Second Hand, Still Grand: June 2013

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Wardrobe: Teal 'Fo Real

I'm rather excited to blog about my outfit choice today, as a new coat arrived in the post from eBay - just in time! Buying clothes from eBay is always a gamble as you can't try them on beforehand, but most of the time I'm not disappointed. This purchase was no exception:

I won this vintage piece for thrupence, which is proof that searching for winter clothes in summer is a winner (not for the seller, but y'know)

Black velvet collar and delicate lace detailing on the dress.

Velvet covered buttons.

Dainty floral print.

Coat:

From: eBay

Brand: Le Chateau (vintage)

Price: £13.49

Dress:

From: Urban Outfitters

Brand: Johann for Urban

Price: £14.00 (sale)

Shoes (scuffed with love):

From: Banardos charity shop

Brand: Unknown (vintage)

Price: £4.00

Bag:

From: Mercy in Action charity shop

Brand: Dents (vintage)

Price: £4.00

Second Hand/New: 3/4

Total Cost of Outfit:

£35.49

As much as I love my new coat, I'm hoping I won't need to wear it much until at least September (pleasepleaseplease be hot, summer!)

Monday 24 June 2013

Lovely Things: Book Storage

As impressed as I am by the technology of the Kindle, you can't beat a hard copy of a good book. And good books deserve great storage, am I right?

This symmetrical structure is so simple but has such a high impact! Not to mention a lot of room for a many-a-book.

The piano is my favourite instrument and I'm big on recycling, so as you can probably imagine this idea caught my eye immediately! Very clever.

As a rule books are displayed vertically, so this horizontal display is a really interesting alternative. The colour of the shelves are gorgeous too, reminds me of Farrow and Ball's 'Arsenic'.

This one kind of makes me feel dizzy when I look at it, but I appreciate the original design.

Upcycling a wooden reel ike this is genius!

One of those grand designs you know you'll never have but you gawp at anyway.

I love love love built in storage in alcoves - it looks so tidy and provides extra space without essentially using up any room.

You know that book storage is quality when there's a sliding ladder involved.

Colour coding never gets old!

Invisible shelving is definitely aesthetically appealing with books.

Arches are so lovely! Just makes me think of how many different things I could have made my DIY fireplace surround wardrobe into.

Repurposing objects always makes me smile. Can I call a clamp cute? Because I think it's cute.

Another bright horizontal book display.

Book storage in a staircase? That's too cool.

A straighforward design, but love the rustic feel.

Some crazy repurposing to conclude this entry. 10/10!

Sunday 23 June 2013

22.06.13

As a rule I skip to the charity shops with joy in my heart, but the weather was awful yesterday (welcome to England!), and hence my enthusiasm was somewhat lacking. Luckily the weather doesn't affect the bargain forecast:

Sweet little mirrored drawers in British Heart Foundation. They have similar ones to these in Laura Ashley, and they're not cheap!

A pretty set of vintage dessert forks in a box - Dorothy House.

A very unusual vintage bag in Dorothy House, it almost looks like a doctor's kit?

I spotted these craaazy shoes in Julian House. They wanted £20 for them, which seemed pretty pricey to me, even if creepers are fashionable at the moment!

I thought that these old Clarks heels were rather pretty - I really like the cutout design in the leather.

Cow mugs with checkered saucers and general retro vibe.

I quickly did the rounds at the market, as usual. Gotta love a quality record player.

Interesting metal ram's head.

If you want to see weird crap, go to a market. It's a guarantee.

A reproduction retro coat rack in Save the Children. So funky!

I had one more charity shop to go, and felt proud/shocked that I hadn't managed to spend any money. The I got to Dorothy House No.2...

And bought this stunning art deco mirror! It was only £10, can you blame me?

I love old kitchen sets like these.

Pastel colours are great, so I was also rather partial to these ceramic plant pots.

To conclude this entry, I also now own possibly the most gorgeous top ever made:

A sheer black Lipsy top with beading and sequin detailing. It was like new and cost me a mere £6! Y'know how I'm drawn to shiny things.

Yup, definitely shiny.

Saturday 22 June 2013

Barg of the Week: Marmite Birds

Supposedly the deal with Marmite is that you either love it or hate it; there's no mediocrity as far as that spread is concerned.

It would seem that a set of rather unusual antiques I purchased at a charity shop have a similar impact on people:

I am personally a lover of these funky birds (which is pretty self-explanatory since I invested in them)

I'm not sure how old they are, but apparently they were donated by an antique dealer who was clearing out his house. My guess is 1970s, but I could be wrong.

There are two sets, one with blue birds and one with red birds. I'm really interested in east-asian culture, so these guys immediately appealed to me.

There're displayed in 3D frames, much like real taxidermy...although with super-fake, incredibly tacky plants. Is it wrong that I love those plastic flowers?

Close-up of the hand painted birds and Chinese writing on the frosted glass. The ribbon edging is a nice touch.

There are little doors on the back of the boxes, which open to reveal LIGHTBULBS. I kid you not.

There you have it.

Complete with a rather old skool plug. Maybe this would help to indicate the age of my birdies? Can any electrical genius help me out here?

Regardless, the plan is to touch up the paintwork, modernise the electrics and get these babies on the wall. For £5 (only £2.50 each, good grief), I couldn't go wrong.

The question is, do you love them or hate them?