Ahhh, a village fete in high summer – a perfectly quaint English tradition that sounds right up my alley, especially when the V&A’s in charge.
Last year's fete in the V&A's John Madejski Garden
I’m still kicking myself about missing out last year, so tomorrow night you’ll find me at the Late Night Village Fete, playing hoopla at Tatty Devine’s booth in a bid to win a limited-edition ring, getting into a scratch-off for art prizes at Rob Ryan’s stall, and lining up at Lady Luck Rules OK for a bespoke wooden rosette brooch.
Moustache necklace £23, by Tatty Devine.
There’s an impressive line-up of other creative games and stalls by leading as well as up-and-coming designers in Britain, and kooky events like helium karaoke (uh, that's heli-oke), “The Beard Tent” (compete for the largest and most object-filled beard) and “Anarchy in an English Country Garden” (winning topiary trimmers score bondage-style wellies). See you there amongst the bunting … and the beards.
Friday Late Village Fete Friday 25 July, 6.30pm-10pm Saturday 26 July, 10am-5.45pm The V&A Museum Cromwell Road London SW7 2RL Tel. 020 7942 2966
It's no secret that I adore Rob Ryan. I mean, what’s not to love? The man is as much obsessed with bird, flower and plant motifs as I am, and his extraordinary paper-cutting talents are constantly called upon for creative collaborations by the likes of Paul Smith, Liberty and Vogue.
Dress for UK Vogue.
So when I got the fluro-pink birdy invitation to the opening of his very first shop on Columbia Road recently, I was there in a (tiny sparrow’s) heartbeat. Ryantown isn’t hard to miss, with its jaunty new lick of turquoise-blue paint and gleeful cursive signage. Inside, the bijou shop has the air of a gallery space, with an eye-catching floor-to-ceiling tile mural and Ryan’s artwork dotted around the walls.
Now, keep in mind that a mid-week evening soiree on Columbia Road bears little resemblance to the heaving begonia-laden crowds who flock to the street for the famous Flower Markets every Sunday. So I took full advantage of the distinct lack of people and peonies for a closer inspection of Ryan’s new wares.
Taking pride of place above the mantle are rows of Ryan’s hand screen-printed tiles, which are fired nearby in his studio’s kiln. At £24, these miniature artworks are ultra-affordable, and have already attracted a loyal following of shoppers on Etsy. Displayed together in a palette of muted brights, it’s hard to resist these perfect little pieces of Ryanisms. At the other end of the scale are Ryan’s limited edition prints from £350 and incredible paper artworks from £2000 (unframed).
But I was keen to suss out Ryan’s new products, and spied a range of laser-cut wooden keys-to-my-heart at £16 and rolls of chunky tape featuring a blue and white neighbourhood tableau at £10. I know that nobody needs a decorative roll of tape for £10, but wait until you clap eyes on these little beauties and see if you can resist their demand to be picked up and lovingly stuck to brown paper packages and the like.
There’s also a brand new range of exclusive t-shirts, some gorgeous paper-cut cards at a very reasonable £2.50, and signed copies of Ryan’s book, This is for You, at £12. You can also pick up the Clothkits make-your-own Rob Ryan skirt for £46.
I’m told that more stock is on its way, with a rather enticing promise of new pieces rolling in every week. For instance, a range of one-off ceramic platters and vases will be regularly added to the shop, and new “height rulers for human beings”– great for kids’ rooms – will be arriving in-store soon. A wee birdy also told me about an upcoming stool in collaboration with furniture designer Michael Marriott. Busy times for Mister Rob – and I’ll definitely be coming back on Sundays for more (battling the begonias and all).
Chirp Chirp! My dearest friend Gemma Jones has sent some blogday lovin' our way with this amazing bird-themed Flickr mosaic. Little Miss Coupon Bird and the beautiful 1975 Israeli stamp make my heart sing. Thanks Gem!
One of the greatest things about starting up a blog like Wee Birdy is the opportunity I’ve had to meet some pretty amazing London business owners – who all share a certain passion, energy and talent for what they do. Like Michelle Scorah of Lavender Bakery in Islington. After a couple of emails I not only discovered that Michelle had a particular talent for creative customised cupcakes, but she also grew up in the same Australian town as me, and we probably spent many a summer holiday splashing about in the same suburban public pool.
Michelle is passionate about cake-making – and it shows. After working in the industry “for a while” she finally decided to take the plunge and launched her own business in January this year.
Specialising in customised cupcakes, cakes and biscuits made to order, Lavender Bakery uses quality ingredients like organic fruit and vegetables, Shipton Mill flour and fair trade sugar, cocoa and coffee.
Cupcakes are Lavender Bakery’s forte, so I was delighted when a special delivery of these gorgeous gems arrived on my doorstep recently. Daintily iced in Italian meringue buttercream and decorated with Wee Birdy’s feathered friends, they demonstrated the breadth of Michelle’s extensive skills with a piping bag, and her ability to customise just about any order.
And proving they tasted as good as they looked, the raspberry and vanilla cake was moist and delicious. Sadly, it wasn’t long til this lot were demolished to a pile of (rather tasty) crumbs – after I showed severe restraint with a mini photo shoot first.
Gah, it’s been so long since my last post. Big apologies for the bad blogiquette, but I’ve been busy visiting Welsh yurts and the like … all in the name of work, of course. Anyway, I’ve finally stopped for a moment to draw a breath because I had a feeling my blogday (or is that blogiversary?) was coming up. So I checked the date of my very first post and what d’you know, today’s the day!
