Thursday, 7 November 2013

Pretty Nostalgic In Aid of Charity & this Sundays Vintage Village, Stockport

This weekend I will be at Vintage Village, in Stockport's Historic Market Hall between 10am and 4pm.



As its their special Hats fair, I'll be donning my best hat and manning the Pretty Nostalgic stand.

From the stall you will be able to take out a subscription to the magazine, as well as purchase back issues, along with our newest issue 10! Jam packed full of cosy winter features and lots of festive inspiration.



If you have been considering a subscription to the magazine, now is definitely the time to do it. Not only will you get your hands on issues for 25% less than the cover price, and straight through your letter box fresh from the printers, but Pretty Nostalgic will make a £12 donation for every subscription they receive to either BBC Children in Need or Alzheimer's Society, you choose at the time of taking out your subscription. 

http://prettynostalgic.co.uk/blog/aid-charity



Why not treat a friend or loved one to a subscription or bundle of issues for Christmas? 

See you Sunday! 

Sunday, 29 September 2013

Buy Art Fair, Spinningfields, Manchester, Sunday 29th September 2013

Each year the Buy Art Fair comes to Manchester. It's a welcome addition to the arts event calendar and an opportunity for normal folk like me purchase art and generally see what independent British galleries have to offer.

After a few hours of Sunday morning pottering and general procrastination off I went in the direction of Spinningfields. Minus the little mix up of heading to the fairs past two sites, I soon found its new spot on Hardman Boulevard and was heading inside the sun filled white marquee. A security guard stopped and asked what I was doing as I was entering through the entrance, despite it being marked 'entrance' and other people going in through the door. Then the rather concerned way another lady looked at me and asked 'are you alright?' made me wonder if I was having a nose bleed I was unaware of, or had mascara streaming all down my face! Maybe I had a particularly gormless expression on my face which unsettled them! 




Entrance hiccups aside, I had soon registered and was off, heading straight for the Art Republic stand which is a favourite of mine since visiting the gallery space in Brighton a few years ago and later receiving a framed print from Liam as a gift. 

This year in particular there seemed to be far more pieces that I was tempted by. I usually just go to window shop, generally admire the work and look for potential artists for future features, but I soon found myself eyeing up potential purchases before reminding myself of the fact that we are currently trying to fork out for our wedding!       

First to leave me lingering on the ArtDog London stand a little too long were these fun screen printed animals dressed as fashionable gents by an artist called Kelly Eggleston. 


They reminded me of Charlotte Cory's work, who I absolutely love. She superimposes images of taxidermy animals onto Victorian portrait photographs to create characterful little fellows.(Charlotte Cory, Gentleman Badger, below)



                                                    
Several of the stands had those interactive Smartphone icons for you to scan to find out more information about the pieces and their artists. With a bit of assistance from a nice lady on the DegreeArt stand I had downloaded a QR Reader and was happily collecting a list of pieces I liked on my iPhone...

I thought this pencil illustration by Illustrator Lucy Mortimer was particularly cute, with a nice touch of humour. But since getting home I've viewed her website and there are lots more great pieces on there, with a certain nostalgic feel to them. (www.laurenmortimer.co.uk)




I really appreciated the textural quality and sumptuous colours of Sophie Derrick's photographic portraits with oil paint slathered on top of them. The overlaying of the thick paint created three-dimensional surfaces on the images. There was a real fluid quality to the pieces as though the paint was still wet, and I really liked the fusion of photography and painting together. (www.sophiederrickart.com)



                                                 
I chatted to a nice chap on the Antlers stand; a nomadic gallery based in Bristol (www.antlersgallery.com) who had some superb illustrations by Rebecca Hiscocks (beckihiscocks.blogspot.co.uk) on display. 


They had a macabre anatomical feel to them whilst being delicately beautiful, with soft pinks running through them to create a sensual feminine quality juxtaposed with the deathly subject matter of skulls, hearts and skeletons. 


I was captivated by a diptych of photographs by Charles Emerson (charlesemerson.co.uk) and stood there for some time staring at them and trying to figure out how they had been done (a flaw that comes with being a curious fellow photographer - though I'm ridiculously inferior in talent compared with this guy) One of them, in the image below, with a muted dusky peach and grey palette looked as though it had been set on fire and was delicately smoking away. The guy on the stand explained to me the series were done by suspending flowers in water and ink. They had a deeply fragile quality to them with the rose also being a symbol of mortality. Again like Sophie Derrick's work, I liked the way that painting and photography had been fused together. 



Someone whose work had a similarly delicate quality that I absolutely loved (and was very tempted to make a purchase of) was Beth Nicholas, (www.beth-nicholas.com) whose work was on display on the Curious Duke Stand. Some were more abstract paintings of water, with a beautiful fluid quality. Others like the one below were adorned with deer and birds, and each furnished with gold leaf.



