If you, like I, swoon over the sleek, elegant lines of Mid Century Modern Furniture, here is my guide to the best places to find it in Edinburgh, Glasgow and central Scotland.   Join me in my mission to bring more Mad Men style to our homes!

The timing for this blog post is fortuitous, as today I will be popping along to a new market that's dedicated to MCM design and furniture.  It's held in Drill Hall on Dalmeny Street in Leith and launches today, Sunday 1st October.  The market will be held quarterly.

**Blog update**  So I went along at 2pm.  Apparantly it was super crazy busy when it opened at 12, so much so that it was difficult to move.  So, whilst it was calmer by the time I arrived, I was told that a lot of the best stock had also been sold.  Regardless, there was still a nice selection to browse.  I was particularly impressed by https://www.c20home.co.uk/ - they had a particularly some lovely restored ercol sofa (sold) and rocking chair that I very very nearly bought.  See below for some snaps of that day

Gumtree is probably the easiest and cheapest place to find MCM furniture.  It's where I found my TV unit, dressing table and chest of drawers and is also where I found many sellers listed below.  Key words I search for are retro, mid century, teak, g plan, danish, 50s or 60s.

EBay tends to be a bit more expensive, but has a bigger range if you are prepared to travel or have the item delivered without seeing it in person

A great site I love is Newsnow, as it trawls both Gumtree and EBay, along with other classified sites.  I was getting really irked by the ads that I'd accidentally click on when scrolling listings on Gumtree whilst on my iphone, so this site thankfully alleviated that.

I found Sam on gumtree and visited him in scenic Kinross (half an hour from Edinburgh) when I was on my quest for a cocktail cabinet.  Whilst I didn't find a cabinet, I did take home a lovely chair for my craft room.  I had a good old chin wag with Sam who's a lovely bloke and true enthusiast for MCM furniture.  Paris Proctor & Dog on Facebook  and Instagram. 

On the subject of dogs, Jimmy is an adorable parson terrier, who photobombs his owner Gav's wonderful furniture finds.  The warehouse is based in Musselburgh and is by appointment only, Gav can arrange delivery too.  Follow on Jimmy's Retro Furniture on Facebook and  Instagram

This is one of the best and largest collections of retro furniture in the UK, indeed buyers often come up from London to shop here.  John the owner has this massive warehouse stuffed to the rafters and there is room after room of gorgeous stuff.  I did get FOMO (fear of missing out) because there are so many warrens and items stacked up high.  You can't research beforehand on Facebook or Instagram, instead go along and explore this treasure trove in person- 569 South Street, Glasgow G14 0QX Tel: 07803 235 651

Another shop I found on Gumtree, I bought my little cocktail cabinet from Ryan that I then upcycled with an Orla Kiely style stencil that I made.  A great shop with keen (haha did you see what I did there?!) prices.  Kean on Antiques on Facebook.

Caroline upcycles mid century furniture just around the corner from me in Edinburgh and does an absolutely stunning job.  I'm very keen to have her work her magic on a piece for me soon!  Trash Furnishing on Facebook. 

I've not purchased (yet!) from L'Atelier Vintage, as their stock moves quickly.  I'm looking forward to meeting them at the market and to seeing some of their pieces in person.  L'Atelier Vintage on Facebook and website.

This shop on Easter Road in Edinburgh houses beautiful scandi MCM furniture, art and ceramics. Bra Bohag on Facebook.

If there are any other lovely shops and dealers of mid century modern goodies, I'd love to hear from you!

Hey guys, Nadine here with a guest blog post from my mummy!  Craftiness runs in my family, so when my mum showed me pictures of her recent livingroom makeover, I thought it would be fun if I could share here.  So today I'll move over and let my mum takeover with her makeover!!

After living with ‘drab’ plain navy curtains for over 10 years I decided in my wisdom that it was about time for a change!  Which colour, plain or with a design, readymade or make my own?  Decisions, decisions!  I had a good look on the internet and shopped locally in Belfast, Northern Ireland which resulted in a few options.  I couldn’t find anything that I really liked in any readymade ranges, so thought I’d have a go at sewing my own curtains and if I hadn’t gone mad in the process, possibly run up some cushions to compliment them. 

I found a fantastic shop with a nice easy to navigate web site called Mad About Fabrics http://www.madaboutfabrics.com/  which was just on the outskirts of Belfast in the Duncrue Industrial Estate.   Brilliant!!  On visiting the shop I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much choice of fabric in one place and excellent customer service too.  They had various Orla Kiely fabrics by the metre, which was nearly the fabric of choice! 

In the end, I decided on ‘Isla’ fabric in the colour Pewter from Porter and Stone http://www.porterandstone.co.uk/isla-collection  (£22.95 a metre).  Although described as classic Chenille Jacquard, it is by no means what I would have thought of as ‘old fashioned’ chenille, as it has a slightly distressed texture and is a nice weight for curtains so I thought this would make up well for a warm and cosy feeling in my living room.

