This weekend I will be singing at Bletchley Park’s 1940’s Weekend! The weather is set to be beautiful too! The museum will be open, so you can gaze in awe at the Enigma machine, computer and historic mansion. Walk around the beautiful grounds, enjoy the entertainment, vintage stalls, reenactors and more!
I will be performing on the Saturday and Sunday only, at 3pm and 4pm, so come and say hello.
The wonderful organisers of the Ironbridge WWII Weekend put on a special event yesterday, which included a charity walk in aid of Pilgrim Bandits.
The Malthouse put on a lovely daytime and evening do and made a wonderful base for the event! With bunting, flags on the tables, Willy’s Jeep, Classic Car and 40’s music coming out of an old wooden radio, they had done a lovely job.
The weather was beautifully mild and the scenery spectacular. I had never had the pleasure of visiting Ironbridge before, but knew we would come back every year. Even though the famous bridge was being repaired, it didn’t take away from the stunning buildings, greenery and river!
I did 2 short singing sets in the daytime and trailed my microphone lead outside to the courtyard to make the most of the beautiful day! I did have 1 technical hitch, which was the fact that I was planning an Isis Wing Dance (Kieran’s Requiem) as the finale for my evening set, but the ceilings were too low for my wing span!
The only thing I could think of was to do it in the outside courtyard on go on the hunt for some bamboo fans and silk scarves to create fab veils with! We hot stepped it to the Antiques Centre before my first set to see what we could find. Nothing. But I did come away with a few charms for my charm bracelet! Some vintage fetish shoes, a burlesque dancer and pussycat.
So that was that. I explained the situation to the organisers and they were absolutely fine with it. It was going to be tricky as the patching was uneven and outside tables still rather close, but I wasn’t going to let them down.
After my first set we sauntered down the street to the soldier memorial and admired more pretty buildings and scenery. We chatted to a lovely lady in her garden with 2 crazy springer spaniels and headed back to The Malthouse for some lunch!
The second set was very lively, with more people and a super atmosphere! I really was in love with this place and the staff were so welcoming. I even got one of their themed B&B rooms to get changed in for my evening performance!
As we had a while until my last set, we headed to the Telford Shopping Centre to watch The Quiet Place (really good!) and then went to my room to get prepped.
As I was doing my hair and makeup I got to thinking about the last time I performed burlesque outside and realised it was with the USO Shows. Memories flooded my head…Giggles with Kieran and Sandra, repairing feather fans after strong winds had broken them, the Clover Sisters, dancing…then I realised what act I was doing (one I created in Kieran’s memory) and couldn’t stop the tears. I had to repair my eye make up constantly and will my false eyelashes to stick. Finally composed, Richard helped me tuck my costume fabric into my dress and we headed downstairs. I knew I looked a bit lumpy and bumpy, but hoped that people would forgive this once they saw the finale. There were soooo many people and most were dressed for the occasion! They waved their flags, sang along and made me forget all my worries! With a mild threat, I got them all outside and someone helped move one of the speakers to the doorway for my burlesque act. The performance space was still small and the tips of my wings were an ear hair away from some of the audience, but I just went with it. Whilst dancing I bantered back and forth with some of the watchers and my melancholy act turned into fun and laughter. I didn’t want to leave.
(2 performance photos above taken by Graham Hickman!)
So dear Ironbridge, I will be back! The seed has been firmly planted at The Malthouse and we have a few plans in the pipeline. Thank you for your hospitality, support and darned right loveliness x
Well we may have had a little rain, but nothing to dampen the spirits of everyone who attended the first day of Shakespeare’s Birthday Festival!
The market was on by the river, there was a living statue competition, some amazing eateries and the main parade! I was lucky enough to sing near the Bancroft opposite the giant Birthday cake!
It was a super crowd and I loved looking at all the statues! The costumes were incredible! We were also lucky enough to see the LGBT Pride people sat on the grass with some dressed as gorgeous unicorns.
Although a local gal, this was the first time I had been to the Shakespeare Birthday celebrations and thoroughly enjoyed it. LSD Productions had done a sterling job of organising the festivities!
Well this April Stratford Upon Avon hosted its very first Comicon! I ended up using this as an excuse to create a costume I’ve wanted to do for years…Steampunk Mary Poppins!