These screen prints by Clare Johnson also caught my eye. She likes to indulge in 'urban hiking' and sources her inspiration from the urban, industrial landscape and vintage postcards (www.clarejohnson.co.uk)



Exhibiting alongside her was Orson Kartt. I wanted his Much Ado About Nothing mixed media book art print very much! and there were several others my eye was drawn to in the collection. (www.orsonkartt.com)







The usual Peter Blake's and a few Damien Hirst's were on offer for those with a lot of cash to flash, but mostly I was impressed with the balance of affordable and more pricier pieces available. There seemed to be an awful lot of Pure Evil pieces on offer too. Aesthetically I'm drawn to them, and I love his use of colour, but essentially really he is just a modern day rip off of Warhol!



I also bumped into Kate Kelly, Pretty Nostalgic Book Group member and fabulously creative owner of Kaper (www.kaperonline.com) who we have featured in the magazine. She was manning the Manchester Craft Centre stand which was looking fantastic and crammed full of goodies from the makers housed in its studios. (www.craftanddesign.com)

Feeling a little naughty after making a top secret purchase on my way out the door, I aborted all plans to visit the Manchester Food and Drink festival for the sake of my bank balance! 




Saturday, 28 September 2013

The Independent Interiors Show, Saturday 28th September, 2022NQ, Manchester

I decided to stop off and check out the Independent Interiors Show on the way back from Yoga class this morning, held at 2022NQ.



They had a nice mix of exhibitors on show and an hour into opening it was already bustling with activity and demos. 

There were some gorgeous flamingo cushions made from antique tapestry which I wanted so badly from Eclectic Chair stand, which featured lots of uber kitsch vintage textile prints 


I also really liked the Caslon & Co stand. They make soft furnishings and linens using antique printing blocks with clean geometric patterning (www.caslonandco.com)

I bumped into one of the lovely contributors to the recent Pretty Nostalgic feature 'Let the Light In' who was showcasing her Radiance lighting collection (www.radiancelighting.co.uk)

And received a lovely wallpaper sample from Claire Murray (www.clairemurraydesigns.blogspot.co.uk)



There were some wonderful items on the Flitty Bird stand, including the most adorable ceramic bunny necklaces by And Mary ( not interior stuff I know but cute non the less!) I've since been looking at the Flitty Bird website and there are some great products and brands on there (www.flittybird.co.uk)

The highlight for me were the Helaina Sharpley wire sculptures in particular the impressive townscape that came of the wall. They had a beautifully fragile quality to them, and a certain vintage feel with the chosen subject matter of other pieces being teacups, spoons and clocks.

(www.helainasharpley-wirework-artist.co.uk)

All in all a great event filled with wonderful local makers and designers! 


Tuesday, 10 September 2013

Rosylee Tearooms, Northern Quarter, Manchester: NEW FAVE SPOT!

Tonight I finally got round to visiting the new Rosylee Tearooms in Stevenson Square and I have to say its a big thumbs up and quite possibly my new favourite place in town!

There is a hint of Parisian chic in the decor with its black and white chequerboard tiled flooring and the ambience created by the background music of jazz and swing.



As well as this there is a certain botanical influence which can be seen in both the menu design and the decor. In the main dining area there's an ivy covered ceiling, and bell jars filled with flowers and plants line the long tables bringing a bit of nature to the indoors.



The botanical inspiration feeds through into the impressive cocktail list which combines floral flavours like rose and violet, with both English and more exotic teas and hedgerow and garden fruits.

I was spoilt for choice but opted for one from the Hedgerow Slings menu, a Trellis and Briar, which was a fragrant fusion of rose, elderflower and cucumber.

On top of this espressos, vanilla Chai's and wine were consumed, before some lighter bites from the food menu including the most delicious Courgette Fritters.
We just kept on going, the menu too tempting to pass up on sampling the main courses too. 



I chose a beautifully presented take on the classic Caesar salad with Parmesan Crisp, the chicken filled with a wonderfully light Pancetta and Parsley mousse.



Everyone in our group couldn't praise the place highly enough, from the friendly service, to the decor and quality of the food and drink. Yes it was a little pricier than your average tea room but well worth it.

My only criticism was that I didn't get to sample any of the cake (!) but I'm already planning a trip back soon to indulge in the afternoon tea menu.

Here's hoping it doesn't get spoiled by the unsavoury characters that seem to be taking over our beloved Northern Quarter these days. 


www.rosyleetearooms.com 


Sunday, 25 August 2013

Urban Market, Greengate Square, Salford

I must write a little post about my trip to the Urban Market this afternoon at Greengate Square. Just a five minute walk from my flat, it's a recent addition to the Manchester market scene and a welcome one, especially to Greengate Square itself. 




