It's only humid!

The day of last post's flea market ended the way warm sunny days often do.

Slowly but surely, dark clouds started sprawling across the sky and soon there was a low crackle of thunder, followed by the pattering of the first, experimental, raindrops. Then the downpour began, the rain-heavy clouds unleashing a torrent of water.

It was the start of a week full of days like these, slightly chilly in the mornings but soon warming up to around 30 degrees Celsius, often ending in brief but heavy showers.

Although I'm not very good with the heat, I would have coped better if the days had been bright and sunny, but no: the air grew heavy, humidity pressing down, the only redeeming factor a slight but very welcome breeze ...

By Saturday, I was wilting, but not one to give up that easily, I dressed the part for a short charity shopping trip.

Now, at least, my sleeveless Summer dresses can come out to play, like this Chelsea collared one in sky blue with a floral print in orange, green, white and - heaven forbid - a bit of grey as well!

Any excuse for piling on lots of orange, which I did by choosing an orange belt, necklace and ring. 

I added a bit of blue too: a plastic bracelet and a blue and white ceramic one. Look how my watch strap matches the blue bracelet almost exactly! Then there was the blue and white sailing boat brooch pinned to my collar.

As I was feeling frivolous, I wore two flowers clips in my hair.

A navy wicker and plastic handbag (the rings are plastic) and a pair of comfortable navy wedge sandals, decorated with a row of flowers, completed my look.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my tiny Spanish fan: my portable airco and a bare necessity in this kind of weather!

Back at home, I made some pocket squares, for Jos to wear with his linen blend Summer jacket, from two cheap charity shopped kipper ties. A very useful tip from Vix, so thank you darling! I'm sure that Jos will soon have a whole collection of these, as most charity shops here have baskets full of abandoned ties.

I was ready for a lie down by now, but sitting still, let alone lying down in the daytime, is not something I often do, busy bee that I am.

Instead, I gave a new lease of life to my rather tired looking pair of Clarks slingbacks by painting the worn bits with nail polish in exactly the same colour! 

After that, I decided to have that lie down after all, leaving my charity shop finds for Sunday.

Looking out of our bedroom window, the sky was painted in pastel pink with streaks of yellow, the sun, wearing a fiery halo, retreating behind the trees and houses beyond.

No sun to greet us on Sunday morning, leaving us with leaden skies instead. The air felt very close, suffocatingly so, and it was muggy, which left me feeling indolent and limp like a week-old lettuce leaf.

But I did promise you to show you my finds of the day before, starting with yet another pair of shoes. This stylish, yet comfortable pair are by Weekend, and would have retailed at more than € 100, so I was glad to hand over my € 5.

At the same shop, I was halfheartedly riffling through the rack of dresses, despairing at what was on offer, when I suddenly zoomed in on this fabulous maxi. A quick look at the label (Diolen) confirmed what I'd already suspected: it was proper vintage! I grabbed it without even looking at the size label and went in search of a fitting room.

To my utter relief, it was a near perfect fit.

The print is a meadow full of small sky blue flowers, growing bigger and more colourful at the hem, where they are joined by pink flowers and green leaves. This same print is repeated on the panels at the front and back, which are trimmed with green rick rack.

The dress zips up the back, where it additionally ties with a sash, accenting its empire waist.

Best of all are the massive butterfly sleeves, which are draped like a cape at both sides of the bodice's panels, hiding plain armholes underneath.

The perfect dress to waft around in on a hot Summer's day!  Would it be tempting fate if I packed it away for our holiday in the UK?

One more Summer look before I call it a day. And I'm not talking about the flowers in our garden!

This is what I actually wore on Sunday. 

Lilac and orange are meeting on a black background in this wide, swooshy midi skirt, which has a ruffled hem edged with orange ribbon trim.

I wore it with a no-nonsense stretchy top with a gathered bust and a little tie, a lilac vinyl belt, multicoloured beads and my recently acquired orange shoes!

With all items charity shopped or from Think Twice's sales, I think the total cost of this outfit is well under € 10, proving that there are alternatives to fast fashion from a certain cheap high street store when you want to look stylish on a budget!

Tales from December's twilight days

When I waved goodbye to the office on Friday before last, I was looking forward to eleven days of freedom, which seemed like an eternity at the time.

All too soon, though, the Christmas break was over: I've been back treading the hamster wheel of daily life for two days by the time you're reading this.

But I was able to refresh my batteries, as they say, although it would have taken at least twice as long to get them fully charged.

So, what did I do with all the time I had on my hands? In terms of actual achievements, not all that much, but I did get to the bottom of my mending basket (well, almost: there's still one Summer dress waiting for new buttons).

