It's a craft affair

Could be an interesting event to get your craft fix. They have designer crafts, clothes and jewellery and yummy cup cakes. (Well I'm hoping they're yummy) Plus lots of other crafty things apparently.
Sat 26th September, Old Queens Head, Islington.
Who fancies joining me?

The blue mug

Here it is! I was one of the first people in the office this morning and had pick of the mugs from the kitchen cupboard. So, please admire it, set against a backdrop of an image of goldfish in a tropical tank. 

I have realised it's also the size of this mug that appeals. The bigger the better to provide a never ending supply of yummy hot tea. Apart from tea cups and saucers, which are also a big favourite of mine. But I'll leave that for another entry and some more pictures.

My favourite mug

Those that know me well, know I am a BIG tea drinker. Love the stuff. Can't get enough of it. Classic English Breakfast is my brew of choice. Favourite bagged brand is PG Tips with semi-skimmed milk. I enjoy the ritual of making a big pot of tea all to myself and really got into loose tea whilst at home over the summer.

At work I consume probably at least three cups in the morning and love getting my favourite mug from the kitchen cupboard at work.

 

The pretty floral design just brightens up my day, even though it is fading from the harshness of the dishwasher. 

Since my return to work after months off I have also noticed a pretty blue mug has appeared in the kitchen cupboard. I try to nab that one if I can (pic to follow when I can). You see, I have an aversion to drinking out of black or very dark mugs. Not that I would be so churlish as to refuse a black mug if someone has made me a cup of tea but it does lessen the enjoyment ever so slightly.

Does anyone else take such pleasure in their daily cups of tea?

Bestival

The wash out that was last year's Bestival made the sunshine on the Isle of Wight at the weekend that bit sweeter. 

I was so glad I had made the effort to get on the island, although it was pretty easy with a lift from the lovely Katie. It was great to spend some time with Sam, it had been a while since we had seen each other, and just to relax. 

The creativity had been flowing amongst the festival goers. The site was a plethora of silver and gold, and sparkles and glitter. 

The artists had made an amazing effort in dressing up to the theme. In terms of the music, Florence (from Florence and the Machine) was a big favourite, although feel some of the power and impact of her set, and that which makes her so magical, is lost in these big outdoor gigs. I have seen her three times now, my favourite still being in the small tent at Bestival last year to 300 people, where she just let go! 

Jack Penate was also a treat, although what the hell he was wearing who knows. It was some poncho like item displaying a sea of colours. I later read that he hadn't had much time to organise an outfit. Some excuse. (Whoops that's mine).

Photographs to follow when I can get them from that boyfriend of mine.

creative block

Bestival is looming fast and I've failed again. Failed that is to make/buy/borrow/steal a show-stopping costume to wow at this year's festival. The theme is Outer Space but with returning to work after 3 months off and just generally coping with being back in London (see my other blog http://bravebadger.blogspot.com/), I've not had the time nor energy to create something wonderful. And I don't want to go as something out of Star Trek.

So, I think I may be limited to a silver sparkly dress, silver tights, false eyelashes and a big smile. I may try and get creative with some tin foil and stars.

Tonight I will be packing my stuff together. I am too scared, after last year's wash out to believe the weather forecast, so will still be including wellies, waterproofs and anything else that will keep me dry and keep me happy/sane. Getting pretty excited now!! Whoop whoop.

Colourscape

As promised, here are some pics from Colourscape, the White Blackbird event held at Stoke Place on Friday 28 August. What do you think of the dress? I love it. Although unsure as to when I'll have the occasion to wear it again.

     

 The venue, Stoke Place

     

Colourful couple

            

  

We didn't once lose Adam (yes, the one in the bright suit)

The shop has a name and website

I have discovered, after googling the name on the tag in my new vintage dress, that the store I bought it from is called Berty and Gerty. This vintage delight all began on a market stall in Brick Lane where art graduates, Mark Wearn and Emma Drew, brought their favourite items to East London's vintage customers. Its success and cult following meant they were able to open the Berty and Gerty boutique in 2006.

Summer 2007 saw the launch of their online boutique. Check it out, but I do recommend a visit to the shop itself if you can...

http://www.bertyandgerty.co.uk

Berty & Gerty,
69 The West Yard,
Camden Lock Market,
London,
NW1 8AF

It's open every day 10-6pm and they have deliveries every week.

Shop of the week

Yumchaa - Enjoy a variety of loose leaf teas in their tea shop, with a slice of yummy homemade cake or brownie. Or grab a take-away cup and sip joyously as you explore the delights of Camden Market


http://www.yumchaa.co.uk/

Vintage Shopping

Today I indulged in a bit of retail therapy. I had a special dress to buy and this purchase deserved a little bit of effort. So, not wanting to go to the usual Oxford St haunts; 'Topshop, Miss Selfridge, French Connection' etc., I stayed on my (boyfriend's) doorstep and shopped Camden Market. It was a pleasant morning; the sun was shining and I had all the time in the world. I checked out a new Sue Ryder clothing charity shop - 'Retro and Vintage' on Parkway. It had some nice vintage dresses, but nothing 'glam' enough for the event I'm going to:

http://www.thewhiteblackbird.com/

I then walked to Camden High St to return to Traid, a new charity clothing store. Traid stands for Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development. Traid aims to provide an alternative to the high street by offering stylish and good-quality second hand clothes to the UK mass. The Camden store has a particularly good vintage section too. On my first visit last week I tried on a beautiful floaty Armani number, with detailed beading. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling that well, so instead of snapping it up for its £30 price tag, I put the dress back. Needless to say, it wasn't there on my return. Nor was there anything else that satisfied my requirements; glamorous vintage and colourful,

http://www.traid.org.uk/retail.html

I then headed to my desired destination, the vintage clothing store I had spied the week before. Sam and I went to a specialist tea shop I'd read about in the market called Yum Chaa and whilst sipping my Chai tea and sharing an apple cake, I had noticed this potential treasure chest.

