Kitten von Mew in Fleur Dress from Heyday Online
A little teaser of the dress I will be wearing to my Mad Hen’s Tea Party in April, when I will be dressing as Alice. The Fleur Dress lends itself beautifully and is sooooooo comfy. I will post more pictures as and when I have them taken, but for now I must get back to swishing around the office in a patriotic haze…excuse me…
Kitten von Mew at Volupte
On Sunday evening, Mr Mew and I headed to London for the filming of Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is! This fantastic BBC programme follows antique experts in trying to find bargains at flea markets, carboots and antique shops, then selling them on for a profit.
I first met Katherine Higgins (one of the antique experts of the show) at a publicity shoot for Vintage at Goodwood and we hit it off straight away with a love of vintage clothing, hats and Art Deco!
Kitten von Mew and Katherine Higgins, Vintage at Goodwood Publicity Shoot
Katherine and I kept in touch at odd intervals and vowed to do something else together. The opportunity finally came with the Antiques Roadshow last year, where I showcased my Art Deco 3 piece suite! Katherine wasn’t going to do the show (filmed at Charlecote Park), but suddenly there she was on the day! We had a great time chatting between takes and it felt like we were old friends.
I won’t give the episode away too much, but we filmed in the Volupte Club in London, which is a gorgeous Burlesque supper club. I dressed in my Songbird outfit of canary yellow and pink and brought out my ostrich feather fans, which were then placed on a nearby table. After fanning them out and discussing the shot, we realised that smoke was slowly filling the room like an early 90’s rock video and the ruddy things were on fire! Luckily (although a dreadful smell), the cindered area was picked and fluffed out and barely noticeable after a while. With all the hairspray that must have landed on them in the past 7 years, I thought they would have gone up like a roman candle, so I was very lucky.
We all had a great laugh whilst filming and I had given Katherine one of my pincushion corsages as a gift when she arrived. The complete darling wore it for the entire filming and it really suited her!
Katherine Higgins Wearing Kitten von Mew's Corsage Pincushion
The programme will be aired this autumn at 5.15pm on the BBC!
It seems that most people with a love of vintage also are old romantics too. We have an appreciation of traditional values, old fashioned courting and the appreciation of manners and wooing.
For those who are still struggling with ideas for Valentine’s gifts, whether you are already in a relationship or planning a surprise attack of romance, hopefully I can help a little!
So… Firstly roses. Traditional, beautiful and unfortunately expensive at this time of year. People seem to think that a dozen red roses is a must have, but a single red rose can say just as much as it’s 11 counterparts. So save the pennies for something else and opt for 1 flower to symbolise the only love in your life.
Romantic meal for two? Depending on what your finances are like, you could opt for the first restaurant you went to together, make an epic paella together (a wonderful culinary bonding technique) or a carpet picnic for two! Imagine sticking on an old film like Some Like It Hot, laying down a rug and some candles on the floor and a feast of nibbles. Just make sure you have a fantastically norish dessert too!
So, onto a Valentine’s Day Card! You will find original vintage Victorian, 1930’s and 1940’s cards at antiques markets and online (Ebay etc) for anything from £2.50 to £6.00. If you think how much you usually pay for a card, that is pretty fantastic, don’t you think? And heaps more meaningful than a modern card too! Even if it has a romantic message written inside from the original recipient, just add your name! When you start giving each other vintage cards, you can put them out every year as Valentine decorations too.
Valentine Gifts for Women…It is always lovely to receive presents…as long as they aren’t your classic body paint and naff cuddly toys from the supermarket. Vintage girls love romantic gestures, sweetheart brooches, love letters, theatre tickets, a new hat or some special repro lingerie from What Katie Did! Why not get your gal a 1940’s sweetheart pin or lucite brooch? Maybe a vintage locket with both your photos inside! Think old fashioned romance!
Valentines Gifts for Men…Difficult if you don’t want to get too mushy, but perhaps buy him a 1940’s mug and serve him breakfast in bed, a special tie bar and vintage tie, or perhaps a vintage style photo of you in pinup lingerie taken by the amazing Kate Donovan! Imagine his face as he unwraps a cheeky photo of you in seamed stockings and your hair all done up! Kate can do all your hair, makeup and styling, so all you need to do is relax and enjoy the experience.
So there you have it. Hopefully some of this has given you some ideas. Just don’t forget that although we are caught up in an amazing world of emails and instant text messages, there is NOTHING like receiving a handwritten love letter or card through the post. So please, make the effort this year whether you are sending it to your loved one’s work place or the home you both live in! Slip it into their shoe, briefcase, lunchbox or letterbox.
