Instagram day part 2

As you may remember. some time ago, Erin and I took my niece on an “Instagram Day” to celebrate her birthday. We went to lots of epic insta-worthy locations, and ate lots of cake!

This year, we decided to visit one of the places we didn’t get to last time – Peggy Porschen’s Cakes.

Peggy Porschen has two locations in London currently, one in Chelsea, and one in Belgravia. We didn’t get to it last time, because we couldn’t physically fit it in to our day, so this time we made it a priority.

So, off we went, on seriously the rainiest day of the summer, and sploshed our way to Chelsea, feeling soggy, but very posh!

Once we got there, the parlour itself was just as pretty as expected, with a very pink theme. flowers everywhere, and their signature vintage bicycle outside.   I was too keen to get in out of the rain to take a photo, but the girls were braver than me!

Once inside, we chose cakes from the cafe menu as it was a little early for lunch. I went with a lemon, raspberry and rose layer cake slice, Erin had the brownie, and my niece chose a ‘Chocolate Heaven’ cupcake.  I had Chelsea Rose Tea, Erin chose English Breakfast, and C had hot chocolate.

The hot drinks were very welcome when they arrived, and I really enjoyed my rose tea, which is one of my favourites. The cakes were pretty enough, but I wasn’t as wowed by the taste as I expected to be, which was a real shame.

Still, it was a lovely experience, and the whole place was very beautiful, especially downstairs, where there was another parlour.

After our trip to Peggy Porschen’s, we had no major plan’s for the rest of the day, so we decided to pop to Covent Garden, and wander towards Mr Fogg’s Tavern. I wanted to take the girls to the House of Botanicals but they have an age restriction of 21.

We sheltered in the rainbow tunnel for a moment on the way, but we were keen to get out of the rain so rushed to Mr Fogg’s Tavern as soon as we could, which was a good thing, because we narrowly avoided an absolute downpour!

In hindsight, Mr Fogg’s wasn’t my best ever idea, as I totally forgot that its decor in this location is very much centered around taxidermy, which doesn’t bother me too much, but didn’t leave Erin very comfortable, as our resident vegetarian… Despite this, the atmosphere was friendly and jovial, and my cocktail was excellent!

While we were in Mr Fogg’s, the hunger started to kick in, and despite the bar menu looking tasty, we thought we’d make our way to Brasserie Zedel. Erin and I stopped off there during the Easter Parade and thought it was beautiful.

When we arrived, it was almost intimidating in its beauty, high ceilings, Art Deco interior, piano playing in the background and then 3 slightly soggy and bedraggled ladies!

I wasn’t at all sure what to order from the menu, so I kept it quite basic, ordering Steak Haché, (which is pretty much a plain burger) with the waitress recommending a Bordelaise Bone Marrow sauce as an alternative to the sauce au poivre which I’m generally not keen on. I was a bit unsure, but it was delicious! C ordered the same as I did, and enjoyed it, but unfortunately, Erin didn’t love her macaroni cheese, finding it very watery.

For dessert, C and I both had the Délice au Chocolat Noir as part of the fixed menu, and it was easily the best thing we ate all day, absolutely gorgeous!

After we’d eaten and soaked up the atmosphere a little more, it was time to wend our weary way home. Instagram Day Part 2 was done… until the next time!

There was a little girl, who had a little curl…

I’ve been meaning to write this blog for a while, about how to make linseed setting jelly, as it is an absolute godsend for my hair!

 

My hair is naturally curly, and when I first started dressing more in vintage style, I didn’t do much with my hair day-to-day. As I got more interested in all aspects of vintage fashion, I wanted to do things more authentically.  I found that natural waves are not always ideal for vintage styles, especially the brushed out hairstyles that I love, and I feel that having my hair more authentic makes a big difference to the vintage look.

When I first started wet-setting my hair, particularly after getting my hair cut by David of the fabulous House of Drewvid for the first time, I tried a few different setting lotions, all of which worked quite well, but they left my hair feeling dry and crunchy. My hair is bleached regularly, to get the pink or peach tones I like, but this means I have to really try to take care to look after it, and was worried about damaging it with setting.

I started to look for gentler alternatives, and found a few different people online mentioning using linseeds, so I thought I’d give it a try. After using it just once, my hair was lovely and soft, and I had lots of curls perfect for vintage hair!

So, this is how I make my setting gel…

I start with a tablespoon of Linseeds in a small saucepan. I buy mine from my local Holland and Barrett, but I’m pretty sure they are much the same from any health food store.

Then I add a cupful of hot water from the kettle. I measure using a large teacup, but a small mug should be fine.

