Wednesday 26 December 2012

Christmas and New year decorations should be kitsch in my opinion.
and as you can see from my fav photos I live by this statement to the letter!
and in the words of Nigella Lawson...
"i'm on the train to naff central station and i'm not getting off any time soon" 




have a fantastically magical start to 2013
vintage love xx




Tuesday 4 December 2012

Its officially christmas in my house as the tree has arrived!
sounds posh..like i have a tree delivery service doesnt it...but no
what actually happened is the lovely garden centre man took pity on me trying to squeeze my large tree into a small car so offered to drop it off for me in the van...for free I might add..the lovely man even stood holding trees upright so i could see every angle as I'm a very picky tree buying customer..and I get so excited at the meer sight of a christmas tree that i buy a tree that not only will not fit in my car... 
it probably won't fit in my house!
ooh i do love christmas :)

vintage love xxx

Monday 26 November 2012

vintage sheet music from 1936 = a song bird
£2 for three
I'm only at 2 fairs in December
to find me please visit 
www.bluebellevintage.com 


I love apothecary paraphernalia but its sooooo expensive to buy genuine jars..
So in my usual thrifty mode i dug out the box of jars i bought from an auction last month 
and made my own labels to create a cheap apothecary display for a shelf in my study
i love them :) although they'll probably end up on my vintage stall at 
some point when i want  a new display so look out for them!
p.s
if the glasses are plain and you want it to look like its had a coloured medicine in...just get some food colouring and add it to water - 1/2 or 3/4 fill the bottle - pop the bottle on the radiator and let the water evaporate..you'll be left with a film of colour around the bottle like dried out medicine...eventually! but make sure its a radiator where it can't be knocked off & you'll have to be patient as its takes a while to evaporate

Monday 19 November 2012

** MISSING **
Have you seen this hen?
i've just discovered one of my hens has gone awol..Margo- perhaps she's had enough of my shabby chic approach to keeping the predictors out and has moved to a delightful space aged looking plastic egglu that she thinks is safer through the winter...

  or 

so after the demise of my favourite hen Gert last week i'm down to just 3 hens..
.and margo is my blue egg layer who lays cream eggs
(but thats another story..:)
Posters have been put up in the village but no sign of her yet...
so if you see a ginger hen with a funny hair do - who should lay blue eggs but is the one in a million legbar who lays cream..shes mine & i miss her!!
Vintage love to you wherever you are Margo xx


Wednesday 14 November 2012

After a busy summer and an even busier return to uni (yes at my age :)
its time to restart this blog lark...
i've loved having a stall at newarke out of the back of my much loved English vintage camper but not sure i'm an outdoor in winter & rain sort of stall holder 
so its back to just a handful of indoor events this winter...

Wednesday 28th November - Sharnford Evergreen hall 
Saturday 1st Dec & Sunday 2nd Dec - Leicester Guildhall Christmas fair

I really really love the winter..
I love wooly tights and boots, open fires and chilly walks
November always seemed a sort of in-between month for me..summers a distant memory & i'm waiting for December (my birthday & christmas :) 
so lets give November a purpose..Try something new month... 
something you haven't tried before..or haven't done for a long time... you never know where it will lead...


Happy November 
xxxx




Monday 20 August 2012



what do you see when you look at this??


I saw the magic in its rust and smiled about how many camp fires and tea pots it had filled to get so old and scruffy..if only it could talk..what secrets it could tell!! Now its too rusty to make tea i wanted it to continue its journey..yesterday my daughter used it to water her sunflowers, today it is filled with an unknown flowery type weed that lives in the fields near my house..who knows what it will be tomorrow..
perhaps a jacuzzi for barbie ... a water pistol refiller...
& so its magical journey continues..

Did you just see a rusty old kettle?

if so dig out your rose tinted specs and take time to breathe & see the magic in everything around you
(its makes even the most difficult days a little easier to live through)

vintage love xxx

Saturday 18 August 2012

summer has arrived :)
thursday and friday we'll be at the very sunny (hopefully)
and totally fabulous
Newarke vintage fair
see you there x

Tuesday 7 August 2012

blimey where is my sunshine? 
i'm quite sure i ordered it for  all of August :)
but lets all be thankful for beautiful skies in between the rain and take time to breathe and believe in ourselves and those we love


vintage love from bluebelle  xx

Friday 3 August 2012

woohoo sun!!!!!!
loving english summer and my latest read..yes its about be in campers!
rain rain then glorious breaks for sun!


loving the camper but time to return home!!


or maybe i'll just stay in the camper and watch the sunrise over the sea forever :) 
summer love  xx

Friday 20 July 2012

Yay summer holidays are here!
 we are off on adventures so blogging may be few & far between!
Our summer plan is simple...
festivals, holidays and wandering in the camper through england & france..
being together as a family...
reading, chatting, eating & getting on each others nerves :)
but we'll be inspired & back with new projects and nonsense very soon
Vintage love to you all xx

