I can never have too much Orla Kiely in my life. Those prints….well, I think you already know how I feel about those prints. Suffice to say when I got these postcards as a little bonus gift when I shopped the recent Orla Kiely for Uniqlo collection I knew exactly what to do with them.
However, it wasn’t until they were doing a recent clear out at Matches, where I managed to score some super simple frames headed for the skip, that I was able to put my little postcard arrangement into action.
All it took was some white paper, a little bit of blue tac and hey presto, I had the perfect addition to my otherwise dull staircase that had been previously inhabited by two fairly cheesy prints I bought in Poundland in a moment of desperation.
Orla’s delightfully retro prints continue to brighten my life and with ‘Orla Kiely House’ available imminently I’d better start saving my pennies and pounds for the many pieces I will no doubt need in my life. In some ways I wish she’d just stop producing so many awesome things I can’t afford but at the same time I’m thinking, ‘keep ‘em comin’ Orla, keep ‘em comin’!
I like my home to reflect my taste and appearance. It seems odd to me that anyone would think they shouldn’t emphatically go together – I mean, if anywhere, you should look at place in your own home. Unsurprisingly I enjoy surrounding myself with accoutrements (I like that word) mainly from the Fifties and Sixties – or at the very least, items that take a lead from those eras and fit in with the general vintage decor vibe.
We’d been searching for a wall clock for quite a while before finding this one on ebay – it still has its uses even though I’ve virtually abandoned it for clothing purchases – and we instantly fell in love with it.
Westclox have a very distinctive Fifties/Sixties design. Almost archetypal. I adore the range of colours and very nearly went for a yellow one, however, this blue clock won out in the end. I thought it would have more visual pop on the wall. Plus, we got it for a steal because the guy selling it wasn’t sure if it still worked, as it was missing the plug. We took the risk and luckily it’s all in good order and just needs a longer cable at the back, which is easily sorted.
If you fancy a wonderful Westclox clock yourself, there is currently a similar one up for grabs on ebay. Whatcha waitin’ for…..hop to it and GET BIDDING!
I’m a nosey parker. There, I said it.
Blogs have only fueled my love for peering into other peoples lives. It might be a notch up from reality tv but I unashamedly love it. Show me photos of your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, lounge, the more the merrier. Repeat posts revealing your rooms in different seasons, with new additions or a new arrangement. Love, love, love. More, more, more.
I’ve said it before but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it – my home is a work in progress. Hampered by moving around way too much, we seem to be just settling into our current place but I like the way it’s shaping up although I many more plans. I now know exactly what I’m doing with my all too bare walls. We held off filling them up until we decided how we wanted to display our pictures, posters and photos but I think we’ve settled on an idea now, so that’ll be our next decor job.
We love our vintage but try to keep it as streamlined as possible. Our sixties coffee table is a mutual favourite but it’s in desperate need of a repaint. I’ve given it a good sanding down, so now that it’s primed and ready all we have to do is settle on a colour – we’re stuck between keeping it white or going all out with a vibrant orange or yellow.
Another thing on the shopping list is a new sofa. The one you can just about glimpse here (with the postage stamp cushion) was left by the previous tenant and whilst it’s not awful (it’s almost awful but not quite), it’s definitely not something I would ever choose myself. The purple throw covers most of it, which means I don’t have to endure the bland beige in its full glory. Hopefully we’ll be able to replace it at some point in the near future and I’m always on the hunt for a vintage Scandinavian style couch. Effortlessly sleek, enduringly classic and fantastically comfortable, it would be the perfect addition to our lounge.
I love to nest. For someone who has pretty much never spent more than a year in any one place I have become very adept at making my surroundings my own very quickly.
With that said, I’m always on a mission to de-clutter and simplify my life. Stuff smothers me. And even though I love vintage collectibles, I never buy anything that doesn’t have a use. Ornaments don’t really have a place in my home – evil dust gatherers – but I do love prints and pictures and am currently filling my walls with an assortment of images that make me smile.
My home reflects me, which means it’s not perfect. Some of it is a little confused, some of it not quite sorted, some of it is exactly the way the way I want it.
You might be wondering what’s the deal with the freaky jewellery hand stand…..it’s not exactly my style. It was actually getting chucked out by my neighbour and I’d been on the lookout for a stand so thought what the hey, I’ll make it work. It might’ve scared the bejeezus out of me the first night it sat on my dresser.
My belt hook has been with me for years, yeeeaaarrrrrssss. Seriously, since I was like fourteen. I like her.
Oh, and my scarves. My scarves! I’m a sucker for a pretty vintage scarf (you know that already) and I definitely do have too many so I’m considering popping a few on etsy. Speaking of which, I’m really happy with how my etsy shop is progressing – I need to urgently re-stock though……
We’ve been planting. Flowers, asparagus and herbs. It seemed silly to put the herbs in the garden when I’d need immediate access to them – not that a two minute journey is such a hardship but anyways. Not shown here is the basil and chive plants, which are further over on the ledge….
I like cocktails. You probably know that already – strawberry margarita anyone?I’ve been using my giraffe cocktail sticks a lot lately – freebies from, not surprisingly, Giraffe. I like to keep plastic cutlery because I fear it will end up in a landfill when they are all perfectly reusable….
I acquired a jug that I happen to LOVE. Bonus that it cost me only 2 pounds in a charity shop and it fits right in with all my other kitchen acoutrements. Oh and we finally converted our Dualit toaster (we had to change the elements, yawn) so we can now have toast in two minutes flat. This is kind of (very) exciting…..
The NSPCC left a bag for us to fill with clothes and fill it I did. I donated numerous pieces I haven’t worn in ages and as it was for a good cause I didn’t hesitate for a second. It also made me realise I have an embarrassing amount of clothes I wear far too infrequently if indeed ever. This dress/top (I’m not brave enough to wear it as a dress) is one such garment, which my Mother bought me in St.Ives, Cornwall. I thought I’d don it for a recent trip to the supermarket and it definitely brightened up my day….
My herbs, spices and oil collection is reasonably big (I would love more oils but they’re so expensive!). Cooking is so much more fun when you have all these flavour combinations at your fingertips – cumin might be my favourite spice closely followed by smoked paprika….
Things that have happened lately:
I had a Birthday.
My 31st Birthday.
Yikes.
I visited Cornwall.
It was. Amazing.
We went snorkelling.
It was freezing.
But beautiful.
We saw starfish.
And a sea urchin.
Oh, and a spider crab.
Yeah. It was amazing.
I bought stuff.
Pretty stuff.
All of it pre-loved.
Now I get to love it.
I’m 31.
It feels…..good.
Spring has arrived! Or at least until the predicted snow shows up on Wednesday. Really weather? I mean, reeeeaaaallllly?
For now, however, I am happy to bask in the unusually hot sun (trust me, sun does not always equal warmth – I have lived in Chicago and Ireland to prove the point!) and for the first time in my life (childhood home notwithstanding) I have my very own garden in which to enjoy it. Yes, I have a garden. And I have garden chairs. This makes me very happy.
A few other things that make me happy….
new bedsheets – I lucked out with a Zandra Rhodes set in a recent TKMaxx haul. I’m not normally one for names and logos (read loathe) but when comes to Zandra, all bets are off that pet hate goes out the window. I’d happily have her name tattooed on me, if that wasn’t totally weird and creepy.
new dresser knobs – yep, from the aforementioned haul. Mismatched and mega cute, exactly what I needed to freshen up my vintage dresser. I spent about 45minutes deciding which ones I preferred but I think I made the right choice.
glass dishes – I have a slight obsession with trinket bowls especially of the glass variety. I have several on my dresser and a new one, which I’ve placed on my 1950′s bedside table. How much did it set me back? A pretty silly 30p at a Cats Protection charity shop. Bargain!
my tres beautiful 1950s beside table (pictured at top of post) – i spent years hunting down the perfect one and finally found this gorgeous pale pink beauty in Blackheath at award winning independent store Sisters & Daughters. They also happen to have a ridiculous vintage rail. That’s kinda one of my new favourite haunts….should I really divulge that….ugh, too late…..hit it up, you won’t regret it!
my ever expanding scarf collection – you could say I am ‘totes’ obsessed with vintage scarves. It quite honestly knows no bounds and this hanger is the evidence. On my head, around my neck, adorning my bag (nb. this is a dangerous scarf losing practice), you most likely won’t find me without one on any given day.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to sit in my garden chair and enjoy the last of the spring sun.
Whilst perusing some of my current most read blogs this morning I came across a post that initially thrilled me and then subsequently confused me. It is posts like these that make me think I am not entirely in touch with reality or the alternative could be that it is others who are not.
Either way, in my world, such as it is, I live on a fairly tight budget but have a rather unfortunate love for all things pretty. Believe it or not though, you can still have the pretty without the hefty price tag and with a little imagination can transform your home from one bereft of character into a place you are proud to invite people – friends mainly although strangers are welcome too as long as they bring gifts….
Budgeting. I have never known any different. I’ve never had the luxury of having oodles of disposable cash to buy everything I desire for our rented flat and therefore have always had a keen eye for a bargain. Along the way I have found incredible vintage pieces in all sorts of places and since we discovered auctions (not ebay, real auctions) there has been no stopping us.
From our 50′s footstool to our car boot 60′s smoked glass coffee table, our flat is literally filled with furniture that has been pre-loved and cost us pennies, pounds and at times, nothing. Even our one extravagance, our dining table, which is from Crate&Barrel in Chicago, came in at under half price because we sourced it from an outlet store. See? Bargain. Hunters.
So when I read that someone has saved money by using a pretty invite to adorn their walls, I heartily approved. Good work my friend, I thought to myself and nodded with pleasure at the fact someone has turned something that is normally fleetingly admired and then binned into a piece of art, which will bring hours of visual pleasure for years to come. Again, good work my friend, I say.
To undo all that good work by popping it in a frame that set you back 35quid is surely madness then?! I mean, 35quid isn’t to be sniffed at. You can buy a lot of pretty things with 35quid. In fact, you could buy 35 photo frames if you did what we do and visit any charity shop, which have an array of picture frames usually going for no more than a pound.
Invest in a little spray paint (around 7 quid and should coat up to 7 frames) and all of a sudden you have breathed life into an old frame and made your walls looks pretty for the small sum of 2 pounds. Now, that is what I call thrifty.
And the contents of the frame? A wonderful Mary Blair (illustrator extraordinaire) special we printed ourselves, i.e. free of charge, and the photo paper came with the colour printer, so again, free.
Free plus 2 quid = not a bad days budgeting.
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