« Older posts Newer posts »
← Older posts Newer posts →
The Polaroid Swinger Camera
Posted on: September 28, 2012Yesterday I found a Polaroid 'Swinger' camera with lots of accessories and in it's original carryall case. After a bit of googling I found out why it appealed to the teen market so much back in the 1960s... Continue reading »
The Polaroid Model 20 “Swinger” was a popular Land Camera produced by the Polaroid Corporation between 1965 and 1970. It was the first truly inexpensive instant camera, a fact that helped fuel its enormous popularity and made it one of the top-selling cameras of all time. The Swinger was especially successful in the youth market due to its low price, stylish appearance and super fantastic “Meet the Swinger” jingle sung by Barry Manilow in a television advertisement featuring a young Ali MacGraw. Ain’t it catchy!?
Check out the vintage camera in my online shoppe here and wear with stripey tee and polka dot pants a la super cute miss Ali MacGraw!
A Desk Day of London Vintage
Posted on: September 24, 2012It's poured with rain all day. Non-stop. So I decided pretty early on that to motivate myself to do any kind of work it would have to be desk based with lots of tea and I wouldn't bother getting dressed. Continue reading »
A typewriter, stapler, glue and cute kitten - everything the home office needs.
And I’ve been pretty productive, thank goodness, as today was my deadline to forward on everything I know about vintage happenings in London for a forthcoming book. I can’t say anything about the book at the mo but it’s going to be ace and I hope they include some of my contributions. I completely emptied my head of everything I know about the vintage world in the big smoke and boy are we a lucky bunch coz there’s sooo much happening. If you’re involved with anything vintage related in old London town and want me to forward on your information then get in touch quickly! Leave a comment below or email leona@thrift-ola.com
Let’s Get Cosy
Posted on: September 20, 2012Hurrah, It's September! The month of mittens and sunglasses and cursing the chill that's creeping into the evening and early morning air. Don't turn your heating on just yet I have the very thing you need... Continue reading »
handmade and vintage :: crochet and knitted
I’m not going to lie, I’m an Autumnal kinda gal. I love to layer, wear woolly tights ‘n cardigans and snuggle underneath my favourite vintage crochet blanket. Winter is on it’s way and so is the best excuse to stay in, watch movies and cuddle up on the sofa. With this in mind I’ve been thrifting knitted and crochet blankets all summer and today I popped the best of the bunch into Home Sweet Home in my online shoppe. A handmade crochet or knitted blanket is the perfect thing to cosy up to and here are my fave three teamed up with some of my thrifted cushions… Continue reading »
Dating Vintage St Michael Finds
Posted on: September 19, 2012Last week Thrift-ola saw it's fastest ever selling item! The Alice in Wonderland apron by St Michael below was snapped up in less than 2 minutes after being uploaded to the online shoppe. Continue reading »
A 1970s St Michael apron with Alice in Wonderland illustration
After finding this little gem, in the midst of a heap of polyester dresses, the first thing I did was look at the label and to my delight it was by one of my all time fave vintage brands: St Michael. As most of you will know St Michael is the in house brand of our high street fave Marks & Sparks and back in the day they produced some of the finest quality and cute as a button garments from aprons to dresses.
I contacted the Marks & Spencer Company Archive as I wanted to be able to accurately date the apron and they emailed me An Illustrated Guide to Dating Using Labels. The 6 page doc includes photos of labels and tips on what to look for from the 30s to the 80s. It’s superb! They have requested that I don’t reproduce or distribute the document without the permission of the M&S Company Archive, so while I wait for their permission so I can do a thorough blog post anyone interested can email Company.Archive@marks-and-spencer.com
Instagram Round-up!
Posted on: September 17, 2012Here's a quick photographic peek behind the scenes of what went down at Thrift-ola Towers last week... Continue reading »
Find us on Instagram... search for Thriftola
If it’s sunny at this time of year then I’m mega making the most of it as all thrifters know the car boot calendar is coming to a close. I was up at 5am three times and captured the glorious pinky sky one early morning before I was too laden down to take any photos! I don’t own a car so I go buying on the bus. Crazy, I know. I dug out my all time fave book Thrift Score to re-read on my travels; Al Hoff is like my thrift idol & reading it always makes me wanna go run Thrift-ola stateside. Although I’d definitely need a set of wheels over there! On Friday I photographed all my finds and then as always laid them out on my studio floor so I could picture how they’ll look in the store, it’s just like re-arranging your book shelves on a Sunday morning I LOVE IT! I guess it’s my post-thrifting-pre-selling ritual. Once everything is uploaded to the online shoppe I pack stuff away in my little stockroom. My fave find of the week was a 1970s St Michael cotton apron with an Alice in Wonderland illustration and it became Thrift-ola’s fastest ever selling item when it was snapped up less than 2 minutes after I added it to the online shoppe. Wowee. Continue reading »
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.
