WIN! My Handmade Vintage Tea Towel Purse
Posted on: April 15, 2011It's my first ever giveaway at Thrift-ola towers and you can get your puddy-paws on this one of a kind pretty purse made by my own fair hands... Continue reading »
Win this one of a kind clip frame purse handmade using an Irish linen vintage tea towel.
A few days ago I handmade this pretty clip frame purse using a vintage tea towel with art deco styling at a wonderful Make Lounge workshop. It’s quite a large size at 20cm wide and 15cm long so it can handily hold everything from your mobile, keys, cards, lipgloss and cashola. I would also be tempted to use it as a summery make up bag! Continue reading »
Make a Snap Frame Purse from a Vintage Tea Towel
Posted on: April 14, 2011One sunny April evening I popped over to the much loved Make Lounge in Islington to learn how to transform my boring tea towels into great gifts for friends... Continue reading »
My vintage tea towel moments before it's transformation...
Vintage tea towels are easy to thrift, mega cheap and full of ace graphics and lovely colourways. The great part about using them as a fabric to make a new object is that most old tea towels are completely unused as folk in the olden days would buy them as souvenirs and pop them in a drawer as a memory keepsake. But really, how many tea towels do I actually need in my life? So I set out to find more useful things I could make ’em into. After setting aside two amazing Babycham versions which I’m going to frame and put on my kitchen wall I figured I didn’t mind cutting up and crafting with the rest. I spied the Metal Snap Purse Workshop on The Make Lounge website and instantly booked my slot… Continue reading »
Make the Purr-fect Cat Basket
Posted on: April 7, 2011The problem with a craft all-dayer held at some of the best knitting shops around London is there are too many cats to play with and cakes to eat that no making actually gets done. That's my excuse anyway. Continue reading »
Tommy reclining in the world’s cosiest cat basket
Last week I joined the Last Wednesday Knitting Club‘s 1st birthday knit crawl, where we spent the day making stuff in the best knitting shops around London. We started off at Fabrications in Broadway Market where I was quite taken with resident kitty Tommy and his cat basket. Well, when I say cat basket it was a vintage suitcase full of neck scarves which I think were meant for crafty projects but Tommy was definitely claiming squatters rights. As I sat there making my owl (er, I don’t really knit) Tommy writhed about on his back with such delight I thought this was simply the cosiest cat basket I’d ever seen. That weekend, the top of my thrifter’s list read 1. vintage suitcase 2. lots of scarves, but as all seasoned thrifters will know the moment you’re looking for something specific you won’t find it. Anyho, they’re on the list and when I find ’em my two kitties will also have the pleasure of the cosiest cat basket in the world. Thanks Tommy!
A Thrift-ola SOLD OUT Gallery on Flickr
Posted on: April 6, 2011
Wowsers. What a whirlwind the past three weeks have been since launch! I haven’t done much else except wrap, pack and post orders – hence the radio silence in blogland. Oops. I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who’s shopped on Thrift-ola already, it’s been so exciting seeing everyone embrace the shoppe and all my finds going off around the world to their lovin’ new homes. Woo-hoo! I’ve started a gallery of SOLD OUT items over on Flickr so I can keep the shoppe clear of sold stock but folk can still sneak-a-peek at goodies I’ve found in the past. It’s quite a colourful set!
My studio is brimming full of new finds so now it’s down to the nitty-gritty of photographing and uploading ’em to the shoppe – so keep a regular look out on our Just In page. Plus, I’m excited to be off on my next crafting adventure at The Make Lounge next week as I’ve discovered an excellent way to recycle vintage teatowels… will report back soon!
Gather Round, Clap Your Hands and Holler!
Posted on: March 11, 2011
Welcome to Thrift-ola – the all new super fun second hand wonderland full o’ fun homewares, pretty accessories, craft books, kooky kitchenalia & oodles of bric-a-brac. You can delve into the haberdashery and snap up all the stuff you need to host your own tea party or cocktail soiree. The online shoppe brings the spirit of a flea market to the comfort of your cosy armchair and each piece is hand selected by me – Leona Thrift-ola. Follow my thrifting and crafting adventures in the blog where you can discover all the best places to treasure hunt for vintage bargains all over the UK and beyond and pick up a crafty skill or two. Be sure to check in on a regular basis and for up to the minute news join me on Facebook and Twitter. Wanna go shop? Click here!
Hey there! My name is Leona and this is my online shop and blog where you can follow my thrifty adventures and snap up a vintage gem of two.
