Going Vintage crazy!

Twinwood:


I have neglected my blog recently im sorry. Good news is ive been really busy lately and its gone a bit Vintage Mad over the last couple of weeks!

We went off to Twinwood in August and albeit it poured it down the first couple of days, it didn't stop us and everyone at the festival from wearing their finest attire and hitting the stalls and watching the bands. It meant we wore vintage dresses with wellies thats all.

I definitely over packed for the few days we were there but I just couldn't bear leaving anything behind!

It was my first time to the festival and I had a fantastic time! The bands and singers were great. There was a brilliant atmosphere, buzzing with a nostalgic feel of almost being back in the 40's or 50's yet because the festival was eclectic you couldnt quite work out what exact era you were transported to. 

"Twinwood Festival is held at the former RAF Twinwood Farm Airfield in Clapham, Bedfordshire, England. On 27 August 1944, Glenn Miller & his AAF band performed an outdoor concert at RAF Twinwood. The stage was a flatbed trailer, and the audience, which consisted of the R.A.F. personnel who worked at RAF Twinwood sat on the grass not far from the Twinwood Control Tower. Later on that year on December 15 1944, Glenn Miller boarded a Norseman aircraft, from RAF Twinwood and he was never seen or heard of again. The disappearance of Glenn Miller from RAF Twinwood Airfield sparked a mystery that has fascinated the world ever since."

There were loads of BEAUTIFUL vintage cars to swoon over so I took this as perfect photo opportunity as I was dressed up.

I went for a very 1940's look on one day and then my fav 1950's look on the hotter day. 

We went up to the control Tower where the Glenn Miller museum was. It was filled with pictures of him and various artists: Its strange that this was the last place he was seen before he died.

Glenn Miller with the Andrew Sisters.

A showcase of Glenn Millers music and uniforms.

When we got chatting to the people who volunteered there they told us a few ghost stories!  Apparently there have been a few ghost sightings and noises in the tower...

When the sun finally made an appearance it was full on shopping spree and afternoon tea for us.

 I bumped into some familiar faces of friends that had stalls so it was lovely to chat to people I knew and was also great making new friends and contacts (network network).

I was really impressed with the amount of shopping on offer...prices were very high so I refused to go crazy. 

But I did come home with some little beauties.

See you next year Twinwood xoxox

Milton Keynes Museum:


So after Twinwood we had another weekend of Vintage madness in the form of a 1940's event.
The Museum is on my doorstep so its great to able to pop to our local museum for this lovely day out.

The Museum is always set up with war time transport, old shop fronts, and old house filled with lovely things and even an air raid bunker so its the perfect setting.

It was also another excuse to purchase more vintage things we dont need!

The old shops were open for the event and we bought sweets and some old fashioned toilet roll from the newsagents. I wish these shops were open all the time.


                                                     Afternoon tea and dance lessons:

In one part of the Museum there were demonstrations and were two lovely older women who were children during the war who were talking about the rations and how to create jam out of carrot. SO interesting!

                                   This is what the ration portions looked like for a week!!! WOW!!

Sweet Lily Vintage Afternoon Tea event:

My lovely mother has her own vintage china business and she put on a spectacular cream tea event to launch the business. She worked really hard to get the room looking lovey (although she has years of vintage and antique pieces it wasnt too hard for her to fill the room and make it beautiful)

As my mother is a true vintage girl she made her own scones and had 1930s music playing. We also had a very traditional Lyons tea room inspired uniform for to wear. 

Everyone loved it and commented on how lovely her china was and what a delightful atmosphere she had created. 

We are talking real vintage (not your shabby chic stuff ) with pieces dating back to 1920's and earlier.

I did my daughterly duty and acted as waitress and washing up girl complete with Lyon Tea outfit! 

We had a fab time promoting the business and my mother has made some fantastic clients from the event.

If you fancy some rather splendid vintage china to hire you can contact here:

www.facebook.com/sweetlilyofthevalleyvintagechinahire

http://www.sweetlilyvintage.co.uk

Miss Dollar xoxo

BE PROUD!

For New Year a few of us went to a Masquerade ball at Proud Cabaret Brighton! :)

My mother really is the best. She arranged the whole trip and she did us 'Proud'!

I already had the perfect dress. My mother (again the wonderful woman) had given me a gorgeous black and white long pleated dress (my mother is the queen of vintage) so I thought id go with the a 'Art Deco'/black and white theme.

I had been watching the film W.E just before Christmas (Id seen this film before but I do love it!) so I was inspired by the 1920/30's style and of course the Marcel wave.

I had only tried the wave a few times before and it hadnt gone too well! So I spent ALOT of time the night before our Brighton trip setting my hair and trying over and over to get the wave right.

Eventually after many attempts (it had to be perfect!) I kind of nailed it so I left it and slept with it in over night and it didnt look too bad. 

Sorry there are no photos of my process but heres what I did:

• washed hair and barely towel dried
• parted my hair and covered my hair in setting lotion
• used a tail comb to create the C waves on the heavier side first (then other side last)
• I used my fingers to pinch the hair waves in place and used long metal section clips either side of the pinch. (I only had these to use)
• leave the rest of the hair out and pin curl this
• use hair net and scarf to protect hair overnight.

Once all dried and ready to style I let the pin curls out and gathered the hair into a side bun. Using ALOT of hairspray this is the finished result :)

Its not very waved but for a first proper attempt im quite chuffed!

 (I shall be continuing to practice this style and will be tracking down some better grips to create a better wave.)

So it was off to the ball for fun and frolics ;)

Proud Cabaret was absolutely delicious! It totally took my breathe away when I entered the venue! It was just like going back in time to a speakeasy during the Prohibition! 

The decoration was so decadent and elegant! The staff were all dressed up too. The girls in corsets and stockings and the boys in shirts and waistcoats! it was just Fab!

There was burlesque entertainment and cabaret singing. 

I got to see the lovely Brusie Violet perform which is great as I had wanted to for a while. The DJ after played some brilliant music which everyone in the club danced to until the early hours.

Having done burlesque myself I was truly inspired and it got my creativity flowing again! It really did make me want to get up and do it again! (we shall see lol)

It really was an amazing evening and I shall be going back again that's for sure!

Proud Cabaret Brighton....THANKYOU :)

Hope your new year was lovely. I am definitively starting my 2013 on a more positive, inspired note!

Happy 2013 xoxo

PIN UP STYLE!!

Marshall Amps have recently made a 'PIN UP' range of amp with a vintage leather finish and Gil Elvgrin images on the front.

Back in the summer they did a photo shoot to advertise these Amps online and around the world to clients.

I was asked to be one of the models and I of course said yes! Marshall Amps is a based in Bletchley, UK supplying the world with Amplifications. The shoot was done at the infamous Bletchley Park, home of the WW11 Enigma machine. 

All of us models are local to the area of the Marshall Head office and manufacturing. They wanted to use local models and it was really nice to be working with a such a HUGE brand like Marshalls and helping with their new product! It felt like we were doing our bit for our town! 

Photographer Matt York came over from America to do the shoot. He does alot of work with Marshall Amps so we were pretty excited about working with him. 

We had a really fun day and it was nice working with some local girls that model and getting to know them. 

Miss Dollar Shake xox