Vacation Part 2

Day 4: Blackpool
DH and I headed to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. BPB is best described as Gatlinburg for English people. Totally fun but WAY tacky and wacky. (I don't judge; we used to head to Gatlinburg once a year when I lived in Tennessee.)

Anywho, BPB has tons of old roller coasters that while rickety as H, they provide a great afternoon of fun. Grand National is from 1935 and the Big Dipper is from 1923! 1923! I can only imagine how freaking scary that ride must have been to folks back then.

Day 5: Trafford
I love shopping in the UK. The way I see it, no one else in San Diego will have what I'm wearing, even if it's just from a high street store. And DH isn't the biggest fan of American fashion and desperately needed new clothes so we headed up to Trafford Centre to get kitted out.

Let me just say: WOW. We probably spent 5+ hours there and I wasn't even close to being finished. I have discovered my English shopping mecca: Selfridges. OMG. It's like a cross between Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, meaning, you can find high end (Burberry, Louis, etc) alongside the more mid-range (Warehouse, Oasis). I picked up the dress above for a song. It's shorter than I normally wear and it has a deep v back but it had a sort of 80s feel that I was digging. SO cute!

Back to mecca: the homewares. OMG. I wanted to buy the entire linen department. Orla Kiely sheets?? In the words of Rachel Zoe: I Diiiiiieeeeeeee. You don't notice until you see high end European design that you literally cannot find some of it in the states. Durr.

After making my way through linen, lamps, and glassware, I hit the motherload of that is British country goodness: Cath Kidson.

I'm not really a shabby-chic sort of girl but oooohhh, did the darling fabrics and dainty goods get me. Cath Kidson is known for their oilcloth and it definitely has a certain post-war aesthetic and appeal. I bought a bunch of goodies, some of which you might see during my giveaway later this week!

I particularly loved their handbags and jewelry. I mean look at these dainty crystal bows! In antique silver, no less.

I also love, love, love the hunter green polka dot saddle bag. The oilcloth gives it a 40s feel. I picture myself in an Anthropologie dress, with this bag draped across as I peddle my 5-speed beach cruiser over to the farmer's market. Not that I haven't been thinking about that bag.

Not. At. All.

I guess you could say I'm a shabby chic convert now. Unfortunately, Cath Kidson is only found in the UK and Japan.

But they do ship internationally.

Hmmmmm....