Welcome to my award winning blog!!

Lat week I won a raffle prize and not a crocheted loo roll cover either... this week ...

Well what can I say… “I’d like to thank my Mum for inspiring me to make crafty things, my Dad for encouraging me to listen to music & check out gigs, my bestest buddies for rocking up to some splendid events with me, my vintage friends for opening up a whole new world of parties & gorgeous styling and of course Mr Fabulous for being a great party companion. He he.

I feel extremely honored to have received my 1^st award, thank you thank you Carrad (check out a great blog) – must find out your real name. Thank you though sweetheart xxxx

So now I have to write 7 things about me – lets see if I can put you to sleep by No.4 ha ha! I’m

going for things I love the most…. Apart from blogging which is just too addictive.

1. Well possibly my greatest love of all (excluding humans) is music, it can completely change my outlook on a day. I have been lucky enough to go to gigs from Muse to Elton John, Public Enemy to Amy Winehouse. My love is eclectic with a guilty pleasures streak (Brian Adams I love youuuuuu). 80’s music was what I grew up with. I’m extremely proud to boast my 1^st single (7” vinyl) was David Bowie – Let’s Dance. Still have it, still love it. 1^st Album Adam Friend or Foe. Ooooh another huge crush – possibly my 1^st love. I had a huge poster (this is the actual one below) of him over my bed that I would kiss goodnight ha ha – I clearly read too many Jackie magazines & thought that’s what girls did!!

Anyway just found out he’s playing at Latitude – and I just happen to have a ticket. Heavenly – I’m sure he’s still hot!!

2. My bestest friend is Lovely Linda & she lives the other side of the country to me which is sad. We do chat & email when we can but after having lived together in London for 5 years in Camden & Muswell Hill it’s not quite the same. Virtual hugs will have to do. Think Skype is the answer!!

She's getting married to a fabulous man but I must confess to worrying that it's oly a matter of time before hubbie & then kiddie winks replace the boozey bessie mate!!

This is us - not at all flattering ut cheeeeeesetastic on a Guilty Pleasures Night at Coco Camden - totally awesome night!! (she's gonna kill me for this one he he)

3. I love going to car boot sales, they are my new charity shop for great low cost finds. I buy lots of vintage bits & bobs for my business. Sadly old beads, buttons & brooches are becoming harder to find though. My best charity shop find was a brand new Missoni

rainbow scarf ( naff photo below) for £3 – I squealed like a small child let loose in a sweet shop.

Oooh I love this Tretchikoff too that I got from a charity shop for £5 Kitschly colourful. Mr Fabulous hates it, makes it all the better ha ha.

4. I love to dance – to camp disco, pop, rock, garage, drum & bass whatever, I just make it up as I go along. Girls nights out are the best for this I find. At Playfest a brand new local music fest we packed the boys off home & we bounced around like nutters and pogoed for England non stop for an hour to the awesome Grooverider ooooooh I ached the next day ha ha – what an unfit old giffer I am!!

5. I’m a complete yoga lover, it’s helped me de-stress, relax, sleep, undo knots in my shoulder from too many years in front of a computer, improved my posture & introduced me to some fabulous friends who I love with all my heart. I get grouchy if I don’t get at least one class a week in. I have a strange (quite possibly sad) wish to do some sun salutations in front of the Angkor Wat temples as the sun rises. Oh dear, must stay off the herb teas!!!

6. My friends are my oxygen. (Yes you've guessed it, I don't have any children). I don’t see any of them nearly enough but maybe that makes each chat / meet up more precious. Sorry if you’re vomiting now. Yes I can be a sentimental old fart too.

This would have been Linda & I if we had met as children, I love this photo. I think I took it fromThe Bottom of the Ironing Basket a gorgeous inspiring happy blog.

7. I have a childish sense of humour, hence using the word fart. I giggle at things that no one else finds very funny but apparently I have an infectious laugh & they usually end up joining me. That’s the point when tears are running down our cheeks & it’s more ridiculous when they admit that they are laughing at absolutely nothing at all!!

oooh I went through a phase of bidding for carousel horses on Ebay - well I had always wanted one but seriously, who am I? - Peter Pan??!!!

Think of me as sleepy tea & read me just before bedtime - guaranteed to help you nod off ha ha

xxxx

Promise to pass the baton soon x

Pretty Woman's Cinderflippingella

Well it's been a funny old week. I've been desperately trying to make jewellery for Big Blue Sky in North Norfolk but no no avail. Every evening has been filled with work meetings or long overdue meet ups with friends. Some of it's been fun but I'm having a wee panic about my overdue order. I should also be making right now but you know, blogging is kinda work.... ok this is where the problem arises. I should be a professional procrastinator!I shall take some piccies whn I've finished off the range. Going for a vintage castaway beach theme. How arty farty!!

