Peace and Dandy

 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.

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx 

Sail away

On Saturday I went up to The Boogaloo for the three year anniversary of the Can't Buy Me Love vintage jumble. As I wasn't trading myself I rocked up in the late afternoon just in time to have a wee rummage and help Leslie pack up so that we could have a few beers afterwards.

Leslie's stall was looking brilliant as per usual... 

I decided to snap the traders so that I could share them with you :)

Worn Label had some amazing 80s and 90s pieces on her rail. I was eyeing up a rather fabulous studded denim jacket but after a recent slew of eBay purchases I am now under strict 'No Buy' orders.

The Hostess Hotties did a fab array of jewellery and I really liked their funky display...

Janneke De Jong of Small-scale Samaritan was selling things for a song and even gave stuff away at the end of the day. This kitschtastic Dutch clog-boat lamp caught my eye and after Janneke told me that it was still in good working order I just knew I had to give it a new home...

Here's Jet who organizes CBML and her friend who makes all those delicious looking cakes. Jet is also behind the fabulous Muswell Hill Market and she also runs a little vintage shop in Muswell Hill that is open every Saturday from 11am till 5pm.

Unfortunately I have no link to the two funky ladies below but I was in awe with their fabulous wares and display skills. Doesn't that suitcase just look amazing, I wish my stall looked more like this...

When this awesome looking lady came through the doors I simply had to beg a photo of her and her amazing skirt. She told me that she had bought it from a trader at Notting Hill Market a few years ago, I love it! I also love coming across super stylin' women like this...

After we'd packed up Leslie's stall and sandwiched it all into Aiden's car we sat in The Boogaloo beer garden for a bit. Their two gorgeous pub cats are called Starsky and Hutch.

After The Boogaloo we went to Salisbury Hotel for a few and then Leslie and I continued up the road to The Finsbury which is were I'll be bringing out my fabulous Frocktasia rails in two weeks time at The Sunday Mini Festival.

We left The Finsbury when they closed by which time Leslie was reading the walls and I was just off-the-wall at this point, having had nothing to eat all day, just a mother-load to drink.

I felt absolutely rancid all day yesterday and couldn't even face eating until ten o'clock at night. I'm still feeling a bit fragile and have decided to make July a tee-total month. My body is telling me 'Detoxify or DIE'!

I figure listening to my body is the right thing to do, eh?!

I couldn't face taking any outfit pics today so this is what I wore last Friday...

A jumpsuit that I made from fabric that I bought in Krabi, Thailand back in 2010. You may recognize the design from an earlier post. Whilst on the subject of stuff that I've made, I finished this headdress on Saturday morning...

It was inspired by a childhood favourite book of mine, The Flowers' Festival by Elsa Beskow. I'm hoping to make a few more of these to bring along to next Saturday's Dandy Lion Market. Now that I have almost recovered from possibly the worst hangover ever, I can crack on with some work :)

To sing us out here's David Grey...

Hope you've all had a tremendously good start to your week and that the sun is shining where you are.

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Groove is in the heart

Today my outfit made a dude burst into song :)

When we were taking these pics he passed us with his pit bull terrier and started singing  the chorus to Deee-lite's Groove is in the Heart.

I guess there's a wee nod in the direction of the fabulous Lady Miss Kier in this get-up ;)

90s T-shirt dress (Benetton), Tie-dye footless tights (Indiska), Clogs (Buffalo), Aviator sunnies (American Eagle), Handmade Turkish necklace (gift), Frocktasia earrings + handmade bag  & loadsa colourful bangles.

 On Monday I met up with Jo again, one last time before she headed back to the US yesterday. She very kindly treated me to a spot of lunch and then took me to a secret location.

Before lunch we popped into Traid in Dalston and both of us were sighing in unimpressed unison as we perused their rail of overpriced, crap quality quasi-vintage garb. I did like their Traidremade stuff but their vintage sucked!

 After lunch, a short train journey took us to Rotherhithe (don't worry I can't pronounce it either) and the secret location that Jo's lovely partner had stumbled upon recently and that Jo wanted to share with me, what a fabulous friend she is...

The Rotherhithe Picture Research Library is a tremendous treasure chest of inspiration. A vast collection of visual references for sets, costumes and a wide array of other subjects.

It is open weekdays 10am till 4pm and as an educational charity it offers free access to all this magnificent material, all you pay for is if you want to take photocopies.

Jo asked if we could have a look through some of their vintage fashion magazines and the lady in charge let us grab a whole heap of them before perching ourselves by the glossy green table.

We spent a couple of hours pouring over Vogue magazines from the late 60s and early 70s, chatting quietly and taking pics of anything that we deemed inspiration folder worthy. Jo was keeping her eyes peeled for hand-painted shoes, belts and bags and I was thrilled to come across several wig adverts.

