Vintage Inspiration

Our buyers have excelled themselves with this new find. Eclectic Eccentricity, Lucy Averill who lives in our corner of the world Norfolk, is the creator of this fabulous vintage inspired jewellery collection. Combining her love of knick knacks with many stories to tell, she has created pieces using vintage finds from umbrellas to mini globes, anchors and singer sewing machines. From shabby to the chic Eclectic Eccentricity continually updates its range with new and exciting pieces.
Prices range from £13.99 to £21, fab prices for a little piece of vintage.

Sale Sale Sale

This week see's the last few days of our clothing sale. There are still lots of bargins to be had from Labels such as Byoung, Only, Vero Moda and Darling. With further discounts too many lines are now £15.00 and under. Sale ends on Sunday so be sure to come and pick up a yummy bargin before its all gone.

A Sad Farewell

It is with great sadness that we learned of the sudden death of the Right Reverend Ian Cundy, Bishop of Peterborough, who died unexpectedly on Thursday 7th May. Bishop Ian 64 was diagnosed with cancer of the lung cavity in October 2007, and sadly lost his battle just 2 months prior to his retirement. We send our condolences to his family and friends.
Bishop Ian's funeral will be held in Peterborough Cathedral today at 4pm, It will be open to all those who wish to attend and pay their respects.
Bishop Ian was a great asset to the Peterborough community and he will be sadly missed.

Its a Motel Summer

Rifling through fabulous thrift stores of the West Coast of the States all the way back in 1999, the motel crew was struck by something. A realisation spoke to them; the UK needed a vintage-inspired, prints driven brand to sink their hungry for innovative fashion teeth into. Motel was born, creating classy and stunningly crafted designs with an ever expanding list of inspirations.

Motel feels no need to splatter their name across the chest of their clothes in an inane effort to get to more punters. Motel just keeps on reinventing vintagewear to create punk, left field, retro and fun filled 'killer style'.
Maybe this is why Motel has been discovered by 'a -la mode' style magazines such as Grazia, In-Style, Now, Look to name a few. Then there are the fashion elite who continue to track Motel down, Duffy, Kate Nash, Fern Cotton, Lily Allen and Peaches Geldoff have all been spotted in Motel.
And their brand new summer collection is in stock now, but you'll have to get in quick, before the fashion elite of Peterborough and us Reba girls snap up the beautiful new pieces. With flower prints, bright colours and nautical themes, who wouldn't want to be wearing Motel this summer.

Reba starts twittering....!

Yes, we've done it, joined the twittering brigade - it just looked like too much fun not to join in..!

Now, of course we've just got to work out how on earth it all works, but already we're following Bill Bailey and the inimitable Gok Wan, we just gotta figure out who else there is that we really really want to know their intimate movements....

It does feel a little voyeuristic, but the little bird things are sooooo cute...... So see you around on twitter ! Tweeting or twittering or whatever it is ...!

Happy Earth Day !

Earth Day which is celebrated on April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.

It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year. This date is Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Its goal is a healthy sustainable environment.

Since the millennium its goal has differed slightly and is now focused on global warming and a push for clean energy.

Through Earth Day Network, activists connect change in local, national, and global policies with 17,000 organizations in 174 countries. Earth Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities which has got to be a good thing...

So, what can you do to celebrate Earth Day ?

Reba : Keeping calm and carrying on !

Looking around at the empty shops in town and being barraged by all the bad news in the media we were pondering on life in Peterborough. All the media hype creates a sense of doom, and it doesn't do any of us any good. We're glass half full type of girls, so here's three things to be grateful for today:

Daffodils, Spring sunshine & our new Max C belts ! (ok, we cheated a little with the last one, but we love them ! )

Reba has joined the "Supporting independent boutiques campaign" because while we have nothing against the multiple retailers, its true that money spent in our store, will circulate around the local economy more than money spent in a big store. Obviously we're not advocating a bypass of big stores, we're just saying....!

With all the with all the sad news of shops closing down, we just wanted to wish you a happy weekend, and let you know that we're staying strong and still sourcing the best up and coming brands.

Staying unique & staying on top & loving it !

Have a wicked weekend !

PS: welcome back to Erin who's been in sunny Australia for 2 months on an extended sabbatical !

Peterborough For sale

We saw in the Evening Telegraph that the Queensgate centre is up for sale...! While it might all be a giant rumour (who knows?) is it a good thing or a bad thing?

Reba's opinion is that it might be a good thing (sorry Queensgate) Shopping in Peterborough needs a shot of enthusiasm....! Peterborough is in competition with many other centres and we need to have a good offer. We're of the opinion that someone needs to give the city centre as a whole a lot of love and attention and not just see it as a cash cow !

How about some arches over the ends of the shopping streets - Cowgate, Priestgate, Bridge street, with some statues of local historical figures... something from our heritage, something that breaks up the concrete walkways....! Please, lets add some personality to this city !!!

Now we know we're not the biggest employer in the city, but its sad to see so many empty shops - Principles & Adams Kids have gone, with Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burtons all moved into BHS unit - that doesn't bode well! - and now Niro, Faith shoes and Envy are reported to be going too !

Surely it can't be a good time to sell a shopping centre? Or maybe thats exactly why its up for sale? Now, if only we had a few million spare..... we could do good deeds

You can read about it here:

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Queensgate-centre-may-be-put.5160936.jp?articlepage=1

Just arrived !

Max C is a London brand that has caught the attention of the fashionistas since its launch only two years ago (aaaah) Based in London, and taking a lot of their design aesthetic from our eclectic capital, their design team have created an cool range of exciting clothing and accessories, with influences from around the world.

This is a collection with an affordable pricetag (maybe its the living in London bit) they know how it feels to have no money, but want to look good?) Anyway, its a vintage feel collection, with a range of funky high fashion bags supporting it, and now belts too !

Max C is mostly stocked in independent boutiques like ourselves and more recently some fashion stores, and maybe its the London thing, or maybe its because they're new, but we really like their stuff, its bright, vivid and fun !

Like this new Summer handbag, its a clutch with a secret strap inside, so you can be lazy like me and wear it over the shoulder, two looks for the price of one - always a winner with us !

Happy Easter

The year is running away with us, can't believe it already Easter...? We must be getting older, i don't remember life going so fast before? Ok, so its Easter - Yum ! Time for chocolates and days off - a heady combination :-)

If you don't celebrate Easter, then why not join us in a celebration of Spring... Its bright when you get up and its bright when you go home, sooooo much more cheerful !

Chocolate is the epicentre of Easter for many, and we love it, best enjoyed guilt free we say... We don't understand why so many "so called" chocolate lovers complain about the calories in chocolate, when all true chocoholics know that it is a vegetable. It comes from the cocoa bean, beans are veggies, 'nuff said.

So, to finish as we're getting chocolate cravings just writing about it.....Our thought for the day(a little tongue in cheek):In the beginning, the Lord created chocolate, and he saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the dark, and it was better.

Happy Easter everyone !

Funky glasses back in store !

‘About Face’ are a young, dynamic company with fresh and pretty distinctive accessories. The ‘About Eyes’ range which we're stocking, gives reading glasses an funky edge with fresh and fashionable designs, sometimes you need one vital accessory to make-or-break an outfit or just to work on your own unique look.....

All the reading glasses come with their own case to keep them safe. Prices from £9.99 - £14.99, but, as you can imagine, at those prices they sell out fast so pop in to see our full range to get the wow-factor of eyewear (not to mention the wow-factor of price tags!).

We love these glasses -they cover the spectrum from smart to sassy and apparently you agree with us !

See you soon !

An Inconvenient Truth !

OMG i'm probably the last person in the western world to have seen this movie! It was on last night, and I was in the mood for it, I mean I've heard about it, but i was never in the right place or it wasn't the right time. Anyway last night was the right place and right time, and i was shocked !

What a giant of a man ! I was blown away by him and his humility in the face of a crushing defeat because now i understand what winning the Presidency meant to him - more than just becoming President, it meant that he could have tackled this head on and made a difference - and we all know that he pretty much won - to have been so close and not make it, must have been - ah i can't imagine it !

