A Compact London Flat

Hi all, happy Monday! Today I want to share with you a beautifully decorated London flat which proves that you don't need a large space to have a beautiful home. This compact space has been given an airy feel using lots of white and soft greys, with hints of neon pink to keep it fun. It's possibly one of my favourite homes I've featured on High Street Home so I hope you like it! My favourite piece in the flat has to be the Ercol 203 Windsor Armchair which has been modernised with a mid-grey fabric - a great piece that mixes old with new.

What do you think? I love everything about this space from the neutral colour scheme to the vintage touches and bright pink accents. And that kitchen is EXACTLY what my future kitchen will look like!

{Images: The Guardian}

Carboot Tips for Sellers

Since I returned from Munich I've had a renewed urge to de-clutter. We seemed to manage so well on just the necessities whilst we were out there, both in terms of clothes and home-y things, so I decided to have a massive clear-out. I've been tackling a little bit day by day from my wardrobe to the kitchen cupboards to the bookshelf, with the eventual aim of holding a stall at my local flea market. I like to hold a stall every now and again as they are a quick, easy way to make a bit of money and they're good fun too! So, on Wednesday, I held a little stall in my local town of Arnold in Nottingham and began selling my things! Although it was a good sale, there were things that I could have done better so I thought I'd share my tips with you today.

1. Presentation is key

My best tip for making the most money at a carboot is to display items well. I'm always amazed at the dumped piles of clothes you see at markets like this, I'm so surprised they sell anything at all. Customers often hurry through the market and only glance at each stall to see if they want to look further. If your stall looks well presented - arranging things at different heights, putting your best items in the centre of the table - you will get more people looking at your stall and will get more sales.

2. Go with a friend

I made the mistake of going by myself this time - never again! When you get that initial 'rush', when customers left right and centre are screaming 'HOW MUCH IS THIS?!' at you, you need a buddy to help you out otherwise customers will leave if they wait too long for you.

3. Prepare, prepare, prepare

Take a packed lunch and a hot flask of tea. Not only will you will need it, it saves you spending your hard-earned cash at the over-priced burger van. Take warm clothes. Whether you hold your carboot in the early hours of the morning or, like mine, into the early evening, you will get cold standing around. Take a fold-up chair if you have one. And remember to take carrier bags and lots of change!

4. Be realistic about what will and won't sell

There is not point carting down your GCSE Maths study books from 1998 or your moth-eaten jumpers, these things won't sell! People come to browse carboots because they want a bargain, not because they want your old things.

5. Resist the urge to browse the other stalls

It sounds obvious but I've done this so many times before! There's no point de-cluttering only to bring back even more than you had before. Resist the urge!

I hope these tips help!

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}

91 Magazine {Autumn 2012}

As you all know the autumn issue of 91 Magazine is out and it's possibly my favourite issue yet. It's full of vintage homewares, pastel-coloured home tours, fabulous interviews with the most inspiring, creative women and lots of stationery. Love! I thought I'd share a few tear sheets with you today of one of my favourite articles in the magazine. The article is called 'My 36m²' and is an interview and home tour with Danish blogger Anna Weinreich. Anna has got the most beautiful home, full of bright pastel accents and lots of flea market finds and it was lovely reading about her home and how she put her beautiful space together.

There are lots of other inspiring articles in the magazine from bargain-hunting tips to neon DIYs. Have a read yourself here. P.S. It's also 91 Magazine's first anniversary issue - congratulations!

{Images: 91 Magazine}

Dreamy Vintage Bedrooms

Today I spent an afternoon happily catching up on my favourite blogs and pinning over at Pinterest. It was a productive session and I've now got lots of ideas of how I want to decorate my flat. The prettiest of the lot has to be these bedrooms below. Feminine and full of vintage charm.

I love the idea of using a favourite item of clothing as a permanent display object. I've seen a lot of rooms where pretty dresses have been used and I think they add a lot of interest and colour to a space.

The reason I've included this last image is that I LOVE the contrast between the dark, rough floor and the dainty lace throw. So pretty!

You can see all these images over on my Pinterest boards at pinterest.com/laurablanksby.

{Images: Pinterest}

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}

The Discovery of a Local Flea

Last week I was SUPER excited to discover that my home town holds a flea market every Wednesday night, so this week I made it my mission to head down and snap up some bargains! I'd heard that the locals are on-the-ball so I headed down early to join the 200-strong queue that were waiting for opening time. I can see why there was such a huge queue as there were some real bargains to be had. Everything was so cheap that some stalls were cleared within half an hour!

Here's a couple of snaps of what I picked up:

I found a lovely cream crotchet throw with gorgeous scalloped edges, a red velvet cushion cover, a beautiful old brass photo frame, some doilies, buttons and these two amazing sugar shakers. No photo would do these glass shakers justice as they are so so lovely. They have striped bases topped with a diamond-cut pattern and are in such good condition.

I also found a copy of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady (a print of which is in the photo frame above and below). I plan on using tear sheets from this book to frame.

