Dreaming of pretty vintage and summer days....

Summer lovin'

And here's Marianne!

Ah it's meant to be snowing today or tomorrow! well no sign of the white stuff yet, thank goodness!

Now I'm not one for wishin' away time as time is just too bloomin' precious BUT I am wishing for spring, oh for the start of summer and laying on green grass listening to your favourite music and wearing lovely summer clothes, sun on your skin!

The pictures above just make me smile, and some are just oh so summery!

There's also two new picture I have discovered of Marianne Faithfull, I'm including these just because she and they are so lovely...and the rest well, roll on Spring!

Photographs of the jewellery comin' soon! and looking forward to this Sunday spent shopping for stock! Have a lovely Thursday evening all! x

Excitement, Excitement! News Flash!

Ok, so sorry for the lack of photographs in this post! But that will all change shortly, as I have a little stash of jewellery pictures to post very, very soon!

Also I have a new jewellery range in a shop in Nottingham, The shop is called Kathleen & Lillys, and is a lovely, lovely vintage shop.

My new jewellery range is made from dead stock vintage supplies from all over the world! I have rings that are made from 1970s West Germany cameos, some American 1960s hippy findings and some Parisian 1960s brass lockets. Very excited!

Tinkerbella & The Tailor will also be having our little shop at The Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair, in the not so distant future! So keep your eyes peeled.

Also, also! One half of The Tinkerbella & The Tailor team will be DJing on 13th August @ The Maze, Nottingham at PaperShakers, Beatles Vs Stones night, more info to come on that shortly - it will be a great night of vinyl classics from the two biggest rival bands of the 1960s, all money raised will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Charity.

And last but by no means least, I am currently in the planning stages of bringing a flea market to Nottingham!

Please if anybody is interested in getting involved with any of our projects, writers, designers,photographers,musicians,artists or you just want to help in another way! etc our email address is tinkerbellaandthetailor@hotmail.co.uk - and we love hearing from you, so drop us a line! x

Angels are opening their doors, the sale of the year!

Vintage heaven!

I think I may have died and gone to vintage heaven, Angels The Costumiers are having their first sale of 2010 - so what I hear you say?! Angels have been going for 150 years and own the largest collection of costumes and accessories in ...the world!

Clothing from the 1900s - 1980s all high quality and many designer labels. I am attending the sale on Saturday and can't wait to get there, oh my work is so much fun sometimes!

Some people queue over night for this infamous sale, I can't fortunately so I will be getting a train at 5am on Saturday morning armed with a shopping list and lots of business cards ready to network, shop, shop, shop!

I'm hoping I pick up some really special pieces to open the shop up! If any of you reading this blog are looking for any particular items please let me know! They dont have these sales very often!

Fore more information on the sale and a sneak preview of the goods, oh and do watch the video! click here

Tiredness and Tiaras (Ireland!)

It's been a little while since I posted so here we go!

Arrived back from the Emerald Isle early Saturday morning - and oh we did have a lovely time! I had truly forgotten how much I love Ireland, it's culture and it's people! I will post some pictures of our trip shortly. As for buying for the shop, we had two days and I visited a handful of places but no luck! Next time I'm going for one week, so I can guarantee more time for work shopping! On another note I did find a couple of lovely vintage dress shops, and a great record store at 'The Flea' - that's Dublins flea market. I bought a couple of 1960s 45" including a Beau Brummels single, and also a old school John Lennon badge. The highlights of the trip? - too many to mention but if ever you visit Dublin be sure to go to The Pint an old tradition Irish pub with a old ska night on upstairs you can dance to some of the best songs whilst overlooking the River Liffey! Amazing.

On shop news, our jewellery line is expanding and will be sold in a great local shop in due course!

Also we are now approved sellers at The Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair so expect to see us with a stall there soon!

Second post of the day - more vintage orientated!

As my last post went slightly off on a tanjent I am going to write just a short list of a few of my favourite websites and local vintage shops.

But before then can I just mention this analogue camera website!
I need a new camera! I love polaroid film but am struggling to find some at a affordable price at the moment. This is the loveliest website I have found full of vintage reproduction cameras http://www.lomography.com/.

At the moment I have a straight point and shoot digital mini polaroid camera, a 70s polaroid, and a 1960s brownie. I really need a decent digital slr so I am on the look out!

As for vintage stores I like, I will begin with my local stores here in Nottingham, UK. I will write a list of my favourite vintage sellers online another day.

Golden Cage
A lovely little cubby hole of a store, really friendly and knowledgeable staff. The shop looks like a old aladdins cave - just how I like my shops. The shop is actually primarily a costumiers, and Nottinghams' oldest at that. When I last popped in they has some lovely 60s dresses, a few 60s and 70s faux fur coats and some really sweet sequinned 60s shell tops - all items are labeled by era and very reasonably priced.

Backlash Clothing
Backlash clothing doesn't have a website, and is hidden away in Nottingham city centre up some backstairs! This hidden gem has the occassionally has some really special 1960s dresses, and 60s ladies suits - it nearly always has a good array of winter coats also. Some of the items are not vintage, merely secondhand cast offs, but it's always worth a look and the rummage is part of the fun. The shop also has a bargain bin at the back that sgouldn't be ignored and it also has a good selection of hats for all seasons.

