Such a good feeling, that's where I wanna be!

Yesterday saw another edition of The Dandy Lion Market and not just any old edition, it was the second anniversary. I had a little bit of a mishap trying to get to The Oxford with all my stuff in the morning, Mark had very kindly put my case already strapped to the trolley downstairs and all I had to do was to bring it out onto the pavement loosen the strap off a little so that I could attach my rail. Even if Mark had shown me how to operate the strap mechanism I still managed to totally mess it up rendering it impossible for me to attach my rail to the case. Panic stations on the pavement! I called Mark who again explained to me how to go about loosening the strap & I even roped in a young man who was passing by but no joy. Thankfully a call to wonderful Leslie resolved my woes, she had a spare rail that I could borrow at the venue so I could leave my one behind. Not only is Leslie a beloved friend of mine she is without a doubt one of the most accommodating and brilliant market organizers that I've come across. She deserves praise and applause every step of the way. After a quick bus ride and a brisk walk I was at The Oxford albeit a little behind schedule. I was helped by some of my fabulous fellow traders to get the strangling strap off the case and as the rail had already been put up for me I was set up and ready to roll just after twelve :)

The thing that I really love about The Dandy Lion Market is that it never fails to impress and enthrall me with its line-up of creative talent and this month was the best one yet since I've started trading here. Everyone had pulled out all the stops to make their stalls and wares look fabulous. On every stall there was something that I wanted to snap up (curse my empty pockets). 

For the forth time I present to you my wonderful day at The Dandy...

Beautiful Shonel of Solace Designs made a return with her fabulous jewellery and accessories. I had an intense lust pang for one of those fabulous leather chest plate collars of hers, you can snap one up from her wonderful Etsy shop.

Gorgeous Listra of Listra's Handmade Soaps told me the wonderful story about how the inspiration to make her Caribbean Spice soap came from memories of baking with her family as a child.  I just had to bag a bar of it cause it smells absolutely divine. No nasty animal fats or chemicals just natural good stuff as it should be.

You can only see the top of Lizzie's head in this picture (sorry Lizzie) but you can see loads of her Beautiful Art. Fabulous & funky cat brooches, eco-friendly totes, coasters, mugs and amazing original wall art. There's a well stocked Etsy shop should any thing catch your eye...

Lovely Elizabeth is the creative genius behind Like Never Before. She uses recycled denim and other textiles to create stunning and unique statement jewellery. Yesterday she also had a few pairs of amazing looking revamped denim shorts up for grabs, just the thing to stand out in a sea of pedestrian cut-offs at Glastonbury.

Pretty Emma of Stitchrovia was hard at work stitching away when I interrupted her to take this pic :)

She offers up "A modern take on traditional cross stitch embroidery with a bit of British quirkiness thrown in". To snap up a pattern visit her Etsy shop.

Brilliant artist David Harker returned for a second month running with his awesome artwork. The amazing European Black Pine that you can see on the right is the latest addition to his fabulous work.

These two lovely ladies are behind Tillia's Teas, no website or Facebook page as yet but they sure know how to put together a delicious tea blend.

Perusing Raccoon Circus wares gave me several lust pangs. Stunning feathered hair-clips, amazing fit for a festival headdresses and crowns as well as beautiful bows & slides for every day wear. The creative genius behind Raccoon Circus is Laila who also happens to be a very talented musician, do check out her fabulous blog Tape Parade. 

If you love the look of her wares she's also got a fabulous Etsy shop for you to take a gander at.

Nubian Origin specializes in fine dining tableware inspired by African art and culture and is created by designer Adobea Obeng. They brought along their first stunning collection called 'Akoma Africa' available to purchase from their Etsy shop.

Brilliant The 3R Crafts were back for a third month running with their fabulous array of quirky and cute upcycled cork craft wares :)

I was gutted that I didn't get the chance to have a proper rummage through the rails of  Retro Girl but with any luck our paths will cross again soon. Vinita does not only curate a kaleidoscopic vintage & retro collection of  epic proportions but is also the founder of Rocket Girl independent record label. Yesterday she also brought along a fabulous collection of Indie and collectible CD's and Vinyl...groovy shoes!

Secret Treasures is run by Shona & Sophie that make vintage inspired jewellery and gifts at very affordable prices. They have a fabulous on-line shop for you to peruse :)

More vintage and retro awesomeness brought to The Dandy by D'Burgin Fox Vintage. This pair specialize in  British style icons and classic heritage brands. A collection of lovingly selected must have pieces for dapper gents and stylish ladies.

