A Fun Weekend At The Retro Festival 2013

We spent the weekend trading at The Retro Festival in Berkshire. The festival is in its fifth year but it was our first time attending it. It was very different to the usual type of festivals we trade at, but it was nice to take some of our older vintage stock out to this event and experience something a little different. It was certainly a lot more civilised - with very family friendly feel and all the entertainment wrapping up at eleven, it was quite a pleasant change to be tucked up in bed by midnight in a field so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I must be getting old!

The festival featured air displays, military vehicles, a very extensive display of folding caravans (yes, such a thing exists) and classic cars. There were also music stages with the focus mainly on rock n roll, and dance workshops for those wishing to brush up their jiving skills. There were also a lot of stalls, with plenty of vintage clothing, records, homewares and furniture from all eras available. There was even an onsite tattoo artist! We had lots of fun trading alongside our buddies from Second Hand Rose again, our best selling items of the weekend were dresses, bright patterned shirts, retro cat's eyes sunglasses and lots of hats.

Excitingly, they were filming an episode of Midsomer Murders at the festival. They had a special area of the festival set up as a film set and I managed to spot Barnaby getting ready for a scene. Gosh, I really am getting old!

Here are some pictures from this very retro weekend-

A busy morning on our stall

Dream car!

Pretending to be the perfect 1950's housewife, but the flip flops rather ruin the effect!

Cutest spot of the weekend!

New Season Looks from Minimum Mouse

Forget the snow and gloomy weather and get ready for summer 2013!
The festival season is just around the corner! Go floral with a pastel cropped blouse and a pretty headband made at Minimum Mouse head quarters. Pair with some acid wash Levi shorts and a must have vintage satchel and the look is complete. If it gets a bit chilly complete the look with a cute knitted cardigan or denim jacket.

 Still looking forward to the summer! Focusing on the retro comic trend that has appeared on the high street. We have picked out this Minnie Mouse  vintage Disney vest and created two looks. Firstly teaming the vest with a pair of  on trend blue polka dot peg trousers and accessorizing the outfit with a bright statement bowler hat gives the look a smart edgy feel. When the temperature rises and the sun starts to shine style the top with a pair of Levi shorts and some white sneakers keeping the look casual.

Black Country Museum

 

A few weeks ago we went on a trip to one of my favourite places in the Midlands, The Black Country Museum. If you love history (or even if you don't, really) it is a great day out. It is a whole town of recreated and relocated buildings where you step back in time and discover how people lived in days gone by. You can go down the mine, visit the Victorian fairground and go to a cinema and enjoy a silent movie. There is an old fashioned pub, sweet shop and chip shop for refreshments, and loads of shops packed to the brim with period details. Not to mention you get to have a nosey around people's houses!

What makes this place extra special is the fact that the people who work there really get into character. In every shop or house you walk into there is the proprietor or resident, who is ready (and very keen) to tell you all about what life was like for them, and they really do stay in character! It's so much fun. 

We took quite a few photos on the day and I couldn't resist playing around with my new photo editor to make them look a bit old! Like we really did step back in time...

Pina Colada Cupcakes!

 

We had a rare weekend off, and as well as our adventures at Malvern Flea (which you can read about here)  we also went to a 'hag party' barbecue. For those who don't know, a 'hag party' is a kind of combined stag and hen party - a great idea I think! So for the occasion I took along some of these pina colada cupcakes. I've made them a few times before and they always go down a treat, so I thought I'd share the recipe with you all! I realise it isn't really relevant in any way to this blog and Minimum Mouse, but everyone loves cake, don't they?! So here goes...

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 110g butter or margarine
• 110g dark sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 110g self raising flour
• 1 tsp coconut flavouring
• 1 tsp rum flavouring

For the icing

• 140g butter or margarine
• 280g icing sugar
• 1 tsp pineapple flavouring

 Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c and line a muffin tray with 12 paper cases.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar, then slowly add the eggs and rum and coconut flavouring.
3. Gradually fold in the flour and then, once the mixture is smooth, spoon it into the paper cases.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden on top, you can check that they are ready by inserting a metal skewer into one of the cakes and see if it comes out clean.
5. Leave the cakes to cool while preparing the icing.
6. For the icing, beat the butter/margarine in a bowl until it is soft, then gradually add the icing sugar and mix it in (it's a good idea to sieve it), once all the sugar is mixed in, add your pineapple flavouring. If you want, you can add some food colouring to the icing, but I think the creamy off white shade of the icing is quite appropriate for the pina colada theme.
7. The fun bit! Swirl your icing on to your cupcakes using a piping bag. You can get really creative here!
8. Decorate - I like to sprinkle a little edible glitter and add a cocktail umbrella to create that tropical vibe, but you can do whatever you like here!

So there you are, enjoy!