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Yves Saint Laurent & Nina Ricci would be proud

Here we have some of my vintage lead crystal & cut glass perfume bottles that were all procured from my beloved charity shops – how lovely are they?  I love all the different shapes & patterns.

Fit for Princess Kate Middleton

These take pride of place on my bathroom window cill as the above photo shows – look at the grey Manchester rain on the window – it certainly is grim up north!

 
I didn’t get these bottles all at the same time, they have been collected over the years.  The smallest three on the right all range from 50p to a pound.  The largest, and by far the nicest, was a fiver, which is expensive in my book!  However, it is made of heavy lead crystal & really is beautiful so I didn’t mind paying that bit more. I remember getting it from a charity shop in Glossop, Derbyshire.
 
The funny thing is…I don’t even wear perfume!  I can’t stand the stuff!  I used to wear it in my twenties but I could no longer wear it once I had children.  The horrendous morning sickness that I suffered with both pregnancies is to blame.  I had the most heightened sense of smell at the time & things like perfume & aftershave just made me want to hurl!  Thankfully, my husband has never worn aftershave so that was not an issue.
 
The ‘perfume thing’ has stayed with me & I can no longer wear it as the smell all day long drives me insane.  I used to have Gucci Rush, Yves Saint Lauren Paris, Nina Ricci L’air Du Temps, & something by Clarins.  Do you know what I did?  I flogged the lot on ebay!  Yes, the bottles were open, half used, & had no box but they literally flew off the ebay shelves.  So, if you have any bottles of perfume that you no longer use, why not have a go at making some cash from them?  Someone, somewhere, will snap them up if they use that particular perfume regularly. Or, the actual bottle may be collectable.  You never know…

Born with a silver spoon…

Here is another of my favourite vintage homeware purchases that I got for next to nothing from a local hospice charity shop.  It is a set of six, shell shaped, silver plated fruit / dessert spoons.   They cost a mere 10p each!  This particular shop always has a tray of cutlery & everything is 10p each whether it is plastic or real silver.  I always have a good rummage & have picked up some treasures in there from time to time.  My last bargain was a set of six vintage, silver plated, cake forks.

60p the lot!

These are good quality when it comes to the world of spoons.  They are hallmarked ‘EPNS Sheffield England’ on the back.  We all know Sheffield was the king of cutlery making in years gone by.  A quick Google search taught me that EPNS stands for ‘Electro Plated Nickel Silver’ so I learned something new as well.  The spoons were a bit lacklustre when I bought them but, after a few minutes dipped in my trusty jar of ‘Silver Dip’, they came out gleaming.

My mum had a set of these when I was little & I remember eating tinned Fruit Cocktail with them!  You only used to get one or two cherries in a full tin – the rest was cubed peaches and pears with the odd flabby grape thrown in.  Nothing has changed…my 5 year old daughter has taken over my Fruit Cocktail eating and I can confirm that there were only two HALF cherries in a whole tin the last time she indulged.  What a swizz!  

On another occasion, and in another shop, I managed to find the ‘mother’ to these little spoons. Yes, I got my hands on a large silver serving spoon in the same shape!  It is not from the same set as it is ever so slightly different but I felt very lucky to find it, nonetheless.  Bring on the next tin of Fruit Cocktail!  But spare the Carnation Milk….that is one throwback to the seventies that I can do without.  Hey, anyone remember Dream Topping?!

Feeling Fruity?

Here is the second item of vintage clothing to feature on my blog.  I got it as cheap as chips in a local charity shop. In fact, it was just £2.00 from a local animal shelter shop.

Feeling fruity?

It is by C&A and, from the style and labelling, I would say it was from the seventies.  It is black with the funkiest apple design all over it and hippy style ties to the neckline.  This is the second ‘apple’ piece to appear on my blog this week!  I have also become a bit obsessed with cherries at the moment.  I got a super cute cherry print cardigan off ebay last week for £3.00.  There certainly seems to be a fruit theme going on at the moment!

 
Anyway, the above C&A apple top has the most amazing double-batwing flared sleeves, which hang beautifully.  Look at the v-shaped hemline too.  Such lovely retro detailing.  The top looks great with jeans for day or night out.  I was delighted to have found it amongst a depressing rail of dreary old tops.  To get the good stuff, you’ve gotta root!
 

Lipstick cherry all over my bag…

This is the first of my wonderful vintage handbags that I am showcasing.  This little beauty is a lipstick cherry red coloured clutch bag originally from the 1980s. It is such high quality & in fantastic condition – looks hardly used.  I got it for a pound in a charity shop in Marsden, West Yorkshire when I visited my friend.

Lipstick cherry clutch bag

The bag is made out of butter soft leather & was made in Italy – the original maker’s label is still inside.  It has a lucite retro snap clasp that makes a reassuring ‘clunk’ noise when it shuts.  I absolutely adore it!

