New Vs. Old: The Things I Brought Back from Munich

I'll be writing a proper post about my time in Munich soon, but today I want to show you a few things I bought back from my travels over there. Munich has a good mix of old and new in terms of shops and markets, reflecting the city and it's history, so was a bit of a dream location for me. There are plenty of regular car boots and flea markets where you can find vintage treasures (if you are English-speaking and Munich-based try out toytowngermany.com for lists and dates) as well as contemporary homeware and stationery stores for more recent products. Below are some of the bits and pieces I picked up on the high street.

I bought lots of washi tape for a few craft projects I have in mind, some good quality bakers twine, some pegs (also for a craft project), some coloured pens and some notebooks from a shop called Semicolon. The postcard is a picture of my new favourite drink - Augustiner's Edelstoff - mainly because that's all the beer gardens sold! The heart? Well, I couldn't leave Munich without one really!

Now for the older things.

The photos aren't great, sorry! I've included a few close up shots so you can see the details in some of the pieces. The embroidered hankies are so sweet, they show a typically dressed Bavarian couple - the man in lederhosen and the woman in dirndl. The tear-out floral sheets are from a book I was given for free, the Bavarian soldiers were a bargain at €1, though I did notice later that the red one is missing arms - ooops! Finally, the vintage hanger is my favourite find, I love the typography and the cream clippers, I think it's so chic. Another bargain at €1. The rest of the items are, from the top left: a set of hand-crotchet hangers, a hand-made tapestry, knitted pan-holders, a prettily illustrated children's music book, a vintage Munich postcard, some doilies, a few meters of lace trim, seven vintage gold-coloured buttons and a mint green vintage jumper. Phew.

I hope you've enjoyed having a peek at all my new things! Hope you all have a great weekend.

{Images: Laura Blanksby}

Flea Markets in Munich

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I've moved to Munich for the summer. Even though it's only for a few months, while the OH works on an important project, I'm still excited to embrace German life and get to know the city.

Of course, the first thing I did when I found out I was temporarily moving out here was to google local car boots and flea markets. The first one I found was Auer Dult, a flea market held three times a year, selling everything from local food produce to antique educational wall charts. It was with great delight that I discovered the market was on during my stay so I wasted no time in getting there and headed down straight away.

The market had a good mix of everything vintage and new, though, disappointingly, there was a large amount of JML-style stalls too. We promptly avoided these and focused on the antique and vintage sellers nestled in the heart of the market. 

There were lots of lovely designer-makers at the fair selling their wares. This bright stall was one of my favourites with the cute fishy bowls, plates and cups. However, due to lack of space, I had to leave empty-handed.

There was lots of vintage furniture up for grabs, including this super cute wicker chair. I was quite smitten with that wicker basket too. I've wanted one since watching Moonrise Kingdom (if you've seen it you'll know what I mean!).

There were lots of crafty stalls around too which was great for me, though less great for the OH as he waited while I rummaged through box after box of ribbon and material.

To top all this flea market-y goodness off, there was a mini fairground complete with ferris wheel and carousal. And I even made a new friend.

I'd definitely recommend a browse around this market if you are planning a trip here. There was a great vibe to the place with the fairground rides, traditional Bavarian food stalls and lots of vintage goods. It's only on three times a year though so make sure you check the dates!

{Images: Laura Blanksby}