Christmas Thrifting...

Okay so Christmas is a commercialist nightmare, barely have we embarked on November and shops are coercing us into buying gifts and decorations a plenty! So it might be consumerism at its worst, but it's also a chance to show our loved ones how much we treasure them! Now what message would we rather give to our nearest and dearest: "here's a purpose-manufactured smellies set from Boots (3 for 2!) which will gather dust in your bathroom" OR " Here's a beautiful one-off hand-crafted gift which I spent time lovingly seeking out and choosing for you"...? Hmmmm? Okay so the 'lovingly seeking out' part meant a good old mooch around some gorgeous markets and craft events, where browsing is punctuated with somewhat self-indulgent tea, cake, cake, tea, mulled wine, etc... and the chances of someone else buying your favourite Aunt exactly the same gift are minimal!

And if that's not enough to persuade you, don't get me started on where our hard earned money should be going... sole trader crafters who will plough money back into further creativity, or in the pockets of fat-cat shareholders at the top of the multinational corporations of greed...? Enough said.

So with this in mind, here are the details of upcoming markets at which I will be preciously arranging, and offering my wares to the lovely thrifting, gorgeous public... with all the live music, tea and cake and lovely lunches available at these gorgeous 'pop-up' events, Christmas shopping stops being a chore but a lovely way to spend time with friends and get out and about around London... enjoy ♥

• Sat November 13th 12-5 "Going for a Song" @ The Amersham Arms, New Cross (right opp New Cross Station, from London Bridge or on the Overground)  Good food, great music and choc-full of vintage and bric-a-brac and hosted by the gorgeous and fabulously fun Rupert ♥

• Saturday November 13th 7pm-late "Church Launch!" St Barnabus Church (Bow/Mile End) is launching as an iconic live music venue! There will be stalls and wonderous and eclectic music http://st-barnabas-music.blogspot.com/ £3 tickets available now ♥

• Sun November 14th 11-4 "House Clearance" @ Jaguar Shoes, Shoreditch High St. (nearest stations are Hoxton Overground and Old St tube) Trendy yet cosy, packed with some great bargains, why not make it a stop-off between flowers at Columbia Road and that Sunday roast which you deserve for even making it out of the house ♥

• Sat Dec 4th 11-4 Craft Guerilla Christmas Craft Emporium (this also runs on Sun) @ William Morris Gallery, Forest Rd, Walthamstow. This event will be genuinely excellent with a great variety of stallholders. See the awesome Craft Guerilla site for their amazing workshops and events.. http://www.craftguerrilla.com/page6.htm

• Sun Dec 5th Jumble @ The Victoria, Mile End. 1pm-5pm ♥   http://www.thevictoriae3.com/jumblesales.html (and 1st Sun of every month!)

• Sat Dec 11th: Bazaar @ The Star (Bethnal Green, nr end of Brick Lane) run by the gorgeous and glamorous Jet, this will be another spectacular market.

• Sun Dec 12th 12-6: "Mistletoe & Silk" at the glamorous Beauberry House in West Dulwich. This event is held by youlovefashion and Cherry Picked Styling and will feature a tarot card reader, affordable beauty treatments, a charity auction, live music, a burlesque taster session and a catwalk show plus an in house gift wrapping service!Tickets are £8 in advance and include burlesque, live entertainment, a Christmas Cupcake and a glass of mulled wine ♥

Happy browsing!

♥Violet Iris ♥

Thrift and Sharing...

"Thrift is care given in the expenditure of money, or the avoidance of unnecessary spending or purchases"

The art of thrift is a team effort that takes thought and creativity, A thrifty weekend has got me thinking.... I recently reduced my work contract to four days per week. I love my job, every moment at work is exhilerating and fun, but I also love my hobbies. Giving up one fifth of my salary in order to focus on creative projects and attain a true work-life balance has meant that thrift has become a necessity, but also a form of inspiration...

Friday night was spent with a valued friend who's company never lets me down. We hopped on the train and headed to Limehouse to Nina's Taza Express where we ate fabulous food and quaffed our own wine, courtesy of their BYO policy. The hummous beiruty and the baba ganoush were divine and we spent from 7pm until 11pm laughing, chatting, tearing bread and making approving noises regarding the food and our shared life philosophies... the gorgeous and attentive waiter gave us his best of what I like to think of as "flirvice", as he always does - cheeky winks, a dish on the house and some complimentary sweets ("sweets for my sweethearts") but plenty of privacy and discretion - the perfect customer service for two women enjoying a valued evening of each other's company - and this kind of service is rare and utterly fabulous - something which should be prescribed to all women in their thirties. A gorgeous evening, and thrift was achieved when the bill discreetly presented came to £8 each... I dare you to name me one possible reason for spending any more money on this kind of evening... cosy and delightful, it left me with a warm fuzzy feeling inside, the root of which I can't quite pinpoint, but it absolutely had to be either the company, the food, the flirting or the bottle of Martini Asti we shared to celebrate the arrival of my recent purchase, a 1970s genuine G-Plan cocktail cabinet (below)... but I'm pretty sure it was a combination of all four ♥

Saturday I had a stall at the wonderful "Going for a Song" market at the Amersham Arms in New Cross. Run by the charismatic and fabulously fun Rupert (see http://loserville.tv/ for his awesome blog which has a huge following) I managed to achieve yet anothe thrifty day. Stalls ranged from delicious rainbow cupcakes and hearty chocolate and peanut butter cakes, vintage finds, eighties clothes and books and records, meaning customers had a good ol' rummage and found some brilliant treasures! Whilst earning a few pennies from my own thrift creations, I made some gorgeous purchases.. this beeoootiful retro telephone for an absolute bargain... this is what I mean by Thrift being a team effort - we all play a part in recycling lovely things and by offering them at a fair price we all get to recycle and share these beauties. Yes it's easy to get sentimental and attached to belongings but when you scratch beneath the surface: is it better to pass something on to be enjoyed and allow someone to achieve 'thrift' and you to achieve a warm glow from seeing a happy punter, or better to go home with a few more quid in your pocket...?

I also found another thrifty buy.. this old M&S beauty was lurking on the stall next to me, and the lovely girls let it go for just three pounds, with no haggling needed! What truly lovely people ♥

On a final thrifty note today I will leave you with a gorgeous find which we can all have for a bargain price... I'm loving the 50s look to Morisson's value hairspray and it's only about 30p to buy, so we can all enjoy a thrifty beehive or two - some things we just can't find second hand, and hairspray is definitely one of them.

And last of all here's a brilliant cover of a lovely song, all the way from Denmark... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHb-J5Ugau4

!Happy Rummaging Thrifties!

 ♥ Violet Iris ♥