Mighty fine mini festival

The other day Frocktasia & Wunderbar Vintage rolled out their rails at the first ever Sunday Mini Festival at The Finsbury. Our lovely pal Mike who was organizing the event had put together an awesome line-up of live bands and solo artists.

Thankfully we got to pitch up outside. I think I would have died indoors.

It was another scorcher of  a day so quite understandably many people decided to hit the park rather than the pub thus customers were rather thin on the ground during the first part of the day.

I was meant to be organizing the vintage market but in all honesty it was Leslie that did most of the organizing, she worked out the floor plan before we even got there, brought all the rails & trestle tables. 

She's is a superstar and the best market buddy anyone could ever wish for. 

I'd been busy making love-beads in the run up to the market & I was giving these away with every purchase. They resulted in lots of smiles, kind words and even hugs & kisses...love-beads indeed ;)

 My bargain case attracted lots of attention as per usual. I love it when someone is rummaging and all of a sudden their eyes light up cause they've found something they really like for cheaps.

Leslie's gorgeous friend Rachel popped by and hung out for a bit. 

 Leslie had brought some of her Leslie Works handmade wares too. I absolutely love these vintage button & zipper bracelets.

 I love her steampunk collars too, made from vintage lace and trims...

Meg and Bridget having a wee rummage and Mike having his fortune told  by Step Drey  who also happens to be a fabulously talented photographer ;)

 Around four o'clock the trickle of customers turned into a wee flurry as the sun-drunk park revelers, billed artists & their fans started to rock up. Leslie and I switched from enjoying the sun mode to trader mode and managed to make some people very happy with our vintage, retro and handmade wares.

The frock I wore yesterday has actually never had an outing on home soil before. It is the first thing to hit my suitcase when we holiday abroad. I call it my 'Tropical Rose' frock cause it's been with me to the tropics three times. The fabric features a finely perforated  pattern which is perfect for the weather we are having in the UK at the moment. The frock is by Ken Scott who is often referred to as the "Fashion Gardener" because of his trademark use of bold prints and vibrant colours.

Here's the frock in action abroad...

Pitching up alongside us was Antonio Alfaro Sanchez, on-the-spot poet extraordinaire :)

It is probably not a very common thing here in the UK to have to delay something due to good weather but unfortunately the glorious sunshine on Sunday did the indoor goings on of the mini festival no favors whatsoever. Therefore Mike decided to start the live performances a bit later than billed to allow an audience to build up for the acts. It is a very hard task indeed to try and convince people to go indoors when there is a nice late afternoon breeze in the air.

Before anyone took to the stage we were treated to some heavenly harp magic courtesy of  gorgeous Louisa Duggan and then Raff  kicked off the live music on stage followed by Katie Maddox...

 The vintage market started packing up at half seven so we sadly I missed out on the performances of Burton Bradstock and The New Burn. I handed the camera to Mike so that he could snap a few pics. Comparing the event was Andrew Hobbs and there was also some awesome poetry by Stephen Purbeck Howarth.

We were finished packing up just in time to enjoy the amazing Meg Cavanaugh with her awesome band of  (as she puts it in her bio) seasoned musicians. 

On the keyboard rocking a top from Frocktasia and a Bambie pendant from Wunderbar Vintage Miss Bridget Walsh ;)

Then it was time for Mike, Jozef and Simon to hit the stage...

Super Full Moon

 Needless to say they were brilliant :)

Completing the awesome Sunday Mini Festival line-up were the bonkers good Super Hero Jam...  

It was a really cracking event, I got to hang out with some of my favourite people, peddle my wares and enjoy great music...can it get any better than that?!

It seems to have gone down well with the venue as well as Mike has already booked another date for September, so if you didn't make it this time there will be another opportunity.

The Mini Festival will be back and next time it will be even bigger, bolder and better, yay!

Today Mark had the day off so at lunchtime we sauntered up to the park and lazed about in the shade, had some food, drank some low alcohol cider and did some cloud-spotting.

