Friday 10 June 2022

Glaston-Ready (Well, Almost!)

 

What was I thinking? In my last post I wrote that it was three weeks until Glastonbury but I must have been on another planet - it was actually just a fortnight away! There I was thinking Lord Jon was being a little too eager when he spoke about having the van packed next week. Anyway, we're ploughing through the prep required for trading at the biggest festival on the planet, the repairs are done, the stock's been selected and we're currently halfway through the pricing. The weather's been a bit of a disaster but with a dry weekend forecast, Jon'll be giving operation funk up the outside of the tent a go.

Mindful of the impact of a week of manual labour, hard work and hedonism will have on our 55 year old bodies, the swimming continues, I've changed up my daily Wii Fit routine making it more of a muscle workout with press-ups, jack knives, lunges and balance bridges and we're eating as well as possible, helped by the £1.50 Lidl *Waste Not* boxes. Below are the contents of two we bought this week:


Honeydew, Gala and Ogen melons, padron peppers, a trio of sweet peppers, white onions, pak choi, baby leaf & rocket salad, bistro salad, a conference pear, two heads of organic broccoli, romaine lettuce, carrots and spinach leaves. 


A week after getting back from Glasto & we'll be off to our next festival and (hopefully) as our stock will be seriously depleted the hunt for all things vintage, quirky and cool continues. I wore my Dilli Grey Emma maxi for a hunt of the chazzas on Tuesday and the manager of the charity shop where I bought my basket was thrilled to see it. 


The earrings are recent acquisitions - there's a shop in town which sells brand new clothes and jewellery for £1. As you can imagine, most of the stock is pretty awful but there's a few decent pieces like these pink wooden beauties & the multicoloured tasselled wonders. 


We found so much good stuff on Tuesday that we were struggling to carry it back to the car - if I had more time I'd photograph and share it - I'll just have to ask our customers if they'd mind posing in it if & when it gets sold. And I promise that I wasn't looking for things for me but...since they reopened after lockdown....the chazzas seem to be bursting with XS clothing so it's daft not to snap it up when I can. This puff sleeve shirred cotton top with metallic embroidered dots was £2 (it was marked up at £4 but the lovely lady who works on the counter decided it was too expensive so charged me half price!)



I wore it under my charity-shopped Lucky Brand dungarees with my new earrings and six year old Lotta of Stockholm in apple green clogs to nip over to B&Q and B&M Bargains on Wednesday morning before spending the rest of the day locked away in the trade tent.


Jon went over to his mate's garage to do some work on the other campervan leaving me to my own devices. After pimping up three pairs of shorts with some vintage sew-on patches bought from a car boot sale years ago I cracked out the sewing machine.


Although I only saw the highlights of last weekend's Jubilee celebrations, I loved the bit with the Queen meeting Paddington Bear. By weird coincidence I found a 1980s Paddington duvet cover in the £1 charity shop on Tuesday which I'd unpicked and washed then, using a 1971 Jiffy pattern, turned it into a maxi dress. This'll be on the mannequin in our trade tent when we roll up the shop front at Glasto. Regular readers will know I've been making clothes from vintage curtains and duvet covers years before The Great British Sewing Bee made repurposing old fabric trendy!


Of course the most exciting thing about the Queen having tea with Paddington was learning that she keeps her marmalade sandwiches in her handbag. Her Maj always carries a Launer handbag, made in Walsall with the workshop a five minute walk from our front door). You can read more about our town's centuries-old leather goods manufacturing industry in my blog post HERE. It's a shame the brand go by the name Launer, London when Walsall's over a hundred miles away from the country's capital.


On Thursday morning, after our swim, we popped into Walsall's legendary vintage clothes shop, Second To None, which has hosted many a bloggers get together over the last twelve years, and caught up with the owner, June to do a bit of business.  


This amazing 1970s cotton maxi dress caught my eye and it couldn't be more me, could it?


It's vintage Dorothy Perkins who made incredibly groovy gear in the 1960s and 1970s and then lost its way. When I was a teenager in the 1980s it was the place you shopped when you weren't cool enough for TopShop. 




Gah! Look at some of those clothes, I wish I had a time machine!



I wore my new-to-me dress for another flying visit to the chazzas this morning where, once again, we were struggling to carry all the swag we found back to the car. We spent the rest of the day continuing to price stock which, I'm delighted to report, we've finally completed - just over 1,000 items labelled & ready to sell (how we'll ever get it all in the van is another story!)


I'm off to drink rum. See you soon!



