What a lovely pair of drawers..

Having searched high and low for a suitable set of drawers, I was coming dangerously close to dropping £200 on a new chest. My patience was rewarded when I found not one, but two chests of drawers in my most prized charity shop down Walworth Rd a few weekends ago.

The first, the white set. I wanted a white chest to go on my landing. The sun comes streaming into this space every morning and it's so nice stepping from my bedroom onto the bright, pretty landing, so I wanted a practical set of drawers for storing linen which would add to this bright space. This chest is a little rough around the edges, a few chips, but that only adds to the charm as far as I'm concerned. Our old household mirror sits proudly on top among a selection of rather lovely bottles and flowers, a vase filled with my collection of pine cones, an old painting and a signature luxury candle.

The second pair, also £10, is a very smart set which is just the right height for sitting under the mirror in our bedroom. This pair really completes the place, and I was thrilled when I picked this up as they now complete the furniture arrangement in the bedroom. The room now looks so much bigger!

James and I had a real job getting these down the road, amazingly we managed it in one trip. I have also lined the drawers with some retro-style Laura Ashley drawer liners.

Drawers, £10 (Trinity House Hospice, Walworth Rd)

Drawers, £10 (Trinity House Hospice, Walworth Rd)

Vintage Travel Posters

Could these be the second-hand score of the year so far? Yes - I think so.

The cost of these charming posters? £0 - free!

I picked them up a few weekends back at a car boot sale in Primrose Hill. James and I (my boyfriend, my long-suffering second-hand trawling companion), got up early on Saturday morning for a pleasant trip up North. I found out about this sale from Pretty Much Penniless and pictured myself returning home laden with Tom Dixon candles and vintage kimonos.

At first it was disappointing. All of the 'professional sellers' were there, with piles of old phone chargers and useless computer games. We were heading out when we spotted these posters and were told 'the frames are broken, they were originally a set of three, so you can just take those'. SWEET!

They look so good in my living room.

London Street Furniture Find

One of the great things about living in London is that the street gives you things. I suppose it's because there are fewer cars to transport unwanted furniture to the tip or charity shop...

A few weeks ago I found this lovely (albeit rather rickety) wooden chair on the street with a collection of other bits and pieces (old mugs and plates - not as exciting) and a hand written sign saying 'take me'.

The chair makes a useful perch in my bedroom for when I'm struggling to lace my shoes in the morning, and goes perfectly with my sweet Marie Antoinette cushion!

Chair - down the street - for free!! 

Vintage Musee d'Orsay Poster

I bought this great poster from a charity shop in East Dulwich (St Christophers Hospice Shop 85-87 Lordship Lane, SE22 8EP) for £2.50 at the weekend. I really like that inquisitive little cat and the pinky hues. Impressionism is one of my favourite art movements, and I'm a sucker for images of interiors.

Exhibition posters (or indeed, theatre or film posters) are always worth keeping an eye open for - the older they are, the cooler they look. Put it in a cheap frame (or visit your local framer*) and you will immediately have a handsome piece of cultural history for your wall.

....And if your house is a bit rough and around the edges, work that bohemian look and pin straight to the wall like Jean Seberg in 'Breathless' (1960).

* My framer is retired from a notable London gallery, now he makes beautiful frames in his home studio and charges the most reasonable fares for frames that will last a lifetime.

Secret Santa Gift

We have a little tradition in our office which is Secret Santa but the rules state that the gift has to be from a charity shop, and cost under £5.

I was rather pleased with the gift I put together for my boss; a pretty 'floral alphabet' Ulster weavers t-towel (which had never been used) and a sweet edition of Madame Bovary.

My gift came well in under the £5 mark and actually made a rather smart little present. I would have been happy to give this as a gift regardless of what the rules stated about the presence of a charity shop in the gift giving process. Heck, this chic little parcel would please lots of fabulous ladies I know.

Lovely Jasmine, who I have mentioned before, gave me the idea to free-hand embroider names onto ribbon for the gift tags - a lovely little personal touch.

Vintage Liberty Print Skirt

A couple of weekends ago I struck gold on the Walworth Road.

Behold - a thing of a beauty, character and history - an absolute wonder which will never date... a genuine Liberty print skirt. Size 10, for £3.99.

YES. £3.99

To any second-hander, finding Liberty print really is like finding gold. Even in high-end second-hand and vintage shops, genuine Liberty print is hard to find. And the reason for this: Liberty print is so expertly designed that it will be a thing of charm forever. And so, Liberty print items stay in families forever and get passed down between generations and can be worn quite comfortably for years.

I think this skirt is from the 60s because of the chic pencil shape. And as this is the time of year for giving, I will be gifting this find to a lovely friend of mine who I know will absolutely treasure it. Plus, I know it will fit her like a glove, her Twitter profile even says: 'ultra-journalist in Liberty fabrics'. I saw this and thought of her; she has to have it. Sorry for ruining your Christmas surprise, lovely Jasmine. I couldn't keep this from my blog any longer.

Bright Old Things - Vintage Lamp

Can you believe that I got this chic lamp from my favourite charity shop in Luton for the princely sum of £2.90 last weekend?

I have been searching for a lamp of this high class caliber for a while now - sturdy and classic, just the right size - Perfect for brightening up a dark corner of my room.

The added bonus: you can't get 100watt bulbs in regular shops anymore because they're too ridiculous for the sensible EU standard deciders... unless, you get really lucky with a charity shop lamp which comes with a now obsolete dazzling bulb. It's bright enough for me to apply my make-up on a dark morning in December without looking like a complete clown come proper light at 10am.