It might be stating the obvious, but we did some charity shopping.

These photos were taken on the very first day of my break, which was the Saturday before Christmas.

The skirt I was wearing is part of a St. Michaels suit, in a rust coloured marled polyester fabric, which I'd recently found at Think Twice.

But although it's looking quite nice on Angelica, it didn't feel right on me.

Instead, I wore the skirt with a psychedelic vintage top, tight fitting and closing with a back zipper, and cinched in with a powder blue belt. For warmth, I threw on my "faux sheep" gilet.

For our shopping trip, I replaced the gilet with a powder blue and cream wool jacket, accompanied by a multicoloured knit scarf and a dusky pink mohair Kangol beret.

The gods of the charity shops were with us that day, as there were two pairs of boots and a pair of booties waiting for me!

I even managed to find a vintage dress, which is quite a rarity at the chazzas these days. It's a Summer dress, so I let Angelica do the honours, while Phoebe was keeping a watchful eye.

These scarves are both from the same shop, but couldn't be more different: a silk Paris souvenir scarf, depicting Parisian landmarks as well as elegant Parisiennes, and a blue and white woollen scarf, which looks brand new. They were a steal at just € 0,30 each.

I'm skipping Christmas, as you already know what we were up to.

Weather permitting, we went for a couple of walks. The trouble is, weather didn't permit all that often, but on Boxing Day it was obliging enough for us to for a good long walk in one of our favourite parks.

This, however, you will be able to read about in my next post.

On Wednesday, I had to go into Antwerp as I'd made an appointment with my hairdresser for a colour and cut. Jos went along and we made a day of it, although I wasn't really up to facing the crowds yet.

Before lunch, we popped into a recently opened shop selling vintage clothing per kilo, where I bought this fabulous Austrian made tapestry handbag.

It was only when I got it home that I discovered the tasseled comb in its cute little case lurking at bottom, together with the bag's quality label. What a lovely surprise!

It was Thursday by now  - how time flies! - and we decided upon another round of charity shopping.

This turned out not be be very fruitful, but I still ended up buying several necklaces, a gorgeous new-to-me orange cardigan and a bag full of vintage darning wool.

The green furry scarf with the big pom pom was found at the supermarket, of all places!

We ended the day, which turned out to be reasonably sunny, by visiting the atmospheric castle ruins in nearby Duffel, which were the subject of my last post of the year.

Here's a closer look at what I was wearing that day: a vintage dress in a heavy polyester, its abstract print a riot of colour, combined with a blue cardigan and the blue boots I found on Saturday, and accessorized with orange plastic beads.

My outerwear consisted of my brown fur-collared jacket, to which I pinned what I call my "octopus" brooch, although the thing's got ten arms and not eight! I also wore a burgundy crushed velvet scarf, a purple beret and red leather gloves, and I was carrying a blue handbag.

Back at home, Phoebe made the most of the dry weather by playing hide and seek in our garden and clambering on top of our weathered stone angel.

There's not much to see out there except for the skeletons of Summer's blooms, the brown remains of our rampant ferns, and our Hydrangea's papery flower heads. But look, one of two Fuchsia bells have decided that their season is not quite over yet!

It's been grey and miserable for most of the month and with hindsight December seems like one long rainy twilight zone.

It was one of Mim's comments that reminded me of the existence of my light box, which I hadn't needed in years, and which I'd completely forgotten about.

So, we promptly dug it out of the cupboard, blew off the accumulated dust, and I sat myself in front of it while reading. Thank you, Mim!

Defying the greyness of the weather can also be done by wearing bright colours, which is what I did in abundance on the last Saturday of the year!

Then, New Year's Eve was upon us. I'd picked out the dress I was going to wear well in advance and obviously it was going to be a maxi. A bright blue vintage cardie, blue opaques and black suede booties closing with a front buckle completed my outfit. I also wore a Lucite statement necklace.

We celebrated with friends, each supplying one of the courses for our New Year's Eve supper.

I made paprika (bell pepper) soup, and brought some savoury appetizers in my 1960's Tupperware hostess tray.

1960s Tupperware ads featuring the tray!

The main was Orloff Roast with potato croquettes and salad, and we closed with Panna Cotta topped with raspberry coulis.

We were joined by Nessie, our friends' beautiful cat, who managed to steal a cheese cube from my tray ...

After supper, we played a game of Trivial Pursuit, which was won by the girls, although according to the boys we got off lightly as we got all the easy questions ...

Here's to friendship and lots of shared fun in 2018!

The winning team!

