Folksy Crimbo Competition

So Folksy are running an Xmas competition. Entries have to be comprised of items from the lovely Folksy sellers based on theme 'Christmas is Coming'. So I thought with Christmas on the way what better than to get ready with Folksy for a handmade Christmas party!

Start by sending out the invites - make sure Santa knows where to go...

Decorate and string out the lights!

Bust out the Christmas (cup)cake and drinks (although if you drink too much your vision might get a bit blurry!)

And party on with games

At the end of the night hand out your party bags & gifts and get to the washing up - although easier to do when you have a lovely hand made tea towel to do the drying up with!

Mistress Vintage sells on the lovely Folksy too - so stop by and say hi http://www.folksy.com/shops/MistressVintage

Christmas is Coming

So there has been an appallingly long break in my blog but I do have fair reason. The top secret project for Mr Cal was none other than a producing job on ITV’s Susan Boyle: An Unlikely SuperStar. The director and I worked closely with Susan for a few months following her around Rome, NYC, Scotland and Shanghai. We filmed all sorts including China’s Got Talent watched by over half a billion people! Total madness. But now things are winding down and I have a chance to fully focus on Mistress Vintage and getting ready for Crimbo whoo hoo.

My director interviewing Susan on a photo shoot we covered in NYC

MV is now up and live on the Folksy website. For those of you who don’t know the website, it is site which promotes the handmade work of UK artists and is fab for those of you that want to purchase from a UK based company and support British craft. So check out Mistress Vintage on Folksy and shop local! http://www.folksy.com/shops/MistressVintage

Vintage I love you locket necklace available on Folksy

Several new collections have finally been unleashed. Stag of Swag time pieces are still ticking along (sorry) but now there is the new and fabulous Gewgaw and Gimcrack – a great mix of vintage and antique pieces and the skull collections: Skulduggery and the bracelet collection Skulls and Wonders. Items are added daily to Etsy, Asos Marketplace and Folksy so there’s something new and exciting to take a peek at every day https://marketplace.asos.com/search?q=mistressvintage - http://www.etsy.com/shop/mistressvintage

Gegaw & Gimcrack

With Christmas just round the corner MV has something for everyone from £4 stocking filler earrings to higher end pieces which would make great unique gifts. Christmas promotions and competitions will be starting from the beginning of December so keep an eye on the blog and facebook for updates as well as news about fairs and stockists! http://www.facebook.com/mistressvintagejewellery

But most importantly and more exciting than any of this is the news that a MV has been joined by a new team member...Squid. Needless to say the 2 other hairy members, Monkey and Alfie are none too impressed by being outdone by someone a couple of inches high but who can resist a face like this?

NUGGET:

Love vintage, love shopping, love fashion, love shoes than look no further than Jeffrey Campbell. It seems people can’t get enough off the Lita. Ok so they are everywhere but for good reason. They come in a whole range of amazing colours, add stacks of height and believe it or not are super comfortable. I have them in black but fully intend to get myself every pair possible. I am currently lusting after the Lita spikes – dribble!

Asos Marketplace!

So big things have been happening at here at mistress vintage of late. As every family member (including me) and apparently everyone else I know has their birthday in April or May I’ve eaten more Asian meals than medically recommended and had a bloody lovely time whilst doing it! I’ve single handedly kept Selfridges in business buying presents and am knackered from endless calls for 'just one more' at 3 in the morning whilst knowing getting home, sleeping and getting to work in time is probably only possible with some kind of time warp machine.

But who's complaining. On the work front I've now crossed over to the dark side of entertainment and am working for non other than Simon cal on a 'top secret project' – more on that later.

So Mistress Vintage Jewellery has been left by the wayside I hear you say. Not so for these are exciting times! MV is now stocked by the lovely Miranda at the newly opened Atom Heart in Wales alongside Tatty Divine.Sophie at the Boutique Dressing Room has just received a new order of gold and silver charm bracelets and the Scarecrow Boutique in Crouch End is now stocking working watch cluster necklaces due to requests! Go check them all out!

Mistress Vintage will also be at the fabulous Jumble and Pearls vintage fair in the Light Bar in Shoreditch. This lovely fair will have a great mixture of sellers, food, and awesome djs so come down and say hello! Details are here on facebook http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189444357758798

But most of exciting of all is that Mistress Vintage is now up and running on Asos Marketplace yeh! As someone who essentially has to run her life online Asos is a godsend but Asos marketplace is a total joy. For something so mainstream to open their doors to independent designers and individuals and be so accessible is just great. There are fab new designs and vintage gens to be found on marketplace and I'm so pleased to be part of it.

But marketplace pieces have to be sold with street photography so a couple of weeks ago the lovely make up artist Sonia Allen, my bestie composer and singer extraordinaire Mel Hammond and I trooped off to east London where we subjected Mel to the freezing elements half dressed at times and snapped away. The results were better than I could have hoped for and don't worry Mel’s frostbite was held a bay with the aid of cake! The ladies were fantastic and the results are on Asos Marketplace now so please support MV and check it out.

