Many will be familiar with the dilemma of a girl and a bloke trying to share a wardrobe. This can range from proportion used, method of (not) hanging, or organisation. So when we moved into our current rental, i was rather pleased to commandeer a little cupboard under the eaves off our bedroom, already fitted with a clothes rail, and conveniently too low for anyone else to comfortably use. My organisational tendencies can all be projected with force upon this little space, whilst at the same time hopefully looking decadent, cosy and inviting.

I have jewellery, scarves, clothes, bags, belts and shoes dangling from every corner, so that putting together a hasty ensemble in the morning in the 5 minutes allocated to the task can actually be achieved, as everything is very visible.

I am a big fan of baskets and old suitcases, so these feature rather frequently. Necklaces are perched on coat hooks, and belts hung  on one of those wooden triangular expandable mug racks. And the finishing touch – fairy lights, which make any place look magical!

I feel it’s time to put in context all the pretty photos and projects we have been showcasing with some images from the salvaging underworld. Unearthing the ultimate vintage find depends on one’s eye for potential and possibility, in particular when you are faced with this as your starting point…

However once you forge ahead with vision, bravery and a pair of gloves, your beloved wreck is birthed from its hiding place. The journey from there involves a 5 minute meditative reflection on ‘What could this become?’, considering both its innate purpose, but also its potential for a new life of other-ness.

Allow me to offer a few little tips here for tackling such a mammoth mess. Firstly, go with a faithful friend (but be sad when she finds pastures new). Two pairs of eyes roving the landscape helps to ward off inspirational lapses. Secondly, take your time and savour the moment of creativity. Do examine things carefully for un-workable flaws. Conversely, faulty goods are rich pickings for recreating and reconditioning, so it helps to have a broad view of what can be achieved with each item. If you find yourself in a true junk yard, you will have to get your hands dirty and dig around for your treasures, so leave the Jimmy Choos at home.

Check out the latest spoils from my regular junk yard expedition. Originally a wheely shopping basket for an old granny, complete with old granny’s walking stick, this has become a wonderfully useful garden caddy for collecting up leaves and other waste headed for the compost bin. The plate and candle-holder will be added to existing collections, and the lidless breadbin is destined to be a plant pot. Job-lot for £4. Happy days!

Whilst the skates were tempting indeed, one does need to observe some limits!

The Salvage Sisters are delighted to introduce the first in our series of guest bloggers. This one comes from our talented and fabulous cousin Brona – salvager, scientist and musician extraordinaire. Check out her website here. And more photos, here.

When I was five I wanted to be an actress. That’s me posing on the red
velvet chaise longue, draped in mum’s fox furs.

Now, 30 years on I’ve not quite realised the ambition, but I am the proud
owner of a Victorian chaise longue and I’m considerably better practised
in the art of posing.

My desire to purchase my own chaise must have sprung from this childhood
memory. So I’m rather tickled to consider that my recliner, at some point
in its history, sat patiently in wait for a corseted Victorian lady lest
she faint from shortness of breath when ascending the stairs. Customarily
fainting couches were installed at the top of every flight in suitably
well-appointed houses.

Salvaging an antique is not only a chance to delve into the history of
furniture, but a way of recycling and preserving. This is my debut.
Inspired by that childhood moment, I scoured ebay for viable options. I
was poised to purchase a repro for about £200, when my dear friend and
advisor, Flo Keef (antique furniture restoration expert) remarked “Oh, you
don’t want to buy one of those!”

Without further ado I heeded her advice and purchased an old Victorian
chaise for £70. ‘Needs some repair work’ said the posting. This was some
understatement as I was to discover on pick-up. The entire
three-dimensional structure of the seat had collapsed. And with it my
immediate chances of comfortably draping myself across it.

I resolved to go through with the purchase and pursue reupholstery
options.  A colleague of Flo’s offered to help out for a very reasonable
price. To reconstruct the seat and recover, she charged £300. I paid £60
to have the woodwork (American maple) stripped and waxed; £50 for the
fabric (from Fabric’s Galore) and £20 for a matching braid (from VV
Rouleux).

Here are some in progress perspectives:

Although I ended up paying a little bit more than I’d initially bargained
on, I’m utterly thrilled with my new chaise and will treasure it for many
years to come.

[sal-vij] Glean, Recover, Redeem, Regain, Restore, Retrieve.. ah, the synonyms for Salvage make me reckon we could all do with some ‘Salvaging’ at times!

My little bird as she’s known is now a long lived one year old.. and has definitely brought some great ‘Gleaning’ challenges! With the unbelievable turnover of things a baby ‘needs’, the waste factor is maximum. So to make some dent in the one million tonnes of unwanted clothes  us Brits alone will throw out this year, I have found a few other ways to dress her up with an environmental and money saving incentive, aah.

My favourite resource is a great initiative in Belfast called ‘Weecycle’, a ‘recycling boutique’ where I have made some great ‘designer’ finds for the little model, and also unloaded myself of somesuch things in exchange for the next must-have.

Bootees

Coat MiniATure

Embroidered shirt Monsoon

Car-boot sales can be an great source of supplies if you are lucky enough to find a like minded seller. I adore this little collection of hot pants previously loved by a little diva, including gold ‘Kylie’ ones, along with a cute wooden toddling truck I found at St Donard’s church car boot sale at the top of Bloomfield Avenue.

Hot pants Gap, Next

If you are lucky enough to have devoted, skilled adorees for your little one, home knits are the cutest thing out, or even better hone those skills yourself.. havent managed that yet  myself! Found these little handmade bandana bibs at St. Georges market, and have been inspired to make some, but so far have just cheated with a paisley handkerchief! Love the litle bandit look.