I have always loved the Jolly Holiday scene in the movie and couldn’t wait to start my project. On a very tight budget I managed to get a blouse, petticoat, overskirt, boots and corset. The corset, although XL, was small and the underbust certainly wasn’t ‘under’. I ended up having to cut the shoulder straps, add eyelets and add red cord to lengthen it! It is just a fashion corset and not for tight lacing, so wore my trusty waspie under the outfit for a bit more nip and pull.
The boots were black and white, so I painted them with acrylics and sprayed with an enamel top coat. They looked super and just about lasted the event before cracking across the toes. It was hitting, but there was nothing online that was right (she wore pale pink and white boots, not red and white). I also didn’t have enough money for leather which I could have permanently painted. Ah well, they did the job!
I cut down the hoop petticoat as it was ankle length originally and did the same with the tulle overskirt, chopping out the attached underskirt too. Adding the signature red velvet bows tied it into the movie.
The hat was an 80’s wedding hat! I cut down the depth of the crown and reattached the top, covering the whole thing in tulle that I had trimmed off the skirt! No waste!
Onto the exciting bits! I created the rocket pack in homage to Mary Poppins’ carousel horse and painted it in similar colours, with the same flower and swirl pattern. The pressure dial was inspired by her yellow measuring tape and the bottom of each rocket by her parasol umbrella.
I had bought a couple of papier-mâché vases ages ago in the hopes of creating a rocket pack for myself, so that was great! The carousel horse head was created from a papier-mâché unicorn and the dial from a cardboard gift box. I used craft foam for the rocket cones and parasol bases.
Next up, my emergency cup and saucer holster! Whether there is a tea duelling contest or just the need for a morning Earl Grey, this is the perfect accessory. I ended up creating the template around a silicone cup and saucer (the type you bake cupcakes in) as I wanted something very light and non-breakable (incase I had to carry Betsy). I had some very old scrap leather pieces that I used for the holster. These were easy to cut with standard scissors. I hot glued the edges together and painted it with acrylics to match the rocket pack.
Finally the leather wrist gauntlet! With a glass vial of ‘medicine’ and another full of sugar (to help the medicine go down) it is the ideal emergency kit for sniffly children. I mixed bubble bath, food colouring and glitter for the medicine before hot gluing the cork on. The strap were made from antique leather children’s belts that had dried out. I massaged some moisturiser into the leather and theft them overnight. The main gauntlet was made from the same scrap leather as the cup holster, hot glued onto a piece of craft foam lining. I used acrylic paint again and a special raised outline gold paint for detailing. I sprayed everything with a clear top coat to protect the paint.
On to the event! It only took about 1.5 hours to get round, so it was small, but for a first offering (and £5 entrance fee) it was expected. There was a good mix of stalls, illustrators, an epic cup cake stall, a replica Dalek exhibit and a large Simpsons sofa photo op.
Over the other side were the ‘celebrities’ and a green screen photo op. We went first thing in the morning and there were about 100 of us.
I made my way to an illustrator’s stall and then carried on around. The celebrity guests were sat looking a little bemused. I stood and chatted for quite a long time to Paul Warren and Julian Seager, who were very pleasant. I felt awful as I wasn’t interested in purchasing autographs from them and felt like they were friendly but also trying to butter me up to purchase something! Hopefully that wasn’t the case! I talked briefly to Virginia Hey as she needed to borrow glue for her nail and Chris Barrie who I had met previously at Goodwood Revival in the VIP area. It was rather amusing seeing Mr. Brittas back in a leisure centre!
I did have a photo taken with Betsy on the green screen, but it was just a shame that Betsy and my leg disappeared on the photo! Ah well, it was a nice memory and souvenir!
The good thing about the show is that it is walking distance to the town and park. You can come and go as you please, so can go for a wander and then pop back.
It would be nice to see some photo op lookalikes there, such as UK Negan, a Q&A stage (this could also be used for people to introduce their cosplay costumes), more food stalls and maybe a Jolly Comicon host to keep everyone up to date. There could be a screen with projected live Tweets from their Twitter profile, or new movie previews… maybe some of these ideas will reach the creators!
I have to say though that my husband’s Mugatu costume seemed to steal the show! He has worn it before, but I managed to alter a dog toy to make into Mugatu’s poodle and found some sunglasses to finish the costume off. He looked hilarious!
