Upcoming photoshoot, and a feline menace.

This week my friend Berni and I went to Rose & Lee Vintage Living antiques showroom to scout a location for an upcoming Kalandra Jane Designs photoshoot, which will feature the fabulous burlesque performer and model Millie Dollar (also here) and the hairstyling and makeup skills of Bethany Jane Davies.

On the day, I hadn't washed my hair and we were only there to do some lighting tests, so Berni took a few shots of me and managed to make me look good despite me feeling less than glamourous!


Puss the cat was an absolute menace - as soon as I sat down she wanted cuddles and flopped all over me, but when I had to get up she was a fizzing, yowling ball of rage. Can't blame her though for being a bit temperamental, she was taken in by the owners of the antiques warehouse after being abandoned when a neighbour moved away.




This amazing golden Rococo boudoir set will feature heavily in the photoshoot, stay tuned for more glorious pictures from Berni Harris Photography!

Vintage finds, March - April!

Here are my vintage finds for the last few weeks!

I though I'd already posted this, but it seems not...


Atomic print ice bucket, £14.99 from Roewood Collectables on eBay, they have some really nice things and have their own website too. I first saw this bucket on Fiona of Notorious Kitsch's blog, Straight Talking Mama, but nobody else bid on it so it is mine! Thanks for the recommendation, Fiona!


Another necklace for my uranium glass collection, £3.99, Oxfam. This must be very old as it is a pale green and fluoresces in sunlight, meaning the uranium content is high, indicating an early piece. It could do with restringing, as someone has threaded it on white household string at some point!


Cute vintage saucer, 75p, second hand shop.


Isn't the print sweet? I'd love to know more about it, unfortunately it is unmarked.


Dressing table tray, 99p, charity shop.


1950s cocktail print shot glasses, £6, Affleck's Palace.


I'd intended them to be a gift but couldn't part with them in the end!


Pink tureen, £4.50, charity shop.

Today, I took Scamp to the vet to get some antibiotics for a dental cyst. Here he is zonked out on painkillers, the cyst is visible as a lump under his eye, aww...


...and on the way home, I spied this beauty stuffed between some bits of wood and an old sofa waiting to be thrown out.


This Victorian antique mirror! According to our old friend Wikipedia, the rococo revival period was 1820-1870, so I can date my mirror to the mid 19th century. (Incidentally, what's the name of the period before Victorian? I always thought it was Georgian, but the monarch preceding Victoria was William IV. Confusing!)

It could do with that horrible white gloss paint being stripped off and restoring to gold (some of the original gilt is visible on the back), and at some point someone has pulled off the backboard so the silvering of the mirror glass has some visible scratches, but I don't think they're too detrimental to it. It's 26" high and original/restored pieces like it go for hundreds of pounds, so I think getting it for nothing from a rubbish heap is pretty lucky :)