Jikana Damaru

Tin signs

I love the way old-fashioned tin signs evoke nostalgic memories and I have many dotted around my house. My garden metal sign hangs on the wall on the side of my house leading to the garden. There's also one hanging on my garden shed.

Next, I'd really like this No Junk Mail one above to hang on my front gate.

Curio Cabinet

I have finally got around to completely filling my curio cabinet and blogging about it. I always loved the print trays that my Dad used to hang around my parents' house and really wanted one myself. After seeing this curio cabinet on one of my many internet searches I had to have it for three reasons. One, because it has a door; two, because it is deep enough to hold a variety of nicknacks; and three, because of the vintage weathered look.

Here's what I decided to put in it:

Black and white photos from State Express/Ardath cigarette cards available on ebay.
Antique buttons from The London Vintage Fashion Textiles and Accessories Fair.
White laser cut butterfly from Tchibo.
Sequin dragonfly Christmas decoration from Gisela Graham.
Small glass jars with beads and sequins in (please e-mail me for further details if you're interested as I have some to sell).

Curio cabinet top shelves in the craft room

Curio cabinet middle shelves in the craft room

Curio cabinet bottom shelves in the craft room

"I want to ride my bicycle!"

Over the past few sunny days I have been dreaming of having my own bicycle with a basket on the front, and cycling along the river wearing a tea dress with the wind in my hair. I've found my dream bike, too! The new Pastel Blue Pashley Poppy above. I love the old-fashioned look of it with the tan brown leather seat and the cream tyres.

It is also available in Blush Pink.

As the song by Queen says: "I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like"!

~ Holiday Magic ~

This amazing holiday retreat is on Kangaroo Island - South Australia.

Southern Ocean Lodge looks absolutely amazing.

An amazing outlook from every room.

Beautiful cosy fires perfect for this time of year in Australia.

A fabulous look spa to relax in, not to mention wonderful walks to be had.

And lunch with this view - perfect!

Make sure you take a look www.southernoceanlodge.com.au

~ Off to Dinner ~

I am off to dinner with some girlfriends so I have run out of time to blog!

I hope your dinner is yummy wherever you may be eating it. See you tomorrow.

Trims

Recently I covered my tailor's dummy in trims, in shades of white, cream and aqua that I have collected over the years from antique fairs, markets and haberdasheries.

My favorite antiques fair to find trims and fabrics is The London Vintage Fashion Textiles and Accessories Fair, which is held every four to five weeks in London. It is a magical place with over a hundred vintage fashion clothing dealers, selling an array of handbags, linen, lace, embroidery, shoes, hats, gowns, chiffons, beaded dresses, textiles, needlework accessories, necklaces, gloves, trimmings, fashion magazines, and costume jewellery.

"The show is the brain child of Paola Francia-Gardiner and Alberto Ricca (Paola is the creative force and Alberto the organisational supreme). An experienced antique dealer, Paola used to buy, sell and indeed wear vintage fashion in the late 70's. At that time, she got to know lot of people who were selling vintage clothes. By the early 90's the market was almost dead - no one was buying the clothes because the fashion scene had move on. The dealers were complaining to her that they had lot of stock and did not know what to do with it. With an innovative approach, in 1999 she decided to organise a fair that incorporated not just vintage clothes but also accessories and textiles."

For new trims and ribbons, I often visit the treasure trove that is V V Rouleaux. Their delightful shops are literally full to the brim with ribbons, tassels and trimmings: perfect for inspiring new ideas and elegant touches.