Just a quick update that we have some new necklaces in the form of these lovely hearts with tropical birds and blue tit images.  Another mighty fine kitsch addition we think!

Happy new year!  What do you mean I'm a bit late??  OK OK it's true we are well into February now but time has just flown by because we have just been so busy.  Thankfully that means new items!  Woop!  And funnily enough one of them perfectly sums up my mood.  "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" cries the White Rabbit and that's just how I feel!

At least we now have him and our Alice in Wonderland vintage style pendants to show off.  Alongside a new teacup design! I also promise there's even more on the way!

I would be really interested in hearing from you about any designs or items you would like to see me create?  Bring on the ideas and I will do my best to oblige!

My final picks of the Fringe fit with a theme of the Cabaret, probably the place I enjoy most.  A wonderful heady mix of singing, dancing, comedy, theatre, burlesque, magic and circus acts, usually in small intimate venues.  Often accompanied by (many) cocktails.

Firstly my find of the Fringe is the wonderfully deadpan magician in a dragon costume, Piff the Magic Dragon, who really is the last of his kind.  (Although you might have heard of his older brother.  Dave.)  Incredibly funny and extremely talented, Piff has been a real winner this fringe with his shows selling out.  Deservedly so, I find them side-splittingly funny but none of the comedy overwhelms the magic.  PS the levitating Chihuahua  Mr Piffles is a great addition.

And what do we need now?  Ah well a gentleman juggler of course!  I am really glad Mat Ricardo’s show was recommended to me and I got a chance to see it.  How on earth someone can learn to do what he does I don’t know.  He had some really amazing feats of juggling as well as some great laughs and tales.  My favourite is the removal and then replacement of a tablecloth under a whole pile of dishes.  How? How?!

Moving on into the night now is Gorgeous George which is a compilation of various fringe acts to make a cabaret whole for about 2 hours, phew!  We were lucky enough to see Dusty Limits, Vendetta Vain, the Creative Martyrs (more on them later), and some fantastic performances involving others who google is failing to find for me!  We thoroughly enjoyed this show and as the acts change every night, you can keep going back and back.  I really hope they are here again soon.

The Creative Martyrs are a Scottish based act, performing Tales from the Cabaret, a slightly unnerving yet very funny duo doing both political-esque and cabaret-based songs and stories.  Very talented musicians in their own right, their observations and tales through their songs are dark, thoroughly amusing and captivating.  I have also seen them perform at various other cabaret events throughout the fringe and one of my best nights was their singalong (with HATS!) to the End of the World is Nigh.

EastEnd Cabaret are a new act to me but I am so glad I got the chance to see them in one of the most packed out audiences I’ve been in.  Extremely funny and sexual based comedy songs (with half-moustaches!) and the odd bit of audience participation, had the crowd on their feet.   Another very talented duo.

And finally we come to Itsy Kabarett, another cabaret pick and mix but also a regular Edinburgh night.  Doing two shows a day (phew!) one evening and one at midnight, I have seen such a great mix of acts.  From burlesque to ukuleles to tap-dancing to magic to comedy and to finger puppets, Itsy embodies a true cabaret and is always a really good bet to see great entertainers.  Dee always manages to get the top picks of the fringe on the bill.

So the fringe is drawing its last gasps for this year, but I hope that all these acts return for the madness next year.

Well the madness that is the Fringe Festival has descended on Edinburgh and the city has swollen with three times more people than normal.  This does make it rather difficult to get around but we’re nearly done and thankfully I’ve had the last week off on holiday to actually enjoy the madness!

So here are some very brief recommendations if anyone wants to catch a show in the last week of the festival.

Firstly my top pick this year beyond everything else is Dust, a gripping and intense play taking the idea of Arthur Scargill’s reaction to the news of Margaret Thatcher’s death, but really using this as a backdrop for a much more real and believable story of how massive events such as the miners’ strike and the recession affect ordinary people.  It’s a really moving piece and I urge those who can to check it out.

