Five Pound Glamour

Last weekend was my first night away from The Tiny Overlord*. Wah! She's growing up.

However it does represent a milestone in terms of life: a year of trying to balance a baby and work has changed into balancing a little girl and work. And as such, although it is busier in some ways, it is easier in others - she doesn't need mummeh milk in the night anymore, which means parenting can be shared more flexibly.

I'm hoping this will enable me to get back into vintage and thus blogging more regularly. This first night out was a 20s-30s themed night at Harry's Bar in Frinton. It was really nice to catch up with an old friend, get thoroughly impressed/envious of her cottage home and chill by the seaside.

I wore a skirt and top which both together cost just £5! I bought it on Everything Five Pounds, a site I have blogged about before - it's brilliant because it sells old stock from well known shops (so not throwaway stuff, decent clothing) at just £5. The outfit - originally by Boohoo - is a gun metal lace with a pretty scalloped edge. It's lined throughout - it's very fitted and the skirt is nice and long, with a cropped top. This means it is easily adapted for a range of vintage inspired looks; by pulling up the skirt, you get a 60s-does-20s vibe with no midriff on show, or you can wear it as a crop top and maxi for a 90s style --yes I know that's far too young to count as retro-- or indeed break the items up (the skirt is a perfect 50s wiggle with a blouse, and the crop top would go well with velvet flares). It's practical too - machine washable at 30. I can foresee using this outfit a lot, from formal to relaxed nights out. Or rather, using it a bit because I'm hardly a party animal these days. Given that, I might team the skirt with smart knits for work and church!

The thing with bargains is, they aren't really bargains unless they are of good quality and wearable. This outfit ticked both boxes and I'm really pleased with it. Have you had any bargains recently?


*Did. Not. Care. Waved me a cheery hello like I'd popped out to Tesco.

Coffee In Ealing (1)

Ealing Broadway has a host of places to enjoy a cheeky cuppa or up your caffeine. As well as all the usual chains (indeed two of most!) there are a host of small independent shops to choose from. Although it is most economical to bring your own coffee and enjoy it in the wonderfully re - landscaped Walpole Park, a coffee is a deserved little treat many of us enjoy on a busy day.
I'm going to start with two down to earth coffee shops selling great quality drinks and food: Artisan Coffee and Electric Coffee. Both are stop offs of choice for me and much preferred to your usual Costas etc.

Artisan Coffee

The vibe here is quirky and artistic with coffee workshops taking place regularly in the back area. The coffee is excellent: the owners use to grow coffee so are real experts in the field. Their food is also great - particularly the cakes which are less sickly sweet that elsewhere.
There is plenty of seating and toilets are accessible to those with mobility needs and/or young babies.
Very family friendly, but equally a haunt of those quietly getting on with some work on the free wifi.

Artisan's Website

Electric Coffee

Again, really excellent coffee here. The interior is more pared back and minimalist than Artisan, with tiles and retro wooden chairs. Coffee is well presented (for example Lattes come in a bistro style glass) and the food is of course hand made from premium ingredients. I had a bacon and cheese bagel and it was suberb.
Electric coffee is very friendly for families, with high chairs etc. Unfortunately I couldn't find an accessible toilet or baby change, although there is a toilet for customer use. However during the day it's more a pit stop and relatively close to the Broadway Centre which has recently refurbished facilities including a fully accessible toilet with hoist etc.
As an added bonus, Electric is licenced in the evenings and serves craft beers, wine and cheese boards.

My next installment will focus on that faithful friend of the cuppa, the slice of cake ... There are several award winning patisseries in Ealing, and the new Polish restaurant Sowa is making waves too ... watch this space and do let me know where your favourite spot for coffee is!

Electric's Website

Review: Draper's Arms Ealing

Waaay back in the day, Ealing had a Firkin pub (remember them?) where I used to go with my geeky sixth form buddies and drink Two Dogs and Breezers. Ah, those were the days... they don't make music like that anymore. Anyway, after a while, the Firkin became O'Neills, and I went there with my work buddies and drank Guinness.

Oakley Court Hotel Review

If Oakely court looks familiar, that's because it is. Before it was a hotel, it was owned by a local production company and used as the setting for a host of movies and TV shows including the St Trinian's series, various Hammer Horrors and the singalong favourite The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In fact, so recognisable are many of the fixtures and fittings that you may, if you are a kitsch film buff, start pointing out where famous scenes were filmed the moment you walk into the venue.

Recognise me?

Thankfully there are no monsters or monstrous schoolgirls there now, it's a four star hotel.

Holiday Highlights: Sheringham & The Poppy Line

I'm back! Had a month of busy busy work and then a lovely holiday last week. But now I'm home, dropping stinky little blog drops all over your carpets. Haha.

