Start as you mean to go on

My first weekend of bargain hunting this year was a good one, and I'm especially pleased with this wonderfully kitsch Spanish bag. I love it! I managed to go to a table top sale, a jumble sale and several charity shops.

I don't really go in for New Year Resolutions, but I am always trying to kick bad habits and plan how The Rest of My Life (starting tomorrow) will be so much better. So I came up with a plan for my new streamlined life. Step One - cut back on buying vintage stuff. I want to spend less time buying and selling vintage and devote more time to making stuff. Obviously I still like vintage, but I'll only buy the really good stuff that I really really want. 

Apparently I really, really want an awful lot of stuff, as these pictures of the weekend's haul demonstrate. This doesn't seem to be going according to plan...

Although I have to say that it was Mr Kitsch who thought we should keep this tiny little biscuit tin. I just wanted to keep this cute tin of Mary and her lamb...oh, and all the other stuff (including more clogs - how did that happen?)

I am also trying to collect things which take up less room, like vintage greeting cards and other paper ephemera. However, I'm getting a bit obsessed with collecting cards, and ended up ordering a couple of bundles from Etsy. This group of cards and wrapping paper scraps came from the States.

At the moment I'm particularly interested in these kitsch 1960s floral cards. This style of illustration makes me strangely nostalgic. It seems to tap into my memory and emotions in a way I can't quite fathom. I keep thinking about exploring it by trying to paint in that style, but I'm not sure I can. I tried a few drawings, and I know there's something there I want to use, but I'm just not sure how.