Happy New Year

Like father like son – Christmas night

We are all a bit festived out to be honest but what a fantastic Christmas we had!  Sometimes it’s the way that things are great if you’re not really in the mood or looking forward to them and so it proved this time…

It was a quiet Christmas Day full of a lot of food, some pressies and some dog walking.  Tom was so excited it was truly magical.  We’d been to the crib blessing at the village church the night before clutching his homemade angel for the crib, put out the mince pie and sherry for Father Christmas and sprinkled some nursery made ‘Rudolf food‘ along the path the night before and we thought he would burst but he was up at a reasonable time and bouncing around until his brother surfaced.  Every present was an absolute delight, even to the teenager, a proper win!

The big family thing was saved for Boxing Day and so it was off to deepest darkest Winterbourne Stickland for a feast of gargantuan proportions thanks to my parents.  Much fun was had by all with this years must have secret santa present – a pack of fake moustaches.  I think you’ll agree that we all look amazing!

The teenager and my nephews all 'tached up!

My favourite was doing a Freda Kahlo impression wearing these as eyebrows, luckily no-one got a photo of that!

Eh gringo

Christmas formalities out of the way we all piled into the car, dog and all, to hit the mean streets of South London for a visit to my lovely sister in law.  I’m sure that there’s little that’s more of a shock to the system after a hectic and alcohol full Christmas than a large family arriving and taking over your house but they took it well and we had another family party with Mr M’s London based relies while Tommy got excited about every train that passed along the line behind the house.

Highlight of the week was a trip ‘up west’ to watch Priscilla at the Palace Theatre complete with dinner.  What a night, I can’t believe this show is closing, it’s fabulous from the descent of the massive disco ball at the start to the glitzy finale.  We had incredible seats which gave us all of the best views.

Camera’s were prohibited but here’s me camping it up big style before the curtain went up and the teenager doing the same when we got in.  

All in all a brilliant week, there’s a New Year on Sunday 2012 sounds so futuristic.  I’m not sure what it will bring for us but I hope that it brings everything for you that you wish for yourselves.

Keep the vintage love xx

Big Band Glitz and Glamour

 

Salisbury Big Band are coming to Alderholt Village Hall on 3 December and bringing their range of mid-century tunes with them.   There will be everything from Sinatra to Glen Miller to enjoy along with a free glass of something fun and fizzy.

The hall will be glammed up for this fantastic evening and it’s definitely a posh frock occasion!   Come along, enjoy a drink or three and a bit of a boogie if you’re feeling energetic.

It’s only £10 a ticket and you can even fill a table of 8 if you would like, perfect for a Christmas Party.   Tickets are at the Alderholt Post Office but message me if you would like to buy a table.

Keep the vintage love xx

 

 

Fab places to stay – The Cove Cornwall

The Cove

We’ve just got back from Cornwall, nothing unusual in that, we love Cornwall and are down there every chance we get.   This time though we were not in our trusty tent but in a fantastic little bit of luxury tucked away right by the sea in beautiful Lamorna Cove.

Lamorna Cliffs

Lamorna Cove is hidden away beyond Penzance on the South Coast almost as far west as you can go.  It’s a beautiful hydrangea and fern lined valley of the kind only Cornwall can produce.  A bit reminiscent of my favourite Roseland Peninsular but nearer to St Ives with it’s beautiful light and atmosphere.  A bit fat WIN in other words!

The Cove  is an apartment hotel so you’ve got the best of both worlds with a well equipped kitchen as well as all of the hotel benefits like room service, a great restaurant and yummy soaps and fluffy towels and robes.

Welcome Champagne!

Best of all though was that our room overlooked the pool and terrace 

and also the sea crashing on the rocks of the harbour below.

View from the room

You could walk to the sea in a flash or wander more slowly via the fantastic terraced gardens and also take the cliff path for some spectacular views.

We had a great meal on our first night in the fireside restaurant and took the picnic option the following day and headed off to one of the recommended dog-friendly beaches at Pendeenwhere people were making a huge maze in the sand to tuck into our smoked salmon sarnies and cream tea while the dog hared about like a crazy thing and wore herself out.

Pendeen and the Maze

Mr M even had a superb Indian Head massage arranged by the hotel and I would have been happy to just sit on the window seat in the room and listening to the sea and the peace and quiet for hours!

Porthmeor Beach St Ives

The break was capped off by a visit to The Loft Restaurant and Terrace in St Ives where we had our wedding reception for some fabulous food and a lot of pampering!

A treat at The Loft!

Cornwall is amazing but this little corner is even more amazing than most.  If you get a chance go, we’d recommend it for a romantic break but it is also a very child friendly place and although not the cheapest option for a family holiday it would certainly keep the whole family happy come rain or shine.

Keep the vintage love xx

Of Arts and Noodles, Vintage and Blue Tits…..

We took 5 children to the Arts by the Sea Festival in the centre of Bournemouth yesterday and much fun was had by all.   There were fab events and shows everywhere you looked! Here’s some of Mr M’s great photos….

