Sunday 31 March 2013

Goodwood Wish List

Tomorrow I will be attending the Goodwood Antiques Fair.  Quite often I am disappointed at these events to find so many stalls full of china and costume jewellery but this is my wish list of things I might hope to find.

Some pretty floral enamelware


and other interesting kitchenalia.


Some pretty perfume bottles


and vintage bags


Of course, I will be ever hopeful of finding some beautiful linens and eiderdowns.



I wonder how lucky I will be!

(All images courtesy of Pinterest)

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Using Your Library

I have only recently joined our local library as I previously always bought my books from Amazon.  I have a bit of a thing about new books; I love the smell of the new paper and being the first person to open its pages!    Also the last time I borrowed a book (many years ago before you could renew on line) I was annoyed to pay out more in a fine than the book would have cost me to buy!  But having bought so many books, perhaps not enjoyed or even read some of them before donating them to a charity shop I decided to join the library on line.  I hadn't realised you can reserve any book for 50p and now you can even  take out magazines on loan (though these are restricted to a 7 day loan).

This is what I have borrowed today all for the princely sum of 50p


with some images from the book.




Friday 15 March 2013

Vintage Posters

Our meeting on Poster Art was really interesting.  The subject matter is so vast that most people had narrowed it down to posters with a particular theme.  We had railway posters, travel posters, suffragette posters and the most popular of all time posters.  I have picked out a few that I think are particularly interesting.


This was the original Pears Soap poster and the painting 'Bubbles' by 19th century artist John Millais was used.

I hadn't realised that objectors to the suffragette movement had produced so many awful and damning posters.  Take these two for example




The following posters are iconic and surely familiar to all.






(I used to have this Biba one on my bedroom wall)





And an all time favourite!

Monday 11 March 2013

Posters


For my art group meeting tomorrow we have been studying Poster Art.  I have decided to concentrate on wartime recruitment posters .  The one above is the most well known one and certainly the most copied.  It first appeared as the cover illustration for the magazine London Opinion on 5 September 1914.  It depicts Lord Kitchener, then British Secretary of State for War.  This image was quickly reproduced in poster size and was seen everywhere appealing for recruits into the Army.

There were a lot of posters encouraging young women to join the Women's Land Army.




as well as the other services.








and, of course, women were needed to take men's places in the factories.




Of course these posters are produced and displayed to have instant impact and to get the message across to the viewer in as few words as possible and the one below certainly does that.


'We Can Do It' is not, in fact, a recruitment poster but an American propaganda poster produced in 1943 used as an inspirational image to boost worker morale and encourage existing workers to work harder!.  It was actually seen very little during the war but rediscovered in  the early 1980s and widely produced in many forms, particularly to promote feminism.  The poster certainly packs a punch, so to speak!

Saturday 9 March 2013

Spring gardening

I expect many of you, like me, have welcomed this warmer weather and the opportunity to get out into the garden this weekend.  Henry is still too young to be taken out for walks so I am pleased that he can get into our garden and have a run around.  Isn't he growing?


I love Spring flowers best of all and a friend gave me some beautiful narcissi and daffodils yesterday.  The scent from the former is wonderful.









I have been pricking out coriander seedlings and repotting them so hope they survive.


and planting some sweet pea seeds which will hopefully look something like these from last summer!




(Image of sweet peas wreath from Pinterest)

Sunday 3 March 2013

Noa Noa

First of all thank you to all of you who left kind comments on my last post; I certainly wasn't fishing for compliments but it was nice to receive them!

I was lucky enough to win a £100 voucher from Noa Noa Lincoln recently and chose this dress which is absolutely gorgeous, I was so pleased with my choice.


The fabric reminds me of a Liberty print and I also love the pink tucked waist band and lace on the hem.


Here is a photo of me wearing it, not a brilliant photo but as you can see someone else wanted to be
included!


I have always liked Noa Noa clothes.  Unfortunately we don't live near a branch so most of my purchases have been by mail order but I have never been disappointed and never had to send anything back.  Here are just a few of my purchases.

The first item I ever bought was this weekend bag which I still love and has been greatly admired on its travels.

I still like this quilted top but, alas, it is too small for me now (or rather I am too big for it!)  I bought the matching belt and added a silver clasp.



This jacket is so pretty too and I have teamed it with the Noa Noa necklace/collar I recently bought in their sale.


I love the different back on this cardigan


and the contrasting waistband on another dress both bought last year.


Lastly is this dress which is still available on Noa Noa websites.  I have worn it a lot, it is so comfortable (when you get to my age then this is an important element!) and can be dressed up or down, so very versatile.


(Please note that this is not a sponsored post, Noa Noa have no idea I am writing this, nor were they aware that I am a fan when I won the voucher.)