Born to be wild?

Well well, look who it is...

It's ME! I'm back, after a very long absence. How's it going?

Instead of dwelling on the fact that I've been gone so long or making a load of promises that it'll never happen again (because it probably will), I'm going to tell you all about my recent trip to Scotland. 

It's no secret that I bloody love Scotland. I've only ever been to Edinburgh, so when my bearded man told me that we'd be visiting Dunbar for his cousin's wedding, I was excited to see a different part of that beautiful land. Not only that, but we booked to stay in a tree house. Yes, you read that right - a TREEHOUSE. Like a modern-day Swiss Family Robinson, but a lot less Swiss. Needless to say, I was extra excited as we set off on the long drive to Harvest Moon. 

But, here's the thing - none of us read the website or the booking information properly (we may or may not have been distracted by the pretty pictures...) and it turns out that despite the high-end, luxury nature of the accommodation, there was no electricity. None. Not even a smidge. Instead, we were presented with a fire stove for warmth/cooking with in the kitchen, and a number of hot water bottles for the bedrooms. I don't know if you know this, but the area by the coast in Scotland has a tendency to get rather nippy, so the fire stove soon became our very best friend. 

Here are a few pics to set the scene:

Our tree house home

Our very own swing set

Our wood stove (aka our best friend/worst enemy)

One of the few rechargeable LED lights we had to guide us through the darkness

Our beautiful sink. Fortunately, there was running water. Sometimes it was hot too!

Our bedroom (excuse the mess)

The other bedroom

Our lounge area (again, excuse the mess)

Our bathing facilities

Our baaaaaa-shful neighbours. There were also chickens, rabbits and horses because...why not?

Once I got over the fact that I had nowhere to plug my hair dryer in and sorted it so I could charge my phone in the car, I was pleasantly surprised at how well I adjusted to life as a woodsman. I quickly learned how to keep a fire going (top tip: lots of wood), and even managed to cook eggy bread without setting myself alight. 

Making tea with the wood stove. Definitely worth the effort.

As you can see, the accommodation and the setting were rather stunning overall. While staying there was fun, having to build a fire and wait half an hour for it to be hot enough to boil a kettle before having a cup of tea was a bit of a faff. I'm also honest enough to admit that I am shallow, and I love my comfortable technology-filled life. Not having my hair straighteners to hand or WIFI for my phone made me enjoy the whole the whole experience a little less. I also really missed central heating, as the nights there can be bitterly cold. 

I understand that a lot of people would love having no electricity, and would consider it a welcome break from modern life, but it's just not for me. If Harvest Moon invested in a couple of plug sockets and a heater for the bedrooms, I'd consider moving in. 

Have you ever tried glamping? Could you survive without electricity for a whole three nights like I did? Tell me all about it!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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My first time...

Hello there!

I can't imagine who'd actually be reading this (apart from YOU, Ruth Beedle), but welcome to my very first ever blog! It's all very exciting.

Ironically, I don't actually have anything particularly exciting to say. I'm hoping to finally launch my little etsy shop in the next couple of weeks, so I guess I'd better crack on with the jewellery making. I got back from a week in Scotland on Saturday (Edinburgh, to be precise), and I spent a bloody fortune on vintage treasures! If you've never been to Edinburgh, I strongly recommend that you visit, especially if you're into history and curios like me. The shopkeepers there are all really nice and friendly, and are more than happy to tell you other places to find great vintage.

Here are the shops that I recommend:

• Trinket 18 William Street, Edinburgh
  http://www.trinketjewels.co.uk/
  This shop maybe small, but it's got some real treasures. A stunning array of broaches and handbags, as well as compacts that are in excellent condition. Not only that, but the shop owner has cleverly filled these compacts with brand new Max Factor face powder, so they're practical as well as pretty! The ladies that run Tricket are also lovely and extremely helpful. Definitely stop by if you can!
  
• Godiva The Grass Market, Edinburgh
  http://www.godivaboutique.co.uk
  I read about this shop in i-on magazine (VERY handy for finding where the good shops are, plus it's FREE in most shops! - http://www.blogger.com/www.ionmagazine.co.uk), and it didn't disappoint. The shop has a reasonable size vintage collection, but also boasts designs by fashion students and local designers. I got a really nice vintage tweed jacket that has been customised by a Spanish designer. I can't work out her name unfortunately, as the label is faded, but I've had nothing but compliments on it. They also offer a 10% discount for students! Definitely worth a look.
  
• Cavanagh Antique Shoppe 49 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh
  Unfortunately, this shop doesn't have a website, but that's because it's a very small family-run business. And yes, it is as adorable as it sounds! The shop has been owned by Mr and Mrs Cavanagh since the 70s, and is still run by them today along with their son, Simon. Having been in the 'Old Town' of Edinburgh for a good while, they've picked up some lovely antique pieces, and have a fantastic range of costume jewelery that is extremely well-priced. Their broaches are particularly lovely. If you're near the Royal Mile, pop in and see them. They're a lovely family, and you won't be disappointed.
  
• Richard Wood Antiques 66 West Port, Edinburgh
  Another very small antique and curios shop, but that is not to say they don't have a fantastic range. I was shocked at the reasonable prices too, as I was able to pick up some Victorian perfume bottles for roughly £10 each. Apparently these guys travel far and wide (to France, the man told me) to get good quality pieces to sell at a decent price, and it definitely shows. They also have a huge collection of books, so there's something for everyone.
  
• Barnardos Vintage 116 West Bow, Edinburgh
  www.myspace.com/barnardosvintage
  This was an excellent find; a charity shop that specialises in vintage! Moral, guilt-free vintage shopping? What could be better? This shop, although small, has an excellent range of retro clothing, as well as an impressive range of sunglasses! They also sell all sorts of bits and bobs, all of it in brilliant condition. I found two skirts in there, including a rather special vintage kilt that I can't wait to give an airing. Also, because it's a charity shop, the prices are very, very good. Definitely pop in if you get the chance!

And that's about it for now. Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to visit all of the places suggested to me by the lovely ladies in Trinket, but I'll definitely be back to hunt for more goodies! I've already made a start on some jewellery with the pieces I picked up in Edinburgh, so perhaps I will upload some photos soon.

Thanks for reading, anyway. I will be writing again soon, so please come back! Please?

Byeee!

Frankie

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