It's nearly the 1st December and we love Christmas here at Pin-Ups in Pinnies HQ!! There's plenty of things we love to do at Christmas, most revolve around eating or drinking (tis the season to be jolly after all!) And so we thought we'd share a few ideas with you of what we want to get up to this December.

1) Christmas Markets - the Christmas makets opened in Manchester a week ago and we've already indulged in plenty of mulled wine!

2) Christmas tree shopping - every year I love getting into my warm winter gear and picking out our Christmas tree.

3) Making mince pies - I had already made my mince meant weeks ago and last weekend I made some of it into some delicious gluten & dairy free mince pies. If you didn't already know, I am wheat & dairy intolerant (hence the need to feed others cupcakes!)

4) Sugar Junction film evening - Sugar Junction is a beautifully quaint tearoom in Manchester's trendy Northern Quarter. Sugar Junction is infamous for their Afternoon Tea's and their cinema evenings are always a hit! You will be treated to a festive afternoon tea, hot buttered rum & Muppets Christmas Carol (aka the best Christmas movie of all time!) What more could you want, the perfect start to a perfectly vintage Christmas!

5) Almost Christmas

6)

Last Sunday Pin-Ups in Pinnies were lucky enough to exhibit at the beautiful White Memoirs Vintage Wedding Fair at Stockport Town Hall, run by the very talented Rachel of The Social Butterfly.

The beautiful Stockport Town Hall by Foley Photography

Alex & Gem were very popular with wedding fair goers, I wonder why..Free cakes anyone?!

Tattoo love heart cupcakes

My pretty awful photography skills attempting to capture our lucky horeshoe cupcakes

We got some great feedback on our mini cupcakes and were super chuffed that you all loved them so much!!
We met so many lovely brides to be and some fantastically creative fellow exhibitors including Lucy G Photography, who was our lovely neighbour and is also an incredibly talented photographer.
We also met new venture 'It's Fine & Candy' - a very sweet traveling candy buffet. Bethany Jane Davies was exhibiting her vintage hair & make-up skills and The White Closet, a vintage bridal shop based in Didsbury held a fashion show at the fair which dazzled us all!

White Closet brides by Foley Photography

Entertainment was provided by the sensational Kiki Deville, who I had never before had the privilege of seeing live, but will be tracking this fabulous woman down to see her perform again! In fact, she will be performing at The Vintage Manchester Awards next Wednesday that Pin-Ups in Pinnies will be sponsoring! Becki Fishwick was also exercising her incredibly beautiful vocal talents and also dropped by our stall to enjoy a cupcake of two. The Dotted Crochets played throughout the day and would be perfect for a wedding with their modern string quartet tunes.

All in all a fabulous day was had by all and we hope to exhibit at the next fair in February!

Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

After getting married and going on a lovely honeymoon with lots of amazing food and drink, me and the Mr have been a little light on the wallets this month! To top it off we took the car in for a service this week to be hit with a ginormous bill for £800!! So, I have been trying to be thrifty the last week or so and have changed a few small things in my life in the hope that it will raise those extra few funds to help my car out.
Most of the changes are small like switching from my £12.00 a week bus pass to a cheaper company that only costs £7.50 and getting some of my food & toiletries from Aldi & Quality Save instead of Tesco. I have also been having a clear out of my wardrobe and putting things on ebay in an attempt to de-clutter and make a few extra pennies.
I plan to get back into my evening sewing in the hope that I will become seamstress extraordinaire and will one day be able to make all my own clothes!

And in a bid to save on heating bills, I'm slightly ashamed to admit that the hubby bought me a onesie, and I love it! Not quite 1950's pin-up glamour!! But it really does do the job and looks super cute, what do you think?!

In fact right now I am cooking a lovely smoked salmon risotto (with ingredients from Aldi) while wearing my onesie!!

So, the point in this blog is really for me to get some of your tips for a thrifty month. What do you do to cut the cost when you're watching the pennies? How do you make your pay last that little bit longer?

Lots of love,
A thrifty Pin-Up!
xxx

This weekend I was excited to be heading to The Cake and Bake Show at Earls Court in London. It was the first cake exhibition of it's kind and it didn't disappoint! Earls Court was packed to bursting with cake, sweet treats and celebrity bakers. I went along with my best friend Marie and we emersed ourselves in everything cake related! There was so much to see, we were there for about 7 hours and still didn't feel like we saw everything!
 

Dressed in my best 1940's dress!

Throughout the day we stuffed ourselves with lots of sugary treats including a wheat & dairy free spelt banana loaf from dietary specialists Nana's Kitchen (www.nanakitchen.co.uk), which was delicious! We also sampled many delights from The Marshmallowists (http://www.themarshmallowists.co.uk/) who create delicious marshmallows in tastebud tingling flavours including strawberry & basil, blueberry & gin and pear & elderflower! I highly recommend these tasty treats, especially if you have dietary needs like me as there is no gluten or dairy in these bad boys!!

It wasn't just about cake at the Cake & Bake Show, we also got free (mini) cocktails from Stylist magazine, here's a piccie of us enjoying a quick tipple!

While checking out the Silikomart stall we got chatting to one of the lovely ladies called Rita who told us a little about the company. They are an Italian based company who make great quality silicone baking products. Some of the items we looked at and lusted over included a silicone macaroon mat (that I will definately be investing in!), cake moulds, lollipop moulds (that you can also bake cakes in) and decorative silicone mats for adding a beautifully unique pattern to icing toppings and even cookies while baking as they are fully ovenproof. Naturally, we got to chatting about Pin-Ups in Pinnies and Rita generously gave me a free decorative silicone mat to try out! I will be giving it a go this week and blogging the results and I'm quite excited!

pink+baking = my heaven!

While chatting away to the Silikomart ladies we were filmed for an International news station and interviewed after about what I thought about the Cake & Bake Show and about Pin-Ups in Pinnies & alcoholic cupcakes. Very exciting! Although I'm sure I must have slightly resembled a deer caught in headlights...but hopefully I got my points across!

There was a beach themed cake competition towards the entrance of the cake show and we were blown away by the entries! Here's a few of our favourites:

Fish n' Chips cake!!

I felt so inspired after visiting the Cake & Bake Show and am really looking forward to having a play with my new baking goodies! The next Cake & Bake Show is in Manchester in April and I would highly recommend it! It was the first of it's kind and the organisation of the event and variety of stalls & demonstrations was exceptional. I can't wait for the next one!!

Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

 The last 3 weeks have been the most amazing and hectic of my life. On Friday 3rd August I got married to the love of my life, Robert McCann, who I've been with for the last 8 years. It was a truly amazing day and better than I could have ever imagined.

Our invite by the talented Joe Armitage

Thanks to Pin-Ups in Pinnies favourite vintage makeover team The Vintage Pamperbox, I had the most beautiful victory rolls in my hair, and all my bridesmaids looked stunning with 1950's make-up and mini victory rolls. The Vintage Pamperbox offer a comprehensive range of bridal hair and make-up packages and I would highly recommend them as they are super talented ladies, and lovely to boot! http://www.vintagepamperbox.com/#/make-up-hair/4567781429



Photography was shot by our friend Nick Beedles of Betty Bee Photography and from what we have seen so far the piccies are absolutely amazing (as always!) Betty Bee Photography is Pin-Ups in Pinnies absolute favourite photographer. He has shot our launch party, my original promotional pictures & most recently our 2013 calendar (which I will be blogging about in full very soon)! He has such a great eye for detail and knows his stuff when it comes to vintage. I would highly recommend Betty Bee Photography for your wedding photography or in fact any shoot you are planning (especially if it is vintage inspired). Nick together with his very talented and lovely wife Betty Bee will plan and style your shoot and leave no stone unturned. They are highly professional and you will be over the moon with the results like we always are! Check out their website http://www.bettybee.co.uk/

My shoes were Harriet Wilde and again I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them. I was determined to have red sparkly shoes, but once I saw these all of that went out the window! They were so elegant and bridal, yet had a lovely vintage feel too and were very comfortable as they have padding in the soles.