I really didn’t know what I was getting into 12 months ago when I posted a couple of stories about my favourite shops in Cheshire Street, East London. I had only recently moved to London with my husband and writing about my new discoveries really helped me find my way around my new hometown.
I certainly didn’t have any expectations, but I’ve been overwhelmed by the support and random acts of friendship that I’ve found within the blogosphere. So thanks to everyone who’s ever stopped by, written a comment, or posted me an email.
In the meantime, I’ve been checking out my stats on Google Analytics (always handy for instant gratification, not to mention alarmingly addictive) for some “fun facts” to mark this auspicious occasion.
Now who’d have thought that “Camille Bidault Waddington” (with and without the hyphen) would be in the top 10 keywords used to find Wee Birdy? That’s a lot of people (I’m thinking mostly girls) interested in Mrs Jarvis Cocker. I don’t blame them. Stumbling upon the Cocker family in Colette was a very pleasant way to end a long weekend in Paris.
Perhaps even more mystifying are some of the more unusual keywords used to find Wee Birdy, like:
"the best place to get a chicken coop in nsw" (nup, sorry) "bundaberg ginger beer's potential market" (that would be right over here, ta) "can topshop enter australian market" (mmm, I reckon so) "camilla walking in wellies" (mmm, no thanks) "how to french knit using a toilet roll and paddle pop sticks" (oh my, crafty AND resourceful!) "harry potter diffusion line t-shirts" (wait, Harry Potter has a diffusion line???) "how to keep a bunnie calm" (A: Hold it close to your body and softly stroke its head) "i'm a wee ballerina" (yeah? cool! me too!) "why can women wait for a wee and men cant" (ah yes, that old chestnut...)
Happy Blogday, wee birdies, and here’s to many more… xx
p.s. you may notice some changes over the next few days, with new shopping navigation on the right-hand side, the latest music I've been listening to, AND fancy new Google maps!
Look out bird nerds, Springwatch is back and this year it's as addictive as ever.
(If you don't live in the UK, Springwatch is a hugely popular and successful BBC TV show. Part of its appeal is the live-to-air excitement of crossing to various hidden cameras trained on the secret habitats of Britain's wildlife. We get an up-close look of chicks hatching, feeding and fledgling inside a coal tit's nestbox, and baby ospreys fighting for survival in Scotland. Seriously, the lives of swallows, blue tits and greenfinches have never been so gripping!)
Of course, I've been deeply sucked into the soap-opera-style narratives of newborn birds hatching, siblings cannabilising, and fathers committing infanticide. Apart from the harsh reminder that nature can be brutal, it's also very beautiful. (New discovery: newborn birds are all blind-eyeballs-and-throaty-beaks on toothpick necks.)
If you have a moment, check out the live webcams on the Springwatch website now.
Want to recreate your own version of Springwatch at home? Get kitted out with the slickest bird box and feeder designs. Here, my top picks from UK online garden specialists, The Urban Garden.
I’m a big fan of sixties girl bands and Northern Soul, so I was quite looking forward to seeing the V&A Museum’s latest exhibition, The Story of The Supremes. Despite the fact the museum has been criticised for “dumbing down” its exhibitions with populist inclusions like the Kylie retrospective, I was excited by the prospect of seeing a collection of the group’s iconic costumes and learning a bit more about the history of Motown.
Image source: V&A
So when I headed over to the museum on Sunday and reached the first showcase in the exhibition, it’s fair to say I was surprised and disappointed when blaring techno music started playing from the fashion show next door. It basically drowned out The Supremes and various video exhibits featuring recorded speeches by Martin Luther King. Not exactly what I was expecting for the opening weekend of a music-led exhibition, which documents the rise of African American music in sixties America (ie. Motown actually being HEARD by the predominant mainstream white audience).
Image source: V&A
Initial disappointment aside, the exhibition was, of course, a hit, with a fantastic line-up of some of The Supremes’ most spectacular glittery, bugle-bead encrusted costumes. I particularly loved their earlier creations like the fitted shantung silk shifts and the tiered ruffled chiffon dresses. These frocks were designed to MOVE and accentuate their trademark shimmies and shakes.
Three cheers for Fifi Lapin and her most stylish return to Etsy. If you haven’t already heard of the blogosphere’s hottest style icon (what, have you had your head stuck down a rabbit hole?), Miss Lapin is a fashion fiend who loves to work the latest catwalk looks.
Like all good It Girls, Fifi has developed somewhat of an air of mystery surrounding her identity. We do know that she’s an only child, (her 256 siblings suffered the tragic fate of a myxomatosis outbreak) and subsequently “the sole haress to her father’s fortune”. From what I’ve gleaned from her extremely addictive blog, Miss Lapin lives in a London burrow.
[Edit: The Eley Kishimoto print sold just as I was publishing this post. If you're after an original Fifi Lapin artwork, keep checking the Etsy shop for new items]
Still with Time Out London … in the April 24 issue Dan Jones writes about moustaches and the Handlebar Club, where London’s “moustached elite” gather at the Windsor Castle pub every Friday. He suggests that if you can’t grow your own, you fake it with a falsie.
But now it’s all about old-school moustache disguises (and most importantly, being photographed in said disguise). Not to mention “moustaching”, the classic method of defacing photos and magazine ads. In fact, you can purchase vinyl stickers for this very purpose from Moustache Me, who claim they are “upper lip vigilantes with a world vision of peace and moustaches for all.”
There’s also a growing popularity for moustache motifs. Just key in “moustache” into the search engine on Etsy and you’ll find all manner of mos, with whiskers spreading across necklaces and brooches to mirrors and pillows.
Which ‘tache suits you? Check out my top Etsy picks:
