Fabfrocks at Home: New Lovely things!

Hi guys,
It's been a little while since I wrote a Fabfrocks at Home post. With the car boot sale season over until April, I haven't been making as many new additions to my vintage treasure trove. But last weekend I went home to visit my parents, and we visited Horncastle, my favourite antiques village, where I picked up some beautiful things:


I picked the old hairdressing mirror up from the Age UK charity shop, for just £1.99. It really needs reframing (the frame is coming to pieces at the back) but I thought it had such great character I was prepared to put a little work into making it lovely. The mantle clock was from one of my favourite antique shops called Great Expectations, and cost £35. I've been looking for the perfect one for ages, but didn't want one with a Victorian-style face. This one is perfect, although its very loud chiming is taking some getting used to!

More exciting than these things though is the most beautiful new acquisition to the fabfrocks household: a gorgeous, vibrant sofa throw (which matches my liberty print paisley fabric and new aubergine rug perfectly) hand crocheted by my mum:


You can only imagine the hours that went into creating this for us: a genuine labour of love. I love the combination of the modern colours and pattern with the old-fashioned technique. The turquoise trim was a complete surprise but it's actually my favourite bit: it really adds drama. It's the perfect match for our modern/vintage home!

Have you made any new home purchases lately? Do you have any favourite shops or antique haunts to share?

Love Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: CandleLynn's yummy cupcakes!

I know it's the title of the feature, but it's true to say I really am obsessed with Etsy. The obsession started with jewellery, ranged into fashion, and now i'm turning to Etsy for my homewares too: so although this is a fashion blog this weeks Etsy obsession is a seller who actually specialises in making candles: CandleLynn. I figure that if you guys are anything like me your desire for pleasing aethetics branches into your home too!

My kitchen is cupcake themed (see visual evidence below) so imagine how excited I was when I found scented candles shaped like cupcakes and other food stuffs, perfect for my kitchen. Because my kitchen/living room is open plan I like to have scented candles in the kitchen after i've cooked, to take away the cooking smells (I think i'll call that a Tor's top tip!)

They are also a bargain: less than $8 US for your choice of three cupcakes: i'd go for a selection of pink and yellow ones and display them on a floral cake stand!

I left my job last Friday and am taking just over a week off before I start my new role. As well as a whole host of wonderfully fun fashiony things, I also intend to have a proper Spring clean of the whole flat, including of course the kitchen. I will be buying myself these candles as a reward when the job in complete: they're hand poured, and handmade when you order them. They are highly scented with high quality, fragrance oils and you choose your own colours and fragrances. This seems like a highly decadent cleaning reward without spending too much money!

Whilst we're on the topic of domestication and my kitchen, I realised I was getting old this weekend, when I asked for a new dinner service for my birthday, instead of the usual clothes/shoes.

I saw it about a month ago and fell in love. Three more trips to see it, and I knew it had to be mine. I think the blurb on the site will describe it better than I can: "Patterned bone china dinnerware and serveware designed by Concetta Gallo for Habitat. This distinctively beautiful yet odd aesthetic is all about contrast and juxtaposition. Photographs are mixed with original drawings, smooth graphic lines with grainy textures, flowing liquid colour with block line and intricate detail, and precious gold finish with a floating, surreal sense of scale." So beautiful and unusual: although possibly too pretty to let anyone eat from them!

Love, Tor xx

Jewellery: Keeping it in the family

Today, I am feeling very special and important (make do Kate might say superior!) I am feeling this way because I am wearing a beautiful necklace, bespokely made just for me and presented to me yesterday, quite by suprise. No other necklace like this one exists in the whole world, and that's enough to make anyone feel pretty great. My incredible crafty and talented little sister Lucy made this necklace just for me. It is silver and the beads are glass; each bead is a slightly different colour and shape, making it even more unique. She is making a range of increasingly bautiful and complicated jewellery in her back bedroom, and I anticipate her gifts with glee.
She also made the festive little box the necklace was presented in. Although she doesn't sell her jewellery (I keep telling her she should!) you can check out more of Lucy's crafts on her fairly new blog, Munyip Makes. I know that I will be keeping this safe, and that it feels even more special knowing not only that it was made just for me, but also because it was made with love.
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Sorry for the posting gap, but I took a break to spend some time with my family, who all came to London and gathered in my house for some wonderful family fun! Normal service will resume now though!
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Love, Tor xxx