The Bellinis @ The Vintage Furniture Flea

Now these girls were hot, hot, hot! With a very smooth band to match. The mash-ups they were singing were just awesome...my favourite being a rendition of New York, New York spliced with Alicia Keys Empire State of Mind  - toe tappingly brilliant! You have to hear their vibe - a real glamorous take on modern tunes. I will be seeking them out in the future...

The Vintage Furniture Flea

I am always up for a bit of vintage on a Sunday, so hearing that The Vintage Furniture Flea was back in town, i decided to pop along. York Hall in Bethnal Green provided the perfect back drop due to its old english feel, transporting me back to nights spent at my local youth club. After cooing over a great many things, i decided to be sensible and stick to some vintage martini glasses and 1920's french fashion mags (could have spent a fortune on cabinets alone - but i have nowhere to put them!). The soundtrack to the day was provided by The Bellinis, a great jazz/ swing band with a modern twist (more on which later), with 40's style tea and cakes giving a much needed energy boost. The woman behind it all is Judy Berger, a former personal shopper and stylist, who also brings us the Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair  and the Vintage kilo sale (next London stops 16th and 22nd April). The team will also be heading up Vintage at the Southbank (the new Goodwood) in August...i can't wait!

the pale blue door...

Well not this door exactly, but i like doors so i thought i would use this one to illustrate the post. So, The actual Pale Blue Door that I am talking about is the underground restaurant and entertainment feast from the set designer Tony Hornecker - so fabulous surroundings are also a given. Intrigued?? Well check out his site for more info and some pictures to whet the appetite. Only until April 10th so get booking!

Lust for lighting

I've been making regular lunch runs to Reynolds on Eastcastle St for a while and yet i only just noticed these fab light fittings last week. Think i've been distracted by all the yummy food on offer.

Saving on the advertising...

Recycling made cool

Beauty personified...the iPad 2

A tenuous link to London maybe, although in my defence the genius designer that is Jonathan Ive (the man behind imac, ipod, ipad...basically all the amazing design to come out of Apple in the last 15 years) is a Londoner... Ah, Jony Ive, you have brought such happiness to my life and you just never stop giving.

Do i really need an excuse to display such beauty though? I can hear a few non-believers out there scoffing away, but i am not going to let that spoil this moment. I'm not here to convert anyone to Apple, you will have to find the light yourself! If you are curious though, just pop into one of their stores and let the magic wash over you. I converted 6 years ago and i know that the lack of PC related stress has definitely added years onto my life!

What makes this ipad even sweeter, is the fact that there were no queues involved. Oh yes, you heard it right. The man decided to drive outside of London and was able to walk straight into a '3' store and buy with no hassle - the kind of efficiency Apple would be proud of. Although this did mean missing out on the celebratory atmosphere and traditional high 5 from all the Apple staff (i am sad enough to have queued before!).

Now, this iPad isn't actually mine (officially) and the man is glaring at me as he is yet to play with it, so i am signing off before i get a punch in the head! I am sure i will be posting a review as soon as i get my mitts back on it...what i will say though, it's a dream to type on.

Ingenious travel

It may look a bit odd, but i bet this is awesome fun! Beats plain old walking any day.

Smokin' hot potato

Now, i'm not a smoker and this definitely doesn't make me want to eat in this cafe...but it did make me bark with laughter as I walked past!

Richmond Park - good for hangovers!

After a few too many appletini's at Ronnie Scott's last Friday night, the man and me were feeling a little delicate - it turns out that jazz makes you drink... a lot! As tempting as it was to roll over and hide under the covers, the sunshine was too glorious too miss on Saturday. So to indulge in some vitamin D, the man and me headed off to Richmond Park. It turns out that the fresh air (and a take-away miso soup) was just what the hangover ordered!

i love cork!

I like to collect colours, textures and memories. Dotted around the house are jars full of buttons, boxes full of beads and heavy dictionaries stuffed full of pressed autumn leaves. For years i've been collecting corks, from special occasions or just corks with interesting markings. The plan is to frame them all - but it's taking me ages to find the right kind of deep set frame. So, it was great to get an idea of how it could look when i spotted this at the Wine Wharf last week...

the perfect city car...

I think i've said before that a classic Fiat 500 would be my perfect London city car...well, these cool illustrations made me think that the new model wouldn't be too bad either...

Banksy for real

My 'real or fake?' Banksy post from yesterday inspired me to route through my photographs to find a definite authentic. I know this one is for real because the council had painted over it within a few days!

Was once found at the Post Office yard on Newman Street, just off Oxford Street...but alas no more!

Banksy??

The debate is still on as to whether this peace loving granny, in Primrose Hill, is an authentic Banksy. But it still makes me smile every time i see it.

Vintage Fashion Fair

Sundays are made for endless pots of tea, numerous slices of toast, long walks, pub lunches and a rummage though a great vintage fair. I managed to pack all of this in yesterday at Primrose Hill, culminating with a visit to the Vintage Fashion Fair at Cecil Sharp House. There was a great selection of stalls with some real gems on offer. Small enough to not be too overwhelming but big enough to make me wish I'd have saved more pennies! The next fair is on April 17th and if you register before hand, it's free to get in!

my purchase... a 1930's silk dressing gown...

Art on Eastcastle Street

Claire Fontaine - Fighting Gravity

the smell of spring

I think I can actually smell spring in the air. Not sure how to describe the smell...maybe it's just the fact that I've had a stinking cold and what i'm actually smelling is, well regular smells again. But there is no denying that the birds are out tweeting their hopeful tweets, because they keep waking me up every bloody morning! So away with your winter woolies, bye bye beautiful fur coat. 

Ever wondered where all the abandoned gloves go? I like to think that they all hibernate together over  spring, ready to come out and party again next winter!

the things people do to give up smoking...

Waterloo station today...the eyes convey his pain/ evil thoughts!

Colour lust

I love the rich, saturated colours in these photographs. So much so that I completely forgot to find out what they were of/ who they were by, etc...very naughty I know. Next time i'm back at The Natural History Museum i'll find out, but in the meantime...