I boil the ingredients together and simmer for 15 minutes. The mixture thickens up and starts to become jelly-like it darkens to a tea like colour. It’s definitely not the most appetising looking , but it’s worth it, I promise!

After 15 minutes, I strain the mixture through a sieve while it’s still hot, and pour it into the jar I’m planning to use. I have been reusing my Neal’s Yard Organics jars, as the glass copes well with the heat and can be rinsed with boiling water to make them more sterile.

To make the mixture smell lovely, I add about 6-8 drops of essential oil to the jar before I fill it, then put the lid on and give it a good shake to mix it in. I do all this while the mixture is still quite hot, as it thickens when it cools, so if you decide to give it a try, please be careful! The essential oil makes my hair smell lovely once it’s set!

And that’s it! Once it’s cooled, I keep it in the fridge and can last for me up to a few weeks this way. I usually discard it if it seems to have lost its elasticity, and the scent changes slightly when it’s on its way out.

I set my hair using pillow rollers, adding a little of the mixture to each section and brushing it through before rolling them up. Looks glam doesn’t it! 

 

After a good night’s sleep, I can brush out my lovely soft curls using House of Drewvid Marcel spray, Lustre spray and sometimes a bit of their shine pomade (which has sadly been disontinued) to smooth any curls. Their products are absolutely brilliant and the Lustre spray smells lovely!  I also sometimes use Vitapointe leave in conditioner to give my hair a bit of extra TLC whilst brushing out, on David’s recommendation.

The result I get is really good I think, and although it doesn’t always last as long as setting lotion, I’m happy to set my hair every few days, to avoid the crunch! 

A new start…

Hi there. I’ve not been writing for a while, I’m afraid my get up and go, got up and left…

Things have been a bit tricky over the last few months, with two very special members of my family passing away, one very unexpectedly and suddenly.

Sadness robbed me of my motivation and inspiration, but today I was listening to music, which brought me some lovely memories.

One of my favourites of my Nan is her singing along to Erin singing ‘Everything Stops for Tea’ in my blog, and that got me to thinking about how much I loved writing.

I remembered how fiercely my lovely aunt supported me and resolved to try again.

So, I thought that since songs were the things that got me back on track, perhaps I could share some of my playlist… Xxx

To, to start off, a bit of an obvious one for me! It was well known for being in the musical Pal Joey, and when Ella Fitzgerald recorded her version, she gave it a new, more human, spin, as previous versions had been in a slightly operatic style. Some of the lyrics are bit cheeky, but it’s a fab song.

One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer is my next choice to listen to. It’s got the same chilled out sound that I like, and I used to dance to it in class, so it holds good memories. I tore a tendon in my foot last year, so I’m still trying to talk myself into going back! In the meantime, I can listen to the song…

Because I’m a sentimental soul, another song that I love is Little Things Mean a Lot by Kitty Kallen. I came across this song when I was making my first website with my sister, who is one of my all time favourite people. We used to make little crafts and vintage style knick-knacks and this was the song that was on that page on our site. And they lyrics are so sweet!

I had a serious Doris Day obsession when I was a little girl. My Mum and I used to watch her films and so her voice has good memories for me. I rediscovered this song when it was in the soundtrack of ‘Strictly Ballroom’, one of the films that I watched on a loop when I was a teenager.

A list of my favourite songs wouldn’t be complete without Peggy Lee. Baubles, Bangles and Beads is a song that reminds me of the music in my tearoom. It’s not got the most feminist of lyrics, but I love her voice so much…

My next choice is a bit more uptempo. Straighten Up and Fly Right. I love the story to this song, which I think is based on a folk tale, and it never fails to make me smile, I love any version of this song, but you can’t beat Nat King Cole!

Another song that I love is from the film High Society. Basically any and all songs from this film make me stupidly happy, but one of my favourites was always the opening number, High Society Calypso. Louis Armstrong’s voice is so iconic, and full of charm, who could resist?

So, that’s my first blog post in a while, I’m off to watch High Society… again! And as Louis Armstrong says in the film, End of song… beginning of story!

Twinwood 2018

As you  might see from browsing my past posts, my family and I have been visiting Twinwood Music festival for the last few years, and it’s one of our favourite things!

This year, photos are a bit thin on the ground, as we were having far too much fun! Also, my daughter Erin was official photographer, but her photos are due to be used for her A-level coursework, so I can’t post them.

We did have a fab time, as always though, despite the weather, which was pretty dire, especially on the Sunday!

We still managed to get out between rain showers, however, and I did manage to pick up a new House of Foxy dress, and a Sarah’s do-wop-do’s turban, which are definitely at the top of my Twinwood wish list.