Friday 29 June 2012

Rain Rain Rain has stopped me working on my new camper harriets bodywork...Boo & Hiss!
so i have spent the time re-inventing a few of my hoarded pieces of treasure for swinderby next month..
Usually i paint eveything in clunch by farrow & ball but i went a bit wild yesterday & used....
Grey! A really dark grey by annie sloan and love it!
I wonder if swinderby is ready for non cream furniture....
Todays project.....
i want to make my camper as eco as possible..those of you who drive old cars & campers know they aren't the most eco car to use...but i'm trying to lower our impact on our lovely earth my only using recycled and natural materials... so todays plan is to transform these crates into cupboard doors for her...
Watch this space.....i'll post my finished article over the weekend -

This weekend in Leicestershire....
i'll be helping  at the fantastic 'songs for ela' charity event
making.... bee stations... flowers for tired bees :)
& taking my junk trunk to creat old school retro cornflake box robots!
A fantastic family event for a fantastic charity & in memory of a fantastic little girl xx
if you are in leicestershire on saturday get in touch for details

Sunday 24 June 2012

woohoo, its nearly monday! 
Now i know Monday isn't everyones favourite day but i love Mondays!
funny working week (&working weekends) means Monday is my Saturday.. so its time for a jolly day :)
so its off on my boats for a day & a canalside pub lunch..and a hunt around a feW antique shops...
HAPPY MONDAY!

Friday 22 June 2012

with the caravan & my daughters huge 2 storey playhouse gone in the same week 
the garden felt empty...
yes you guessed it another project is underway...
the safari vintage caravan i bought a couple of months back that has stood in my stable yard being renovated is now in the garden awaiting its final transformation into her new den..
i have something like this in mind...
but i think she has something more along these lines in mind...
so watch this space......




Tuesday 12 June 2012

Goodbye my lovely Pearl...
renamed Betty by her lovely new owners Yasmin & Grace
Enjoy holidays and high days in your little gem of a caravan!
much vintage love to all 3 of you  xx

and the start of a new adventure...the latest addition to the family
Meet my super sweet & pretty scruffy new camper - yet to be named.
We are going to spend this summer on the road hippy camper style - doing things we love.. like reading, eating & festival-ing!

St Augustine : ‘The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.’

Monday 11 June 2012

Rain rain rain rain rain .....and more rain!
thank goodness most fairs are inside...
(please stop raining before newarke...its vintage heaven when its sunny)
but i know two lovelies who are delighted with this weather...
Rose & Iris the runners!
back to more serious-ish vintage projects... (well not tooo serious :)
my next fair is sunday vintage
sunday 24th june
& i've been busy sourcing lots of lovely vintage including some larger items that would be perfect for the garden & a real bbq talking point! i've been to fantastic auctions and
mangle, old washtubs, victorian clothes airers...and even a couple of vintage bikes!
and my favourite items.....
victorian potties!! They make perfect planters!
(pot up with sweet peas for a real bbq conversation piece..do you get it?
potty - peas - you pee in a potty ...oh well i  give up!)

 

infact anything makes a perfect planter! even old tins :)


vintage love xx





Thursday 31 May 2012

sorry vintage lovelies been away but back with a vintage dash of jubilee loveliness!
£2 flag transformed into a 50's skirt for the jubilee street party for my daughter...


Enjoy the jubilee long weekend!


Wednesday 9 May 2012



With all the rain my renovation projects are taking a back seat :( 

so  i've been busy looking for lovely stock for my upcoming stalls..

I had a fantastic time this week at the auctions & antique shops 
I bought 14 beautiful 1940's glass cake stands ..
now all gleaming in the sunshine & waiting for the jubilee vintage fair!
and whats better than using one vintage cakestand?
Stacking 3!! and filling them with mini meringues :)
yum!

and my funniest auction purchase..
yes they are vintage potties
(suggestions on uses? other than the obvious :)

My favourite buy this week is..mouse shaped cheese knife 
i know its sort of tacky but i loved him & shall be using him for my 
numerous cheese feast suppers!
and one that got away...
a stunning royal albert set that sold for £125

but don't worry i did buy some gorgeous teacups, teapots & plates
and 2 fab chairs to upcycle..watch this space!



