★ It's PRETTY Old ★

Here's another look at my recent vintage treasure finds...

Sunday 28th July

Lebberston Car Boot, Scarborough

Queens' Coronation Tin

Old Rose water bottle

8 x Mother of pearl buttons

A cigarette box

2 x vintage threads

A Queens' coronation tunnel card

I think this is my favourite vintage find EVER!

It's a Queens' coronation Tunnel card, it has a little hole in the front and when you look through it... 

...this is what you see...

...LOVE IT!!!

Please take a look at my It's PRETTY Old shop where I sell my vintage treasures.

★ It's PRETTY Old ★

Sometimes you find treasures and sometimes you don't.

A couple of weeks I decided to visit my local carboot sale and I returned with some real treasures - I am SOOOO excited to show you...


Sunday 14th July
Lebberston Car Boot, Scarborough

Ringtons Tea tin
6 x penguin books (1x1st edition)
Treasure Island book

Scarborough watercolour print
Small blue & white Teacup & saucer
Myott floral teacup & saucer

Five Foley teacups & saucers

I just LOVE this treasure Island book cover...

Definately my "buy of the day!" 

I definately won't be Teacup candling these beauties.

Please take a look at my It's PRETTY Old shop where I sell my vintage treasures.

★ It's PRETTY Old ★

With my LOVE of all things vintage I have decided to do a regular feature called "It's PRETTY Old" showcasing the vintage "treasures" I have recently bought.

I don't think a week goes by without me buying something, even if it is just a 50p book.

Here goes...

Sunday 5th May

Advintageous fair, Scarborough Spa

5 x penguin paperback books

Ship in a bottle (Tom)

 & Paper moon postcard (1907)

Pretty floral Handkerchief

Lots of lovely FREE leaflets

Please take a look at my It's PRETTY Old shop where I sell my vintage treasures.

★ Advintageous fair ★

One of my favourite things to do, like EVER is looking around local charity shops, car boot sales and auction houses trying to find little vintage treasures.  It is rare that I will walk out of one of these places empty handed!  

I recently visited The AdVintageous fair in Scarborough, it was packed full of stalls selling everything from vintage clothes, jewellery and bags to old photos, books and suitcases!  I was in heaven! 

Here area few of my pictures taken at the fair...

Lots of colourful, patterned vintage dresses!

Lovely battered old suitcases

Mickey Ramsbottom & the Alka Seltzers

I couldn't resist the penguin books and bought five!

The next Advintageous fair is at Bridlington Spa Sunday 26th May, it's well worth a visit! 

Scarboroughs shop windows

I am a little obsessed with beautiful window displays, shop fronts and signage.  If they have a vintage or kitsch look then all the better.  Here are some local shops I have snapped recently while out n about...

Mrs lofthouses secondhand book emporium is on Queen street, Scarborough (near boyes) sells vintage and newer books.  It has the feel of an old fashioned booksellers and you could be in there for hours.

 

This was a nice old sign I spotted in Bridlingtons Old Town (although it had gone last time I visited).  If you have never visited The Old Town in Bridlington, it is well worth a visit if you like antique shops, vintage stores and galleries.

 

Homebird House is a fairly new shop in Scarborough, It is on St. Helens Square (opposite the market) and well worth a visit.  It sells everything from cards and gifts to clothes, lighting and even furniture.  See my article about Homebird House here.

Francis Tea rooms is like stepping back to the 1930s, a quaint little place on South Street, Scarborough (behind the esplanade)  It has wood pannelled private booths, old china tea cups and embroidered tablecloths, see my article about it here

Ha ha!  This joke shop is a tacky, kitsch paradise!  Like the signage though.  Selling fancy dress, tacky souvenirs and "adult" toys (int' window!)  It is on the corner as you take the long walk down to the beach in Scarborough.

This was a lovely antique shop near Maltons Market Square, unfortunately it was closed so just managed to snap this photo, LOVE the cushions!

Poppy Joans is a lovely gift shop slightly off the beaten track on Gladstone Road, Scarborough.  The window displays always look beautiful and it sells an array of gifts for the home, yourself & kiddiwinks!

Arosa is a lovely old fashioned handmade chocolate shop on Ramshill Road, Scarborough (parade of shops if coming from filey) It's like going back in time, but great chocolates!

