All things vintage

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Since I was a teenager I have been interested in all things vintage. From (custom) jewellery, porcelain, linen, glassware to fashion. Over the years my collection has grown. I don't keep all the things I find myself, I give them to friends and family as well or sell them at a vintage market once in a while.

Recently I have taken up looking for vintage fashion. It's so much fun to find something unique at a bargain price. The reason I gave it up years ago, was that I often couldn't get rid of the musty smell a lot of pre loved clothes have. I don't want to go out wearing a beautiful outfit, smelling like a damp cellar or someone who hasn't washed for a long time.... 

I tried it all: washing in vinegar, freezing, adding baking soda and all kind of chemicals, but to no avail. Until recently.....  I now soak the clothes in lukewarm water and add a few drops of Dettol disinfectant.

When you leave the clothes to soak overnight, the musty smell is replaced by a 'Dettol smell'. You can easily get rid of this by washing the clothes in the washing machine once or twice. Somehow this did the trick for me. It doesn't work on all material, so please keep that in mind. You have to find out for yourself. Most cottons and synthetic fabric do well. I haven't tried it on silk yet.

My daughters aren't too keen on my new method. It even makes my youngest gag. It reminds them of the time children had thrown up at primary school. Teachers used to clean with Dettol afterwards. So, whenever I use this method, I put my tile on the balcony :-)  

In today's post some of my latest vintage finds: a colourful kimono style blouse by a well known Dutch designer, a German pink/red/blue blouse, a tapestry bag, an orange/black French paisley dress and a yellow/green/orange paisley shirt.

The glassware, porcelain cache pot, jewellery, (botanic) prints and teacups come from Charity shops and thrift stores.

Do you have a method of your own for getting rid of musty smells in fabric?

A Happy week!

Love,

Madelief x

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Stop and smell the roses

If you like to find satisfaction in life, it is said that you have to acknowledge the value and meaning of simple things, like stopping on your garden path to smell the roses, and admire the beauty of the flowers, standing proudly or tumbling down the trees, like a waterfall of flowers. 

Perhaps I am a hopeless romantic, but I try to do just that, to take it all in as much as possible. It's only two weeks that the roses in my garden are at their best, and that's not long.

When I was in the garden today, the rambling roses (Veilchenblau & Paul's Himalayan Musk) are already losing their petals and delicious scent. Last weeks rain speeded things up considerably. They both gave an abundant display of flowers. Paul's Himalayan musk has taken over one of the trees in the middle part of my garden completely. It's breathtakingly beautiful.

The roses in front of my garden house: New Dawn, Rhapsody in Blue and Pink cloud, are still in flower. In the back a simple dog rose, I once took a cutting from when on a walk, and some roses I bought for a Euro in a dump store, look magnificent. 

In other parts of the garden, Belinda's dream, Constance Spry, Waltz Time, Heritage and Leonardo da Vinci make me smile. How elegant they look.  

My experience is that working in a garden does not only have physical benefits, it heals, clears the head, gives you the peace and quiet that you need, and makes you appreciate simple things more. Above all, it makes me a happier person. I can recommend it to you all.  

Stop and smell the roses.

Wishing you a lovely week!

Madelief x 

In the footsteps of ....

Whenever I go on holiday, I try to combine nature with culture. To me it's the perfect mix to make my days out a success.
Last week, when in the Lake District in England, my two friends and I managed to do a bit of both.

We followed in the footsteps of William Wordsworth the poet, of  Beatrix Potter the author and illustrator and of John Ruskin, art patron and critic. All passed away a long time ago, but the homes, gardens and interiors they created, the hills they walked on, are still there for us to visit, to enjoy, to learn from and get inspired by.

We made some beautiful walks too, near Coniston, Ambleside, Grasmere, Rydale and Tarn Hows. Starting off at seven o'clock in the morning and finishing before noon. Because of the warm weather, with temperatures over 25 degrees Celsius, this was the best way to enjoy the countryside and not get too hot and tired. In a local newspaper one of the headlines read that we had: 'One of the best weekends ever'. I don't know what 'ever' means, but it made me realise how lucky we were. There is a reason for those hills to be soooo green!

The coming months I will be showing you some more photo's now and then, but this is it for now. Hope you had a wonderful week too.

Happy week ahead!

Love,

Madelief x


Grasmere: photo 1, 17, 22 -  Tarn Hows: photo 2, 7, 9, 10 -  Hawkshead: photo 3,  6, 19, 20  - Rydala: 8, 11, 14,  18, 26 - Brantwood: photo 13, 23, 24 - Holehird gdns, Windermere: photo 15, 16 - Hill Top: 25