I love a good market and part of my role at Pretty Nostalgic sees me donning a stallholders cap regularly but also championing markets generally. It's so important to support our markets and independent businesses, and what's better than buying a freshly made loaf of bread, street food or a piece of art straight from the hands that made it?

But I must say I'm tired of seeing the same old stalls frequenting the Manchester markets, week in week out. 

The mix of stalls at the Urban Market was refreshing, from street food stalls selling everything from Portuguese wines and cheeses, potted beef, cakes, ice cream, bread,Spanish tapas and the Honest Crust wood fired oven pizza stall, to art and craft stalls selling prints, jewellery textiles and even some splendid looking birdhouses.



The sign of a good market is in how much you buy and we came away with several bags of things including this beautiful print from the Lorna Lucas stall. I was spoilt for choice as there were so many beautiful ones adorned with hares, budgerigars, stoats and other animals. I'll definitely be going back for more!



We also bought this handsome fellow from another stall selling prints...


...as well as potted beef, Portuguese custard tarts and these really tasty Twist & Kick rubs and salt mixes which came with this cool little salt grinder gadget the other half loved.



I'm already looking forward to the next one so will be heading back next month for another mooch. Hats off to the organisers!

http://www.theurbanmarket.co.uk/

Saturday, 24 August 2013

Blackberry foraging


Growing up in the Midlands, I spent many a late summers afternoon wandering the local nature reserve at the back of my Nan's house. It was a great way to spend lazy sunny afternoons and now living in the city I find myself craving that freedom of the outdoors often.

Aside from sliding down the huge green hills on massive sheets of cardboard and paddling in the clear water of the reservoir, when the time was right we would go hunting amongst the brambles for blackberries.

We would spend whole afternoons getting lost in the wilderness searching for these juicy, plump little indigo fruits which turned your fingers purple, and you just couldn't help eating a good share of the finds along the way.

So, yesterday, feeling a little delicate but not wanting to waste the day,  I announced I wanted to go blackberry picking.

Off we went armed with just a basket to see if we could find some, to a place I wasn't even sure they grew in.

Soon enough, we found some small brambles, but many of the riper fruits were typically out of reach way up high, others growing too close to the ground to be safe to eat.
Lots of the fruits were still red, we were of course a little early.


But suddenly we struck lucky and sprung upon an enormous area of brambles with heaps of berries ripe enough to pick.

That first taste of sweet juicy blackberry transported me right back to those lazy days of my childhood. So often I've been tempted by those oversized blackberries on the shelves in supermarkets, only to be majorly disappointed by the sour hardness that's the reality of their taste and texture.

But this was sweet, juicy and velvety, like a purple cloud of loveliness, and just as I remembered from my childhood...



Picking them became a bit of an obsession and a challenge. Trying not to get cut to pieces by the barbed wire edges of the brambles themselves was bad enough, but then there were the nettles to contend with. 
I started to become a little greedy, reaching up for the plumpest of fruits, despite having more than enough for my pie. And, sure enough, nature responded  to my greed by giving me a nasty nettle sting on my arm. 

Ever the wimp, I was soon crying out in pain, and there wasn't a dock leaf in sight to ease it!

A pleasant afternoon (minus the sting) had soon slipped by with us engrossed in our foraging adventure, and the basket was full with plenty of blackberries to use in a pie. 


Aside from the delicious blackberries found on our afternoon walk, I decided to bulk it up with some apple, and give both the homemade sweet shortcrust pastry and fruit a nice lemony aroma by adding zest to the recipe. 



But I wanted to blackberries to be the overriding  flavour in the pie, so made sure to add plenty.



The juice that came out of the stewed concoction of apple, blackberry, sugar and butter was a sumptuous looking deep pink, it was hard not to drink it from the pan.



I topped the pie off with a little heart, lots of sugar and some cinnamon...



Soon the flat was filled with a heavenly aroma of sweet pastry, but we had to wait a torturous hour before it was ready!

 


And then finally the wait was over! Sweet, crunchy, lemony pastry, with hot, melt in your mouth blackberries and apple - it was delicious, and all the more satisfying because I had foraged the blackberries for free from mother nature herself.


Wednesday, 14 August 2013

Faro, Portugal



Street Art wall in Faro, Portugal.

Copyright S.Young 2013, All Rights Resrved 



The Jolly Sailor




The Jolly Sailor, Copyright S.Young 2013, All rights reserved 

Marrakech









Marrakech, Morrocco

Copyright S.Young 2013, All rights reserved 






Carrousel, Barcelona,Spain



Carrousel, copyright S.Young 2013, All rights reserved 

Portmeirion


















Some recent images taken at Portmerion, Wales. 

Copyright S.Young 2013, all rights reserved