SPARKLY

Yes, more sparkly garments.
I never pass on the chance getting lurex on the cheap.
Here's what arrived with the snail mail yesterday.


Gold leggings, 15 pence, silver leggings, 25 pence.


Vintage men's shirt, £6.50.
Got this for my man to match my green lurex outfit that I'm
currently working on. He does look really good in this one.

No sunshine today so my plan is to go swimming and
then spend the rest of my day by the sewing machine.
I got so many garments that need altering /revamping.
After some closet clearing last week I finally have the
space I need for my finished projects.

HIDEOUS

Here's what I got with the snail mail last week.
This green lurex jumpsuit is hideous but I love it!
I found it on eBay for £4.99.
It's too short in the body but that doesn't matter,
I never planned to keep it as a jumpsuit, this is a
revamp project.
You will see the finished result pretty soon.

OFF TO B-HAM

Quick post today!
I'm off to Birmingham in a few hours, it's a rockabilly
all-dayer and I'm having a stall with Dolly Cool Clare.
Hope she can stand 14 hours straight with me. :))

And here's what I got at the fabric shop the other day.


Black elastic band with silver threads.
The man in the shop was so generous with his measurement
so I got enough elastic to make two belts. The belt buckles are
from my local haberdasher.
I made these the other day.


Buttons, they do look old and I believe they were deadstock,
the owner get his stock from all over the place, a lot of fabric
comes from the fashion houses when they are out of season.

FINDS! FINDS! FINDS!

Had a very productive day today.
Been running errands, posting packages, gym, assembled
the garden storage without too much hassle, sprayed the
lamp base and sow some basil.
I'm all alone tonight so my plan is to sew and mend a few
things, cut out price tags and business cards I laminated
earlier and clean the house.

The moment you bargain babes have been waiting for!
I only posted a few selected bits from the jumble sale the
19th of March. It takes too much time to blog about all
junk I get my hands on. :))

As usual, click the pictures from larger view...

Saturday


Vintage bamboo planter, 5 pence.
I love this! And so does my recently replanted Mother-in-Law's
Tongue.


Earrings, 10 pence.
Made out of coconut shell. Nice to wear with a tropical outfit.


Vintage swim cap, 20 pence.
Couldn't resist it! I'm allergic to rubber but it sure looks cool
on Dolly 2.


Lurex cardigan, 30 pence
I didn't own a silver Lurex cardigan so it one was very nice
addition to my cardigan pile.


Vintage straw bonnet, 20 pence.
I revamped it the other day, if you've missed it, check out the
finished result here!

Yesterday


Shoes, £3.
Perfect fit! Perfect to wear with anything in my wardrobe! :D


Vintage fabric, £1.
This fabric will be perfect for halter sun tops.
It's actually older than it looks and the lady in this little shop
in the smallest town ever said it was from her mothers fabric
collection.


Vintage Lurex scarf, £2.
This won't be a scarf for much longer. I'm gonna make one
or two tops out of the Lurex as it's get harder to come by.


Book, £1.
From the 1980's filled to the brim with with bikini gals from
1940's-1980's. My favorites are of course the ones with my
favorite blond, Jayne Mansfield.


1950's Cardigan, £2.
There was a button missing and two small holes on one of the
sleeves so I haggeled it down from £3.50. :P


Closeup.

HOW ABOUT TOMORROW?

What a nice day it's been today!
It's been so warm today you'd think it was June!
I've been wearing short sleeves and the 1950's
skirt I got last week.
It's 7:47 PM and I still got the windows open and
I'm not at all cold.

Me and my man had a nice day out today.
I started the day but sanding down and cleaning
the base of the sexy lamp I got on my birthday,
it's gonna get a fresh coat of black paint tomorrow.
And we went for a long walk.
Then we decided to have lunch in Edgware and I
can almost swear that Kanye West were sitting a
few tables away from us. Does anyone know if he
is in London at the mo?

Then we did some vintage scouting, of course and
I finally got to visit the fabric shop I've been very
curious about for ages. It's always been closed the
day's I've passed. We ended up with a few nice bits
both from the fabric shop and some charity shops.
Unfortunately I can't blog about my finds today, my
camera battery needs to be charged.
I promise to have an extra special post about my
latest finds from the weekend and today.
How about tomorrow? :)

THANKS FOR THE CUDDLE, SID!

Ouch! I'm so amazingly sore after the gym today.
Did quite well and if I go on like I did my butt and
tummy's gonna be rock hard. :))

Here's a few things really made my day today...