Don't forget you can purchase items, order commissions and join in the fun at MV on etsy
And we are now up on facebook so come along and join the group for offers and the latest news. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mistress-Vintage-Jewellery/129727697092939

NUGGET:

If you’re a big fan of staying in bed but still getting breakfast you’ll know how difficult it can be to get a decent breakfast in town after having a decent lie in. But the Modern Pantry solves just this issue. Head down to Farringdon at the weekend and get a lovely Saturday or Sunday brunch in cosy surrounding. Yum!

Pretty Pretty Skulls

Ok so I’ve been truly terrible in keeping up to date but it’s a new year and a new beginning – plus I’ve been busy!

Following my last blog back in July I disappeared off on a mammoth trip around Paris, NYC and Vegas filming for a National Geographic series but alas there was no time for shopping or scouring for vintage goodies. I did have a good time though, although a bit exhausting and we got to interview Mr Donald Trump himself in Trump towers.

Then my documentary series with Mr Attenborough First Life came out. It looked fantastic but less fantastic looking was the show before that accompanied it, Attenborough’s Journey featuring none other than moi looking very bossy and sweaty in the wilds of Oz and Canada!

This is us filming in Oz – and yes that is me looking rather fetching in shorts!

Now my time is taken up thinking up stories about mythical creatures and creating fantasy worlds for a project which I really hope gets off the ground and it’s got my artistic thoughts flowing once again! I also spent some time in Marrakesh and picked up some beautiful ornate solid silver coins which I’ve been using in my latest creations.

Thanks for everyone who turned up to Olympia Hotel Fair last weekend – it was like a little party in my corner! It was great. Latest news is that I hope to get up and selling on ASOS Market soon so watch this space. Sonia Allen will be doing make up for the shoot and singer Danger Mouth will be modelling my goodies. Meanwhile young budding photographer Katie Blanch will be using MV pocket watch statement pieces for a fun Alice in Wonderland shoot.

Also Atom Heart, a new shop opening up in North Wales, will soon be stocking Mistress Vintage so all you Welsh vintage lovers can get your hands on my goodies.

So time for a new leaf and a new look. I am finally going to take Mistress Vintage in the direction I’ve been wanting to go for some time. Out with the girlie and in with more vintage and an edgier feel. I will still be making my working watch and charm bracelets and the odd one off girly piece when it takes my fancy but now Mistress Vintage will be producing more vintage cluster necklaces, scrumptious multi chain bracelets and I will be now promoting my new skull collection! Skulls may have been popular for some time now but I can’t get enough of them and hopefully my customers will feel the same too!

Come check out Mistress Vintage on Etsy!! www.mistressvintage.etsy.com

And I am now on Facebook so sign up for alerts and discounts! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mistress-Vintage-Jewellery/129727697092939

Mistress Vintage will be at Harpenden Fair next Sunday 20th and Clerkenwell Vintage Fair on March 13th

Hidden Treasures

So it’s been a busy time here at MV. July saw Mistress Vintage visit the usual market spots of Hitchin Fair and Hammersmith fair. As always thanks for those of you who turned up to say hi and I hope you're enjoying your purchases.

Things have been super busy in my wonderful world of telly with the crew returning from filming in Papua New Guinea today. Now I’ll be completely consumed with the latest National Geographic series working in Paris and New York for 6 weeks! A bit of a pain considering we will have just have moved into our new house in North London which we are renovating and filling with vintage treasures, but definitely a good trip for inspiration for new MV ideas!

Perhaps there will be some great books to rummage through because here at Mistress Vintage we have branched out into new goodies for the first time. Now you can purchase the perfect gift in the perfect package or failing that just get yourself a treasure all of your own. MV is now doing vintage tea cups filled with a piece of jewellery of your choice, packaged in super cute polka dot cellophane and finished with a gorgeous ribbon.

For those of you among you who prefer something a little more rustic there is a great range of vintage tins from Oxo to throat pastilles which can house your purchase and can be wrapped in ribbon – a brilliant and unexpected way of delivering a gift. Or my own personal favourite: hollowed out vintage books. These books have gone down a storm. Hollowed out to hold a gift, piece of MV jewellery or just any secrets of your own you wish to hide, they are decorated inside and out with vintage images, ribbons and oddities - put together by hand over several painstaking hours... To purchase please check out the MV Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/mistressvintage or rather excitingly they will shortly be in at a brand new stockist, the lovely Dressing Room Boutique in Hitchin: http://www.dressingroomboutique.net/




Also if anyone can help please do contact me. At Hammersmith Vintage Fair this month a lady purchased several books from me and explained she was going to stock them at Jane Bourgeis or Jenson and Ballentyne – both of which rang a bell with me but when I searched for these shops I can’t find them physically or on the net. She explained they were Ladbroke Grove way – anyone know these shops? If so please contact me on mistressvintage@hotmail.com – this would be really appreciated.

NUGGET:

If like us you are looking for something unique for your house or simply love ogling vintage wonders make your way down to Kempton Race Course Sunbury Antiques. Held two Tuesdays every month we finally made our way down there, only to be overwhelmed by endless beautiful and affordable items and oddities. Such crazy and inspiring stuff – definitely worth a wander! http://www.kemptonantiques.com/