THRIFTY TREASURES

I'm not one of those hugely Royalist people but i think these mugs are just so pretty and flowery. And at least when i move to Leeds i'll know if someones stolen my cups! I got these in charity shops recently for £2.20 altogether. 

I saw this weird little pendant on a stall at Silloth Carboot sale, i don't know how old it is but it looks so strange and for 50p why not? I think the pendant part is close to snapping, so i might even stick it on a ring! 

I just love the colours and the gold on this saucer. I found it in a £1 box in Keswick's Magpie Vintage. My sister actually bought the set for £7 but i'm planning on putting this in my Fashion Inspiration Project box.

Thankfully my boyfriend used his skills to get this Vintage Orange Crocodile Skin purse for only £5 at Penrith Carboot sale! I think it's beautiful.

This is also from Magpie Vintage for £2!

So i've been collecting these old souvenir spoons recently. I saw this man at the Whitehaven Festival making jewellery out of cutlery so i thought i could give it a go, making these into rings. You can usually find these for £1 each.

This lovely silk scarf is from Magpie Vintage again, for £8. A bit more than i would usually spend on a scarf, especially when charity shops are full of them for under £1! But i couldn't resist. 

A broken but quite unusually looking LED watch from Silloth Carboot sale for £1.

I got these old postcards from a little Antique shop in Keswick a couple of weeks ago, for my Vintage Inspiration Box as part of my Uni summer homework. I love the one on the right, i think it has a sort of Native American style to it. But i got these for £3.50 altogether. 

For sure my Inspiration box is going to be full! This is what i have collected in only the past couple of weeks. Now to get started of my "Mini-Me" doll of myself for university. When i'm finished i'll post photos!

WEEK IN PHOTOS

Dylan's Birthday Meal at The Georgian House, My Tapas Meal: Chicken and Chorizo-Mozerella Sticks-Sweet Potato Fries, Strangely Luminous Van, My Broken Drawer, Attempting to Draw for the first time in months, Indoor Barbecue, Three Tuns, Sewing my Dolls Arm, My Sheep, The perfect way to spent a Bank Holiday, Pumpkin stealing Bacon,  Ugly Cat. 

SUNDAY PORTRAIT WEEK 011

001. I'm so bad at this blog thing, i haven't posted in ages. Apologies apologies. I think i've kept moderately busy... by far not as much as last summer, 2 holidays and 2 festivals! 

002. I still need to post about Kendal Calling which i went to a couple of weeks ago, ah so much to do! And i got my Leeds summer project, to create a doll that looks like me and reflects my personality.  I'm thinking of doing a doll in the style of the Coraline doll in the opening credits (My favourite movie).  And the other part of my homework is to collect vintage/cultural/contemporary things for inspiration and put them in a box. I've started both. I decided to put together a little sketchbook for the doll project, looking at inspiration from Tim Burton and Henry Selick. 

003. I've spent the entire day sewing buttons for my Box project, my eyeballs are in so much pain. I'm hoping my box looks beautiful though, i just don't think it's big enough. I could fill a crate with the amount of vintage things i own! 

004. It's my boyfriend Dylan's birthday in 2 days, so that should be fun. Again i've spent a bit too much, oops. But i can't help it, i love buying presents. We're going for a meal at Georgian House which is so overpriced it's making me cringe. I'm going to feel so guilty eating something at expensive as an outfit. But i think i'm just very cautious when it comes to money. Hopefully it will be really good! 

005. I'm obsessed with Real World San Diego. I've been watching it all day. I'm such a hermit. 

INSPIRATIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS

So it seems all i've really done this summer holidays is go to carboot sales and vintage shops. I'm not complaining, i think i've found some quite good things recently. I've been looking for a few old books for fashion inspiration for patterns/shapes etc. for university. Then i came across these huge Nature Books from around the 1930s (apparently). I got all 3 for £1!

I also got this cute little book from 1962 for 50p. I love the illustrations they're so pretty. 

THRIFTY TREASURES

I have wanted a Crocodile bag for so long now but they've always been too expensive. But on the first stall i looked at in Judy Vintage Fair, i saw this bag for only £10! It's so much prettier in person and i can safely say it will never leave my shoulder!

Again, how could you resist a £1 bin? Or belts even? 

