I made this! Cupboard lining

More 'waste not want not'. I vowed to use all the remaining wallpaper i had left over from the lounge. I'm really happy with it - i love the idea of a little surprise when i reach for something from the cupboards. Though i am slightly worried about sufferering from EUOOKS (Excessive Use of Orla Kiely Syndrome).

Before:

After:

                                                                                

Nice, no?

The Joy of Charity Shops: Vintage London postcards

Here's a great set of vintage postcards of London that I found in a charity shop near my flat. It's quite amusing to look at the pictures of Piccadilly, Carnaby Street, Oxford Street and the like from the late 1960's.

But the real treat for me - and what made me buy the set - was this one:

It caught my eye, because it looked familiar...i turned it over and saw that it was Croydon's Whitgift shopping centre - just 10 minutes from where I live! I love things like that - not only do they look good, but there's a connection too. Not bad for £2.

The Joy of Charity Shops

These days, what with too much work and not enough time, Saturday mornings have become the magical window of opportunity to browse my local charity shops.

As always with charity shops, you have to be patient; there are certain things you are guaranteed to find (Primark rejects, over-stretched jumpers made of synthetic fibres, cook books on 'How To Microwave' from the 1970's), but be patient and you might just find yourself a gem for your wardrobe or your home (like great 1950's cookware, a fantastic leather frame handbag, or a designer dress priced at 50p - but that is rare).

I love the unexpected - the thrill of what could be in there and what bargains are waiting to be discovered. Don't you?

So I'll be dedicating regular posts to the goodies that i find (which gives me an excuse to keep on rummaging).

Ikeaaaaaah!

I have a love/hate relationship with Ikea. I often joke that my flat is 'the home that Ikea built', but with many first-time buyers, bargain hunters and people on a budget, it is always a great place to start; no doubting that.

When i first moved in to my flat, i had one of my best Ikea experiences; i had a decent budget and a list of things i needed that was as long as my arm. Unadulterated shopping frenzy commenced, and my flat was almost fully furnished withing 2 hours.

But then, there are the other, more banal and downright annoying Ikea 'experiences'. Like today. When you get up early and go 'to miss the crowds', only to realise that everyone else within a 50 mile radius was thinking the same thing. Then there's the kids - now I'm not anti kids (well, not entirely...just not in shops. Or any other enclosed spaces), but they are everywhere. EVERYWHERE. And there's the meanderers. Walking slowly...then stopping. Right in front of me and my trolley. Can't you see I'm in a hurry? I'm on a mission. Get. Out. Of. My. Way. And then there's the trauma of having spent what feels like hours deliberating over an item, writing it down with those little fiddly pencils, and walking around and around the never ending corridors of brown boxes...to find what you are after is out of stock.

Motherf***er!

Guess I'll be back next week, then.

How to have a stylish wedding

I recently went to a wedding of a couple I've been friends with for years - both the bride and groom are amazingly stylish, and I was excited to see how they'd translate their personalities into the biggest days of their lives.






I wasn't disappointed; it was unique, personal and beautiful. No OTT sentiment (not needed), no frou frou (not at all them) but most importantly and significantly, it was fun as well as stylish; I think that was their ambition, and they succeeded. I have been to other weddings (and parties of all sorts) that prioritised how it looked over how it would feel, or perhaps those in charge didn't have the capacity to make the event achieve both. However this wedding had beautiful venues, small individual touches, and cupcakes. And not forgetting a truly breathtaking dress and a ridiculously smart suit.






It only takes a bit of thought (and a good eye, i guess) to make a memorable day. Congratulations Shartyn and Ding.