Pushkar Camel Fair

It seems inevitable that after just accepting my place on a new university course (which means making a committment to staying put for another two years), I seem to have gotten a seriously strong bout of wanderlust and itchy feet...

There are so many magical and exciting places I want to visit that I have no idea where I would even go first! However I was browsing through a Selvedge magazine when I saw an advert for art and textile retreats/tours in India and this alongside watching the brilliant film 'The Darjeeling Limited' has got me seriously wanting to explore India!

Pretty much all the trips offered through the company Tulsi Travel sound amazing (I have no idea of the prices mind you - they seem to have tactfully omitted those on the website) but the one that looks especially great is a craft tour of Rajasthan including the Pushkar Camel fair!

I did some research and this camel fair sounds pretty awesome! It takes place on the first full moon of November every year and is a time for all the tribal groups to gather and pay respects at the Brahma temple, to bathe in the holy waters of Pushkar lake, to arrange marriages and of course to trade camels!

For five days over 25, 000 camels (!) converge at the festival and are decorated and dressed up, entered in beauty contests and races and then traded. There is a huge carnival with musicians, magicians, dancers and snake charmers. 

Here are some more images I have found from searching - clicking on them should take you to the original  websites/sources which also provide a lot more information on the festival.

The only downside that I can possibly think of is that 25,000 camels probably smells pretty bad?! But that doesn't put me off and it has definitely been added to my long list of places to visit and experience first hand.

Remember...

Music I love...

Last Friday I was lucky enough to see Laura Mvula perform at Cheltenham Jazz Festival, which was such a great gig. She sung all the tracks of her recently released album 'Green Garden', as well as doing a surprise duet with Jamie Cullum and as an encore a beautiful version of Michael Jackson's 'Human Nature'. Her band (who were equally brilliant) were made up of her brothers and sisters so I guess she comes from a pretty talented family!

To be honest I wouldn't class her music as Jazz - (it has such a unique sound that it's difficult to put it into any sort of genre) but I was very grateful that she was at the festival performing none the less. She seems to be getting lots of publicity so to have the chance to see her in such a small and intimate venue was really good. Thanks to my Mom for getting tickets!

Also on a separate note she looks so good with a shaved head! I wish I could get away with such a bold (no pun intended) hairstyle but I fear that I have a massive egg shaped head under my hair.

Another musician that I discovered this week is blues/soul artist Valerie June.

I saw her album recommended by a staff member in a record store and just by chance decided to give it a listen and I haven't stopped playing it since.

The song below (Workin' Woman's Blues) is probably my favourite but Somebody To Love is also a beautiful track. She is actually touring the UK at the moment and plays Birmingham on Monday... tempted to get a last minute ticket!

Listen and love :)

Illustration love...

Sunshine makes everyone happier! The bank holiday weekend was a lovely one and I felt lucky to be able to spend most of it outside with friends. Since I have nothing too creative of my own to show at the moment - here is an illustrator who I have followed and loved for a while. I first spotted Mandy Sutcliffe's work in Paperchase where they still sell Belle and Boo greetings cards, however there is also a great website which stocks a huge range of products - from stationery to clothing and homewares and wall decoration. Check it all out here: www.belleandboo.com 

Clifton Hill Antique Costume and Textiles launch show

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to help out at a fantastic event to celebrate the launch of an antique clothes shop close to where I live in Bristol.

The event was hosted at Clifton Hill House, a lovely big building with plenty of space to accommodate all the different stalls and entertainment for the evening. Guests were invited to explore seven different themed rooms - each styled in a different era. Models dressed in clothes from each decade posed in each room with various props which really helped re create a  great sense of nostalgia!

Downstairs was filled with lots of inspiring stalls, selling vintage jewellery, clothes, crafts and records. Throughout the evening guests were entertained by a dj who played some great retro music as well as the wonderful Marionettes - a 1940's harmony trio who performed live and were absolutely fantastic!

Then at 8 o'clock the crowds gathered for a fashion show! During the day it had been my job to decorate the catwalk so that it would serve as a perfect backdrop for the clothes and models. Sue Fyfe-Williams - owner of Auntie's Vintage China and Jezebel Events had come up with the idea of creating a spring themed catwalk, using some beautiful silk antique shoes to plant spring flowers in and covering the catwalk with fake grass. I spent a very happy day in the sunshine planting all the flowers into the shoes and ensuring that the grass was firmly stuck down so that there were no trips and falls during the fashion show!

When finished I think it did look great and created the perfect setting to compliment the beautiful models and the vintage clothes they modelled.

Music from each era accompanied the models as they strutted their stuff - cheered on by an enthusiastic audience.

The evening really was a great success with a great turnout, and I felt really priveleged to be a part of it. Hopefully it will bring many customers to Clifton Hill Costume and Textiles shops - as well as all the other exhibitors and entertainers who were there.

Be sure to check out the following links for more information and some photographs of the event!

http://jezebelevents.blogspot.co.uk/ - events company ran by Ali Cook and Sue Fyfe-Williams who organised the evening

https://www.facebook.com/cliftonhillcostumeandtextiles?fref=ts - Vintage costume shop

http://www.themarionettesmusic.co.uk/ - The Marionettes singing trio

http://www.rosafayphotography.com/ - photographs of the evening

Things I want.....

Atrocious blogging by me lately - sorry about that folks, it has been a busy few weeks! I have lots of ideas for blog posts this week though so please keep reading!

With spring finally arriving I am lusting over lots of new clothes and really want to update my wardrobe. One thing I am desperately in need of is new shoes - I have been searching for a nice pair of  waterproof boots for about 2 years but have given up now for this year with summer approaching. I am quite picky when it comes to shoes, I don't like to invest unless I love them. So I finally found these shoes that I love but of course they are way out of my price range :( However I am not going to let that put me off and decided I will try and make exact replica's of them myself!

The shoes (shown below) are from the new summer collection by Penelope Chilvers and can be found via her website (for £109!) 

My plan is to buy some plain white plimsolls, get some multi coloured laces or alternatively some pretty ribbon and some fabric markers or paint. Stay tuned as I will definitely post some photos and a DIY when I am done!

 

Here are some other gorgeous clothes that I have my eye on at the moment:

Safari Print dungarees - Topshop

Floral shorts - Topshop

Black embroidered Kimono - Zara 
(I did give in and buy this today with birthday money!!)