Valentine's Gift

As 'V' day looms I thought I'd show you what I plan to give my other half. I have already been Valentine's card shopping four times and am yet to find a relevant card. I hate the smooshy, lovey-dovey poems that card manufacturers insist on printing inside their cards and can never find a front that applies to my relationship. What a minefield.

I found this gem of a present whilst in This Shop Rocks on Brick Lane (blog post here and here) looking at vintage clothes. I HAD to get one so tried to find the oldest one possible. This one is from 1922 - how different cards were back then? But they didn't just send Valentine's cards to their lovers back then but to every member of the family. I decided to frame it (with a frame I bought from a charity shop) because I thought it'd add a lovely touch to our hallway.

















Maria
PS/ Just don't tell my boyfriend!

Shopping for Vintage Gems on Brick Lane - Part Two

Following on from this post, I thought I'd show you a few more photos from the day and tell you about my new favourite vintage shop.


Metal plates on the pavement which I found out aren't actually as riddled in history as you may think. Click here to find out more.




My new favourite vintage shop - This Shop Rocks. Well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.




Clothes...


...accessories and...


...valentines cards!






A 1920s teddy, I was seriously tempted by this one but managed to restrain my wallet.


A bit of a dreary outfit for a dreary day.

Leonie wrote a wonderful post about the day so wander over to fatfreeyoghurt to read it!




Maria

Shopping for Vintage Gems on Brick Lane - Part One

I took a little trip into London today with Leonie from fatfreeyoghurt. We went for a gander along Brick Lane and found ourselves some lovely vintage shops. Now, I have a bit of a thing for vintage shops but I hate when they are cluttered. It makes me feel like I'm in a charity shop and when I am paying vintage prices, I expect more than the charity shop experience. However, I was pleasantly surprised with everywhere we went today - tidy, clean, organised and still reasonably priced. And I have to add that there wasn't a snooty sales assistant to be found.

As I was on the hunt to complete my French Connection/Louboutin ensemble (see post here) with some sort of purse/clutch, I was pleased to find a lovely late 50s ivory satin clutch bag with hand sewn sequins and beading on for half price - £12.50 - and considering I was mulling over whether to buy one from Primark at £6, I think I got a much better deal. It is a little bit grubby but nothing a cotton bud and some warm water won't fix and you can forgive a little wear and tear after 50 years, can't you?









I love the little post cards that boutiques display for customers to take home, I think it adds just that extra bit of service. These are a few pretty ones I picked up today.









Maria
PS. Come back tomorrow for some more photos of the day!