59 comments:

  1. It’s getting very exciting now and how good are you two getting yourselves physically and nutritionally fit. Good on yer. That DP dress is a beauty. Looking forward to pics of Glastonbury. Meanwhile we will be chilling at the caravan (fingers crossed) xxx

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    1. Thanks, Lynn! Glastonbury always takes its tool - remember when I ruined my hip a few years ago and needed that hospital procedure? We've only got a few days till our next festival when we get home so I'm determined not to be hobbling around!
      Have a wonderful break! xxx

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  2. You definitely deserve rum - what a busy week you have both had.

    Love your Paddington Dress - given how popular that bit of the Jubilee celebrations seems to have been, I wonder how many nano-seconds it will be until you have to remove it from the mannequin to sell 😝

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  3. I do love it when patterns match up. That dress gets high marks!

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  4. You definitely deserve some rum after all your shopping and pricing, Vix! How exciting that Glastonbury is getting so close (although being mentally off by a week is a bit panic-inducing!). I also loved the Queen's skit with Paddington (which was one of my favourite series as a child - I still have my books), and thought it was so charming.

    Your new Dorothy Perkins dress is fabulous! Wow, that old ad is so funny - those are rather risque babydoll nightgowns!

    Amazing how much you get in your 1.50 buy!! Wow, that would cost me over $40 to buy all of that, easily.

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    1. I really did earn that rum, Sheila! The Kinky Tent seems to have become our second home this week, I've been in it by 6am most mornings - I think we're nearly ready!
      I kept telling myself that I didn't need another blue cotton maxi dress when I spotted that DP one in Second to None but when has that ever stopped me? xxx

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  5. The Paddington dress is amazing, and I'm almost certain I used to have that duvet cover!
    I hope all your preparations are going well. It's not long now :)

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  6. Hiya! Zoë here. I think you may be drinking bottles of rum after loosing a week of prep!! That blue hat and the Dotty Ps dress look fab on you. As does that pretty little blue top. I commandeered a shirt from my mum when I was a student and that was DPs from years back!! That is a shame Launer didn't recognise Walsall. Those Lidl boxes look like a damn good bargain. I'll be getting Arthur to look out for one of those!! Have a great weekend and cheers to getting back on the festival trail. Zxx















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    1. Thanks, Z! The vintage Dotty P stuff I've come across has always been lovely, a lot was printed in India so right up my street!
      The owner of the Launer workshop was on the local news almost every day last week. Most of the leather goods produced in Walsall end up in London or overseas, it's far too high end for the likes of us plebs! When Michael Palin did his travel shows he always carried a Whitehouse & Cox bag (also made in Walsall). I found one for 20p at a jumble sale about 15 years ago and sold it on eBay for £££s! xxx

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  7. gosh! more then 1000 items ready for glastonbury - sounds like an epic work.
    love your homemade bear dress - should copy the pattern for my size - looks so breezy and comfy.
    can´t wait to see the funked up by lord jon festival tent......
    xxxx

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    1. Thanks, Beate! Those 1960s/1970s Jiffy dress making patterns are wonderful - usually only a few pieces and rarely any fastenings - perfect for throwing on with a minimum of fuss! xxx

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  8. Your cutoff shorts are known as Daisy Dukes in my part of the world. Just google the old TV show Dukes of Hazard and you'll see why.

    Launer? I want one for my retirement present, so if they have a shop I'll be stopping by. Have no desire to deal with London.

    Enjoy the weather!

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    1. I didn't know cut-off shorts were called Daisy Dukes until I heard that Katy Perry song a few years ago. My Dad wouldn't tolerate American television but we'd watch the Dukes of Hazard when he was working abroad! xxx

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  9. I loved Dorothy Perkins clothes, circa 1960s. Memories..... ps you do make age 55 look rather fantastic.......

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    1. Dorothy Perkins was great back in the day - and rather frumpy and Princess Di-like by the time we were in the 1980s! xxx

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  10. I bet you are so excited about getting back into festivals again! I would love to take the tribe to one, but no doubt one would go missing. We loved that bit with the queen and Paddington but we had to watch it a few times to make sure it was her lol!
    I keep an assortment of snacks and melon soda in my bag lol! That dress is everything clever you for making it. I really need to start using mine. Paul bought me it last year and I haven’t touched it yet! But I promise this year yes ! Love and hugs Allie

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    1. Hello Allie! They'd love Glastonbury - the kids facilities are absolutely amazing!
      I still haven't seen all of that Paddington sketch, I must track it down on YouTube. I loved the one she did with Daniel Craig during the London Olympics! xxx

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  11. Your veggie box was a bargain, the ones at our store are not nearly as nice but I will keep looking. The Paddington dress is fun and it was interesting to read about the Queen's handbag maker. Our chazzas are all closing down - two have disappeared in our own small town - what's going on?! going online I suppose. What an advert (DottyP Babydoll), I think nowadays it would be considered inappropriate to advertise with a pursuasive voiceover like that! You have a lot of work to do in two weeks, hope it all goes smoothly. Betty

