latest brighton love

When the Husband asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday, I spent days trying to choose something - we don't often justify spending money on time on our own (daft, I know, but there's always something I want to buy for the Boy!), and I wanted to make sure I picked something good. I thought about dinner and the cinema, but decided that being 35 weeks pregnant probably meant that I'd be asleep before the main course was brought to the table. We thought about going for a day trip somewhere new, but then contemplated sitting in traffic, getting lost, not knowing where to eat and possibly forgetting where we'd parked the car - and decided against it. In the end, it was a pretty obvious choice - a day out in Brighton with lunch in our favourite restaurant and food store. Thrifting, exploring and food - what could be better?

I wore this:

Dress: Topshop Maternity via eBay // Tank: Thrifted // Coat: Thrifted // Bag: Thrifted // Boots: H&M

Thirty-five weeks, and getting dressed is getting more difficult by the day - the sun was shining but there was a definite chill in the air, so layers were in and floaty was once again, very firmly, out. Sigh. It was even colder in Brighton, and wandering around made me incredibly glad I'd worn the fake-fur sixties-style wonder-coat. It also made me think perhaps two pairs of leggings might have been a wise choice....

The journey was filled with mix-tape style CDs, full of things we haven't listened to for absolutely ages, and a little bit of crochet action on my side of the car (the Husband was giving the road his full attention as he's the only one out of the two of us that can actually drive, ahem):

Littlest Owl tried to get in on the photo action

We went to all our favourite shops, and discovered an incredible new homewares and interiors store called Edited, which had the BEST selection of goodies I've seen in a long time - and all at affordable, reasonable prices. I came away with a mug (which will appear in a post in the not-too distant future), but could have literally bought out the whole shop.

Not only was the stock selection nothing short of amazing, the staff were friendly, helpful and approachable, and were only too happy to let me take photographs - I probably sound like I'm being paid to say this, but I really can't rate the whole thing enough!

Beyond Retro turned up nothing, which left me feeling hugely disappointed - I'd planned to grab a couple of breastfeeding-friendly tea dresses for my post-baby weeks, but there really wasn't anything I even remotely fancied. The displays were fabulous as usual though, so I snapped a couple of pictures for the old inspiration folder on the computer.

Finally, we stopped off at Bills for lunch, where I devoured the halloumi and hummous burger with skin-on fries, and a pink lemonade. Somehow, and I honestly don't know how, two bars of fudge managed to work their way into my shopping bag.... 

It was a lovely day, but the cold and my great big belly meant that at about 3pm I was getting tired, and so we headed for home, where I sat on the sofa with a nice big mug of tea and the TV on - the perfect end to any day out.

etsy love

(Click for links)

This weeks Friday Etsy Love is all about the print and pattern - I've been looking at (read: drooling over) lovely dresses, beautiful skirts and pretty blouses for the last couple of weeks in preparation for getting back into normal-size clothes (rather than things made to accommodate a humungous football belly). The arrival of the sunshine, and dare I say Spring, yesterday, turned my thoughts to warm days, dressed in seventies sundresses and retro sandals, spent in the park with the kiddos and the Husband.. Let the countdown to the warmer weather begin....

shopping favourite: Blue Bird Lucy's

The first thing I thought when I found out we were having a little girl this time around was, "ooooh vintage DRESSES!" As fabulous as it is to have a boy, any mama will tell you that the clothing choice is really nothing compared to the options available for the girlies - we buy a lot of the Boy's clothes from H&M (who have the most amazing range of coloured chinos for the Spring - we went with blue, green and red), because the quality is pretty good, and the price point is incredibly reasonable. But, truth be told, there's just something about a pretty 1960's floral romper that tugs at the vintage-lovers heartstrings, which is why the first thing I did was hop on the laptop and start perusing the retro delights of Etsy.