Last of the summer frocks

What with our week away and its preparations, I completely forgot to show you what I found at Think Twice the week before we left.

As their final sales week coincided with our holiday, I missed the best bargains, but still managed to pick up a couple of things on their € 5 day.

First up is this burgundy handbag, which has a detachable shoulder strap, and is surprisingly roomy.
I love the trellis pattern on the front panel and the decorative metal details at the base of the handles.

I was attracted by the print and colours of this crepe blouse, or light jacket if you like, and when I saw it came with a tiny pearly brooch, of course it had to be mine!

This sleeveless floral frock is vintage St. Michaels. The fabric is a thin, floaty cotton, and as you can see it is lined. As the weather has turned and it looks like we are well and truly on the slippery slope to Autumn, its first wear will probably have to wait until next year.

The second dress I picked up is this psychedelic pussy bow dress, in an unusual mustard and and lilac colour combination. With its long sleeves but fairly lightweight fabric, it's a welcome addition to my transitional wardrobe, to be worn as Autumn trundles towards Winter. Admittedly, the fabric feels a bit clingy, so I'll have to wear it with a slip underneath.

I've left the best for last! Laying eyes on this halterneck maxi, my thoughts immediately went to Vix.

The fabric is a sturdy cotton, it's got a vibrant print, and it's exactly the right length as long as I'm wearing it with heels. Oh, and it's from Finnish label Chix-Puku.

After we'd just had a couple of hot days, it had cooled down considerably, so posing in the garden after work was a goose-bumpy affair. The things a blogger has to do!

By the state of things, this frock too will have to be put away for next Summer ...

Fast forward one week until Saturday before last. Being back home after a welcome week away felt like an anti-climax, especially as the weather was behaving particularly erratically.

For our weekly charity shopping trip, I chose a hand-made, short-sleeved dress, its print featuring hues of brown and orange and creating a diamond pattern. The dress has a notched collar and closes with two self-fabric buttons at the yoke.

I piled on some sunshine in the form of ochre yellow beads, belt and cardigan. My choice of brooch was a mottled brown plastic butterfly, bought at a flea market last January.

It was chilly so I wore 15 den tights, and a long red Trevira coat. Some more sunshine was provided by a yellow chiffon scarf printed with tiny white dots.

I bought a couple of novels to add to my never ending reading pile and took pity on this vintage ceramic nutmeg canister, which must have been part of a set. Sadly, this was all that was left.

I particularly love its unusual green and yellow colour scheme. And look: it has already found its place in our kitchen with some other odds, ends and orphans!

A pair of polka dot shoes and another wicker handbag for my collection were my other finds. Please bear with me, as you get to see them in Sunday's outfit ...

Our most local charity shop yielded this Tweed jacket for Jos, who wanted his share of the limelight!

Hats and flat caps, a man bag, a Tweed jacket. Whatever's next?  Mr. Suave, indeed!

The turning of the leaves means the return of the indoor flea markets, and we were eagerly looking forward to our favourite one in Mechelen on Sunday.

We went with my friend Inez and her daughter Isabelle, who blogged about her experience here, but I completely forgot to take photographs.

I was wearing another one of my favourite frocks, which much to my surprise hadn't been worn yet this Summer.  The black of the dress is enhanced by the colours of the print, and in particular the vibrant orange flowers.

I picked a green cardie and orange and blue accessories and wore my hounds-tooth jacket with an orange belt.

You can also see the shoes and handbag I picked up on Saturday!

The dress is short-sleeved, has a Peter Pan collar and a row of sky blue loops and buttons at the front.

It is probably hard to believe that the buttons aren't the originals.  When I picked it up at Think Twice it only had three or four random white metal ball buttons left.  As I didn't have anything remotely appropriate in my vintage button stash, I had no choice but to go retail, spending a whole lunch break in the shop and in the end selecting these blue ones with a metal rim. They were far more expensive than the dress itself.

Although the flea market was not yet in its full capacity, we still managed to find things, like these sturdy and unworn leather slingbacks, a vintage corduroy hat and the largest of the celluloid Edelweiss brooches, so that I now have them in four different sizes.

Jos was seduced by this Bakelite phone,  manufactured by ATEA, which has a crank instead of a dial. The seller told us it came from a local nunnery, which had closed down.

My final purchase was this book on handbags (tassen or handtassen in Dutch). From the same series, I already have a book on shoes and one on hats.

Together with the books on the bottom, which I bought a couple of weeks ago, it will be added to my ever growing vintage fashion library! 

The book on the right, by the way, How to Read a Dress, by Lydia Edwards, is fairly new, and came recommended by the lovely Cate, so when I happened to see it in a local shop, I wasted no time and bought it.