I sent these pics to Sam and wrote that I'd love to see a Tangled Wigs advert in a modern issue of Vogue.

You could easily spend an entire day there and not even make a dent in their stash of thousands of books and magazines. This will be my go to place from now on, whenever I hit a bottleneck creatively and need some inspiration to get things going again, what an amazing place. Thank you Jo for sharing this fantastic "secret" location with me, you are a star :) 

Before getting back on the train home, we took some sneaky outfit pics. As I was giving my closet-goth tendencies a good old airing on Monday I thought it was rather apt for Jo to take my pics in a tiny graveyard. 

Jo will come back over in a few months time and hopefully there will be many more days out and dress-up fun on the cards then :)

This one is for groovy bloggy pals...

 Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Summertime

What a week it has been, my feet have hardly touched the ground.

Both Mark and I were completely zonked out after last weekend but thankfully managed to grab a reasonably restful Monday before charging full steam ahead into Tuesday.

We still try to squeeze in our daily jaunt to the park cause it lifts the spirit and is a great energy booster.

Fabulous 70s block print maxi frock, 80s sunnies & platform Hawaianas.

After a smashing Sunday at the Dandy pop-up market, I decided to treat myself to something I've been after for ages...

When my mum went to Morocco in the late 70s she brought back one of these fabulous robes and I remember playing dress-up in it as a kid. Sadly it disappeared in one of our many moves and I've been hankering for another one ever since. It is totally trippy hippie and I can't wait to wear it.

Whilst on the subject of hippies, I've decided to go with a "Far Out" theme for my rail at The Sunday Mini Festival next month. I am currently going hole punch bonkers making one-offs to bring along on the day.

Here's a fringe waistcoat that I made from a 90s suede dress...

I met up with Mike who is organizing The Sunday Mini Festival last Wednesday at the Biddle Bros pub in Lower Clapton for an evening of  beer & fabulous singer-songwriter performances by Allegra Shock , Jaime Wyatt , (fellow Swede) Emil Lager and Meg Cavanaugh. Meg is also one of the acts at The Mini Festi  :)

Then on Thursday I had another delightful visit from Jo. She came to try on some frocks for a friend in The States. I'd primed my rail with floaty creations and hippie style dresses galore. I even let Jo try on my favourite ever maxi that I was sent by Helga some years ago, she was smitten :)

I still have another meet-up with Jo before she heads back to the US. We are going for a spot of lunch tomorrow and afterwards Jo is taking me to a "secret location"...I'm very intrigued & excited:)

This was the beautiful view outside my home office window on Thursday evening...

On Friday I took some pictures of the geese. This is The Grey family, look how big Baby Grey is now...

There are two pairs of Canada geese, both with two young ones each. The goslings are loosing their down now and two of them are starting to look more like the adults. They are still adorably cute though...

Friday was also Summer Solstice or Midsummer as it is more commonly referred to in Sweden. It is much more of a big deal over in Scandinavia and people like to really celebrate it. I marked the day by wearing this very colourful and summery frock that I wore to my sixth form college graduation back in '92.

It had been raining in the morning and there were lots of snails that had been and still were trailing across the graveled path. I saved a couple by airlifting them to safety and putting them down in the high grass ;)

Happy Midsummer :)

Barbara our friend from Berlin came back from her shiatsu course in Wales and we had a lovely night in with veggie fajitas, red wine & a bunch of old photographs :)

The midsummer moon was magical...

Then along came Saturday and another eagerly anticipated colab with Tangled Wigs.
Sam has just launched her fabulous new Happy Feelin's Collection and a new issue of Tangled Magazine is in the making. Sam brought along four absolutely stunning wigs and I'd put together four festival inspired outfits for the photo shoot. Beautiful Natasha did a grand job modelling  and Sam & I shared the camera responsibility. The pics came out brilliantly and I can't wait to see them in the magazine. I had a wonderful time and I absolutely adore working with these fabulous gals :)

After waving Barbara off, I spent the afternoon editing pics. Mark had a boys night out planned with two of his best friends and headed out late afternoon. The three of them came back to the house around 9pm, laden with pizza and beer. We stuffed our faces before heading to the local watering hole for a quick one and then ended the evening by having a wee drinking session in the house before crashing.

I was incredibly happy that unlike last Sunday we could just kick back in the house all day and that is exactly what we've been doing. Mark and I perched ourselves on the sofa, "watched" a couple of DVDs and lazed the day away, blooming marvelous :)

So tomorrow I'm meeting up with lovely Jo and then I have to crack on with preparing my rail for the forthcoming Dandy Lion Market and organizing & promoting the vintage market for The Mini Festival...no rest for those who want things to be wicked ;)

To sing us out here's Janis, enjoy ;)

Hope you are all doing grand?!

loads of love,

Jennie

xXx