Silly Saturday: Viva La Frida

Shoes from Irregular Choice.

Actually it was Fantastically Fun Frida Friday yesterday.

My lovely daughter took me to a Frida Kahlo inspired High Tea and Store6 in Dorchester, Dorset.

It was an early Mother’s Day present.

Floral headbands made by me with artificial flowers from Hobbycraft.

Photo tutorial to follow. I have put a quick tutorial on my Instagram page.

I even went for the Monobrow this time

We were very silly and had the best fun

Our last Frida inpsired outing was 5 years ago for my 65th birthday.

Have you been silly this week?

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Silly Saturday: it’s a Frida Kahlo kind of Day

When Miss E was about 9, I was going to Grandparents Day at her school and she asked my daughter, in a slightly worried voice, if I was likely to wear my very bright clothes. It has been a family joke ever since.

Now 14, I was picking her up from school on Thursday and sent my daughter this photo, with the caption, “just off to get E!”

The flowers are glued to a turban, which is sold as a bathing cap by Anita of Ocean Flora

there are better photos on her Instagram Page.

Are you doing anything silly today?

In a Frida Vase on Monday

My son-in-law was helping with a house clearance this week and he rescued this vase for me, isn’t that lovely of him!!! And my daughter said – “a Vase for Monday!”

I immediately thought the vase had a Kahloesque look about it. You might already know I am a big fan of Frida!

An opportunity to get those candles out again.

Does anyone know what the mauve flowers are – they seed themselves freely around the garden?

I am thoroughy enjoying the heady scented mix of honeysuckle and philadelphus.

And philadelphus is my entry for Cee’s Flower of the Day.

There is a Frida Kahlo exhibition on at the V and A at the moment – I hope to go and see it, but it is hard to think of getting on a train and travelling to London whilst we are enjoying such glorious sunny weather.

Do you have anything to pop in a vase this Monday – if so do join in with Cathy over at Rambling in the Garden – such a fun gathering of gardeners.

I must just share another beauty of a sunset we had last night

Venus

A Silly Saturday with Fred

Let me introduce you to Fred, my perfect date for my Birthday Weekend.

The photo above shows him getting ready for the Frida Kahlo party.

Do you all remember or know about Homepride Fred?

My sister has a thing for Fred! She has been collecting Homepride Freds in all their many and various forms for years. Earlier in the year she started photographing him at events she went to – I just loved the silliness of this, it obviously runs in the family. She took him to Chelsea Flower Show, The Dorchester Hotel, Royal Ascot …. and others – they had a fun summer together! But Fred had been back on the shelf for far too long, so I invited him to join me as we pranced around London in flowery headdresses.

Our first date: dinner on Friday night …

Then the next morning  … looking to me like the Milk Tray ad ….. “and all because the lady loves ……..” (another one) arriving on his horse, he presented me with a birthday cake.

The gorgeous horse was made by ceramicist Jane Muir.

Then off we went to the Battersea Arts Centre to meet up with my daughter and niece.

My daughter had made me this fab card with a perfect quote she had found, written inside

After an afternoon nap, whilst we had fun spreading smiles and sunshine meandering along the Northcote Road, Fred was ready for a bit of drum practice before hitting London’s Jazz Scene

Each November London holds a Jazz Festival right across the city. 

We were off to the 606 Club, what a place – it is like stepping back in time. As you let yourself in through the black metal grill and scaled the steep bare wooden steps down to the tunnel corridor below, you could be entering an illicit 1950’s/60’s crime den, it felt like being in a film.

After a fabulous meal and an evening of virtuoso jazz performances Fred met Trisha Clowes, acclaimed saxophonist, at the bar.I don’t think she had a clue who Fred was but she played along and joined in the fun!

Fred had a great night

 

and as you can see the partying continued as we danced to old 60s and 70s cool and groovy hits playing on the Juke Box.