Kitten von Mew taken by Candee Photography 2011
Whilst teacup pincushion have taken a backseat until I start selling some, my devil’s playthings have been eager to find something to take their place. Enter Crafty Cats. I started making Baloo (mog right) completely by accident one day, whilst messing around with scraps of an old jacket and remembered that I had bought some cat eyes for another project. I agree. he looks miserable, but don’t we all know cats like that? The type that gaze up at you like they haven’t been fed all week, but you slipped them a piece of cheese 20 minutes ago? Lol was my second and she was made as a gift for Paul. She is adorable and they sit between our computers at work.
Below is my latest and greatest, based on a real cat – Matt Damon (as owned and loved by my sweet pal Lee Parker). Lee is forever sending me lovely treats and I have been wanting to return the favour for a while, so here he is…
Fez Cat for Lee, made by me!
For years I have dipped my toes into the world of poetry and prose. I used to enjoy sitting in a coffee shop, watching the world go by, whilst sketching and writing. From song parodies and funny poems, to more serious ‘diaries of the heart’, I let my emotions spill out on the page. I may share some of these with you from time to time, but will not explain them. Like typing out pages from my diary, they are personal to myself or individuals and some have never seen the light of day. It has always been my wish to publish some short children’s stories and have my Ma illustrate them (she is the most wonderful artist), but as of yet I haven’t had the time, means or bribing techniques to do it. Maybe I will publish one when I have my own children and use my felt craft characters to illustrate it.
So here are some rare examples of my ‘Mewsings’. Enjoy!
From the rediculous….
Pea Boy was a very nice chap
Though did wear too much tweed,
Until one day he met his match
A suit of pink and green.
This suit wasn’t worn by just anyone,
No!
This suit was worn by HIM,
Pea Boys main arch rival,
Better known as Bean Pod Tim.
They fought it out for hours,
They fought it out for days,
Until one day Tim cowered
For in glorious array,
Stood Pea Boy tall and proud,
Arms straddled by his side,
Standing there stark naked,
But a pink and green bow tie.
To the passionate recluse…
Let flesh quiver and steal my breath,
As night doth fall and blanket our sighs.
Steadfast your hand against mine breast,
And rise and fall as if ebbing tide.
Candee Photography‘s awesome photo of me has made it onto Sixth Sense; a British Forces newspaper in Germany! The article is advertising The Berliner steam train trip in May, where I will be performing, singing and greeting the guests and media!
Today I thought I would bring you a selection of 10 of my images from 2011 and reasons why I have chosen them!
This was taken at Christmas (obviously) by Matt Keller and was one of the very few shoots I did in winter time last year. I like this image because it reminds me of a lovely Christmas and rounding off a tough year with positivity and hope for the future; the engagement ring for obvious reasons, a glimpse of one of my handmade decorations symbolising my new found love for crafts in my spare time, the red white and blue are a nod to the patriotic WWII themes dotted around the house and the necklace was my Grandmothers, but it actually reminds me of the colours of my Grandad’s tobacco pipe.
This was a little moment captured by Les Auld at War and Peace of Mr. Moo and I dancing together. We are never stoney faced when we dance. Whether we are laughing and smiling or our eyes closed, it means a lot to both of us. It was a lovely surprise to stumble across this image online and it has become one of my favourites.
Taken by Oli Scarff, this was a very impromptu moment after I had just done a press shoot for the Southbank Centre in aid of the Festival of Britain. I had just got changed into something more comfy and Richard and I had headed down from the roof to the first floor outdoor area. I took off my shoes to cool my feet but Richard grabbed my hand and pulled us both into the freezing Appearing Rooms fountain. We danced around in the water, getting absolutely soaked; it was so cold! A few of the press photographers came down the roof steps and one snapped some great images of us dancing. I later contacted Ghetty Images and got 3 of them framed. They are now on our livingroom wall and make me smile.
This image, although fantastic in it’s own right, reminds me of how precious true friends are. It is through the hard times that you find out which people in your life are really there for you in heart as well as in presence and Lisa of Candee Photography is one of those. My closest friend; we always have a giggle on shoots and although disagreements are few and far between, we find ways to overcome difficulties or awkward situations with ease.
We first met on a Sakura Designs shoot, where I had come to London to model hats and she was the photographer. Quiet, rather shy, but a smile to knock the clouds of the highest mountain, we worked well together and I was sorry to have to leave early. Since then we have done countless shoots, including the one above which is for my 2013 calendar. I don’t know what I would do without her and Jacob.
Yes another image taken by Les Auld at War and Peace! This was the debut of my Carmen Mewanda act and a daunting period for me after weight gain through illness. Of course as soon as I got on stage, I loved every moment. It’s funny thinking how upset and unconfident I feel an hour before and how I adore it all once Im up there. I chose this image because of what is actually going on that you cannot see. Although a child friendly version of the act, I managed to vacate the marquee of a party of 30 school children and 2 female teacher…leaving one male one behind and a lot of laughter from my friends Lee and Adam. I couldn’t help but laughing at the teachers nervously shoving the children out the door, even though I was wearing more than a swimsuit on a beach.
