Ta-Dah!...New Stuff For Me!

Remember that motherlode of costume jewellery last week?

Well, the above necklace is the one I kept. Best of all, it was gifted to me by the people handling the sale for being the best and fairest dealer that they sold to.

Also from the same estate, the most fabulous red typewriter EVER! I'm not even sure why I'm so desperately keeping this...I just AM.

 

This too was a gift, this time from Katherine of theoldboathouse. She knows I'm mad for little 50s dishes with the black 'hairpin legs' and kept this unusual one aside for me. Thanks so much for remembering and thinking of me Katherine!

For those that don't know I'm a fiend for anything black and white and 50s. This polka dot pottery was made in England by H.G. Woods in 1957 and features raised polka dots. Similar was made by Australian pottery Diana around the same time. Sue found this boomerang dish for me which is a welcome addition to my collection.

And the biggest ta-dah! of all, my first gravel art!! I spied this on the stall opposite ours at Greazfest the other week, and ran for it.

Of course it doesn't match anything in my house right now, but hey, since when did that stop me?!

What glorious finds have you dragged home this week?

Local Artisan Feature: Mimsys Trailer Trash Tattoo

Pic taken by Sue at Greazefest 2011

Wouldn't you just love to step into this awesome 50s caravan for your next ink??

Welcome to the world of Mimsys Trailer Trash Tattoo.

This young tattoo artists name is up in (starburst!) lights these days, and deservedly so.

Describing her style as "a bit old skool, a bit new skool and a bit cute", Mimsys stunning work has built her a massive following both locally and interstate.

I'll get to the artwork shortly, but first let's take a look around her studio. After working from home for the past 14 years, sheer demand led Mimsy to create from scratch a massive, brand new, 50s-themed studio where she is able to take on an apprentice and host regular guest artists.

Can you tell she's a 50s-loving girl at heart?? The new studio at Brisbanes Archerfield is to die for. Ensconsed within a large shed, the lower floor is home to her 2 caravans which are in fact mobile tattoo studios, an enormous tiki bar and lounge area, flamingos, an arbor, and lots of 50s outdoor furniture, all set on the largest amount of astro-turf I've ever seen in one place.

Just one corner of the lower floor. Mimsy was kind enough to let VB in the pic

Inside the above caravan

Ready for inking!

 The upper floor is where all the action takes place. The reception area is a feast for the eyes, with artwork everywhere, original 50s furniture and decor items, there is even a retro bar full of rockabilly-inspired hairclips to buy.

Mimsy Gleeson in the reception area of her new studio

Above and below, some artwork I spied inside the tiki counter

Tattoo designs for Greazefest 2012

Mimsy shows us how its done

Stepping throught the reception area, we come to the waiting nook, shown above. This is where you sit and relax in style, just before getting inked.

Speaking of waiting, you'll need to be a patient person if you want to sport some of Mimsys work; this incredible lady is completely booked out until December!

Mimsys Facebook Page is where you can see and read all about her. The tattoos below are just a few that I chose to share with you here, but if you go to her FB page there are literally hundreds to peruse.

If you're keen to check it all out, Mimsy is having a HUGE open day tomorrow.

It'll be a grand day with live bands, food and even a jumping castle for the kids. Probably a great day to dress in your best 50s gear and take the hot rod out for a spin!

Living up to her name, here's Mimsy 'trashin' it up' at Greazefest 2012.

Mimsys Trailer Trash Tattoo
621 Lores Bonney Drive
Archerfield QLD
Ph. 3274 6645

Greazefest 2011

Greazefest...what a day! What an event!

For those not in the know, it's a 3-day rockabilly, swing and pyschobilly music fest, car show and markets event. We only went for the (Sunday) market day, and it was HUGE!!!

I don't know how many thousands of people attended...but it  would have been a few! Let's just say the cars alone filled up both ovals. Our stall was located near the entry, so we were treated to an constant procession of hot rods, beautiful bods, vintage caravans, vintage-attired children...all sorts of sights!

We took a mixture of photos to try and give you a taste of the whole event as we saw it (except for the bands, no time for that unfortunately), so here goes!

50s style metal art

I want the flamingoes!!! This is the lady who makes them, here she's showing the larger of the 2 sizes she makes, Sue wants a set for outside our shop but I want a set at home as well!

I don't need to say anything about these, do I?

This lovely space was set up for vintage makeovers

 

How unbelievably adorable is this little girl with her 50s pram?! (yes, I have permission to use this photo, in case you're wondering!) Her mother made her dress to a 50s pattern, if you look closely you can see 'McCalls' printed on it. Too cute for words. When I went over to speak to her I was told in no uncertain terms to BE QUIET because her baby was asleep in the pram.

Ooh and here's me with Ms Vicki of Hi-Fallutin, showing off our bangles. Sue and I forgot to take pictures of both ourselves and our stall this time, we're so intent on seeing what else is out there we forget about ourselves sometimes!

An attempt to show how big this event was, but nope, can't do it it one shot

 

Marilyn McSweetie of Miss Rockabilly also had a stall, here she is striking a cute pose for Sue...yep, the bloggers were out in force!!

So many cute vintage caravans came along for the outing- there is now a magazine called 'Vintage Caravan', a quarterly publication which is rapidly growing in popularity, see the website here.

This is Lisa, who started and runs the magazine, getting her pink flamingoes set up in front of her own van while I unceremoniously took a snap of her...sorry about that chick!

You'd be forgiven for thinking I'm right into cars from looking at this lot, but I'm not really...it was just really something to see soooo many all in one place at once, and to appreciate how much work must have gone into some of these vehicles. Sue and I were 'wowed' by this 'Munster car'.

Of course there were lots of retro wares on offer-wait til you see what I bought! Not a lot, but awesome stuff!

Repro swimwear, it might be winter here but of course it's warm enough to swim....derr!

And lots of cute shoes too. It might have been a showground with churned-up grass underfoot, but I can assure you the high heels were out in force!

Uber-kitsch lustre fish

One of our latest kitsch collection that we took along

All in all it was a super-fun, busy day, with lots of laughter, meeting old and new friends and customers, and the weather was perfect too.

...although I like the idea that one day I might be chauffered home in one of these!