Wednesday 23 November 2011

Vintage Montreal

I'm back from a fantastic trip to Canada, where the boy and I saw bits of Montreal, Quebec and Toronto. It's already a week since we arrived home, and I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things.

I thought I'd start with a little vintage post. We found (with much help from our lovely friend and tour guide) that Montreal is scattered with antique and vintage shops. We spent a good few afternoons perusing them, and I was amazed at the amount as well as the contrast of finds.

On our second day in Montreal, we wandered around the Mile End. An up and coming trendy part of town, that's kinda cool because its a little bit edgy. One place we spent rather long in was Monastiraki; Le Petit Monastere. Part gallery, part shop, filled with curiosities and an amazing retro comic collection! 
 
 As well as numerous vintage shops, Montreal also has a great selection of antique shops. Chandeliers everywhere! I was struggling not to buy them.
This was actually just a cool dog on the balcony of our friend's very cool Montreal apartment!


 My favourite little run of vintage shops was somewhere along Rue St-Laurent. Four shops all in a row, and each with a completely different atmosphere. This one here on the left is Rokoko. Loved it! Totally kitsch and ridiculous, but it made me smile as soon as I walked in. It was like entering Del Boy's apartment, and it really made me want a tacky bar in my living room!

I managed to get through all of the vintage shops without really buying very much.. I was quite tempted by lots but trying to be sensible at the same time. Saying that, I did make one ridiculous purchase in an antique shop close by to our friends house where we were staying... a 1920's Underwood typewriter! We didn't manage to bring it home of course, it weighs a ton. *Courier suggestions from Canada much appreciated!

Bourne & Hollingsworth

I've just found the blogger app, and being a little excited at this, decided to test it out.

So what have I got on my phone right now? A couple of pics from one of my favourite little bars in London; Bourne and Hollingsworth.

The prohibition bar has retro wallpaper, vintage lampshades and amazing cocktails served in jars, tin mugs and tea cups. They even play decent music, which can be difficult to find on a Friday night. We sang along to David Bowie, the Cure and Blondie. But beware, after a certain time it can become very hen night-ish when they bring out the Cindy Lauper.

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Song of the Week

My new favourite band... and a dedication to years gone by.

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour: Golden Age.



And the version from the Heineken advert, which is also very cool... the full version is available on youtube and well worth a watch, but it wont let me post it on here.



Sunday 15 May 2011

This Weeks Music Fix

While getting ready for the Blossoms & Bygones festival last week, I put on some music to get me in the mood. I came across this gem by Phil Harris. Disney's Mr Baloo the Bear and Little John. Two of my favourite Disney characters! Check it out...

The Thing by Phil Harris. (1950)

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Blossoms & Bygones

This weekend saw the annual 'Blossoms and Bygones' festival in Haddenham and Aldreth, Cambridgeshire. A perfect excuse for a lovely family day out of the city. The boyfriend and I got our glad rags on and spent the day with parents and siblings, eating cake and drinking tea. We even managed to hit a jumble sale or two. 

The festival had a slight twist this year, with the introduction of a theme. And with it landing on the 40th anniversary of VE Day, what better theme than the 1940s. I have to say that the villagers did themselves proud, with amazing decorations, costumes and all round effort. It was my first Blossoms and Bygone's festival, and it was very charming to be there. 

We spent the first part of the afternoon sitting on a tractor, taking in all the amazing decorations.  However much my head scarf didn't like this very windy half hour, I very much did. I'm not local in this part of the country, but I have visited a few times now, and to see the streets as busy as they were was amazing. I've always notices a community spirit here, but the enthusiasm for this day was lovely to see. 

Our tractor ride was followed by yummy tea and cakes (and spam sandwiches for some!) at the lovely Haddenham Gallery.  Well worth a visit if you're close by, with a collection of arts, crafts and treasures from all over the world.  

A good old rummage at the jumble sale topped the day off nicely, especially with the amazing find of a 1982 edition of Trivial Pursuit for just £1!

I would have loved more time to wander around looking at the houses, but alas, we had to head back to London. A lovely idea for a festival, which encouraged community spirit,  creativity, and all round bonkers-ness! Dog shows, lindy hoppers (which I annoyingly missed), vintage cars, craft stalls and more, meant lots of fun for one and all. I say we all need a blossoms and bygones festival in our home town! 

Blossoms & Bygones photo post coming shortly!

Saturday 7 May 2011

Riga's Vintage Delights

A bit of a cheat post, I guess, but this is from my other blog. Sometimes there just aren't enough rocks is basically about anything I decide I want to write about! I have recently posted about some good vintage inspired finds from a holiday in Riga.

So please check them out and let me know what you think!

Madam BonBon's:
Sweet Shop! Riga's Vintage Delights Part 1

Mojo Bar:
Mint Tea, Please; Riga's Vintage Delights Part 2

Have you found any vintage inspired shops or bars on your travels?

Tuesday 3 May 2011

It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

Following on from my first post, here's another music themed inspiration.

Two summers ago, the boyfriend and I attended an amazing party hosted by one of his cousins. It was a weekend long affair of camping, food, wine, bloody mary's, kayaking, more wine, dancing, and some great entertainment.

One of the afternoons while we were relaxing in the sun, The Shellac Sisters were spinning out their 78s quite to my delight. Amazing music that you don't get to hear all that often, and from a gramaphone none the less. Swing, Jazz and Big Band beauties from the 1920's to the 1950's. I loved everything about these girls. They dressed the part and were all looking amazing from top to toe.

Image (c) The Shellac Sisters.
I haven't seen The Shellac Sisters anywhere since. However they do gig frequently and I am looking forward to seeing them at Vintage at Southbank Centre this summer.

Check out their site for more info and a vintage swing fix.

Sunday 1 May 2011

Bygone Inspiration: J5, Swing Set

Hello, and Welcome to my new blog!

Here I will share and store vintage inspiration. This can be anything from an image to a tea cup to a piece of furniture. Anything from a bygone era that catches my eye, and stirs my soul.

To start, something that encouraged my love vintage before I'd really noticed it.. A contemporary song but a homage to swing music. And if anything got me loving all things vintage, it was trumpets, jazz drumming and double bass...

Swing Set by Jurassic 5, from their second album; Quality Control.



Quality Control was released in 2000. Swing Set samples Fire Eater by Rusty Bryant, released in 1972.


I would say that this J5 song helped to move my music tastes onto more old school funk and jazz. I'm sure I will be posting some more music posts to this blog at a later date. What contemporary culture has inspired your love of vintage?