Hidden gems.....

So you may have noticed, there isn't much purchasing going on in the Merchant-Locke household of late (unless it's in DIY shops or other such realms). That's ok, it's not about a continuous stream of newness into the wardrobe, it's about recycling and falling in love again with what you already have and may have unintentionally over-looked. The pieces below are two such items. 

I came upon them while disseminating what will and what won't make the grade for the dressing room last week. It's a sorry state of affairs when you finally have a dressing room but not everything will fit! 

Both are loved equally but for every different reasons and both are of course second hand. 

Now try not to judge this first one. I know milkmaids spring to mind (or at least they do for me when I look at it) but I had to have it nonetheless. And in the ten years I have owned it, it has been worn only once. On a date, in the early days with John (and in the days when I had a much smaller frame with which to show it off). I teamed it up with a long chunky knit cardigan just to lower the tone somewhat and some camel boots. You can't really see it without enlarging the picture but it is a beautiful pale peach satin fully embroidered with brightly coloured flowers front and back. The only downside, is that it shows your backside! The back is slightly higher than the length at the front and although fine with the long cardi, a tad too risqué without, unless you are Miss Moss. 

I bought in from a little vintage shop in Bath and it was quite expensive but thankfully a kind ex bought it for me after seeing my childlike grin the minute we walked in. 

I can't see her ever making it back into the wearable stakes BUT she shall certainly be kept and passed down to either my niece or my stepdaughters. I have a big box already started of lovely things I'm keeping for them. 

This one will definitely be worn again. £7 from a St Peters Hospice shop in Fishponds, Bristol. Satin again and this time from Zara, I am a sucker for a nice wrap dress. They are so flattering. A little tight at the moment (as is 80% of my wardrobe!), but she won't be going into the legacy box.

As for new purchases, there may be one or two this weekend as I have a rare weekend off  and John and I are off to explore the lovely city of Cardiff . I have already done my research on vintage shops and markets of which I am pleased to report there are several.

Poor John..........again. 

The writing's on the wall......

I am having a very lazy day off. The best kind. I have spent most of it in my favourite place in the house so I thought I would share with you a few more pictures so you can see why I love it so much.

This is our bedroom. Not yet completely finished, we still have skirting board to paint and carpet to buy but the main bulk of the work is done. I wanted a really striking feature wall behind the bed and this paper just jumped out at me. John on the other hand, does not love the wallpaper but not because of the pattern, because it was a nightmare to lay apparently. And me being me, as much as I loved it when I got back from work, all I noticed were the imperfections and marks on it, not realising what a horrible time John had had all day, trying to so it on his own. 

You can just see Madelene in the corner (my wrought iron mannequin still wrapped in Christmas lights from 2012). I think she is so pretty and I switch the lights on all the time, even in the day.

This is the view from the back wall. John now has his own wardrobe solely for "man" use. Never before has such an honour been bestowed upon him. The other one is of course mine. We couldn't fit another one in my dressing room so he caved and allowed me another one in our room just for jeans, jumpers etc. 

This is a decal that I had made for the wall of our en suite. Surprisingly, I resisted the urge to fill it full of pictures as I had an idea at the back of my mind of some beautiful french wording being written upon the wall.  I wasn't brave enough to attempt to paint it myself, so I researched on the net for the cheapest decal/wall art sticker I could find and this is the result. £7.50 from Amazon. 

Quelle bargain! 

The proverb translated reads; " the perfect couple is one that talks to one another as best friends, plays like children and protects one another like brother and sister". I saw it written on a friends wall on Facebook once and loved it ever since. I just think it adds a little je ne sais crois to the room and personalises it even more. My only regret is that I didn't chose the matt option as it is awfully shiny when the light is on. 

Talking of lights, here is a link to the light that I have bought for my dressing room. Not quite a chandelier but it's got "quiet" elegance I think. And of course, it's got a French name.....

BHS Marianne Ceiling Light

And as for this imposter.....of course he isn't allowed in the bedroom. There was an emergency and he ran upstairs to find his mum.

The emergency being...... he needed a cuddle.

Good Intentions...

If there is anyone out there still tuning in to my blog after my terrible neglect over Christmas, I wish you a very Happy New Year, and hope that 2014 will be a year full of lovely surprises for you.

Christmas was a bit odd this year in that we didn't fully immerse ourselves in all things Santa. John's stress levels reached DEFCON 3 as he tried desperately to finish our bedroom for Christmas, something I am pleased to say that he achieved with flying colours (albeit a few finishing touches and the question of unsecured skirting board but that matters not!).

We didn't send Christmas cards, got caught out not giving presents in time and just generally felt that we could have done with another 6 weeks so as to give the festivities all the care and attention they deserved. I had such plans of grandeur for the first Christmas in our new home but they all fell by the wayside without funding, energy and time. That said, the giggles over Articulate, the endless glasses of falling down water and the general pleasure that comes (at the time) from being gluttonous without guilt, was very much enjoyed.   Our one crowning glory was our beautiful tree, which we colour coordinated of course, matching the colours that our lounge will be eventually.

But now it is all finit and the New Year blues have found their way in. The word that shall not be said out loud (diet) is back on the agenda and just the thought of one is exhausting. I don't like to record and analyse what I eat, I love food too much to break it down into recordable component parts. Something must be done though. All this time I have been blaming my love of wine for my excess poundage and it turns out that my little bowl of Frosties every night for supper was sneakily adding on many calories per sitting. I am still in shock to be honest.  My glass of wine coupled with a packet of crisps is less fattening! Anyway, no more excuses and I hope that now I have the ultimate goal to motivate me.....

Le Boudoir....

Yes, operation Carrie Bradshaw is around 80% complete. I have my dressing room thanks to my amazing husband and his endless patience. Here is a couple of pictures as she currently stands, just bear in mind I have yet to buy the chandelier, carpet and fancy blind. My shoes are not yet permanently housed either. The original plan of bookshelves with glass fronted doors is still being muted but I am still considering other options that will maximise the space even more. Current count is 179 pairs so optimisation is key or they will be spilling out to the far corners of the house. And I have been politely reminded that this is not a discussable option.

Ok, so not the most glamorous entrance but as I said,  still work to be done. To the left is the entrance to the en suite that John has built  and the clothes sticking out? That's my jacket wardrobe but you can't see it very well. Proper photos to follow when it's all done! 

Posh dress area with bags over-head.....

Day dresses in the middle and tops and bottoms to the left.

And on the other wall......

Homeless but organised.....at least they are all in one space for now which is a god-send believe me. 

So there you have it. It's only a relatively small area but a dream one all the same. I know I am very lucky and still pinch myself when I sit in there at night, cuppa in hand (no judgement), just looking around at the general splendour of it all.  One thing that did surprise me though was the sadness that came with unpacking all my many crates of clothing. I had always assumed it would be a momentous day, unwrapping forgotten jewels in my 20 year collection but it was a very melancholy affair. As I excitedly ripped open box after box, I was sadly reminded of all the beautiful items I had kept but that realistically, was never going to wear again. I am no longer that girl about town, financially independent with savings in the bank, who's week revolved around work lunches, Friday night down the wine bar (extremely overdressed), or planning my next trip to New York or Cannes (where again, the whole trip revolved around the outfits and how long could I get away with pretending to be Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly swaying along the Côte d'Azur, before my boyfriend threw in the towel).

My life has changed in what seems like the blink of a slightly wrinkled eye and here I am. 40. None of what I am saying is out of regret or even unhappiness, it's just that stark realisation of the ageing process and the massive effect is has on who you are as a person (and on what you can wear that is deemed age appropriate). Still, the up-side is that there will be a few clothes ready for recycling, the whole point of loving second-hand, and as for the shoes.....they too have depleted slightly. 12 pairs were pulled out today. Some for the bin due to age and condition but 4 pairs ready for the charity shop.

Next job(s)? Posh light, black carpet and cover a small cube seat with velvet.  Then hang some pictures on the small wall space that is available and get a blind. Boudoir almost finit.

Joan Collins eat your heart out.