The Spoils

I can't get over how hot it is at the moment, I know it's summer but that doesn't always equal sun. I'm so happy to be having a real summer this year, all the barbeque's and Pimms and lying about in the sun. Watching the football and the tennis and visiting Brighton and eating frozen yogurt on the beach.  Aside from these activities I have been doing a good bit of thrifting lately. Here are some of my recent finds.
  
These brooches - I feel rather bad about the cream one because it was fine when I bought it and for who knows how many years before that -  but having been in my bag for a day it came out broken, oops! The other one is just so sweet. The charity shop (oxfam) had a few different ones, all made of old embroideries put into different sized  frames. Again I almost didn't buy it, but I'm so glad I did. I mean it's a bluebird. How could I not?

This bag -  I'm never sure I will use clutches, I prefer bags with straps to keep my hands free but I have a few more formal occasions to dress up for this summer so I think it would be a great bag for that.

These Books - I think I just liked the cover of the D.H Lawrence book and the bird print would look nice as a dress. Although I have been trying to read a bit more poetry. I collect these little observer's books. There are a lot of them. So far I have: birds eggs, birds, wild flowers, trees and shrubs, pond life (my favourite) and now astronomy.

These patterns -  I found these and also some great old photos in one of my favourite shops, Snooper's paradise in Brighton. The blouse has buttons up the back and the pink or black shift looked fairly average until I looked closer and saw the scalloped hem. I've wanted to give scalloped hems a go for a while and now I can. I would also like the first navy polka dot dress exactly as it is.

This chocolate  - a little gift from my sister. Elderflower and chocolate, actually a very tasty combination.

That's all for now. On a different topic, I can never seem to find any vintage shoes these days, does anyone else have this problem? Charity shops seem to have less and less stock that is pre-1980's generally but vintage shoes are getting especially tough to find. Also I just wanted to say a big thanks to Lisa for featuring me in her fab five post. I am so thrilled to be featured, especially alongside so many stylish bloggers. Thank you!

Wimbledon

Hat and shoes - H&M

Shorts - Uniqlo

Shoes - vintage, charity shop

Knitted bowtie - handmade

I can't believe that it's been a full week since my last post! This isn't much of an outfit post either, I apologize. On Tuesday I was lucky enough to get centre court tickets to Wimbledon (thanks mum). I always watch it  but I've never been before and I had a great time. The whole place was surprisingly pretty with roses and wooden benches and even at one point, a jazz band. Our seats were pretty close and we got to watch a Nadal, Serena and Soderling and at the end of the day we wandered into an empty court which was then used for a doubles game with Serena and Venus. So plenty of tennis, as well as the obligatory strawberries (25p a strawberry) and Pimms (£6.70 a glass!)  I know food and drink is always expensive at these things but I was still surprised. But it had to be done. Also it was an incredibly hot day and I started off wearing trousers and a jacket, however halfway there I realised my error and ducked into Uniqlo and brought these shorts. I'm glad I did because although it was shady on court it was pretty hot on Henman hill.  On a vaguely fashion related note, Venus's tennis dress was rather sweet, the skirt looked like it was made of layers of tiny fringe. I had a lovely day, if you ever get to go I highly recommend it.

Dress Envy

Dress - Handmade

Shoes - Charity shop

Bag - Charity shop

Hat - Grandmother's

 So I have to admit to something... I suffer from serious dress envy. You know when you see a girl in the street wearing a perfect vintage dress and wish it was yours, or just miss buying something on Etsy or Ebay? Well when I saw this lovely dress on Jess of the Cat's Pajamas I suffered quite a bit of dress envy. Since it was a vintage handmade dress there was no chance of purchasing one. However I thought I could always make one. It looked like a fairly straight forward dress and I have plenty of chambray lying around (because I love chambray) plus some scraps of checked fabric from my grandmother. I used and altered a juniors dress pattern. I chose age 13 but it turned out huge, much larger than a misses pattern for some reason, so I took it in a bit and voila! It's not exactly the same, I decided on a more Peter Pan style collar and the checks are different. I hope it's not too strange a thing to do,  I suppose imitation is the greatest form of flattery?

As for the rest, the bag is the same brand as the one I had in the last outfit post. A brand called Marc Chantal. Both bags have the same style of clasp, of which I am fond.  There is something very satisfying about the way it works. The whole outfit reminds me slightly of a school uniform and the Madeline books so I thought the hat and satchel would go well. I also have a thing for bird books, I just love the colour plates. This one was published in 1929.

The Modern Girl

 

I thought today I post some images from a sweet book I found in a charity shop The Modern Girls Annual, for girls aged 9-14. I can't find a date for it but based on they style and contents I think it was published around the mid to late1960's. It's funny to think that my mum would have been the right age to read this when she was a girl. The Modern Girls Annual was published by the Daily Sketch, a British paper published from the 1950s until 1971 when it merged with another paper. The book is full of beautifully illustrated short stories with titles like The Cavalier Maid, Circus Girl and The tale of a Lame Pigeon. As well as articles such as Watching Birds, Life in the Lab and Fresh ideas for party drinks. The annual tries to be fun and informative with tips about manners and hosting parties as well as information about what you need to do to work in a  hospital laboratory. One of the reasons I bought the book were the beautiful illustrations, including this 'special interest' section on dressing up. I particularly like the poodle costume and how Disney like Alice in Wonderland looks. Which is your favourite?

Rhododendrons

Hat - H&M

Dress - Charity shop, Laura Ashely

Shoes - Charity shop

Bag - Belonged to my Grandmother

On Sunday we took a trip to Sheffield Park Gardens. The gardens are owned by the National Trust and were designed by 'Capability' Brown in the 18th century and extended by it's owner Arthur.G.Soames at the beginning of the 20th century. The whole gardens were full of colourful  rhododendrons everywhere you looked. As well as a couple of giant redwoods and  a lake where you can glimpse part of the Gothic house. The whole place is really beautiful and I fully recommend a visit.

Persuasion

Shirt -Charity shop

Top - Charity shop

Skirt - Uniqlo

Shoes - Charity shop

Headscarf - Charity shop

As part of our trip we visited Lyme Regis, a coastal town in Devon. I have been to Lyme before and I love it, it is full of fossil and antique shops and there is even a vintage shop. Plus crazy golf overlooking the sea and arcade games by the beach. I was eager to go there this time since I have just finished reading Jane Austen's Persuasion and a large part of it is set in Lyme. The first photo above is of the harbour wall known as the Cobb which also features in the book. As for my outfit, after finding out just how windy it can be by the sea I thought I'd go for a headscarf this time, sadly this did not work out and it blew off my head as soon as we got there. Everything else bar the skirt is from charity shops. It would also seem I have become stuck on blue and white outfits. I think I need to start embracing a few more colours.