Here's a couple more pages from the book that I will frame:

Here's hoping that I can snap up something just as good next week.

{Images: Laura Blanksby for High Street Home}

I've Been Thrifting Again!

I've been thrifting again and this time I've uncovered some GEMS. Here is my loot from my last couple of trips.

I found this mid-century sewing box in my home town centre and decided to walk away, convincing myself that I didn't have the room for it. But an hour after I got home I was on the phone to my mum begging her to pick it up for me as I just couldn't live without it! Luckily it was still there and I could bring it home with me that next day. Phew. The floral pillow was a lovely little find I thought as you don't see many circular-shaped ones any more so I snapped it up straight away. The only problem is that it had a decidedly large rectangular pillow stuffed inside it, so I'm now on the lookout for circular cushion pads. Recommendations are greatly welcome!

Below is a selection of other bits and pieces I came across on my travels.

The fabric scraps were a bargain at 75p each and are great for me as I'm just learning to sew after getting a lovely Singer sewing machine for Christmas. My plan is to start simple and turn these fabric remnants into envelope-flap cushion covers. I will approach zips and buttons with caution and in due course! I fell in love with the leather saddle bag as it's just so teeny tiny! I don't know if it will be entirely practical as I can't fit anything inside it, but at least it looks pretty! My other buys were the sweet crochet hangers, vintage pale pink cotton and these dessert glasses (which came as a set of 6).

{Images: Laura Blanksby for High Street Home}

Christmas Wish List No.14

Vintage china seems to be having a bit of a renaissance at the minute. Weddings, summer fêtes and kitsch cafés are all re-introducing the noble tea-cup and saucer, all to a great effect. I, personally, can think of nothing better than drinking tea from a tiny bone china tea-cup and eating cake off a matching side plate. The only down-side to it is that they seem to be a lot harder to come across than they used to. I remember charity shops, car boots and junk shops being full of them, though now they are more scarce as the desirability has rocketed. But for those that still want their fix, Tesco Direct have now started selling bone china trios and plates. I know, I couldn't believe it either! The range is not huge but they have some pretty pieces...

 

I must say I was surprised to see Tesco were selling these, but they have a nice little collection going on so I'm pleased! You can buy these, and their other designs, here.

{Images: Tesco Direct}

Christmas Wish List No.3

Yes, yes, I know I've talked about these pretty bikes before on my blog but I just can't help myself! I love this bike so much that I will just keep talking about it until I actually own it! It is the ladies Bella bicycle in Persephone Pink from BEG if a certain someone is reading.

Isn't it pretty! Though I think I would be just as happy to own that lovely Designers Guild wallpaper in the background too. (It's called Portier Clover and available here)

{Image: BEG Bicycles}

Vintage Homeware on the High Street

If, like me, you find it difficult to get to antique markets, but love vintage homeware then

look no further than today's post! I've scoured the best high street and on-line stores for vintage and vintage-inspired products and can conclude that nobody does it better that Pedlars. Pedlars are a Scottish company who specialise in cool, quirky products. As well as having great modern products they also source real vintage ware from all over the globe, with France, North America and England being the most popular. Although some of these do come with the inevitable hefty price tag, they are most certainly worth it. Take a look at what's currently on offer.

Pedlars are the largest stockists I know of vintage London bus blinds and have such a huge selection. Due to the nature of these vintage products they only have a limited number so if you see something you like, act fast.

Other products they source in bulk are antique globes, lighting (from French street lamps to fishermen's pendants), vintage telephones, tea towels and limited edition posters. Their website is pretty cool too so why not take a look.

As well as Pedlars, other stores to try if you're looking for vintage-inspired pieces would be Graham & Green, Anthropologie, Laura Ashley and Garden Trading. These stores don't have reclaimed and restored originals like Pedlars, but they do have cool modern pieces with a distinctive antique feel. Try Garden Trading for kitchenware, Laura Ashley for bedding and fabric, and Graham & Green and Anthropologie for accessories.

{Images: Pedlars}

ON TREND: Upcycling

All you green-goers out there, rejoice! The latest trend in interior decoration is upcycling and it's going down a treat. The term refers to re-inventing and updating tired objects or pieces of furniture and using it all over again. Companies such as The Old Cinema and Ghost Furniture update and re-sell vintage, retro or even scrap furniture and turn it turn it into something beautiful. Not only is it eco-friendly it also looks rather good. Here's a sample of what's on offer.

Upcycled chair and desk at Ghost Interiors

Peacock Sideboard upcycled at The Old Cinema

Shelving Unit made from US carriage seats at The Old Cinema

Also what's great about this trend is that you can have a go yourself. You can make cushion covers out of old rice sacks, create quirky shelving units out of fruit crates or upcycle old letterpress printer trays as display units. Here are a few pictures for inspiration.

Image credit: redonline.co.uk

Image credit: redonline.co.uk

Image credit: redonline.co.uk

If you fancy upcycling on a larger scale try D&A Binder for ex-medical and ex-museum cabinets that look amazing as wardrobes or sideboards. That's all for today guys, get creative and see you soon.