And what a treasure chest it turned out to be! I found a beautiful turquoise one shoulder, drop waisted, floor length dress, with pink peep toe court heels for some much needed height. Perfect for my Colourscape. Plus, I couldn't resist the 'little red riding-hood' style cape, navy with the red lining and bow. It's an A/W must have.

Pictures of the dress to follow next weekend.

Expressing my own creativity

August 2009

You may remember last September I went on a two day dress making course, only to finish it with half a dress. I promised myself I would buy a sewing machine to finish it. Well, 8 months later I finally bought one! Yes, am proud owner of a beautiful machine. And, with a little (okay a lot) of help from a friend of Mum's, the dress is complete.


I have already bought material to make another. Lets hope it doesn't take me so long this time.

(And yes, I'm pretty pleased with it!)

Handmade and vintage treats

If you have a spare couple of hours, you could do a lot worse than browsing www.etsy.com, a US site buying and selling handmade and vintage items. I have my eye on a this really cute red vintage dress.

They ship to the UK and for pretty reasonable prices. Happy shopping!

YourLocal London

A friend sent me a link to YourLocal London and I immediately looked up Tooting (yes, that's where I live unfortunately). It's a good little site that tells you what's new/happening in your area, as well as the local businesses and a chat forum to ask locals questions. Not only that you can also buy and sell your house through the site, avoiding those annoying estate agents and their fees.

I think it's run by yummy mummies, with some areas looking for local editors. Worth checking out your neighbourhood - you never know, someone famous may live next door. Jimmy White still pots some balls in my neighbourhood.

The sewing project

Just to let everyone know I've not forgotten my sewing project; it's just been put on the back burner for a while. I will have some time this summer to finish the dress I started on my weekend course last September (god that's ages ago)...so watch this space. (And yes, I still need to buy that sewing machine - if anyone has a second hand machine going spare let me know!).

Times are hard, everyone's a swapping

Not long after attending my first Swap It and Tidy Up session I was invited to join a new website via facebook. Normally fairly suspicious of facebook invites as it involved fashion and shopping I decided to take a look and found it quite an interesting concept.

www.covertcandy.co.uk takes advantage of the current economic situation, customers are invited to trade clothes and accessories with no money being exchanged. It is all about credits, earning and spending them online to update and transform your wardrobe, regardless of the size of your bank balance.

All very well if you have anything worth swapping. I did notice, as with Swap It and TidyUp a considerable number of items from that well known high street stores - Primark - featuring.

Primark aside, I think I'm going to give it a go. Although, at this rate I'm going to run out of clothes to swap - I think I gave away all my good stuff a bit too eagerly at the first Swap It and TidyUp, but with a little discipline, this could all be the way forward in 2009.

Swap-It and Tidyup

I attended the first Swap-it and tidyup at The Hideaway in Archway the other week. Having been privy to the plans a few months before, I was nevertheless impressed at the effort that went into what I thought would just be the swapping of a few bits and bobs between friends.

The admittedly too dark basement of The Hideway bar located on Junction Road between Archway and Tufnell Park tubes, was decked out with rails, tables and boxes crammed with tops, dresses, shoes, shirts, bags..the list goes on. A full length mirror had been thoughtfully placed at one end, with homemade chocolate cake, banana cake, and the highlight...fairy cakes with skittles on top, at the other end. Was it really only £2 entry fee?

Having initially been nervous that I may lose friends, rather than come away with new ones, in a scrum of elbows and flying handbags whilst desperately trying secure the best items, I needn't have worried. The event was calmly led by Jossie and Rachel on the mic, telling us when we could get our first, then second, third etc items, with time allowed for anyone wanting the same item to have a 'swap off'. Each person had been given a label with the number of items they had brought, allowing them to leave with the same number. All's fair in love and fashion (war).

The Hideaway serves delicious pizzas, making this a perfect way to break up your week, chat to friends, enjoy a drink and come away with some (actually quite nice) new items. I am very happy with my Ollie and Nic gold purse and summer sandles. I just hope this turns into a quarterly event, giving me time to find some new items to swap it and tidy up.

If you're interested in finding out when the next event is contact:

swapitandtidyup@hotmail.co.uk

New Year, New Resolutions

I don't think it's even worth wasting time with excuses for being so rubbish towards the end of last year with my blog.

Just to fill you in on the end of 2008, I did go to a Christmas Design Eco Fair on Brick Lane and realised that whilst it may be recycled, recyclable or whatever but I'm not sure I'm ready to embrace the eco friendly world of fashion just yet. So, the following week when we headed to East London, we stayed within the comforts of Spitalfields markets for our Christmas shopping.

I saw in 2009 in a cute vintage 20s style dress I got at a vintage shop in Greenwich the weekend before Christmas. It was my first trip to Greenwich and I loved it. A lovely mix of park, cafes and cute shops (I'll ignore the dodgy market we didn't quite make all the way round). The great string of pearls (Top Shop no less) that Mum (sorry santa) gave me for Christmas went perfectly with the dress. Photos to follow when I can face looking at them again.

The most exciting thing about Christmas was the cash I was given by my lovely parents to purchase a sewing machine of my own. I will have some time on my hands in February, so I plan to purchase one and finish that dress! In the meantime I'm looking for some warm PJs to get me through this cold spell.