When the assistant carried the large roll of fabric out to my car I was slightly concerned that I’d taken on more than I could chew and worried that the material was too thick to go through the sewing machine and could turn into a nightmare! 

Out came ‘Minty’ my trusty sewing machine from John Lewis (a gift from my daughter Nadine), which is currently on sale for £99 (20% off).  I needn’t have worried about any problems as this was a dream to sew and the pattern turned out great to use as a guide.   

I had ordered up an extra metre in case I felt a cushion coming on!  So, I made some cushions in a very easy pillow case type design with pompom edging purchased via EBay, how-to guide easily found on YouTube.

I also purchased via EBay some material with a fox design: Fryetts “Foxy Fox” in Teal to add a different element into the room and 2 plain cushions from TK Max, which I have always found to have good quality cushions and feather pads at a reasonable price.  Result – one awfully fancy living room and one very pleased seamstress!

To complete the room I have finished it off with a new coat of paint.  I used Dulux paint in Slate Grey, on two walls which was mixed by Dulux in Homebase to provide some extra protection against marks but still providing a nice matt finish.  I used Crown paint from their Period colours range in Palladian on the other two walls.

Guest blog post by Madeleine Scott - Nadine's mummy!

Here in the UK, we crafters browse longingly at the superstores in the US.  Prices are so low and they have all the nicest colours and patterns.  We are officially well jeal! 

I've found some lovely sellers here in Blighty though offering great products at good prices.  My best recommendations are normally from follow crafters on the UK based Facebook groups - I find them great communities to discuss all things crafty, especially suppliers. 

Over the next few weeks, I plan to share my favourite shops who are selling the best crafting products including:

• Paper and card in all it's glorious textures, finishes and colours
• Self-adhesive vinyl - including matte, gloss, glitter, chrome and frosted glass
• Heat transfer vinyl - including matte, flock, chrome, glitter, glow in the dark and reflective
• Clothing blanks such as onesies, hoodies and  t-shirts
• Accessories such as shopping, make up bags, mirrors and badges
• Acrylic - plaques, baubles, clocks and even cute clothes hangers

Please note, I have zero affiliation with these companies, with no benefits for posting my reviews, I just really like them :)

I was never really a candle person.  Until recently that is.   I blame my pal Lorna entirely for this.  Lorna loves snugly blankets and slippers, massages and of course, candles.  I went to a girls night at her house, in which she had a therapist doing treatments in her spare room.  We sat blethering in her conservatory when I noticed that she had seven, yes seven, candles in that room alone.  I teased her about this, but the shopper in me got to thinking.  We had just moved house and the renovation work had left rooms smelling dusty...

Now, I'm the kind of girl who throws herself whole-heartedly into a project, so became somewhat obsessed with researching the best candles.  Suitably briefed, I toddled off to town for some intensive olfacting.

Neom Happiness  £30 - 35 hours burn time.  I received this as a birthday pressie from Lorna, the girl who started all this candle madness off in the first place.   Neom is a luxurious British brand that focusses on organic, aromatherapy ingredients.  The Happiness blend is white neroli, mimosa and lemon.  The burns very evenly and fills the room with a beautiful classy spa smell.  9/10

Diptyque Baies £20 - 30 hours burn time.  I was rather intimidated by this fashionista brand, which is all Karl Lagerfeld this, Anna Wintour that.  I decided however, that it would be remiss of me to miss this out in my round-up, so bought a mini Baies candle - Rose and Blackcurrant leaves.  Is it nice?  Yes.  Is it worth all the hype?  Not in my opinion. 7.5/10

Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt £42 - 45 hours burn time.  Jo Malone is the name in candles, so I braced the Edinburgh howling wind and rain yesterday to procure a candle for this review.  I'm  so good to you guys!!  It comes in a fancy-smancy box, all ribboned up and I like that the candle has a nice shiny lid.   The fragrance is a nice, cosy evening smell which is airing on the masculine side.  8.5/10

Ecoya Vanilla Bean / Coconut and Elderflower £15 - 18 hours burn time.  I bought my pal Christine the Vanilla Bean candle and her feedback was good, but not quite as good as Jo Malone.  I received the Coconut and Elderflower one from Lorna, this time for Christmas.  The dinky size ensured a lovely even burn and the pretty pot as now been happily re-purposed.  I think my only criticism of this luxury Australian brand is that all the of fragrances air a little too much on the sweet side for me.  7.5/10

Paddywax Cucumber and Basil  candle £15 with 60 hours burn time are my ultimate favourites from an American company available from John Lewis.  I love the smell and they burn well.  Soy candles have a lower melting point so have negligible black soot and throw the scent better.  They are also better for your lungs.   My only gripe is the rustic, recycled packaging, which isn't my style, although I recently bought another candle from this brand in a nice Japanese style bowl.  John Lewis currently have  a curated, boutique range called Loved & Found and they have included smaller sized Paddywax tins that burn for 15 hours for only £5.  9/10

