Vintage Treasures ★

so today was my first proper day in Cork in case you didn't know, i've come on holiday to Ireland for 10 days!

after spending almost 3 weeks in Cork, Dublin and Dun Laoghaire last August ( - Corky Cork Times) i wanted to come back here for a bit this summer

i'm only in Cork for 4 days this year though so today, the first place i headed out to (after Brown Thomas!) was 'The English Market' on St Patrick's street in the city centre.

i love the old market, not only is it full of lovely stores and stalls, it's also very beautiful inside, full of amazing architecture and decorative features

anyway, the main reason i went straight to the market was to go and visit Peacock & Ruby, the gorrrrrrgeous vintage shop i discovered during my trip last summer!

now those of you that have followed my blog for a while might remember when i visited this shop last year during my trip to Ireland, you can check out this post from last August to refresh your memory - Vintage Quest Times

but for the newbies out there, have no fear, i snapped LOTS of lovely photos of the shop this afternoon when i popped in for a bit

it really is one of the most divine shops i've ever been in! i think last year i described it as a 'treasure trove' and that's a great way to describe the place, it's bursting with the most gorgeous little gifts and treats as well as some of the most beautiful old vintage jewellery i've ever seen (i treated myself to a pair of pretty cameo earrings + a vintage hair flower during my trip last year!)

the shop layout was a bit different this year and there was even a little showroom upstairs as well! it's just all so magical! i love it :)

i am so in love with this shop!!! i want to move in and live amongst all the pretty little trinkets!

massive, MASSIVE thanks to the lovely Sarah who let me mooch around the shop taking photos this afternoon!

the shop is run by two super duper ladies, Jill and Noelle, but they weren't in today so i might have to pop in again before i go home to tell them how much i LOVE their shop!!!

for more info + to see more photos of the truly gorrrrrrrgeous shop, be sure to check out their Facebook Fan page here - Peacock & Ruby

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as if that weren't already enough! inside the market, a few units down from Peacock & Ruby is another amazing vintage store!!!

Miss Daisy Blue is a shop i also visited (and blogged about) last year but i was too shy to ask to take any photos inside the store!

so i thought that i'd ask this year...

it's a Vintage clothing shop and sells the most stunning vintage dresses, garments and accessories from many different decades! 

oh there were soooooo many gorgeous dresses i'd have loved to have worn! so soooo pretty! super duper stuff!

BIG thanks to the very lovely Breda who was kind enough to let me snap some picks of her beautiful shop!

be sure to check out her Facebook Fan Page for more photos of the amazing vintage finds on offer in-store + a brilliant fashion shoot featuring items from the shop - Miss Daisy Blue

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wow what a fabulous day!

as if all that weren't enough though, i also picked up 2 new bits to add to the August Giveaway bundle!!!

we have a set of candy coloured Kawaii bubble stickers from the Accessorize on St Patrick's street

and a verrrry cute little handmade notebook from Peacock & Ruby

yaaay! more prizes!!! you still have 16 days left to enter so get yourself over to the blog post explaining how YOU can enter to try and get your hands on some super duper goodies - August Giveaway

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not much else to report on today dearies, i'm heading out to Kinsale tomorrow to revisit a few more fabulous little stores, gallery shops and cafe's!

so soooo happy to be back in Ireland!!!

until then, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX

♡☆ Vintage Quest times ☆♡

Today I had another lovely wander around Cork city centre, I left the hotel late this morning so after a quick trip to Brown Thomas (well I have to visit it everrrry day) I stopped for some lunch at a great little restaurant on Malboro street called 'Zaks'. Delcious food, speedy service, good prices and... it must be said, there was a particularly drop dead gorgeous waiter serving in there as well but that is so not the reason I chose that place for my lunch. Honest!

Anyway after food times I head back onto the streets for some shopping. I was determined to find some cute little independent shops and I really wasn't disappointed. Cork's side streets have some fantastic little boutiques and stores hidden away selling all sorts of things but my favourite of the day had to be the gorgeous 'Peacock & Ruby' vintage boutique selling 'curios, objects of old world glamour and vintage costume jewellery.

tucked away in the English Market, under the Farmgate cafe this adorable little boutique is chock full of delightful vintage pieces including flowery headbands, classic little handbags, ornate furniture, delicate ornaments and sparkling costume jewellery all interspersed with old fashioned photo frames, floral notebooks, quirky money boxes, colourful Japanese kokeshi doll keyrings and candles and pretty little pink and purple Russian matryoshka dolls.

I actually found this shop on my first day here in Cork but my mum was getting all impatient so I barely had chance to look around it. Today I spent ages in there checking out all the beautiful little pieces the shop had to offer. It was literally filled with all manner of things ranging from sweet little 50's style compact mirrors to delicately beaded and feathered 1920's hair fascinators, it really was a veritable treasure trove of vintage finds.

The shop was decorated gorgeously as well with lots of charming patterned wallpaper, antique mirrors and pretty venetian masks hanging everywhere amongst the vintage cameos and china tea cups and teapots with the constant scent of delicious candles and incense accompanying you all around the shop.

For budding vintage seekers it's an absolute Aladdin's cave bursting with a multitude of different styles of jewellery ranging from so many different eras along with a super duper collection of bits and bobs as well as loads of other things that would make fab gifts for yourself or friends and family. everything is displayed wonderfully as well so if you're willing to spend the time looking, you won't miss a thing on offer

The highlight for me was the big lit chandelier dripping with dozens of vintage necklaces hanging next to the counter, a truly genius method of jewellery display not to mention a gorgeous one.

The lovely ladies in the shop were kind enough to let me take a quick snap of the chandelier as well as the shop, though my crappy camera really doesn't do the place justice, it is so sublime in there I could have happily spent the day mooching around examining all the bits and pieces in the place.

i'm soooo not a nosy stalker type but i couldn't help but notice they had a few awesome books in the shop as well for their own private reading, a book of spells, one on Palmistry, a book about dreams... as if i didn't already think the place was awesome enough let's throw in a few books i actually have my own copies of at home. good times!

well, they were very helpful anyway since I spent well over half-an-hour in there and only ended up buying this adorable little flower hair clip. But I literally could have bought the shop if i'd have had the money and the time! One of them also complimented me on my brand new coat (from Dunnes, €25... total bargain!) so obviously that also made them shoot up in my estimations ◕‿◕

hopefully i'll get a chance to nip back to the shop before I return to the Isle of Man but if not I want to thank the girls I met in the shop for their help and to compliment them on an exquisite store, (they got one of my business cards so they may or may not end up seeing this) it's now my favourite shop here in Cork... I have decided!

If you're ever in Cork I highly recommend you pop by and give the shop a visit, it's in the famous English Market on Patrick street in Cork city centre. This shop is also right opposite the vintage dress shop I blogged about a few days ago, 'Miss Daisy Blue', so I really do urge to to check them both out if you're ever down here yourself.

that's all for now, i'm just talking to my friend Mike aka the Birthday boy (he's 19 today... bless) on facebook but i'm off to watch 'Ponyo' again since i luuuurve it so much

byeeee ◕‿◕ xX