Vintage-tastic

Whenever I visit my parents, I always seem to spend one day browsing the shops in the town. I'm not really sure why I do this because they're much the same every time. Lots of them are climbing/camping/outdoor type shops and there always seems to be another one opened since the last time I visited. There are a couple of gems though.

I love wandering round Friars to see the little gift items they have. Favourites this time were a strawberry bag filled with sweets and a pale green felt bag adorned with ladybirds, that contained wine. 

The Orchid House is a shop I could spend a vast amount of money in. I love the retro homeware they have and was very tempted by some of their teapots. I managed to come out with my money intact, having been treated to some scissors by my Mum.

See those buttons? Well, one shop I always find a bit...um...odd is Maysons. It's a big shop with a few smaller shops in various rooms inside it. Some of it is very modern, some older, some of it I love and some I hate. Bits of it seem to change quite often while others always look the same. I always find myself drawn to it, to see what new stuff they have. This time I was pleasantly surprised to find the room at the back of the shop is now a vintage shop. It was mostly filled with old china tea sets but right at the back, there was a display I was drawn to. It had lots of vintage crocheted items on it...a granny square cushion, a blanket. then I spotted a whole host of little treasures; pretty tins, tablecloths and a tin filled with packs of buttons!!! I just love buttons. At £2 a pack I couldn't resist treating myself.

I also noticed some little sewing items on a table near the front. They were clearly modern but fit in with the vintage items. There was a lovely teapot pin cushion with a tape measure in the bottom and a gorgeous owl keyring. I made sure to suggest to my Mum that she have a look there for my Christmas present...especially as last year she insisted to my Dad that I wouldn't want a jar of buttons :-o . Clearly I should do more with my buttons than keep them looking pretty in a jar!