Greenwich Market and shops, SE10

A damp potter around Greenwich Market cheered up my miserable Saturday. There wasn't too much on show for interiors devotees but strolling around the busy stalls I was far too busy admiring craftwork, handmade jewellery and lots of vintage fashion to really notice.

The amazing paper cut art shop in the market made any interiors disappointment easy to get over. The Paper Moon shop shows the genuine pieces by the artist/owner, each listing the length of time she spent making them - up to 19 hours!

The mostly vintage shops were fashion heavy but they still came up with a couple of interiors gems...with changing room wallpaper catching my eye...

Vintage signs that could make any design fan, even me(!), interested in oil...

Along with an abundance of brilliant clothing from any era you fancy. In particular I spied lots of bright prints - not very wearable for me, but I'd be quite tempted to attempt to turn them into cushion covers...

Ending with the obligatory tea and cake to end the day...

With cool café decor to remind me it was time to fly home.

Haynes Lane Market, SE19

I had a quick snoop around a handy little market up in Crystal Palace today. The Haynes Lane Market sells all manner of vintage wares and is perfect for a rummage on a rainy day.

It spans two floors of stalls with (my) highlights including collectables of anything and everything you could ever need (vintage sewing kit accessories anyone?), books - loads of them, perfect if you are a second hand book fan and of course great old crockery too. But what I mainly love is its eclectic mix...you never know what is going to be around the next corner.

And it is open Tuesdays, Fridays Saturdays and Sundays, which is most useful.

A little jolly bunting makes even the gloomyist of Saturdays bearable.

Sewing collectables on view in the most fabulously decorated glass cabinet.

I liked the holiday feel to this stand, it's channelling a bit of Hawaii

Oh so much glassware and...

chinaware...I came across a whole crop of dainty teacups. Including lovely Poole sets and with a very good price for a teatime treat.

But if you also like a mix of new with your vintage (don't we all?) just across the road from the market is another fab shop Glitter & Twisted - with a range inside that lives up to the amazing name - great homeware gifts and colourful kitchenware.

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

Weekend wanderings

A couple of lines an snaps of my weekend wanderings. Starting with my investigation into the King's Road...was it surprisingly annoying to get to? Yes. Were there many Chelsea tractors on the streets? Oh yes. But how were the interiors shops? Well that I can answer too:

The Shop at Bluebird was a little quiet on homewares. But the products in the store were divine, a bit out of my meagre budget, yet still beautiful.

This other King's Road shop was so tempting...but so shut. Damnit

Designer's Guild was florishing with colour as always and had some great deals. Including bargain stacks of cushions in any colour, print, texture you could want from £15. But it was this nest of tables with pressed flowers that caught my eye...

I am going to save the new Anthropologie shop on the King's Road to a visit all to itself. It is amazing.

I also made my first visit to the new car boot sale in Pimlico today...the inside stalls were great for a rummage but it was a little quiet outdoors. I still have great hopes for it as a great in/out car boot - when the chilly weather and thifty late January buyers have gone...Come springtime I can see this handily central car boot being a regular haunt.

I did however scoop up this selection of picture frames for £1/£1.50 each. Can't go wrong with a car boot bargain.

Blogger love

I was most flattered by the ever fabulous JulieB from Fantasy Decorator (check it out for super cool interiors pics and trends - and many a fantasy to share) who awarded me a Stylish Blogger Award! Thank you so much - I'm still blushing...

The rules are as follows:

1} Select 10 blogs and pass along the award

2} Share 7 random FAQ's about yourself

So here are my top bloggers...sending you fabulous folk a Stylish Blogger Award!:

1) Glitterball Louise's blog is lovely, inspiring and always makes me smile

2) What Katie Does I love following Katie's blog and sharing her love of furniture and our feline friends

3) The Shabby & The Chic blogger friends and colleagues, two gals with opposing styles but share love for all things cool

4) Man Make Home A gent's New York via London paired-down style. It actually makes me want to clear the clutter (I will do it one day!)

5) Your Home is Lovely Affordable inspiration and shared love of second hand rummaging

6) A Rose Beyond the Thames Stylish loveliness

2) Teacups, Cupcakes Happy thoughts, flowers and super snaps from a fellow London blogger

7) Her Little Place Great design, trends and recipes that are definitely worth trying out

8) Home Shopping Spy Get inspired with the first look at the coolest, cutest homeware and witty reportage

9 and 10) Two of my top fave inspiring blogs that I can't help but keep going back to: Layers & Layers and Bright Bazaar

So many more that I can't fit in! Thank you all (including the ones I haven't got room for!) for inspiring, amusing and cheering me every day.

Seven facts about me?! Gulp...ok here goes:

1) I'm 29 (that's an easy one!)

2) London born and bred, I've recently returned to my natural habitat in the South after four year attempt at staying away from the saarf

3) I'm a bit crazy about Twitter happy to chat about furniture, shopping, tea (quite a lot) and happy indulgent crap @iamdaisyfay

4) As an F Scott Fitzgerald fanatic I'm most unhappy at the prospect of the '3D' Great Gatsby film. FSF would not approve

5) I'm not actually a Daisy myself... it's just another FSF reference

6) I could happily write a few more points about early twentieth century American authors (does this one count as a random FAQ?! *clutches straws*)

7) I have different coloured eyes (one of my fave and well-used random FAQs)

x

Pictures & Light, N16

I took a trip down memory lane this weekend (just a short one) and had a whistle-stop revisit to my old stomping ground of Stoke Newington. Speeding along on the old 73 I couldn't resist popping into Pictures & Light.

Living up to its name this original shop is packed full of inspiring retro slogan poster and prints, mirrors that you can happily gaze into and any kind of retro lighting you could hope for.

Add to this fun colourful prints, mugs, accessories and more G-plan furniture than you could shake a vintage stick at and I, as always, was most enamoured.

The hand-painted cards are beyond lovely (surely there is someone that can I give that monkey card to?!) and add to the bright colourful feel of the shop.

Mixing up the furniture pieces around the 50s era and cool contemporary accessories I reckon Pictures & Light is spot on and its placing on Stokey's famous Church Street couldn't be better. Ah North London I do miss you sometimes...

Christmas treats

Snowy walks...

Present goodies for my kitchen...

Christmas dinner (avec Bob as usual)...

And the obligatory grumpy elf.