Thursday 25 April 2019

Greetings from Bruges

If all goes well, by the time you are reading this we are having a little break, enjoying some dolce far niente at a Bed & Breakfast near Bruges.

As I still hadn't finished telling you about the weekend before last, I thought I'd squeeze in one more post and schedule it. After all, it wouldn't do to post about my mid-April adventures well into May!


It was Sunday the 14th of April, and the sun which had saved the day on Saturday had packed her bags and gone elsewhere, leaving us with an impenetrable grey sky and a hint of frost.

Out of my between-the-seasons capsule wardrobe, I pulled another long-sleeved frock which was actually well overdue an outing. 

Black, with a swirly kaleidoscope print, its plain black cuffs trimmed in orange and with orange stitching at the yoke, it has a close fitting bodice and a flared skirt. 


Here, the kaleidoscope print is joined by panels of plain black material, significantly augmenting its swoosh and twirl factor.



I added orange accessories: a plastic flower ring, chunky necklace and wide elasticated belt.

Over the years, the belt, which was an old retail buy and is still a firm favourite, had developed a couple of chips in its buckle. After giving it some thought, my Eureka moment arrived in the cosmetics aisle of the low countries' equivalent of Superdrug. This Rimmel nail polish, called Ora-Ngy Vibe, turned out to be the perfect match!




My outfit was completed with blue opaques and cardigan (not shown), while the icy temperatures dictated that my teal jacket with the grey fur collar had to work for its money again. 

To tie in with the orange in the frock, I pinned an orange based brooch to the jacket's collar and wore my orange beret.


Roses adorn the tapestry handbag which, having featured on the blog before, I'm sure needs no further introduction. 

It is big enough for all my essentials as well as some of the smaller treasures we were hoping to find at our destination for the day: our favourite indoor flea market in Mechelen.


As it happens, we found larger treasures as well. Both of these handbags are vintage and in impeccable condition warranting the slightly higher price tag:  € 10 for the snakeskin clutch and € 15 for the red bag with its unusual closing mechanism. To open it, the tab at the front has to be pulled upwards.


This 1950s tin, depicting scenes from The Three Bears, was picked up at one of our favourite sellers' stall. It is from Belgian chocolate brand Côte d'Or, and usually commands higher prices than the € 10 we paid for it. What's more, the € 10 also included the small wooden trinket box, which you can see in the next collage!


We already own the tin's sibling, displaying The Three Little Pigs. This one is a family heirloom which used to belong to my paternal grandparents, and which has been used to store a set of dominoes for as long as I can remember. In fact, it still has the same domino set inside!


And here's the trinket box I mentioned before. Its roll top cover is intricately painted with a colourful scene.

I couldn't resist the cute round Easter themed tin, its sides decorated to look like a basket. This came from Tanja, another favourite seller, and follower of my blog.


Not too many brooches this time, but still enough to satisfy my collector's hunger. I found the three gold tone brooches at one of the first stalls we looked at. I already have the hedgehog with green eyes instead of red. The flamingo was found in one of the last aisles and no, it isn't Lea Stein!


This hand coloured and signed lithograph caught my eye because of its colours as well as its subject matter, a picturesque corner of Bruges. It was ours for € 3. A bit of googling revealed that the artist, Barday, is French, and was active between ca. 1925 and 1945. I came across several of his (or her) original lithographs, the cheapest of which was for sale at $ 60!


The weather improved steadily during the week that followed, reaching balmy temperatures in the mid twenties by the Easter weekend.

Earlier that week, a package arrived for me from Ghent! It was from the lovely Kezzie, who'd spent a couple of days in Belgium. She sent me a batch of coloured tights she's no longer wearing, knowing I would give them a new lease of life. Also included was a brooch and a lovely greeting card. 



I'm leaving you now with a look at what I was wearing last Saturday to go vintage shopping with my friends Ingrid and Inez.

The maxi skirt was a € 3 Think Twice find from that week. I spent an hour or so on Friday hand stitching the hem which had dropped in several places. The skirt is made from a waxed cotton, marked as Veritable Java Hollandais. I fell head over heels for its crisp and colourful print.



Combined with a red cotton polka dot top, and accessorized with a yellow beaded necklace and wooden flower brooch, it was the perfect outfit for a fun (and successful!) shopping trip.

But that will be for a next post. 

I will be catching up with you this weekend!


44 comments:

  1. You find such fabulous goodies! Love the tin - cute!

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  2. You always find the most fun treasures, Ann! And your fix for the belt is genius! So glad you found the perfect matching color. Here's hoping you're having a wonderful time on your holiday. I have no doubt you'll be writing again soon showcasing more fun things you discovered while you were away. Can't wait to hear more!

    Hugs,
    Sherry

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    1. Thank you Sherry! Dove Cottage is bursting at the seams, though, but I'm addicted and love nothing more than having a good browse ... I'm glad too that I found the perfect matching colour, it's unbelievable how many shades of orange are available ... xxx

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  3. I hope you're both having a wonderful time!
    I love that midi dress, the print is wonderful and the orange belt is perfect. Your maxi is the epitome of Spring.
    Your new old bags are fab. I've recently sold a bag with a similar mechanism, it had me puzzled for ages!
    Love the flamingo brooch and I do believe I have a silver charm version of your hedgehog, bought in 1977! xxx

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    1. That's quite a mechanism, isn't it? But I've come across more puzzling ones, which had both me and Jos scratching our heads. xxx

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  4. I think that belt is fabulous! What a color and the clutch and bag are fantastic. So very elegant. I hope you have a great few days in Bruge. I know, but you know better I think, that you can eat terrific in Bruge!

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    1. Thank you Nancy! We do love Bruges, although it tends to get too busy at times. xxx

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  5. I love your kaleidoscope dress with the orange accessories. The fur collared jacket is so elegant and looks very cosy.

    What brilliant finds at the flea market! I love the tins; I find tins hard to resist but I have no more room to put them so have reluctantly stopped buying them. I do use mine to store stuff like all my baking ingredients.

    The handbags look fab and the brooches especially the flamingo; are lovely. You're going to need more storage ideas for the brooches as since you showed us your brooch storage solutions I swear you've bought dozens more!

    Hope you're having a fab time in Bruges!
    xxxx

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    1. Not having room to put more tins does sound rather familiar ;-) But I did have to make an exception for this one, as I already owned its sibling! They all have to work for their living, though! xxx

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  6. Oh my! When you have finished with that dress please keep me in mind Ann! That is beautiful. Enjoy your time in Bruges xx

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    1. Oh, thank you Laurie! I will keep you in mind, although I'm not sure I'll ever be finished with it! xxx

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  7. I hope you're having a wonderful time. Lovely time of year for a break. The flamingo brooch is fab.

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    1. Thank you, Goody! We did have a wonderful, relaxing time, and enjoyed every minute of it! xxx

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  8. You find always the best things Ann. So lovely the red belt and the bag. You look amazing in this maxi skirt, another wonderful find. Great match the brooch you wearing to the skirt. Enjoy your trip :)
    A huge hug Tina

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    1. Thank you Tina! I have to confess that this wrap skirt was actually a smaller size than usual, and I had to add some secret snap buttons to keep my modesty ;-) But I loved that print so much! xxx

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  9. I do love your orange&black dress and its fab swooshing qualities!, the print is lovely and it looks perfect with those orange accessories!, you rock!
    That tin looks so cute, it's a treasure!, love it!
    And your last outfit is particularly fabulous, love the skirt with its pretty print on waxed cotton and love the polka dot shirt!, such a magnificent color combo!
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! At first I wasn't sure what to wear with the skirt, thinking I'd go for a plain top in one of the colours in the skirt's print. But then my eye fell on this polka dot shirt! xxx

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  10. I absolutely love your swirly kaleidoscope dress, Ann! It's gorgeous! I love how you've accessorised. How great to find a nail polish that matches your belt perfectly to cover the chips! What a great tip! I love your new maxi dress too! So pretty! Hope you're having a fun trip! ;) XXX

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    1. Thank you Sasha! Last year, I used red nail polish to repair some minor scratches in a pair of patent leather sling backs. The great thing is that you can actually use it as a nail polish afterwards! xxx

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  11. Those fairy tale tins are lovely. I always really like old tins, there's just something intriguing about them. What did they contain? What do they contain now? (Of course, then we open them and the mystery is gone...)

    That nail varnish was a great way to repair your belt.

