Friends of Mine Festival 2011

 

A well earned shower and big lie in was in order after our busy weekend at the first ever Friends of Mine Festival. Set in the beautiful grounds of Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire, the line up featured acts like The Lightning Seeds, Buzzcocks and The Charlatans, it was a treat for anyone who likes the music of the northwest! We were there for another reason though, and that was to supply our usual heady blend of vintage clothing, accessories and jewellery to the unwashed masses. And we had a lovely time. We were in The Vintage Fair's marquee, along with our friends from Kitty Kavanagh, SpankT Vintage, The Gingham Deer, Jeny and Amber, Vintage Junky, Angel's Egg Vintage, Dorothy's Wardrobe, Kathleen & Lily's and Syd & Mallory.

The weather wasn't the best, on Sunday a couple of the stages actually had to be closed because of high winds which was a real shame, but the crowd didn't let it stop them having fun. The Charlatans closed the final night with a superb set. Around the site there was lots going on - we spotted a man in a nightie talking on a banana telephone, the sonic manipulator wowing some passers by on Sunday afternoon, a steel drum band playing Madonna's 'Like A Prayer', a house party tent which was set up like a real house (complete with washing machine, beds and strange family portraits), some bizarre inflatable games including people rolling about on a paddling pool in big inflated balls, and a gorgeous traditional big wheel.

We met some lovely people who dropped by to perfect their festival outfits with waterproof jackets, hats, sunnies and cosy knitwear. They were all impressed with the Vintage Fair tent's reasonable prices too, none of your over inflated festival rip offs from us!

Our next festival is Beach Break Live, and we can't wait. In the meantime, here are some pics of our lost weekend in Cheshire...

Minimum Mouse - sunglasses galore!

Beautiful display by Kathleen & Lily's

Our stall

Jewellery by Syd & Mallory

The Vintage Fair in all its glory!

This was my favourite find of the weekend, from SpankT Vintage

The Cribs

The amazing Gideon Conn

James Mouse meeting one of his faves, Gideon Conn

Bristol Vintage Fair & Nana's Vintage Fair, Stoke

We were clocking up the miles this weekend, with a swift jaunt down to Bristol on Saturday, followed by a trip up to Stoke on Trent on Sunday. We're exhausted now!

I'm always happy when there are customers about!

The beautiful Circomedia, a grade II listed former church - now used for circus skills, hence the trapeze!

Bristol Vintage Fair is always a favourite, the people of Bristol seem to really love their vintage fashion! We set up in Circomedia for a busy afternoon, we sold out of all of our new pocket watch necklaces, which I had planned to put online this week! Oops, oh well we will have to get some more in asap, I think we have a hit on our hands! Other popular picks of the day were summery dresses, kitsch 1980's t shirts and denim jackets.

We love the amazing swimwear for all the family from Oh So Retro, and this amazing vest type body suit thing from The Magical Tree!

So on Sunday, a little bleary eyed from the day before, we headed up the M6 to Stoke-on-Trent, for Nana's Vintage Fair. Hosted in Fat Cat's Bar, a really lovely building, this was the first fair organised by Faye of Nana's Wardrobe. It was another good day, with a vintage Scooter rally adding a fun twist to proceedings.

Our pick of the day - this amazing 3D design golf sweater from Jeny & Amber

Now we have a couple of days to recover and prepare - as this weekend we will be at Fom Fest, near Manchester (our first festival of the season) and Solihull Vintage & Arts Fair. Phew! Hopefully see you there!

New summer treats and a cheeky sale

We're really excited at Minimum Mouse this week, we just took our first delivery from a new supplier yesterday and the stuff is immense! We've spent years building up a network of suppliers who can bring us everything from jewellery supplies to vintage mod gear, but it is always exciting to find a new one, especially when their stock is lovely. So, we've been getting some of the new pieces in the eBay shop, here is a little taster...

We've got some super kitsch t shirts - ideal for festivals & holidays

Another summer essential, the playsuit! Just add sandals and sunnies for an adorable outfit

I just love this original vintage floral halterneck, team with a skirt or denim shorts for that beach babe vibe

You can't beat a good sequin beauty from the 1980's - this one is an emerald wonder!

This is a stunning 1960's jersey dress, unusual and in excellent condition

This Victoriana style green shirt will look gorgeous with jeans for easy, laid back cool

And finally, my ultimate favourite - a fruity wonder! This circle skirt is uber cool.