1. I did my first haggling on Etsy! :D
During the weekend I won a really cool pineapple
shirt for my man and I've had my eyes on a dress
with the same print on Etsy for months, sadly it
was sold as I was gonna lay my hands on it.
But do not feel sorry for me because last night I
found another dress with the exact same print, a
much nicer model but a bit more expensive so lil'
ol' me sent the seller a nice message asking if she
would take an offer and if so reserve it for me.
So this morning I saw that it was reserved for me!
Oh happy day! :D
(I love when me and my man match, it's so nerdy.)
The seller said she liked my approach and gladly
let me have it for $4 less. YES! :D

2. Best thing today must have been when I met
an English Bull Terrier in town and I got myself a
nice proper cuddle. Sidney was his name.

3. When I came home there were three packages
waiting for me by the front door.
It was a DVD, a pair of gold Lurex pants (that I'm
gonna revamp into capri pants) and three square
bamboo bangles. - All eBay finds.



Gold Lurex pants, £6.99
Not 1950's but I even if I got the money I wouldn't spend
$100 for a pair of pants.
I got a 1960's gold Lurex dress for 10 pence at a jumble
sale two years ago but I still haven't got around to turn it
into a pair of capri pants so this will do for now...


Bamboo bangles, £4.99.

REVAMPED

As I foreseen the weekend was busy.
My houseplants now thrive in new soil, the house is
clean, my man now got a big batch of apple cinnamon
sauce and some projects are finished.
I didn't have time to revamp the dress, that's a must
this week.
We even managed to go to a jumble sale on Saturday.
I'm sorry to say that I don't have the energy today to
blog about what I got at the jumble sale so you'll have
to wait.

Anyway, here's some projects I finished today.


Not revamped but I needed a white elasticated belt,
the ones in the shops are too big, even size small.
It actually turned cheaper to make one myself too. :))


I finally got a necklace display for my stall.
This was free with a purchase in a charity shop and it
was painted in some really awful shade of green.
I sanded it down, sprayed it with black paint and then
finished it with some silver glitter.


I got this bonnet from the jumble sale for 20 pence.
I never turn down a challenge to revamp something
vintage. This was in a really bad state but with some
TLC it turned out pretty well...


Ta-da! New bias and a new ribbon.

So, what do you think?

WEEKEND PROJECTS

I got a few projects this weekend.
They are quite weather dependent so if it's sunny I will
finish painting the back fence, replant most of my house-
plants and sow some seeds.

I also plan to revamp this dress from a sad sagging 80's
rag into a stunning well fitted 40's must have.
It's about two or three sizes too big at the moment and
I look like a midget wearing it. (I'm only 158 cm.)
I need to take it in on the sides on the top part and the
most important thing of all, change the awful sleeves.
I've been looking at 1940's dress patterns for some well
needed inspiration and the three different models in the
picture below is kind of what I want it too look like.

On Sunday me and my man are going to Dingwalls 25th
Anniversary Rock n Roll Party.
Still don't have a clue what to wear... :))

I don't think we have time to go to any car boot sales.


Click on image for larger view.


Click on image for larger view.

I'M FROM IKEA LAND

Today has not a good day for my head but it sure
has been productive.
My mood is very weather dependent so if it's rain
in the air I get the worst head and neck ache ever.

I felt a bit fed up earlier today and needed to do
something constructive so I told my man to take
a break from all his paper work so we could go to
the DIY store to order a garden storage for pots
and garden equipment.
We're having the new workshop shed built next
month and we don't want to mess it all up with
grass clippings and dirt.
So that's sorted and we get it delivered next week.
Since I'm from IKEA land and very good at putting
things together I guess I'm the right person for the
job. :)
Not only that, we also agreed on colors for my big
spring revamp. We decided to go for Dulux Sweet
Sundae 5 for the bedroom and Crown 1980 Blue
for the upstairs hallway.
Can't wait to finish the hallway, the swimming pool
blue is gonna look fab with my vintage Nubian wall
hangings and the bamboo mirror.

And these arrived with the snail mail this morning.
I know, it's been a lot of packages lately, at least
I keep it on the cheap side.
These items are both from the same eBay seller.

Click on the images for a larger view.


1960's playsuit, £5.
The buttons must go, asap!


1950's skirt, £6.50.
I love when I finally get my hands on a dress with a 23 inch waist.
Everything modern is way too big for me waist wise.
The rest of me is rather chunky. :))


Close up on the pattern and one of the pockets.

