Hello and a shop sale!

Hello! I'm back from a very, very snowy Portland and a very warm San Francisco. 

The shop is open again and I'm having a wee sale to celebrate. Everything is currently 20% off until Thursday! All items purchased in the sale will be shipped on Friday.

West Coast Wanderings V

Here are some more photographs from my time in America...and there will be more on the way. After two nights in San Francisco, we flew to Portland and were greeted with even more sunshine. There was definitely a softer, more autumnal quality to the sun than in California but it was just as pretty and uplifting. The trees put on a spectacular display of reds, oranges and yellows.

Mini neighbourhood lending library

We experienced two beautiful dusk-lit panoramas. On our first full day, we hiked up Mount Tabor to catch some fading light and look through the evergreens to Mount Hood. Then, the following evening, we visited the grounds of Pittock Mansion for a mirror-image view, back over the city.

The colours of the sky and full moon were incredible that night... but hard to capture on my camera!

West Coast Wanderings IV

These pictures are from the first two days of my trip away. We flew into hot sunshine in San Francisco so we spent most of our time outdoors, walking around The Mission district and taking a trip to Twin Peaks for a near 360-degree panorama of the city.

We also made the most of the clear skies by walking through Golden Gate Park - stopping off at the Japanese Garden en route - to see the Pacific at Ocean Beach.

The Japanese tea house in Golden Gate Park

Peace lantern

I'll share more pictures from my holiday in the coming weeks. I took so many, it will take a while to sift through them all!

Unfortunately, the American bits and bobs I mentioned in my last post did not materialise. The trip was so busy that I had no proper time for thrifting but I do have a pile of 50s dresses ready to list so, as soon as I'm back in the swing of things, I'll be photographing those and posting details here. In the meantime, I've re-opened the shop and there are lots of goodies available so take a little look. Shipping will be a bit delayed this week so please note that if you place an order between the 4th and 10th, I'll be shipping your parcel on the 11th. I'm really looking forward to getting back to work on the shop and adding new items soon!

Shop news

Hello! Well, I started September with lots of plans for shop updates and blogposts but the days disappeared rather too quickly and now it's October all of a sudden! There were some good reasons for time running away (a trip to London and a long weekend in Cumbria) and some bad (a nasty bug which resulted in several days in bed). The blogposts and updates will be on their way soon enough but, first, I'm travelling to the West Coast of America for a very special reason - I'm getting married!!

1940s cake topper

  Usually, if I'm away for a day or two, I prefer to run a sale and delay shipping orders but, as it's such a big trip, I've decided to shut up shop for the full two weeks that I'll be in America. The store will be closed from 12th - 27th October. I've already got some really nice mid-century pieces ready to add to Elly Maggy Vintage when I get back and hopefully there might be some American bits and bobs to list too! So keep an eye out when the shop re-opens!! And see you soon!

North West Wanderings II

With autumn arriving, I wanted to share a couple of photos from the start of an unusually sunny summer. Back when the sun was just starting to shine, I took a daytrip by train to Chester. I wandered along the river, in front of The Rows and through the ancient ampitheatre, where a Roman foot soldier was giving a guided tour and workers munched on sandwiches among the remains.

I spent a small part of the day thrifting and found a 1970s dress, which has already sold and made its way across the sea to New York. It's funny to think of the journey it has made!

The ruins of St John the Baptist's Church

Me looking awkward in front of the camera!

Spring Travels

I'm back from my trip with a few photos and lots more Spring pieces to add to the shop. I didn't have much time to look for things while I was away but after getting back on Saturday, I walked to the post office to ship an order and had quite a bit of luck on my way home. Listings will be up in the next few days!

 

Vintage New York

After sharing my West Coast wanderings, I've got some posts planned on vintage-exploring in different places. They'll mostly be quite close to home but I thought I'd continue with the American theme for my first one. I've travelled to New York a few times for work and personal trips and these particular photographs were taken a couple of years ago with some disposable cameras.

Here are some of my favourite vintage shops from my visits:

1. David Owens - The pale silk 50s dress I'm wearing in the first picture was purchased here.The man in the shop was very kind and really funny too. I had short hair at the time and he thought I looked a bit like Shirley Temple. 'But you know what happened to Shirley?', he asked, 'Shirley kissed!'. Ominous pause: 'And her career was never the same again!'. They have really nice pieces and a good selection for men too.

2. Beacon's Closet - I visited both Brooklyn branches of Beacon's Closet. The one in Williamsburg is a bit overwhelming but also where I found the best pickings (it just took determination!). 

3. Fabulous Fanny's - I've saved the best 'til last. Fabulous Fanny's is just brilliant. The people running the shop were really friendly and very knowledgeable about the history of clothing. The women's clothing was fantastic but the room filled with glasses was the most fascinating, more like a museum of optical instruments than a shop. After trying on nearly every pair (with some funny and not always successful results!), I chose some little round, foldable sunglasses in green. They're similar in style to 30s celluloid glasses but from a later period. Perhaps not the most understated glasses but they're pretty great!

Coney Island

West Coast Wanderin' III

View from Twin Peaks

Here's the third installment of picture posts about my time in America last year. This time it's San Francisco. I've visited the city a couple of times but only ever grabbed a few days here and there, either side of flights. I'd really like to stay longer and explore a bit more but I'm very grateful for the days I have spent there, zig-zagging up and down hills, gazing out over the bay, meandering through Chinatown, looking up at murals in the Mission.

Each visit, I've ended up pounding the pavements, taking pictures and trying to absorb as much as I can. San Francisco is such an atmospheric place with its pastel-painted houses and Mediterranean light and endlessly tall palm trees.

I really enjoy browsing the secondhand bookstores in San Francisco. My favourite was Dog Eared Books. I didn't explore many vintage shops during my days in the city, aside from a few stores in Haight-Ashbury. Unfortunately, they were on the pricey side and the area itself was a bit of a disappointment to me - it felt more like a tourist destination rather than a neighbourhood with  character and history. 

 

There were so many views and sights to enjoy but I think my favourite San Francisco memories are of the murals in Coit Tower (which has quite a fascinating history), antique amusements at the Musee Mecanique and our long walk through Golden Gate Park to the Cliff House.

 

I especially liked this little hash house and its 'Stinko' sign! It reminded me of Mildred Pierce.

The Camera Obscura and its view of the Pacific was magical... And even better remembered with snow outside the window!