Thursday 3 July 2008

MOBILE MILLINERY AT THE FASHION MUSEUM

Thanks to everyone who came to the Little Black Hat workshop at the Fashion and Textile museum in Bermondsey on Saturday. As ever, I was thrilled to see the great little hats that everyone made in only three hours. We had a cute burlesque number in black and red, and lots of people enjoyed learning the petersham pleating technique which, once mastered, is a really lovely way to trim hats or clothes(look at the 'deco inspired hat' on my blog to see the technique) Well done everyone!

Wednesday 2 July 2008

A model display

If you find an old dress-maker's dummy - try using it as a pinboard - it makes a great display and mood board.

£15 chair - why spend more?

Too beautiful to throw rubbish in....



How can you throw waste-paper into Paris? Worcestershire ware bin for £15 at Brighton market


Bargains to beat the credit crunch



As the credit-crunch bites - it's good to know that my passion for searching markets and second-hand shops is paying off! I thought  you'd like to see some of my latest bargains - and help you recognise that you can still furnish your flat/house on a shoe-string. Take these two tables for instance - £2 each from Greenwich Market - and don't you think the kitsch '70's food illustrations are a scream?!

I simply have to spread the word..


About a fantastic woman I met at the opening of the Train Cafe in Deptford. Tara is Paris-based and as well as working in PR, runs her own Vintage Clothing company -  Ooh La La Vintage. She sources unique one-off pieces from her Paris perch, but also runs a design/making service which reproduces vintage clothes in modern fabrics. Such a great idea. Tara has recently started organising fabulous weekends in the French capital where over cocktails you can dress-up in her vintage collection whilst she offers style advice(you can buy if you want to as well). You can take a tour round the sights in a Vintage Citroen, and she'll even show you some of her secret sourcing addresses. I can't think of ANYTHING more fun!!!  Find out more at http://www.oohlalavintage.com

And of course....


that led to a deco-inspired hat....!

My Fantasy Bathroom












A recent visit from Katharina, my friend from Berlin saw both of us heading for a picnic and a stroll around Eltham Palace. The gardens are delightful, and a tour around the Art Deco house provides lots of inspiration. I was on the point of running myself a hot bath, and ringing the bell for the butler to bring me up a gin and tonic to sip whilst I prepared for dinner.....!

TRAIN CAFE DEPTFORD


I was recently at the opening of a new cafe in Deptford. It's a converted train carriage and ties in to all those childhood memories of wanting to create a home somewhere unusual. My fantasy childhood homes included tree-houses, train carriages, gypsy caravans, little isolated cottages, tents - nothing remarkable about that - lots of children I'm sure have the same yearning to have a place of their own. But the Train Cafe ties in the adult reality with the childhood desire - and that's to be applauded. They've done a great job - giving the carriage a makeover to create a great space for coffee, eats and hopefully in the future, workshops.