Brixi, Brixton Village

Brixi is another diamond in Brixton Village. This eclectic little shop stocks what they call 'old and new oddities' but what I call spot-on loveliness. Vintage one-off home pieces, chic gifts, fabulous jewellery all in a beautifully dressed shop. Here are some of my fave bits: 

Rocking the stag and bikes trends...

 And aztec print...how cosy do these look?!

This blackboard is such a cool idea for a shop. The effect looks great plus you can save on price tags... 

The well chosen mixture of products available included these nice simple vintage milk bottles (one if my current obsessions)

And what a doll's house! It was showing jewellery in Brixi - a perfect use for someone far to old to justify buying it right?

Even the signage is cool at Brixi. Well worth an explore for one-off homeware, unique gifts and that doll's house you always dreamt of. Do I need to give you another reason to visit Brixton Village?! 

The Peanut Vendor, N16

Every time I visit Stoke Newington I cannot help but gawp at the latest lovelies at The Peanut Vendor. I can however forget to put the pictures up online...therefore please excuse the historical (well a couple of week's old anyway) nature of the images, but I can assure you this shop never disappoints! 

The Peanut Vendor is a vintage furniture shop based on lovely Newington Green and with a very nice online shop too. Visit this shop for quality antiques - everything from utility storage and classic bakeware (as seen above with very cool vintage bunting)...

To brilliant 70s style bathroom accessories...
I simply have to get some of this lighting at home...


And start using these for my filing...
The beautifully styled shop always makes it a delight to visit.

And, when I went, there was even a nice bit of taxidermy! I implore you all to go...at the very least to keep my up to date with what's now in store...

                            

New Vintage, SW11

After getting my car booting fix this morning (I hadn't been for weeks - imagine!) I happened upon a sweet vintage shop that made it well worth getting out of my pyjamas on this lazy Sunday.

New Vintage is a shabby chic fest of revamped antiques furniture, china, accessories and some really lovely fabrics. Plus (I think it's fair to say) the most fabulous and extensive selection of lampshades. 

It has a quirky sense of fun with some sweet pieces like this cheeky gal (who wasn't actually for sale as the owner can't bear to give her up!)

I really liked the use of display in the shop with these overhauled dining chairs strung up artfully. 

There were some really good prices for china...

And other accessories to make a perfect afternoon tea.  

An added bonus is that New Vintage based in a part of Battersea I'm just getting to know at the moment, Battersea Park,  that also has a very nice sprinkling of charity shops to browse. Afternoon vintage shopping fun sorted.

Stonewaters Home Elements, Canmore [Canada pull out section]

How's that for the view from an interiors shop? Not bad, not bad at all.

My first stop of homeware shopping in Canada taught me what I should have known is one of the first rules of travelling. Do NOT shop on streets with this kind of view. The pricetags are sure to not be as pretty.

But we're just browsing right? So may as well indulge a little anyway. Here goes...Welcome to Canmore, Alberta a mountain town ready made for relaxing, hill walking, lazy coffees, dog walking and when you've had enough of that - how about a bit of shopping? On a typically lowkey day in Canmore I stumbled into the sumptuous Stonewaters Home Elements store that strives to reflect 'an authentic Canadian mountain lifestyle'.

The store was great fun and made me like this idea of this mountain living...
The space was huge, with room even for a canoe on the ceiling! Wood was definitely the preferred material which fits in perfectly with the wooden frame houses and beautiful evergreen landscape surrounding the town.
On of my fave products in the store was this fit-for-a-woodchopper doormat. Chunky.
The natural themed and toned accessories could bring you a bit of outdoorsy charm wherever you live.
Stonewaters have also snuck some very cool vintage into the collection like this ace clock. I'm loving that font...

Sadly the only downfall at this store for me was its pricings. These sweet cards, however, were pretty much the only finds in my budget.

Perhaps I'm not meant for Canadian mountain living, but by gum I'm going to start saving up for it!