Because of all this new stuff we don't really have room to move at Minimum Mouse Towers, so we're also having a little sale on eBay. It's just ladies stuff at the moment, we'll hopefully be adding some menswear to the mix soon. It's a mix of all kinds of stuff including a few last pieces of winter wear - a great chance to pick up a bargain if you're from the Southern Hemisphere! You can take a look at the new collection and the sale here.

Summer Calendar of Events!

Ooh our summer calendar is really filling up now - we're going to be busy, busy, busy! We'll be travelling up and down the country bringing our travelling boutique of vintage clothing, accessories and handmade jewellery, hopefully we will see you somewhere along the way! First stop is Bristol on 14th May with our friends The Vintage Fair. Their fairs are always a great day out - you'll find the cream of UK traders offering a superb mix of vintage clothing as well as handmade items, homewares, cupcakes and a vintage salon - plus the DJs spin retro tunes all day long! We will also be joining them at Nottingham on 11th June and Norwich on 12th June, as well as some other events which you will find out about below...

The next day we'll be heading up to Stoke On Trent for Nana's Vintage Fair, which sounds like a rocking good day out - it's in a bar, which is always a plus as you can sip a tipple of your choice as you peruse the stalls, and there is also going to be a vintage scooter rally congregating outside to add a real sense of occasion!

 

The next stop is FOM Fest - our first festival of the year! The Vintage Fair will be curating a marquee of vintage shopping, and that's where you'll find us. The festival sounds ace, it's developed from a club night which started in Manchester in 2004, and has a great line up mainly featuring Manchester bands including The Charlatans, Badly Drawn Boy, Buzzcocks, The Cribs and The Lightning Seeds. We can't wait!

 

That very same weekend we'll be a lot closer to home too, for the first Solihull Vintage & Arts fair - organised by the people who brought you Sutton Vintage & Arts Fair which has proved a real hit on the West Midlands vintage scene, they'll be taking the same super atmosphere to the Methodist Church Hall in Solihull, just around the corner from Touchwood!

The same company will also be hosting a number of fairs in beautiful Stratford Upon Avon which we will also be attending, in the lovely venue Cox's Yard. So there is plenty of opportunity for midlands vintage fans to get out and about this summer!

Our second festival of the season will be Beach Break Live in South Wales. It's a five day bonanza by the beach! Again we'll be in The Vintage Fair's marquee which will be full to bursting will vintage goodies, and we're looking forward to the line up which includes White Lies, Professor Green, Katy B and Example.

So, we'd best get busy making sure that we have the best stock ever to take to all these super events! We're thinking summer dresses, denim shorts, cute accessories, hawaiian shirts, hats and shades.... the list is endless! We'll let you know more of our summer plans when we have them!

A grand day out in Brighton

While the world was awash with Royal Wedding excitement, we had a different event on our minds - The Vintage Fair's visit to beautiful Brighton. We love any excuse to pay a visit to this jewel of the south coast, so we packed up our finest summery vintage pieces and hit the road. The fair took place at Brighton University's Sallis Benney Theatre on Grand Parade, just a hop, skip and a jump from the Lanes.

And the prize for the best dressed shopper of the day goes to the gent in the boater! Beautiful hats by Snaffle Vintage

It was a gloriously sunny day, but thankfully that did not divert these savvy shoppers from their hunt for gorgeous clothes at bargain basement prices! We were joined by our friends at The Magical Tree, Curious Cleo, Yellow Jelly, Second Hand Rose, Snaffle Vintage and Jeny and Amber among others, and as always I was impressed by the quality of clothes on offer, and the great prices too. If you are still a vintage fair virgin, you need to get along to one near you very soon, you're missing out!

After the fair we managed to squeeze in a walk down to the seafront where we treated ourselves to fish and chips, and had a lovely walk on the Palace Pier as the sun started to go down. Bliss!

Our next stop on the vintage trail is Bristol in two weeks' time, check it out here.

Summer Photoshoot with Jemma Dodd

Take a look at these adorable pics from Jemma Dodd Photography's shoot at Birmingham Botanical Gardens the other day. It was a stunning summer's day (in April!) and I think the pictures have captured a lovely, laid back summer vibe. The models are Zoe and Sophie, hair by Adrian Love and make up by Sharon Jarvis.

Clothes by us, of course!