Tania of The Little Skincare Shop makes a range of fabulous natural facial toners made with vegan and environmentally friendly sourced ingredients. They are available in English Rose, Lavender, Orange, Tea Tree and Chamomile. You can purchase their products from their on-line shop or on Etsy. 

The next stall totally bowled me over...now that's what I call display skills :)

Ava Design is a jewellery company specializing in Japanese Akoya & Biwa Pearl and Swarowski designs. Each piece is designed, handmade and finished by Ava and most are limited edition or one-offs. Check out Ava Designs fabulous website and on-line shop.

Here's Leslie in front of her Wunderbar Vintage rail :)

Leslie also makes awesome scatter cushions, super funky vintage scarf tops and amazing zip and button bracelet cuffs. She stocks some of her marvelous handmade wares in her Etsy shop.

As today is Coronation Day Leslie decided to entitle this months Dandy 'Crowning Glory' and to wear a funky rainbow crown to mark the occasion ;)

Speaking of crowns...here's a gem of a man fit for a crown, Mark of Gorgeous Jewellery.

Mark very kindly gifted hubby with this gorgeous thistle brooch by miracle jewellery to go with his kilt  and I bought this amazing Jonette Jewellery brooch that I'd spied on Mark's stall at the Muswell Hill Market a few weeks back.

A couple of snaps of some of the lovely people that visited. 

Whilst on the subject of lovely people, look who came to visit :)

Jo of Joyatri's Adventures in Vintage and her lovely fella. Jo and I talked about hoarding and I invited her to come and have a wee look around my hoard house at some point. They are a really lovely couple and their visit made a good day even better. Darling Jo also brought me a fabulous gift, a gorgeous woven suede belt and I know just what to wear it with, it will look awesome with my Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin frock. Thank you so much Jo for the lovely gift and to you both for popping along :)

I also got a wonderful gift from Leslie, an absolutely awesome zipper and button bracelet cuff made by her own fair hands and with me in mind. I love having such thoughtful friends.

Then all of a sudden the Dandy day came to an end, five hours go rather quickly when you are having such a lovely time. Mark rocked up at five to help me pack up and get the stuff back home, what a star!

If Mark hadn't been working today we would have probably stuck around for a few after market drinkies but there's always next time ;)

Thank you to Leslie for organizing yet another topper of an event, to all my fellow traders for enticing and inspiring me with your awesome wares and amazing displays and of course to the lovely people that came through the doors and spent some time chatting, perusing, sampling, trying and buying stuff, you peeps ROCK!

The next Dandy at The Oxford will take place on Saturday the 6th of July but before that Leslie is having a pop-up Dandy Lion Market @ the first ever Kentish Town Carnival on Sunday the 16th of this month but I'll blog about that when I have more details.

If you are wondering where the inspiration for today's post title came from, turn up the volume and enjoy :)

Hope you've all had a splendid weekend my lovely friends and that you feel rested and ready to take on the week ahead.

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

The Day I became a Dandy Lion

Yesterday Mark and I primed our bags with vintage goodies and made the trip to The Dandy Lion 'Ladyfolk' Market at the Oxford in Kentish Town.

I was so impressed with the pub, it is the perfect setting for a craft/vintage market. We were given a cracking pitch and were set up a whole lot quicker this week, I've been practicing at home you see ;)

We had such a wonderful day and I was so inspired by all the fabulously creative sellers there.

I'd like to introduce you to some of them because quite frankly I think they ROCK!

First off is the lovely Camilla, she is a fellow creative Swede living in London... 

She makes brilliant 'bookish necklaces' and super funky vinyl record bookends.

I am going to link all the wonderful sellers (when possible) so that you can check them out for yourself, should something catch your eye.

Camilla has got an ETSY shop and sells her fabulous and very affordable wares to all over the world.

The second seller I would like to give a shout out to is Amanda, she makes gorgeous handmade cards & funky wee gifts. She doesn't have an on-line shop as yet but she's got a Facebook page, The Prettiest Thing...

Julia of Collar Me Happy makes stunning bespoke and ready to wear collars...

 I fell in love with a few but I am still on a "buying ban"...och!

I think that's what they call "being good", alas not much fun when faced with so much awesomeness...