Linking to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style!

In my next post, I'll continue my travelogue with a visit to the Belgian seaside, on which I hope you'll join me again.

Flea-bitten

Last Sunday the tables were turned for once as we had our first proper stint at selling at a flea market.

The market itself, which is being held yearly in our village, has been going from strength to strength, until last year it reached our front door, with the people trading at the stall in front of our house parking their car so close to it that we were almost unable to get out.

We'd vowed to take that pitch this year, and we did!

The perfect opportunity to sell off some of the surplus stuff cluttering up our basement, including some vintage items, a boxful of vinyl offloaded to us by our ex neighbour, and the toys Jos's grandchildren have long ago outgrown.

I also put together a rack of vintage and retro clothing, which I'd outgrown, some of it quite literally.

There was also a suitcase full of shoes and handbags and a display of no-longer-loved jewellery.

We got up at the crack of dawn, as sellers started arriving and putting up their stalls, early buyers on bikes maneuvering between the half-finished displays.

By 7 o´clock, we'd already sold a coffee grinder and a slightly damaged vintage tin child's stove complete with little pots and pans.

Although people were clearly drawn to my colourful display of frocks and blouses, I didn't make a sale until a Dutch lady came along and bought about a third of my stock, as well as all of my handbags!

She later returned and bought more stuff after I'd replaced the empty hangers with new items.

To fill up the empty gaps, I'd put out some vintage Barbie clothing, doubles that I had accumulated during my collecting years. To my surprise, these got some interest and I sold a few pieces, the last customer later returning for an item she'd regretted not buying. I left her talking to Jos, while I got out the rest of my doubles, which she happily browsed through, making another couple of purchases.

Of course, I made some forays myself, leaving Jos to hold the fort (and selling off some of my clothing in the meantime). I didn't go wild, especially as I had less time than usual to look at things properly, but I still picked up several pieces of jewellery: some rings and clip-on earrings, a couple of brooches and a necklace.

I spotted this exquisite micro-mosaic crucifix and held my breath while asking for the price. Needless to say, I wasted no time when I was told it cost € 2. I've seen similar ones selling for at least € 30 on Etsy!

My final purchase was this gorgeous pair of vintage shoes, which I can't wait to wear in autumn.

All in all, we sold well and, more importantly, we had a great day. We'll definitely do it again next year.

I was completely knackered and kept nodding off in the evening.

But not before letting you have a proper look at the dress I was wearing.

It's a vintage wrap dress trimmed with rick-rack and with the most wonderful butterfly sleeves, which I picked up at a charity shop event back in March. The brooch, a huge white poodle, is modern, but isn't he lovely?

I'd taken the next day, Monday, off to put away the unsold stuff and have a rest. It was a fine and sunny day, so we retreated to the garden with a drink and a bowl of cherries.

Did any of you do the earring thing with the doubles when you were little? I can never resist doing it, even if there were no doubles to play around with here ...

And yes, we have a new garden table, which is a bit bigger than our old round one. We had to go out and buy it on the Saturday, as the table we'd originally planned to use for the flea market was found to be in a bad state.

I even had another stint at painting my toe nails. I nipped into Kruidvat (the Superdrug of the Low Countries) when I went into town, and found these handy pens. They have a felt tip instead of a brush, which seems to be working for me.  I picked them up in all available colours!  It's a pity there's no green though ...

I could definitely get used to a three day weekend ...

Back to work on Tuesday it was, and yes, back to the high twenties too!

I was adamant to wear this funky top, which I'd bought at Think Twice quite a while ago, but had forgotten all about. The green skirt, bought in the sales a couple of years ago, went perfect with it. In order to keep the high collar of the blouse away from my neck, I added a scarf clip which used to belong to Great Aunt Josephine.

The sandals were given to me last Sunday by my friend Ann. She's the one who gave me all those shoes back in June. They are, if possible, even more comfortable than the jelly shoes!

On Wednesday, temperatures of 30°C were predicted, so I opted for a cotton sleeveless dress.

Yes, I finally got around to wearing the colourful stripy dress I bought in Cardigan. It's looking a bit crumpled here after a day in the office ...

With all the colours, it was easy to accessorize. I added a belt, beads and watch in bright blue, a chunky red ring, red and white bangles and a Turquoise plastic brooch, incidentally also bought in Cardigan, albeit a couple of years ago.

As Think Twice was in the middle of another one of their famous sales, with everything down to € 5, I needed to get out there.

This is what I found:

It looks like I was in a maxi mood ..

There was another maxi skirt, but I'll be wearing that in one of my next posts!