I found a stall that sold little odds and ends. Broken bits of jewellery and watch faces. I'd seen quite a few of the stalls selling watch face rings for around £8-£10, so i thought why not just make my own. It's cheaper. But i've decided to put them all together to make a bracelet, a bracelet of 9 watch faces. At £1 each i think it will make a very unique piece of jewellery!

I found this ugly watch face on that same stall, that didn't even have a cover. I put it back a then saw the back of it and the amount of interesting detail they have. This is going to make a lovely ring for £1.

These are just a couple of badges i came across for £1 each, i especially like the really old Disney badge.

And a moustache! 

So here are some of the things i managed find at Kendal Calling. There was a really pretty vintage floral dress i wish i'd bough now. Damn. 

"DON'T HAVE ANY DORITOS OFF US, THEY'RE PISS SCENTED"

So i've been meaning to put this post up for a while now. Honestly i haven't really done much this summer at all, but one of those things i have done is go to a local festival Kendal Calling. I did go last year but i wasn't really looking forward to it, honestly i didn't even want to go. I didn't really know any of the acts or liked them. But surprisingly it was really fun, i really enjoyed myself. I have been to festivals before and there's always that rush to get to the very front of the stage and see as many people as humanly possible. But i found at Kendal because i didn't really know the acts, i didn't have that stress and i could actually enjoy the festival atmosphere! 

001. So Dylan and I decided to go this year as well, but a few of my friends were going also. We drove there in the most packed car you've ever seen. I was sat on two rolled up foam beds with a water-bottle between my legs and a rucksack on my lap. At least it was safe to say we couldn't speed up enough to get in a car crash! The queue to get in was unbelievable and we got shouted at by this huge black security man. I'm sure he called us stupid girls and i was so scared he was going to grab my bag off me and throw it! We tried to be sly and push in, but failed. 

002. We ended up camping next to this strange man in a Tepee who we named the 'Chainsaw Massacre' or 'CM' because well, he had a chainsaw. Not the best first impression when we saw him slyly stealing other people tent pegs. Oh and stealing a sip of Sammi's drink. There was another weirdo staying in the Tepee who would just leave us alone. I have never met anyone on as much drugs in my life. I couldn't stand him! 

003. First thing on my list to do was check out the vintage stalls of course. And i wasn't disappointed! There was so many things i wanted. I'll have to post what i bought there. An amazing Crocodile bag has to be my best purchase. Dylan was really wanting a Poncho and i've had a hate for them as long as i can remember. Unfortunately it rained A LOT this past weekend and i gave in, i'm so glad i did. It is the most comfiest thing ever, i felt like i was wearing my blanket around with me. 

004. I really couldn't get as drunk as i wanted to, i'd feel merry for about half an hour then completely sober for the rest of the night.  I didn't really want to sit in the campsite all day drinking when i could be in the LadyBird tent making dreamcatchers and doing a Pub quiz in the Comedy tent. Dizzee Rascal was headlining on the Saturday which i was looking forward to the most. It was really good but it all went a bit sour after that.

005. A couple of my friends left a day early which was quite shit, because i think Sunday was my favourite night. I definitely don't think Kendal Calling was as good as last year, but maybe that's just me... Yeah, i can't be bothered writing anything else ha. Actually one thing i would like to mention is the fact my friends would piss in their own tent, the smell was horrendous and that area was permanently sludgy, there is a photo above. Ewwy!

BIRTHDAY CUPCAKES!

So it's been a month since i last posted, Wow. I've spent the last month pretty much doing nothing, but i'm going to schedule this post to when it should have been posted, but shhhh!  Moving on... it was my Mums Birthday on the 26th and being unorganised i forgot to buy a cake. So me and my sister made these yummy Birthday Cupcakes! The recipe makes 14, to spell out H-A-P-P-Y  B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y-!

Ingredients

170g of Butter

170g Caster Sugar

170g Self-Raising Flour

3 Eggs

A little Vanilla Essence
Strawberry Jam

Method

001. Preheat oven to 180°C /350°F/Gas Mark 4. Fill your Cupcake Baking Tray with your Cupcake Cases.

002. Cream your Butter, Vanilla Essence and Caster Sugar together in a mixing bowl and add the Egg. 

003. Gradually sieve in the Flour whilst mixing all the ingredients. The mixture should be smooth, if not add a little milk. 

004. Equally divide the mixture into your Cupcake cases and place your Tray into the Oven.

005. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until nice and golden brown! Stick a fork through one of the Cupcakes to check it's cooked through, the fork should come out clean when inserted into the centre. 