ALOHA!

It's all Hawaiian today!
Got this really cool dress with the snail mail today.
eBay find for $10.99. It's a 1960's beach cover up.
It has a slit in the front to show off your awesome
legs and part of your bikini bottoms.
I don't have awesome legs, yet, so for now I will be
wearing black 3/4 length leggings underneath.
I'm not very brave. :))


Click on the image for larger version.
Or for a more detailed picture, click here.

I had a meeting in town today and afterwards I went
into Primark for the first time in ages.
I've seen that they got Hawaiian dresses this season
and I've seen them go for stupid prices on eBay so I
wanted to have a proper look at them and also get to
know the actual cost for them.
There were only size 6 and 8 left, I bet some twat had
snagged all size 10/12/14 to sell on eBay, luckily I'm
a size 8.
Don't know if I want these or not, I got 28 days to make
up my mind.


Click on the images for larger versions.

IT'S SPRING

Ahh, spring is here.
Started the weekend by mowing the front and back
lawn for the first time this year, now that was hard
work, I still ache from it.
Another thing I did for the first time this year was
to hang the laundry out to dry, that's when you know
it's spring! :)

Today it's been sunny and warm so I started painting
our fence, I ran out of paint but at least I made a start
and the difference is huge.

I didn't blog during the weekend, didn't have the time
and the energy really. Yesterday I did nothing, felt low
and stayed in bed watching Weeds all day.
Saturday was busy. My man took me out on a date.
I might sound like a broken record by now, we went
scouting for vintage. This time we went to the market
in Burnt Oak and then for lunch at our favorite Chinese
in Edgware.
Afterwards we went to a few places we'd never been
before, together that is, my man grew up here in north
London so it's his back pocket.

We got a few nice things, unfortunately I didn't get any
good pics of the two vintage jackets I got for my man.

Here's a selection of what we got.


Pink gingham playsuit, £1.99.
I want summer, now!


Vintage bamboo cuff links, £1.
My man is about as nuts about bamboo as I am so this was
the perfect gift.


A bunch of coconut buttons, 10 pence.
I had my man's Hawaiian shirts in mind.
Some of them comes with ugly plastic buttons so these will
really make a change.

This amazing vintage dress arrived today!
I bought it on Etsy for $22 and I've been waiting a month
for it, shipping issues, the seller was kind enough to refund
the shipping cost. I didn't even have to ask.


Click on image for larger view.


Close up on the pattern.

AND ANOTHER ONE...

Yes, another one.
This stunning dress arrived this morning.
It's a 1950's evening dress, I got it on eBay for £9.99.
I actually regretted putting a bid on it because it didn't
look that nice in the pictures, it was an impulse buy but
now, as I seen it in real life and ironed it, I think it's one
of my top ten dresses.
The pattern is amazing! It shimmers in pink and white.
It makes me think of snowflakes.
The pictures doesn't do it any justice.


Click on the image for larger view!


Click on the image for larger view!

After the gym yesterday I had a quick browse in my
favorite charity shop, I found a pair of velvet capri pants
the other day but I needed time to "think about it", which
was really stupid of me because they were gone, I need
to stop doing that!
Anyway, I had a look around and found these...


Capri pants, £1.75.
I wish it was the velvet ones!!!
These had a really good fit, perfect as basic summer wear.


Cute vintage dress, £2.50
I know I said that I got clothes that are a bit too young for me
but this dress were too cute to leave and I can always wear it
as a house dress or to car boot sales. :)


Closeup on the pattern.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DRESS

This pretty 1950's evening gown
arrived with the mail this morning.
It was a recent eBay find, £10.

Click on images for larger view.

ALOHA!

This vintage Hawaiian sun dress arrived this morning!
eBay find, of course. $14.99.
I love the red Hibiscus print, wide shoulder straps and
sweetheart bodice.


Click on the image for larger view.

A LITTLE REVAMP

Today's been a good day!

The sun was shining and I finally felt well enough to
go to the gym.
I was in for a very nice surprise as I stepped on the
scale, I actually weigh 7 kilos less than I feel!
I only have to lose 4 kg and tone up to be as fit as I
was last summer.
I did quite well, did more than I expected.
I didn't dare to get up on the cross trainer, in case I
overdo it and get ill again, so I worked on toning my
problem areas.