 Not that there were many clouds to spot ;)

Mark fell asleep and I took some photos of trees, insects and daisies for a bit. Then when I got bored I rudely roused my sleeping beauty and after playing "cherry pip" for a bit we went to feed the ducks who  were swimming around in spinach soup.

Cherry Pip: 

Hold onto the corners of a folded blanket

Put a cherry pip in the middle

Launch the pip into the air and try to catch it again

...one of life's little pleasures ;)

We've got a new friend. Meet Mr. White. He's got something wrong with his wing, poor thing  :(

 Today I cheekily nabbed a frock from the stockroom, just because I can...

Trippy Hippie frock, floppy straw hat, sunnies (car boot sale), scarf (pressie from mum), Vintage button and zipper bracelet (gift made by Leslie Works), Frocktasia love-bead bracelet, vintage necklaces, earrings and copper bangles (from all over the place).

I'll love you and leave you with Opus III, enjoy :)

Hope you also had a mighty fine weekend and an awesome start to the week.

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Attack of the pocket sized puppy

Yesterday I told you of how the summer breeze scuppered the outfit pics.

Today it was something else that threw a spanner in the works, a very tiny dog shaped spanner!

There I was leaning against a tree, trying to look all wistful and romantic when out of no where a tiny critter lunged itself onto my lap. I howled like a banshee cause I didn't know what the heck it was at first. The owner laughed her ass off as did I once I realized that I wasn't being attacked by a killer squirrel.

Fun and larks in the park, that's what summer should be all about.

My lovely mum sent me another two of these awesome crochet tops the other day. Another white one and this fabulous green one...

70s floral print maxi skirt labelled Richard Shops (car boot sale), 80s sunnies (eBay), Floppy straw hat (car boot sale), brass bangles, Frocktasia silk headband & horse-brass necklace, 80s Pierre Cardin sandals (charity shop), Crochet top (from mum). 

The park larking continued with much sprightliness after the dog incident. I was spinning so much I made myself dizzy and had to sit down before I fell down.

I love going barefoot in the park, it is one of life's little pleasures :)

A few weeks ago Sam of Tangled Wigs and Natasha came to my house to shoot some pics for a feature in the summer issue of Tangled Magazine. I was chuffed to bits when I was asked to contribute and needless to say I jumped at the chance. The feature was to be about music festival style created with Sam's fabulous wigs and Frocktasia's retro & vintage threads. 

For some one like myself, who hasn't got a wild mane of natural locks, wigs have always been a true blessing. It is impossible for me to grow my hair beyond shoulder length cause it gets all ratty and I end up making it even thinner when I try to brush out the inevitable knots. I can't wear a fringe either cause my hair is too fine and I've got a high forehead, so I just end up looking like Gregor Fisher's The Baldy Man. Thanks to wigs I've been able to wear the hair of my dreams and create looks that would never have been possible otherwise. 

If I was to go to a huge music festival where I couldn't wash my hair for days, I would definitely pack a few wigs. Not only in order to hide my ratty tresses underneath but to be able to rock looks that rival those of the glampers. I'd probably bring a few different styles so that I could channel a different persona each day.

For the feature I styled four quintessential festival-goer looks, Sam styled four stunning Tangled Wigs to team them with and Natasha did a great job modelling.

Here are some of my favourite pics from the day...

Sam has got some awesome wig styling tutorials on her website. Creating a funky up-do like this one is easier than you may think.

80s Stones Tee that I nabbed from my dad many moons ago, Leather cut-offs from a pair of trousers that I bought at a car boot sale for a song, 80s Wrangler boots (vintage dealer friend), 80s silk scarf  & sunnies (car boot sale).

I am hankering for this stunning 'Woman of the Ghetto' wig from the Happy Feelins' Collection.

Stunning Afghan kuchi dress that is currently up for grabs on my rail for £35, coinbelt worn as headdress (car boot sale), 90s crushed velvet boots (charity shop), 70s camera bag (car boot sale).

Dream hair!? 