Sooo I popped along to Gazes auction house last week when a friend told me there were vintage treat to be had. I bid remotely on lots & won something .... I think it will look nice with closely fitted jeans & heels. Hummm I guess we will see. It may not have been my best winning & I'm not sure how vintage it is either. What do you think??? It's a bit of a marmite top!!

Tonight the boyfriend (Mr Fabulous - his self title) is organising a dinner party. I say organising... he has the very fabulous Celia throwing a spectacular event at her house, she will be cooking too & he just organises the wine. Hummmm I must try this kind of gentle persuasion & delegation sometime soon. I'm sure that someone would love to offer to clean my windows ... anyway it's a black tie evening so I will try & get some shots of our friends all glammed up before we get to tiddled. I have forked out a fortune on my dress.

It's a Julia Robert's Pretty Woman inspired frock

& Minnie Mouse inspired shoes.

The Princely sum was £8 for the dress (purchased with a dry cleaning label still attached). The shoes in comparison were expensive at £4 however they have never been worn.

Yes good ole car boot sale thrifting. I'm not a patch on the fabulous Vix who is the best bargain hunter I've ever known (and has style to die for). But I'm please with my 90's outfit, it's a little cheesy but I luuurve cheesetastic things. And I do secretly love this film . Might have to watch it again for inspitration ha ha. Hope you're all having a lovely Friday xxx

A Marvelous Cocktail Party

In between working, sleeping, working some more I managed to squeeze in a few nice things and last night was indeed one of those.

(Cigarette girlies, they were so lovely & a great idea. I loved my chocolate cigarettes, childhood memories)

Yep on a school night Mr Fabulous (his self title - I'm yet to agree) and I got glammed up twenties stylee. It was a Marvelous Cocktail Party organised by a fellow very gorgeous & glamorous blogger Retro Chick.

This is Mr Fabulous with his strong man moustache!! He was rather pleased with himself generally but was made up that he was one of very few men there and surrounded by gorgeously glam ladies.

However there were these rather dapper young gents there. That's an odd lampshade coming out of his head ha ha. Excuse the photos, I had zero snapping skills last night - maybe it was down to the bottle of champagne we had whilst we got ready!! I was celebrating though -

I've been offered a place at the Vintage London at Southbank organised by Wayne Hemmingway. It's going to be huge and incredible, I can't wait and I'm bouncing like Tigger - well I was yesterday (hangover just fading now ouch). Anyway it's on 29 - 31st July in case you fancy shopping for all things vintage, dancing, burlesque, fashion shows, old movies and much more. It will be like a trip back in time to eras from the twenties to the eighties. Ooh I did go on a bit there, sorry was chatting cocktail parties wasn't I?!!

The super duper prizes on offer.

Back to last night... there was a Chinese raffle - If I'm honest I don't know why it was Chinese, however! It was were you put raffle tickets into cocktail shakers with co odinating numbers to the prizes that you wanted to win. Mr Fabulous wanted a rather splendid book on King George V, George VI and Edward - some superb photos of them dressed to kill in sartorial delights as Saville Row suits and of course the odd uniform. Anyway we didn't get to take that lovely treasure home despite 90% of our tickets being in the pot boooooh.

I had my eye on lot 4 a slinky picture of latin lovely Miss September from a calendar from 1948.

and guess what... I only blooming won it!! Just got to get in framed & up on the wall in my studio. Super chuffed, I haven't won in a raffle since I bagged a bottle of Martini when I was 14. My mum soon whipped it off me!!

Anyway I've go to go & pack as I'm off to a local music festival wooo hooo. And I wonder why I'm overdrawn ouch!

Hope you all have an aaaaaamazing weekend & fingers crossed for dry weather xxxx

Have I bored you enough yet?!!

My last minute garden party ended up in the house! booooh. Bit too windy and not that warm sadly especially since I put out lots of homemade bunting and I'd spent hours tidying up the garden ready for summer BBQ's.

Anyway it was fun. We all dressed in red white & blue and drank champagne & Pimms (not together, that sounds too dangerous!).

We had cupcakes, sausages & cheese on sticks. I never got around to making scones or the Victoria sponge. And for the second weekend running all 50 cocktail sausage rolls were polished off!!

In between the boozey bits we drank countless cups of tea in true British tea party tradition! Yep it was the posh stuff!! Darjeeling, champagne truffle, Earl Grey... all in my v best vintage china ha ha.

The down side is that I shall be eating cupcakes and trifle all weekend!! - anyone fancy a food package?? xx

Yet more about the Royal Wedding!!

Well I'm not the biggest fan of weddings and I thought I would be making rounds of sandwiches & a proper Victoria sponge during the event.... however I watched pretty much all of it! Well as much as you can when your 3 year old niece is demanding attention and apple juice in Babycham champagne glasses - well gotta teach her young eh?!!!

Yes I confess to being very excited that Kate was wearing Alexander McQueen and it was rather Grace Kellyesque with elements of the Queen Mum's veil etc. As much as it would have been amazing to see a more flamboyant Sarah Burton creation, I suppose it just wouldn't have been right to go too far from tradition really. I mean some people have album upon album of wedding photo and possibly cringe at the 80's perm that was soooo fashionable at the time or bad choice of meringue and oversized bow on the bridesmaids dresses. But to think that this dress will be on plates, mugs, biscuit tins - hello?? And all sorts of other tat oh I mean memorabilia for decades.

Anyway all in all it was an enjoyable event to watch (and a good excuse to pop some champagne before lunchtime) & they are clearly very much in love.

And I've never wanted to be a bridesmaid before but seriously (Linda - if you're reading this) I'll be your Maid of Honor if I get to wear (and keep) an Alexander McQueen. I loved Pippa's dress and I would even take on that naff title - seriously Maid of Honor - who thought that one up. Makes you think of Old Maid & what's the honor - ok unless you get a fab dress, you have a potentially fussy bride to deal with, ears bleeding with wedding chit chat for months and endless hen events to organise in your spare time. (I've been reliably informed by a friend who had to deal with (I hate this term) Bridezilla!! That said - Linda I don't mind doing that for you m'darlin' he he bestest buddy of mine!!! You would be nothing but sweetness & light :) - enough creeping??!

Oooh wouldn't mind borrowing Prince Charles Aston Martin DB6 Volante either, not had a spin in one of those - yet!! ha ha

Anyway I hope you all had a lovely Friday whether you watched it or not. x

The Big Wedding and a day off

Well it's finally here and thankfully they are more organised than me. I invited a few people last night & shopped at 9pm in a busy supermarche - not the only disorganized party thrower then.

The sun is out in my little town and I'm going to get the bunting out, vintage china plates cups & saucers.... homemade cakes are on the way. (Last night's sponge was a disaster, clearly I've lost my skills!! But it's now turning into a trifle!!).

Anyway Royal fans or not, it's nice that so many people are getting together with some good old British spirit mmmm G&T for me please!

I was trying to find a photo of myself & my Brother at a street party when Charles & Diana got married. My mummy dressed us as the pair on their wedding day - hilarious. My brother, fittingly called Charles was about 3 and had to stand on a stool to be my height. This had a lable on it with "The Royal Box" on it and gold tassels on the corners!! My dress was a replica made out of curtain material. We won First Prize hurrahhh and had to walk through our village & into the next one. We made the papers too. Oh I wish I could find the photos. Anyway about 20 odd years later my friends & I went to Edinburgh Fringe Festival & bizzary bumped into some people from our old village. They remembered our parents - the parties and Charles (my flame haired brother) and I dressed as Charles & Diana. ha ha My mum was so proud!!!

Anyway I hope you all have a wonderful day, wherever you are, whatever you're doing.

I'm off to tidy the house, buy more eggs & butter, drink more rocket fuel coffee argghhh

then I have to decide what red white & blue I should wear!!!

I hope it's sunny for the lovely couple & all those crazy people lining the streets of London and all the street parties everywhere. None so small, last minute or disorganised as mine!!

xxxx

Art Deco Decadence

Well yet again I have been a bad blogger!It's been so busy recently and the blog has paled in priority - terrible news.

Anyway I have been doing some nice things too. All work and no play would make Claire a very dull girl indeed!!

Last week we had a fabulous Art Deco party at the boyfriends posh pad. He has the grown up place with antiquities and I have the eclectic vintage meets modern pad.

Lovely Linda & Hooray Henry

My Mummy glamming it up

Tina arrives dressed as an unflappable flapper!

Tina show gal & my Papa

Amazingly nearly everyone turned up in fancy dress & got on like a house on fire. It was a hilarious night and I drank far too many cocktails. Maybe that was why so many of my photos were terrible, I of course blamed my camera for the blur he he.

We made up names for the cocktails like Broadway Boogie, Roaring 20's, Champagne Charlie and Prohibition Punch. However I think it was the Cheeky Charleston - homemade lemon sherbet vodka shots that tipped my photography skills (not that I really possessed any before!!). ha ha

Ravishing Ruthie & Dashing Dave!!

Thankfully my bestest friend Linda saved the day & it's her collage of crazy snaps. It makes me chuckle every time I look at it. And yes, Sean the Sheep did attend!! Marcus doesn't like to go for the obvious - however as he pointed out, they did have sheep in the twenties!!

We have two very talented friends who can dance exceedingly well... and they did a demo of the Charleston and then taught all of us some steps. Well they had a good bash at teaching us anyway. The booze didn't appear to make us any more coordinated!

I love dressing up if you hadn't guessed by now. I have an old pirate style chest that was my Gran's - it's my fancy dress box and boy are there some memories in there!!

Yes I did have a hangover the next day too - serves me right!!