Book Review: Vintage Home by Sarah Moore

I'm a little bit in love with Sarah Moore. 

I bought her first book, Homemade Gifts Vintage Style two years ago, (reviewed here), and it's now become a bit of a chicken and egg situation, because I honestly couldn't tell you whether my own vintage styling and love of thrifting has developed as a direct result of that book, or whether I love her style so much because it matches my own so closely. All I know is that when I heard that her latest volume was to hit the shelves, I had to own it, so own it I do. 

Like many others I thoroughly enjoyed watching Sarah on the recent series The Great Interior Design Challenge, (she's also a regular columnist for Country Living magazine doesn't one know) and was doing a little happy bounce around my room when she scooped the big prize. I feel she has won something for all those clever people out there who turn their backs on consumerist mass production and use good old-fashioned crafting skills and a new perspective to turn something unwanted into something practical and homely.

Vintage Home contains over fifty project ideas. It's presented in a similar way to Homemade Gifts, Vintage Style but I think Sarah somehow delivers this one with more confidence, and more self belief behind her words. The book contains stunning photographs...

It's a brave challenge to take on writing a book based on using thrifted materials, because of course it's not as easy as popping out to B&Q or Hobbycraft and stocking up on all the materials you need. There's serendipity involved, patience, and a little, well... luck. It could be months before you track down that perfect fabric for reupholstering one's pouffe or that picture frame worthy of being made into an abacus. But I think this gives the book longevity. Even two years later I still walk around car boot sales and charity shops, spot the perfect tartan wool blanket for converting into a notebook cover, and scurry home with my prize to make the how-to from Sarah's first book. It's the thrill of the chase that's almost as delicious as the finished result.

Whether it's style inspiration you're after or some practical ideas for your home, I'd say Vintage Home fits the bill. I picked up my copy from The Works for a bargainous £6, but I know it'll become a much flicked through favourite on my craft book shelf.

Do you own either of Sarah's books? What did you think?

Gran's Button Tin

A few weeks ago my gran sent me her button tin. I had known for a while that she had it in mind to pass it my way, and I expected a hoard of buttons from past garments and sewing projects. I had no idea that the contents of this rather beautiful tin would be quite so old.

It turns out that my great great grandfather was a tailor by trade, so you see a love of buttons is in my blood! Many of these buttons belonged to him, and are now so old and delicate that a few of them started to disintegrate as I stirred my fingers around the tin. 

A collection of old leather buckles was included...

And a leather button so old that it looks rather alien to my eye!

Others are more recent and clearly my gran's own buttons, some being quite 1950s and '60s in style. Even so, the cardboard some are attached to is now very delicate. 

I'm starting to slowly clean up some of the more robust buttons when I get a spare few minutes here and there, and I'm not sure what I can do for the older ones other than wrap them up safely in their cheery yellow tin and treasure the thought, next time I'm making a batch of my own buttons, that I'm now the proud owner of a piece of my own personal button history. 

So many people have special memories attached to their elder relatives' button tins. I had never seen this particular collection before, but as my gran turns 90 years old this Wednesday, I feel like I'm the one to have received a special gift.

Latest Vintage Acquisitions

I'm pleased to announce that car boot season is now in full swing in Sheffield, and I went to my first one of the year yesterday. It took an hour to get in (my poor knee hurts today from all that clutch control in loooong queues!), but myself and Beatrix certainly enjoyed getting back into searching for vintage treasures, haggling and chatting to the stallholders once again. And eating meaty treats (Bea, not me).

Here's what we came home with.

First of all - and I think this has to be my star buy of the day - some more Dean Enid Blytons for my small but growing collection. I have never read The Magic Faraway Tree, and it was one of the books read by another group of the Pretty Nostalgic Vintage Book Club while we were reading The Wind in the Willows in Sheffield, so I'm very pleased to have a copy in my collection at last. Will it make me have psychedelic dreams?

There was even a makeshift bookmark inside one, on very 1970's paper!