Wednesday 25 April 2012

soooo excited about my latest vintage buy!
Now i know it needs a little bit of work...
and we all wonder how i fitted it in my morris minor 
(i'll be honest i didn't fit in my car..my very lovely Mr Bluebelle picked it up for me in his car :)
and we'll forget i got too excited bidding on ebay and bid on something located 2 hours away so it cost me lots in petrol & time...and that i was then so indebted to Mr Bluebelle i had to buy him a pub lunch on the way home!
we'll just enjoy looking at it and when this rain stops...i'll be sanding and repairing my 1940's gem of a butchers bike so its ready for the vintage fair on sunday 24th june

Item image


Thursday 19 April 2012

Here we are again...
more bargain buys and unfinished projects...oh and a quite a lot of old buckets :)
but an exciting week non the less...
i've been looking for a vintage fair that has more home/furniture ,
 and has interesting vintage clothes from different eras,


And so we have formed leicester vintage fair in the Guildhall 
every month..finally a fair with homewares & furniture
as well as unique vintage style accessories & quality clothing!
Perfect in every way
keep an eye on the website 

www.sundayvintage.co.uk

oh and i promise i'll finish those tables i started 2 weeks ago!
i  got side tracked on my caravan project..she'll be lovely one day!
(i think shes lovely already)


this weekend...i'm going to pop into 
Enjoy your weekend vintage lovelies!
xx


Saturday 14 April 2012

oh my goodness!
You have to go to the Newarke Fair
as you know i went to choose my pitch for the June newarke fair 
what a jolly day was had by little old me :)
the place is full of weird and wonderful vintage with 4000 stalls
 
this is the creepiest thing i saw for sale
and the weirdest..yes it is a real fox!! 
what an earth would you do with it?
and my favourite item -
that Mr bluebelle had to drag me away whilst listening to me scream..
"its perfect for my farmhouse in france...."

(we don't actually have a farmhouse in france although i do have a table, 2 chairs, a double bed & a garden chair for it  - i like to be prepared :) it was a snip at £1000!
pop along and see my little pitch at the june newarke fair!

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Easter Holidays
Making the most of two weeks off!
I'm taking a break on my narrowboat for a few days..
its been rainy, windy & cold but this morning I woke up to sun
and the canal seems to be bursting with moorhen chicks!
They look just like floating black pom poms!
soooo cute!
And a side effect of rain is i have been eating mountains of cake 
whilst i curl up with a good book waiting for the rain to stop!
Back home tomorrow (full of cake) after a few days afloat!
(yes i ate the whole cake :)
Another adventure planned for Friday 13th April
as i'm off for a jolly day at Newarke Antique Fair 
Looking for fabulous new vintage items all for me..
oops i mean for my vintage stall of course :)
i'll be sure to take photos of my favourite treasures to share with you.




Monday 9 April 2012

This weeks Project

An old set of little tables! from 1970's
£20.50 from good old ebay
They have a few Marks on the top and the woods to dark for my liking
but they are excellent quality, a lovely shape & solid mahogany,
so i'll have a go at re-inventing them shabby chic style in time for Nottingham Vintage fair!
You'll need 
tables :)
sandpaper
paint brush
paint
Most people would use eggshell but i like to use emulsion as its not so strong smelling, its cheaper, more eco, better colour choice, easier to wash my brushes and allows me to build up the depth of colour and easier to sand for a distressed look - but you'll need beeswax or varnish as well if using emulsion
i'll explain it all in my next blog!



Saturday 7 April 2012

My Easter flowers in an old teapot
(flowers aren't just for vases in my house :)
Thank you to my lovely friend who gave them to me!
Happy Easter!
The finished sweet cart!
I love the way it turned out!
The roof is 2 sheets of Mdf covered in an old vintage sheet,
 bunting for the edge, all fabric is stapled gunned on.
You can see the 4 stair posts support the roof, 
The old wheel was off a wheel barrow planter
& it all had 4 coats of emulsion, distressed & then waxed.
Filled with jars of sweets, sugar mice & little paper bags
 for a lovely vintage sweet cart look.
Total cost - £37.95
(could work out much cheaper if you have table/board etc already)
Table £10
4 post (1.99 each) £7.96
Wheel (free)
Mdf 8.99 
Fabric sheet £3 (car boot)
Jars - £1 each but you could use empty jam jars for free!
Paint - left over from decorating so free!
Top part is removable so it can fit in a car and be stored a little easier.


It has been to a couple of vintage fairs and looked fantastic
 Its is now having a jolly time doing the rounds of family parties!


Wednesday 4 April 2012

A latest purchase from gumtree for £10 (i didnt even haggle)
A little side table that i intend to turn into a sweet stall 
shopping list...
table (erh yes i already have this!)
4 bannister thingies
sheet of mdf  (1220x1220mm)
bunting
2metres fabric
paint
sweet jars & jam jars
sweets (yay)
2 lil' wheels


strictly speaking this is a family project but i wanted to share it :)
New to this blogging lark but think i will love sharing the many adventures (and disasters) of renovating and reinventing vintage and unloved furniture and homewares...and sometimes caravans, cars and even my boat :)

hmmm...just need to figure out how to post and there'll be no stopping me!
I promise to share at least one project/idea every week!
xxxx