Our dear friend Leslie of The Dandy Lion Market came up from London for a wee break and Mark and I both volunteered at the Commonwealth Games.
I did two days at the swimming events at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre here in Glasgow and Mark went across to do a day at the diving events held in Edinburgh.
We managed to cram a whole heap of fun stuff into seven days and enjoy the buzzing vibe of positivity that the streets of Glasgow have been awash with during the eleven days of the games.
I absolutely loved being a part of the games and even if the days were pretty long, starting at 7.30am and finishing off at around eleven at night, we had an absolute blast.
Here I am with Chris, Tom and Chris outside Aquatron.
We all got kitted out in the official games volunteering clobber.
The events passed without incident so I didn't actually have to don my scuba gear and get in the water.
One of the judges accidentally dropped a pen in the pool but we were not called upon for that as it was quickly retrieved by a lifeguard.
The Australian team were amazing and swam home a motherload of medals.
Sadly there were no Scottish gold medals won on the two days I was there, so I never got to hear Flower of Scotland.
Personally I prefer this version with Kenneth McKellar...
Gie it Laldy!
It was billed as The Friendly Games and it truly was.
I haven't been in a place filled with so much positivity since the last time I went to a rave.
I would do it again at the drop of a hat!
I think it was a perfect time for Leslie to enjoy Glasgow too, even if Mark and I had to work a lot.
We still managed to have the obligatory drunken night out, visit the Gallery of Modern Art, a funky Pam Hogg exhibition/pop-up shop and a wee trip to the seaside.
Leslie and Mark at The Crystal Palace where we also hooked up with some visiting relatives from down south.
Matt & Leslie battled it out with cues at The Solid Rock Cafe.
Leslie with Clyde at Central Station.
The Pam Hogg exhibition and pop-up shop.
A wee trip to Irvine Beach Park.
It's all back to business as usual for a few days now before we head off for another adventure.
This summer has got to go down as one of the best ones in my life so far, I am loving every minute of it!
I will love you and leave you with an amazing tune that is having me dancing around the house at the moment and lusting for a pair of red jazz trainers...
I can't believe it is March already, time is speeding past like Jay Kay in a Koeningsegg One:1.
At least it is speeding towards lighter and warmer times.
Today I've been busy adding more stock to the Frocktasia etsy shop. My target is two hundred items before the end of the month, so I've got a few days of hardcore work still ahead of me. I'm trying to coordinate my online selling activities in with my market outings, so any stock that is featured in a market preview and doesn't sell on the day can go straight onto etsy. So I'm having plenty of photo session with Barbara before the markets and then getting stuck into editing, taking measurement, writing descriptions and finally bringing it all together into a listing after. Online selling is a whole heap of work but it is also were you reach the largest number of potential customers, so it simply has to be done.
I would love to be able to survive on doing markets alone but it's just not feasible, especially since I don't have my own transport & even if I did, I'd have to learn how to drive it first.
Speaking of markets, last Sunday we were back at the fabulous Little Birds Market at Sloans...
Frocktasia's stall at Little Birds Market.
Mark and I absolutely adore this market. It is very easy for us to get to in the morning, (just a five minute walk to the station then a twenty minute train ride and another five minute walk) when you are weighed down like a Himalayan Sherpa, stuff like that really matters. Sloans is situated slap bang in the middle of Glasgow and the Little Birds team headed by the very lovely Vicki work their tail-ends off to get people through the doors. We had some fabulous customers on Sunday. My heart always skips a beat when someone comes back from the powder room with a smile on their face, hands over the garment and goes " Can I have that please"...I love it!
We had Curtise's identical frock twin on our rail on the day , it didn't sell so it will be joining the other frocks over in my etsy shop.
A couple of weeks ago we were at another market called Granny Would Be Proud and there we were delighted to meet the gorgeous Jenni of Retro Rainbow Vintage, a fellow vintage lover and trader based near Glasgow. Jenni started selling vintage online when she fell pregnant five years ago and haven't looked back since. She runs a very successful eBay store and does the rounds on the Glasgow market and fair scene. On Saturday we are both doing Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair held at Glasgow University Union and Jenni, being the very experienced & professional seller she is, has already posted her preview folder on the events page. I on the other hand have only half-arsed sorted my stock out. I'm sure I'll get up to speed at some point in the hopefully not too distant future. At the moment it pretty much nonstop GO GO GO!
Jenni and her rail vintage fabulousness. On the day she was wearing the most exquisite blouse by Gunne Sax, she has an expert eye for a stunning vintage garment this girl.
This was me on Sunday morning en route to Little Birds wearing the same old dress that I wore to our first ever Dandy Lion Market a year ago.
I'm looking very anemic, bring on the spring sun!
Leslie is doing a special Mother Appeal fundraising edition of The Dandy in partnership with Oxfam on the 22nd of March, so if you happen to be in London that day do pop along, I can highly recommend a visit.
Tomorrow Mark and I are heading up to the storage unit to pick up some fresh threads for Judy's on Saturday and then I'll be flat out prepping for the event, I am so looking forward to it.
Hope you are all doing grand folks.
