PIG vs CUBANATE

ArtPix and Arcane Publishing are having a staff outing to London tomorrow, chiefly to see a bit of old-skool Industrial mayhem in the shape of two magnificent bands Pig and Cubanate.

We'll also have a gander around a few old haunts, like seeing how much more Camden Market has been ruined!!
Until 2 years ago I worked about 10 minutes from there, and could see the steady decline of its greatness at first hand, including all those mysterious 'fires' that used to happen just where property developers had earlier been sniffing around!!!!

Will be fantastic to see Pig again, having only seen them once, supporting Nine Inch Nails in 1994!!!
I was a huge fan of Cubanate when they were alive and kicking throughout the 90s as well, and saw them at many different venues around London. I've missed there unique sound, fury and bite ever since.

The Alternative scene is struggling a bit these days, especially with more and more venues closing, so it will be great to support these brilliant musicians, who deserve so much more credit and limelight than the total dross in the mainstream. 

BRIDPORT VINTAGE MARKET

Wondering what to do this Sunday???

Zoom on down to the lovely town of Bridport in Dorset, and visit the brilliant BRIDPORT VINTAGE MARKET!!

This is a fabulous event, entry is free, so just wander in and enjoy looking at all the wonderful and interesting stalls.
All set in the St Michael's Trading Estate, next to the Alleyways Antiques Centre, right in the heart of the town.
 
I'll be there as well, with my usual of array of vintage and retro goodies!

See you there!!

 

VINTAGE DRESS PATTERNS

Not only have I got a great selection of dress patterns from the 1950s to the 1970s, but they are all housed in a lovely vintage box ...

And just look at these fabulous designs!!

Someone bought a 1960s pattern, for an iconic looking dress, from me at the last Bridport Vintage Market in April, and told me she was actually going to make the dress, which is fantastic.

So if you want to make one of these dresses, or just have them as gorgeous vintage items, then run along to this Sunday's Vintage Market in the Dorset town of Bridport, and you'll find them on my stall, see you there!

1950s WADE 'FERN' DISH

Check this out ...

It absolutely screams 1950s doesn't it?!!

What a fantastic design!

The wonderful curved shape of the dish ...
The striking fern motifs ... 
The subtle use of just the two colours of red and black ...
The very 1950s red dots border ...
The amazing 'Atomic' feet!!

I couldn't believe it when I saw it recently on a stall at a vintage fair, and then I couldn't believe it when the trader said it looked SO 1960s!!!!
What?!


It was made by the famous ceramics company Wade, with the design simply called 'Fern'.

I was really surprised, as you normally associate the company with their Wade Whimsies, the slightly odd-looking animals, which they churned out for ages. 
I didn't know they made such stylish pieces like this dish, which would have been super-fashionable at the time it was produced.

As with many pieces I buy, I would love to keep it, but business is business, so some lucky person will have the chance to own it!
Starting this Sunday at the BRIDPORT VINTAGE MARKET!!
See you down there if you can't resist this fabulous Fifties dish!

PORTLAND FLOWER SHOW

At the moment the beach road connecting our little Isle of Portland to mainland Britain is awash with colour!

There are various amazing wild flowers going mad on the side of Chesil Beach, and the scratchy bits of land between the beach and the busy road.

As the constant traffic rushes by, you can wonder at Portland's very own flower show.
A skylark, which we often see around there, was high above making a racket, while obviously appreciating the floral carpet below!

Fortunately there is a handy board near the visitor centre, telling you what these flowers are!

The one you really notice the most is the vast stretch of pink Thrift ... 

Looking east towards Portland harbour, with Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door in the distance.
 

 
And here is some of the bright and cheerful Yellow-Horned Poppies ...

 
Make the most of this special show while it lasts!

GRIPPO

I do love a vintage tin!
Especially one with a brilliant name ...

And it doesn't get much better than ... 

Improved 

"Henselite"

Exclusive 

GRIPPO 

Polishes and 

Gives Perfect Grip 

to all Bowls

Stop sniggering at the back!

The Australian company, Henselite, were actually the leading light in the Lawn Bowls game, with founder R.W. Hensell first inventing the plastic bowl in 1930. 
They went on to supply all you could ever need in the game, from the bowls themselves to all kinds of accessories.

And that's where our heroic tin comes in, being one of those accessories.

Made in the 1950s, it has a fantastic design, with superb typography for the word 'Grippo'.
It even still has some polish in it after all this time, so you could have a go at polishing your bowls.

This is just one of many tins I've got in the ArtPix Storeroom, so keep an eye out for my fairs and markets and pick one up!

LLOYD LOOM

You know when you walk passed people who are talking and catch a tiny bit of their conversation?
I've always thought it was funny, as you usually get a random, surreal sounding, half of a sentence.

The last time it happened to me was at a recent vintage fair, and this is what I heard ...

"I'm SO over Lloyd Loom."

!!!!!

What a hilarious thing to hear!!
But then I thought, how can you be over Lloyd Loom??!
It's an iconic, vintage classic ... 


And only this week I picked up a gorgeous Lloyd Loom laundry basket, and not only that, it was a Lusty Lloyd Loom laundry basket!!

I love their famous greeny/blue colour, with that hint of gold around the edges.

 

Apparently there is actually a date stamp behind the logo, giving the month and the year it was produced. But it would mean damaging the little plaque to get at the date, which is a real shame, as I'm always slightly obsessive about knowing the date of a vintage item!

I guess as you see Lloyd Loom bits everywhere, it can be easy to take them for granted. But if you're an Art Deco fan, or just fancy getting a stylish bit of vintage into your home, then this is one of the easiest ways.


The company was formed back in 1917 by an American called Marshall B. Lloyd, who hit upon the idea of creating weaved chairs and furniture.
Four years later he sold the patent to the brilliantly named UK company, W. Lusty and Sons, hence the 'Lusty Lloyd Loom' moniker!

They absolutely rocketed from there on, and during their peak in the 1930s, their chairs, tables, cabinets etc, were everywhere in high class hotels, fashionable places, suburban homes, and even on a Zeppelin airship.

Unfortunately the whole factory was bombed out in 1940, destroying everything. They didn't resurface until 1951, and never really hit the high notes again.
Although from the 1990s onwards there has been a bit of a renaissance, and they are still being made to this day.

But the original bits are the best!



A few years ago I rescued this fine looking chair at a dump, thinking it was a Lloyd Loom chair.
But in fact it's actually a 'Sirrom' chair, probably dating to the 1950s.

It was cheekily made by Morris, Wilkinson & Co, who made almost identical chairs and furniture to the famous Lloyd Looms. Only a slight difference in the weave and not using a metal rod inside, gives the game away, and of course the different logo on the back.

It's been made of card, and has come off slightly, but you can make it out to be 'Sirrom'.

But I still love my chair, even if it's a little bashed on the cushion part.


So if you see a bit of Lloyd Loom lurking about, rescue it and treasure it!!!