Molton Brown Mulberry & Thyme £36 about 60 hours burn time.  I admit that I bought the range mainly due to its pretty glacier green colour that matches our bedroom.  Luckily, I'm a big fan of crisp and fresh citrus smells, so I enjoy the candle very much.  I also plan to use the glass jar for my make-up brushes once the candle has run out. 8.5/10

Orla Kiely Basil and Mint £20 up to 50 hours burn time.  I love Orla Kiely's retro patterns and this candle is very cute with the iconic stem print.  It comes with a little beer mat type coaster for heat protection.  The fragrance is nice ,however the candle tunnels quite badly, so I need to use a tin foil collar to remedy. 7/10

Fired Earth Peppermint Tea and Thyme £20 - 55 hours burn time.  I bought this candle in smaller 35 hour tin from Waitrose, but the internet denies all knowledge of this product's existence!  Not particularly impressed with this one, as it didn't throw the scent and I had to work hard to stop it tunnelling 4/10 

House of Fraser Linea Candles £15 - 50 hours burning time.  I got loads of these in the 70% off sale, gifting some to Christine for 'candle homework'.  We were both hugely disappointed.  There are designed as dupes of Jo Malone, but they tunnel badly and have barely any smell at all.  Only plus is that I use the lids on other candles  1/10

True Grace Vine Tomato £16 - 40 hours burn time.  My foodie friend Linh bought me this candle many years ago.  It languished unused until I dusted it down following my candle renaissance.  Somewhat incongruously, the scent exactly matches the fuzzy green vine of a tomato plant so it's great for the kitchen.  It appears that this is the marmite of candles, my pals either love or hate it. 8/10

St Eval Bay and Rosemary £9 - 45 hours burn time.  I love the smell of rosemary in cooking so opted for this candle without testing from eBay after hearing great things about the Cornish brand.  I'm not so keen on the smell, but Robbie liked it, well as much as he likes any candle.  I wish more places sold this brand, as I'd like to test their other candles and hopefully find one that I like better.  5/10

H&M Birchwood £7.99 - 40 hours burn time.  I didn't expect this candle to be particular great, but I have a weakness for shiny copper things for our spare room (see my Blushing Over Copper post).  The fragrance reminded me of my favourite shower gel Silver Birch, which I think is technically for guys, by Molton Brown.  Sadly, my low expectations were proven correct, it was an absolutely terrible burn and scent didn't throw or last at all. 3/10

Woodwick Hearthwick Evening Bonfire £22.76 - 80 hours burn time.  This large boat shaped candle has a long wick that is supposed to crackle like a hearth.  I was torn, because it was exactly what I was after for our living room, but when I read reviews many people had trouble keeping it lit.  The candle was in and out of my basket many times, but in the end, the lady in the shop convinced me to give it a go on the promise of a refund if I didn't like it.  The crackling was oversold, it made some noise initially then it faded to a murmur.  The smell was nice and cosy.  The tin foil collar was a must to prevent tunnelling, which was a shame as the candle should have been a focal point. 6.5/10

You'll notice that Yankee candles are not mentioned here.  It suffices to say I'm not a big fan.  I'm sure there are nice options in their huge range, but my experience to date has found they often smell quite artificial.

It is important that during the initial burn, the wax pool reaches the edges.  Otherwise, the next few burns will likely burrow down the centre of the jar, rather than across.  This burn pattern, once established, is difficult to rectify.  If a wick has been chosen that isn't adequate for the candle diameter, it will tunnel regardless of how well you follow guidelines, so smaller votives and multi-wick candles can be a good choice.  A general rule of thumb is to allow 1 hour burn time per inch of diameter for the first burn.

Before every burn, trim the wick to about half a centimetre to stop it from smoking.

If you snuff or blow the candle out it will smoke.  Instead, I take a long metal skewer that I got in a set from the pound shop and dunk the lit wick into the liquid wax.  This method  causes no smoke and also primes the wick with wax ready for the next time you trim and light it.

To prevent tunnelling, or to remedy it, I'm a big fan of the tin foil fix.

A long lighter, also procured from Poundland, is great to stop your fingers getting burnt.

More tips for the super keen here.

Wax melts, or wax tarts, are little lumps of wax without a wick.  They are designed to be used in a wax warmer, which as far as I can gather, is pretty much the same as an essential oil burner.  There are electric ones available too, which is nice as it stops the worry of having a naked flame.  I like the idea that these are a lot smaller so different smells can be sampled. 

I popped a little chunk of this  WoodWick mini melt into an empty metal cup from a tea light  and sat it near our new bio ethanol fire.  The heat from the fire melted the wax and gave a lovely smell of burning logs.  The mini melt cost just £1.89 and it will fill a few tea light cups, so I count this as a super bargain!

Pound shops are popping up everywhere at the moment. I resisted shopping at them for ages assuming everything was rubbishy tat. Don't get me wrong, the tat quota is high, but I've found some gems, in particular for crafting.

The Poundland card is great, it's a nice and bright white colour, prints well and cuts really cleanly with the Silhouette Cameo.

They also do a set of metallic adhesive paper that I use for cards, stickers and stencils.

If you guys have any bargain finds, I'd love to hear!