Also be sure to speak to the friendly owner should you pop in and check out the gig posters and flyers plastering the staircase, there's some great artwork and some interesting gigs and venues to check out that you may otherwise not have heard of.

Celias Vintage Clothing
The website doesn't do this lovely shop justice, so don't let that dissuade you! also don't be put off when you walk through the front door and see fancydress, go upstairs and you will find two beautiful rooms crammed with vintage delights from the 1900s to the 1980s each perfectly pressed and labeled by era.

All items are freshly laundered which makes a nice change when buying some vintage - but Celias is no thrift store it really is a cut above the rest. All clothes are beautifully displayed and the shop is light, clean and airy - often with some swing music playing. Celias is a easy to buy shop, depending on how you like to shop for vintage - this may make it more fun or less fun for you. I personally love a rummage I love thrift hunting and scouring packed rails and then discovering that perfect find is even more rewarding!

Celias have taken the effort out of vintage hunting and are definitely a must-visit!

Two of the best buys from Celias has to be their never ending supply of original 1940s seamed stockings, unworn in their original packaging and their immense rainbow glove collection - any colour you can think of they sell; short cotton 1960s gloves for great prices!

That's it for now! I can think of another few and will round up with them shortly.

Burlesque, a challenge shop delay, Berlin, cold and snow - not neccessarily in that order.

Hello all,

It's actually my birthday today! yes and Im sat here typing away inside my warm house, as it's just too cold out there! But it's not all quiet - I have already celebrated my birthday a little early at the weekend, with my friends at a lovely burlesque club called the Pitty Patt Club. The Pitty Patt Club was wonderful, really wonderful! If you like old style cabaret from the 40s, 50s and even a sprinkling of the 20s then I can highly recommend this night.

Lots of the guests were dressed in 40s and 50s attire and we even had some 'extra' entertainment provided by some regulars in the crowd who were brilliant at the Lindy Hop and we saw them dance during intervals. The performers were great, and the comperes were really funny! I have always enjoyed and admired burlesque aesthetics and costume and yet this was my first burlesque show and will certainly not be my last, so much fun!

And now for some news -
The website looks likely to be delayed as I have applied for a study scheme in Berlin and if I get it, I won't have time to manage the shop at such a early and vital stage in the business. I am still buying stock and have trips to Dublin, Berlin and Paris planned for this year to source some beautiful items. As for Berlin, well my application has been accepted for consideration so it's now just a small matter of waiting.

A challenge
This year I have promised myself not to buy anything new, I am only buying second hand and vintage clothing. I have so many clothes so this is good discipline for me! The only exception is the basics, i.e underwear, t-shirts, shoes etc and actually, even shoes where I can will be vintage anyway! except I always make a bad choice and they wear out so quickly, when vintage.

Cold!
I don't know what it's like where you are, but here it is FREEZING here! Minus 2 I last heard with ice everywhere! I haven't left the house wearing anything but wellingtons for the past month so as not to slip over! But they are stylish wellies! patent black, and shiny, shiny indeed!

Nottingham is covered in icing sugar and my red lipstick endeavour is complete.

So it's snowing, lovely Sherwood looked like a beautiful snowball today and now the streetes are paved in what looks like icing sugar! I have been looking for my perfect red lipstick for many months, if not years and today I think I found it! Doesn't every girl want to find her perfect red? it's not a simple task as you may think!

And the lovely red in question, full name 'Russian Red' is from MAC cosmetics heehee sounds like a spy name!

On another note I am getting quite addicted to three blogs in particular so much so I have promised myself I will stop buying womens magazines, hmmm see if that will happen. I have a love-hate relationship with mid-high end womens style and fashion glossies.

I will write more about these three or so favourite blogs in a day or so. Inspires me to go further with this little one, hey might as well make use of my journalism degree!

Laptop fixed and several ring orders were delivered around Nottingham today! Really not very long till the shop now! Off to work on some designs for the shop!

Oh Christmas tree oh Christmas tree!

So our mini tree is up! and it looks quite sweet, we also have the sweetest lanterns around the house too! At the moment I have a pile of vintage clothing that needs washing and pressing....and it's still sat in my room! I have another leopard print 60s hat, a 60s blue flowered pyschedelic turtle neck top, a beautiful 70s paisley dress, and a 70s cream faux fur coat.

The Big Cartel site will be set up in the next ten days. The colour scheme for the shop and the branding we have decided is going to be based on a peacocks feather colours! How lovely?! Jewell colours and muted colours. The business cards will be done by the end of this week and I am currently making rings for some friends as Christmas presents....It's getting a little tiresome now to keep saying photographs coming soon, as my camera is not working! But they will be here soon!

The Tinkerbella & The Tailor kiosk shop will be in Nottingham city centre on Tuesday 29th, Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st! If you're local please come visit me and Lisa and see our lovely things and bring us soup as it will be chilly!

Oh I also have a new scanner and printer now, as everything was breaking on me! So I will scan some pictures and drawings soon! Im very excited! Also planning on doing some lovely hairbands!.....I love my new job.