Astrid Vaswani was there with her gorgeous daughter Jessica (out best customer) selling a wonderful array of funky jewelry.

Annemarie is behind She's Got it Made and she makes fabulous cushions,  cats and owls from groovy vintage fabrics.

Claire's stall Bright River was selling an array of fabulous cards and prints including some drawn from her mothers artwork.

The creative genius behind Words & Roses is called Luisa Cotardo and she makes some very romantic and stunning rose themed items...

Julia of Jamilicious were there to tempt everybody with handmade preserves and sweets.

The fabulous ceramic pots and ornaments are handmade by SuzanArt. 

Fellow first timer Lydia's Lockets sold beautiful handmade jewelry and I was lucky enough to win one of her lovely necklaces in the tombola, needless to say I was chuffed to bits, it's gorgeous! 

 When we first arrived in the morning I was quite nervous but after being beamed a fantastically warm and friendly smile by Mark of Gorgeous Jewellery I just knew it was going to be a fabulous day.

We had the tremendous pleasure of meeting Mark's very lovely wife Sue later on, she is the 'creative genius' in this fabulous team.

I didn't catch the name of the lovely chap that was in charge of the tombola but he did a sterling job at beaming out positivity too, what a fabulous bunch of people :)

 Shonel of Poetic Solace makes some seriously funky jewellery, she will be trading at the Craft Jam Fair in Kingly Court, Carnaby Street here in London next Saturday, if you pop along have a look out for Camilla of 'Mind The Book' too.

Bestitched  make fun and quirky framed cross stitch and they also sell funky cards and labels/tags, they have a bigcartel shop.

I hope I haven't missed anybody out and if I have, I apologize profusely...

I'll get you next month ;)

There is one seller that I haven't mentioned though...

the remarkable woman that made all of this possible and what a darling marvel of a woman she is!

 Leslie puts her heart and soul into organizing The Dandy Lion Market and she does a BRILLIANT job!

I've only known this woman for a week but it feels like we've been pals forever, I think Leslie is amazing!

So a big thanks to the woman that made it all happen, to the inspirational & talented sellers that were there on the day and of course to the lovely customers that came through the doors :)

Both Mark and I had such a fantastic day and we can't wait for the next market....

Frocktasia has finally grown a pair of wings and it is wonderful!

A few pints and some cracking company marked the end of  a perfect day :)

Loved every single minute of it!

Hope you have all had an equally fabulous weekend.

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

Just call me Pippi Longstocking

Yesterday saw Frocktasia's second outing at The Dandy Lion Market.

Granted I almost killed myself getting there carting a huge big case on wheels with my rail strapped onto it and another huge bag on my back. Who said being a vintage market trader would be easy or glamorous, not me anyway that's for sure. It is hard graft but I like it that way.You get a special feeling of smugness after managing to travel from A to B on public transport, laden down like a donkey ..like you've done something pretty special, akin to walking up Ben Nevis in your bare feet for instance ;)

Anyroad I survived and got there early doors too, so that I could give Aiden a quick hand with the bunting.

I took quite a few pics of the day but after I got home I realized that I'd had the camera on some silly setting, so the majority of my pics came out either overexposed or blurry which needless to say was rather annoying but such is life, it doesn't always work out the way you want it to.

Here is my wonderful friend Leslie next to her rail of vintage loveliness and her dapper son Erik that helped out with the leafleting on the day. Leslie is not only the organizer of the Dandy and a fellow vintage seller, she's also a magnificently creative soul. You can check out some of her wonderful wares on etsy HERE.

Another fellow vintage peddler La Maison Pearl was my stall neighbor for the day and gave me some smashing tips on what London fairs are worth doing.
Thay had some cracking stuff on their stall and I was very tempted to bag this wonderful colour explosion of a frock...

This gorgeous chick was trading at the Dandy last month but she was on one of the downstairs stalls so sadly I forgot to mention her in last months post. The Jewellery Garden creates a stunning array of fabulous jewellery with a special emphasis on holistic crystals & gemstones.

I met the lovely Amanda of the The Prettiest Thing last month. She was back with more of her tremendously funky and very useful items. I think this wonderful woman can turn her hand to making anything, just check out her impressive FB albums HERE. I hope Amanda will be there next month cause my Oyster card holder decided to disintegrate this morning and she makes totally brilliant ones.

