Gone Bust

The wheels on the bus go round and round. The driver on the bus goes 'gripe, gripe, gripe'. The passengers on the bus choose to eat tuna fish. And egg salad. And onions. We love you Megabus! Until such times as we earn salaries (or our honeys become famous rockstars, maybe?) Megabus is the Made In The Shade gals' primary mode of transport when taking trips in the UK. Look out London Town! We're a-comin'! Slowly.

LONDON TOWN TIP 1: Pack a rucksack. Do not travel with wheelie luggage. You will trip up passers by, they will holler at you. You will hurt your ankles. You will end up with dirty clothes. You will get trampled on.

LONDON TOWN TIP 2: Book cheap accommodation on Osborne Street. The walk from the tube takes approximately 20 seconds. Your bed is practically on Brick Lane. Just swell!

We arrived at the hotel looking and feeling like a pair of time travelling hobos. We dedicated a good hour or so each to (stop!) shower time. Having successfully scrubbed off the Megabus mank, we set out in the search of sustenance. A short toddle down (up?) Brick Lane later and we stopped in our tracks. Wide-eyed and stunned, we stood outside All Star Lanes. Peeking through the open windows, we wondered if these guys would have a little corner for a couple of retro dolls.

The Tiki Milkshake

We were seated at a little table for two in the centre of the diner by a smiley lady dressed in a lil' 50s style denim dress with the diner logo embroidered on the back. Clare and I plopped ourselves down on the padded red vinyl bench and 'eeeped' with excitement. Green gingham napkins, 50s sideboards, a hearty American food menu a la Jack Rabbit Slims and walls and walls of retro memorabilia; I felt like we'd walked into the set of American Graffiti. Clare and I crammed our tummy's full of creole pie, mac & cheese and managed to fit in a few tiki milkshakes before bedtime.

LONDON TOWN TIP 3: Be sure to sample a tiki milkshake (or three).

Next morning, we bounded out of bed and got ready to greet the Brick Lane bustle with bright eyes and bushy tails. We had intended to spend the entire day exploring boutiques and local marketplaces. Our plans revealed themselves early on as a tad ambitious and so instead of traipsing all over London, we decided to explore the vintage nooks and indie hideyholes of Brick Lane and the surrounding area – right outside our hotel window. Vintage Heaven, Rokit, Absolute Vintage, Beyond Retro – the choice and sheer volume of vintage clothing and accessories available was overwhelming even for us. By the time we'd made our way up just one side of the street, my brain was boggled and my eyes were unable to differentiate between one floral playsuit and another.

Clare managed to select a few perfect pieces to take home, but I struggled to even stand up. Mexican food was calling. We travelled on the tube to Covent Garden and settled in for an evening in Cafe Pacifico – the best Mexican restaurant in London (according to Nina the vintage head-dresser and our friend Ian). We were sent home in wheelbarrows, smeared in avocado.

LONDON TOWN TIP 4: You don't need to order the guacamole side dish at Cafe Pacifico. You think you do. But you don't.

York Hall

Having gulped down a nutritious on-the-go breakfast of strawberry milkshake and cheap cigarettes the following morning, Clare and I joined the queue of eager craft enthusiasts and curious indie shoppers outside York Hall, Bethnal Green,. We were about to experience our very first BUST Craftacular. I was far too excited to eat. The Made In The Shade gals rarely get the chance to get out and about and explore the glorious array of DIY marketplaces in other cities since we're normally up to our eyes in worky work. As longtime readers of BUST magazine, this particular occasion really got the butterflies in my tummy a-fluttering.

The crowds were let loose right on schedule. Clare and I paid our £2 entry fee, ooh-ed and aah-ed at our complimentary Tatty Devine goody bags and made a hurried shuffle through to the main event space. After some to-ing and fro-ing trying to decide on the most effective strategy, we spun round on the spot a few times, marvelled at the variety of work on offer then got a grip of ourselves and made a bee-line for the first 'lane' of makers. I made a pact with myself not to spend any money during the course of my 'first circuit' of the market hall. A pact made in vain. I made it just six or seven tables along the first lane, biting my lip all the way and clutching my pocket money so hard my pennies made red dents in my hands - before I made purchases at Fine City Friends' stall. The seal had been broken.

Pie Girl

I made several purchases at the BUST Craftacular but my favourite has to be Pie Girl. I bought a pie girl! Yes. A pie girl. Hand sewn by The Cat In The Shoe, my pie girl spoke to me from her little seat on the trestle table. Right now, I'm a pie. Right now, she's a pie. I love her. Pie Girl (she doesn't have a name yet) is currently perched in my bedroom.

In amongst all the shopping and excitable squealing, we managed not just one, but two trips to the Lady Luck Rules OK Pop-Up Tea Shoppe. We may not have won anything in the Tea Shoppe Tombola, but we sure did enjoy tea-for-two and yummy homebaked vanilla cupcakes at the 60s table, then MORE tea-for-two and cookies at the 70s table. A raucous round of applause is due to the wonderful Tea Shoppe hostess who, despite being utterly swamped by customers, still maintained a friendly smile and a truly ladylike demeanor amidst the madness! Remember! Lady Luck Rules OK is joining us at the next Made In The Shade event on Saturday 26th September!

After spending 3 fun hours shopping and meeting people and promoting Made In The Shade at the Craftacular, we left to travel across town to Nina's Vintage & Retro Hair Parlour in time for my long-awaited (and much needed) hair appointment. Nina's salon, based on the first floor of Alfie's Antique Market on Edgware Road, is one of my favourite places to be.

Carrie at Nina's Vintage Hair Parlour

The sugary mint green walls, the checkerboard flooring and the vintage beauty ephemera in every display cabinet make for the ideal refuge for the modern timewarp wife. You can keep your slick Toni & Guy salons. Give me Nina's pink hairdryer every time. Following some serious remodelling, curling, pinning and Freeze-Holding, I emerged from beneath my headscarf with locks to be proud of! I returned home with my head held high. Specialist vintage salon in Glasgow please!

Clare, Suzanne and I arrived home, satisfied that our trip had been worthwhile. We'd made links with a bunch of fabulously talented people and we'd made inroads to our research plan for Made In The Shade. Things were looking up. Until we read the newspaper. You will by now all know that The Lighthouse has been taken over by the business recovery team at PWC. Not only does this news have serious implications for creative culture in Scotland, but it of course has implications for the future of the Made In The Shade Boutique Shopping Event. We are working on a plan of action. We are working real hard.