 

 

Fred was a bit the worse for wear the next morning

But after a couple of Paracetemol he was ready to go to Covent Garden where they seem to be taking inspiration from the Tate Modern and suspending large shiny spheres overhead

and then time for a walk in the park before meeting up with friends for tea

more of Fred’s deliciously arty tea on another Silly Saturday …….

Are you doing anything silly this weekend?

Sandra’s Silly Saturday

Last Saturday, the 11th day of the 11th month was my birthday.

Happy Birthday to me!

Not sure where the idea to dress in the style of Frida Kahlo came from but …….I trawled my wardrobe for florals……

…… found the right candles from Divine Excesss

and set off for a Palooza (new word – thank you Laurie!) of a weekend!

Joining Nadia’s Photo Challenge – Jewel Colours.

…. I left on Friday and stayed with my sister who lives in London. On Saturday we met up with my daughter, A who, thanks to her sister-in-law looking after her 3 little ones, was able to meet us for the day. Hurray! My niece was able to meet us as well! …. at the Battersea Art Centre, a truly amazing building full of quirky features and faded grandeur.

This is the mosaic floor that greets you in the entrance hall.

I just loved the faded flaking paint in the atmospheric corridors.

Joining in with the Daily Post today.

the perfect place for a Kahlo themed party don’t you think!

I loved the way we all entered into the silliness of it and my daughter even sported a rather amazing monobrow!

I didn’t go quite that far!

The Arts Centre has a restaurant which even had chilled Prosecco at the Bar and a most delicious Mexican style chicken and cous cous for lunch.

The grand staircase was the perfect setting for more photos

There were African crafts for sale in the hall, all adding to a sense of being transported somewhere else

we had time to try a few things on

and then my niece spotted the perfect setting for a photo of me and my sister

One of my favourite photos of the day

Later A found the caption to go with it:

“If you are not embarassing your children you are obviously not having enough fun”

A huge thank you to my lovely family for joining me in Kahlo-land and brightening up a grey November day, spreading sunshine and smiles as we all walked through SW London after lunch in full regalia. Our headgear promoted the most wonderful conversations and there was a little bubble of magic surrounding the whole day.

I hope to be able to tell you more about it soon …. it is taking me ages to sort through all the photos and for most of this week I have been looking after a poorly Little Bro (5) who has the most horrible cough, cold and temperature.

Itching to tell you about my visit to the Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the most spectacularly arty tea London has to offer ….. not forgetting my perfect date for the whole weekend … ….

Must go now and administer Cough Mixture.

Kahlo-esque

Do you remember this post when I showed you what I had just bought from the online shop – Hobbycraft, and asked if you had any idea what I was going to do with them?

Oh I have had SO much FUN with these fabric flowers ….. they created magic and transported me into another world……..

….  First I made myself a headband using the long wire stem of one of the big yellow Gerberas. The flower was sticking straight up as if it was growing out of my ear – well that just had me rolling about laughing, especially when friends and family joined in and tried it on – we got the giggles and could not recover til our sides ached.

Why didn’t I take photos???                      Just too busy laughing I suppose.

Annnnny…….way

Then I calmed down and started to make a headdress… I just wound flowers (with wire stems) round the makeshift headband – it seemed to work.

This is me trying to take a photo with my new iPhone – I am not finding all this new technology easy and miss my little old cheap and easy Nokia….

….. and again

far too serious!

All this was in preparation for my birthday weekend (last weekend)….

much more to come ………. hundreds of photos to sort through ……….. i did have the most wonderful time ……. it wouldn’t have been everybody’s idea of the BEST birthday weekend…… but …..for a newly 65 year old Wild Daffodil it was just PERFECT!!!!!

I made

another headband ……  who is this one for??????

Can you guess?

My post is not about Yarny things in the making, but if you want to have a good old natter about all things yarny, pop on over to Cathy’s weekly Knit and Natter Friday – always a joy.