The next two are perhaps more obviously linked to the aesthetic of Kitsch Kitten and basically represent world’s I would like to live in!  The first is the well-known and amazing Camille O’Sullivan who thankfully for me performs at the Fringe most years.  This year she’s back with a new show and performed three of my favourite songs, Amsterdam, Dylan’s Simple Twist of Fate and the Cash version of Hurt.  She is as ever phenomenal and I would love my world to look like her set design because it was truly beautiful.

Another magical performance was a very burlesque styled ballet of Pinocchio: A Fantasy of Pleasures.  The dancing and movements were amazing and the costumes breathtakingly beautiful.  This one appears to be little known which is a real pity because it’s definitely a hidden gem for those who find it.  If you are of burlesque persuasion or really if you just want to see a strong and moving performance then this is for you.  This one really blew me away.

And finally there’s the comedic wonder of Frisky and Mannish who I went to see twice because they really are that good.  Poptastic, very funny and incredible performers and did I mention with a large dose of kitsch!

For those who love fantasy and fairytales, I recommend you check out Scottish Ballet’s production of Alice, based on Lewis Carroll’s classic tale.  The production has previously been in Glasgow and I was lucky enough to catch it in Edinburgh tonight.  As the clip below shows, it’s a wonderfully fantastical piece with the odd kitsch touch.  I would give anything to enter such a world!

The costumes and set design are just amazing.  The detail and whimsical nature of the costumes is great and the set design helps to turn this production into a darker fairytale.  The Cheshire cat is fabulously burlesque styled with stockings and corset.  Alice’s dress is beautiful and floats and swirls amazingly, I want one!  This version is darker and truer to the book than many, so read up on it beforehand but there’s a great guide to the characters here.   It’s a very surreal but beautiful production.

Ooh and the dancing, the dancing!  I cannot claim to know anything about ballet, but it was amazing, truly talented performers.  The kind of thing where you go home afterwards wishing you were a tiny bit as talented and could move like that!  The orchestra were also amazing; we had great seats and could feel the music, as well as see the orchestra and conductor.  The music worked perfectly with the story and the dance.

Altogether an amazing production, which was very well done by some seriously talented people.  I’d love to go down the rabbit hole and live in such a fantastical world.

PS as well as the video clips, there are music clips on the site too.

Well kitsch is our area of expertise after all!  Kitsch is a big fashion trend right now, you can see it in shops like Urban Outfitters and Topshop.  The word kitsch traditionally was used to convey a negative feeling about an object, that it was cheap, tacky or unoriginal.  However, the meaning has almost been completely turned on its head and is now most often used to symbolise love of a very different item, such as bold retro prints, cute charms or other items which are loved for their quirkiness.  Wikipedia define kitsch as “Art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but appreciated in an ironic way.”  I like that!  Taking ideas from the past and appreciating them in a new way.

The link to retro styles is important for me, because this is what got me into kitsch in the first place.  I am a huge fan of the 1940s and 1950s, and have many authentic clothes and jewellery.  A lot of the modern take on retro styles incorporates kitsch items as well as authentic ones to give a new twist on retro styles.  Think B movie images on bags, nautical themed clothes or pin up girl necklaces.  This is what I love and what inspires me.  So I have brought together a wonderful selection of items I adore which to me have elements of kitschness.  You’ll see that none of these items are tacky in the bad way, all show that kitsch can be done in a clever way, no need for cheap plastic here!  It’s the mix of kitsch patterns and themes with love and craftsmanship that gives these items their unique appeal.  I hope you love them as much as I do.

Well the title says it all, busy times here at Kitsch Kitten, but here's a quick run down of some of the things that have been happening:

• We have seen a rather exciting leap in sales, so thank you everyone, we hope you love your purchases.
  
• One of our shabby chic upcycled cake stands has been featured in BoobooCraft's blog on upcycling, check out their great button bag and other upcycled goodies
• We have some fabulous new items - gorgeous Vintage Bird Necklaces, Victorian Valentine's Square Necklace, and 1930s Vintage Travel Necklaces.
• There's also a new How to guide to make a gorgeous mirror jewellery stand.  More How to makes coming soon too!
• We are looking into craft fairs for spring and summer and we will post details here soon!
  
• There was a fabulous vintage inspired event in Edinburgh on Sunday 6th March - High School Hop and there will be more soon; we recommend you check them out if you're into vintage influenced events.

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