Vintage Styling Workshops - new date added.

Do you love vintage but not sure how to make it work for you?

Fabulous Miss K - vintage styling expert is here to help with Vintage Styling Workshops.

Tips on buying vintage, getting the look for your favourite era from the high-street, mixing vintage with your current wardrobe.

Sunday 19th August 5-7pm Olives 40 Elm Hill Norwich

Tickets £10 per person includes tea and cake.

Book you tickets on here now.

Beaton Exhibiton at the Castle Museum

Yesterday I vistited the Castle Museum in Norwich for the first time in ages (it is funny that when you have these places on your doorstep you never seem to go to them?)

But they have a special exhibition to celebrate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the Royal Portraits by Cecil Beaton.

He is one of my favourite photographers so I wanted to go along and see his insight into the Queen and her family.

Beaton started his career in the 1920's with illustrations and photographs for Vogue and as he wrote in his diary got a call from The Queen's private secretary early in 1939 to say that he was needed to take pictures of the Queen and her two daughters. His diary conveys his excitement and intense planning and pressure that went into these portraits.  Over the years  he was called upon to record significant occasions in history including the Coronation in 1953.

The exhibition shows the transformation of the first sitting of the young Princess Elizabeth in 1942 as a young girl to the Queen in 1968.

There are some beautiful slightly more informal shots of the Queen, as well as the official Coronation portraits.

I spent a lovely morning taking in the changing face of our Queen and her family, with a glimpse of the inside of Buckingham Palace and it's gardens.

The exhibition is well worth a visit, I wasn't allowed to take photos inside but there are is a book and some lovely postcards available to buy in the gift shop.

Cecil Beaton Queen Elizabeth II

Sunshine, Jeeps and Airman!

Summer finally arrived this weekend so we packed the picnic basket - the first time we have used our lovely 50's one this year and headed off to the open day at Flixton Aviation Museum, near Bungay in Suffolk.

The museum is maintained and run by volunteers.  It houses themed collections of planes, equipment and photographs.  Among the exhibitions are displays featuring - Royal Observer Corps, 446th Bomb Group USAAF, RAF Bomber Command and RAF Air Sea Rescue and Coastal Command.

The museum also includes special exhibitions or WWII Decoy Crews, aerial photography and the Home Front.

There is a special memorial to the 456 American airman killed whilst based at Flixton between 1943-1945.

There are a number of airbases around Norfolk and Suffolk where the USAAF were based and so we put on the uniform, bring along the cars and pay our tribute to them.

We were honoured to have a fly past by a Spitfire which dipped it's wings in salute to those who fell and us who pay tribute to them.

Arriving in style in Stuart's jeep!!

My "Captain" Hubby and me!

(photo Stephen Plumb)

Posing again!!

Outfit: Suit bought at HepCats, blouse Primark, Shoes Lulu Vintage.

(photo Stephen Plumb)

The Spitfire.

(photo Stephen Plumb)

Flixton Aviation Museum is open April - October Sunday-Thursday 10am-5pm and November-March Tues/Wed/Sunday 10am-4pm.

www.aviationmuseum.net

Dance Little Lady Dance

Those of you who follow this blog and my Facebook page will know that I LOVE to dance!! It is the best exercise - much more fun than slogging away at the gym (to me any way), it makes you feel good - there is no better way to put on some swinging music and pound the floor when you have had a bad day at the office.

Getting dressed up ( and as you know I need no excuse to do that) and going out somewhere to listen to great music is so much fun.  It makes others feel good to as so many people come up to me and hubby and say they love to see us enjoy ourselves and where can they go to learn.  I am always pleased to get others to join in and get the pleasure of dancing too.

You don't need the sunshine (and this summer that is a good thing!!!), or special equipment - even if you haven't got a partner jump around to the beat and get the feel good factor that dance can give you.

My vintage frocks have such great fabrics that move when I dance but I do have to be a little careful some are a bit too delicate for great activity as I found out recently.  So I am always on the look out for dance friendly dresses!!

Here are some of my favourite photos of Dance Days!!

Horham (photo Retro Stuart)

Horham again (Photo Stephen Plumb)

Blythbrugh Tea dance (Photo Stephen Plumb)

Starfighter Rock "n" Roll Club (Photo Gary Yallop)