The Shepherd Purse is my favourite shop in Whitby, the window displays always look amazing! Basically a combined deli and clothes shop that sells a great range of items.  If you're looking for organic bath salts, a cinnamon stick, some local cheese or a floaty summer dress, this is the place to come.  It also boasts a B&B too.

Bjorn clogs in Scarborough (opposite Boyes).  They have been a manufacturer and retailer of handmade Swedish style clogs for nearly 30 years.  I remember buying my kickers from there back int' day!

Homebird House

There is a fabulous new shop opened up in my hometown and I just had to tell you about it. It is called HOMEBIRD HOUSE and if you are familiar with Scarborough it is opposite the entrance to the Market on St. Helens square.

It's a home & body lifestyle store and stocks a wide range of products from window boxed cupcake bath bombs to really pretty lazercut cards, bunting, creative colour in wall paper.  You can get the perfect present for kids, mum, best friend or granny.

The shop is owned by a very friendly interior designer Alex Anderson.  It's a real breath of fresh air for Scarborough, as we are overun with tacky souvenir, charity and poundshops.

There is a great range of Christmas Decorations and gifts...

Love these frames...

...and these fellas...

...and LOOK they also stock my Rankidoodle cards and Teacup candles too!

For more info and pictures visit the website here and the facebook page here

★ INSTAGRAM FAVES ★

As you know I am completely addicted to instagram, if you are new to it and unsure who to follow I will be regularly sharing with you my favourite people to follow, here goes...

Sesame and Lilly grew from a little box of antique trinkets and

vintage french fabric, creating beautiful cushions,vintage journals and jewellery.

You can visit their website here

Sueshine is Mama to a brilliant & beautiful lil' gal who happens to be Autistic.

 Wife to a kind hearted & tech savvy man.

Dottie Angel is a big fan of 'Granny chic'.

She makes beautiful handstitched vintage inspired creations from the 

airstream trailer in her back garden, you can visit her blog here

Doodle_do is a collection of Collage Mashups/Visual Remixes

All created on the iphone, I'd love to learn how

Flashesofstyle is Bonnie Barton. 23 year old vintage lover.

Newly based in New York City and always finding beauty in everything.

You can visit her blog here

You can see some of my other fave instagrammers here

FAB VIDEOS

Here are some inspiring videos I have found on YouTube recently, the first is a lovely advert for Anthology mag, enjoy...

The Mulberry AW 2011/12 Ad campaign shot by Tim Walker...gorgeous!

TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe presents 20 bloggers and their stories.

 You can read all the bloogers' stories here and you can see all the videos here

★ Canvas competition ★

I recently visited the Year nine GCSE Textiles pupils of Walkden High School in Salford, Manchester to give a careers talk.  I showcased my University Textiles work, images and samples of my greetings cards from Hallmark cards and some imagery and produced canvas designs from my current job as a Wall art designer.  I hope they found it inspiring, I tried to make the talk as inspiring and visually stimulating as possible with plenty of work to look at and pass around alongside an indepth powerpoint presentation...

I also set a Canvas design competition.  The pupils had to design and create a canvas which included a word, a pattern, a stitch and an object.  The winners would then receive their design printed on to a canvas to keep (3rd - 20x20cm, 2nd - 30x30cm & 1st - 40x40cm)

After working on the canvasses for a couple of months it came to judging time for me and Miss Quinlan (the Textiles teacher).  We were both very impressed with the standard and variety of designs, soooo here goes...

THIRD PLACE...

Georgia

SECOND PLACE...

Grace

AND THE WINNER IS...

Lauren

As I didn't have my blog this time last year I thought I would also show you the canvas competition winners from last year.  The competition was held for three classes so there was a first prize for each class...

Georgia

Holly

Nicole

Out n about in Ramsbottom

Went for a little breezy walk around Ramsbottom yesterday, I would definately recommend visiting the Atelier Rose & Gray Gallery (opposite the urn) It is full of beautiful contemporary prints, original works and cards and gifts.  Featuring the work of local and well known artists including Peter Blake (sgt. pepper album cover)

Peter Blake prints

The lovely window display...

The Gallery staff were very friendly and I received a complimentary glass of mulled wine to warm me up while browsing. 

You can visit the Atelier Rose & Gray Blog and online shop here

I also visited my favourite shop Memories Antiques which is a huge antique shop spread over two floors packed with lots of weird and wonderful treasures

A few things I have bought recently from Memories include...