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    1. Hello, Betty! I'm continually amazed with the contents of the Lidl veg boxes - Jacob's never eaten so well, either!
      A few of our chazzas have closed down, too. I have noticed that they're a lot less busy than they used to be, too. The on-line aspect takes all the fun away, doesn't it?
      Isn't that DP advert fabulous? xxx

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  12. You're definitely getting your Glastonbury groove on with that maxi dress! Gorgeous! Love the earrings and the puff sleeve top too - it works very well with your dungarees. The Paddington dress is cute. I must admit, I've watched that sketch quite a few times now...I find it quite moving. Hormones?? I fondly remember our trip to Second to None. xxx

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    1. Thanks, Claire! That shirred top is perfect under dungarees, no having to keep tucking it in!
      I still haven't watched that sketch in its entirety, the illustration with Paddington and Liz walking off into the sunset was very moving though (and I've never ever been a royalist!) xxx

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  13. Love the Paddington dress to bits! I'm excited to come with you to the festival and see details after. Good luck selling.

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  14. I did wonder about those three weeks ... Anyway, there I was thinking my working week had been hectic! Getting 1000 items festival ready sounds truly exhausting.
    Love the Paddington Bear frock - which reminds you of your Thomas the Tank Engine one - and I'm sure it'll be an eyecatcher and be snapped up soon. Still have to watch that video ...
    Your Dorothy Perkins frock is a marvel and couldn't have been more you! Loving the advert and I wish I could join you on a trip in the time machine! xxx

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    1. I couldn't believe I was a week out - honestly I was in such a panic when Jon told me, I hate rushing! The first festival of the season is always a bit manic but when the first festival also happens to be the biggest one in the world it really is all systems go!
      I didn't need that Dottie P maxi but I knew it would haunt me if I didn't buy it. xxx

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  15. You're definitely establishing Aegean blue as "the" colour for summer 2022! It stands up to the vibrant colors of your garden and enlivens the earthy tones of Walsall. Brava, you! And brava HRM for her charming reception of Paddington Bear. No doubt your wonderful dress will be snapped up as one of the best mementoes of the Platinum Jubilee.

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    1. I absolutely love blue, Beth although I think you're right, I do seem to be wearing more of it lately! xxx

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  16. Ah, you will have a wonderful but tiring time at Glasto! My sister in law is going with her husband!
    1000 labelled items is impressive! I hope you have great sales.
    I was SURE you already had a Paddington dress but I think it might be Thomas I'm thinking of. I think that Alex, who used to blog at Oddsocks and Pretty frocks made a Paddington one though!
    Your Emma maxi is beautiful! Such a pretty colour and very Jane Austen! The Lucky Dungarees look so good on you!x

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    1. Thanks, Kezzie! I wonder is that's why Dilli Grey call that dress "Emma"?
      Tell your sister-in-law and husband to come and say hello if they see our shop - we're in William's Green, by the Tony Benn Tower, right opposite the bandstand (that goes for anyone out there reading my blog - don't be shy!)
      I've made a Thomas the Tank Engine dress, a Barbie one, Scooby Doo and Mr Men but now you mention it I do remember Alex making a Paddington one. I spotted some Spiderman curtains in a chazza the other day but the fabric was hideous (and I always preferred Batman!) xxx

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  17. That's a LOT of merchandise. I hope the camper van comes home empty and you have a great time.
    I joke that I want my ashes buried in a bespoke Launer bodybag. I doubt they'd do it.

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    1. I know - and we've got to have the same amount for the other festivals we're doing. I'm glad we both love shopping.
      The ashes in a Launer bag made me laugh. People often ask if I ever find them in charity shops - I doubt if anyone in Walsall could afford one - let alone buy one and send it to a chazza - mind you, the Margaret Thatcher connection put me off them for life! xxx

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  18. Second to None! That brings back happy memories 🙂
    I thought the Queen's sketch with Paddington was really sweet and touching. That dress will be the first thing sold!
    Your DP dress is gorgeous. I have one of their older pieces and they were much better made than modern fast fashion.
    So excited for Glasto on the telly. Have a brilliant time! Xxx

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    1. Hi Annie! I found some photos of the time Jo, you and I went to Second to None and followed it up with chips and beer in Spoons.
      Dorothy Perkins were really groovy back in the day, weren't they? I hated their stuff in the 1980s, it was all very Princess Di - I preferred Madonna! xxx

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  19. The dress coming in at number nine on the Dotty Perks ad was one of my favourite work dresses for quite a few years! It was very comfy, washed and dried quickly, and was a size 12. There's quite a lot more of me these days than when I was 18!
    I didn't buy jumpers in those days though, I had a Double Bedded Knitmaster knitting machine, and a Double Bedded Chunky Knitter and designed and made all my 'woolly' stuff myself!
    I used to wear baby doll sets though, my favourite was bright turquoise, frilly knicks, with a barely decent top with 'oodles' of frills around the hem!
    Enjoy Glasto!