It was a great little convention to meet up with friends and I’m so glad that we finally have a Comicon of our own. It will get bigger and better I’m sure, but this was a good start!
Now, I remember whinging about MCM Comicon and the fact that was just stalls and a minor scattering of C-list celebs, but Walker Stalker was an absolute money scam! I’d made a cool zombie hand hat and everything!
The tickets were about average cost if you managed to get a BOGOF deal for general admission (£44 for both of you), but if you wanted something a little more upgraded then these were the options…
£190 got you earlier entry, a special lanyard (oooooh…), special VIP queues for autographs and photos. You don’t actually get an autograph or photo in this deal.
For a mere £660 (?!) your Gold VIP pass will get you early entry, special lanyard, 2 photo ops and 2 autographs, special seating and special lines for photo/autographs.
The Platinum VIP pass was only a poultry £1320.00 each and gave you 4 photos, 4 autographs, lunch, a basket full solid gold kittens…wait, no a special pin badge and lanyard, special seating away from the commoners and special lines. But remember…if you have kids, you need to buy them Platinum passes too or they aren’t allowed in…
So you’ve got your pass, now to catch a glimpse of your favourite Walking Dead actors. Want a quick snap on your phone to show who’s here? Nope…special people designated to each celebrity scan the crowd and stand in the way of anyone trying to take a snap.
Ok, so how much for a photo op? Well you’re talking between £80 and £115 for each of the Walking Dead cast, £67.50 odd for each of The Sons of Anarchy guys and even Bruce Campbell (*swoon*) was only £67.50. For that price you get a professional 8 x 10 photo of you and your chosen celebrity. Want a quick chat? Not a chance. It lasts around 4 seconds. Click…”next!”…click…”next”…lucky I looked bloody fabulous and Bruce loved the outfit and was a really amazing guy, so I got more than a friendly nod. He also changed his pose drastically for each shot. Seriously, I’ve seen some of the Norman Reedus pics and there may as well have been a cardboard cutout. Remember, none of those prices include an autograph.
Right, you want one of those now? Maybe you want your photo op picture signed or a piece of memorabilia? Sure! That’s £40-80 per item depending on celebrity please! And you want a quick snap taken with them too as you’ve queued for over an hour to see them? Sure! They only charge £40 TO £60 FOR A SELFIE! Still think this is value for money???
Don’t forget that some celebs are ‘cash only’ and don’t let you know until you’ve been queuing to the pay point. Then you have to queue at the only working cash machine at the front entrance and rejoin the autograph queue again (if you stomp your foot like I did) or go back to the end (like someone else). I queued up for Bruce Campbell and wish I had not said I wanted an autograph on my photo op picture as the woman wouldn’t allow me to still have an 8 x 10″ movie still although I paid the same as everyone else. He was great though, remembered me from the photo op and had a great little chat. He even said that people who made an effort dressing up should be let in for free. After saying goodbye he called out “Meow Baby!” Which pretty much made my day!
The website advertised a zombie maze so I was really looking forward to that! Oh no, that isn’t included in your entrance fee, you only find out it’s and extra £5 each when you get in there! Worth it? Not a bloody chance. A metal fence and tarpaulin zig zagging walkway with about 6 actors rattling gates or clawing at the air. Only jumpy bit was the chainsaw at the end, but that’s purely because it is so loud.
There were quite a few stalls there, but not as varied as your normal Comicons. Most were selling the same stuff, unofficial cushions and t-shirts, one random one selling bullets in the sizes that some of the characters use in WD (?!?!), a couple of great laser cut acrylic jewellery stalls and a random one selling alpaca toys (yes we got one for Betsy!).
They did have a small stage for a few actor Q&A’s, but if you were stuck in a queue you could hear anything that was being said.
A few people had really made an effort with costumes and looked amazing, but for the amount of people there, I really expected more.
The feedback I’ve had from others that were there and people who have been previous years was that this one was an expensive shambles. Prices have shot up, the ticket scanners weren’t working properly, some people were queuing until midday on Saturday and the whole thing wasn’t worth it.
I made the best of it as we had come a long way, queued for ages and paid a lot of money, but I won’t be going back. It was an utter dream to meet one of my heroes, but I’ll stick to regular Comicons from now on!
