My Beautiful Baby Blanket...

 Baby Blanket - Hand Crochet by Em

Floral Cushion - Vintage

Flat Cushion - India Jane

Chair - Secondhand

So... whilst I have been absent from blogging, what have I been up to...
One of my projects... and a big project at that... was making this beautiful crochet baby blanket for my new little son...

I used the basic pattern from the
'Cute & Easy Crochet' book by Nicki Trench...
and adjusted it to suit...
It took me a while but I finally got there!..

Secondhand Style...

Decorative Teapot - Secondhand Shop

You can pick up some wonderful pieces for your home, in secondhand shops, car boot sales and vintage fairs...

I love this decorative teapot with its quirky patterned lid...

so simple yet so stylish...

Re-use, Re-cycle & Re-invent...

Restored draws - daffodils & snowdrops

Re-invent an old set of draws with a fresh lick of paint and vintage style accessories...

My husband found this unwanted set of draws on the side of the road and brought them home so that we could give them a new lease of life..

First we painted the draws antique white... 

then sanded down the edges to give a shabby chic style...

We decided to keep the top natural by sanding it down and rubbing it over with some Danish Oil...

Red Decorative Knobs - Anthropologie

Pink Spotted Knobs - John Lewis

To finish we added some stylish knobs... 

I miss-matched mine to give a quirky vintage look...

So... be thrifty and have a go at recycling your old and unwanted household items... 

by turning them into new and desirable pieces for your home...

Decorative Door Stops...

 Vintage hot water bottles - 

Various secondhand shops

Alongside bringing a vintage edge to your home decoration, stone hot water bottles make stylish and effective doorstops...

I picked these up from my local secondhand shops... keep your eyes open for them at car boot sales too!..

Love to Visit... The Peanut Vendor...

The Peanut Vendor - Newington Green, London

The Peanut Vendor is an eclectic vintage furniture shop based in Newington Green in London...

The little shop sells all sorts of classic, old fashioned vintage pieces for the home...

The Peanut Vendor's stock is ever changing, with new and unique items to be found... so you can always be sure to find a much loved piece for your home...

I love this handsome chest of draws with its old fashioned draw pulls...

A hidden gem... with out doubt worth tracking down if you are in Islington...

Check out their website at:

http://thepeanutvendor.co.uk/

You can also find them on Twitter & Facebook...

The Peanut Vendor - Mon to Wed 10am to 7pm

Fri & Sat 10am to 6pm

Sunday 12noon until 6pm

Closed on Monday

The Peanut Vendor

133 Newington Green Road,

Islington

Picture Perfect...

Image - Merci cafe, Paris. taken by my friend Tom

I love this cosy cafe... walls lined with secondhand books to browse whilst sipping on a coffee... 

The perfect way to spend your afternoon!..

If you have an image that you would like to feature on 'Picture Perfect' please contact me at daffodilsandsnowdrops@gmail.com ... 

Attaching your image and a little bit of info...

 

If you enjoy daffodils and snowdrops blog please show your support by subscribing via google friend connect, twitter or facebook accounts... 

Braderie de Lille... Part2

The Braderie flea market - Lille, France

Mini glass bottles

At the end of my last post 

'Braderie de Lille... Part1' 

I promised that the next post would reveal my fantastic finds from the fabulous market...

My first finds were these pretty enamel polka-dot pots and teapot...

I then came across these wonderful secondhand wicker baskets...

Some floral cushion covers made from vintage fabrics...

Lastly... over the weekend I collected an assortment of cute and colourful buttons...

I really love my finds and cant wait to find special places for them in my home...

Overall the weekend was a great success and I came away with some lovely bits and bobs... If you are interested in visiting the Braderie de Lille 2012 take a look at this link for more information...

Braderie de Lille... Part1

The Braderie flea market - Lille, France

 Last weekend I visited the 'Braderie de Lille' in France... Europe’s largest flea market... Which takes place annually on the first weekend in September...

Vintage bottles and crates

The streets are covered in market stalls offering vintage, antiques, bric-a-brac, second hand and even handmade...
A great place to bargain for much loved pieces...

 Vintage painted chairs

Antique suitcases and briefcases

Alongside the hundreds of market stalls there is live music... and plenty of delicious eateries, offering a wide selection of food, including the traditional Moules Frites...

Handmade fragranced soaps

Secondhand stamps

It was a great weekend away... 

I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves all things antique, vintage and secondhand...  

Of course I picked up a few bargains myself!.. 

Look out for my next blog post 'Braderie de Lille... Part 2' to check out my fantastic finds... 

If you are interested in visiting the Braderie de Lille 2012 take a look at this link for more information...

Love to Visit... Evensen Antik...

Evensen Antik - Stockholm, Sweden

Evensen Antik is an enchanting antique and secondhand homewear shop in Stockholm...

Decorative vintage watering cans

The shop includes everything from shabby chic kitchenalia, reclaimed garden furniture, antique lighting... to decorative vintage boxes and bottles...

A treasure trove of old and antique... I love the crates of old bottles... They would make an interesting feature in any country style home...

If you are visiting Stockholm Evensen Antik is a must visit... However if you are not able to visit the shop itself, take a look at their website... Evensen Antik

Or alternatively if there is anything you are interested in, get in touch with Karin (English speaking), using the contact details below and she will be more than happy to help you...

 

Evensen Antik - Monday to Thursday: 12noon to 6pm

Saturday: 12noon - 3pm

Upplandsgatan 48

11328 Stockholm

Tel: 00-46-8346166

Buckets & Boxes...

Wooden box - Secondhand

Metal bucket - Vintage

Ceramic pots - Various garden centres

Metal last - Car boot sale

Glass tea lights - daffodils & snowdrops

Create a charming country cottage style garden display, using a collection of old and interesting items, such as wooden wine boxes or vintage buckets and pails as stylish containers... Remember to add holes to the bottom of any garden buckets to allow drainage...

Choose colourful pretty plants and flowers to bring brightness to your garden...

Lastly add rustic glass tea lights to give a magical touch to your display...

Love to Visit...

Vintage tea set

Eldica, Dalston in London

Glass powder bowl

Vintage cake stand

Eldica is a quirky second hand vinyl and retro shop in Dalston, London... It is a great place to find decorative things for the home... There are always new and unique pieces, you never know what you are going to find...

Eldica - Tuesday to Friday: 11.30am to 7pm
Saturday: 11am - 6pm
Sunday: 12pm - 6pm

From Junk to Gems...

Wooden coffee table - found on the street

Restored table - daffodils & snowdrops

Take an old tatty table 

found at the side of the road... 

and smarten it up with a fresh lick of paint...

Re-cycling... a great way of salvaging unwanted furniture and household items and re-creating something beautiful to add to your home...

My husband found this tired looking table at the side of the street... and gave it a new lease of life with a coat of white paint... we distressed the corners and crevices of the table with sandpaper to give a shabby chic country style look...

This made a unique and stylish present for my mother on her birthday, which now takes pride of place in her living room...

Happy Birthday Mam...

Secondhand secrets...

Salt & pepper shakers - Charity Shop

Coloured latte bowls - Anthropologie

Shopping for second hand bits and pieces for the home, is something my husband and i love to do...

It is nice to come away with one unique piece from car boots or junk shops that you will love and treasure, however big or small it may be...

I love these salt and pepper shakers that i picked up from one of my local charity shops, their unusual style and bright colour adds a touch of vibrance to my kitchen...