Now I'm not going to bore you with my whole holiday album, both for consideration's sake and because, as Gemma of Retro Chick revealed, some of it was debauched gambling of the most sordid nature. Well, going for a drink down Great Yarmouth way and putting all my pocket money into the 2p falls machines. I won a little plastic horsey. Class.

Here's a little video of our time in Yarmouth...(it isn't actually of my chest, for some reason that's what the editing app put as the first shot!).

Anyway the thriftier and more sophisticated resort on our little East Anglian driving route was Sheringham. Sheringham is slap bang next door to Cromer (famed for seafood and well worth a visit). It's a small resort but well served by shops, cafes, bistros and pubs. The larger hotels tend to be pricey compared to B&Bs and the wealth of self catering, camping and caravan places around - we did stay in a hotel, but this was our big holiday. The nice thing about the town is that there is accommodation for all group sizes and budgets.

It is a very typical traditional resort, suited to families and couples alike. There is plenty of maritime history explored in two museums "The Mo" and The Fisherman's Heritage Centre. Of course, Sheringham has a broad and clean beach (we were there during those seriously hot days- it was fantastic) lined with colourful beach huts, tea rooms and a couple of pubs with great views! Amazing sunsets to be viewed from The Two Lifeboats (try their steak... a real treat) and The Crown is a great spot for the evening, with live bands outside in summer. Off the seafront but with a great beer garden and epic menu (especially seafood) is The Lobster. On rainy days, their indoor ambiance is great, a real place to relax.

OK enough about His Lordship and I filling our bellies! We did stuff too! As well as the beaches and walks, charity and craft shops and views, Sheringham has another great value day out: riding the North Norfolk Railway "Poppy Line" to Holt. This is a restored steam line with 3 stations. Each station has refreshments, museums and things to see such as model railways. It is a wonderful day out for just £11; the return ticket allows you to ride up and down the line getting off at Weybourne and Holt. Holt itself is a charming little town (one of the residents did joke it was "Chelsea on Sea", I guess it's not fascinating 24-7) - especially if you like to hunt round charity shops and antique markets, picking up what the wealthy locals have donated! There's a routemaster bus from the station to the town centre, £2 return ... everyone got very excited about this (me for a slightly different reason - it was built in Park Royal and suggestions inside were it ran out of Acton Depot back in the day - I may well have been on it before as a kid! Showing my age!). On a pleasant day you could also definitely walk the route. We enjoyed all the activites on our little jaunt, but in terms of value this was superb: a whole day riding in beautiful old carriages, superb views, museums and new towns for just over £10.

Unfortunately the weather has now turned and we're definitely NOT on hols anymore. Are you planning a trip in the UK this summer? Where are your favourite thrifty days out?

Cheap Chappette Style (Olympiad & Vintage Event Dressing On A Budget)

There are some events where everyone dresses up. Events where half the point is to people watch, to see and be seen. Events such as The Chap Olympiad, which pop up once a year in the vintage calendar and provoke a mad panic of 'what shall I wear?'. It's part of the fun and part of the hell of getting ready ... and sometimes all those lucky people with perfect late 40s Dior or made-to-measure repro can be pretty intimidating to those of us on a more modest budget. Ha, never fear! One of the great things about these events is their creativity - in all but the most joyless, geekiest snobfest (and who would want to go to an event like that anyway?) when you look closely you'll see a myriad of different styles, budgets and methods. If you look closely at some of the perfect 'just got papped' blogger types, you may well note it's their sharp eye for styling and not their budget that gave them the edge. So here are some ideas on how to dress for those 'big' vintage days out without breaking the bank...

Review: £99 Spa Break at the Belstead Brook Hotel.

Hi all! As you may know, I have been ill recently, and am still under regular treatment at Charing Cross Hospital (if you would like to read up on my condition, click here). This has taken a bit of a toll on the old blogging of late; although I do not have 'day to day' symptoms the worry and very frequent blood tests have meant I'm just about managing to do my day job and so forth (essentially, I have to be monitored at least weekly, then reprieved from some heavy duty drug treatment 'till next week... then tested again, and so forth. Ironically the best thing to be is on tenterhooks for 6 months, because the other option is six weeks of mexo injections in yer bum).

Anyway, that's by the by, this is a review. My friend decided that we all needed a break and suggested we go to her local spa hotel The Belstead Brook Hotel, Ipswich. This is a hotel and spa built around an ancient manor house, with, as the name would suggest, some attractive wild gardens and a brook. It is part of the Swallow Hotels group.