Drink, Shop & Do, N1

Drink, Shop & Do is one of my favourite places to escape in central London. If you haven't visited yet...here are the many reasons why you should...

It's a tea shop, it's a bar, it's a vintage shop, it's a place to find new design products, it's a cool place for crafty activities. It is all of these and that's why I love it.

Based just a hop, skip and a jump from King's Cross station this joint starts with a super vintage interiors and designer/maker products shop. With cool gifts from creative badges, retro products (like those above from Tala!) to hand-made one offs (like the hearts below from the v talented Heart Zeena) and of course more vintage crockery than you can shake a stick at.

The shops leads up the the delightful cafe/bar area packed full of sweet seating arrangements made up of perfectly paired tables and chairs...that like *everything* in Drink, Shop & Do are for sale.

Lounging and games are encouraged. They even have a Scrabble night (that's it I'm moving in!)

Of course the tea is sold by the pot in cute mismatched vintage teacups and saucers - would you have expected anything else?! Plus you can't leave without cake...particularly the happily indulgent Victoria sponge...mmm

The building was originally a Victorian bath-house (fact fans) and the circular shaped back room still has the beautifully ornate originally ceiling. Muggins here declined to take a lovely looking-up shot, but I did take this slightly spooky shot of the plates hung on the wall instead - again all for sale...

And what else can Drink, Shop & Do give us? They've only gone and put in a retro ice-cream bar!

Go if you haven't been before. My formula for a visit: go with a gift to buy, find something for yourself - decide to buy both, then head to the back for a tea and cake with a book, cocktails optional. Enjoy!

The North Laine Antiques & Flea Market, BN1

Every time I visit the Laines, Brighton's eclectic shopping district, I find another diamond of a shop...this time I found a whole market! How I managed to miss a flea market (queen flea that I am) I just don't know?! Especially as it has a bleeding great arrow pointing to it...
The North Laine Antiques & Flea Market is on Upper Gardner Street just parallel to the main Laines and it is well worth a little diversion. Over its three floors the market offers everything you need from a good flea market - stacks of knitting patterns, a mountain of pine furniture, a really pretty selection of prints...

A little bit of kitsch...

Old furniture pieces given a makeover with colourful wallpapers

This Ercol style 1960s mirror (a bargain at £20!) which I wanted so badly but unfortunately, try as I might, just wouldn't fit in my handbag.
You can tell that they have a crafty upholsterer at this flea...
This market did do something to me...I blame the top floor...crammed full of vintage kitchenware and beautifully renewed entire kitchen suites - it's made me go retro kitchen crazy. I now really need to be a 1950s domestic goddess, I need me that breadbin, cabinet, salt & pepper shaker and the whole kit and kaboodle!
All I have to do is convince my fella that replacing everything in the kitchen with vintage or retro copies...hmm that might be easier said than done...but I'll know where to go at least!

North London Vintage Market, N10

I adventured proper north today...with good reason and good results. The first North London Vintage Market took place in N10, Crouch End/Muswell Hill way. And after a great run up of anticipation I was not disappointed.

The show promised a mix of vintage homeware, jewellery, fabrics and clothes. It did brilliantly on all counts but the feel of the event was just as nice as its array of vintage furniture and crockery - it was happy, busy and friendly. My kind of market.

Great prices and a mixture of eras and products on most stalls made for a happy browsing.

Mid-century figured pretty heavily - to my personal joy.

Busy hall, happy faces. I was intrigued by these prints...and a wee bit worried...
Restored patchwork quilt.

More tea jars (I seem to have an unhealthy attraction to these).

And finally...my own little purchase - this set of six late 50s glass tumblers. They even came with a note to tell you the designers name (Alexander Hardie Williamson apparently for my googling pleasure later). Little touches like that are exactly why I loved the North London Vintage Market. Next market is due for the 2nd April - I'll be there, you'll know it's me cos I'll have bells on