Handmade Cardy, Paisley Handkerchief

Handknit cardy, bandana bib buzzabee

Family treasure is a great way to bring a little sentimental nostalgia. I was delighted to find this little Liberty print dress which I wore as a child, and had survived on a teddy hiding in my room all these years.

Liberty print dress

Charity shops are a little more work with regular devotion required to rifle through their rails to find the real treats. This isn’t always compatible with an impatient little tike in a bulky pram, but I’m very lucky to have a devoted Salvage Auntie who has found some amazing little numbers.

Dungarees Osh Kosh B'gosh

Vintage Dress

Top John Lewis Baby, Skinny jeans Next.

A fantastic monthly belfast event The Fashion Souk is a great way to shop, it promotes ethical consumerism and informed shopping, and even provides a childrens programme to give you

Top and Skirt Jasper Conran Debenhams

some hands free browsing time.. fab! It has fashion for everyone and I got this little matching outfit there lately. And if it’s time to do some clearing out, you can run your own stall there at the ‘Humble Jumble’!

For more inspiration, sourcing, and ideas for own wardrobe check out Belfast Council’s tips and The Green Guide

Allow me to convince you that high street shopping is an unnecessary endurance we can all avoid. There are many great charity shops in Edinburgh, and i am a regular attendee in search of a handy bargain. Before i showcase my very latest wares, may i offer a few pointers to make your charity shopping experience truly rich and bountiful. First, it is not a matter of drawing up a list of requirements and going out to find them – that’s what Princes St is for. You have to take what’s on offer, and therefore i find having an idea over the longer term of what your wardrobe requires is helpful. As a rule, i never buy anything from Primark or a supermarket – if you are buying 2nd hand it needs to be good quality, plus you could get it close to the same price new in Primark anyway. Look out for the truly one-off items, and don’t be put off if canny shops are charging, say, £30 for a coat. Gems and I recently saw a white cashmere tailored coat for that price, and didn’t buy it as it seemed a lot at the time. When we went back, it was gone. Which leads onto my next point, which is that the turnover in these shops is really high, together with frequent stock rotation within shop branches, so i would say its best to go with first instincts. I am considering setting myself a goal of only buying 2nd hand clothes for a period, say, 6 months, and see if a) i can do it b) observe the bank balance and c) whether i feel less or more consumerist as a result. Anyone wish to join me…??

1. Black Velvet skirt with detail £2, 2. Warehouse summer jacket £8, 3. White cotton top £3 with silk scarf £1, 4. Topshop floaty flowery top £4.50, 5. Paul Smith extra-cool polka dot boots £7, 6. Lacy leather kitten heels £6, 6. Pink cotton top £2 with silk scarf £1, Floral cowboy shirt £3.50

We are excited, delighted and flattered to be joining in ‘The Saturday Morning Show’ tomorrow at 10 am on 103.2fm or www.feilefm.com. Belfasts only green fashion and lifestyle show.. look forward to telling you about the lights, the lights..

A few shots of the guest room, which doubles as a study and quiet zone in a busy household. The soft furnishings on the bed are all salvaged from charity shops or handmade. The pink throw at the end is actually a curtain and is quietly awaiting transformation into a quilt. The lamps were picked up at the Meadows Festival, and the chairs are from the salvage yard (more about that venue to follow.) They were full of woodworm and a bit unsturdy to say the least, so they ended up as bedside tables.

I store all my sewing supplies as a display – why hide them in a drawer? It may not be a system that appeals to the regular seamstress, but it works for me, and then i can conjure up new projects in an idle moment by taking stock of what i have available.

The armchairs were purchased from the salvage yard a few years ago, along with a sofa (all for a mere £100.) I had high hopes of slip-covering all of them, but after spending about 2 years slowly doing the first one, i have decided to enjoy the original olive green corduroy of the other pieces. One would think that this little corner is so tempting that any spare moment would be spent relaxing here. The reality is, with all the salvaging there is to be done, i rarely have the time to sit here and soak up the vibe!

I’ve been making the most of the fruit and flower season by preserving everything i can get my hands on. In January when i spoon out my July raspberry jam, picked after work in the evening sun at Lowes Fruit Farm, i’ll certainly be feeling quite smug.

The elderflower wine is the second lot, as i forgot to put the sugar into attempt one. (Note to self – must stop multi-tasking.) It is currently bubbling away in a very pleasing manner in the corner of the kitchen.

The jam is a mixture of raspberries and tummelberries, which are a blackberry/raspberry hybrid. What a romantic name to have if you were a fruit! I also have blackcurrant jam simmering happily in the picture. In case you were thinking at this point how daunting and complex jam-making is, and how you would never get around to it yourself, allow me to disabuse you of this notion. First, get the fruit. Put in a saucepan for a minute, throw in an equal volume of sugar, bubble away for a moment, and bob’s yer uncle. Ok, so the pouring of super-hot liquid into a pre-sterilised scorching hot jam jar isn’t going to be ideal with wee ‘uns running around the kitchen, but my point is, its easier than you think.

I’m a bit of a chutney maniac, in that no sooner is one lot neatly stacked away in a dark cupboard than another enticing recipe makes itself known. The Tomato, Pepper and Lemongrass is a new recipe i got from the River Cottage Preserving Handbook, which is a worthy investment i might add. I have never actually made the same chutney twice, there are just too many new recipes to try. This one won’t be edible for another month or two, so can’t make a ready recommendation for it just yet. The next one will be Tomato and Ginger. Mmm…