When I Met Julie Arkell

So I'm still in London and it's finally Sunday, the day I get to meet the wonderful lady herself....JULIE ARKELL.

(As this is an extra long post you might want to make a cuppa lol!!)

As we weren't meeting Julie until noon we had plenty of time to go to Columbia Road where there's a flower market on every Sunday morning and all the shops are open.

My favourite shop belongs to Jessie Chorley and it's filled with all the lovely things that Jessie makes,

the walls are full of hand made pictures,

and "frames" holding brooches.

Jessie displays her gift wrap in old prams,

and candles in tea cups,

I loved this old sampler with it's bow.

Jessie also has a selection of vintage clothing that she stitches patches of fabric, buttons and bows onto (not sure if this is called "upcycling" or "recycling"??)

Shall I show you what I bought at the end 'cose I know you all want me to get to the "meeting Julie bit!!"

As time was marching on we decided to get a taxi to Julie's studio but can you believe it the taxi driver got lost not once but twice, the poor chap was beside himself and insisted we got the ride free for messing us about ( I did give him a generous tip, the poor mite.) 

We arrived at Julie's studio to be greeted by these little creatures above the door,

and after a rat- a - tat- tat on the door knocker we were  met by the lovely Julie who showed us into her studio, if any of you have Julie's book some of the pictures were taken in the very studio that I was now standing in!!

Julie kindly let me take a "snap" of her.

Julie chattered away while I stood there with my mouth open, looking, touching and feeling all the lovely things that Julie had got out for me.

 Finally it was decision time.

I chose two lovely rabbit brooches

"no tea" is the lady rabbit who I've named Bella

and "a lost folk" is Bertie her young man,

both are now whisked off to santa!!

I shall proudly show you them both on Christmas morning.

So what else did I buy???

Two old Hovis tins, one I've put some silver baubles in and the other holds a candle,

a cream bell with merry christmas on, two big clock faces and a few little trees,

patterns for gloves and a hat knitted in alpaca wool

an extra large lantern that was reduced from £100 to £5  because it had a piece of glass missing, what a bargain!!

Did anyone see Kirsty last night? She was shopping in Columbia Road for flowers for the wedding and she popped into a shop where there was a lovely Irish Lady, well that's the very shop that I got these little ruby red decorations that  I've put in the glass jar.

I just had to have these three wooden pigs with their curly tails, I'll have to call in the charity shops to see if I can get the three little pigs ladybird book to go with them.

Gorgeous  "mice" buttons, I do love "mices" especially at Christmas time,

and finally, two brooches,

well you know how much I love a brooch and these were only £2 each.

We also got some food, flowers and a few Christmas presents, we were like a couple of cart horses on the train on the way home good job I'd taken an empty holdall with us!!

Lucey xx

London And An Accident!

Last weekend was spent in London, one of our favourite places.

We got the train on Friday morning and after dropping the bags off we headed to Covent  Garden where there's a very nice vintage shop called 

"The Vintage Showroom"

that we had a browse around,

the tree in the square was  impressive with it's hundreds of red baubles hanging from the branches,

and I loved the advent houses in Fred Perry's window, only a few more days and we'll all be opening door No 1, 

the house with the blue plaque is where he used to live.

On Saturday morning we were bright and early as we had a date with a "Pashley" bike!!

I'd read about "Tally Ho! cycle tours" around central London in Homes and Antiques magazine so I booked us on it and it was the highlight of the weekend.

Jack Harris, our guide kept us amused with his knowledge and stories, did you know  the story goes that the "nose" half way up the wall at Admiralty Arch is Napoleon's and if you rub it as you pass by on horseback it's supposed to bring you good luck?

We rode along some of the streets at the back of Westminster Cathedral where this house still had the signs painted on the wall pointing to the air raid shelter in the cellar.

If you have a couple of hours to spare I'd highly recommend a  "Tally Ho!" cycle tour on a wonderful Pashley cycle meandering around London and stopping off for a "wee dram" in one of the little pubs tucked away off the beaten track!!

