Categories / Toys and Games

Ping Pong Match Clockwork Tin Toy from After Noah

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There are some people it always proves difficult to pick gifts for – and Dads often top that list. This Ping Pong Match Toy from After Noah would make a great gift for Father's Day or any other present-worthy occasion that needs something a little bit different.

Traditional tin toys have great charm thanks to their iconic designs and ingenious simplicity. Wind the key and sit back to watch the two players hit the ball back and forth across the net. The clever mechanism makes the ball appear to float as the players compete furiously to outdo one another.

The toy is a very reasonable £16.50 and you can find it on the After Noah site here.

Categories / Toys and Games

Vintage-style Wooden Rounders Set

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The English summer is synonymous with all sorts of genteel sporting pursuits and this Wooden Rounders Set will allow you to indulge in one of the finest.

If you can muster 12 people you won't pass a more enjoyable afternoon than harking back to your schooldays for a round of this traditional English game, somewhat akin to baseball.

The set contains all you need – the wooden bat, soft ball, four posts to mark out your pitch and instructions in case you're new to the game or need to remind yourself of the rules. It comes in a rather nice gift box and you also get a handy cotton bag for keeping all the bits together.

It costs £19.99 from dotcomgiftshop here.

 

Categories / Women's Fashion

Poppy Print Circle Skirt from Dorothy Perkins

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Much of the fifties looks available from reproduction brands and the high street of late have erred on the side of structural, vampish looks. If rockabilly style isn't for you, a more traditionally fifties look can be achieved with items like this Poppy Print Skirt from Dorothy Perkins.

The circle skirt style is given a softer edge with the use of a flowing cotton fabric, eschewing the heavily structured alternatives. The poppy print utilises the floral trend without falling for cliché, and adds impact with its colour palette too. Finished with a long hemline, this skirt is ideal for a more conservative and classic fifties inspired wardrobe.

It's available now from Dorothy Perkins for £30.

Find out more from the website

Categories / Design and Interiors, Food and Drink

Fairground mugs from Snowden Flood

Stop mug
Snowden Flood has been featured quite a few times on this site before: for her work featuring famous London landmarks and her take on design classics. A slightly different type of style is evident in her new range but still one that's pleasingly retro – as demonstrated with these fairground mugs.

The mugs feature illustrations influenced by traditional British folk art – indeed as the name suggests they are influenced by old-fashioned funfair signage. Each mug is decorated in a different colour with a different fairground ride style slogan.

The bone china mugs also draw on another British tradition in their manufacture as they are made in Stoke-On-Trent. 

You can buy the mugs individually for £18.50 or as a set of four for £70. 

See them online

Categories / Christmas

‘Instant Heirloom’ glitter ornaments from Anthropologie

Glitter ornaments
It's the 1st December so time to start properly getting into the Christmas spirit. If that for you includes starting to think about decorating the tree, you may want to look at these 'instant heirloom' glitter ornaments from Anthropologie.

I'm not sure that they do live up to their product name in being something that you'll pass down through the generations but, if you want a very traditional look for your tree, these should should certainly do the job. They are a set of six glass bulbs, decorated with glitter – you'll probably remember something very similar on your gran's tree. These are also described as being 'age-stained', presumably to make them look like something you've dug out of the family attic.

The set comes in a retro-looking box and costs £24. 

Buy them online