Idea-mania

Posted on by
2

I’m not sure if its a good thing or not that i have recently been introduced to Pinterest, given the amount of time i have been spending on it. ‘A virtual pinboard’, it says. Time warp, i say. Its packed with ideas in all sorts of categories, and i find myself going down various internet rabbit holes via the DIY, home decor and photography sections. Because its just pictures, its easy to spend ages just browsing through and gathering ideas as you go. Here are a few of my highlights (with a significant storage theme).

1. Old window made into chalkboard2. Electrical cable reel becomes book shelf and handy wheely table

3. Chicken wire on frames for notice board

4. Cute tins turned into fridge magnets for storage

5. Suitcases as drawers – love!!

6. Old bed frames re-purposed for Christmas decoration

7. Flexible picture display

8. We did this in our back garden following the eucalyptus tree coming down. not sure it look sthis good though…

9. Funky little alphabet magnets.

Magpie Moments 3: Tea Tins

Posted on by
3

Back to my little series on collections…and remaining in the tea theme, allow me to showcase my tea tins. Here they are stacked haphazardly in the cupboard. Shame to hide them away but one can only have so many things on display. As you can see one has to practical sometimes, and thus i have labelled them on the outside, though not aesthetically pleasing, pretty necessary in a busy tea-fuelled household.

Lets have some close ups. The easiest ones to find are the chinese style black and red tins, some older than others. Others have all manner of scenes and styles, check out the gold and turquoise number in the background! Very kitsch.

I recently came across these Jacksons of Piccadilly vintage tins. Definitely too pretty to actually use. I am currently bidding on a nice red version on ebay – wonder how many others there are out there to find?!

Desk Love

Posted on by
2

I have been considering a new desk for a while, or rather another one given that until now malcolm and i have always shared one. Our first desk we found abandoned on Dalkeith road, a traditional oak school desk which was one of my first restoration projects, sanded completely by hand.

I fancied a wee corner in our bedroom for computer moments or journalling. My friends at Retropolis came good once again with this lovely painted victorian pine leaf table. One leaf is missing which is in a way ideal as we don’t have a lot of floor space, so the single leaf option means it can function as an occasional desk which is tucked away when not needed. In true lucy fashion, of course i couldn’t come away without some additional purchasing. More on that later…

I started with a test spot to see what condition the wood was in underneath. (i’m sure test areas are supposed to be concealed but in my creative haste i only think of these kind of things afterwards). My plan was to do the top only, as i find stripping turned legs too difficult, plus i was quite taken by the retro red/pink paint.

I then did 3 rounds of Nitromors on the top, taking off the red paint and 2 layers of sticky varnish.Time for the fun bit! Sanding down to the bare wood. This doesn’t take too long – maybe an hour. But essential to have an electric sander – i’ve tried the traditional method (by hand) but it takes days.The next stage involves one of my favourite household friends – a bit of good old bleach. The table looked like it hadn’t seen a cloth since the original paintwork was done, and needed some decent elbow grease to get the grime off. Most things in the house undergo an initiation rite of being bleached to within an inch of their life, so the latest recruit was no exception. The wood looks pretty ravished by this stage and definitely is in need of some love – enter beeswax and linseed balsam. The wood retains an unfinished look but takes on a healthy glow with this stuff, plus you get to enjoy the aromas whilst typing up your subsequent blog post.And here is the finished product in situ, happily relishing its new home by the window. (Sneak peek at my wonderful crochet blanket collection in the right hand corner – clearly a desk is no place to store blankets but they complement each other too well for me to care about the practicalities.)And you can see also in the picture a beautiful Ercol-style vintage chair, purchased as a set of 4 from the same place as the table. Makes the perfect friend for my pretty desk….

Magpie moments 2: Tea cosies

Posted on by
1

I am a big fan of all things tea, and many of my veritable collections relate to tea. So my next magpie moment post is about the ever-expanding collection of tea cosies. With vintage revival in full swing, these linen embroidered types are re-emerging all over the place.

The one on the right was the inspiration that begun the collection, a tea cosy belonging to the original salvager, our lovely mama. These ones are actually a bit too small to be of any actual use…Moving on to some more modern examples, the pink was a recent christmas present, and i made the coffee cosy for my husband last year (now obsolete as he has now transitioned to a Nespresso man from a cafetiere kinda guy).

The floral & tweed one was a gift from a fellow sewing guru. I loved the embroidery scene on the other one – the most recent addition to the collection via the usual route (charity shop).
Some other embroidered examples from the large cosy end of the spectrum.

This little beauty came from an antique shop in New Zealand; we were in need of some warmer conditions for out little teapot in the camper van (not to mention our little selves but that’s another matter). I was delighted to come back and find that it fitted snugly onto my favourite but completely impractical enamel tea pot (3rd degree finger burns after each contact).

And here they all are, nice and cosy together and basking in display glory…

Antiquing in the rain – Drummond Reid Antiques

Posted on by
2

This weekend I took a delightful little tour around some spots I’ve recently found or heard about with my friend Cassie of Olive Owl Art. If it’s a rainy Saturday afternoon- antiquing-snoop around in NI you’re after, this is your guide!