I'll love you and leave you with the amazingly talented Meat Loaf...
Last Saturday saw the 'Summer Fun' edition of The Dandy Lion Market and Frocktasia was there with a rail full of frocking fabulousness. We've finally got some proper summer weather here in the UK so Erik really had his work cut out trying to tempt the passersby to come indoors.
As per usual Leslie had rounded up a tremendous line-up of fabulous sellers.
To kick off the monthly Dandy post proceedings I give you the lovely Cathy of The Origami Boutique...
Cathy makes beautiful and very eye-catching one of a kind origami jewellery and greetings cards. You may very well be thinking that jewellery made out of paper would not last, especially in a usually rain sodden country like the UK but because of this Cathy chooses her materials meticulously and uses a water resistant finish on all her creations to ensure their durability. She even conducted a home experiment some time ago which involved submersing one of her stunning Full Moon rings in water for a week and lo & behold it did the origami no harm. To keep abreast with what's going down in the world of The Origami Boutique why not like their FB page.
Up next is mother and daughter team Richardson & Richardson who make the most stunning and unique laser-cut keepsake cards for every occasion and funky perspex jewellery. The cards are made from lightweight birch wood and each feature a beautiful design. They also do customized items such as wedding guest books available to order from their esty shop. I was mesmerized by a funky pair of pink piggy earrings on their stall. Why not give them a virtual round of applause for their amazing creative skills by liking their FB page.
The next stall was shared in-between two friends trading as 'Iris and the Moon' and 'Booreki Designs'. At the moment I can't find a website or FB page for either but will update if I do. The stall featured a wonderful pick'n'mix of fresh & funky one of a kind jewellery, cards and original artwork...
I met Lionheart Stationers a couple of weeks ago when we both did The Dandy Lion Pop-up at The Kentish Town Carnival. Primarily they specialize in hand illustrated and bespoke stationary but after sourcing some beautiful fabrics at a recent trip to India they decided to branch into designing beautiful handmade clothes as well. You can peruse their creative wares in their well stocked etsy shop. I was utterly beguiled with this awesome one of a kind jumpsuit and if you are quick off the mark you can bag it for less than £30 in their summer sale.
Annemarie of Bordello Chic loves to roam the world and is always hunting down fabulous materials and fabrics on her travels to make unique scatter cushion covers, shawls and one of a kind jewellery when she gets back to London. How quirky and cute is that little doll necklace...
Who have we here?
That'll be Frocktasia's stall then ;)
I was chuffed to bits when a lovely customer that I first met at the Kentish Town Carnival came back to peruse my rail once more and bought a vintage 70s does 50s Berkertex frock. Despite it being hotter than Honolulu on Saturday (I just made that up, it probably wasn't) Frocktasia had a very good days trading. Frocks and bags proved popular and my bargain suitcase was a tremendous success. I will be replenishing it with loads more vintage & retro goodies for next Sunday's Mini Festival at The Finsbury and I am pleased as punch to also announce that my bestie Leslie (Wunderbar Vintage & Leslie Works) will be there trading on the day too, it'll be fun, fun, fun on a bun!
Lovely Annemarie of She's Got It Made traded at the very first Dandy that Frocktasia was at back in March. Her delightful cats and owls made from fabulous vintage & retro fabrics can't help but to put a smile on your face. She also makes beautiful one of a kind scatter cushions and tote bags. Annemarie travels to the market with a wicker basket full of her smaller soft toys and on Saturday she was approached by someone on the tube that couldn't wait to give a couple of her cats a new home, brilliant!
Maximiliano Dugnani is a very talented painter and photographer that fuses these two modes of artistic expression to great effect. On Saturday he was offering up a wonderful array of cards and prints of his awesome artwork.
Talented artist Merlin Glozier's work is a riveting mix of dark and haunting imagery. On Saturday she was selling prints of her work and you could even get her art on a T-shirt. There's an article featuring Merlin on DazedDigital should you wish to find out a little more about the artist and her work.
Forever beaming that lovely smile right at ya, lovely Mark of Gorgeous Jewellery. Easy on the pocket, cherry picked designer pieces, that's the name of the game. Mark is a font of knowledge when it comes to jewellery designers and is infectiously enthusiastic about his lovely wares. This month he'd introduced a small line of vintage jewellery adverts into the mix. These would be a fabulous addition to any vintage loving gals dressing table. Mark very kindly gifted me with another brilliant brooch by Jonette Jewellery, it's a stunning winged pegasus and I put it on straight away. I'll show it in my next post. Thank you so much Mark, you're simply the best!
Next up is lovely Leslie, the dynamic dynamo behind it all, the fabulous founder of The Dandy Lion Market. Not only does she skillfully organize, tirelessly promote and wholeheartedly host this brilliant event but she's also a magnificent trader too. Every month she rolls out a rail holding vast amounts of vintage and retro fabulousness and table full of vintage and handmade accessories not to mention her wicked scatter cushions. This month the scatter cushions stayed at home to allow a new addition to Leslie Works creations take center stage on the Chesterfield armchair, namely these funky soft toy ducks...