On my way home I popped into my favorite charity
shop and that's where I found these cute shorts.
I love bright colors and the orange red shade can't
be more perfect for the summer.
They cost £2.50 and was well worth it since they
never been worn.
Only bad thing was that it's one size too big and by
the time I toned up they gonna be two sizes too big.
And the buttons, yuk!
As soon as I came home I went through my jars of
vintage buttons and decided not to play it safe with
some matching color, I went for juicy green!
I think the result was quite nice.
Unfortunately none of the colors came out right in
the photos...

Click on images for larger version.


I love the playful look on these shorts.


Before and after...


Much better!

I also listed 8 new items in my Etsy shop!

LET'S FACE FACTS!

Not much of an exciting day really...
I'm waiting for craft supplies so until they arrive I'm
on a bit of a stand still.
I did however send a whole bunch of packages and
I listed 10 new items in my Etsy shop.
I also made a new banner for my shop and updated
the Idaho Red Vintage Facebook page.

Let's face facts, I got way too much stuff!
I need to sort through all my stuff, I'm 30 something
and some things are "too young" for me, so to speak.
My plan is to bring the bits I no longer want or need
to the Ladywood Rockabilly Club in Birmingham.
It's an all-dayer on Saturday 26th of March and I will
be sharing a stall with lovely Dolly Cool Clare.

Here's something I never get too old for: Lucite glitter
bangles!
This pretty thing arrived with the mail this morning!
I have a thing for these if you haven't noticed. :)


Etsy, $5.

BARGAIN MOTHERLOAD!

Oy vey! We really hit the bargain motherload this weekend!
We decided to relax and just do fun things since I've been ill
and cooped up in the house for weeks and my man's job is
very stressful so he really needed a break.
So what did we do? We went scouting.
We got so many incredible finds that I had to select just a
few, otherwise you would have been sick of me. :))

Click on the images for larger versions.

FRIDAY
Went to St. Albans for lunch at our favorite Italian and then
a scout at The Fleetville Vintage Emporium.


1950's miniature case, £4.
This case did once contain a manicure set but I wasn't that
lucky. Still it's dead cute and I can always find vintage nail
grooming tools for it.


1950's muff, £8.50.
Not really what I call a bargain price but it sure adds a bit
of flair to my winter outfits.


Box of deadstock vintage Ketty Daalsgard bangles, £5.
These thin bangles, or should I say spacers, are so me!
It's like wearing a fruit salad on your wrists. :D
(Bought privately, not from the vintage emporium.)


Don't you just love the colors?!

SATURDAY
Went to the scummiest place in north London, Burnt Oak,
to have a look what we could find at the Saturday market.
I really hate that place but the gypsies sure got good prices
on their stuff and they don't give a damn if it's vintage.
Afterwards we went to Edgware for a delicious lunch at our
favorite Chinese.


Vintage velvet top, 10 pence.
One of the gypsies had a big table with tons of clothes on it
and everything was 10 pence each.
I ended up with this top and a knitted glittery long sleeved top.
I just wanted to get out of there because it was cold and dirty
so I didn't had much of a rummage.

3 bamboo bangles, 80 pence for the lot.
Yeah, like I don't have enough of these?
Got them from an old lady who had a jewelry stall, nothing
I did fancy, except these and the one below, of course.


Bangle, 50 pence.
Got this from the same lady. I loooove this color, so juicy!


Summer sandals, £2.49 each pair.
Just what I needed! I was thinking about new sandals for the
summer but I'm not so found of flip flops and I wanted something
that was a bit different. Found these in a crap shop in Edgware.
SUNDAY
Went to Bedfordshire to our first car boot sale of the year.
On our way home we also stopped by two flea markets.
I got a 1960's teak floor lamp for £10! I'm now on a hunt
after a nice lamp shade. I wish it was easy to get hold of
those 1950's American two tier shades. *sigh*


1960's cake decoration book, 50 pence.
I don't bake much nowadays and frosting isn't really a Swedish
thing but for 50 pence it's worth taking.


Swallow earrings, £1.
Cute addition to my swallow collection.


1950's/1960's grooming set, 50 pence.
In absolute mint condition. So cute.
I really am a sucker for 1950's grooming sets.


The inside. Nothing missing.


1950's/1960's bathing suit, £1.
This poor thing has got stretch marks and the elastic is giving
up but for £1 it's worth to try a little revamp.


1940's bloomers, £3.
I died a little when I found these! So pretty!
They need new elastic bands but that shouldn't be a hard task.
These and a red gingham top and some bangles to match and
I got myself a cute summer outfit!