I flipping love this snap. Taken by Richard and War and Peace, I was strutting around in my new vintage hat, wearing Heyday Online trousers and blouse and everyday went to see my friend Shona at her stall. She is such a lovely girl and I model for her when I can.
Another candid image taken at Goodwood Revival. I have chosen this image as it was the last day and I was so very tired, losing my speaking voice and suddenly went into a rather silly mood. I think all us entertainers were getting little exhausted and I ended up sitting on my ‘karaoke crate’ to rest my aching feet and sing in one of the VIP areas. As I sang White Cliffs of Dover, one of the comical cleaning ladies was passing and I thrust the microphone at her. She instinctively started singing and it was a really lovely moment.
Ive chosen this picture (taken by Candee Photography) as it was a really proud moment for both of us. How often do you walk into WHSmith and see yourself on the cover of a glossy? I also chose it because of our hilarious ‘studio setup’ but Im sorry, we cannot reveal our secrets…
Not chosen for the quality of image, but more the people in it. My dear friends Don and Stephanie, who I bonded with through a sad passing of one of my fans. Also because you cannot tell that I am suffering from Laryngitis, Sinusitis, a temperature of 104 and jetlag.
Kitten von Mew by Lee Parker
Need I say more?…
It has been quite a while since I last wrote on my blog…well, a while for me considering the verbal waterfall that usually sploshed it’s way over these pages.
This year has somewhat crept up on me. I knew it was coming; it happened to warn me of its existence thanks to a 2012 page at the back of my diary, so I should have known really.
I am excited, daunted, refreshed and cynical all at the same time. I cannot wait for our wedding and honeymoon, the planning of which has helped me through some very tough times, but then you get the financial worries that rear their ugly heads, even with budget weddings such as ours. In fact, the wedding isn’t the issue, it is the honeymoon! After such a financial struggle all year and cutting corners on wedding expenses with ‘make do and mend’ creative thinking, we wanted to be able to let our hair down on a honeymoon that we felt we deserved. All great on paper, but when the phone number you thought was on the bottom of the invoice is in fact the price of your holiday, it starts to dawn on you that even the best laid plans and saving as much as we can each month may just lead to a long weekend in Bognor Regis.
I have also managed to fill up every weekend in May with performance bookings and considering we are getting married on the 2nd June, I should have possibly left more time for decorating the venue and organising!
Other excitements for the year…Well there is The Berliner of course, which along with the Halloween version will be a great highlight of this year. Who can imagine singing 1940’s songs on a military steam train to Berlin, followed by a performance for the mayor and press and a visit to WWII bunkers?
Of course my dear, faithful War and Peace Show is in July and I have an idea of a new little act I may do there this year. I can’t wait to catch up with friends and see what new dioramas the groups have come up with this year.
My local Wartime in the Vale weekender will be my 1st event as a married woman AND my Birthday on the Saturday! I am hoping to catch up with local wedding guests as well as enjoy performing at this lovely event!
A rookie at Twinwood, my first taster of this famous event was only last August bank holiday, where I performed in 2 of the small clubs in the evening. After a fantastic response I am back in 2012 for another stint in Glenn Miller’s haunt…
The glamour of Goodwood Revival calls once more in September as I get to squeeze the near life out of my 2 fabulous girls Sue and Milly and wave at famous racing drivers like I know them. This year I will NOT overuse my voice and end up with Laryngitis again!
Kitten von Mew, Southern Retro Shoot
WooOOOOoooooo! Check out my very own Southern Retro page!
Matt Keller came round to the cottage for tea, cakes and photos for his wonderful website!
Kitten von Mew wearing Heyday Trousers
It is no secret that I am a complete stalker of Shona at Heyday Online. Lucky enough to be one of her models, I adore her clothing, especially the Mary Dresses and Trousers.
Unluckily for me, I have put on some weight this year due to bad health, meaning most of my yummy clothes are no longer fitting (excuse me whilst I try and find my tiny violin to play a tune of self pity…), but LUCKILY for me and my love of Heyday, this won’t stop me from wearing my gorgeous trousers!
Yesterday I sat on the sofa and carefully unpicked the back of some of my trousers, right to the join at the crotch. I popped them on, pinned the back to my desired size and hey presto! a new lease of life! Shona’s trousers have a good bit of fabric left in the waistband, tapering down, which means you can get a size or so more out of your beloved trousers! Just sew them back up and no one will ever know the torment your waist once went through (unless you post it on a blog like me!).
If you have worn through the bottom of your trousers due to lindy hop, trudging around WW2 events or general wear and tear, why not make them into high waisted shorts for summer? You can even use some of the excess fabric to crate a little pocket for the front or back! I will be doing this with some of mine early next year, so will let you know how I get on!
1940's Pin-Up Entertainer Kitten von Mew 