First up, a real treat, recently popped up in Belfast City centre – Drummond Reid, just off of the Ormeau Road on Sunnyside St. They have moved in from Saintfield in the last number of months, and I’m glad they did! You’ll find a really broad range of items from classic to shabby chic to funky retro if  one may describe ‘antiques’ as such! They have caught the vision for the current rage on mid century furnishings and have some fab examples..

in and old Church hall.. on Sunnyside St

'G plan' nest of tables

Mid Century Sideboard.. a beaut!

In love with these SOLD chairs 🙁

Re-upholstering.. fabulous!

Pair Tulip tables - so 50's!

This is for you sis.. Cornish Blue Collector

The owner hard at work, and delighted to tell you anything you need to know!

The owner was full of facts about his stock, and happy to share them. Nice to meet you!

Moooom, not more!

Next we popped in to ‘Smithfield Market’ out the back of Castlecourt. I wouldn’t plan a trip downtown just for this, but if you are in the area, nip in and take it in, it’s a bizarre few aisles of shops/units. The antique shop is possibly too much for even Mary Queen of Shops to organise, but is worth a dig. However, everything I wanted the owner seemed to want too, and there isn’t much room to browse, think this one is for collectors who really know what they’re after!

We picked up a flyer that day for a Collectibles and antique fair on the Lisburn road, which it appears is on every second Saturday here. So we mooched on over. It was a few tables in a hall affair, and well worth the look. Its amazing how many collectors/dealers there are out there, and in this kind of setting the prices are still reasonable.

I got this great, and very official ‘Miller’s’ guide for £2 so I can at least own pictures of 50’s items, if I cant fit them in my home!

Millers Guide to 1950s

 

Here’s a good link to a  guide to some other places if you’ve still got the energy!

And I’m excited to find MKVintageUSA who I mentioned in my last post will be at this fair in Newtownards this weekend.. maybe see you there!

Someone who knows*, tells me Ballinderry Antiques is worth a look too, want to come?

*This person shall remain nameless as he’s meant to be on Ivan’s side!

 

 

Get skirty

Posted on by
2

I’ve mentioned one of my blog crushes, Miss James at Bleubird vintage before. She does a thread called Mama style which is worth checking out for those uninspired dressing days! I find if I keep an inspiring pic in my head, it spurs me on to make an effort in the morning! Check her out for lots of vintage life and fashion inspiration and bouts of downright jealousy!

It’s been a while since we show cased some Salvage sister fashion finds, so here’s a collection of skirts for you. Had my Salvage sister over in the summer so didn’t even have to fall out with the husband to get some of these shots!

The skirt, so up-or-down beat, whatever you want it to be depending on what goes above and below it.

First up, Im in love with navy at the moment, and grey, and navy and grey..

Navy Pencil skirt Cancer Research shop Belmont road

High waisted Navy Pencil Thrifted in Dublin

That reminds me, have been meaning to tell you about my shopping trip in Dublin months ago.. will do. Heres another  Dublin find and a shot in our trendy hotel!

Denim pencil thrifted in Dublin

Sisters choice.. mustard and tourquise.. love.

Mustard skirt - Urban outfitters

And finally a reworked number I got from the fabulous Fashion Souk, catch them at Belfast fashion week next week!

Oh and the bracelet is from MK Vintageusa at St Georges market, and the necklace watch from Liberty Blue on Lombard Street.

Pleated skirt

Pleated skirt

Carvela wedges from Deja Vu

There are some great designer second hand shops in Ni, including Deja Vu on the Lisburn road, read more here, and theres also Rich Rags on Bloomfield avenue who fabulously supported our Charity Swap and Fashion show last Dec.

And just to remind you that we did have a summer here’s where the skirt went that day

Stormont Park Walkies

Go fetch!

 

 

Magpie Moments 1: Brooke Bond Teacards

Posted on by
1

It has been noted by many that i am an avid collector of an assortment of things. This is the first in a little series celebrating what i am now calling my ‘magpie moments’.

I picked up a bundle of these little cards a few years ago at a car boot sale, intrigued by the eclectic range of delicately painted animals. I’m not sure if i could call myself a collector, but i have since gathered up a few other ranges, my favourite being ‘Wild Birds in Britain’, printed in 1965 as part of a 50-card set. The british wildlife painter Charles Tunnicliffe did most of the bird sets. I’m currently on the hunt for some of the very pretty Wildflower sets.

Although i didn’t realise it at the time, the cards were distributed in Brooke Bond tea packs, later known as the familiar PG Tips. Similar to cigarette cards, although with a much shorter history, they became very collectable particularly in the 50’s and 60’s, with the last cards being issued as late as 1999.