To dress our beautiful venue, Chillington Hall, we went for a 1950's style picnic theme. I love picnics and thought it was the perfect way to bring a bit of summer sunshine inside. It was also a huge hint to my new hubby to take me for more surprise picnics...I'll let you know if it worked ;) he he! Our centre pieces were picnic baskets filled with potted roses, strawberries & cherries and our cake was a 2 tiered white picnic basket spilling out with picnic goodies!



We ordered some giant light up letters for our dance floor by the amazing 'Vowed and Amazed', based in London. Stuart from Vowed and Amazed delivered them himself the night before the wedding and set them up for us so that everything was ready and in place when we turned up. We kept them hidden behind the curtains to the dance floor and only revealed them during our first dance - they really had that 'wow' factor! http://www.vowedandamazed.co.uk/

All in all the day was absolutely perfect and we couldn't have asked for anything more. From the day we booked Chillington Hall they were absolute stars, especially our lovely wedding co-ordinator at the venue Emma. She helped answer all our questions, no matter how silly, sorted out any problems we faced leading up to the wedding, and was just a complete pleasure to be around. Our parents were also completely amazing and supported us all the way through from day 1.

Me and my parents having a giggle on the day!

I was so nervous about the wedding as soon as we started planning it, as believe it or not, I'm actually very shy! I thought the whole thing would be very stressful and nerve-wracking, but when it came to it, I enjoyed every minute and would do it all again tomorrow! I think this is a testament to the love and support around us and of course our complete love for each other.

Anyway, enough cheesiness!! We just got back from our amazing honeymoon in Italy yesterday, but I shall save that for another blog!!

Lots of Love,
Mrs Alexandra McCann
xxx

After a year of planning and lots of gorgeous Pin-Up of the Month competition entries, it was finally time for us to shoot our 2013 Pin-Ups in Pinnies calendar on Saturday. Over the last few months I have been working hard securing some fabulous sponsors for the calendar and I wasn't disappointed. We had dresses provided by Vivien of Holloway, Limb Clothing, 20th Century Foxy & Collectif, hats & flowers from Imogen's Imagination and jewellery from Dolly Cool, Diamonds & Daggers and Lilly Von Pink. I am honoured to have such reputtable & inspiring companies involved in our calendar. Without them this calendar wouldn't have been possible, so we are very appreciative of the companies, and also rather in love with all of the products they sent us to photograph!
I booked The Vintage Pamperbox for hair, make-up, photography and styling on the day. I cannot tell you what a fab job they did of making the whole day run smoothly. The Vintage Pamperbox ladies are complete professionals and top of their game, but on top of that they are completely lovely to work with. They took away any stresses I might have had on the day and made the whole thing run without a hitch.

Here are some sneaky peeks from the shoot!

Miss September - ElleJ Divine

Miss January - Lady Wildflower

Miss October - Laura Lavelle

As you can see, all the ladies looked absolutely stunning. I can't wait to see the finished pictures and to put the calendar together. I am hoping to be able to get the calendar out and on sale in September, so keep your eyes peeled for updates!

This week I was also nicely surprised when a copy of Morris Monthly landed through my letterbox with me & my sister on the front from when Pin-Ups in Pinnies worked at The Indoor Class Car Show in Manchester for Classic Benz Ltd.

First, Morris Monthly, next stop Vogue!!

Lots of Love
The Pin-Ups
xxx

I know I know, it's been a while since I last blogged, I'm not doing too well at sticking with my New Years Resolution to blog more frequently!! Oops.. I take it as a good thing though that I have been so busy that I rarely get a chance to sit down at my computer to write down what I've been up to!
This past weekend has been a lovely one involving getting my nails painted, teaching a wonderful hen party on Saturday and going to my first baby shower yesterday (which I of course made cakes for!)

A few weeks ago a mutual friend got in touch to introduce me to a very talented lady called Alex Williams who had recently moved to Manchester to set up her new company called Five Finger Discount. When I took a look at her Facebook page, I was very excited by what I saw! I never thought I'd be a nail art fan but once I'd seen Alex's work I knew I couldn't wait to get her to paint my nails. Alex came round to my flat on Friday evening with a selection of amazing designs for me to choose from and let me tell you that making a decision was almost impossible! I went for a bit of a mix and match in the end as I couldn't settle on just one design!

Check out my nail moustache!

I can't wait to get Alex to paint my nails again, she is such a talented painter and lovely to boot! So, if you are Manchester based and fancy some nail art with  a difference then I highly recommend heading over to her facebook page to have a chat with her and check out her fab designs! https://www.facebook.com/fivefingerdiscount55

On Saturday I taught a lovely class of ladies beginners burlesque as a part of The Pamperbox in Liverpool. I always enjoying teaching hen do's, especially when they are organised by the lovely Betty Bee & Lilly Von Pink.

Betty Bee & Lilly Von Pink looking gorgeous!

There is always such a lovely, fun atmosphere when teaching a hen do and I think I end up having just as much of a giggle as the girls I'm teaching! They were a great bunch this week and all looked very vintage & glam after Betty Bee, Lilly Von Pink & Lena Stobbe had worked their magic.

I have worked with The Pamperbox team on numerous occasions and it seems that there is nothing that they can't do! They are not only business owners, hair stylists and make-up artists but Betty Bee and her husband also have a photography business, Lilly Von Pink has her own business making gorgeous accessories and Betty Bee also writes for numerous magazines and newspapers. In fact, on top of doing all this and taking care of their families, Betty Bee has also managed to get around to writing a book titled 'Handmade Wedding Crafts' which is now available for pre-order from Amazon. Congratulations Mrs Bee!!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1908170905/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk
And to prove how dedicated they are to their business, Lilly Von Pink who was 2 weeks overdue to give birth on Saturday worked her magic with her usual finesse looking as glamorous as ever, before giving birth to her new baby girl on Sunday night, so a congratulations is also in order for Mrs & Mr Von Pink!!

Babies seemed to be the talk of the weekend as I also went to my first ever baby shower on Sunday, which I of course made plenty of cupcakes for! My sister-in-law to be (that's a mouthful!) is due to give birth to a baby boy in just under 2 weeks so we got together to celebrate her new arrival , play games and of course eat lots of food! It was a great day and left me feeling all smiley (and perhaps dare I say it a little broody! - all in good time though!!!)

Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

Last weekend was a whirlwind of buttercream, glitter & gorgeous classic cars! On Friday alone I spent a mammoth 17 hours non-stop baking! But it was all worth while when I beehived my hair, slicked on the red lipstick and headed out the house with my tasty, boozy creations. I called on my sister to help me out with my 3 bookings and she made a stunning Pin-Up and was an utter star, traveling all the way up from London late Friday night after work and staying up with me until 3am while I baked into the night!
Pin-Ups in Pinnies were booked by Cheshire Classic Benz Ltd to hand out flyers & cupcakes at The Indoor Classic Car Show in Trafford on both Saturday and Sunday. They have done a lovely little write up on the homepage of their website, check it out! http://www.ccbenz.co.uk/ Peter & Ann were lovely to work with and their cars were stunning!
We were lucky enough to get chance to check out all the other cars at the show and I now have a wishlist of classic cars as long as my arm. One day.....!!

Cakes anyone?!

Sitting in a pre-1940's Triumph

On Saturday we had just enough time to swap the empty cake boxes for full ones and top up our red lipstick before heading over to Sheffield to hold a stall at the Burly Q 3rd birthday bash! I made lots of tasty alcoholic cupcakes that all seemed to go down a treat! We had Absinthe (of course!) Cherry & Amaretto (our best seller), Chocolate & Baileys, After Dinner Mint (with Creme de Menthe), Pina Colada, Pink Vanilla & Lemon.
The show was fantastic as always - you can always count on Audrey Hepkat to put on a fabulous line-up and the acts never disappoint! My favourite acts of the night had to be between Mr B Gentleman Rhymer - the King of Chap Hop and Dinah Mite who blew me away with her comedy genius, gorgeous costumes & perfect figure! Fred Bear was also a huge hit and had me in fits of giggles all the way through! All in all it was a fabulous night and me and my sister Nat had a blast!
We were back at The Indoor Classic Car Show on Sunday for yet more cake & cars! I think during the whole weekend I must have had a total of 5 hours sleep and spent around 27 hours baking! Phew! But it all paid off and was a really fantastic weekend!! I can't wait for the next one!

Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

We are pleased to announce our new 'Ultimate Girls Night In' package! Perfect for a hen-do or if you fancy something a little different, the 'Girls night in' brings together cake, champagne, burlesque and fun & games - what more could you want?!

Your burlesque lesson will be taught by Fanny Divine, owner of Pin-Ups in Pinnies and established International burlesque performer. You will even receive your very own pair of opera length gloves & a boa to take away with you so that you can practice at home!
We will also be offering the option of a lingerie party and corset fitting by our friends over at Kiku Boutique (www.kikuboutique.co.uk), perfect if you are planning a wedding or would like to spice up your wardrobe with a bespoke corset or seamed stockings.

Booking enquiries to mail@pinupsinpinnies.co.uk, we look forward to hearing from you and plotting your girls night in!!

Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

Today I was delighted to see that Pin-Ups in Pinnies had been featured in both the Manchester Evening News and the South Manchester Reporter - how exciting! I got an email at the beginning of the week from the MEN to say they'd seen our Twitter feed (in case you don't follow us already - www.twitter.com/pinupsinpinnies) and were really interested in the business! Following on from this email I received a call and was interviewed about Pin-Ups in Pinnies, why I had started the business, how well it was going and whether we would consider male Pin-Ups! (to wihch I answered that I am already looking into it after quite a few enquiries!)
The feature came out today and looks lovely, it really brightened my Friday!

I'm so pleased with all the interest Pin-Ups in Pinnies is generating!
Don't forget, it's our launch on the 28th of this month and as we love our blog readers, we are inviting you all to come and join us!

Don't forget to RSVP with your name and anyone you would like to bring so that we can add you on to our guestlist. We hope to see you there!!

Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

It's been a busy week here at Pin-Ups in Pinnies HQ!! After being featured on The Natter (http://www.thenatter.co.uk/2012/01/pin-ups-with-a-fifties-flavour/) we have had quite a lot of interest in our website, including an invitation from BBC Radio Manchester to go on air and be interviewed about the company. Of course, I couldn't turn down such a great offer! So, on Wednesday I spent the day baking lots of pretty, glittery miniature cupcakes for the BBC, then on Thursday morning I victory rolled my hair, put on my 'Housewife' uniform, slicked on some red lippy and headed to Media City ready to be interviewed on their 10am program by Heather Stott. Our Miss January Pin-Up of the Month Lady Wildflower met me there for some added support and to hand out our lovely cakes to the hungry BBC staff!

Me and Lady Wildflower outside the BBC feeling a bit chilly!!

Heather wanted to know all about Pin-Ups in Pinnies, how it all started and how it's now going. To listen to the interview go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_radio_manchester then search for Heather Stott 10am 26th January, then scroll to about 1.41 in.

Then last night (Saturday) Pin-Ups in Pinnies had a booking at a 'Hollywood Glamour' themed ball at The Palace Hotel. I took Ginger La Rouge, a Manchester based burlesque performer along for the booking. This time we dressed in our 'Vamp' uniform with leopard print pinnies. We were booked to make Cherry & Amaretto, Chocolate & Baileys, After Dinner Mint (non-alcoholic version) and Strawberries & Cream. But before we took the cakes around we served The Palace Hotel's savoury canapes first, leaving the best until last!! Once the cakes came out we couldn't top our trays up fast enough!!! They were all very popular and each guest seemed to have their own favourite. All in all the night was a complete success and we had a really lovely time. Once I got home I combed out my victory rolls and hung up the pinnies ready for our next booking!!
To book Pin-Ups in Pinnies for your event just drop us an email to mail@pinupsinpinnies.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!

Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

Happy New Year from Australia!! I can't believe it's 1st January 2012! How time flies hey?! I don't know about you, but I love January. I always feel so full of motivation and positivity! It's great to have a clean slate and feel like you can achieve anything, as you have a whole new year ahead of you. I religiously write out my New Years resolutions every year and look back on old ones to see if I can tick any off. I'm pleased to say that this year I can tick off quite a few of my 2011 resolutions - I've performed more abroad (Germany & Barcelona last year), I joined the gym (it didn't say anything about sticking to it?! So, that's fine right??!), I took up a new skill (dressmaking) so really I'm quite proud of myself and will just be skirting over those ones that lets face it are never really too achievable and tend to get carried over year after year (get fit and be healthy, money situations etc etc.. you know the drill!)
This year I am focusing my resolutions largely around my business aspirations. Pin-Ups in Pinnies came into creation last summer and I've just been taking it all quite slowly and enjoying the ride so far but this year things are going to really gear up here at Pin-Ups in Pinnies HQ! For a start we are have a launch party on February 28th in Manchester and you are all invited! All you have to do is drop me an email at mail@pinupsinpinnies.co.uk and let me know you want to come along and help us celebrate and I will send you a personalised invite and put your name on the guestlist. We are going to have burlesque, music, dancing, drinking and of course, enough free cake to sink a ship!! Afte the launch party I then plan on taking over the world with cupcakes and pin-ups!! What a nice world that would be..!!
So, what are your New Years Resolutions this year? I must admit that despite the slight failure of 'join the gym', 'get fit' etc.. the last 10 years or so, it still remains on my list and I will endeavor to stick to it for at least the first few weeks of January! ha ha..
It's my last few days here in Australia. I am sitting on my balcony in Fremantle, Perth writing this blog and will certainly be sad to leave. I've had a fantastic holiday and seen some really beautiful places. I have also been really rather active for me - I've been kayaking to find secret islands, climbed sacred Aboriginal mountains in 40 degrees heat (not one of my better decisions!), plenty of beach walking & clambering over rocks & of course lots of eating and drinking (that counts as an activity, right?!) As much as I will miss the beauty & warmth of Australia, I am looking forward to getting back home on Tuesday night and seeing my fiance (who will be my husband later on this year!!), furry babies (my 2 cats) and getting stuck into some promotion and work for Pin-Ups in Pinnies impending world domination!!
And just for you we have a special guest Pin-Up of the Month this month, a very good friend of mine Lady Wildflower. Go have a peek! http://www.pinupsinpinnies.co.uk/page5.htm
I hope you all had a wonderful new year and I look forward to seeing you at our launch in February!!!

See u soon UK!

Yet again, I seem to have been a little remiss in keeping up with my blog! I know what one of my New Years Resolutions is going to be!!
However, I feel like this time I may have a small excuse..or at least that's what I'll tell myself! I have spent the last 3 days traveling to the other side of the world and am now relaxing with a cup of tea on a balcony in sunny Australia! Dunsbrough in Perth to be exact. The weather here is beautiful, 9am and already it's about 20 degrees! I'm finding it hard to believe that it's actually December and that Santa will be doing his rounds in just 4 days time!
I'm 'down under' for the next 2 weeks so will be blogging fairly regularly about my adventures here, and may even upload some lovely sunny pictures to make you all jealous ;) I am still online daily, so if you have any enquiries regarding 2012 bookings don't hesitate to get in touch!
For now I will leave you with a couple of pictures I've taken.

I took a little walk down the beach early evening - beautiful

My view when I woke up this morning :)



Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

Recently I took part in an amazing project called 'The Curiousity Project.' For those who haven't heard about it, it is a worldwide project that endeavers to get strangers communicating on a different level, through anonymous boxes of gifts sent through the post.
As soon as I heard about it I knew I had to be involved! I used to love chain letters as a child and the Curiousity Project is basically a more grown up version! So, I eagerly signed up and sent over some hints of information about me (not to give away too much, but just to hint a little at my personality and loves in life.) On 14th November I received my recipients address (but no name) & a list of their likes to help me along in my quest to put a box of goodies together for them. I got started straight away and have enjoyed every minute of putting my box of goodies together for my curious recipient! I won't give too much away as I have yet to post it out and must stick to the rules and stay anonymous! But I really hope they like what I have made and bought for them, I love the idea of a stranger opening up my Curiousity Box and knowing that I put a lot of thought in to everything that is in that box.