006. Leave to cool on a rack for a while, to prepare for icing. 

007. Carefully cut out the top off the Cupcakes and fill with a teaspoon of Strawberry Jam. Then replace the Cake. 

008. For the icing i cheated and bought some Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Vanilla frosting. It's amazing. Ice the top of the cupcake carefully.

009. And decorate! 

Ps. I was in a bit of a rush, so hopefully yours will look a lot better than mine!

SUNDAY PORTRAIT WEEK 010

001. This week has gone so fast. I've just had to really concentrate to think what i've even done! There was a mixer at Leeds on Monday for those going to live at Liberty Park. I wasn't as nervous as i expected but it didn't really go to well. I didn't find anyone to live with, but i didn't expect i would anyway. An hour is not long at all to decide who you want to be with for a whole year. We had to play "Team Building" games and then went on a tour of the Student Accommodation. Liberty Park flats are really nice, i was first in there to choose by bedroom. The biggest one of course! I'm so excited to decorate my room. 

002. I proper don't feel like i've done much this week, next week i'm definitely going to make it busier. I did go to see Friends With Kids, with Dylan on Thursday. It was good, i did my usual cringey happy face without realising it. Urgh, how embarrassing. The only thing i could concentrate on was the main woman's weird lips. She looked like a Who from the Grinch... We then went for a couple of jugs and got really drunk. So drunk i thought i was going to die (or jump out the window). The hangover was so awful! 

003. Lastnight we all went out for Amee's Birthday round Workington. I don't even remember it, it's the first time i've gone out and gotten drunk this year. It was fun but i wish i hadn't drank so much! I ended up losing my Camera and my Purse. God sake. I didn't even notice until i wanted to buy a Peshwari Naan! I did get my Purse bak though, after cancelling all my cards and ringing every bar in Proximity. It was under a bench near Debenhams, i didn't even go near Debenhams, fucking knob head. So that's £40 gone and a £90 Camera. Great!

004. On that note, i've been unable to post my WEEK IN PHOTOS because i was too lazy to do it yesterday and now i have no camera! I'll have to order one pronto. When my new bank card gets here... I hate Caroline on Big Brother. 

THRIFTY TREASURES

I'm in love with this bag. It did take good deal of hunting for but it was worth it. I got this from Absolute Vintage (the big one, near Bricklane). I was originally looking for a Crocodileskin bag but they were just too pricey. This was only £20!

As my Boyfriend's New Blood thingy was in Spitalfields there was really nothing else for me to do other than wander round the vicinity. I found this little stall selling vintage items, and nothing really caught my eye except this cutting of old floral fabric for £2. I think it's beautiful. It isn't a vast amount, i'd say maybe 1.5m² but i can't see myself using it. It's too pretty and i know i won't find anything good enough to make with it.

I also ended up buying a couple of belts, you can never have too many brown belts. Last year i lost my favourite in the London Dungeon, this year i had back-ups! Left: I got this Crocodile skin belt from a £1 bin in Absolute Vintage. Right: And this one is from another stall at Spitalfields. 

Even though New Blood was finished with i had heard there was a Vintage fair on in Spitalfields on the weekend. So obviously i dragged Dylan along. I got these sunglasses for only £2 each! I'm quite disappointed i didn't buy more in London but i'd rather buy quality things, rather than a lot of shit. I did buy a beautiful vintage silk shirt from Camden Market, but i've just worn it so i don't have a photo...

So as you will have gathered from my last post, i have just come back from a trip to London with my boyfriend. Here are a few of the lovely vintage things i managed to pick up. I live in a small town, with the clothes shops consisting of a New Look and a Topshop. So unless you order an outfit off the internet, you can guarantee there is at least a handful of people with the same dress as you. At least with Vintage shopping you have a guarantee you'll be the only one wearing it, and it's prettier. 

"THE WITCH, THE WIZARD AND THE CUPBOARD"

So i've been trying to put all these photos on for two days now!  I got back from London really late on Saturday (technically Sunday) and i've been in Leeds so i've had a very busy week and a half to say the least! London was really fun, a lot more relaxing than last year. We did so much last year in the 4 days we were there, so there wasn't as much tourist-y stuff for us to do this year. You wouldn't have thought it though, the way my feet were hurting! We still managed to fit quite a lot in, even if we were at New Blood for a couple of days.