In the afternoon we went to Camden Market, a lovely bustling little place full of street traders selling their wares and it's also where the lovely "Loop" shop is, I got some tiny  wooden mice buttons and a pattern for some gloves.

As it started to get dark we saw the Mayor and Brooke Kinsella (of Eastenders fame )walking along so we followed the crowd and it turns out they were there to switch on the lights in Islington.

After a quick change of clothes and a hearty "pie and mash" we headed over to Hyde Park for the "Winter Wonderland" that's held there each year, I'd got us tickets to go in the Magical ice kingdom that was full of ice sculptures.

It had taken 20 ice sculptures 4 months to carve them all.

WOW.....

brrrrrr it was chilly in there!!

I think I'd better make this into two parts before I bore you to tears but before I go when I said I wanted new boots this winter this wasn't quite what I had in mind!!

Back soon,

Lucey xx

Vintage Saturday

We're lucky that we only live about 10 minutes away from the seaside so on Saturday  we got our bikes out and rode down, there's a cycle path right along the sea front and it was a lovely day, the tide was out and there were a few ships bobbing about on the sea.

I forgot to take the camera so no pics I'm afraid.

Then we went to Durham to the "vintage stall" in the indoor market where there's always "gems" to be found,

I got this lovely blue "overall" but with a nip and a tuck it's now my best Summer dress.

 It's made from cotton with blue and green flowers on and red edging and there's a belt round it, the pocket is a V shape, just like a piece of bunting.

It looks lovely with the red accessories and the "dress" brooch I got from Jessie Chorley's shop.

As we got back in the  Town Mr Lucey called at the bike shop and the chap told him he had a cellar full of old bikes and did he want a look, so half an hour later he was the proud owner of a vintage "sunbeam" bike (I told you we had the bug now!!)

We're off to London at the weekend to  a few vintage shops and to visit the truly wonderful Julie Arkell.....oh I think I need a Tenna Lady I'm that excited!!

Lucey x

Just A Tad Too Early?

While out walking the dogs last night, well just the one dog as the other two heard a banger going off and wouldn't get out of the bed, we saw 3 houses lit up in all their Christmas glory. 

 They certainly brightened up a miserable night but wouldn't you be just a tad fed up of them by the end of December, anyway they did look nice twinkling away.

These gorgeous little fishies arrived in the post this week and I just had to have a trial run of where I was going to put them,

after a little play about I packed everything back into the box, cough, cough!!

Browsing round "Millie and Dotties Emporium" I ordered "A Christmas Carol" dated 1944   and it arrived tied up in this lovely green tissue paper looking all festive,

there's lots of pretty pictures to drool over and the pages are quite thick, I've got some ribbon with holly on to tie round it and a rustic tree and reindeer's head to make a scene with. 

 I like to plan where everything is going as I buy it so that every surface is decorated, well it is Christmas after all!!

Promise I won't be getting them out just yet!!

Lucey x

The Best Bike I've Ever Seen

We called at Halfred's, as my son used to call it, last week for a brake cable for Mr Lucey's bike when I spied with my beady eye a gorgeous bike in the loveliest shades of blue and cream that I ever did see!!

So with a nod and a wink and a "that's the best bike I've ever seen, could I get it for Christmas" later, it was all mine!!

Take a butcher's and see what you think.

Yesterday after purchasing a large bell that goes "ding dong" and a basket for the front I dressed warmly and strapped my little brown case on the back and I was off for a lovely ride on "Poppins" so called because I'll be poppin' here and there!

It was lovely riding through all the crunchy leaves and there was a lovely Autumnal smell in the air,

on the way back I saw our neighbour with her pugs so a very wriggly "Maggie" got a ride home with me and Poppins.

I know you're thinking she said "Christmas present," but hey who wants to ride a bike on a snowy Christmas morn when you can be out riding in November, hehe.

Lucey x

PS Keep safe this bonfire night. x