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    1. Hi Col! Fancy you having dress number 9, you lucky thing! I did have a Dotty P's baby doll, sleepwear was so much cuter back then. I don't wear anything in bed and when I look at the jersey pyjama sets in every shade of grey in M&S I'd never be tempted.
      You're very clever being able to master a knitting machine, I see vintage ones in charity shops and they look positively lethal! xxx

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  20. good grief! 1000 items?? where are you going to stash them? Have a brilliant (and profitable) time at Glasto 🕺🏼🎸 looking forward to reading all the shenanigans when you get back :D

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    1. Thanks, Kate! No stashing, all those garments (plus the accessories) will be out in the shop, divided between 9 garment rails! One of our crew has taken a couple of sacks of clothes to bring in his car, hopefully the rest will squish in the van! xxx

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  21. P.S. I think you could make those tassel earrings very easily! I have many earring hooks- maybe I should give it a go! Kezzie x

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    1. Great idea! If I had any embroidery silk I'd give it a go (I've got a pack of those earring backs, too!) xxx

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  22. I'm sure the Paddington dress will fly off the mannequin at Glastonbury! I love your Dorothy Perkins dress, and you have the perfect hat to wear with it. I can't imagine having to price 1,000 items and then get them out and displayed properly when you get there. I hope you have loads of fun and a successful selling weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Shelley! We'll be there for a week - hopefully we'll have sold a lot of stock before the weekend (so more time for partying!) xxx

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  23. I thought I'd gone mad when I totally lost a day last week ... but you seem to have lost a whole week!!

    Ooh Kinky Tent is going to look amazing ... and bursting at the seams with 1000+ items. I hope you have a very successful time at Glastonbury, the atmosphere is going to be electric that's for sure.

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    1. Thanks so much, Sue! Let's hope those predicted temperatures last through till next weekend! xxx

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  24. I should think you'd need a rum after all that!

    Love the new maxi, the beautiful Emma dress and the Paddington Bear duvet make over is such fun! Loved the earrings from your 1.00 shop, too. I see you've been wearing your lovely Bee pendant...

    I think I might show your photos of your Lidl 1.50 box to the manager at my Lidl and hopefully shame him/her to up their game. They also place the veg boxes beyond the checkouts right at the very end of the shop; almost as if they don't want people to see them and buy them! Strange.

    Hope you have a wonderful time at Glastonbury and sell loads...
    xxx

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    1. Thanks, Vronni! We're almost there now - I've managed to hand-sew a banner for the shop and power through the mending pile, adding even more stock to the rails!
      I think all the Lidl's keep their veg boxes behind to checkouts, its to prevent people from swapping things from the normal fruit & veg display. xxx

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  25. I used to love going into Dotty P's when I was a youngster and spending my clothing allowance from my parents. Arilx

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    1. Buying clothes back then was such a joy, wasn't it? I'd save up for ages for something and wear it to death - no fast fashion in the 1980s! xxx

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  26. Oh I love that vintage advert for Dorothy Perkins. Some great classics there. Ive never been to Glasto although two of my children have.Maybe one year!!

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    1. They don't make adverts like that any more! I swear it's getting harder and harder each year to get Glasto tickets, that's why we've started trading there and our friends are volunteering to direct traffic! xxx

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  27. Love these pictures. You are looking gorgeous in these outfits. Hope you have a wonderful time at Glastonbury

    Love: Mariann Yip
    https://www.mariannyc.com/24-hours-in-milan/

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  28. I'm in sunny Dorset and it's hot hot hot - I feel excited for yourself Vix and Lord Jon's forthcoming adventures at Glastonbury xx

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    1. I'm hoping it's hot, hot, hot for us next week! It's supposed to be glorious here but I'm had to abandon my sun lounger as it's raining! xxx

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  29. We will be at Cornbury on the Saturday next month so maybe we'll see you there!

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  30. I also loved Paddington meets the Queen, I love Paddington. I probably had the duvet cover! It looks much better as a dress.
    I was definitely not cool enough to shop at Top shop but I used to shop more at Etam rather than DP's!
    Have a fantastic Glastonbury, a work colleague is going for the first time and I think she is panicking more about camping than excited to be there bless her.

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  31. The Dorothy Perkins and Dilli Grey dresses are stunning! Love the Paddington dress!

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix