December « 2010 « WishWishWish

WooHoo! A New Vintage Shop!

December 23rd, 2010

Turn Back Time…

Did any of you catch any episodes of last month’s BBC series, “Turn Back Time: The Highstreet“? For those of you that didn’t, it was a series that followed a shopkeepers as they were ‘transported’ through the eras, from the 1870s to the 1970s, with their shops changing accordingly each week to represent the changing high street. It’s the kind of thing I might watch anyway, but this time around I was particularly excited as the entire thing was set and filmed in my little town!

I caught some of the filming whilst I was home for summer, and it was amazing seeing the usually empty shops decorated and full of life. The last era saw a clothing boutique open – I wished I could have been part of it and visited, but I needn’t have worried because two lovely ladies decided to take on the already-fitted shop after filming and turn it into a little vintage clothing haven!

Now this might not seem like a big deal to some of you, but having lived in a small town with only New Look to shop in my entire life, this new addition is very welcome indeed. I think I’ll be popping down a few more times this holiday to check out new stock, and chat to the friendly owners, Mandy and Zoe on their huge 70s sofa.

A Little Tan Coat

I know the vast majority of you won’t be able to visit the shop in person, but I’m sure there are a few of you from the West Country that can pop by if you’re in the area. It’s worth a visit, even if it’s just to do a little dressing up and chatting like I did earlier – I felt so welcome even after declaring I didn’t have any money to buy anything!

Zoe explained how they have tried to keep their prices as low as possible, and I could see that – pristine vintage coats for £40, dresses for £15..I was bound to find something to fall in love with. And I did, unfortunately. You see that little tan coat I’m wearing above (Thank you Zoe for the pictures!), normally I’d have snapped it up but I’ve promised not to spend any more money for a while, so I unwillingly placed it back on the hanger, only to go on and find some beautiful collared 60s and 70s mini dresses. Sigh.

Knowing my willpower, I’ll probably be back early in the new year to make a sneaky purchase before I go back to London.

For those of you that definitely can’t visit – they do have a small eBay shop that’s worth checking from time to time – have a look!

Thank you WooHoo vintage for letting me take pictures!

If you managed to watch the series, you might recognise this milk bar from the 60′s episode – it’s still there, looking amazing..but unfortunately closed! x

Things That Make Me Smile: Xmas Crafts

December 21st, 2010

As if we hadn’t had enough snow flakes…

Thank you for the compliments on my Christmas decorations in the last post! I didn’t have a huge amount to work with, but I had plenty of paper so of course I got snipping away. I started with obligatory paper snowflakes in tracing paper – they were placed all over the house – on windows, as garlands across the room and as hanging decorations on walls. Did you notice my ‘Merry Xmas’ banner across the fireplace? I used some of my vintage sheet music and cut out the letters before threading thin cotton through them using a needle. I also created paper garlands with vintage newspaper and tape! Very simple – and most importantly – cheap!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent all the money I want to this year, and having an abnormal amount of free time all of a sudden has got me tracking down other crafty things to do for very little money. Here is a little round up of crafty things you can get up to whilst you’re on holiday…

1. Ellie’s thrifty Christmas guide is a lifesaver. She posts about making your own decorations and bunting, homemade presents and fairs & fetes. Perfect for last minute additions to the house!

2. This gingerbread house is genius! I made a full-size version a couple of years ago and remember what a hassle it was holding the heavy structure together whilst the “glue” dried, so these mini versions seem like the perfect solution. Plus, the size is perfect to munch on with a mug of hot tea..even if it does look too pretty to eat. Find instructions at Not Martha.

3. More decorations! These snowflake doily tea-light holders will look pretty all year round, but especially nice on your table at Christmas. If you’ve got an old jar and a doily handy, take a look at the downloadable tutorial from Papermash.

4. Somehow I managed to leave all of my shop-bought gift tags in London before I came home..it’s lucky that Wee Birdy have some adorable ones to print out for free!

5. So, not strictly Christmassy, but I love these cloud biscuits from Forty-sixth at Grace. Of course, you can use your own shapes, but I think the clouds are very fitting at the moment with all of this snow we’ve been getting. Perhaps add a little bit of edible glitter..glitter makes everything festive! The downloadable recipe sheet is a work of art in itself!

A Blogger’s Christmas

December 20th, 2010

Mulled Wine & Mini Christmas Puds!

After a full day of snow, Lucy and I were sure we’d be spending the evening munching on a million Christmas puds and mince pies on our own, but a few lovely ladies managed to make it up to the Christmas Party arranged by Lucy and Daniela at our house. Unfortunately Daniela herself couldn’t attend either, so with only 5 of us it was more a girly-night-in than a party!

As you can probably gather from the images, the most part was spent eating – mini Christmas puds were kindly given to us by Monkey Poodle Cakes and Lucy had made some delicious mulled wine. Of course, it isn’t Christmas without some chocolate coins so we stocked up on those too.

We were lucky enough to have to company of Kristabel, Margaret and Fiona, who came along dressed in festive colours with their presents for the secret santa. I forgot my present so I played Santa instead and gave out the gifts (do you like my rather fetching hat?!). After gorging ourselves on the table full of food, we spent far too long laughing at ourselves on “Elf Yourself“, and then finished off the night playing games and gossiping..! What else?!

Fiona was feeling camera shy, but you can see her hard-working hands above creating a Christmas playlist for us to enjoy. Oscar wasn’t up for any pictures either by the looks of it..! x