TK Maxx St Mary's Axe - Review

A new TK Maxx in Olde London Town! Yes. Brand spanking new and about as central as you can get (right underneath the Gherkin, on St Mary's Axe) - when they kindly invited me to attend their celebrity preview, I was there like a shot. As ever, the concept of the store is to provide brands and designer labels at up to 60% off the RRP, however this store has an extra twist for those of you lucky enough to work or live within easy reach of the Liverpool St area; this is a City focused store - meaning no kid's clothes or household goods, and a much better selection of work, smart and partywear.

Kate Walsh of The Apprentice fame, and
Channel 5 weather presenter Sian Welby.

Review: LA Colors: Nude Shades

I do like a bit of cheap slap. Not nasty cheap, just 'doesn't matter if I don't use it everyday because it cost under a fiver' cheap. This is mainly down to my adoration of all things glittery (my friend from work bought me a set of glitter eyeliners for Christmas, as apparently I am never to be seen without some glitter). There are just too many shades to be limited. My make-up case is now a large Ikea storage box. However, sometimes from my favourite party brands, I find more sensible purchases...

LA Colors, as the name might suggest, is a Drugstore (i.e. Chemist-shop) brand from America. I have been buying the nail polishes from Beauty Base (a London chain of cut price perfume shops) for some years now. Costing a princely 99p a pop, they're generously sized, last several days and come in an eye popping range of glittery colours. As do the eyeshadows. But as I mentioned before, the products I'm looking at today are a bit more sedate. Their mineral pressed powder in 'fair', lipstick in 'nude' and lip gloss in 'beige delight'.

Winter Wonderland 2012

On the first of December, I dragged himself out do do something Christmassy. For it was the first of December and my house was too much of a wreck to even consider Christmas (this left the cleaning and tree wresting to Sunday, with a hangover, which in hindsight I should have foreseen). Anyway, it was time to get squashed, get muddy in a park line up in the cold for the toilets and buy beer in plastic cups ... that festival in the midst of winter, Winter Wonderland Hyde Park.

If you've never been, essentially it's a German market, circus, fun fair, Santa land and ice rink all in the middle of London; free to get in, with loads of stuff to spend all your pennies on inside. Like beer halls and mulled wine. Yeah, we were totally up for the cultural stuff. What a shame, we got waylaid by the food and booze, as is our way.

Shock Horror: Actual-New-Not-In-Sale Haul!

Yes, you heard correctly. I shopped in new-things shops on Oxford Street when there weren't big red 'SALE' signs in the windows. And I bought stuff: new stuff. Shameless.

Aint No Party Like A Retro Party

Helllooo! Apologies for the recent lack of posts. I've been working hard (mid exam season) and haven't really done anything interesting to blog, hence the online absence.
Well Saturday night I did something very blog worthy. Whether you think so or not hahaha! As it's my birthday this week, I threw a party for me and my sister, with a full on 70s buffet. For all the trends and pinterest boards on classy snack stations, you just can't beat a cheesy old retro buffet with cocktails. I combined some older recipes with some modern ones off t'internet, and it went down very well.

Of course, some pictures...

Sweet little fella!

My old university pal brought a cheese-and-pineapple hedgehog. With a face, no less! What a garnish to the buffet that was. We could hardly bear to eat it. It was hard... but we managed - he was spineless by 10pm. Even the vegetarians had a go- for shame!

Win A Cami Set With Emerald Angel!

I have been a terrible blogger of late, no posts for a week waah! I have no excuse bar having no life at the moment and thus nothing really to share, how terribly boring. Luckily I stumbled across something lovely at Vintage Passions Just Like Mine; a contest from Emerald Angel we can all enter! WooHoo! Oh, and of course the prize is pretty lush. A cute girdle and cami set in retro style, with darling kitsch designs- perfect for anyone from a saucy chapette to a rockabilly girl - and these are made to order, so it's definitely a top prize.

Cute Camis and girdles

Of course, my fave's the animal print!

To enter the competition, you need to visit them at their Facebook (linked here) and follow their instructions. This includes including the instructions when you re-blog or FB share...which I shall do now below:

"Here it is what you've all been waiting for! A chance to win one of my new Girdles and matching bra/cami tops! 

So all you have to do is Like my FB page if you haven't already and then publicly share/repost the photo of the set from my FB page you would like to win. Easy! (ensure you keep all description text)

For each time you share the photo you will get 1 entry in the draw. So keep sharing daily if you wish and you will have more chance of winning!

You can also gain extra entries by reblogging on Tumblr if you have an account there too. My Blog: http://emeraldangeluk.tumblr.com/ Remember to let me know if you have a different name on Tumblr than Facebook.