I received my Curiousity Box last Wednesday. It was delivered just as I left the house (my fiance text me about 2 minutes after I got on the bus to let me know I'd missed it!) so I spent the rest of the day wondering and imagining what might be inside! I got home around 8pm and couldn't wait to see what my curious friend had put together for me!

Once I had broken through the cardboard postage box exterior I was greeted by a lovely black glittery box tied up beautifully with a pink bow. If you know me then you will know that this box is perfect for me - I love black & pink (as you can probably tell from my logo!) and I looove glitter, I just can't get enough of it!
I carefully untied the ribbon and peeked inside. My box was packed with curious goodies! I read the card from my sender first and inside it explained what Christmas meant to them and why they had chosen the items they had.

The contents were as follows:

- Christmas tree decorations
- Candle
- Pink glitter
- An old romantic record
- A Christmas book called 'The Christmas Mystery
- Mini sparklers
- A list of Christmas songs I should play
- A cinnamon scented room diffuser (I adore the smell of cinnamon, and once my cold has gone I look forward to filling my flat with the scent of cinnamon!)
- Vintage photographs
- and my favourite item, an antique lipstick mirror. This is gorgeous and so me as I never go anywhere without my red lippy!

I'm so glad I took part in the Curiousity Project, it is amazing to connect with a stranger on such a personal, generous level and yet still remain annoymous strangers. I can't wait to find out what my curious friend will think of the goodies I send to them! I will definately be taking part in this again, it really has brightened my week! Check out the website and see what everyone else has been receiving!!

 http://thecuriositybox.blogspot.com/

Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

All tucked up on the sofa with my cats, a blanket and cup of tea and feeling smiley after a lovely afternoon with my good friend Lady Wildflower! We haven't managed to have a good girly catch up in a while as we both seem to have such hectic schedules these days so it was great to get a chance to catch up and at the same time involve some of our great loves, including burlesque, crafting & Marilyn Monroe! On getting in to town we headed to Fred Aldous to pick up some craft bits and bobs (when you're a crafty person, there is always something you haven't got and desperately need!) Then, once we had satisfied our crafty needs, we headed on over to The North West Burlesque Society meeting for a bit of burly socialising. It's always nice to see some familiar faces from the scene and meet some new ones. The meeting also featured a really informative, interesting talk from one of the creators of the Ministry of Burlesque, Kittie Klaw. It was really great to hear from someone who had so much experience of the business side of the burlesque world and clearly knew what she was talking about and has a real passion for the scene. It was a real pleasure to listen to.
Unfortunately me and Lady Wildflower had to make our excuses and run off early as we were going to the 6:20 showing of the new Marilyn Monroe film 'My week with Marilyn.' The film was everything I wanted it to be and Michelle Williams made a really great Marilyn.
Marilyn Monroe seemed like such a fairytale character, a real life damsel in distress. Yet sadly there was no 'Prince Charming' that could save her from herself. However, even though Marilyn Monroe is sadly no longer with us, her image & talent will be forever remembered and immortalised in her much loved works such as 'Some like it hot', 'Gentlemen prefer blondes' and 'How to marry a millionaire.'

Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

Can you believe it’s nearly December, where has the year gone?! And Christmas is really starting to gear up now – the Christmas Markets are in town, the Coca Cola advert is on TV and there are selection boxes everywhere!

Last week me & the Mr went along to the opening of The Moose Bar in Spinningfields, Manchester. Our friend Gemma is the Assistant Manager there so we went and joined a few friends for some free mulled wine & spiced cider, plenty of tasty, warming grub and a spot of ice-skating. It was a really lovely night and got me feeling very Christmassy indeed! The food was amazing - we got Fondu’s on each table, Bratwurst, Beef Stroganoff (served in a tea cup!), Pea soup to name but a few. But by far my favourite was the Manchester Egg (http://manchesteregg.com/). Invented by local man Ben Holden, it is a Mancunian variation on the scotch egg – instead of a normal boiled egg it has a pickled egg inside and is wrapped in a mixture of black pudding and sausage before being coated in bread crumbs. Now, if anyone had described the ingredients to me prior to me taking a bite, I would have said ‘Yuck, no thank you!’ I am neither a fan of black pudding or eggs really, but together they created a wonderous taste sensation in my mouth and I have been hankering after another one ever since! I hear you can get hold of them at the Christmas Markets, so I’ll be heading down there very soon for my next hit of the Manchester Egg!  The whole night was perfect and we topped it off by trying out the brand new Ice Rink. We had such a giggle trying not to fall over and for 2 of our group it was not to be! I think Gemma had a rather bruised behind after, but I’m sure the mulled wine helped to numb the pain!

Concentrating really hard not to fall over!!

I know a lot of people get quite ‘Bah Humbug!’ about Christmas starting in November, but I can’t get enough of it! I have fully embraced Christmas with both arms, I’ve even broken out my Christmas jumper! Part of the reason I am so keen to snap up every bit of Christmas cheer I can this year is due to the fact that I am jetting off to Australia on 18^th December, and although I can’t wait, I can’t help but feel that Christmas in the Summer won’t be quite the same! I did go to Australia for Christmas once before about 12 years ago and spent my Christmas day surfing while under the influence of rather a lot of wine. Good times…

As well as sampling the goods that The Moose Bar has to offer, me and the Mr headed to Birmingham last Saturday and had a (fairly brief) perusal of the Christmas Markets there. Birmingham has the largest Christmas Markets outside out Germany, so we couldn’t resist a quick look! We were actually in Birmingham ordering our wedding rings (how exciting!) but quickly lost the will to live once we had ventured in to the town centre. It was carnage! This is why I will be attempting to do most of my Christmas shopping online this year, and save all the stressed out rushing around!!

Lots of Love,

The Pin-Ups

xxx

Recently I teamed up with fellow Princes Trust business start-up Berni Harris - a talented and absolutely lovely photographer based in Manchester. I was looking for a photographer to work with to shoot my Pin-Ups in Pinnies promo Christmas card and I already knew Berni through working with her before, so she kindly offered to help me out. We decided to shoot the pictures at the Pin-Up Bowling Lanes while they were still in Manchester, it would have been crazy not to really as the venue is a throwback to the 1950's and represents everything we love here at Pin-Ups in Pinnies! (Check out my earlier blog about my recent visit to Pin-Up Bowling.)
I rang the manager of Pin-Up up and explained what we wanted to do and they were more than happy to help us out by letting us use the venue. So it was settled, we would head on over to Pin-Up and set up our Christmas tree ready for some Christmas posing - I couldn't wait!!
We had such a giggle on the shoot, despite the fact that the heating was temporarily broken so it was absolutely freezing! It must have been a funny sight for passers by seeing me posed in front of a Christmas tree in the middle of October, but we got some great shots for the cards and once we were done I couldn't resist changing into my Vivien of Holloway Black Rosa circle dress to get some authentic 1950's diner shots complete with delicious strawberry milkshake! Mmmm...!



I've ordered my Christmas promo cards today so that they can be posted out in the next few weeks, exciting!

I love Christmas and all the indulgence it brings! What better time to treat yourself to some delicious boozy cupcakes - and with flavours like Eggnog & Spiced Cider cupcakes on the menu, how could you resist?!
And if that didn't tempt you then perhaps this will...

Photography by Berni Harris
www.berniharris.com


Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxxx

Last weekend I packed up my cake stands, ironed my pinnie and headed to Grimsby for one of my favourite burlesque shows 'The Cats Pyjamas'. I have performed at The Cats Pyjamas on numerous occasions and always have such a fantastic time there. It is run by the lovely Snappy O'Shea who always makes me giggle & runs a really tight show. One of my favourite burly ladies Lady Wildflower is also a resident at the show and I love seeing her new routines and having a good girly catch up! This month Lady Wildflower helped compere the show along with Snappy and also performed her original and captivating Borg act 'Resistance is Futile.' Never before have I found Star Trek so entertaining!!

looking slightly suspicious here..!