Anyway, he obviously took a step back and thought, right then, how am i going to spread the word now in the face of this setback? So he made a movie, and he travels the world showing it to everyone and explaining it (here comes the science) and i was blown away by him, his movie and the facts it portrays, as every normal thinking human being would have to be....

So, i'm off today to see what we can do in our own small way and to spread the word about this incredible movie and this incredible man...! Have a brilliant day x

All the fun of the fair !

OK, so this post is a little late, but the fair was in town last week (Stamford) and it was fab ! Freezing for some unexplained reason, but fab ! I don't know what it is about visiting the fair that makes us all feel about five years old, but whatever it is, I'm loving it !

So, while i'm a great big chicken - its true ! I did venture onto some whizzy fast things, screaming our heads off all the way - ah the fun ! What can beat the dodgems, they are one of the few things that is just as good as you remember them being when you were a kid !

Nothing beats the sight of Stamford from the air from the big wheel - like i said, freezing, but worth it :-) Candyfloss anyone?

Keep calm and carry on !

It was good advice in World War 2, and its good advice today !

I love these retro posters, and i'm thrilled that i've just found one in pink. They're from an original World War 2 poster that was never in wide commission, and recently since their discovery by Barter Book, they've enjoyed emerging fame...!

There's others too, "Loose lips may sink ships" and "Tea revives you" how true ! But this is my favourite, I love the whole idea of not making a drama out of everything, and stoically carrying on, how very British, along with Victoria Sponge, cups of Tea and the weather - fabulous !

New Momiji Dolls have arrived!

Momiji are gorgeous little collectible friendship dolls. Joanna Zhou is one of our all time favourite designers. Her range is inspired by Japanese street fashion. Now she's back with three new designs called the Cosplay Collection.

Cosplay is the word you get when you mix costumes and play. Cosplay has become a Japanese subculture centred on dressing as characters from manga, anime, and video games. Cosplay fans gather to see each other’s costumes, show off their own elaborate handmade creations, take loads of pictures, and in short have loads of fun.

Each Momiji Doll in the Cosplay collection is a Momiji doll in a costume! The one pictured here is Polo she's dressed up in this adorable polar bear outfit! Polo says " cuddles save me from muddles. I like furry boots and mocha"

Like other Momiji Dolls, at the base of Donut, Polo and Tiny is a teeny card to write a teeny message. Pass it on.

Spread the love!

Don't get in a fluster this Mother's day, checkout our cheeky checklist so you can have a fun day !

Don’t get into a panic this mother’s day, follow our 8 simple steps to have a relaxed day with your mum:

1. Buy your card in advance, or if you’re making one, start it early enough for the glue to be dry ! Make sure everyone’s signed it.

2. Flowers sell out really fast around Mother’s day, so buy them a day or two in advance, or pre-order them, so you don’t end up at the garage…. Mum’s notice these things !

3. If you’re buying a present online, do it soon, and allow for delivery times. Wrap your present in advance so you’re not rushing around trying to do it as your mum walks in…

4. If you’re going out for dinner, make sure you have a reservation. Restaurants are really really full on Mother’s day. Make your reservation at least a week in advance (more would be better)

5. If you’re going out for the day, buy tickets in advance if possible

6. If staying at home and you’re cooking, make sure you’ve got everything you’ll need !

7. Make sure everyone knows what’s happening, so no-one gets left out and gets upset

8. Check your camera – make sure your batteries are charged

Step nine - Relax and have fun with your mum !

Friendly warning !

I've just got to write and tell you about something that makes steam come out of my ears !! To all you Sunday Posh ground car booters who park in the KFC car park - Be careful !!!

I made this mistake a couple of weeks ago and it cost me £125 to get my car released !!! Aaaargh, money I really couldn't afford, and can I just say that the clampy people are not the friendliest in the world - if you get my meaning :-( The fine is £125 and they only accept cash! )

I went past there this morning on my way to work, and there were at least 6 cars clamped today, (someone's making a lot of money ? !) and it makes me mad ! I don't want this clamping firm to get any richer by ruining peoples day. So there you have it, don't park there, and tell everyone you know too please.

Enjoy our lovely sunny Sunday (daffodils and sunshine, brilliant !)
Reba car parking alert team ;-)