Or by blogging about it in your own blog. (Remember to send me a link)

Competition closes on 4th April, winner will be notified soon after. Girdle & Cami Top will be made in your custom size.

Where you can find out more details or buy these: http://www.emeraldangel.co.uk/hoisery-lingerie.html"

Well good luck, people. I would like to say I hope you win, but I'm kinda hoping I win! If I don't, however, I'd prefer it if one of my lovely followers did. 

Making Luurve

I don't get people who dislike Valentine's day because they say (usually condenscendingly) 'anyone who treats their loved one especially nicely once a year must therefore be neglecting them the rest of the time'. Not only is that deliberately mean spirited (assuming that everyone apart from their holiness of holier-than-thou is neglectful every other day and merely OK on Valentine's) it patently ignores the one thing that modern psychologists, historical sages and wise nannas all agree on; that it's impossible, and unhealthy, to be in a full-on emotional state 24/7 - so ritual and celebratory dates are valuable. A moment of excess and expression. Everyday love is vital; it's listening, cooking dinner, remembering to take the bins out on a cold night so they don't have to. It isn't - unless you're rich and unhealthy- champagne, chocolates a-plenty and nights on the town. That's why we have festivals.

ZOMG! A More Exciting-Than-Usual Monday...

Mondays eh? What to do... scrape the ice of the car (if you have a car), get to work, drink bad coffee, work, coffee, bang head on desk, meeting, home, spag bol, TV, brush teeth, zzzz.

But this Monday was different. This Monday was glitzy. Thanks to ReeRee of Rockalily Lipsticks and ZoZo of The London Lipgloss. I eschewed my spag bol and TV for a tube uptown, glamour, meeting lovely bloggers and three cheeky glasses of Merlot.

Tramp Vintage Giveaway

Brrrr. It’s chilly outside and we all need a boost in beating those winter blues and staying simply fabulous.

Tramp Vintage in Brighton are a fantastic place to source wonderful, vibrant, vintage clothes and accessories to chase away boring wardrobe days, whatever the weather!  With an emphasis on quality and varied items which can be worked into both a purist and a mixed-era wardrobe, they are sure to have something to please:

“Tramp vintage boutique specialises in rare and beautiful vintage clothes and accessories from the 1920s to the 1980s. We are situated in the eclectic North Laines area of Brighton, just down from the station on Trafalgar Street.... Fashion always looks at its past for inspiration but since July 2010 Tramp has been looking the other way around - eyeing the catwalks for current trends and finding the equivalent pieces, unadulterated by the 21st century. Its not designer-led, rather what fits for the current season with an emphasis on colour, style, shape, fit and material.”

...and they have kindly provided this fabulous bag for a giveaway:

To be in with a chance to enter this delightful prize all you need to do is:

 -Follow Perdita’s Pursuits (@perditaspursuit) and Tramp Vintage (@tramp_vintage) on Twitter;

-Tweet out this message: “RT and follow @tramp_vintage and @perditaspursuit to #win this #vintage #handbag! http://perditaspursuits.blogspot.com/2011/12/tramp-vintage-giveaway.html”

The giveaway will be drawn on 20^th December – so get tweeting to win! Don’t forget to comment below to let me know you’ve tweeted...

Tramp Vintage

http://www.twitter.com/tramp_vintage
http://www.facebook.com/trampboutique
22 Trafalgar Street
Brighton BN1 4EQ

Vintazia Vintage Fairs

Last Friday, I was kindly invited to explore Vintazia's Friday Night Vintage Fair at the Great Barn, Ruislip.

Marvellous Cocktails!

What, cocktails again? I know, it's a burden because usually I am abstenious at all times. In my defence, these were marvellous cocktails, at the Vintage Norwich Marvellous Cocktail Party. I was up in the Fine City for another weekend, and we kicked this one off in style...


Retrochick, glamorous as ever.

Vintage At Southbank

Hello there! Finally blogging about Vintage-by Hemingway-On-The-Southbank. Sorry I have been away from ye olde steam powered PC for a while, I've been gadding about like an irresponsible fool in the few weeks before I buy a tumbledown abode and become one of those boringtons always talking of the price of windows and the B&Q sale...

Royal Festival Hall Entrance

Review: One Broad St B&B

Guess what? I’ve been trolling round Brighton again, drinkin’ cocktails and  convincing His Lordship that we so need that hamburger shaped telephone from Cyberdog. (Him: “You’re a grown woman with a management role in a respected profession who claims to want a tasteful home with a hint of 60s charm...” Me: “But it’s a phone shaped like a haaamburrrger...”).

In between these deep and meaningful marital conversations, we mostly were sleeping at One Broad Street, a fab little place which bridges that gap between B&B and boutique very nicely indeed.