Award winning costume-ing!

I’ve been at it again, rifling through the costume shed’s of the Woodhouse Players that is. This time around I’ve done the costumes for their Spring Double Bill consisting of “The Ruffian on the Stair” written by Joe Orton, Directed by the awesome Dan Uzstan and “Bobby Gould in Hell” written by David Mamet, Directed by the smashing Cathy Love.

At this years Waltham Forest Festival of theatre the Woodhouse players offerings swept the board in awards, including an award for Stage Craft which I am proud to say my costumes contributed to!! Woop!

Ruffian on the Stair is set in dreary, monochrome 1960′s and is a darkly comedic play that is an unsympathetic peek into the lives of Mike, an ex-boxer, and Joyce, a former prostitute.

Bobby Gould in Hell is a comedy about a Hollywood mogul who suddenly finds him self being interrogated by the devil, who’s been called back to hell from a fishing trip!

Cotton Kandy

Happy New Year!

After spending an excessive amount of time sitting around and eating, punctuated by present giving and receiving I am back to work somewhat relaxed and in need of exercise!

So first up I am going swimming a few times a week to get myself back to match fitness and of course SALE SHOPPING!! But if that strikes fear into your heart, never fear there are some excellent sale bargains to be found online, the added bonus is not having to deal with other people fighting over the sale rails and generally getting in the way.

If like me you are having trouble getting into your jeans after the Christmas binge and find clothes shopping a depressing thought, go for jewellery! 

Where better to start than my Mother’s, Cousins wife’s company (phew!) Cotton Kandy whose sale is now on here!

I love their jewellery and have a few pieces myself, all items are handmade and have retro and vintage inspired themes and are indeed are made of vintage buttons and bits and bobs mixed up with newer but no less lovely beads, buttons and charms.

Here’s a few of my favourite from their current collection (they are non sale items but still at really great prices)

that’ll be the express coming through…

Hello there everyone, remember me? I hope you have a vague recollection of my ramblings, I have of late been rather bad at keeping my little blog up to date. Part of the reason you must understand is that I have been thrust once more in to the wardrobe Mistress role for the darling Woodhouse Players. The lovely Director Hilary Benson who  I once before worked with on Round & Round the Garden is at it again with “Still Life” by Noel Coward, a short play which the tremendous film “Brief Encounter” is based.

Obviously I jumped at the chance, as I do rather enjoy a good hat & any style of dress from the 1920′s to 1950′s.

The performances went so well that the Players have entered the Walthan Forset Festival of Theatre which is a week-long event of theatrical goodies! Go along if you can & see my lovely outfits in person!

As usual for a Woodhouse performance a significant number of the items seen on stage are from my own wardrobe, I count five in the pictures below & a couple more from the rest of the production pictures here.

going home for christmas

Hello everyone, I’m so sorry I’ve not posted anything in the last 2 weeks. I have been off travelling around being the dutiful daughter & visiting my family.

Now I’ve already managed to make it sound like I haven’t enjoyed it, but i have, I really have. Now here I am the last day of the holidays & slightly dreading the return to work tomorrow, partly nervous because I’m starting a new job; thinking back over the last couple of weeks…. it all started with a trip to Cornwall to see all my family (apart from my Mum who is now based in Lincolnshire), where, apart from a bit for ice, was another world away from the rest of snow ravaged England. Of course the first thing I did is head to the coast around Portreath & Porthleven where the views are so achingly beautiful it almost makes me want to move back to the homeland!

After a couple of days of partying with my Cornwall based family, I headed north to what felt like a completely different country, Lincolnshire where my Mum now lives. The countryside is so completely different to the hilly, narrow, bendy country lanes of Cornwall, it’s very very flat & expansive & the roads feel bizarrely long & straight. Saying this it is no less impressive, just have a look at the sunrise on the first morning I was there.

look I’m driving in a winter wonderland!

After a few days of the necessary excessive eating & drinking with my brother & Mum I headed back to London for a pre new years evening at Proud Galleries watching my good friends band The Bela Lugosi Blues , it was a great night although quite terribly I have forgotten to take any pictures of them playing but instead everyone became quite distracted by a certain Red Brigadier Guards jacket that I had brought with me. I was actually returning it to my darling friend Ross who was very excited & insisted I try it on & have my picture taken…

… then everyone tried it on & had their picture taken…. don’t we all look terribly dashing!

Oh well enough fun time to get back to the real world & my new job…Wish me lots of luck! x

Lend a Hand at Christmas Time

My lovely friend Roh has been in the midst of moving house over the last week or so….Dave & Her must really love being in Wanstead & me because they were living just off the high street, but have moved about 8 doors down from me!

I loved them living so close before but now I can annoy them ALL the time! heh heh

Anyway they don’t have any internet in the new place at the moment so I’ve tried to help out by knocking together a couple of posts for her, thus meaning my poor little blog has nothing much to show for it of late.

Have a look at my last-minute Christmas Present buys for under 20 squids….

Let me show you my favorite, I wish i had an iPhone so I can get this

Chocolate iPhone cover £12 Urban Outfitters

and again ….

Oh and look another piece of my craft antics has been featured today on the wonderous blog by Rohini : The Beat That My Heart Skipped, see if you can spot my carefully handcrafted (with love) patchwork quilt on her post “Old homes, New Horizons”

Check it Out!

Hello my lovelies,

look my wonderous crafting talents have been featured on my lovely friend Roh’s blog, I am planning to become her proper craft editor in the New Year but for now here’s a little snippet for you, right HERE!

the Lark Costumes

sorry this has taken so long, i’ve been so busy over the last couple of weeks i just don’t know where i am anymore! anywhoo finally the production pics from the Lark are ready, here are my favourites but you can see them all including a couple that i am in here….. there’s no need to go looking for them they are hardly exciting.

All pictures courtesy of The Woodhouse Players

Lark Song

this weekend is rather an exciting one actually, after weeks & weeks of slaving away behind a sewing machine & getting high off spray paint i have finally finished the costumes for the Lark ! here are couple of sneaky photo’s i’ve pinched from the clever lighting designer Emerson….

now if i haven’t flogged this pony enough already the performances are on:

Friday 30th October @ 8pm

Saturday 31st October @ 3pm & 8pm

Friday 6th November @ 8pm

Saturday 7th November @ 3pm & 8pm

as this weekend’s performances are over Halloween i’ve persuaded the back stage crew to come in fancy dress! hopefully it will make the fellas in tights on stage feel a little less self conscious!

xoxo

the beat my heart skipped

i’m sure you remember me rabbiting on about my terribly clever friend Roh, well that cheeky minx has decided to take her already smashing blog to the masses, today The Beat My Heart Skipped went live! Packed full of posts about design, food, books, travel all with regular contributors & interviews & makeovers (interiors not sad chav’s on This Morning) & other such exciting things.

it’ll be the first official UK & Europe based full time (up to 10 posts a day, by jimmney!) blog dedicated to the wonderful creativeness & innovation on this side of the atlantic…. i dream one day i shall be featured on it’s hallowed pages!

in case you didn’t see the link….go here & read it dammit!

http://thebeatthatmyheartskipped.co.uk/

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xoxo