I was so pleased with where my stall was as I could watch the whole show while selling my tasty treats! This is a luxury for me as usually when I am performing at shows there are so many acts I want to see but I am always too busy rushing around trying to get ready in time to catch many of the other acts!
Alongside burlesque beauties Lady Wildflower and Snappy O'Shea there was also pint-sized hotty Roxy Reveals, Manchesters own flame-haired vixen Ginger La Rouge and the gorgeous & talented Scarlett Daggers. To top the night off, mind reader extraordinaire Peter Antoniou wowed the crowd with his spookily accurate telepathic abilities and comedic charisma. But for me the highlight of the show was Scarlett Daggers and her mesmerising Cobra act. The costume was as stunning as Scarlett and all made by her own hands - I'm not jealous at all, honest ;)

All in all I had a fab night and even got bought a gorgeous necklace by my Mr from the amazing Poison Ivy stall. The halloween cupcakes were a hit, the crowd was super friendly as always and all the acts were fantastic!

See Pin-Ups in Pinnies next at Carnival Divine on Friday 28th October and The Frou Frou Club Burlesque & Cabaret show on Saturday 29th October. I will also be performing at both nights so will be a very busy bee!

Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

For 2 months Manchester is home to the fabulous pop-up Pin-Up Bowling Lanes and on Saturday I went to go and try it out. All I could keep thinking was "why has it taken me this long to get myself down here!!" From the minute you walk in you are transported back to the 1950's, from the perfect pin-up décor and American diner to the swinging 50's tunes that you can't help but tap your feet to. And to top it off the staff are so helpful and friendly, which I always think is so important.

A few weeks ago I was really chuffed to win 'Miss Pin-Up' on the Pin-Up Bowling lanes facebook page and my prize was a £50 bar tab! You do not know how happy this made me! I sensibly decided to save it up until my friends birthday when we were heading there for an early start. We got there at 12:30 and decided to start as we meant to go on. So me and Mr got stuck straight in to the American Pie cocktail & a Vincent Vega Iced Tea...mmmmmm they were as delicious as they sounded and I think a great start to a Saturday!

We had 2 bowling lanes booked for 1:00 so we ordered our drinks in and got our bowling shoes on (which were handed to us by an especially lovely lady called Gemma who happens to be a very good friend of ours!) I'll admit that I am not the best bowler in the world and have a rather interesting technique which nearly sent me flying down the bowling alley along with my ball on more than one occasion! And although me and Mr were far off winning, we had a great giggle bowling with friends and enjoying a bit of nostalgia.

After exerting ourselves on the bowling lanes, we sat down to sample Pin-Ups American Diner inspired menu. All home made and locally sourced food, it was packed with flavour and presented in a typically 50's diner fashion. The cocktails continued to flow and I also tucked into a few Ginger Joe's for good measure. With a name like that I really couldn't resist, and I am a huge fan of Ginger Beer. For those who have yet to try this, I actually preferred it to Crabbies and it has a huge moustache on the bottle – what's not to love?!

All in all a great time was had by all and I will definitely be heading back there before it leaves on November 6^th. In fact Pin-Ups in Pinnies is excited to be heading back there on Thursday for a Christmas card shoot with the lovely Berni Harris – Manchester based photography.

The only thing I could possibly complain about is that it's not here for long enough!

The week before last I got a very exciting phone call from Cath Kidston asking whether Pin-Ups in Pinnies would like to provide cakes for an in-store student promotion they were holding in their Manchester Selfridges concession. Naturally, I jumped at the chance and couldn't wait to get started! They asked for 150 miniature cupcakes and decided on 75 Cherry & Amaretto and 75 Chocolate & Baileys (2 of our most popular flavours!)

So, last Wednesday I popped on my pinnie and got baking! A few hours and an icing sugar covered kitchen later, all 150 cakes were boxed up and ready to go. Thursday morning came and I popped on my favourite 1950's dress and headed to Selfridges to deliver my boozy goodies.

When I got to Selfridges the doors were locked so I took a moment to rest my arms!

2 of the lovely Cath Kidston ladies!

We arranged them on one of their beautiful cake stands and placed them among the Cath Kidston goodies, ready to lure in the students! I also left them with a huge stack of flyers, which they very kindly agreed to put next to my cakes.

Tea & cake anyone?!

I'm so glad to have got this booking on the back of my field research, it just shows that if you are passionate about your product/service, then other people will be too!

While we're on the subject of Cath Kidston, I thought I would post a few pics of some of my favourite items from their collection. While I was there I couldn't help but have a peruse around and now have a mental wish list consisting of around 30 of their items!

Retro Flowers Sewing Gypsy Wagon £48
How amazing is this?!

Flour Shaker £6

Provence Rose set of 4 teacups & saucers £26

Crochet flowers egg cosy £6.50




Pin-Ups in Pinnies loves Cath Kidston!!


Lots of Love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

Vivien of Holloway is renowned for producing some of the finest 1940's and 1950's vintage reproduction clothing. Based on Holloway Road in London, they stock a range of gorgeous dresses and separates that'll have you reaching for your credit card before you've even stepped through the door!

Whether you are after something girly to head down to the beach, that perfect pencil skirt for the office or a glamorous frock to wear to a wedding, Vivien of Holloway has it all!

Vivien first started making vintage style clothing for herself at the tender age of 10 and at 18 opened her first shop in Kensington. Following this success, Vivien of Holloway opened it's doors in 2000 and in the past 11 years has gone from strength to strength! Their dresses have been seen everwhere from TV commercials, to magazines & newspapers and are a staple item of clothing for many vintage enthusiasts and celebrities alike.

Paloma Faith looking gorgeous in VoH

I bought my first Vivien of Holloway dress 6 years ago and have been hooked ever since! It was a black and white polka dot circle dress and made me feel so special when I tried it on. The fit was so flattering and the style was so authentically 50's – it was love at first sight!

So, imagine my delight, when a few months ago I was asked to do some photo's for Vivien of Holloway! Following a fun photoshoot with Betty Bee Photography, I have been asked to help out at some events modeling and promoting for Vivien of Holloway. Unfortunately as most of the events have been down South I have been unable to get there, so we decided that I should check out some vintage events in the North and help to spread the love up here instead!

Photo by Betty Bee Photography

So, today me and the Mr headed to the North West Vintage Rally in Widnes to hand out flyers and tell everyone why they should be buying Vivien of Holloway!

Braving the elements in my Rosa Black circle dress

We had a fab day and there was so much to see. From gorgeous vintage cars, to old fair ground organs to the Festival Circus! It was a little chilly and I'm sure that people thought I was slightly crazy being all glammed up in a field, but fortunately for us the rain managed to hold off while we were there so we didn't get too wet and muddy!

I need this car in my life!!

I have been a very busy bee over the last week so I didn't have time to blog but thought I would catch you up on recent events with an extra long blog! You lucky lot..!
Last Monday I worked very hard baking hundreds of miniature cupcakes ready to head into town and do some market research.
I am supported by the Princes Trust and this involves writing a business plan to ensure the business stays on track and continues moving forward. Market research is just one of the areas that the business plan covers so this was both a necessary part of the business plan and necessary for me to make sure that I'm targeting the correct market.

cakes, cakes & more cakes!

So, on Tuesday after making up about 30 boxes of miniature cakes I put on my 'housewife' uniform, victory rolled my hair & slicked on my red lippy and I was ready to go! 

I targeted all the gorgeous stores that I thought Pin-Ups in Pinnies might appeal to. It went better than I could have hoped for and most of the stores were very keen on being involved with Pin-Ups in Pinnies, so keep your eyes peeled for some collaborations with retailers very soon!!

Free cakes anyone?!

photo by Candee Photography

On Friday I took in some of my favourite places in London including The Black Rose in Camden where I bought a really cute hair slide – I love to buy a little something every time I visit this shop and have been going there since my early teenage years! I then headed over to meet my sister for some sushi in the park near her work – perfect!

From Old street I then took a stroll in the sun (jealous Manchester?!) over to Shoreditch where there is a gorgeous lingerie shop called Bordello – if you're ever in the area, check it out as it is full of indulgently glorious knickers! At 6:30 I had a very important appointment to get to, so I headed over to Carnaby Street just off Oxford Circus and into Kingley Court to 'Fur Coat No Knickers' a gorgeous, vintage bridal shop, how exciting!

