And so to bed...

Hi all,

I wanted to post a quick pic showing some of the little DIY projects and nik-naks I have bought for our bedroom recently. As you know I am always saying how much we are doing on the house, so I thought I'd show you a little bit of our handiwork.

The top picture shows all the trinkets that are on top of  a drawer unit in our bedroom. At the back you can see a round item, not sure how to describe it because I still don't really know what it is but whatever it's original purpose, I painted it silver and it now sits proudly overseeing our lovely room. It was a dark brown wood finish originally that was 50p in Dunelm, one of my favourite shops. I immediately snapped it up, knowing that I could do so something with it. It may have been a doorstop or purely an ornament, I am not sure but I am really pleased with the finished silver result. 

The photo on the left shows a vase and a lamp that were both bought from separate charity shops but seem to match perfectly as they are both slightly Art Deco in style. The lamp was £5 from The British Heart Foundation furniture store in Newport. I love their shops, they are full of furniture and unwanted items awaiting adoption and revamping. The vase came from The St Davids Hospice shop in Bulwark, costing £4. John had to pop to the hire shop next door to arrange some scaffolding for the house and so I was granted 5 minutes of rummaging time while he was occupied. 

The last photo shows a small wall unit that was originally a mug stand. I am ashamed to say that I cannot remember the specific charity shop this came from but it was purchased on my lovely day that I spent with Jo last week in Wells. It was just a natural wood stain so I painted it with black gloss paint to make it more befitting of our bedroom. It now houses an old photo of my lovely Nan, the mini Solo that Hollie made me and a little trinket box.

So there you have it, slowly bit by bit I am filling every space in the house, much to John's dismay. We did buy a big house originally but it is slowly shrinking in size. I read something recently though by a fellow rummager that I thought was nice and apt - "I am obsessed with surrounding myself with beautiful things".  That should be my tag line. And thanks to the wealth of charity shops out there, many of the beautiful things I like, come very, very cheap. 

Look out the Magg-ies back...

What a brilliant day. Yesterday I turned my back on DIY and all things home improvement for a day in Wells with my lovely friend Jo. She's been telling me for a while that I would love it there for all it's charity shops and little independent boutiques. And love it I did.

Wells is a very pretty place located on the edge of the Mendip hills. It is often described as the smallest city in England due to the presence of its cathedral but it only has a population of around 11,000 people. It has a thriving market town feel to it and is very popular with the tourists all year round. One of which was me.....a day tourist at least.

A selection of second-hand emporiums waited to greet me with open arms, enticing me in to enter and browse. I bought a few lovely pieces that I shall write about at a later date but I couldn't wait to tell you about one place in particular (that we wouldn't even have found if it wasn't for Jo getting us a little lost in search of a car park),  the Wells Trading Post.

I could have happily died and gone to heaven right there.

It was as if all my favourite things had had a discussion and decided to group together purely for my amusement and bewilderment, all under one roof. I could have spent hours rummaging.

I think Jo knew she was in trouble by the wide-eyed smile that took over my face. I am just so happy that we came upon it, I love how life seems to smile on you at certain moments like that as we could have easily missed it.  It had everything from items of furniture, clocks, ornaments, mirrors, collectables and even clothing. For those of you that adore that vintage look to your home, your search is over.  Go forth and splurge because I doubt you will find such a wonderful array of items anywhere else.

The store is set out over three floors, each one offering another feast for your eyes. And here I go with that sentence again, amongst the rails of beautiful vintage clothing I fell in love with an item.  Due to lack of funds however and the rough budget I had given myself (and already spent), purchasing said item was not an option and I am definitely not one of life's great hagglers. But, to my delight (and slight guilt), Jo offered to purchase it for me for my birthday and we also got £5 knocked off the price. The fateful day is a month or so away yet but she said she'd keep it for me and give it to me on the day. I didn't think the day could get any better really. I won't tell you what it is, I shall leave it until my birthday and then show you some photos that will do it justice. But needless to say, it's typically me and not your average piece of clothing and Jo has already specified, I am not to wear it in her presence. 

I'm hoping that was a joke. 

Anyway, something that I did buy myself was this gorgeous red take on my original Maggie bag. If you have previously read about my favourite black bag you will know what I mean but for those that haven't, it's style is reminiscent of the handbags that our esteemed prime minister of old, Margaret Thatcher used as her accessory of choice. It's simple vintage style and clean lines just screams class and I love them. I also have a cream one and if I ever spot other colours, I shall keep on collecting. They also make me think of Grace Kelly and the golden age of Hollywood starlets that sported headscarves and silk gloves with their oh so suggestive tight pencil skirts and their button through blouses. I appreciate that they are a far cry from our dear Maggie but they were also patrons of that perfect little bag.

It's just the deep red but I was hoping to find but until yesterday, I had been unsuccessful in my quest.  It was £12, a little more than I would normally spend but it's such lovely condition and just what I had been after, that I blew my budget once more. 

And I fear that if I return to this amazing Aladdin's cave in the future, no budget will cover what I would like to spend. I urge everyone within a sensible distance to pay it a visit. 

Give a little, take a little...

Since buying our house, John and I seem to find ourselves regular visitors to the tip. The endless stream of rubbish, debris and unwanted cargo ensures that we are diamond customers of our local waste recycling facility. 

But on one recent occasion, I actually made a withdrawal from the site, not just a normal deposit. This lovely painted bar mirror was sitting lonely on the side awaiting whatever fate the centre had for it. The usual thing happened.....my face lit up, big smile appeared and I went over and tentatively asked about the future of the item. To my joy, the site worker in question told me I could take it if I liked it, after all that's still recycling isn't it? 

John's face however did not share the same amount of joy as he quipped that he has never known anyone to walk away from the tip with something. I haven't yet decided on a permanent home for it, possibly the kitchen once we have re-modelled it (a long way off yet). I had always hoped I'd find an old vogue-style mirror or some kind of fashion related one, maybe advertising a perfume or some such luxury item but for now I will take an alcohol-related one. 

It's fascinating to see what people take to the tip. Obviously the essence of it is disposal of unwanted goods where our local council then takes responsibility for its demise but me being the hopeless romantic, likes to wonder of the origin and history behind what is discarded. Old toys, bikes, furniture and so on. I wonder how much stuff is taken there that could be given to charity shops for others to enjoy and where charities could financially benefit.  There  is a large sign on the approach to the site advertising their recycling rate, usually around 60-70% which is very impressive and necessary in our "throw-away" age. The amount of rubbish we create and get rid of is scary. John and I are consistently surprised at just how much we can generate as a couple and we are ardent recyclers ourselves.  The issue of the environment and our continued abuse of it is such a scary topic. It's so important for everyone to take on the pledge and do their bit. Our house is filled with up-cycled, re-cycled and renovated pieces because I love the idea that you can give new life to an object that may have otherwise been destined for landfill. And with it comes that sense of satisfaction knowing that you have transformed an item, giving it a rebirth. 

So it may be worth asking yourself the question.....do you do all you can to recycle and re-use?

 I hope so. 

On a separate note, my gorgeous dog is asleep in the background of the picture, most displeased with the current run of hot weather we are having. I love it, his fur coat does not. It is lovely to think that this year, if the nice weather continues, we will be able to enjoy it in our new home and make full use of having a lovely garden for the first time.  We may just have to purchase a paddling pool for Solo!