1970s Kitsch

One of the thrift stores that I visit weekly (or several times weekly....I never claimed I didn`t have a problem) is particularly good for small, wonderful things like cards and wrapping paper, sewing notions, toys, and books. I never leave without something.

Recently, I`ve been finding a lot of really adorable items with illustrations from the 60s and 70s. I love the intensely saturated colours and cutesy little girls with bows in their hair.



These are blank note cards. They fold into half-hearts and are so, so sweet. I added them to my collection of vintage stationary. I also found the little puzzle, below. I saw them when Meg and I went to the last Nostalgia Show, but they were so overpriced. This `Babes in the Wood`one combines two of my loves, fairytale woods and kitschy, over-the-top illustrations of fairytale woods.

I found these amazing bridal shower invitations and save the date cards at the same thrift store last year.

I was never the sort of girl who planned out an elaborate wedding ceremony for myself. I am the sort of girl who hates when people pay attention to me, so the idea of an entire day being built around the concept of many, many people paying attention to me is incredibly terrifying. However, the moment I saw these, I started planning a very elaborate, very handmade 1970s wedding.












The only detail I haven`t been able to work out is how to transport Lindsey Buckingham circa 1976 to 2010 and make him fall in love with me.



Dreamy.

Today is the sort of spring day where the entire world is covered in muddy gray light*. I woke up to the sounds of the wind in the walls of the attic. Sometimes my little attic house is a nice place to be, with its sloping walls and window nooks. Other times, like when insomnia has left you with pools of death collecting under your eyes and all you want is one. more. hour. of. sleep., it blows.

It also makes it difficult to show off all of the treasures I have. The walls make it impossible to have any tall furniture in the room. There is one flat wall in the the entire attic.

I've been trying to find small ways to show some of the things I have collected over the years. I'm not so hot at displaying them. Most of my things are in a box (read: boxes and boxes) in the basement. Which is a pity, because I do love having my things around me.

I made this little vignette with some of my vintage children's books, on the top of my dresser.

I bought the Sibylle Von Olfers at a bookshop in England, by the seaside. The book seller was so sweet, and the illustrations are beautiful. The whole shop was filled with lovely things. The Pooh Storybook came from one of the charity stores in town here. They often have good children's books from school libraries that have weeded their collections. It's a little worn, so the full colour Shepard illustrations have a really lovely dusky quality about them and the pages are yellowed. Swoon.

The two "postcards" (one is a postcard, one a confirmation card) were ones I picked up at the Nostalgia Show, in Woodstock. Paper ephemera is a new obsession.

I bought the bottle of "Bath Waters" in Bath, England. It is collected from the hot spring there, and has a reproduction label, complete with Victorian claims of the restorative properties of the water.

The tin is from a shop in St. Mary's, called Eclectic Treasure (I think). It is piled high with all sorts of wonderful things. Definitely a place to spend hours. There is no cash desk, and the proprietor is a really nice man who works away quietly while you browse. It's one of my favourite places in this area.

* This is just a very long-winded way of saying: I am sorry the lighting in these photos is absolute rubbish.