Beach Break Live 2011

Giant deckchairs, a Moustache Bar, a trip through the keyhole, a ski slope and a stunning sandy beach - all things you find at Beach Break Live, a festival for students at the beautiful Pembrey Country Park, South Wales. We were there selling our wares with The Vintage Fair. Joining us this time in the vintage tent were Jeny & Amber, Dolly Anna Does, Kathleen & Lilys, Mother Said, The Magical Tree, Dorothy's Wardrobe & The Gingham Deer.

The festival opened with a bang on Thursday night, with the eager crowds descending on our tent and grabbing all the prize pieces. Friday followed with solid rain all day (boo!) but thankfully Saturday and Sunday offered mainly blue skies.

The view from our stall - the Main Stage!

The crowds were genuinely lovely folks having a well earned break after their exams, they partied hard and shopped even harder! We did manage to fit in a bit of fun too - our musical highlights were We Are Scientists and White Lies, and we loved just exploring the site - there were so many things to see and do and the venues looked amazing - The Leaky Sheep was done up like a Welsh old man's pub, the Moustache Bar was a cabaret tent extraordinaire and the Ghetto Blaster was just that - a giant ghetto blaster hosting all manner of DJs.

We're glad to be home, showered and rested, but we hope we can make a trip back to Beach Break next year! Next stop for us is Hop Farm...

Birmingham City University Graduate Show

This week we attended Exhibit This 2 at the Zellig (part of the Custard Factory complex). It was a showcase of the work of this year's crop of graduates from Birmingham City University who work in the fields of media and communication. We were invited by our friend Jemma Dodd, who is a super duper photographer who we have worked with a number of times. It was really exciting to flick through Jemma's portfolio and see so many of our clothes in all their glory!

I had never been to this type of thing before, but we were very well looked after - with complimentary wine and sandwiches when we arrived and sweets and treats dotted around all over the place! We had a nice wonder around, chatting to some of the exhibitors - a highlight for me was meeting Katie Fox, who had produced Trashion Magazine for her final project. I picked up a copy and really enjoyed reading it - it's a fantastic idea for a magazine, it's a blend of fashion and lifestyle which focuses on buying vintage, upcycling and making your own clothes and accessories. There was a review of the recent Birmingham Vintage Home Fair and guides to make clothes that you would actually want to wear (refreshing when most craft magazines feature clothes that even your granny thinks are a bit dated), including an Alexander McQueen inspired clutch bag. You can check out the Trashion Blog here, and buy copies of the first issue.

We also met Rachael Clarke, a photographer who specialises in product photography who has actually photographed some of our jewellery before but who we had never actually met! So it was nice to chat and see one of the pictures she look of one of our necklaces in her portfolio.

All in all, It was exciting to see so many young photographers, journalists, film makers and creative types who had produced really polished and professional work, which was also full of fresh new ideas. I hope they all manage to put their hard work to good use in their chosen careers.

We also parked in my favourite Birmingham car park - did you know that 'Forward' is Birmingham's motto? Well, this car park makes the most of it-