lace gloves . . . you get the picture. They have boxes and boxes of jewellery that I can spend all day happily trawling through! Sadly I didn't have all day but I did manage to find a few pretties that took my fancy.

A gorgeous 1930's rhinestone heart pendant, a 1960's lucite and diamonte pendant, a super cute tiny teddy Victorian cracker jack charm that I couldn't resist and an unusual gold ships wheel charm/pendant.

I always clean all the vintage pieces I buy whether it's jewellery, linens, china, it can make such a huge difference to the piece. I find some vintage jewellery pieces can be really grubby, so as soon as they get home they're given a good clean, vintage rhinestone jewellery in particular can get quite dirty and dull, but cleaning them really brings them back to life. I took before and after pics of my my new found treasures to illustrate this as the two rhinestone pieces were filthy and looking a bit worse for wear, unfortunately I don't think you can see a huge difference between the before (left pic) and after shots! But take my word for it, the rhinestones are now shimmery and shiny and are ready to be added to a fab new Random Vintage piece, though i'm now thinking I might keep the heart for myself as it's far too pretty to sell.

I really must learn to let go of pieces.

Domino

2010-01-05T17:39:00.015Z

Among the many gorgeous pressies I had this Christmas, my lovely mum bought me the fantastic 'Domino: The Book of Decorating'.

I am a huge fan of interior design/decoration books and have an ever growing collection, but I have to say that this is one of my favourites. The book is basically an amalgamation of the best bits of Domino magazine, an interior mag from the US (now sadly closed), the pictures are beautiful and the book has some great interior design tips and ideas and is very aspirational.

One of the big selling points of this book for me, was that it featured Domino's contributing editor Rita Konig. I have been slightly obsessed with Rita Konig ever since I read about her in an article in The Telegraph about a year ago. She is the daughter of Nina Campbell (so she's obviously picked up the good decorating gene)and she is a designer and author. I love her decorating style and the way she puts things together in a quirky and unfussy way, she creates a very elegant and stylish look with an incredible eye for detail.

The images above and below are of her gorgeous New York apartment, I could move in without changing a thing. The top right image is featured in the book as she explains the design inspiration behind her entrance hall.

The photo montage over the fireplace is such a great feature and how fab is the gold piggy bank on the mantle!

Ahhh bliss.

New Year Favourites

2010-01-04T22:57:00.025Z

I thought i'd start 2010 with a few of my favourite things . . .

Christian Louboutin Rolando Pumps, Richard Nicoll Dress, Marni Frame Bag

Vintage Birds.

Tiny quirky deer plaque.

A cute little chap.

And a limited edition statement print by Tracey Jenkins.

A good start I think.