Camp Bestival

I have been rather quiet since my last post, not visiting many blogs or commenting because I was getting ready to go to my first festival in many years. The wonderful Camp Bestival held in the grounds of Lulworth Castle in Dorset. Billed as 'A 3 day family festival at a castle by the sea', I decided to take my children along with my mum and go 'Glamping'. We stayed in the wonderful Yurtel. A yurt, all ready for us, with beds, duvets, electricity and a locking wooden door. I am way too set in my ways to do proper camping, a lightweight, so when I found out about the Yurtel I thought, "I can do that"!

The yurt was so comfortable and welcoming. There was chocolates on the pillows, flowers next to the bed and fresh clean bedding to snuggle into at the end of a long, fun filled day.







We had plenty of room for all our stuff and we quickly made it look like a home from home!





The other benefit of Boutique Camping was the showers. Lovely hot showers that we only had to queue 10 minutes for, pure luxury!

The yurt was expensive but as this is to be our only holiday this year I figured I would have spent just as much on a holiday cottage.

We spent an extraordinary amount of time in the kid's field as it was the kid's entertainment that was the main attraction for going. There was so much for the children to do and the atmosphere in the whole festival was very family friendly. The views everywhere you looked were wonderful too as we had the sea and a beautiful castle as backdrops.

We had Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's River Cottage Cafe tent

The fabulous Wonderland Inn with their comfortable day beds strewn with cushions.

The Art tent where you could paint your wishes

Swingboats

Animal mask making

Cake decorating in the WI tent

Meeting Justin Fletcher aka Mr Tumble

Fancy Dress

and more adult orientated attractions like Breakfast at The River Cottage Cafe (yes we saw Hugh)

The sewing tent

The knitting tent

Howard Marks reading Fairy Stories (surreal)

Dancing to Gilles Peterson's set in The Bollywood tent whilst drinking Pimms

The gorgeous and wonderful Florence and the Machine

Afternoon tea at the Tofflins Tent. Tea and cabaret extravaganza

.....where Alfie got dragged up onto the stage by a burlesque dancer who blew him a kiss when he got back to his seat. Luckily he had face paint on so you couldn't see him blushing!

Bon Iver on the Big Screen (where I sat with Lizzy, colouring in!)

Will Young the Ringmaster

...........and just hanging out in the sunshine, for we had 2 and a half days of it, people watching.







Sunday's weather was a bit wetter and we dodged the showers but that didn't dampen our spirits and we were treated to set from Candi Staton and Chic, followed by Rob da Bank's set complete with dancers from the English National Ballet and topped off with the most spectacular firework display ever. They went on for 20 minutes, accompanied by great music courtesy of Rob, set against the castle. All in all the most fabulous weekend. I can't wait for next year's offering.

Here for you all is the first 6 minutes of the fireworks, enjoy x

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Drawers and other thrifty finds!

Lately I have found myself drawn to drawers (pardon the pun)! I find this often happens to me. I decide I want to find something and then I find loads of them. Are we drawn to them or do they find us I wonder? Anyway, I have been finding lots of sets of little drawers on my thrifting travels and have had great fun painting them in Cath Kidston furniture paints. They will hold my buttons and other lovelies when I go to textile fairs.





I have also found a few more Sylko Cotton reel drawers to add to my collection. They hold all my vintage wooden cotton reels, which are colour coordinated.



Shelves have also been calling to me and I have been stacking them in the garage ready to paint up and put in the house. This little set is my most recent find and I am undecided whether to paint them or leave them with their chippy blue gloss intact.



I have also found some little bits to add to my vintage toy and kitsch collection like this cat who looks very pleased with herself!



3 flying swallows which makes a change from the 3 flying ducks that I usually find.






Little wooden boats. I find them irresistible and can never pass them by if I see them.




These posters are adorable. I love the faces. Those were the days, when children all looked like they had stepped from an Enid Blyton book! I think some of these will be coming to the Vintage and Handmade Fair in November if I can bear to let them go.







This little bed was a great find and is now in the newly tidied playroom filled with Lizzy's favourite dolls snuggled under their quilt and crocheted blankets.


I didn't find these sweet dolls, they were given to me by the daughter of a dear friend of mine, Barbara, a fellow fabricaholic, who sadly died this year.



Lastly, it will be my blog's 4th anniversary, or blogoversary, on Saturday. I cannot believe I have been writing this blog for so long. I am equally amazed at how many people read it. When I started this I did it to update my sister who lives in USA and my friend who had just moved to France. I didn't think for a minute that anyone else would ever be interested in my ramblings. It has been a great experience. I have met so many lovely bloggers both over the internet and in person. It has brought like minded people into my life that I would not have otherwise met being at that time a new mum living in the middle of nowhere.

To celebrate this with me just leave me a comment, say hi, spread some love and I will put all the names in a hat on the 31st July and the first one out will get one of my goodie bags filled with vintage fabric scraps, buttons, ribbons etc. So, come on, say hi, you never know it could be you! Pin It