When in London...

Do as the Londoners do... I forgot another surprise...

A little article I've written as part of a series for "The Vintage Guide to London". Entitled... "How to do London the War-Time Way". No need to go into too much detail on here as you can check it out here

Gx

Men (and Women) at work

Phew, stripping tiles with non toxic paint stripper is a labour of love (and stripping them with toxic paint stripper makes you giddy!)

We're getting along slowly but surely, and I thought I'd show you how we're doing, plus some little features I'd love to revamp. the plan is to paint the blue bits of wall an off white and have a yellow, black and off white scheme.

Strip (tease!) 

80 years worth of paint. First cream, then green which I think may have been clarted on in the '50s, then another cream layer, and two layers of white... chip, chip!

Some of the stripped tiles... they still need to be cleaned up

Some more stripped tiles, looking rather grubby, I swear they're clean, we just need to re grout them

Layers yet to be peeled

a big old wall and  beneath the sink... not looking forward to that one!



Another wall Pass me my paint chisel... I'm going in!



 I look at this and weep... we still have to strip all the fiddly nooks and crannies!

 Some Original Features (Or so I believe)

MMMM art deco towel rail

Armitage ware bathroom ceramics. A predecessor to Armitage Shanks maybe?

This is a lovely little beading feature which runs along the bath edge... just need to clean it up now

A rather grubby 1930s ceramic soap dish begging to be scrubbed

We don't have one of these, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled... wouldn't it be wonderful

But we do have this... the Pièce de résistance...



Art Deco loo roll dispenser? Done!



... On that note, I feel it's best to leave.

Pip pip

G x

I'm back... with some juicy gossip!

I'm so sorry I've been such a bad blogger but I've been so down in the mouth recently it's been hard to write with any gusto.

However, I'm starting to perk up, partly because I've been harbouring a few secrets which can now, slowly, begin to come out into the open... but only slowly mind you!

Secret number 1:

Puttin' On the Ritz have just posted a sneak peek of their "Weekend in the Country" suit, "Lllian" blouse and "Lady Swinburn" stole... all modelled by... me! I went to Lurgashall in West Sussex for the piccies, it's a really pretty village with a smashing pub! No I was not drunk when modelling as I needed to look as snooty and prim and proper as possible (I did enjoy a good G & T afterwards though! Yes, I was the brunt of a few stares and the barman called me Mam... I felt rather special!)

The "Lady Swinburn" stole is available from the store now. Other items, well, you'll have to watch Ritz Towers' blog to stay in the loop!

Secret number 2:

Watch this space. but I'll give you a clue...

Secret number 3:

 A happy and super surprise prize from a very talented scribbler.

Also, holiday posts... one dating back to last November! (I wrote it and forgot to publish it... but it shall appear soon!)

Thanks you so much for your kind word after my last post, and for bearing with me.
Hope you're all grand!

G xx

Bit of a maudlin post this one

Michael Thomas King

1937-2001

10 years ago my Dad left this mortal coil. I imagine he wasn't best pleased about it as he was only 1 year off from claiming his pension ("sods law" he'd have exclaimed!)

I agree, it is sods law... not because of the pension, but because now I'm a little more grown up I'd have appreciated him as a person, rather than just as a Dad. As a 19 year old tearaway I didn't stop to see his side of things, I imagine as a chap in his sixties he didn't see the need to step back and see things my way... both of us were Capricorn, hot headed, stubborn, digging our heels in and refusing to budge.

What makes me sad is that we have so much in common now, I have no doubt we'd get along splendidly... if only he could have stuck around. There are so many stories I wish I could hear from the horses mouth;

Collecting shrapnel and chaff (slivers of silver foil dropped to confuse enemy radar.)
Exclaiming "any gum chum" to the GIs based around Hampton Court.
His Teddy Boy days when he beat the streets of Kingston proudly clad in a pea green zoot suit with purple crushed velvet lapels. (He was 6ft 2"... I imagine he looked like a lanky, fuzzy runner bean... but stylish never the less!)
The years he played washboard in a skiffle group called "Ironbark Junction". (Mike, The Washboard, King was his "rock" name... I found the washboard a couple of weeks ago, it's some contraption!)
Just to be able to sit with him and look at all the photos of film and TV sets he built as a production artist. (Whilst watching the new "Upstairs Downstairs" at Christmas Mum revealed, in a rather blaze manner, that he built some of the original set... how did I not know this before? How could I not care?!)