As some of you may be aware, I got engaged to my long suffering boyfriend last October when we were in Mexico and we have begun to put plans in place for our vintage inspired wedding taking place next August. 

On the beach in Mexico where we got engaged <3

Obviously, the most important part of the planning is THE DRESS! I have visited a few bridal shops so far, most have been a little on the hideous/meringue side to be honest, but this was my first foray into trying on real vintage dresses. Fur Coat No Knickers is run by 2 lovely ladies who set the business up in 2008. They very kindly fed me and my sister bubbles while I tried on a range of gorgeous 1950's frocks. I won't say anymore, but there were a few that really were gorgeous and may or may not be on the shortlist!!

Me and my sister decided that after all that hard work trying on dresses we deserved a cocktail, so we headed to ‘Handy Joe’s Tiki Bar' in the downstairs of Two Floors on Kingley Street. I love tiki bars, not only do they serve exotic rum cocktails, but the décor makes me feel like I have stepped into Hawaii in the 1950's!

Saturday involved more wedding dress trying on, this time I'm not going to mention where as I'm pretty sure that this is where my perfect dress lives... so for now, my lips are sealed! But sufficed to say, we spent a lovely hour trying on beautiful dresses.

In the afternoon we headed to Brick Lane in Shoreditch to meet up with an old school friend and go and visit another friends shop called The Vintage Emporium. I cannot recommend this shop enough!!! If you are in the area (or even if you're not!) it's well worth the pilgrimmage! It is undoubtedly the most amazing vintage shop I have ever stepped foot in! Run by 2 lovely passionate people Jess & Oli, The Vintage Emporium consists of 2 floors. On the top floor there is a cosy Victorian style tea room that was brimming with business when we got there and downstairs houses a devine collection of vintage clothing & accessories ranging from the Victorian era up to the 1950's. So there's none of that fusty 1980s/1990's disasters! I'm not saying I'm completely against the 80's – I have some lovely dresses that were owned by my mum from the 80's, however I really dislike vintage shops that are packed to the rafters with smelly fusty 1980's clothes that I can't even work out how to wear! I may be slightly biased as my favourite era is by far the 1950's and I also like to dabble in my fair share of 1940's too. The Vintage Emporium is perfect in this way, it really concentrates on the era's that excelled in fashion. All the clothes are immaculate and there is no fustiness to be found! There's even a large collection of gorgeously intricate 1920's dresses which seem to be so hard to find these days, and the most beautiful collection of shoes, hats & stoles to accessorize your perfect outfit. They have been praised with the accolade 'The most beautiful shop in London' and had the likes of Keira Knightley visit their shop. I cannot recommend this place enough, so please, if you get the chance pay them a visit, you won't regret it! http://www.vintageemporiumcafe.com/

After spending a few hours among all that gorgeous vintage clothing, me, my sister and my friend Flo headed for some drinks and food. One of the amazing bars we visited is called Nightjar – it is a discrete speakeasy hidden away from the hustle & bustle of shoreditch.

We had to queue outside for a table to become free, but once inside the atmosphere is perfect – dark, glamorous and very alluring. I felt as if I had stepped back into the decadent days of the 1920's. We decided to treat ourselves to a cocktail and at a pricey £10.00 each they really are a treat to be rarely enjoyed! However, once my 'Morning Glory Fizz' arrived, I knew it was worth every penny!

With the following ingredients, how could it not be?!

BAILIE NICOL JARVIE SCOTCH WHISKY

FRESH SQUEEZED LEMON

FRESH SQUEEZED LIME

DASH ABSINTHE

SUGAR SYRUP

TOPPED WITH CHAMPAGNE

The perfect end to a perfect weekend in London! Where do you like to go when you're down South? Or, if you're from London, what are your favourite haunts?

Lots of love,

The Pin-Upsxxx

Let me start by saying that I love Autumn! From the fiery redness of the leaves on trees to the evenings drawing in and causing us to close the curtains early and cosy down by the fire. But one of my very favourite things about Autumn is the delicious seasonal fruit and veg. And what better way to make the most of it than to create something boozy that will warm your cockles throughout the winter months. Yes, I'm talking about Damson Gin!
Recently when I was visiting my parents in the Shropshire countryside they mentioned the damson tree's were practically falling over with the weight of the ripe fruit ready to be picked. So I wasted no time in raiding their bounty and came back home with a bit grin on my face carrying a huge bag of damsons and an old fashioned recipe my mum has been using to make hers for decades. I thought I would share this recipe with you as it is so delicious and yet so easy to make.

Ingredients:

500g damsons
500g sugar
600ml gin

1) Prick the damsons very well and put in a jar or bottle with the sugar.

That's enough sugar to make you a millionaire from the tooth fairy..


At this point it looks like it might be sugar liqueur..but bear with me!

2) Cover tightly and leave to stand for 2 to 3 days or until the juice runs freely.

3) Pour in the gin and cover tightly. Leave in a warm place for about 2 months.

starting to look a lot tastier..

4) Strain, squeezing out as much juice as possible, pour into sterilized bottles and cork tightly.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the finished product as mine is still stewing in my living room and won't be ready until November...the hardest part is waiting!! But when the damson gin is ready, I may well have to create a new cupcake flavour around it, what do you think??

Top Tip: Instead of throwing away the damsons once strained, put them into a tray and cover them with melted dark chocolate and leave to set. This is quite possibly the best boozy chocolatey treat you will ever taste!

Lots of love,
The Pin-Ups
xx

As we have just announced our Miss September Pin-Up of the Month (if you haven't already, go check out the gorgeous Miss ElleJ Divine on our Pin-Up of the Month page) I thought it only right to pay homage to the Queen of Pin-Ups Bettie Page.

In a 1998 interview with Playboy, she commented on her career:

"I never thought it was shameful. I felt normal. It's just that it was much better than pounding a typewriter eight hours a day, which gets monotonous."

For those of you who don't know, as well as running Pin-Ups in Pinnies, I also co-produce burlesque & cabaret events under the name Carnival Divine, along with my fiance and partner in crime Rob (aka DJ Trebor.)
We began our Carnival Divine journey during a photoshoot in a slightly sticky but well loved club in Canal Street called Alter Ego. I had recently made my debut as a burlesque perfomer and was constantly on the look out for new opportunites to showcase my new found hobby. Doing his boyfriend duties, Rob had accompanied me to the photoshoot at Alter Ego. While there we both had one of those Eureka! moments. There was a stage, there was lighting, there was an area that could be used as a dressing room...could this be the opportunity we were both looking for?

So, within the next 10 minutes we had run the idea past the manager of the club to see what he thought about it. Burlesque was on the up and there was only 1 or 2 other events taking place in Manchester at the time. We knew we could offer something new and different to the market and hoped that this would be our opportunity to do so. It was all a bit of a whirlwind and by the end of the photoshoot not only did I have some new promotional pictures, but I also had a new event to get planning!

That was back in 2007, and 4 and a half years later Carnival Divine is going from strength to strength. Our current home is Matt & Phreds on Tib Street in Manchester. Alter Ego was a great place for us to plant our seeds, but once the event was growing in popularity and calibre, it only seemed right to move to a venue that would support a larger audience and a more high calibre show. And with Matt & Phreds raised wooden stage, luscious deep red interior and atmospheric surroundings we knew it would be perfect.

In the past 4 years we have run events in Manchester, Chester, London and even Brussels. We love what we do and that's what fuels our continuing efforts to bring bigger and better shows to our audiences.Friday was one of our most successful shows yet, and sold out in advance of event, which was fantastic (for us, not so much for those turning up on the night without a ticket!)

