Shakespeare with a 90's twist

Our first trip of the year to Shakespeare's Globe was to watch my favourite play, King Lear. I studied it for my English Literature ‘A’ Level, and have seen as many versions of it as I’ve possibly been able. The last version we saw was while we were in Jersey last year, where we were embraced by an actual storm halfway through the performance.

This version is The Globe’s touring play - and the main reason I wanted to see it was because Lear is being played by none other than Joseph Marcell!

You might not recognise the name, but I kid you not – King Lear was played by GEOFFREY from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air! Can you believe it!?

must have Monday - spatterdashes (or 'spats' to you and me)

I know I’ve written about some of my favourite kids TV programmes already - here and here, for example - but I recently remembered another great one: Spatz. 

It was set in a diner in Cricklewood, and that’s pretty much all I remember other than the awesome theme song… 

I was never really sure why the show was called Spatz, and even now I’m not sure... I think perhaps the waiters wore spats as part of their uniform…? That could be it.

I had never thought about spats as anything other than those shoe cover things that are normally worn by members of the mafia - and 90's diner waiters, I guess - but I have come to realise that they are so much more than that, and I’ve become a little bit obsessed with them…

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...and is it any wonder? Aren’t they gorgeous!?

I also found some patterns so I can make my own! Wanna join me?

<<<patterns>>>

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Greenclaws seeds and temari balls

Any chance that any of you remember a kids TV show from the early 90's about a large green caterpillar type fellow who lives in a greenhouse? His name was Greenclaws and he had an awesome tree and a mechanical owl and a big box of seeds.

Every week, a girl named Iris went to visit Greenclaws and after a little bit of story introduction they would plant a beautiful "seed" - never knowing what kind of plant it would grow into. The planted seed was watered and placed inside a hatch in the tree until the mechanical owl declared it was ready.

The choosing of the seed was always the best bit of the show, and after seeing these mini temari balls it brought it all streaming back!

I couldn't find any pictures of the actual seeds, but in my mind they were something like these felt balls and temari balls:

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Aren't they gorgeous?

I know they were probably nothing like that, but in my flawed memory they were exactly like that. I've never tried making temari balls, but I think I might add it to the list for the new year. There's a tutorial here if you would like to have a go at it yourself, and why not have a look at the Temari Challenge Yahoo Group Gallery for some inspiration!

Have you ever tried making temari balls?

Do you remember Greenclaws?

TV memories + a very sparkly treasury

It's not that I watched a lot of television when I was a child, but it seems a great deal of my most vivid memories seem to be linked to programmes I watched and loved from the ages of about 5-13. There was one programme which few people seem to remember, but I adored.

Let's see if your 90's kids TV knowledge is up to scratch, here are some clues to help you guess:

• it was set in the 'Sleeping World'
• the musical score of the show was awesome - and was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra! 
• the main good guys were Noops named Rufus and Amberley
• the defenders of the Land of Dreams are called Wuts and whizz around on flying leaves
• one of the characters in the show, Albert, is a dog-fish who swims through the air

...did you guess it?

My favourite kids TV show was The Dreamstone!

I've always wanted a Dreamstone of my very own - it's so pretty and sparkly and lovely!

These beauts are the closest things I can find to an actual Dreamstone, aren't they gorgeous?

{seeking the Dreamstone}

Do you remember The Dreamstone? Go on, say you do!

let's try that again: return of the bumbags

OK, so my recent bumbag obsession has had some mixed reactions... I still seem to be most excited about their return and I'm not quite sure why more people aren't joining me in bigging-up the bumbag. I know they still have an awful reputation, but that was 20 years ago now - give them another chance, guys!

After the AMAZING Wilder Alison bumbags I showed you last time, I knew I had to have something pretty special for this week's edition of "Return of the Bumbags" - and I think I have just the thing.

I present for your delectation:

THE FANCYPACK!

"but what on earth is a fancypack?" I hear you cry...

...it's the best invention ever, is what it is!

Carla Morales designed this bumbag (OK OK, 'fannypack') to be shaped like an innocent bow so that no one would suspect it was a bumbag. It retains all the usefulness of a bumbag with hidden pockets fixed with velcro, all within a highly fashionable exterior. Genius.

I know, right! But it's true: that gorgeous leatherette bow is actually a bumbag in disguise!

And look there are lots more in all sorts of colours and patterns and fabrics:

I personally quite fancy this lovely yellow one:

To see more of Carla's wonderful creations, check her out here:

{etsy} {shop} {website}

let's stop fannying about, shall we?

You might think I would be ashamed to admit this, but I'm really not...

*deep breath*

I have really missed bumbags.

And not even in a particularly ironic way.

They are so incredibly useful - just enough room to store your keys, your bus pass, your pocket money, a tamagotchi and some sweets. And really, what more do you need when you're 10 years old? I had a few bumbags back in the early nineties: my favourites were a black faux leather one and another black one with fluorescent piping edges. Oh how I miss you guys, I wonder whatever happened to you.

So it seems we've gone right through the '80s phase' and managed to survive all the hideous memories they brought back, but the 90s should come back with more of a flourish, you know, to compensate all the horrors of the 80s.

In amongst this, the bumbag is due the most magnificent comeback of all the accessories - they need to be remembered for the good they did for children in the 90s, like allowing them to climb trees and ride bikes without fear of losing the contents of their pockets in the process. Of course, children of the 90s are not the only fans - tourists everywhere love them because they're so darn practical!

I'm not saying that we should stick with the original fluorescent nylon we all knew and loved (admit it, you loved them too), but by all means let's bring them back - but let's bring them back in style!

And what better way that with one of these amazing creations from Wilder Alison:

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These hip pouches are just what a girl about town needs - practical, comfortable and stylish to boot - with enough room to carry around your keys, phone, Oyster card, monies and lip balm, I simply can't imagine what I have done for all these years without one!

When I asked Wilder Alison about her reasons for making these beautiful creations, she had a very practical reason for her newest accessory:

"I always carry around too much stuff, so I made myself a fanny pack to challenge that. Fanny packs are totally utilitarian and easy to wear – they’ll just hold what you need and your arms stay free. It is easy to get your Metro card out of the credit card snap front pocket. I put a pencil holder on mine, too. Friends kept asking me if I sold them, so I made some more."

My humble little wish that the bumbag/fannypack is no longer a fashion faux-pas or the telltale sign of a tourist, but instead denotes that the wearer is a busy lady with things to do and people to see, and yet is fashionable and on-trend, has come one step closer to being granted!

Despite my own enthusiasm, Wilder doesn't seem to join me in my views (though I think I may have enough enthusiasm for the both of us)...

"I am not sure I'm convinced that fanny packs are back in style! I get mixed opinions about that, but I am amused by the process of making a lovely object out of an ick-factor concept like “fanny pack.” I am wary of how aesthetic and era-specific trends must affect my relationship to utility. My priority with the fanny packs is utility and therein I want to neutralize their negative associations. I like the possibility of reclaiming the form; making an appealing version of a thing someone expects to find repulsive."

I'm all for that - and I'm positively ecstatic at their reappearance!

{fanny pack card by Dude and Chick} 

And I'm so glad I'm not the only one!

To see more of Wilder Alison's work:

{website} {etsy shop} {blog}