Shoegazer visits: Pollock's Toy Museum

Last weekend I went to Pollock's Toy Museum in London. I'd been wanting to visit since I found out about it last year (see this post on the Imaginarium Doctor Parnassus), so was happy to finally get there and experience it for myself. Some of the pictures aren't the best quality, but the light was very awkward in there - the items were in glass cases in dark rooms with the sun streaming through the windows - but I've done my best to share the experience with you and hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Oh yes and be warned, some of the toys and dolls featured here may well give you nightmares! Haha...

I hope you found those photos interesting :) I adore the antique peg dolls and have been looking for one for YEARS. Oh well, one day... Also fell in love with the Pearly King and Queen dolls. I have a soft spot for anything to do with Pearly Kings and Queen -  I just love the old English eccentric charm of them.

Shoegazer Visits: Angel, London

I'm a regular in Angel, London on a Saturday night but last weekend I ventured there in the afternoon to have a look at the antique stalls and unusual little shops. I picked up a bird brooch and a very cute antique His Master's Voice grammar phone needle tin to add to my various collections.

Now let's let the pictures do the talking . . .

If you like hunting out little oddities then it's well worth a visit when you next have a free Saturday, I much prefer these informal market stalls and jam-packed, quirky little shops to snobby, over-priced, off-putting "proper" antique shops. Just sayin'.

After visiting the Antique places, we went in a lovely shop called After Noah. From the front it looks like a children's toy shop, and infact half of the shop IS dedicated to traditional, unusual children's toys - but the other half is full of a mix of old and new finds - from furniture to tin robots and pretty stationary. Lovely! Here are some shots from the shop . . .

Up next: I will show you the little tin I got along with some more of my vintage tin collection.  

Shoegazer Visits: Anthropologie, London

(photo: print&pattern)

I had been looking forward to the opening of Anthropologie’s first UK store (on Regents Street) for a while and was so excited to finally visit it last Friday. The shop is beautiful, absolutely stunning. The displays, the products, the presentation – everything is delicious! The shop even features a living wall up the staircase (watered by rain water collected on the roof apparently).

(photo: print&pattern)

My only gripe with the shop is that everything seems so ridiculously overpriced. True, most of the clothes are exquisite and deserve their price tag, but seriously – who in their right mind would pay almost £25 for a single tea towel?! Or £14 for a simple knitted bird with one eye missing? I wasn’t expecting the prices of their small items of homeware, decorations and gifts to be so steep and was left a little disappointed as I’d wanted to grab a few Christmas presents for people. Humph. Oh well, bring on the winter sale! Still, if money is no object for you and you love to surround yourself with gorgeous things, Anthropologie is a true gem on Regents Street!

(photos: print&pattern)

If money is an object – well, it’s definitely worth visiting for the displays alone. A giant whale, a grizzly bear, a fabric tree... cupboards full of lovely china and mugs, rusty old keys hanging from the walls, big jars full of jewellery for you to rummage through... you can’t see me, but I’m drooling like Homer Simpson over Duff beer.

My photos:

Pic 1: A giant whale hangs above the delicate china displays.
Pic 2: Attention to detail! The dripping wax and the product information on stained old paper held by forks...

BUST Craftacular

The BUST Summer Craftacular

London - 22.8.2009
York Hall - Bethnal Green

Above: We got to Bethnal Green at about 11.50am, hoping to be one of the lucky first 100 who would get a goodie bag. As you can see, we misjudged the popularity of free goodie bags a bit!
Above: The queue stretched on and on (so we went and had lunch and waltzed in when the quese had almost completely gone)
Above: Inside BUST's Summer Craftacular Above: The stall of Love From Hetty and Dave

Above: More stalls . . .

Above: Tatty Devine

Above: Tatty Devine invited visitors to help them make a record breaking charm bracelet

Above: The Pop-Up Tea Shoppe, run by Lady Luck Rules Ok

Above: Delicious cakes!

Above: We pick vanilla cupcakes with coloured icing. Yum!

Above: Our collective haul! (We popped into the Buckingham Palace gift shop too, hence the cute soldier items!)

Above: I finally got a Little Doodles print! So happy with it! I also got a Bag O' Birds by Kate Wilson - the most friendly crafter I met at the event :)

Above: The print I got <3>