I'd like one in every colour please :)

90s customized camo jacket currently on my rail for £20, customized cut-offs currently on my rail for £12, 90s buckle boots (charity shop), beaded bralet (market), Handmade African necklace which was a gift from my lovely mum.

Mark kindly lent us his guitar to use as a prop. Come on Natasha give us a song ;)

70s Indian tapestry wrap skirt (car boot sale), Suede fringed bralet (originally Topshop but bought from the car boot sale), 90s necklace (gift from my sister), crochet headband (charity shop in Sweden), Balinese earrings (gift from Vix).

The brilliant new issue of Tangled Magazine has just become available to enjoy on-line so you can pop over and have a wee read of it right now folks.

I was enormously flattered when Sam asked me if I'd like to contribute to the next issue too. I have so many ideas, you would not believe...for me wigs and vintage threads are a match made in heaven.

Today I will leave you with one of my favourite songs by Massive Attack, enjoy ;)

Happy Friday peeps!

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

A Satisfied Mind

The weather here in London has been absolutely delightful of late and I quite literally live on the balcony at the moment. When it gets too hot out there I grab a blanket and hit the park as there is usually more of a breeze going on there. Yesterday I sat stitching little bags for my stall and today I was making love-beads for The Mini Festival this Sunday. I've sorted out my rail already and have even managed to complete a stock preview folder on my FB page. I'm feeling rather on top of things for once but it won't last, I'm far too much of a flapping flibbertigibbet ;)

I hadn't seen the geese for a few days but they were there again today. The youngsters are starting to look like adults now, soon I won't be able to tell the difference. All that downy fluff is all but gone. When I get a few spare minutes I'll do a timeline with some of the pics I've taken of them over the past two or so months. 

There was a lovely cooling breeze in the park today...

African wax print dress, Handmade Kenyan belt, earrings (all from car boot sales),  80s Pierre Cardin sandals (charity shop), 80s sunnies (eBay) & Handmade African necklace that was a gift from my beloved mother.

...that completely scuppered the outfit pics ;)

The only bad thing about this weather is that my hair goes all funny. I may need to attack it with another dose of Henna before the weekend, either that or hide it under a hat.

This is actually what the majority of my outfit pics look like...the ones that end up on "the cutting room floor" that is ;)

Last Sunday I treated myself to a rare trip to the car boot sales and it was as if the vintage gems had just been accumulating in my absence awaiting my return. I could have bought so much more but it was hotter than an oven and I was really starting to struggle with my bag. Everyone else is canny as a fox, bringing along  trolleys and even wheelie suitcases but alas not I. Anyway I had just about spent all my cash after bagging the lot below and I couldn't wait to get back home to put my feet up and relax on the balcony.

When is the best time to bag an autumn/winter coat?

On a baking hot day in the height of summer of course, when no sane person is buying them cause then you can usually take the haggle highway straight to bargain city.

I was over the moon to bag this gorgeous vintage 70s rust coloured chenille coat in near mint condition and this awesome ornately embroidered Moroccan burgundy velvet caftan gown...

This is the rest of my amazing-zing car booty looty... 

Vintage 70s psychedelic print maxi dress made in Germany and a wedding worthy frock labelled Pat Farrell for Fiona Dresses...

 Two stunning maxi frocks by Jean Varon. I'm starting to build up quite a collection of Varon frocks now...

 Two 60s/70s swimsuits, the psychedelic one is labelled Twenka and the floral one is by Berlei...

 Amazingly voluminous nylon ruffle petticoat made in the US. I've been after one of these for an absolute age and I bagged this from my vintage trader pal who was there to offload some of her awesome stock...

80s Liberty of London silk scarf that was lurking at the bottom of a £1 bargain box...

I can't wait to wear a couple of the frocks at some point. I am currently taking stock of all my vintage dresses and if you are interested in having a wee peek I have made a folder on my FB page entitled Frocktasia's Vintage Wonderland. It is no where near finished yet but I'll get there eventually.

I'll leave you with one of my all-time favorite singer songwriters Jeff Buckley, enjoy :)

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Hot in the city

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 ;)

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx