Visit Kensal Flea Saturday 24th!

Kensal Rise blog Park Life is involved with a cool Flea market the weekend of Saturday 24th(it's held 4 times a year) and if you are a lover of vintage and wanting inspiration for a sunny Saturday (fingers crossed)  this is the place to be if you live in London. Held at Paradise by way of Kensal Green  the Kensal Flea boutique market is supporting the Mayhew Animal Home and Trekstock, with a pop-up tea room for Contact the Elderly charity.

Music is from Adrian Rebello and Mark Rae and there are a few surprises in store including cute doggies and micropigs to stroke so bring your families!

Stallholders include Frangipani's floral men's shirts, Anna Richardson's secondhand designer clothes, I Dream Elephants children's clothing and toys, House of Amelia vintage lamps and homeware, Love Sugar bakery, Rag & Bow's vintage fashion and a whole host of others.

Entry is £1, all proceeds of the door  for charity....

http://www.kensalflea.com/

Sainsbury's Home Spring/Summer preview - Diamond Jubilee

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Sainsbury's Spring/Summer Coastal collection

It was a bright and sunny day so it didn't really feel too incongruous walking up to the ICA for a preview of the Sainsbury's Spring/Summer home collections. Even though the streets were decorated for Christmas it just felt like a slight step-change as it rapidly became apparent that we are going to have to get used to a lot more decoration in the year ahead. In case you have forgotten 2012 is the year the Olympics comes to the UK - and it's the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. I must confess that in our street preparations for a street party are well under way and you simply can't have enough bunting. I expect there to be a complete run on bunting, long tables for hire and Union Jack flags - so if you're thinking of partying next summer you might be wise to book your tables and chairs now...

So back to Sainsbury's and their decidedly vintage take on home-ware for next year. Here are some of my favourites...

Sainsbury's Spring/Summer ice-cream bowls

Sainsbury's Spring/Summer Easter ceramics

Sainsbury's Spring/Summer bamboo bowl (large)

Sainsbury's Spring/Summer Jubilee Collection

Vintage shopping at Spitalfields

Bank Holiday Monday was flippin' freezing (no surprises there then) so we decided to go somewhere where we weren't exposed to the elements but was not too far away.

It just so happened that Spitalfields market was playing host to a vintage market at Bank Holiday which was a bonus. I love this part of London - if I could I'd live there alongside the Bangladeshi community and the urban artisans who have populated the area in the last couple of decades. Spitalfields has transformed beyond recognition and it's a shame the new development is home to the same old chains - Jigsaw, Leon, The Real Burger Company... but that aside there are enough small businesses to make this well worth a wander at a weekend.

View from the top end with a Hawkesmore church in the background...

Go to Dennis Severs house - where you will walk back in time and almost into a new dimension. Opening times are limited so please visit the website to pre-book - it's well worth the visit!

It's part fantasy, part history and is unique throughout the world...

What I love about this part of town is the juxtaposition of the new with the old - not always sympathetic but always surprising!

Top end of Spitalfields market from the church...

And back to shopping.....