Last year for Mother's Day, I asked for a vintage china teacup filled with a candle. It came wrapped in a piece of Country Life magazine, dated 1st April 1933.
I loved the wrapping as much as the teacup. (I should have photographed the other side of it too, it had a couple of photos of bias cut dresses.) I've always been a fan of using adverts as art, so I planned on getting a frame for it.
Slightly over a year later, I have finally done just that. I bought a very inexpensive wooden frame, and painted it cream. I'd planned to distress it afterwards, but as yet have left it painted but unscuffed. I can't decide if I want to chip the paint or not. I quite like it a solid colour, it seems to set off the magazine page really nicely.
The other thing I can't decide is where is should live. For the time being, it's being propped up on the mantelpiece. It can stay there until I find a permanent home for it.
please ignore droopy roses in the jam jar. A week ago, while shopping in Primark, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a couple of maxi skirts. I have a love/hate thing with maxis. I love them but they don't always love me. Being the clumsy oaf that I am, trying to float around in a full length skirt is bound to end in tears. I took note of them as I left the shop.
Then last week a catalogue from Anthropologie plopped through the letterbox, addressed to me. I have no idea why, I've heard of Anthro, but assumed it wasn't available over here. I hadn't requested the catalogue, but I'm so glad it arrived. I adore their products. Oh to have pots of money to spend there! But I don't have pots of money, and even if I did, I would not spend £98 on [This maxi skirt], even though I really liked it. I know it's silk, but it's still a lot of money.
The more I thought about it, the more I thought the one I'd spotted in Primark had been pretty similar.
Off I went on Saturday, and indeed they did have something similar, and for just £10! Yey! The only trouble was they had three on the rack, all smaller sizes than I needed. I looked at the waistband (elasticated) of the largest of the three skirts and decided to take a chance. Result! It fitted! (This is what I was talking about recently with Primark and their sizing, it's best to completely ignore the labels. The label in the 50's style skirt that I bought was 2 sizes larger than the size I'd buy in other shops, the maxi skirt is 2 sizes smaller than I'd normally buy!)
I can release my inner hippy this summer.
I plan to wear flat shoes with it on hot days, or my cork wedges that are so comfy, but when I spotted these, I just couldn't resist buying them. Gorgeous!
Together, shoes and skirt have a fabulous 70's feel. I'm so glad that it cost just £10 and not £98. Within 5 minutes of trying it on with these shoes, I'd put a heel through the hem of it and torn a one inch rip! So I've already got a little patch and repair on it, and it's only two days old. Typical of me.
We've started the hunt for the perfect 'Gustavian' grey paint for the hallway and landing. The husband left it to me to choose a couple of sample pots. I was a bit on the cautious side, and chose two that are not right at all. Lovely colours, but one is too white~grey, the other looks more creamy than grey. I left this photo unedited, to show the true colours.
I've been looking at the colour chart, and have spotted a couple that look right. There is no rush to get it done, as the flooring won't be changed until the autumn, but it's nice to have made a start, however small.