So, as we finalised running orders, compiled our guestlist and changed into our Gladrags, we were ready to put on another fabulous evening of burlesque & cabaret. And what a fabulous evening it was! We had burlesque from International sensation Kitty Bang Bang who has performed on the same line-up as Dita at Erotica; Velma Von Bon Bon, the pint sized creative comic genius from Liverpool; Shirley Windmill, winner of London Burlesque Festival's Variety newcomer 2011 and Betty D'Light, the northern stunner with quite frankly the best body in burlesque! To compliment our burlesque beauties we had 'tuba powered moustache cabaret' from Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers! I can't recommend these guys enough – check out their website www.biscuithead.co.uk for music that will leave you grinning every time you reach into your fridge... and of course our resident puppeteer Puppetual Motion.
To top it off we had a hat & fascinator stall from the lovely Kalandra Jane and of course Pin-Ups in Pinnies supplied the sweet treats for the event. We even made an I love Manchester cupcake in support of I love Manchester day which was also on Friday. What do you think?

The absinthe cupcakes were a true winner as were the Cherry & Amaretto and Chocolate & Baileys.

The whole show was held together by our star compere Joe Sparrow who battled on despite the overwhelming heat in the club (whether this was down to broken air-con or the temperature raising, steamy burlesque we will never know..) and our gorgeous stage hand 'Ikea' – who else could look that stunning while mopping up milk off the stage, sweeping up squashed bananas and man handling furniture?!

All in all a great night was had and we cannot wait to come back to Matt & Phreds in October to bring you another star studded line-up of burlesque, cabaret and musical anomalies! Tickets are now on sale on our website www.carnivaldivine.com – grab yours now to avoid disappointment!

Matt & Phreds: http://www.mattandphreds.com/

Kalandra Jane Designs: http://www.kalandrajanedesigns.com/

Kitty Bang Bang: http://www.kittybangbang.com/

Betty D'Light: http://bettydlight.com/

Velma Von Bon Bon: http://www.facebook.com/people/Velma-Von-Bon-Bon/100000599515976

Shirley Windmill: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shirley-Windmill/332278025847

Biscuithead & The Biscuit Badgers: www.biscuithead.co.uk

Puppetual Motion: http://www.facebook.com/#!/Pico.the.sponge

Here at Pin-Ups in Pinnies we love everything vintage & glamorous! So I thought I would share some of our secrets on where we love to shop and what we can't live without!

WHAT KATIE DID

I first discovered Agent Provocateur when I was about 17 and it was love at first sight! I used to save my wages just so I could take a monthly trip to Agent Provocateur and treat myself to some of their devine perfume and lingerie. The Eau de Parfum harkens back to the days of old and reminds me of the overtly feminine, fliratatious scent of powder puffs & vintage perfume. For me it is the quintessential perfume for the vintage Pin-Up gal.

Lilly Lewis is a Brighton based Milliner who works with traditional techniques and equipment to create her gorgeous vintage styled creations. She sells her work on her website and in many stores around the UK. She also offers a bespoke service and has created various stunning pieces for my burlesque shows. She is a star to work with too so make sure you look this talented lady up!

Kiku Boutique is Manchesters finest corset boutique and arguably one of the finest corset boutiques in the North. They specialise in hand made and bespoke corsetry but also stock a large range of lingerie, hosiery, jewellery, millinery and more. Kiku is run by Lynn & Sean and offers a friendly approachable bespoke corset service to suit your every need, including bespoke Bridal wear. I have comissioned numerous costume pieces from Kiku with stunning results and would highly recommend that you pay them a visit when you're next in Manchester! I have also worked on many events with Kiku including a Ray Caesar exhibition where Kiku recreated the costumes from his artworks (seen in the picture above.)



Well, I hope we have given you some food for thought and some inspiration for where to spend your next pay cheque! Why not let us know where you shop & what you can't live without? mail@pinupsinpinnies.co.uk

Lots of Love,

The Pin-Ups
xxx

What do you do when you love cake, but eating it makes you ill? Like many thousands of other people in the UK I am wheat & dairy intolerant. I found out at the age of about 17 and at first found it difficult to adjust to my new diet. Although I've always cooked from scratch I found it almost impossible to give up some of my favourite things like cheese, bread, pasta and cake. Giving in to my cravings used to mean a day stuck in the house with excrutiating stomach cramps alongside other unpleasant side effects. Over the years, supermarkets have stocked more and more 'free from' items and people have become much more aware of allergys and intolerances. This makes it much easier to eat a normal diet and means that bread has once again found it's way back onto my kitchen shelf, as has pasta, noodles & margarine. Supermarkets also stock a large range of 'free from' cakes & treats, but personally I find they are always a little too sweet and not quite as satisfying as baking your own. There are many recipes out there specifically aimed to be wheat free, dairy free or vegan etc.. but I like to just try substituting the ingredients I can't eat with ones I can, as this is much simpler and saves you hunting down lots of bizarre ingredients. Sometimes the recipes need a bit of tweaking as wheat free cakes can often end up a little dryer, sweeter or flatter than your usual cake but it's nothing a little practise can't sort out.
No one should be punished for lusting after a bit of cakey goodness, so I thought I would share a super easy wheat & dairy free recipe with you that I tried and tested this weekend.

Gluten & dairy free Lemon & Blueberry Drizzle Cake (*contains eggs so it's not vegan)

Ingredients:

115g (4oz) Pure (soya margarine)
175g (6oz) Doves gluten free self-raising flour
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
175g (6oz)  caster sugar
2 eggs
grated zest of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons soya milk (I used Alpro light)
150g (5oz) blueberries

FOR THE TOPPING:
80g (3oz) caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon

1) Grease a 20cm (8 inch) cake tin (I used silicone). Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4/180°C/360°F. I set mine to 170°C as it is a fan oven.

I like to crack my eggs into a separate jug first before adding them to the mixture just to make sure there's nothing unwanted in there or any pieces of egg shell.

3) Fold in the milk.

4) Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the surface.

5) Wash the blueberries and pat them dry.

mix

6) Sprinkle evenly over the surface of the cake mixture. Bake for about 40-50 minutes until risen and golden.

7) While the cake is cooking mix together the sugar and lemon juice for the topping.

8) Remove the cake from the oven and leave it in its tin. Prick the surface all over with a skewer and slowly drizzle the lemon syrup over the top. Allow the cake to cool in the tin. Serve warm or cold.

(p.s. I did plan on uploading a picture of the cake once I'd turned it out as it looked so delicious with all the bluberries sitting on the bottom, but it was gone before I had chance! As they say, the proof is in the pudding!!

Lots of love,
The Pin-Ups
xx

Before you go full steam ahead into baking a delicious batch of cupcakes, there are certain things you will need to make sure you have to hand.

1) A muffin tin

2) Greaseproof cupcake/muffin cases

I like using foil cases as they keep their shape really well and no grease will escape to ruin their pretty colours. If you are using normal paper cases, I recommend testing them first as a lot of cupcake cases aren't really greaseproof even though they say they are!

4) Piping bag with large star nozzle

It's essential to sieve your flour before mixing it into the wet ingredients. It not only removes any lumps, but also adds lots of air to your mixture which is essential for a light fluffy sponge.

10) Measuring spoons

11) Food colouring

In my opinion cupcakes look better the more colourful they are. Add a few drops to your choice of buttercream to brighten any cupcake!

This week I was very excited to be invited to join my friend Sarah from North West Nosh (http://northwestnosh.blogspot.com) at Manchester's second ever Clandestine Cake Club. If you haven't heard about this new craze sweeping the UK, it involves a group of people who love cake, meeting at a secret location to talk about and eat lots of cake! So naturally when I heard this, I cleared my diary and was there! Each month there is a different theme to inspire creative cake baking. Each baker that comes along can bring a guest and all the cakes are then put on a big table for everyone to dig into. This months theme was British Summer Holiday so after some reminiscing about what summer used to be like (well, I couldn't very well be inspired by this years summer weather now could I?!) I decided to go for a good old Victoria Sponge with a pink buttercream & fresh strawberries in the middle. In my mind you can't go wrong with a Victoria Sponge, it's such a great crowd pleaser. Before I go on I must just explain why I didn't go down the obvious route of cupcakes. Clandestine Cake Club is all about baking good old fashioned family sized cakes so that means no cupcakes, brownies, tarts, muffins etc.. So as much as I love to bake cupcakes I had to put my cupcake cases and piping bag to one side and embrace a more wholesome cake!