My mini obsession with hats continues, I bought 2 while we were away! One was the cute yellow one from the picture above, and another was a gorgeous white tulle confection, that I haven’t had a chance to wear yet.

As always, the highlight of our Twinwood evenings (and by that I mean early hours of the morning!) is the amazing Tom Carradine’s cockney sing-a-longs, which are made even better by Champagne Charlie and Dusty Limits joining in the fun!

The theme of Twinwood this year was definitely friends though! We met up with lots of people we knew, which was lovely, and we also made some new friends, which we are missing already!

Again, sorry for the lack of photos, but we are already planning next year’s trip to Twinwood, so, I promise lots more photos next time…

London Edge

Take one look at my instagram, totally flooded with photos of glitter, jewellery and shoes lately, and you might gather that Erin and I had a fab time at London Edge last weekend! London Edge is a trade show, based around ‘Lifestyle’ fashion, covers a huge range of different styles, from Steampunk to Clubwear and Vintage Reproduction and beyond.

“Originally the brainchild of exhibition organiser Carole Hunter and jewellery manufacturer Sandra Phillipson, LondonEdge remains the only trade show on the planet exclusively for sub-culture collections and new youth-culture designers. This series of iconic shows engage, track & record the changes in youth culture, music, lifestyles, fashion and body art.”

(London Edge – about us)

For the last couple of years, I’ve watched out for the London edge videos on my various social media feeds, particularly in September when I’ve just got back from Twinwood. It’s exciting to see what’s coming up, and plan some my winter spending in advance.

Erin and I were hoping to go last year, but something came up. This year, we were determined to make it, and off we went to the Business Design centre to see the treasures…

When we were arrived, we showed our tickets and got our ID lanyards. Mine said Blogger on it… Blogger! I’ve been doing this for a while now, but I honestly felt like a real blogger is someone mega connected and professional, so I did felt equal parts silly and chuffed to see it written down.

We were sent up to the press office to check in and after talking about our social media with them, we started on our tour. The top level of the design centre was the Designers and Makers area. This was for new and exciting brands to showcase their hard work, and it was a great place to start. Here’s a few of our favourites…

After stopping to check out the Business Booths, and take some attractive photos, we went down stairs, where there were two floors of traders to see.

Daisy Dapper – I really liked the detail on the dresses here. It’s these that make repro dresses look like the real thing.

Lola Ramona – gorgeous shoes. We especially like the ones that are similar to Wonder Woman colours…

Press Area – this bit was so fun! It was Alice in Wonderland themed, There was a sweet trolley, space for photos, and even a bar with complementary shots. I couldn’t resist an Amaretto…

Punky pins – big favourite! I could have spent absolutely ages here. They were another brand that were so great to talk to, and I was so excited to see what’s coming up. Can’t wait for the Christmas pins…

So many clothes! Voodoo Vixen, Run and Fly, Sheen and Victory Parade to name but a few…

Unique Vintage – I’d seen some of the Unique Vintage dresses at Vooodo Vixen during Twinwood, but the selection here was gorgeous. Their Harry Potter range that they’ve just released is super cool, and the wands printed on the skirts are even nicer close up.

For anyone who loves their authentic Barbie range, Unique Vintage has some great stuff coming up, but those pictures are a bit hush hush!

Little Pig

I love Little Pig! The lady was so lovely. Absolutely adored these pieces. I’ve got one or two things on my Christmas list from here too…

I also saw some of my other favourites, Seamstress of Bloomsbury, House of Foxy and Love ur Look, but a lot of their new stock hasn’t been seen yet, so I didn’t take photos. Honestly, I can’t wait for everyone to see them! Some truly gorgeous new fabrics and styles. Really authentic and beautiful quality, which is what these brands really excel at.

One thing I can tell you about is House of Foxy’s new collaboration, which is an authentic cosmetics range, starting with lipsticks. The colours are gorgeous, the lipstick is creamy and the packaging is perfect. It’s even has a weight to it.

Thank you London Edge for the most fabulous day! We had a great time!

Check out my Instagram for more details of individual brands…

Pin up picnic

To continue my summer catch up, I thought I’d talk about another one of my favourites, the Pin Up Picnic in the Park.

It’s an event organised by the British Belles (@thebritishbelles) every summer. The weather last year was a bit soggy, so they set us up in a bar, which was lovely, but in the past they’ve always been set up in Hyde Park, and so this year they returned to their roots!

I was a bit nervous getting ready, because I was without my partner in crime – Erin had to work. I didn’t let it stop me though, and I just messaged my friend Anna to see if she if she was going to be there for some moral support.

I chose to wear my new Love ur Look dress, Vintage straw hat and trusty sun-jellies. I accessorised my hair with some Alternate Normality Hair Flowers and off I went to get the train – after asking my family if I looked OK about 20 times…

When I got to the meet up outside the station, I was lucky enough to see a few people I knew, especially gorgeous Michelle @ladyoram who was so welcoming, and we talked about our respective journeys until I got over my nerves.

She’s an amazing lady, I’ve only met her a few times, but she chatted away to me, introduced me to people, and basically acted like the star she is. There was another lady that I kept trying to build myself up to chatting to, because she looked a bit shy, like me, and Michelle completely scooped her up and included her in the conversation.

When everyone started to go towards Hyde park, we hung on for a few minutes to wait for her daughter Eva @missleighboudoir to arrive. While we were waiting, a few fabulous ladies stopped to say hello, including the very glam Lady Eccentrik, @ladyeccentrikb She made her own awesome outfit, which was based on a 1950’s gingham sun set she’d seen.

Photo by the amazing Jill. (Miss Ruby Roxwell) She stopped the police car to get them to pose with us, but there were so many of us, you can hardly see it!

Everyone not only looked like something out of a vintage issue of Vogue, they were also fun, friendly and down to earth. The conversation flowed, people wandered around visiting each other, and we all made a point of including anybody new. We invited Vicky @ms_vixen, who was new to the group, to join us, and we had some good chats.

As the afternoon went on, despite the heat and a few persistent wasps, I met up with a few of my favourite people, Anna, Ellen, Emmie Stef and Jill, and everyone got settled on the picnic blankets for the duration. I had a lovely talk with Eccentrik, I’d not really spoken to her at length before, and she was really friendly. She was videoing people during the day, but I skilfully avoided that, telling her I didn’t want to crack her camera lens!

Photo by @stephaniejay_uk

It was such a lovely day, our group actually ending up being the last ones at the park! A few of us went off to Trader Vic’s tiki bar to end the evening, before I made my way back home. Looking forward to the next British Belles event…

Photo – Trader Vic’s, we’re on the wall!

Thanks to Anna (@goldyloxxroxx), Stef (@stephaniejay_uk) and Ellen (@b_millinery) for the invite, Trader Vic’s was fab. Lovely to see you again @melodymae and @missteamoody and Emmie (@miss.dirtysideeye) you are all gorgeous and fabulous! Jill (Miss Ruby Roxwell) your idea for that group photo was epic! Xxx

Oh Sew Vintage

As you know from my previous post, Erin and I had a really rather fabulous time at The Chap Olympiad again this year.

To add to all the loveliness, I was feeling rather elegant in my vintage inspired gown made by Oh Sew Vintage. Quite a few people asked me if it was true vintage, which I was really pleased about! Erin was wearing a lovely dress too, a vintage one that we got from the Classic Car Boot Sale. We were a glam pair…

I’ve had a dress made by Oh Sew Vintage before, when I went to Comic-Con as Agent Carter.

Last time, she made me a perfect replica of Agent Carter’s Gold mission dress, just from a few photos, so I knew this dress was going to be a good one!

Emma asked me to send her some source photos, so I went searching on the internet. I really liked the idea of a long dress, so I searched for Garden party gowns.

I found this one in a google search, along with a few others, but I think this is closest to the final result. Emma then drafted her own pattern and design inspired by this.

I searched for a good while for a perfect fabric. I found lots of reproduction vintage fabrics, but they were a bit pricey, and there were lots of pretty fabrics in online shops, but they just weren’t what I was looking for. Finally, after I’d just about given up, I found the perfect fabric, light, flowy and covered in vintage bicycles, perfect for the Chap!

A short time later, Emma messaged me to come round to hers for a fitting, which I did, and she showed me the pretty tulip sleeves and measured the correct length for my shoes. She also let me choose from a selection of vintage buckles to add to the belt she was making.

So next thing I knew, there was a parcel containing a beautiful dress delivered!

I absolutely love it, and I’ve already worn it again, on my birthday, and I’m planning to take it to Twinwood with me. We’ve got another dress in the works, which fingers crossed might be ready in time to wear at the Colonial Club, so watch this space…

Excellent Chaps!

So, now the weather has settled down and my brain is no longer cooking, I thought I’d do a few round ups of the summer so far! There have been a few fabulous events, some silly days in the sun, and next week is Twinwood! Can’t wait! Xxx

First up is one of my favourite Summer events, The Chap Olympiad.

I did one of my first blog posts about this amazing day, and the great thing is that every year is different!

This year Erin and I put on our glad-rags, stuffed our picnic basket and toting our best picnic blanket, travelled to Bedford Square gardens by tube. As always, the sartorial elegance on display was a feast for the eyes…

As we walked in, we saw Anna, our Goldyloxx, who very kindly invited us to jettison our picnic blanket and sit with her table, and a nicer group couldn’t be found! They generously adopted us for the day, and totally made it for us.

This year, we were missing a stage, which made the events a bit harder to follow, but we were more than happy to have a chat and a Bourne and Hollingsworth Gin cocktail whilst eating our Scones. The W.I. Even had a tea stall this time, which was an absolute must – I’m sure anyone who knows me well will attest to my tea addiction…

While we sipped our alternating drinks of tea and gin, we were lucky enough to have the company of Anna (@goldyloxxroxx), Sally (@sallysweetlove), Ian, Steph (@stephanyjay_uk), Ellen (@b_millinery) and Katie (@kt_clicks), who kept the conversation flowing. Honestly the nicest, funniest, friendliest people. Should’ve been a prize for best table…

During the course of the afternoon, Anna and Steph were doing a sterling job of keeping the contestants hydrated with generous helping of Bloody Marys whilst expertly avoiding ‘Donald Trump’s’ wandering hands. We valiantly held the fort at the table with snacks…

So hopefully next year there will be a stage again, but as to the overall experience, and the very excellent company, can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Photos a mixture and those taken by the lovely people at our table… thanks again, lovely people.

For more of my nonsense, take a look on instagram @BewitchedBB…

A Rainbow of Shoes!

I love Sunjellies! I first bought some jelly style shoes in the New Look sale a couple of years ago, and it started a bit of an obsession.

I think part of it is childhood nostalgia, because my Mum used to wear jellies when I was a little girl. Not the Sunjellies style, but more like sandals. Actually, JujuJellies make ones almost identical to my Mum’s ones, the style’s called Fergie.

I first bought real sunjellies after getting one of their Atomic totes as a subscription goody bag from Vintage Life Magazine at Twinwood.  I loved the bag so I looked up the website, and found a sale! I bought jellies in peach (to match my hair) and yellow (of course).

They are mega soft and comfy, colourful, and last ages, so what’s not to love!

I’ve since bought several other colours for myself and my littlest girl. We actually match now… We have pink, blue and yellow. I bought ours during a special offer sale, but even full price at £12 for adults, and £8 for children’s, they’re excellent value.

I’ve got my sister buying them too, and she and my tiny niece have matching red ones. They are super cute.

For me, its mostly about the colour and comfort, but vintage style-wise, the original design, which is pretty much unchanged, originated in 1946, so they’re authentic too.

I’ll definitely be wearing them at Twinwood this year. They’re perfect for walking around on the fields, and if they get dusty or muddy, they just rinse off.  I might have all the colours by then…

If You’d like to buy your own, you can find SunJellies here.  Or JujuJellies here.

Love Ur Look Dress

I have mentioned Love Ur Look dresses before, in my  ‘Petticoats and swishy skirts’ blog from last year. Strangely enough, even though I love their stuff and have bought some dresses from the Pin Up Pop Up shop, I’d not tried ordering from them online before.

The dress I had my eye on was their Tiki Keyhole dress. It comes in a few colourways and prints, but I especially liked the authentic vintage feel this faded style fabric gave.  

I initially ordered it in an XL according to the dresses I’d bought from them before, but it didn’t arrive, and I got an email to say that there had been a mistake and it was out of stock in my size. I was really disappointed.

A few weeks later, I was looking through the new season’s styles, when I noticed that the dress had been reduced. I decided to try again, and ordered the size L, in the hopes it might go around me.

I know they had just had loads of sales because of new stock, but I did have a bit of trouble getting it, again, and had to contact them after a week to find my dress, which was a bit of a shame, as I’d paid for next day delivery.  But when the dress arrived, all was forgiven!  

The dress fits like a glove, the fabric is lovely cool cotton, and it has the lovely true vintage feel I expected. One of the things I love about Love ur Look dresses are the unusual details, which are really authentic. The cutouts on this dress are great and the matching belt is a lovely touch. Very 1950’s.

I’ve already worn this dress loads of times. Despite the colours being muted, they go with loads. I’ve worn it with blue, coral and yellow cardigans, and my summer staple footwear, my SunJellies, match perfectly in yellow and blue. It’s a definite favourite, as was my black postcard shirt-dress I bought from them before.

So, despite some temporary disappointments, I’m really glad it all worked out, and I’m adding to my wishlist for next time, just keeping my fingers crossed!

The quality of the designs more than makes up for the delivery woes, and I’d still definitely recommend them on that alone, so all’s well that ends well!