Here is my Dean & Son collection as it stands now.

Next, and speaking of The Wind in the Willows, here are two Ladybird books I snapped up. The first has gorgeous illustrations and makes a wonderful introduction to the story for young readers, and the second replaces a copy I had as a child, and which my now-forgiven mother gave away with a great deal other of my children's books when I was away at university. I've nearly bought them all back now! I know I had another Ladybird Disney book, and it was blue, but I can't remember what it was. I'm inclined to say Peter Pan. I do remember that they came from Woolworths! 

"The clever men at Oxford

Know all there is to be knowed

But none of them knows half as much

As intelligent Mr Toad!"

There was a shiny motor car like this one in the car park at the car boot sale yesterday. Fate! Poop poop!

More books. I have never owned these two Beatrix Potter Ladybirds before but I think I have read them, so can only assume I borrowed them from the library when very small. The photo illustrations are nothing like Potter's drawings but are still rather lovely.

A collection of Ladybirds, scooped up at 50p each. It's quite rare to find them these days.

This decoupage had to come home with me. This is my very favourite of the Mrs Tiggywinkle illustrations, because she looks so cheeky! In fact she reminds me a little of my gran! This will look splendid on my gallery wall along with my Beatrix Potter Alice in Wonderland picture. 

Lastly, some linens, which reminded me of both a Spring day and the talented Jenny of The Custards. Apologies for the pre-wash photos...

And here they are, resplendent and clean on the washing line, after I'd done my own Mrs. Tiggywinkle act. Not bad for 25p each. 

So after that quite literary acquisitions update, have you found any treasures recently?

Pretty Nostalgic Vintage Book Club

Some of you may know I have been a contributor to a fantastic magazine a number of times in the past called Pretty Nostalgic, an independent publication celebrating all things vintage, handmade and brilliantly British. Their latest venture is the Vintage Book Club, and when they asked me whether I'd be interested in starting one well... let's just say I broke my promise to myself that I wasn't going to take anything else on without a moment's thought!

Thanks go to Amy Farry for helping me sort a fab venue in Sheffield on a pretty tight deadline, and between us we recruited the book club's first members, meeting at The Old House bar, to talk about our first vintage read. The theme of this meeting was Children's Adventure Classics, and the title, The Wind in the Willows. 

I chose this book because although I knew the story well, I had never actually read it. Also, I loved the idea of the book starting in Spring and going full circle through the seasons, and as we've been waiting for our own warmer weather to arrive for so long it seemed to be a good fit! 

So I dug out my grand grandfather's copy of the book from the 1920s, together with my more recent edition, and got stuck into this tale of friendship, adventure and British nature. And oh, how I loved getting lost in this story! It quickly became apparent during our meeting that we had all enjoyed it, and we had a good giggle imagining Mr. Toad as a sort of Russell Brand character! 

The Old House were the perfect host for our little gathering. Good food, a cosy and friendly atmosphere and one (very Mr. Toad) flaming cocktail on the part of one of our members and we were happy bookworms!

I have wanted to join a book club for such a long time, and I think the vintage element makes for a interesting twist. As it turns out, Amy and I are both BA Hons. English graduates of the same university, so I think we both enjoyed the chance to chat about old books with new friends... without a tutor demanding deeper and more insightful interpretations of our chosen text...

 Mind you, all of us did come up with some thought-provoking theories on the true meaning of The Wind in the Willows and the relationships between its much-loved characters. I really enjoyed getting stuck into a good conversation about this tale.

I'm looking forward to the next meeting already, and will keep you posted on our group's bookish journey right here. And if you're ever in Sheffield, do pay The Old House a visit. You can read all about the other Pretty Nostalgic Book Club's meetings up and down the country in the magazine itself and on their blog soon.

I'd love to know whether you have read The Wind in the Willows and if so, what you thought of it. And how about Kenneth Grahame's lesser known classic, The Reluctant Dragon? It's one of my all-time favourites!