Non Resolutions

Resolutions don't work so instead I have written a 2012 to do list...

Get some decent speakers for record player

Sort out lingerie drawer

Edit wardrobe

Finnish knitting

Develop Adobe skills

Finish building and finally launch own website

Do some volunteer work based around literacy

Finnish writing poetry anthology/book

Write a script
Study philosophy
Watch more independent films
Attend the theatre

Party in New York/Thailand/Berlin

Build vintage business online 
Take businesses to markets/festivals

Wear more hats and heels

Obviously I will keep everyone updated on my progress (or lack of) on here. Have a crackin 2012!

2012 Vintage Adventure

Tricky Customers are long time vintage connisours, charity shop lovers and market hoarders and 2012 is set to be the year we bring our love of thrift to the masses!


I have a few new vintage ventures taking off in 2012 and the 765 Vintage Etsy shop is the first. My Pa (ex-antique dealer) and myself are dealing in vintage home ware and accessories so please check out the shop and keep checking back as it will soon be filling up!


Next up is the Tricky Customers Vintage Shop that is due to launch in January and will be all about amazing vintage clothes and styling so keep your eyes peeled.


The third is a vintage shop in my home town that is my neighbour's due to open in January. It's a fun new project that I'll keep you updated about.


Tricky Customers will also be hitting markets, festivals and parties across the UK throughout 2012. We're excited!


P.S We will bring you news of how the Secret Emporium Christmas market went this week.

Recollections in a Random Pile of Old Travel Snaps

It get's to the point over the Christmas break where I get seriously itchy feet. Being at the family home for the longest period in 6 years has made it a particularly bad case this year. Today whilst clearing through all my stuff - still lying in storage - I came across this pile of old snaps from my travels around Europe. From Paris to Switzerland across France and Italy to Austria and Czech Republic to Dusseldorf and Berlin stopping in Amsterdam then Bruge on my way back to Calais and back up to North England with a heavy rucksack and a big smile. An 18 year old idealistic wannabe beat writer... 7 years on approaching 2012 and now based in London I am making adult decisions. Boredom occurs when reality masks inspiration. Next year I will base my decisions  on the dreams I had as a child looking for new adventures...

Christmas Expectations

'You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line that I ever read.' 

Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations is one of my favourite novels and I try to read it every Christmas because everyone knows Dickens and Christmas go together like holly and ivy.  It was first published from 1 December 1860 to August 1861 in serial form and it has been adapted for stage and screen over 250 times. From the most recent 1998 film starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert De Niro to David Lean’s 1940s masterpiece, cinematic adaptations of this novel are always captivating and interesting in their own way but nothing beats the book.

Written in first person, the story’s protagonist is an orphan called Pip (I have a guinea pig named after him). I will not spoil the story for those of you who haven’t read this great novel yet but let’s just say it is full of twist and turns, eccentric characters and typically Dickension dark themes. The mad old spinster Mrs Havisham is one of Dickens' most fascinating characters; manically flitting around her house in her faded wedding dress despising all men since being jilted by her fiance as a young lady. As you travel through Pip’s life you are taken on a real rollercoaster but what underpins the story is the question of happiness and truth and where it can be found.

Christmas is all about nostalgia,telling of old stories, the meeting of varied characters and the finding of acceptance in the company of loved ones and familiar surroundings. It’s about enjoying seeing a crazy relative, drinking snowballs with old chums and playing board games with the family. Nobody understood Christmas better than Dickens who encourages us to indulge in sentimentality, be conscious of what we have and embrace the present (no not presents).  

Great Expectations is a novel about growing up and learning the truth whether good, bad or otherwise; but most importantly finding that truth and happiness lies within love and loyalty not greed and wealth. Enjoy the book this Christmas!

Tricky at The Secret Emporium

Right folks, if you haven't done your Christmas shopping yet (tut, tut) or even if you're all wrapped up (baboom) there's still one fabulous festive feast of roots design and underground crafts left to get your teeth into. Trust us, you do not want to miss the Secret Emporium this Sunday 18th December. We will be there with some amazing jewel type offerings from Tricky Customer and jewellery maker extraordinaire Jade Mellor. Check her site out!


Sick of socks, tired of the giving the same old tat for christmas, or just a little short on crimbo inspiration; come explore the exciting selection of gifts being offered by some very talented crafts people. From the folks behind The Secret Garden Party festival this market brings you - for one day only - a host of amazing independent designers and makers gathered together in the fabulous Village Underground, Shoreditch.


There's even a Christmas tree full of handmade decorations each made by the attending designers and you could win them all. Yes, you could have the most craftalicious Christmas tree and  feel all warm and fuzzy inside (admittedly partly from the mulled wine) because all proceeds go to charity.


As featured in Timeout, this market brings you homemade mulled cider, mince pies, mistletoe, mucho music and a hoard of fabulous creative company! Come say hello!

Paris! Yes, again!

Can't wait to go to Paris!