Hi I’m Catherine, thank you for visiting my blog! I’ve been writing this blog for just over 4 years and still feel like I’m finding my feet in the blogging world. The vintage world is slightly more familiar to me however. I have a family background selling antique clothes. My great Grandmother was selling antique clothing in London from the early 1950s and her daughter my lovely Grandma Marjorie continued selling antique textiles until she retired in her 80s!
My Great Grandmother in her shop in the early 1950s
As a little girl I would sit for hours in my Grandmas shop surrounded by old and interesting things from the past. It must have engrained a deep love of the past in me as I’ve loved vintage since I knew what it was. Before having my children I worked as a Visual Merchandiser, after having my first daughter I spent a few years buying and selling vintage online and at some of London’s finest vintage fairs. I went on to organise two vintage fairs of my own in Wimbledon. I’m now concentrating on my blog, my home and my family and loving every minute of it.
My beautiful little girls are 5 and 10 and take up most of my time, we love baking, making things and having loads of time outdoors.
I have A LOT of hobbies. I love trying new things so I am also trying to learn new skills.
So with my spare time I like to…
BAKE, I love baking cakes and always have, I don’t have that much of a sweet tooth so I actually prefer baking cakes to eating them. I am always experimenting with new recipes, and love it when the school has a bake sale as it gives me an excuse to bake all day! I’m going to try to share more recipes on the blog. You can find a few of my recipes here.
SEW, Although I have been sewing stuff for my home for years, I have recently started making my own dresses. I love buying vintage patterns on eBay and hunting out vintage fabrics at car boot sales and charity shops.
PAINT, This is a new hobby of mine. I recently bought a load of paint and canvasses from hobby craft and I’m really enjoying giving it a go. I’m no artist, but I find painting a really great way to relax and unwind in the evening.
UP-CYCLE FURNITURE, My husband and I are like a little up-cycling team. We have furnished our house from furniture bought second-hand, and he paints and I choose colours and re-upholster stuff. It’s nice when people comment on our lovely furniture, and we know that I cost us next to nothing and looks completely unique. I also like the fact that we’ve recycled something that might have ended up in landfill and as most of it is from a charity shop we’ve also helped a good cause.
COOK, I love to cook lovely healthy home-made meals for my family. Again I enjoy experimenting and trying new recipes. I am obsessed with my slow cooker and do pretty much everything in there. I try to prepare dinner while the girls are having breakfast and them come the evening all I have to do is serve it up.
DECORATE, When I was at school I really wanted to be an interior designer when I grew up. I think I may have watched too many home maker shows in the 90s and fancied myself as the next Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen! Although I didn’t end up doing this I loved visual merchandising and I think designing window displays is even more fun. I get to play interior designer every day at home any way and I’m always changing the house round, adding curtains and wallpaper etc. I’m lucky enough to have a handy builder as a husband who can constantly apply my mad schemes. We recently bought and fully renovated our house, a beautiful 1930s semi detached house just outside London with a huge (and out of control) garden.
READ, I have always been an avid reader. I read a mixture of good quality chick lit, history books and 20th century classics. I recently started The Vintage Book Group with my very best friend Fay who blogs at Blog a Book Etc. If you love vintage and books you can join up here.
Where I don’t always have time to read, I am constantly listening to audio books. Anytime I am cleaning, doing the laundry, having a bath I will always be listening to a book on Audible.
Things you may not know about me….
I am a serial multi tasker – I am incapable of doing one thing at a time and I’m not very good at relaxing. It’s not uncommon for me to be ironing, cleaning the kitchen, watching TV and cooking dinner all at the same time.
I love/hate cupcakes – You wouldn’t think it looking at my house, everything seems to have cupcakes on it, from the girls bed covers to my bookends to my wall decorations, I even paint cupcakes! I just really don’t like to eat them! I’ve never been a big fan of icing and if I’m going to eat cake I prefer a slice of Victoria sandwich or carrot cake.
I own way too many dresses – I absolutely love dresses, 6 days out of 7 I will be wearing a dress. Even on a casual day I will wear a dress with leggings and ballet pumps. The problem is I can’t walk past a nice dress without wanting it. I’m not going to count but I’d guess I have about 50-60 at the moment (*Edit – I counted it’s actually over 150 oops).
Vintage –
My love of vintage as I’ve said is something that goes back to my childhood and the wonderful self made women of my family. When it comes to style to me it’s all about being feminine and elegant on any budget. Vintage clothing can be really expensive and sometimes when I see other women’s amazing collections of vintage I feel a little envious. However being stylish and elegant needn’t cost the earth. My one bit of advise to every woman would be, to just be true to your own style and shape.
I like a mix of vintage and modern clothes and I love finding vintage style bargains on the high street. If your looking for real vintage pieces on a budget, go to charity shops every week, get to car boot sales for 7am, look at eBay in the middle of the night, and get stuff shipped from abroad on Etsy and negotiate prices at vintage fairs and markets. It is still possible to get an amazing 1950s dress for under £50.
I hope you enjoy reading my blog, I love to hear from my readers so please feel free to contact me vintagefrillsblog@gmail.com
16 Comments
liagoesvintage
September 4, 2013 at 8:45 amHello! I have nominated you for the ‘Liebster Award’. Check my blog to find out more about it. Lia
Karl Baker
November 6, 2013 at 7:35 pmLove this website – you’ve created a really awesome site here Catherine
elkee
November 25, 2013 at 4:54 pmWow! You are quite a fascinating person I am so glad that I stumbled on your blog. I love how you come from a lineage that preserves the past by selling vintage clothes.The up cycling you and your husband do is amazing. I would love to learn how to do that one day.
The Very Inspiring Blogger Award | Mrs Fox's Finery & Fancies
December 24, 2013 at 2:41 pm[…] Catherine of Vintage Frills is an inspiration to me because not only does she not stop making and creating some vintage […]
Shybiker
December 13, 2014 at 1:04 pmEverything you say about yourself here is appealing to me. You’re the kind of friend I’d like to have!
Adri
January 26, 2015 at 2:58 pmI’m absolutely loving your blog! We have so much in common – my kids are also 3 and 8 and I don’t like eating cupcakes (but think they are soooo cute)!
vintagefrills
January 26, 2015 at 2:59 pmAw thank you! Do you blog too? Xxx
Adri
December 31, 2015 at 2:56 amWow…it only took nearly a year for me to respond to this (embarrassing!). Yes, I do a fashion and style blog in conjunction with my handcrafted jewelry over at moonstaradri.com
Victoria
December 29, 2015 at 7:51 pmHola! I just discovered your blog and I love it! I think it’s amazing that vintage runs in your blood (I can’t believe that black and white photo is not just a stock photo from the internet!), and it’s so awesome that you continue to focus on this creativity even though you’re busy with your girls.
I feel like as vintage lovers, we tend to collect one too many items (I was hooked on Ebay for a while). How do you prevent yourself from hoarding the frocks you come across? ^_^ It’s so hard to resist when they are one of a kind pieces…
I aspire to home sew my own dresses too. =)
Victoria
http://chicvic.com
15 Collingwood
January 1, 2016 at 3:33 pmLove the blog and congratulations on the Cosmo award.
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