I am a huge fan of red accessories as they brighten up any outfit and add a bit of vintage glam at the same time.  I last used this bag when I went out for a Chinese meal for my friend’s birthday in November.  I had a black dress on with orange & red love hearts all over it (from Oasis) so it matched beautifully.  My friend, who is a bit older than me, exclaimed that she had the same bag as mine in the eighties only hers was electric blue!  If only she still had it…….

 

Branching out

This is my first post about a vintage item of clothing that I have picked up for next to nothing in a charity shop.  I got this on Monday for the princely sum of one whole English pound!

Its is a black and white slash neck, half sleeve, top from the 1980s.  It has a superb leaf/branch pattern all over it, which is very ‘on trend’ at the moment.  The top looks great when it is teamed with contrasting accessories.  I have taken two photos of it to show you how it can be transformed. 

Branching out...on its own

In the second photo, I have paired the top with a chunky lipstick red necklace (50p from guess where?!) & a matching red Italian leather belt (TK Maxx – home of quality belts).  Who would know that this fabulous ensemble cost less than a tenner?  I am on the hunt for a red vintage cinch belt but have yet to find one I like.

Branching out...in pairs

Another amazing thing about this one pound top……it DOESN’T NEED IRONING!  Just wash & hang up to dry.  A busy woman’s dream.

Branching out...up close

Miss Marple Eat Your Heart Out!

This is my favourite & most worn vintage brooch at the moment.  Bright purple brooches are quite difficult to find in my experience so I was thrilled to come across this at my first visit to Stockport Vintage Village.  In fact, I bought three brooches that day but this one is by far my favourite.  It looks great on my purple duffle coat. 

It is surprising just how many people notice when you are wearing a brooch – you will see people’s eyes drawn to them for a few moments.  Very often, people will comment & ask questions about where they are from & how old they are.  I have a different brooch pinned to nearly every coat I own.  I know you shouldn’t leave them on clothes but who has time to take them off at night??!! Plus it is fiddly to get them at the right angle so, once they are on, they stay on!  

This brooch is particularly nice as it is an unusual design & all the stones are glass diamante & claw set.  I steer clear of brooches that have cheap glued in stones – nasty!  I think dear old Miss Marple would approve of this little number, don’t you? 

PS Dot Cotton in Eastenders & Emily Bishop in Coronation Street have a mean collection of brooches – I never fail to notice – go ladies!

Miss Marple would approve

 

Flower power

Following on from my last post, here is a photo of another amazing vintage enamel pan that I found in a charity shop.  It is the smallest of a set of three.  I love the bright orange colour and retro floral pattern – certainly very eye-catching!  This has pride of place on the hob & is used daily to boil eggs, peas, carrots etc.  Makes me chuckle when I see my husband using it as it is so ‘not him’!  Doesn’t quite go with the golf/cycle wear does it?!

Flower Power Pan

Hubble Bubble Toil and Trouble…

I thought I would share with you  one of my favourite charity shop finds of last year.  It is a ‘Swan Brand’ vintage enamel stock pot / pan with the most amazing retro blue pattern.  It cost a measly £4.00 from the Salvation Army charity shop near where I live. Can you imagine what an enamelware pot of this size would cost new?

Not only is it wonderful to look at, it cooks up the most delicious home made soups & stews.  In fact, I have made more soups than ever since buying this amazing piece.  It is really quite big so you can cook up enough for four people.  It looks great on top of my cooker & is perfectly functional too – a perfect combination.  I have some other enamel pans in white & orange which I will post at some stage.  Again, these get used on a weekly basis.  My kitchen is full of stuff like this and I use it all.  Visitors are always asking where I bought things & they are always amazed when I tell them a) where I find them & b) how much they cost. 

The joys of second hand eh?  Do you have any vintage cookware / kitchenware that you simply love to death?

My beautiful stock pot

 

What a pattern!

 

 

 

A vision in purple

Well, I am doing well on the vintage costume jewellery front this week.  I came across this beautiful faceted glass necklace the other day & quickly snapped it up.  It is a lovely amethyst shade & has a traditional screw barrel clasp.  Purple is my favourite colour so I was delighted to find this little beauty.  Can’t wait to wear it with a pair of vintage purple diamante dangly earrings that I also picked up in a charity shop. 

At the same time as buying this necklace, I also got a fabulous 1980s slash neck top.  It has a leaf pattern all over it and looks very NOW!  I’ll show you this later.  Looks amazing with a cinch belt. 

A good week for bargains so far!

A vision in purple

The apple of my eye…

Check out these super fruity earrings that I found in a charity shop this week for the grand sum of 50p!  Bright red glass apples & metal leaves suspended from silver ear wires.  How amazing are they?!  They are certain to brighten up any outfit on a cold winter’s day.

Apple of my eye