The first thing I noticed was how wonderfully cheap vintage baby clothes are - around the £5 for a top, and slightly more for rompers and dungarees. I rubbed my hands with glee, and then scrolled down the page to check the postage rates - which is when my heart sank.The majority of Etsy sellers are based in the US, which means that us Brits have to battle through the minefield of international postage before we can get our hands on the goodies - which, as I found, usually doubles, or even trebles the price of what you're buying. Suddenly, a bargain isn't as much of a bargain anymore, and your vintage dreams are going up in smoke.

I spent a while browsing, and eventually stumbled across a wonderful shop which was well-stocked with immaculate childrens clothes, all reasonably priced, and (imagine me doing an air-punch here) with far lower postage rates to the UK. If you're a regular reader, you'll have seen the 'One Day' post, where I featured pictures of the romper and blouse that I bought for our little lady-in-waiting - they arrived promptly, beautifully wrapped and freshly laundered. I was so impressed with the service and quality, that I decided it might be nice to do a little feature on the shop and it's owner, Kim - welcome to Blue Bird Lucy's, vintage lovers!

1. Where do you live? Tell us a bit about your day to day life.

I call Louisville, Kentucky, home. Most people think it sounds pretty boring if they don't come from here, but it's actually a very large and artsy city. We're home to the Kentucky derby, which I believe is what we're best known for! I spend my days as a work-at-home Mommy, taking care of my soon to be 3-year-old daughter and running my vintage clothing shop, Blue Bird Lucy's.

2. How did you start buying and selling vintage childrens clothes? What originally sparked your interest?

My interest in vintage clothing was sparked after the birth of my daughter. I found myself buying and finding more clothing then we could ever really use, so I thought it would be fun to begin sharing our little collection!

3. Where do you find your stock?

Oh my! I find things here, there and everywhere...literally. I've been into buying vintage for a while now, so I've found some really great vintage-loving friends who always like to help out. My favorite finds are usually the ones I find on trips - I always like a good excuse to travel!

4. Which is your favourite era for childrens clothing?

The 1960's are by far my favorite era - I've yet to find a child's outfit from the 60's that I haven't liked! I mean, who can resist a sweet little a-line dress with bloomers and knee high socks? This may be why my store sometimes lacks in the 60's clothing department, as they are sometimes just to hard to part with!

5. Is there anything you've bought that you just couldn't bare to part with?

Oh where to start.... My daughters poor bulging closet will tell you that there have been many, many outfits that I just couldn't part with. Last time I counted she had about 35 vintage dresses wedged into her little closet!

6. Do you have any tips for keeping vintage clothing at its best?

Oxiclean! I really didn't believe that this stuff would actually work on stains, especially on 50-year-old stains, but I've got to tell you that it's a miracle worker. I recently soaked fifteen stained vintage dresses overnight in Oxiclean and all but one came out completely spotless! Hopefully this stuff isn't just available in the states? (Note: Oxiclean is available from Lakeland, priced at £3.49.)

7. Do your own children wear much vintage clothing?

All the time - my daughter calls them her princess dresses!

8. What do you do for fun as a family?

We love trips to the zoo, museums, and anything that gets us out and about. We have a 1971 VW Camper Bus that we take camping and fishing when it's warm enough.

9. Do you wear much vintage yourself?

I wish I did wear more vintage, but sadly I really only have a few pieces. I'm not really much of a dress person and that seems to be what I typically find. I tend to wear more vintage inspired modern clothes I suppose - the new high waisted jeans are my new favorite!

10. Do you also like retro and vintage homewares, or is your passion limited to clothing?

My vintage obsession actually started with collecting vintage goods for my home - Melmac dishes and pretty floral glasses are my current favorite! I live in a home that was hand built by its original owners in the 1940's. I fell in love with all the old and handmade quirks... things just aren't made like they use to be.

Find beautiful vintage children's clothing in the Blue Bird Lucy's shop, and don't forget to visit the blog for all the latest news and lovely vintage imagery.

All images copyright Blue Bird Lucy's - please obtain permission from the owner before using or reproducing.