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...

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

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!