Also returning sellers from last month was Bright River & Gorgeous Jewellery.

Bright River sells beautiful cards and prints and is run by a very lovely lady called Claire Shannon and Gorgeous Jewellery sells splendid handmade jewellery and is run by husband and wife team Sue & Mark.

 When I was perusing the product pics of Juliet Rose Soaps before the market, I just couldn't wait to smell them in real life. These handmade soaps look good enough to eat and smell absolutely divine. Like myself Juliet is a newbie to the market scene and it was actually her first ever foray into having a stall.
I think she did herself very proud, just look at her fabulous display and the soaps did not disappoint  they smell just as good as the look. You can buy a bar in her on-line store right now.

There was more fragrant goodness for the body at yesterdays Dandy too. Brown Angel Fragrances were there with a wonderful array of beautifully packaged homemade natural lotions and potions. They also have an on-line store where you can purchase their lovely goodies.

The three gorgeous girls behind Triptych Designs & Wheels and Butterflies  are architectural students with an interest in quirky design. They make fabulously unique jewellery and I loved their  amazing display. You can buy their stuff on-line HERE & HERE.

This lovely lady is called Gillian Bull and she was selling a mighty fine collection of vintage bric-a-brac and home wares...

This next chick was another newbie to the Dandy with her funky stall The 3R Crafts. She makes both decorative and useful things with upcycled materials like cork and cans. You can check out her FB page HERE.

 Next up are the lovely peeps from Genuie scarves. They were offering up a vast range of stunning hand painted scarves made from 100% Mulberry silk. These fantastic scarves are a colourful treat for the eye and feel amazingly lush against the skin. The Genuie team have an on-line store where you can purchase their beautiful wares.

 Dapper chappy Roderick Barker-Benfield is the brains and creative talent behind Rodology handmade jewellery. I'm so gutted my camera was on the wrong setting cause I would have loved to have captured his wonderful work in a sharper picture to do it justice. He's got an on-line store where you can marvel over his fantastic pieces, especially check out the cufflinks. Roderick said that they are his best selling item and I am not surprised, marvelous stuff.

These two lovely ladies were selling vintage compacts, cases and a whole heap of other lovely stuff on their one off stall. A friend of theirs is a dab hand at crocheting so they'd brought along some of her creations too. I was especially impressed with two pairs of mittens that had been knitted with wool that their friend had spun from the molted hair of her angora rabbit. I did take pictures of them but because my camera was on the wrong setting they came out all blurry. Hopefully Leslie got some pics, if she did I'll add them later.

In the smaller picture you can see the lovely Juliet of Juliet Rose Soaps rocking a fabulous frock.

Downstairs we had Shonel of Poetic Solace with her awesomely funky jewellery stall. I only briefly caught up with her as she was setting up and the picture I took was...you guessed it very blurry. So if you want to see Shonel's lovely face you'll have to check out last months Dandy post. She's been keeping herself very busy this month, doing regular markets. If you want to check out her wares she's got a fabulous store on etsy HERE.

I hope I haven't forgotten anybody this time. 

As I was on my own, I didn't have that much time to wander around with my camera, it's much nicer when you have a stall buddy at hand. Mark very kindly came around at five to help me with packing up and carting home, which was much appreciated...especially by my back and arms ;)

Today I've been feeling like someone gave me a right old kicking last night. I guess that if I'm planning on doing this on a regular basis there is only one thing for it...get fit!

Frocktasia's next market will be Can't Buy Me Love at The Boogaloo in Archway on Saturday the 27th of this months and then I'll of course be at the next Dandy Lion Market on Saturday the 4th of May.

If you see anything in my for sale or preview albums on the Facebook page that you'd like to purchase directly from me just give me a shout, I ship worldwide.

For next months Dandy I've decided that Frocktasia has to stop procrastinating and pull her proverbial straw to the stack as regards to spreading the word about The Dandy. So the Friday before the market I am scheming a "leaflet bombing" of Camden in full dress-up :)

People need to know about this market and its fabulous sellers!

This was yesterday's Dandy ensemble:

Vintage 50s floral dress, 90s lurex jumper, 80s boots, tights & crochet & soapstone heart earrings.

Hope you've all had a fantastic weekend :)

I'm burying my face in my First Aid book in preparation for my course next Saturday but I'm hoping to get a couple of hours over the next few days to catch up with all my faves in the blogosphere.

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx