{show & tell} london finds

show & tell I haven't done any serious vintage shopping since Margate but here are four pieces that I've recently picked up while out and about in London.

1 - Hand-hammered brass necklace purchased at a charity shop (thrift store in the States). It has the ethnic/tribal feel that I love in jewelry + it's brass (I LOVE brass).

2 - Re-purposed vintage skirt from Pop Boutique in Covent Garden. Skirts are where I tend to like my prints so I couldn't resist this comfy cotton number. It's definitely going to Madrid and Sicily with me!

3 - A social commentary cartoon from 1924 that depicts two women in the "pre-bobbed period" - see damsels in distress - to "and today" where they appear to be liberated, chatting it up in their short skirts and pants while checking out portraits of different men. This was too good to pass (purchased at Portobello Road).

4 - Ceramic vase that has a great sand texture on the top half. I bought it at a charity shop, and am pretty sure that it's not vintage, but since it was thrifted I figured it was still worth sharing.

Do you have any recent show & tells?

{show & tell} margate vintage finds

IMG_4952show and tell - margate

Our trip to Margate was almost two weeks ago but it's never too late to show & tell! Here's what we got:

1. An old ceramic decorative piece that Joe thinks was a fancy liquor holder (it has a plug hole on the bottom). I fell in love with the shape and metallic center.

2. A WMF Germany steel tray that has a very cool engraved (is that the right word?) pattern. We're currently using it as our "catch-all" for mail, keys, wallet, etc. when we get home.

3. 1950's rolling pin with fun bright handles. Perfect for making flour tortillas!

4. A stainless steel and clear plastic mini-bar set. I literally gasped when I saw these + the brass rivets are really the cherry on top! I have a great complementary ice bucket in storage in LA. One day these pretty things will meet.

More to come after this Sunday at El Rastro, I'm sure! Has anyone been there? What were your favorite finds?

{market memo} sunbury antiques market

Hover over each image for the caption

an early start to a perfect market daysuch a sucker for these a whole lot of awesomeness going on (see large lion) beautiful handpainted chair + love the wicker seat tiny hats and ribbons. they go together a tranquil setting for the usual flea frenzy take your pick of desktop lamps + awesome floral burst mirrors (love me some black and gold) cute childrens birthday cards. too bad they stopped at 10 i'm normally not into dolls but these little handpainted wood ones were more cute than scary the dudes' drawer. but i'll take the horn, thank you phonographs are cool. period. these metallic trimmings made my heart sing

Last week I shared the things I bought at Sunbury Antiques Market via show & tell. Now it's time for a market memo!

Sunbury is held at Kempton Park Racecourse on the second and last Tuesday of the month and since I'm currently a quasi stay-at-home wife, I was lucky to be able to make the one and a half hour trek down there. I've always wanted to be one of those people who can go vintage hunting any ol' day of the week, or better yet, be one of those people who do it as their job. We'll see what I can come up with to make the latter a reality but for now I feel a little ridiculous getting to do this stuff mid-week. How did my desk job day-dreams actually happen?!? Oh yeah, Joe's desk job got moved overseas but I think it's safe to say that we're both winning here :)

Back to the market...Sunbury opens at 6:30am and goes until 2pm. It makes for a very early day but I'd much rather shop in the wee hours anyway when the air is crisp, my energy tank is full and I can go at a leisurely pace. As soon as I walked in I knew that the trek down there was worth it. There were more vendors within stones throw than I'd seen at any other market in London thus far. I did a little dance and carried along to see what I would find. Similar to the Rose Bowl Flea Market, vendors are spread out all over the parking lot and the outside ring of the stadium. What's nice about Sunbury is that they also have two indoor areas which came in handy when the weather turned and continued shopping required shelter from the scattered rain.

I found the market to be very easy to shop based on what you're looking for though it's still worth it to weave in and out of all of the areas if you have the time. The vendors were knowledgeable about their products, prices were fair, and the atmosphere was light-hearted. It was actually the most fun I've had photographing at a flea market since each vendor was happy to let me take a snap (very unlike Paris's Vanves Market, that was like pulling teeth!). Some vendors even joked about receiving royalties while another suggested I take photos of him wrapped in the fur coats he was selling. I should have taken him up on that. Next time.

See a few more photos + captions here!