I'm not sure what this post is meant to project... maybe to acknowledge and boast how great my Dad actually was? Maybe an appeal to try to understand loved ones who may drive you potty? Maybe a request to make the most of your friends and loved ones... life's too short, live and love every minute of it, I learnt the hard way and it still stings.

Dad, if you're listening "I am most definitely my Father's daughter... and proud of it" ... bet you never thought you'd hear me say that, did you?!

Love Little Weeble
(my nickname as a kid... yes, I did wobble, but I never fell down!) 

x

Two outfit posts for the price of one

Ello one and all.

I'm going to do an ickle postet as I'm mid packing for a trip to French France. Trekking off to Nice for a few days and am most eager to find out if Nice biscuits come from Nice?

Anyway, I promised to tell you about my Saturday Night, so here goes... I went to the Candlelight Club with some of the girls and much fun was had. I'd been saving this dress for a special night out and I felt this occasion suited, so out of the closet came...

An early 30s velvet dress with a small geometric print. It has a rather ostentatious jabot detail with burgundy satin accents and a flower at the collar, fishtail hem and big turn up cuffs. There's also a belt...

My favourite bit is the wonderful enamel buckle

I had my hair in a set all day, but it wouldn't stay in tight curls, but  Jen Jen came to the rescue and brushed it into a wave with kiss curls. it was certainly different from my usual big fluffy hair!

I'd never been to the Candlelight Club before so was very excited and wasn't disappointed, the music was good, the sandwiches yummy and the ambiance wonderful. The ladies and I had a lovely time dancing and nattering. unfortunately I danced with a rather over enthusiastic Chap who span me round with such vigour that the arm of my dress tore (it's fixable but still a shame). Here is a snap of all the girls...

Photo by Elisabeth Blanchet

More pics can be viewed on Flickr by clicking here. I'm not sure if I have permission to publish them up here as they've been taken by the lovely Elisabeth Blanchet, who don't half take a good snap! My fave in the link snaps is a pic of my shoes and bare feet manically dancing in the background!

I also took my Miss Lemon cardi out for a spin today. teamed with a black skirt, black 30s pumps, red beret and a 30s Egyptian tourist tooled leather clutch bag...

Pardon the bad pose, I'm not quite with it today on the posing lark!

I love the bag I'm holding. Found it last week in an antique shop. It has all sorts of types of transport on it... a bus (with three wheels each side...  which I thought was odd, but I've just been told that was quite common in the 30s, it's known as a "double rear axil" and one is in Saboteur by Alfred Hitchcock... my chap's a fountain of knowledge!) A horse and cart, a bike, a car and a tram. All controlled by a little Policeman at the crossroads! The lady in the shop said she thinks it's Egyptian.

 And now I must go and pack... haven't been abroad in 6 years... eeks!

G x

Making my own Miss Lemon

Ello there, sorry for the radio silence of late, I've been spinning about like a whirling dervish and not managed to land for long enough to type!

Anyway...Miss Felicity Lemon is certainly most popular in Blog land of late... especially her wardrobe and one item in particular... the bow jumper-cardigan (which I've blogged/lusted over before).

Whilst in my local red cross shop I had an inspired moment upon spotting a rather marvellous red cardigan similar in shape and shade of red to Miss L's. (The only difference is that it's not rib stitch).

I snaffled up the woollen item for two quid and then hurried to the wool shop to buy some skeins of wool in off-white, navy and red. From which a bow resembling the cardi was knitted. I just made two rectangles, one slightly larger than the other, then popped the smaller one on top and bound them together with some wool. The cardi had a belt, which I used to make the red centre of the bow.

I did notice that on Miss Lemon's bow she has a little tail that hangs down, onto which buttons are sewn. So I left an end hanging. All I need now are some lovely round headed buttons to finish off. I'm also contemplating stitching two bands of white around the cuffs (but I may leave that so the cardi can be multi-use without the bow)

It's not perfect, especially as the fine stitching of the cardigan doesn't match my bulky knitting, but overall I'm rather pleased. I'm still on the look out for a pattern to have a proper one made, but in the mean time at least I have something to satisfy my woolly lust! :D

I need to get some more white buttons!

The bow tail detail... unfortunately stitching is dramatically different, but I don't think I could knit as fine as the cardi itself

I have some rather lovely snaps of a great night out I had on Saturday, but I shall update you with that a wee bit later.

I hope you're enjoying the sunshine (I'm ignoring the brisk chill in the air!) If you haven't got any sunshine... I hope you have some soon :D

G x