A right Royal Jubilee inspired teaparty and a vintage picnic!

Carole and I recently enjoyed a fantastic day styling a photo shoot in her lovely garden to commemorate the Queens Jubilee this summer. Old Queenie has championed the English garden party through the decades, perhaps it's that good ol' cup of char that keeps her going strong!
 

Blessed with weather as good as any summers day, we created a tea table tableaux of royal memorabilia and a more retro inspired vintage picnic scene. Itsy Bitsy Vintage have a variety of styling props available to hire and this shoot allowed us to display our more eclectic items. Using vintage coronation china and tins, vintage 45' singles, Itsy Bitsy spotty china and our own handmade cake stands plus our new range of bespoke Bonny Bunting, I hope we've inspired you to host your own vintage/retro themed jubilee celebrations. Just hire our china and bunting, invite your friends, order the cakes, rustle up some cucumber sandwiches and serve lashings of strawberries and cream, and hey presto! What better excuse than a bank holiday weekend to get together with family and friends?

Many thanks to Yummy Cupcakes in Lancaster for providing the Jubilee inspired cupcakes fit for a King.  Your kids and friends will love the primary colours and the shade of their tongues after eating these delicious cakes! Thanks too to the newly opened 'The Vintage Boudoir'  dress hire shop in Sun Street, Lancaster, for the loan of the wicker handbag, navy gloves, V for Victory brooch and the prettiest summer hat that I've chanced upon. The fashion props accessorised our red, white and blue theme perfectly, and you'll find lots of gorgeous items in their shop to hire or buy to dress up any occasion.

Additional credits: Jubilee inspired suffolk punch headpieces handmade and available to order from Itsy Bitsy Vintage. Photography by my husband Johnny from Beanphoto. Thank you for your hard work and extraordinary pictures as always. Finally credit is due to our canine model for the day, Maddie, for her patience and good looks. I'm so pleased you didn't break any china! Can you spot her in our bonny bunting blog post?

Our new Bonny Bunting range - bunting for weddings, parties and garden celebrations.

Let Itsy Bitsy Vintage introduce you to Bonny Bunting, our new range of handmade and high quality double sided bunting which is now available to hire in ten meter lengths at £10 a length. With a mix of deck chair stripes, small  liberty floral prints, colourful spots and linen triangles, it is sized for larger spaces such as   village halls, community venues and gardens. Made with extra long ties for easy hanging, this colourful bunting is very pretty, and can transform any space into a celebration. We currently have 80 meters of Bonny Bunting available and will be adding to this collection throughout the year. Our very clever Carole not only creates this collection for hire but can make bespoke bunting on request. Bespoke bunting such as our VW holiday range, pictured below, is interspersed with fabric and paper triangles made from old maps, and can be ordered for £40 for a 10 meter length. Isn't it perfect vintage decor for any caravan or camper van ?

Enjoy a sneeky peek at our forthcoming jubilee shoot coming soon, amazing pictures from Mr Beanphoto!

Here come the girls...

Allow us to introduce you to our wonderful collection of stylish and glamorous tea and coffee pots for hire. Take a peek at some of our current range, they're all beauties and would grace any celebration. Not only are they gorgeous, they make a cracking cuppa!  Only £4 each to hire, they can be centrepiece vessels for fresh flowers, filled with cocktails (surprise your guests with an alcoholic punch), or simply used alongside a pretty china teacup for an afternoon tea celebration. They would be sure to make Nanna happy, and as she knows, everything tastes better out of vintage china!

Say hello to Rosalie, one of our pretty dames..

Meet Mae, she's our big bottomed girl (!) with a heart of gold..

This is Flora, she's a pretty little thing, but a temptress!

and Talullah, our exotic spring beauty..

Say hi to Blossom, she's one of a kind..

and a big welcome to the dizzying Dolores, she's a little crazy..

Here's Betty, our more traditional beauty for a better brew..

A regal pair Peggy & Lena, where would we be without them?

 

Almost twins, Marilyn and Rita, our buxom lasses..

  

Then there's the glittering Gilda, she's our golden girl...

 

The incomparable Doris, she's such a petal..

And, finally, for something a little stronger, our continental coffee French fancies include Coco and Gigi...

... and Fifi and Claudette.

Applause please for our gorgeous girls, aren't they swoon worthy? I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more of them and their special playmates soon.

1940's Tea Party at Carnforth Railway Station and an amazing review!

 

Carole and I had the privilege to provide table settings and to help style a 40th birthday party for the wonderful Emmaline at Carnforth Railway Station  last Saturday. Home to the filming of Brief Encounter, this unique venue proved to be a wonderful backdrop for a 1940's themed tea party. The party was catered by the fabulous and hard working in-house chef Helen, who bakes everything on site including freshly made bread. A selection of patisseries including home made scones, tarts, mini chocolate eclairs, meringues, carrot cakes, chocolate brownies and mini sandwiches adorned our pretty three and two tier cake stands. A waitress served and kept guests topped up with tea and coffee in our gorgeous china tea and coffee pots. Delicious birthday cupcakes were provided by our friend Kath at Madam Chocolat. Entertainment was provided by the wonderful Boogie Bill, who kept the smiles and high spirits going for the day. I won't say much more but let the pictures do the talking. Many thanks to my very talented husband, Johnny Bean of Beanphoto, for doing these pictures and for capturing the 1940's style and elegance, the warm heartedness and the sheer fun of the day. Emmaline and her friends looked amazing, I'm sure you'll agree. For more images please visit http://beanphoto.blogspot.com/.

The following popped onto our facebook wall a few days ago,  aw shucks!

'Hi Carol and Carole x Just wanted to say a big thank you for helping to make my day SO special. Right from our first meeting I knew you’d be perfect for my 1940s birthday party. I loved all your ideas and felt totally confident that you’d deliver something extra special. All your china, linen and silverware is simply stunning! Having you on hand offering the setting up and clearing away service made organising my event so much easier. My guests and I think Itsy Bitsy is just wonderful and we’d definitely recommend and use your excellent service again xoxo'
 

  Catering by Helen at Carnforth Refreshment Room, cupcakes by Madam Chocolat