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    1. Thank you Mim! I'm a sucker for old tins, too, but am running out of space. Sometimes they still contain something when you find them, which is especially poignant. xxx

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  12. the java maxi is gorgeous!!
    if i had belgian fleamarkets at my fingertips i never would buy a handbag at retail..... :-D the both you´v found are totally chic!
    wish you a wonderful time out!
    hugs&kisses! <3

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    1. Thank you, Beate! I do doubt you'd find a bag as the gorgeous C&A one you bought ... Might have a look in C&A later this week ;-) xxx

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  13. I love the tins and what you bought with your friends! Did you get it at Think Twice, I saw the list up in the Nederstratt one which had a list up of all the special price days in the next month and I saw a 1Euro day one and wished I was still in Belgium then!
    Just wondered if you got my email at all. I thought you might not have if you are in Bruges and not checking your email. Just wondering if I could ask you a favour at all? I really want to buy one or two things from Vinted.fr and I think that they will ship to Belgium but not to England. Is there any chance that I could ship them to you and then send you the Paypal postage (if you have that?) for you to send them to me in England at all please (or you are not coming to England at all soon are you??!) . if not, don't worry but it was just a thought!! Hope you are well and happy!xx

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    1. I'm lucky to have no less than 4 Think Twice shop within walking distance from my office, so unless I'm on holiday, I never miss any of their fabulous sales days. I'm glad you got to experience one of those wonderful shops, even though you didn't find anything that fit you! If you ever come to Antwerp, we can go and visit the 4 shops together! xxx

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  14. You always find such lovely pieces and you got some bargains! I particularly like how you accessorised that dress with the orange - the nail polish is such a nice touch with it! I really like your maxi skirt in the second outfit too :)

    Hope that you have been having a lovely weekend :)

    Away From The Blue

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    1. Thank you Mica! I had a feeling you'd love that maxi skirt ;-) xxx

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  15. Ooh, I do not know where to start. I guess I will start with that swirly, twirly kaleidoscope print dress ! It is fabulous and I’m so glad that you wore it. I love the vibrant red belt with it. The blue furry jacket is beautiful and you know I love that tapestry bag. What an unusual red bag. I love it. Quite the bargain as well.
    ❤️❤️❤️
    Elle
    https://theellediaries.com/

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    1. Thank you Elle! I'd been looking for a nice red bag for ages, and couldn't believe my luck when I saw this one! xxx

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  16. This is such a beautiful dress. The print is amazing and I do like a cut that encourages a good twirl. That rose tapistery bag is wonderful. Very pretty clutches as well, great finds. The DIY belt correction was a great idea, I use nail polish for all kinds of DIY projects.

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    1. Thank you Ivana! Indeed, nail polish is great for DIY projects. I once repaired a pair of red patent shoes with a few dabs of nail polish! xxx

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  17. Oh, I LOVE the polka dot top with that leafy pattern in the last outfit - I did a similar mix just today! Great minds think alike, Ann!

    What a fun dress that is, with the inset gores (I think that's what they are called). I adore your wee hedgehog and that flamingo pin!

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    1. Thank you Sheila, and yes, we did do a similar mix! I was stumped on how to call them, but I think inset gores is the correct term! xxx

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  18. What wonderful finds (as ever!) and have a lovely holiday. xx

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    1. Thank you Gisela, and we did have a great holiday! xxx

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  19. btw I hope you enjoy your break 😀

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  20. Awh look at that little trinket box and tin, they are lovely. Ever since I went on that tin art workshop I keep seeing different uses for things.
    Your swooshy swirly dress is one for my pile me thinks Ann.
    I hope you are enjoying your break both of you. We are having the decorator in this week. Its been twelve years since it was touched so its a bit overdue.
    Much love to you both from us two xxx

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    1. Thank you Lynn! I think I'll keep the swooshy swirly dress, though! We need to do some decorating too, but just the thought of it is exhausting ... xxx

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  21. I hope you are having a splendid time! The kaleidoscope dress is a beauty xx

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    1. Thank you Sarah, we did have a splendid time indeed! xxx

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  22. What a good idea to use nail polish. I knew a builder once who when a bathroom got chipped during installation was sent into Boots Chemist with the toilet seat to buy a nail polish that matched! How embarrassing for him, but at least the loo seat was new and not used.
    I had the biggest sense of deja vu when I saw your hedgehog brooch, my mum has a silver charm that looks it's twin!
    xx

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    1. I've used nail polish for repairs like these before, which is why I hit upon the idea. Oh dear, now I keep imagining that builder with that toilet seat ... xxx

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