Categories / Food and Drink

Retro Sweets from Hope and Greenwood

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Retro sweets are not longer too difficult to get hold off, but Hope and Greenwood are in a class of their own. Describing themselves as “purveyors of splendid confectionery”, their two London shops are beautifully decorated to recreate the sweet shops of days gone by, but for shoppers elsewhere they also have an online shop.

They sell an impressive selection including jellies, chocolates, toffees sherbet and lollies. Sweets are available in bags or what they describe as “rations” which are traditional-looking jars. With Valentines Day on the horizon, they are offering themed gifts including Love Hearts, mallow hearts and for the more sophisticated tastes, Rose and Violet creams.

Their website is full of humour in its use old-fashioned language and vintage images (see the “Jolly Gifts section in particular) making it a joy to visit. So for online orders and details about the shops, visit Hope and Greenwood.

Categories / Books

“1968: The Year that Rocked the World” by Mark Kurlansky

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If you are interested in the political movements of the 1960s, then “1968: The Year that Rocked the World” by Mark Kurlansky is a good place to start for a global overview.

Obviously it focuses on the major events of the title year including the assassination of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, Prague Spring, the Tet Offensive and the student riots in Paris, but it does put these in the wider context what had led to there, and the future impact of these events.

It is quite a weighty tome, with the text only broken up with the occasional photograph and there is not as much on culture (music, film etc) as the blurb would led you to believe. Nonetheless it is an interesting read and the serious parts are alleviated by the antics of Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies.

It is of course available from Amazon (currently priced £6.99 or cheaper from sellers), or if you happen to be near one of the few remaining Fopp record shops, they are selling it for just £2.

Categories / Homeware, Kids

Marimekko Children’s Bedding

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This children’s bedding combines two great things, namely Marimekko design and retro vehicles.

It goes by the cutesy name of Boo Boo and features an assortment of trucks, vans and decidedly retro-looking cars. The design is available on a single duvet and pillowcases, both made from 100% cotton.

The duvet cover costs £52 and pillowcase just under £10 from Abode Living.

Categories / Bags

Art Deco Briefcase

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If the retro satchels we’ve featured recently aren’t quite grown-up enough, then perhaps this Tall Briefcase by Kimchi Blue will be more suitable.

Inspired by Art Deco design with its scalloped flap, it has an accordion construction, twin lined main compartments, expandable front pocket and adjustable strap, so it surprisingly practical. Perhaps the only downside is that it is made from PVC rather than real leather.

It costs $68 from Urban Outfitters.

Categories / Books

The Caravan Gallery Notebooks

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The Caravan Gallery aim to record life as it really is in Britain but the images on their range of notebooks seem to be nostalgic and are reminiscent of the traditional British seaside imagery.

The images include retro signs for donkey rides, a traditional English breakfast, and tea and crumble. The books have hard covers, contain lightly ruled pages and have a ribbon bookmark.

The A5 sizes books cost £8, and the smaller A6 cost £6 from The Caravan Gallery website.

Categories / Homeware

The Vintage Wedding List

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If you are getting married and want something more interesting than the usual toaster and towels, then the Vintage Wedding List is worth a look.

Created by Camilla Cobham and Henry Alban Davies, the website contains a selection of gifts they have handpicked from the best of the antiques market. There is a wide choice of gifts to suit a range of budgets. The ceramics selection is particularly good, and includes the French food dish (pictured here) from the 1920s, which costs £45.

You can have your whole wedding list at the site or you can pick out a few things you like. In fact, you don’t even have to be getting married at all, you can buy items for yourself too. For more information visit The Vintage Wedding List website.