1. Robin 2. Nuthatch 3. Redshank

I recently decided they were too good to hide away in a box, and thus started my latest greeting card range, the most labour-free design i have come up with yet. Apply a few sticky foam pads to the beautiful birdies, mount with some dark background card and hey presto! Here are a few of my ornithologic highlights…

Catherineholm

Posted on by
5

I happened upon this beautiful coffee pot last year in a charity shop in the Borders, at the handsome sum of £1. Obviously it has mid-century written all over it. I recently discovered it is actually part of the highly collectable Catherineholm range of enamelware, produced in Norway mainly in the 50’s and 60’s. I love the chance occurrence of buying something special second-hand, which doesn’t happen very often these days with charity shops getting canny about their vintage goods. It looks like i’ll be a while building up any kind of collection as there isn’t much of it in the UK.

So that got me to thinking about the need to be well informed beforehand so that the thrill of stumbling across a collectors item in a charity shop becomes more likely. I then saw this book in Oxfam and quickly swiped it up and have been studying it ever since. Its a highly selected and detailed group of 20th century objets d’art, with some notable omissions (Cornish Blue being close to my heart), but it gives an overview and approximate price for each item, within a broad rane of categories. High end bargain hunting here i come!!

Seasonal food: Victoria Plum Crumble

Posted on by
3

I’m proud of our wee country for being able to produce it’s very own fruit! That’s why I feel compelled to do things with it. Right now the contents of my kitchen table are all locally grown NI fruits given to me by lovely organic comrades.

We all know there is only so long you can virtuously pluck a fresh piece from the tree or your harvest stash, enjoying the knowledge of knowing where it grew, and how it wasnt sprayed or flown many miles to your clutches, until they start dropping off the tree or grow vinegary hair in your fruit bowl! So we have to find other things to do with it to preserve the joy. My mother in law has a Victoria Plum tree out back.  She tells me she does absolutely nothing to it, so the unbelievable harvest this year must be to do with the elements. I’ve heard all the berries are hanging heavy, so keep your eyes peeled and get picking this autumn!

I would say these little boys are slightly lacking on the flavour side, so our tree must have struggled to nurture them all to perfect sweetness, but that delicate flavour is still heaven!

Sugar, Cinammon, Star anise.. go!

The main problem with cooking with stone fruit.. is the stones. Those things take about as much time to get out as it took to get them in there! But dont let that put you off, its worth the digging and ‘hoking’ as they say round here. I think people get this vision when you right enthusiastically about food, that you live in a blissful bubble of joy, merrily humming and joyously popping your treats in the oven. Actually I curse, spill flower everywhere, huff and puff and then sit down when its all cooked and think, it was bliss too, cause its worth it!!

Almond crumble topping

I decided to make crumble as its easy. But good old HFW will guide you on making Roast Plum sorbet, Plum Salsa and Plum chutney here. I literally guessed the amounts and sprinkled over sugar and cinammon, and I always use star anise now because Jamie Oliver taught me to. I think everybody has their own little twist on crumble so I wont elaborate on how to make it.

I serve everything with Greek Yoghurt!

 

I’m eating it now. It’s bitter. And the crumble is too floury. I shouldn’t have guessed! But the house smells good, and I still feel virtuous! Call in for some if you’re closeby! x

Virtues of thrift – keep it in the family!

Posted on by
2

I’m dedicating this post to my family, especially my late mother, Frances Dalzell and late Grandmother, Kathleen Mulligan who are responsible in large part for the existence of Salvage Sisters! Family readers cue wry smiles!

I’m convinced they would be delighted to see the efforts of my Salvage Baby Lucia, who turned TWO this week.. she certainly has an eye for the antique! I was delighted when i ‘mistakenly’ won (thats what I had to tell the baffled husband who went to pick it up!) this vintage German Sleigh at Ross’s Auction in Belfast. It’s uses have proven unending even convincing said husband of its merits as a household item!

Tv seat


 

Snack time

 

She loves to pull it out from under the table and have a seat, or use it to climb up on the table to dance! It’s a great little coffee table too.

Auntie Doris' pram

Its hard to imagine any of our modern day toys would live to tell the tale, let alone look so charming as this little pram which Lucia took a shine to as we cleared out Tullyroan lately. It belongs to our Aunty Doris who  certainly knows how to hold on to a thing or two! This little beauty is around 70 years old. Doris has a fabulous eye for interiors and I must do a post sometime on her amazing collection of refurbished antique chairs and sofas!


Birthday trike

 

 

Salvage Aunty Lucy has excelled in her shoppping this year and got Lucia this trike for her birthday! We looooove it. I trust it will last to hand on to the next generation too.. 

And finally some words of wisdom from people who know, to hand down to the family.. I especially agree with the first and last one.

“Thrift is not an affair of the pocket, but an affair of character.”  ~S.W. Straus

“I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living.”  ~John D. Rockefeller

“Cannot people realize how large an income is thrift?”  ~Cicero


“We are not to judge thrift solely by the test of saving or spending.  If one spends what he should prudently save, that certainly is to be deplored.  But if one saves what he should prudently spend, that is not necessarily to be commended.  A wise balance between the two is the desired end.” ~Owen Young