Disaster Designs. My new vintage style purse and weekend bag ♥

Not too long ago, my mum was in Wolverhampton visiting my Gran and she came across a purse, of which she fell in love and wanted to buy me for my Birthday. Unfortunately, she saw the bag in a boutique shop window, and the shop was closed & she had to come home the same day. When she arrived home, we sat and tried to search for the purse, typing into Google the description of it. Soon enough we came across a few on Ebay, but none new or cheap. It was becoming increasingly apparent we wouldnt be able to find a site that stocked it. 

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 December 17th was my Birthday, and so my mum set about on a mission to track down the purse so she could give it as a surprise. Funnily enough, Amazon now stocked it.

The Company is called "Disaster Designs" and they have a handful of different ranges within it. This is the "Paper Planes" range (The cutest in my opinion). It is somewhat in the more pricey range, but nothing too extravagent, and totally worth it.

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I just wanted to share with you how pretty some of the items were. Of course I got the purse, and also a cute envelope vintage style weekend bag. (which im pretty sure will com in useful, travelling back and fro from university!). If you're looking for something utterly adorable (Passport Cover, Coin Purse, Wash Bag, Compact Mirror...)

I'd highly reccommend you give this company a little search on the interwebz (Or check stockists as it can be stocked in independent shops & Boutiques)

 

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This is my beautiful tape measurer purse :)


 

& This is my vintage love letter weekend bag £60

 

 

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Have you purchased any cute vintage style accessories before like Disaster Designs?

 

Rachael x

Shabby Chic Valentines Day Gifts For Under £10 #bargain #ebay

 

 

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It's less than 3 weeks until Valentines Day, and even if you're single this year, I've put together a few little treats that are less than £10 each! You could buy something for your loved one, best friend, or maybe for yourself without breaking the bank!

 

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Maybe you could create your own personal message in a bottle, or even buy some chic heart coasters for the tea lover! These are all available from eBay and are under a tenner including delivery! Wow.. bargains! I love the personalised wooden hearts and might just have to buy it for myself! And how cute is the wooden quote sign?

Happy Valentines shopping!

 

 

1. Wooden Personalised Heart

 

2. Wooden Personalised Heart

 

3.Wooden Quote Plaque

 

4. Hanging 'LOVE' Photo frame

 

5. Heart Glass Candle

 

6. Wall Plaque 'LOVE'

 

7. Chic Heart Coasters

 

8. Personalised Message In A Bottle

 

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Rachael x

My New Vintage Style Stopwatch Necklace ♥

 

You wouldn't believe how crazy the last few days have been for me! I moved back up to university in Bristol on Sunday and the amount of things I had to unpack, literally took me all day! Then my computer decided not to work! So the last 4 days it has been in repair (hence the lack of blogging!)

Anyway, I'm back now and the first thing I HAD to share with you is my new cute vintage styled stop watch necklace, which I purchased over the weekend :]

 

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I love my necklaces, I literally have over 100 unusual designs, but so far, this is my favourite! At the moment, all things vintage is in fashion, whether it be granny jumpers or 1950's suitcases. I have always wanted a vintage watch necklace. As a lot of you may already know, genuine vintage items are extremely hard to afford but luckily, thanks to my favourite shopping site Ebay, everything is made possible! I purchased this necklace for only £6 from China, and the great thing is about buying things abroad, is they are soooooo much cheaper, not only for the item but for the postage as well. the only problem is it takes long in the post, but it is definitely worth the wait!

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This is a 30''chain necklace and comes in a bronze chic colour. It is a working clock so the design is a little heavy. The front of the watch flips open to reveal its vintage style arms and numerical face. It arrived in a cut velvet pouch and is from a seller called Holy Sins.

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The great thing about this necklace is that it goes with any outfit! It is a nice colour that doesn't clash with certain items of clothing. I especially love wearing it with my tea-dresses as it contributes towards my vintage chic look!

I highly recommend you give Ebay a stalk and see the other bargains they have available :)
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So, What do you think? Have you ever purchased any bargain jewellery on Ebay?

 

Rachael x
 

 

The Best 'Hand-Me-Down' Ever! My Dads 1980's Levi Jacket ♥

 

Well I have had a very busy day to say the least! I am heading back to university tomorrow, so I have been packing my mountains of clothes, make-up and deciding what bags I should take back (I have wayyyyy to many!!).
Whilst I was packing away, my dad walked into my room and gave me this denim jacket, I didn't think much of it for a second until he said it was his Original 1980's Levi Strauss jacket. OMG! I have spent months trawling through charity shops, Ebay and car boots trying to find one, and as many of you know they are in popular demand, making them more expensive than ever!

 

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I couldn't believe my dad had an original 1980's one, making this the best hand me down ever! This jacket is in great condition but still shows is general denim wear, adding to the vintage look which is currently in fashion!
It is dark blue with faded patches, giving this jacket more character. It is a males jacket, but I don't think this matters as it looks great on whoever is wearing it.

 

I am so excited to start wearing it, especially as I am now a proud owner of a vintage Levi jacket.

 

 

 

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What do you think?

Have you had any amazing 'hand-me-downs'?

 

Rachael x

My New Cath Kidston Sewing Box ♥

 

Well what a day I have had! Despite the lack of snow where I live, I stayed indoors and decided to be crafty again! I am going back to university this weekend, and I have spent all afternoon online searching for a new duvet cover for my room. I saw a few, but duvet covers are becoming ever so expensive, so in the end, I decided to make my own! I will release a blog about it when it is finished, but apart from that, I wanted to share with you my new purchase!

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Here is my new Cath Kidston sewing box, isn't is pretty!

 

I purchased this sewing box from the Cath Kidston store. Not only is it vintage styled,  it was also rather cheap (compared to most of Cath Kidston items). It was £50 but I managed to purchase it for only £25. I have been needing a new sewing storage for a while now, as I have been keeping everything in a small plastic tatty box!

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It is the perfect size and it made out of oil cloth material. It also opens up to have a few cute compartments, a pocket in the lid and also a pin cushion. The first layer also lifts open, perfect for storing your spare material underneath, but also a handy organiser on top to keep your pins, buttons and reels of cotton in order :)

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I also purchased some Cath Kidston scissors which came in an oil cloth material matching the inside of the box for only £5 in the sale instead of £10!

I love my new sewing box, and I am sure it is going to used quite a lot over the next few years!

 

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Have you ever made a bargain purchase in Cath Kidston before?

 

 

Rachael x

Create your own Shabby Chic homemade Dangly heart ♥

 

As the weather is cold and wet outside, I thought I'd stay in and make sure pretty shabby chic hanging hearts :) They don't cost much to make and they look ever so cute hanging anywhere in the home ♥
All I used was a sewing machine (or you can hand sew), some vintage style fabric (don't feel afraid to steal your nans tea-towels!), scissors, stuffing, tacking pins,tracing paper, tatty string and buttons if you wish to decorate it.
 

 

The first step I took was cut a heart shape into the tracing paper and transferred it twice onto the chosen material .

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I then put the two heart together making sure the pattern faced each other so it is sewn together inside out ready to be opened out.

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I then stitched all around the edges but make sure you leave a 1cm gap or even smaller if you want, so you have a hole to turn the heart inside out and eventually fill with stuffing.
 

 

#Tip - Make sure you double stitch the edges each side of the 1cm gap or the stitching will come undone.

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Next I turned the heart inside out and began to fill the heart with the stuffing through the 1cm hole.

 

You can put in as much stuffing as you wish, depending on the desired look. I put in a good hand full so the heart was heard but also soft to squeeze.

 

 

 

I then hand stitched the 1cm hole with the same colour thread I used with my machine. I would recommend using white depending on the material used as this colour is less visible.

  

 

The next step I took was creating this cute little bow made out of tatty string. They are very easy to make and fix to the heart. I hand sewn my bow to it or you can use a hot glue gun. I decided not to us any buttons as I think this looks cute without one. I also used another piece of tatty string and threaded through the top and bottom of the hear and tied in a knot.

 

 

 

And here we have it :) My cute homemade hanging heart. Cheap, Cheerful and ever so chic. These would make cute little gifts for family and friends, Or you could simply add lavender inside and use them as scented heart for your draws!
So what do you think ?

 

Rachael x

Kirstie Allsopp Vintage Home Inspired Gift ♥...

Is anyone else here obsessed with watching Kirsties Allsopp Vintage Home? I really enjoy watching it and picking up some great ideas and tips on how to transform any room into a chic vintage style interior.

Having watched a few episodes about making cute homemade presents, I have decided to make a Kirstie Allsopp Vintage Home Inspired Gift...and for only £2!!!

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I purchased these pretty little glass bottles for £1 from my local pound store. They are around 10cm in height and feature a cork stopper, so I thought these would make really cute homemade gifts and can filled with anything you like.

As it has been a lovely sunny winters day outside, I decided to take a walk to the beach by my house called Prussia Cove.

 

 

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It is a well known beautiful pebble beach, so I thought it would be a great idea to fill these heart jars with shells and pebbles. As it is my mums birthday soon and she loves this beach, I thought it would be a really nice idea to bring some of the beach into her home.

 

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Thanks to the wonderful apps on my phone, it makes the sea look very inviting! but I can assure you it is freeeezzzzzingggg! However, I did have a wonderful time sitting down and sieving through thousands of beautiful pebbles!

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After you have found the pebbles you want, firstly, make sure they will fit through the hole but also wash them thoroughly with detergent to remove any bacteria and allow to dry before placing carefully into the jar, or it will create condensation.

 

 

 

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As you can see, I have collected a variety of cute tiny pebbles and some beautiful shells of all shapes, colours and sizes! I have also purchased some wooden tags and tatty string from Ebay (10 for £1), which is a great way to make this jar of pebbles look more like and gift and you can write your own personal message on!

 

so, what do you think? Have you made any homemade gifts before?

 

Rachael x

 

 

Floral Antique Hand Mirror Inspired Photoframes #shabbychic #vintage #cathkidston

 

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Hello Again :) I just thought I'd share with you lovely readers ANOTHER.... yes another.... amazing purchase I have just made! If you didn't already know, I am in love with all things vintage and shabby Chic and today I have purchased these lovely antique style mirror photograph frames.
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These would look lovely on any wall, especially in a bedroom alongside other vintage inspired decorations. They have a very Cath Kidston inspired print, with it's bright colour florals neutral base paint. Not only are these every so shabby chic, they were purchased as a bargain price of only £6! I can't wait to put these up on my wall :)

 

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Rachael x

The final stages in creating my new shabby chic vintage bedroom ♡

 

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Well this is it! The transformation for my dream vintage chic bedroom is finally complete!!

 

Below is a photograph of my bedroom before the 'chic-ing' commenced!
 

 

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As you can see, it is not the most 'princess perfect' boudoir, it was very bland and dull and shows too much of my bag collection! I must say the sleigh bed I had in this photograph was only a year old and started to fall apart so I purchased myself a new framed bed which looks lovely with my vintage chic theme.

 

#number one tip, dont buy sleigh beds!!!

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Surpirseeee! It is lovely isn't it!? My bed is from Argos and only cost £60 in the sale, which looks lovely in its cream colour, matching the dressing table and sourounding features. The duvet cover cost £18 from Primark which makes this room look extra girlie because using too much cream can make a room look too bland but this definately breaks this and stands out!

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And not forgetting my TallBoy wardrobe and chest of drawers (check out my other posts to see how I made them).

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Please feel free to post comments, I'd love to hear what you all think of this transformation :)

 

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Rachael x

Shabby Chic Vintage Chest of Drawers #Laura Ashley

 

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I have recently purchased a 1950's vintage chest of drawers, which I was surprised to see it matched my previous creation of my Shabby Chic wardrobe! (It really is a small world!) I couldn't believe my luckk when I stumbled across this at a nearby car boot! Not only does it match my wardrobe but I also purchased it for £10! Bargaiinnnnnnnn!!!!!

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Unfortunately, I didn't take a very clear photograph but this drawers is a very cute size and will fit perfectly within my bedroom! The knobs match the same as the wardrobe and the very top draw curves which matches a typical shape of a tallboy wardrobe.

 

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The first step I took to shabby this chest of draws was too give it a good wipe over and remove the knobs. I used a strong grade of 120 sandpaper to shift the the first layer of veneer and allow the paint to stick too. I find using veneer furniture a lot more difficult to shabby as initially it is fake wood and takes a lot more care when stripping and painting.

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Excuse the mess.....

 

As you can see, I have taken all of the draws out, sanded the edges and painted the fronts, sides and top only. You can paint the inside if you wish :)I have used Laura Ashley Dune colour paint.
#a number one tip when painting draws, is buy wax and rub the edges to allow it to open and close properly.

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The above photograph shows the final stages of my creation! I do apologise for the quality of the photographs, but as you may or may not see, I have VERY roughly sanded the edges along the sides and the surface of the drawers.  I have also used some old chain (you can purchase a metre or so of it from B&Q for a couple of pounds) and this allows you to 'whack' it and create pretend age marks, adding to the shabby chic affect!

 

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This time around, I have also painted the knobs and lighting scraped them to make them look really distressed too.

 

Awww look how cute my matching wardrobe and draws are...

 

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Rachael x

Creating a shabby chic vintage Edwardian Vintage Dressing-Table with Laura Ashley paint

 

 

 

I spent many weeks trying to find the perfect dressing-table for the transformation of my homemade 'shabby chic' bedroom. There are hundreds if not thousands of different styles of dressing tables, but as many of you girlie's know, it is important for us girls to have a decent space in the bedroom to hide our mountains of make-up, but also a big enough mirror to adore ourselves!

 

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I purchased this dressing table through Ebay for £60. It does seem quite expensive but for an original Edwardian dressing table including the original mirror and features, it was quite a bargain!
There are many shops in Cornwall (where I am originally from), that sell dressing-tables like these already 'done up' for over £300.

 

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The next step I took, was removing all of the door handles and detaching the mirror away from the table itself and began to sand with grade 120 sand paper. As I seem to say with all of my other posts, do this in a well ventilated area because old paints and varnishes contain lead. My dressing table was made out of walnut, so it didn't need too much 'elbow grease' but it is advised to take the top varnish off to allow the next few layers of paint to stick too.

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 Use masking tape to line the edges of the mirror (so you don't paint any on the glass!)

 

 

This is definitely the best piece of furniture I have 'shabby chic'd' so far. I painted 3 layers of Laura Ashley's pale linen coloured paint (one layer per day to dry).

As you can see the dressing table looks more distressed than the wardrobe (as seen in my previous post), this is because I sanded around every edge and corner as well as roughly gliding along the surface, around the mirror edges and adding 'tatty' patches to the draws.
I also cleaned the handles with 'Brasso' as because of it's age, it had turned green.
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I am so over the moon with how this turned out! It is soooooo beautiful and looks stunning with all of my 'vintage' keepsakes. And to make  this dressing table even more fabulous, I lined the draws with Cath Kidston oil cloth!

 

 

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