Next we have the lovely Kylie, the creative force behind Nautical Cactus. She makes contemporary jewellery from wood and fabulous printed tote bags. I loved her sugar skull brooches that she decorates using a pyrography tool. Kylie's stall looked awesome & perfectly summery...
Last month I couldn't link to Tilias Teas cause they didn't have a FB page yet but they do now and I just know that they'd be over the moon to get a few more likes on it. They were offering free sampling on the day. Tea in a heatwave...are you mad?! N'ah you see, these ladies are cannier than a pair of city foxes so they served up their gorgeous blends iced. I'm sure that in time they will make their delicious teas available for on-line purchase too.
Downstairs sharing the premium pitch we had two lovely vintage and retro aficionados...
Gorgeous Vinita with her groovy Retro Girl threads & wicked Rocket Girl vinyl and beautiful Alyson of Molly's Vintage bringing along an amazing array of fabulous vintage home-wares, kitchenalia & perfect for summer picnic baskets. I was sorely tempted to bag that awesome orange soda siphon, however I have nine in different colours already, so I decided to keep my money for a rare car boot sale jaunt the day after The Dandy instead. As I had Mark with me most of the day, I could saunter around the market for a bit and really have a look about and a good old rummage. Vinita has got some awesome stuff on her rails and if you are into the whole Twiggy, Swinging Sixties style you couldn't wish for a more perfect seller and stock. As I've mentioned before Vinita also runs an independent record label and will be hosting a record launch for a band called Eat lights Become lights at The Lexington on the 31st of this month.
Gorgeous Shonel of Solace Designs never ceases to amaze me with he creative output. Last month I was bowled over by her fabulous new leather chest plate collars and this month I almost fainted with delight when I saw the latest addition to her stock which she is beautifully modelling here...
There is something almost otherworldly and magical about these neck-pieces and I can think of a whole heap of frocks in the Frocktasia Vintage Wonderland that they would look stunning with. It would be an absolute treat to do a photo session incorporating these. Shonel, nudge nudge ;)
I think Shonel has an awesome creative vision and massive talent to boot.
Which one is your favourite? I simply can't decide, I love them all!
Afterwards a few of us stopped for a wee rest and a cooling drink outside The Oxford before battling on home on the bus in the warm summer evening.
So there you go, that was the July Dandy.
Leslie is taking a well deserved break in August so the next Dandy will happen on my birthday the 7th of September and it is entitled 'Back To School'...can't wait!
Yesterday I went to my first proper car boot sale for six months and came home laden with goodies which I will show you in another post cause I'm about ready to hit the park now.
Here's Billy Idol to sing us out, enjoy :)
Hope you all had a fantastic weekend and to any fellow UK residents I just want to say, don't forget to slap on the sunscreen guys ;)
Right now I'd love to ride out of town with hubby and a tent, hit the coast of Cornwall and just spend a month walking along the cliffs and feeding off the powerful natural energy that place holds.
In the summer I loathe living in a big city. I miss the sea, the sound of waves crashing onto the shore, the lovely smell of seaweed & taste of salt in the air.
This mornings walk to the post office assaulted my nasal passage with a stenchfest of feculence and decomposing scraps from the butcher. Often the street outside looks as if it's been cluster-bombed with dog turds and I find myself almost hopscotching in order to avoid all the filth. Retch-inducing mattresses (complete with piss stains and bedbugs) are just dumped in the street and left for days. The only slight refuge from reeking refuse is the park. Thank goodness for the park!
Thank goodness for its beautiful inhabitants that put a smile on my face every day.
This is Baby Grey that I've mentioned before but he's not so Baby anymore. He should be ready to try those pretty wings of his out soon, I'd love to be there to see it when it happens :)
Today I've been busy preparing my stock for this coming Saturday's Dandy Lion Market...
This month I decided to do something a little bit different and throw a few more separates and some funky 90s clobber into the mix as well. I've been making and revamping stuff for next Sunday's Mini Festival but I'll be bringing a few of the choice bits that I've made along to The Dandy, like this funky PVC leaf necklace/headdress...
I made an even bigger one for someone who likes to make a bold style statement and like me lacks a soft-pedal when it comes to dressing ;)
I got severe cramp in my fingers whilst hand-sewing all those individual leafs together but watching Black Books on YouTube made almost bearable.
Needless to say I'll also be bringing the usual medley of vintage & retro frocks. This one is a newbie on the rail...
Mark isn't working this weekend and has very kindly agreed to assist me on the day, so I'll be able to bring a few more bags and shoes as well.
I'll also be bringing some more of my handmade accessories too.
As I already mentioned I'm trying out some different stock on the rail this month, it's mostly late 80s/early 90s separates...
I would have killed for some of these pieces back in the day, that dead-stock bikini is amazing but I just wouldn't be able to do it justice...much like Madonna it simply demands a young body to cling on to.
I'm bringing a whole heap more but if you want to see the rest of it you'll just have to poodle along to The Dandy on Saturday ;)
To go with the 90s clobber here's Sabrina Johnston to sing us out with a euphorically happy tune, enjoy!
Happy Friday folks, hope you will have an extraordinarily good one.