001. We only arrived at about 2pm-ish so after dropping off our bags at Emma's, which is so far away! Like an hour on the tube + walking. We just wandered around Oxford Street and went for a meal at wetherspoons, The burger was unreal, apart from the disgusting spicy cheese sauce. Blergh! There was also a sort-of pre-party at Bricklane, which was just really some animations from students in the back room of a club. Bricklane is so Hipster it's unreal! I did enjoy it though.

002. The first half of Day two was spent at the D&AD place watching everyone else put up their exhibition, while i just sat and watched. So unbelievably boring and hot in there. i did buy a pretty leather belt and some vintage floral fabric though. We got to leave by 2pm so there was still valuable sightseeing time! We went to NottingHill because Rachy wanted to go to a Hoarders Museum on Packaging and i'd heard there was a Market. The market (if you can even call it that) was shit, it was full of the same stuff on every stall, ugly jewellery and floral mugs. I did like NottingHill though, it was a really pretty place. We then tried to go to the Tate Museum to see the Damien Hurst exhibition. But unfortunately it was closed ): We went to a D&AD party thingy at night 93 Feet East which was okay, the the drinks were pretty hefty money though.

003. Dylan had a Saatchi and Saatchi tour so i spent the morning wandering round London like a big girl on my own. I was on the search for vintage shops! I went to the huge Absolute Vintage on day two, and i heard there was another near Oxford Street. Oh my gosh it was so hard to find! The map i had to go on was off the back of a little Business Card, i ended up walking too far down a 'Sex Street' full of lap dance clubs and Sex toy shops. So awkward, there was even a perky old man looking in the windows. When i finally arrived at the shop, i walked into the middle of a Tv set of some programme about Vintage Clothes. I didn't want to leave straight away, not to look a bit stupid but in the end i just ran out ashamed. I really couldn't be arsed shopping and the thought of having to look round the biggest Topshop known to man was certainly daunting. I couldn't even handle it. I only came out with a cupcake, i very good one at that! We then headed to Carnaby Street for a little look around, and a trip to Ripley's Believe it or Not. It was really interesting, quite expensive though, but it was good! Hamleys and Buckingham Palace followed.

004. Thursday morning, Dylan and Rachy had to man the exhibition so i could wander round Absolute Vintage, but there was Vintage Market near by and by time i'd finished looking at that they were finished. The market was so weird, some of the items being sold were so unusual! There was a stuffed monkey wearing a suit, a human skull, real human teeth and dolls eyes! I didn't manage to buy anything though, i don't know what came over me, but nothing caught my eye. Afterwards we went to The Hunterian Museum which was definitely up my street, it was so interesting! The place was full of obscure specimens in jars and strange deformities in cabinets. The highlight of the visit was definitely seeing a Sloth foetus. I love Sloths so much, and the foetus looked like ET, it was amazing! After seeing all this though we didn't see much point paying £10 to see pretty much the same sort of thing at the Damien Hurst exhibition. Afterwards we had a Krispy Kreme Donut which was amazing and headed off to Covent Garden. It was entertaining seeing the street performers but it did ruin it when after an hour you'd see a different person performing the exact same act, word-for-word. M&Ms World was my favourite. We went to our usual, Wetherspoons again for dinner and a little drink. It was a really fun night.   

005. This was our last full day in London so it was spent at Camden Market. I love Camden Market, even if the weather was awful! My camera was about to die so i barely got any photos unfortunately. I did buy a disposable so i'll have to get them developed soon! Dylan stretched my ear, we ate Bang Bang chicken and i got to try my first battered Mars Bar. Then we walked along the Thames, drank at Emma's then slept. (You can tell my attention span is lacking now). 

006. We went to Absolute Vintage and i bought a Crocodile Skin belt and a really nice Black Satchel. I want a Snakeskin bag so much! They were way too expensive for me though. There was another vintage fair so i even stocked up on a few pairs of Sunglasses for £2 each. I had done more shopping on my last day than the entire trip! After rushing to Victoria Coach Station we realised Dylan had the wrong departure time, by about two hours. So we resorted to getting out my sleeping bag and napping in the park, along with some scary polish people who were very drunk and kept fighting. Deffo thought my bag was going to get nicked! 

Apologises for this awfully long post, i can't sleep and i was hoping this would get me a little tired. It's worked.