Some may find my choice to become a cake baker rather odd given that I am actually wheat & dairy intolerant. This of course rules out most of the usual ingredients for cake baking if I am baking for myself. So when considering what cake to bake for the CCC I had the added challenge of making my cake wheat & dairy free to ensure that I could still stuff my face while at the meeting! When baking wheat & dairy free food I often tend to just substitute my ingredients for tummy friendly ones rather than make things too complicated. I find this often works and if not, then I just play around with the ingredients changing them slightly until I reach the right texture and taste. So this time I just substituted flour for Doves gluten free self-raising flour and substituted butter for Pure Soya spread - easy peasy! If you have ever tried to bake a wheat free cake you will know that it doesn't rise as well as a normal cake, but as long as you make it nice and light then I don't think this is too much of a problem. 

I was lucky enough that Sarah also baked a wheat & dairy free cake so that I could gorge myself on at least 2 varieties of cake and not feel so left out! She baked a wonderful Earl Grey cake which was so light and refreshing yet bursting with flavour. Some of the other cake flavours included 99 Flake, Fab (like the lolly), Mohito, Chamomile & Courgette Cake, Carrot Cake, Cookies & Cream Cheesecake... in fact, my little glittery Victoria Sponge was put to shame by the amazing creativity of the other bakers cakes!

In case you couldn't guess, mine is the one in the pink dome stand. How good does all that cake look?! The best bit about it is that you get to bring along your tupperware and take as much cake home as you can eat!! Even though I could only eat the 2 I definately made up for it with the quantity I ate!
If you'd like to take part in the next Clandestine Cake Club in your city then check out their website http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/

Lots of Love,

The Pin-Ups
xxx

In between the cakey blogs I thought I would share some of my secrets for 1950's makeup, hair & clothing. So today, I am going to give you a tour of my vanity case and let you in on what I think are some of the best products to create that great vintage look.

So here it is, my little box of delights! Care to take a peek inside??

The first layer has my non make-up essentials. So in here you will find my hair grips (essential for that perfect vintage up do, but more about that another time!), safety pins (in case of outfit/costume emergencies - I learnt this the hard way!), nail file and cocoa butter (great for those cracked elbows or dry knees). You will also see a curious little tube called Lucas' Papaw Ointment. My sister bought me this back from her travels in Australia and it is a miracle cure for everything from dry cracked lips to burns & rashes. I also carry extra stock of my favourite MAC lipstick & nail varnish. I use Ruby Woo lipstick as for me this is the perfect long stay matte red lippy and Rougemarie nail varnish as this is such a great colour for my skin tone.

So here it is, my treasured make-up collection! I'm not one of those girls who has a different coloured eyeshadow and lipstick for every day of the week. I pretty much use everything that is in here on a daily basis with the exception of my slightly more dramatic performance make-up.
My daily must haves are my foundation, powder, blusher and mascara. I use Paul & Joe foundation in light (recommended to me by The Powder Room in London when I went for a vintage pamper session with my sister), MAC mineralize powder in light (which I brush on to give a light matte finish), NARS Outlaw blusher (which has so far lasted me about 4 years and still has a lot of life in it yet!), and MAC opulash mascara. Over the years I have searched for the perfect products and tried many varieties and brands and these are the ones that I find suit me best.
My day to day makeup is quite classic 1950's. After I have applied my foundation, powder & blusher I get to work on my eye makeup. I'm currently using a Rimmel eyeshadow set in browns. I put a neutral colour on my eyes first and work it up to my eyebrows, before filling in the top of my lid with a slightly darker brown. The next step is black liquid eyeliner - this is a must have for that classic 1950's look. I use Rimmels Glameyes liquid eyeliner for my day to day makeup and MAC Blacktrack Fluidline with a slanted brush for a more dramatic evening or stage look. The trick is in the flick at the end. It's up to you how long you make it or how angled. The final steps for my eye makeup are my mascara and an eyebrow pencil to help give that great vintage full eyebrow look (I use Rimmel eyebrow pencil in black.) For my lips as I have already mentioned I use MACS Ruby Woo lipstick & Rimmels Exaggerate lipliner in Red Diva. Lip liner is so important to give that great full lips look from the 50's and also to stop your lipstick from escaping your lips!

Ta-dah! Perfect 1950's makeup!!

Lots of love,
The Pin-Ups
xxx

Over the last few days I have been baking like crazy in order to get everything ready for yesterdays photoshoot & stall. So, armed with a car full of cakes I headed over to West Kirby at 10am ready for my promotional shoot with the lovely Betty Bee, Nick Beedles and the very talented MUA Lilly Von Pink. The first hour or so we had a nice catch up over some fruity tea to wake ourselves up while Nick set up the scene ready for the shoot. I then had half an hour with Lilly Von Pink while she did my makeup and neatened up my victory rolls for me (I think I was still half asleep when I put them in!) She used a variety of e.l.f cosmetics & finished the look off with a splash of Roulette Red lippy by rockalily http://www.rockalily.com/

After a slightly flustered drive around Liverpool trying to find somewhere to park, I finally made it to the venue and got my stall all set up and ready to go. Yesterdays cupcakes flavours including Absinthe (my personal favourite!), Chocolate & Baileys, Cherry & Amaretto, Sailor Jerry Ginger & Lime, Pink Vanilla and of course a box full of cake pops too. The evening got going at 7:30 and the cakes seemed to be a hit as people entered the venue and couldn't resist the allure of the booze and glitter! Then from about 8:00 - 10:00 there was a vintage fashion show which luckily I got to watch due to my handy stall placement! Finally, at 11:00 I packed up what cakes were left over and got back in my car ready to head back to Manchester after what was a very tiring but succesful day!

Until next time...lots of love,

The Pin-Ups xx

Todays blog post incorporates 2 of my great loves in life - cake & Harry Potter!! 
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 10+ years, then you'll know who Harry Potter is and why we all love him so much! As many of you will be aware, the final installment of the film has just been released in UK cinema's and has caused another bout of Harry Potter mania across the land!
So, where does the cake come in you ask?? At the premiere for the latest film, cake genius Duff Goldman created a special tasty tribute to the latest and greatest film - a giant cake of Hogwarts on fire!

Wow!! We want a slice please!!
And here are some more cakey tributes to Harry Potter to make you drool!!

As this is my first blog post I thought I would take the opportunity to introduce you to Pin-Ups in Pinnies properly.

Pin-Ups in Pinnies was born out of one womans love for cake, cocktails & the 1950’s. And what better way to celebrate all 3 than to combine them into one fabulous business venture!

Baking has always been a hobby of mine and I take great pleasure in baking for others. What I enjoy most is creating new recipes and cupcake flavours for friends and family and of course slipping a shot or two of their favourite tipple in to really titillate the tastebuds!

I didn’t want to create just another cupcake company and so I decided to come up with a new way of presenting my deliciously naughty treats that would give the customer a whole 1950’s experience and give me the opportunity to combine my 3 loves in life – cake, cocktails & vintage glamour.

Now for a little about me, the pin-up behind the cakes! I am a 26 year old graduate and have always dreamed of running my own business. I have a penchant for vintage fashion, high heels, seamed stockings and red lipstick. From a very young age I took every opportunity I could to dress up, often getting into trouble for ripping my pretty dresses while wearing them to climb trees and run around the garden! So it should come as no surprise that dressing up is a large part of ‘Pin-Ups in Pinnies.’ Our uniforms are based on original 1950’s patterns and are always complimented by high heels, seamed stockings and flawless vintage hair and make-up.

To keep up to date with 'Pin-Ups in Pinnies' adventures into the world of cake, don't forget to keep checking back. There is much more content to be added to the website including a shop and a 'Pin-Up of the month' competition that I will soon be taking submissions for.

You can also follow us on twitter and facebook:

www.twitter.com/pinupsinpinnies

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Pin-Ups-in-Pinnies/169864299730385

Lots of Love,

The Pin-Ups xx

Welcome to Pin-ups in Pinnies!

Please check back soon to view our first blog, get all the latest information, pictures and dates for your diary!

Much Love

x