What a lovely weekend! We managed to hire our first ever baby sitter (eek!) and head off to Woody at War’s 1940’s dance at Stoneleigh on the Saturday evening. We haven’t been to a dance since I was pregnant! The last time I went to this one was when Kieran at the USO Shows was running it, so I didn’t know what to expect. Woody had done an excellent job and had even set up a little USO stage for me to sing on! The place was packed and everyone looked wonderful.
On the Sunday it was time for the Stoneleigh Militaria Show. I was singing in the foyer at 1pm, so we had plenty of time to walk around the stalls! I had managed to do little victory rolls in Betsy’s hair and she looked ridiculously cute in her khaki jumpsuit and headscarf.
There were 3 really good clothing stalls at the show 2 in the main hall, 1 in the second) and I got a lovely bargain 50’s straw bag and a jacket to wear with my Heyday trousers. Richard got me a lovely wool suit for Valentine’s that I can’t wait to wear!
It was wonderful to see some familiar faces and new ones alike. Some people I hadn’t seen for so long, they didn’t realise that I now sing?! So many cuddles and greetings, lots of cooing over Queen B and her hair, lots of catching up and a great singing set. I always enjoy this show, I think many of us treat it as the ‘real’ new year in the 1940’s scene as it is the first event of the year for us! It seemed to be a lot busier this year too.
Thank you to the extremely talented local photographer Charlotte Doran Davies for these wonderful images!
Next year I hope to take some photos of the actual festival myself!
Just in case you are not aware, I made the little top hat myself. Check out Cogsmith’s Curious Creations on Facebook for more designs!
Well it even started to snow in my performance yesterday, adding to the magical atmosphere of Stratford’s Victorian Christmas Market!
Looking forward to seeing you all AND the wonderful festival lights, when I sing at 5.40pm today!
As we are not getting paid for these performances, I have decided to raise money for Combat Stress. Please, please would you mind offering up any spare change that you can to raise money for psychological support for our veterans?
Thank you in advance! X
Back in March I was lucky enough to be part of a collaborative shoot, organised by Ruth and Sheena of Emily’s Best Travelling Traditional Sweet Shop!
With a Halloweeny… Harry Potteresque theme, I jumped at the chance to get involved! Having not had the exciting bit of trying on loads of bridal gowns for my own wedding, this was also the perfect opportunity to feed that little yearning too.
Gemma Williams was a wonderful photographer, as you can see from the images.
Daisy and Fred created an epic Snitch themed cake, Jamball and Kerry Gold made some wonderful fabric and paper bouquets adorned with charms and Harry Potter references, Jen Hogmany Melchett upcycled some wonderful heels with big velvet bows and Marauder’s Map fabric, All Things Lucy handmade some stunning headdresses, Rosie Red Corsetry brought a mouth watering collection of gowns that I wanted to take home, Sarah Russell was makeup artist and went for a much more natural style than I am used to but super-wild hair, Shelsey Herbs and Flowers brought stunning flowers and foliage, M Style did the theming and there were more people than I can list helping out.
A double page spread of this wonderful bridal shoot has been featured in Issue 83 of Vintage Life Magazine!
Huzzah! It’s that time of year again where we all get to dress up and be part of something truly epic! Goodwood Revival is back in all its Harris Tweed glory. I cannot wait to sing in the VIP area again, with its fantastic vintage BBC radio set up and see all the wonderful Goodwood actors, staff and racing drivers once more. Although this year’s event sold out as quickly as it went on sale, you are in with a chance for next years event, so let me entice you with some of last year’s pictures…
Entertaining the evacuee children with a little bit of Gracie Fields.
I had just gotten to the VIP area and was doing ‘once round the room’ saunter, when a waiter turned round, saw the outfit and dropped a jug of orange juice down me by accident. Sticky, but hilarious! Had to use someone’s hair dryer behind the scenes.
The sound effects for the radio shows!
Recreating old radio shows from the original scripts. An absolute hoot!
For one of the VIP areas you had to walk through a 60’s record shop!
Another VIP entrance. Absolutely incredible England football team dressing room, including a mini pitch outside!
My wonderful boys of No.26. Can’t wait to see them again! Andrew Wareing’s 1964 BRM F1 car, P261
The adorable pedal car race. My personal favourite!
They look tough, but they are pussy cats really…
I asked for a strong tea with a tiny splash of milk. The girl Pantone matched it to the beige table cloth…
The gorgeously suave LM and his chum.
1940's Pin-Up Entertainer Kitten von Mew 