Thank Goodness for that Hat!

Cinema and Lighting installations by the Library

The Grotesque Parade sets off

Made by Swimmer

Vaudeville Circus

Kids Favourite

Art and Sound installation

Anyone for Ice Cream?

ooh la la

Beautiful Vintage Cinema

I also managed to add to my favourite blue tit collection as Zoe from Love from Hetty and Dave was at the pop up Boscombe Vintage Market in Pine Walk by grabbing this totally fabbo phone case.

Blue Tit Phone Case

There were so many fantastic sellers that it was hard to know where to look first but the stall by Made by Swimmer definitely caught the eye of both me and Meg with it’s really funky upcycled doorstops and fab loop knitted collars!

Made by Swimmer

We hit incredibly child friendly Wagamama for dinner which kept everyone from 3 to 15 happy (no mean feat!) and then headed down to the Pier for the start of the Grand Grotesque Parade.

We were all highly entertained by the interactive light and sound installation standing amongst the carousels and the parade definitely lived up to it’s billing of a ‘surreal masked spectacle’ inspired by a grotesque carnival that took place in 1910.  We all took different things from this and it will live very long in the memory!  Next up is the Masquerade Ball at the Pier Theatre – should be good…

keep the vintage love xx

Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival

Grand Grotesque Parade

With being so busy lately we’ve missed the beginning of the amazing Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival.   This incredible festival includes some great vintage fun in the form of a late night Vintage Market on 24 September in Pine Walk and a revival of the Edwardian Grand Grotesque Parade from the Pier through the Lower Gardens.  There are loads of amazing events, including a visit from the famous Vintage Mobile Cinema and countless other “intriguing, spectacular and (sometimes) down-right curious arts experiences …” including dance, theatre, visual art, literature, film and more, across various places and spaces in Bournemouth – more than 50 events in all!

Vintage Mobile Cinema

This Sunday Sixty Million Postcards great Twee by the Sea is bringing us mask making in honour of the parade but there are just masses of events over the course of the next few weeks.  Have a look at the festival website for all of the info and please support this brilliant initiative! 

My Secret Garden - A magical, muddy adventure for children

Vintage Fair Gallery – number 3

More great pics from the fair from the brilliant Natalie King who lives in Alderholt.  I bought a hairband and some really cute bunting, a girl can never have too much bunting!!

keep the vintage love xx

Natalie’s gorgeous bunting!

Very pretty things

Natalie’s hairbands were a real fair favourite!

Vintage Fair Gallery – number 2

More great pics from the fair! Thanks to Maria and Chris for these gems….

 

busy busy!

Arty Kids!

fantastic vehicles

Aharrgghh me hearties!

Little Pirate 1!

Our Huge Poster

Things for the kids….

We’ve got kids which means we completely understand how sometimes they are not quite as keen on browsing around the vintage and the sparkly as we might be!  As a result we have tried to ease your day by providing some free activities for the little ones.  This is taking the form of a free craft table and half hourly story reading of some old favourites.  We would like to thank Sarah, Owain, Nathan and Liam for their help with this and especially Trevor of Paperview in Ringwood who has kindly given us some prizes for the best craft work on the day.  Hope that all the children that come along to the fair will come and join in and make some fun things and enjoy the stories.  You won’t be able to miss the table and story corner as we’ll have it all decorated with bunting and bears.  To make life easier as well there will be free squash available for children and there might even be some wartime style cake for them to try!

Story Corner line up!

Local Vintage Fun

Tivoli Theatre’s In the Spotlight show 10 September

This part of the world is becoming a bit of a mecca for all things quirky and vintage!  The beautiful Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne has got this fantastic looking show for the evening of 10 September.  Apparently it combines Parisian charm with Las Vegas glamour which can’t possibly be a bad thing!  If you’re at a loose end and want to start your Vintage weekend with a bang get yourself down there.

Pokesdown in Bournemouth is also stuffed full of beautiful vintage shops including that of our lovely friends at Love from Hetty and Dave who will be bringing their completely beautiful things to our fair!!  I can almost always be guaranteed to be seen wearing my pretty blue tit brooch and carrying my favourite ever handbag, a customised vintage number complete with added blue tits as well.  MollieMakes have also recently featured the equally pretty mouse bag.   Come along to our fair and see if you can pick up your own piece of original arm art 🙂

holidays and updates

Back from a fantastic camping break in the beautiful Shropshire hills…not very glamourous we hear you cry but who couldn’t love bunting and washing up in the rain 🙂  Bishops Castle has a great range of quirky shops including a great secondhand book and record shop with cafe and two micro-breweries not to mention the amazing Waen Brewery just over the welsh border – happy days!

Things were hotting up while we were away and among our new sellers is the lovely Little Tiny Stitches.  We are dying to procure an upcycled bowl – have a look at her etsy shop to whet your appetite……