Vintage Elle

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vintage French Elle magazine cover from November 1963 with Brigitte Bardot

We bought this lovely vintage Elle magazine on Thursday. Justin certainly wasn’t expecting to pick up Bridget Bardot at Tod market!

page from vintage French Elle magazine from November 1963 showing an article on Brigitte Bardot

It’s a French issue dating from 1963.

page from vintage French Elle magazine from November 1963 showing an article on ladies coats

In addition to the Bridget Bardot article there’s lots of great fashion photography.

page from vintage French Elle magazine from November 1963 showing a colour ad for Knirps umbrellas

Also some fantastic advertisements such as these for Knirps umbrellas and Helios lingerie.

page from vintage French Elle magazine from November 1963 showing a colour ad for Helios lingerie

In fact lingerie features quite heavily in this copy.

page from vintage French Elle magazine from November 1963 showing an article on thermal lingerie

page from vintage French Elle magazine from November 1963 showing an article on lingerie

Other features include recipes, interviews and a mid century modern house tour.

page from vintage French Elle magazine from November 1963 showing glass and brick house interior

Keep an eye out for these vintage magazines. We particularly like the era from the 1950s to the 1970s. Titles such as Elle, Vogue, Ideal Home etc. Many of the pages are good enough to frame – and for such a range of interest they offer really great value for money.

The Simple Things

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Simple Things launch issue magazine cover with small pewter candle holder

The launch issue of The Simple Things magazine dropped onto our doormat a few days ago.

magazine article entitled "One Simple Idea"

We’ve dipped in & out of it ever since and have thoroughly enjoyed it!

magazine article about Berlin by Sandra Juto

It came with us on a simple, quickly thrown together picnic of bread, cheese & fruit that we enjoyed on Saturday – very much in keeping with the ethos of this new magazine.

page in a magazine showing apples in a wooden box wrapped in paper

As the name suggests, it celebrates the simple things in life – friends, food, nature, hobbies, holidays and the pleasures of house & home.

page in a magazine showing a selection of cheeses

Or as the magazine itself sums it up, “grow, cook, make, share.”

magazine article entitled "Discovering Slow Food"

Ingredients and quality of produce are celebrated – there are articles about the slow food movement, a day picking apples and the joy one gardener gets from his allotment… lots of scrumptious recipes too!

magazine article entitled "Things to Go Out and Find"

There’s lot’s of outdoors-y stuff… things you might see in the park, garden or on a country walk – quite literally the birds and the bees… and the trees!

page in a magazine with an image of a kitchen

Interiors with an unfussy, homely feel are featured – in this edition the light & airy spaces of Dagmar & Randy’s Berlin apartment.

image in a magazine showing bread sticks and slice of bread with chocolate spread on a plate with glass of milk with striped straw

It draws in products that bring a bit of pleasure to daily life  – whether it be a perfectly functioning tool, a toast rack that brings a smile to your face or a beautiful hand crafted cosy that helps you to savour your tea break.

page in a magazine showing various various glass wares and candles

One favourite piece was a lovely article about the old, gently fading advertising signs that give clues to buildings’ former lives – it reinforces the importance of taking time to notice the environment around you.

page in a magazine showing various images of vintage shop signs

With 130 pages in all, there’s plenty more on offer too – interviews, book reviews and craft projects.

magazine article about a vintage radio collector

The production values of the magazine are excellent – quality paper, photography, writing etc.

magazine article entitled "Things to Wake Up and Want"

It retails at £4.99, with a special offer of three issues for £5.00 which is a great deal.

magazine article entitled "Warm and Cosy"

We’re definitely going to sign up to see how it develops – we’re looking forward to our future copies.

Ideal Home Photoshoot

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photography light illuminating vintage Kenneth Townsend "London Series" tiles and other items on a shelf

In our last post we mentioned this week’s photoshoot of our home.

photography equipment in a pile on the floor of our sitting room

Photographer, Simon Whitmore and stylist, Sally Denning arrived on Wednesday morning laden down with loads of equipment – cameras, lenses, lights, light reflectors, computers – all essential kit to produce glossy magazine-quality images.

photography light illuminating a shelf in our sitting room with a view through to our kitchen and laundry area

There were hours of arranging, discussing and reviewing images. Our blog photos take us quite a bit of time, but this is a different world!

Photographer, Simon Whitmore and stylist, Sally Denning in our kitchen discussing photos

The house feature is for Ideal Home Magazine and will be published sometime in the Autumn.

Flea Market Finds

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cover of the May 2012 edition of Homes and Antiques magazine

The new May 2012 edition of Homes & Antiques magazine popped through our letterbox today – an ‘upcycling’ special.

"Flea Market Finds" feature in the May 2012 edition of Homes and Antiques magazine

We loaned a few things to stylist, Kiera Buckley-Jones for her ‘Flea Market Finds’ feature.

H is for Home shop stock including a small vintage dandycord sewing box and small sky blue vintage clock featured in the May 2012 edition of Homes and Antiques magazine

The items look great – some super styling from Kiera, incorporating them into various room settings.

H is for Home shop stock including a vintage Crown Devon pottery sugar shaker featured in the May 2012 edition of Homes and Antiques magazine

Lovely photographs by Carolyn Barber capture the combination of classic period pieces and upcycled projects which give tired or neglected materials a new lease of life.

H is for Home shop stock including a framed vintage orange woolwork picture featured in the May 2012 edition of Homes and Antiques magazine

We’re not being biased, but this magazine is an excellent read – it’s evolved over recent years and now includes lots of vintage loveliness in its various articles and house tours.