I'd seen these decade scrapbooks by Robert Opie around for a while - usually in overpriced gift shops - and always loved the look of them. I'd always been put off by how much they cost and by the fact that they're gift items and not the kind of thing you usually buy for yourself. I waited and waited but nobody bought me one! Then a couple of months back I discovered a Waterstones gift card with some left over credit on it - don't you just love it when that happens - and I decided it was time to treat myself, the fact that it was quite a bit cheaper online sealed the deal.
They are available in a whole range of decades but I went for the 1970's. I was kind of put off by the rather stereotypical disco scene on the cover but just inside is some rather retrotastic eye candy.
I've always had a soft spot for the 1970's. I think it stems from the fact that its a decade I narrowly missed out on, but as a child growing up there were so many vestiges of it left over which has made it seem so cosy and familiar in retrospect. I remember textbooks in school still having illustrations and pictures of long haired 70's schoolchildren running around in fishtail parkas and flared pants
Inspired by this book and by my burgeoning love of all things 70's, I thought I would do a novelty 70's post all about the things from that decade that make me smile.
Homewares:-
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Hornsea Pottery was EVERYWHERE. My mother in law recently gave me her old set of Hornsea Saffron dinnerware that she'd kept in a box in the shed for years. Since then I have been collecting bits and pieces every time I see them. It's become a bit of an obsession!
No boring plain white square 20 piece dinner services available back then. Everything you ate, drank and cooked from was either bright yellow or orange or covered in garish flower patterns - perfect!
Advertising and Packaging:-
Fabulous fonts and garish colours. Doing a supermarket shop must have been like having a mini acid trip.
I mean check out the Aqua Manda range in the above pic, second shelf up on the right!
Caravan holidays:-
When I was little my mum and dad bought an old 4 berth touring caravan really cheap. It was pretty small and very old fashioned. Every time we took it on holiday we would be surrounded by brand new tinted windowed, much bigger and far grander caravans. I didn't care though cos I LOVED our little mini home with its tiny bunkbeds, cupboards that wouldn't shut properly and alarmingly loud curtains.
Of course now it would be considered charmingly retro.
Of course now it would be considered charmingly retro.
Check out this site for some great pics of caravans throughout the decades.
I would definitely recommend these books as gifts. Particularly if you know someone who is really into the vintage/retro thing. I want to get the 60's one next. There is no 80's one as yet but, Mr Opie if you're reading, if you compiled one, I would certainly buy it!
So much about this decade I love, I couldn't possibly fit it all into one post. I'll be back soon with part II
Does anybody here remember the 70's? What were your favourite things about it? Was it really that good or am I just romanticising it?
Lucy x
What a great book, it just shows you how you shouldn't judge a book by its cover! My fave thing about the seventies is the disco music my mum bought me up on and all the orange!
ReplyDeleteThat book looks the bees knees. Love those images. I'm a big fan of Hornsea and have quite a few jars in that saffron design as well as others. My favourite thing about the 70s, though, was the emergence of punk. Amazing music and fashions - a real breathe of fresh air after years of dull disco music (mind you, I love 70s disco music now) and middle of the road shite. xx
ReplyDeleteI totally agree - I've got another post planned about the music of the 70's!! x
DeleteGreat post! I don't remember the '70s, but I still love the garish colors popular during the decade!
ReplyDeleteI was born in the 70's, I remember long leather white lace up boots, and wearing ponchos and cords and listening to the Bay City Rollers. I also remember that you could buying 1 cent lollies. I do prefer the 80's though as I was a teenager then. The book looks very interesting. Tam x
ReplyDeleteI'd have loved to be a teenager in the 80's. I love all the 80's goth and post punk bands!
DeleteI do vaguely remember a bit of the seventies. I remember my Mum wallpapering our living room in purple and lime green zigzag wallpaper!! Our hall, stairs and landing was bright orange too. I also remember having candy striped brushed cotton sheets on our beds, I'd love them now! x
ReplyDeleteAh, I remember those candy striped sheets! We had them in our house growing up too x
DeleteI was only 4 when the 70s ended but I remember my mum and dad's crazy wallpaper and duvet cover - massive florals in yellows and pinks!
ReplyDeletemy aunt and uncle had that hornsea set - at lot of 70s stuff was still about when I was young so it's permeated my brain!
ReplyDeleteI love the 70's as well. I love the fabric prints & I'm drawn to wearing them now. I remember going everywhere in white boot skates. Wearing wedge heels & ponchos as a 4 year old. Eating & pretending to smoke fag lollies, Such a cool era with many happy memories. I would love to have one of those books as well!
ReplyDeleteIt was colourful! As a kid we got used to seeing our Mum's boots and bright floral print dresses from our wee short perspective! Curtains were always crazy bright and the paper dolls were terrific! Milk was 6c a bottle delivered to the gate and we could go on adventures ALL DAY (till the street lights come on) without our mamas being worried! Every second day you had to have a car-free day.. petrol saving! Should have kept that going! 8o)
ReplyDeleteAnd they should definitely bring back the 3 day week! x
DeleteLove all the vintage knick knacks! =)
ReplyDeletehttp://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/
My mum and step dads flat in the seventies was fab! If it had been kept it would have been like a museum! The colour scheme was purple, brown and orange and there were beaded curtains, tyre planters and sequin art!
ReplyDeleteOh I am so thrilled to see Misty magazine featured in that montage of 70's kids mags/annuals/comics. It was my absolute favourite. I can remember buying it at the train station in the city on my way to school...must've been 1979 I think...Thanks for reminding me about it, I'm going to do a quick google search and see if I come up with anything (I'll let you know)
ReplyDeleteThose caravans are gorgeous, my baby sister had a caravan cubby. It was exactly like a proper caravan except teeny-tiny. A family friend made it for her, the rest of us were very jealous.
I always thought the 60's were my favourite era. I used to love mod stuff, but I'm really starting to respect the 70's...
Sorry this is such a long comment x
Don't worry. I's been great reading everyone's memories of the decade. It's great when something triggers a happy memory from the past that you'd long forgotten about. Hope you find something on your Google search xx
DeleteI'm a big fan of the 70's too. You can't beat the bright colours. That book is excellent. x
ReplyDeleteThat book is amazing!
ReplyDeleteI love the 70s, 80s, 60's, 50's........
I was 14 when the 1970s ended and remember how fabulous clothes shops used to be. Mum used to drag me into Bus Stop, Van Allan and Richard Shops and I'd always marvel at the riotous colours, crazy styles and prints.
ReplyDeleteFood on the other hand was rank. Everything was synthetic and rank despite the fabulous packaging, no wonder I was so skinny! x
That's a cool book! I like how these books really show you what it was like because I look at my mum's photo albums and everything looks the same! Sometimes these books over accessorize the people and the furniture, so it's cool to see that this book stayed pretty true to the 70's.
ReplyDeleteIs that the book which also features some 1980s products?! Henry's Cat (1982)? Very funny. Had a bad '70s, and find it has now been terribly rewritten, bolstered up with 1960s pop culture (flares and hippie stuff were 1960s leftovers) and 1980s pop culture, too. The true '70s were represented far more by Punk than by the 1960s hippie thing. But nobody likes to mention that. It's so easy to rewrite the past - and as we all get older, we fogeys all want to be able to tell the youngsters: "My era was sooo good!" But in the case of the '70s, it really wasn't! They told us the '50s were great in the '70s. Thanks to the '70s, I love the 1950s to this day!
ReplyDeleteNo mention of Henry's Cat or hippies. It does mention punk however and I am going to post about this seperately. I agree though that it's easy for people to remember what they want to about certain eras. Lucy
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