Daffodils and Dresses

A couple of weekends ago Wolf and I headed off to our local park for a quick walk. The blossoms were all in full regalia and we were thrilled to see that someone clever had planted a swirling scroll of Daffodils around one corner of it. These ones were out quite late compared to others but the combination of Daffs and Blossoms was a very happy one!

Thank you clever gardener person, you really made my day.

My outfit that day was a dress I had bought dead stock. It didn't have a label on it, but it did have a paper size tag sewn in the collar, so it was evident it had never been washed until it got to me! It fits me so well that people think I made it for myself. (Thank you little old lady who was a mad shopper but didn't wear everything)

Teamed with a hair flower pinned on as decoration for a bit of flippant-ness

and little square earrings that are a change from my usual flowery earlobes.

Cute buttons

Later the same night I struggled to sleep, so was flipping through my Sears catalog books for inspiration in the wee early hours... and what did I find?

Yes, that is MY dress on the bottom right! Whooo hooo!! Now if I ever have unlimited time and money I want to travel the US piecing together the whole catalog. Oh yes!

I hope you are finding some reasons to feel happy today wherever you are.

Shona xx

I fell off the treadmill

Hello again!!

I am sorry I have neglected you all for so long. I fell off the treadmill!  Nothing bad happened, no catastrophe to blame my slackness on. Not even anything exciting to whisk me away from you all.... nope...nothing but I the fact that I have been worn out, feeling poorly, not sleeping well, having appointments about my dodgy knees and completely full up from just keeping up. So without really intending to I fell off from Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and even REAL people for nearly 6 whole weeks! I haven't even done any sewing, or turned out my summer wardrobe, or watched the rest of the Mad Men series one (I am far behind!). I have barely called my mother. In fact, March? What March? I think I missed it.

What I have been doing is looking after myself, which is a very valuable thing to do. I had to get to 38 before I learnt how. Yet even when things feel at a standstill, life does slowly tick over, so this is a wee update:

I have nearly completed a 6 week beginners course at Burlesque Baby. 

So THAT is how you walk!? Who knew?  And I can tell you, it is a walk that will get you noticed and possibly (hopefully) given free things. I am thinking: Lamborghini, diamonds and champagne, though I will think myself lucky if I get a cuppa tea and a bus ride. Now, I am not planning on becoming a burlesque star, and not even sure I will get my puppies out even in the next block of classes, but my inner Dolly Parton is loving it. As the song goes..."well, hello, Dolly... It's so nice to have you back where you belong". A bit of strutting about goes a long way.

That delectable gymnast above is my teacher, the lovely and gorgeous Ruby Deshabille (pic shamelessly nicked from her facebook page). Ruby, when do we get that stockings off trick in class? (hmmm, on second thoughts, I might not survive the process, having suffocated myself with my own boobs. Maybe not then.)

I've been working away on various projects, one of which started to bear fruit yesterday on a photo shoot with Gordon Ayres. He is REALLY good. Here is a wee taster, including a neighbourhood cat, though it doesn't give nought away yet (heh heh). The model here is the lovely Gemma from Bake do and Mend. 

The rest of everything has been varied...knitting a 30s twinset, off to a masked ball, admiring the daffodils, lapping up Boardwalk Empire and trolling the Hammersmith vintage fair. Even just getting down to work with the doors open and the birds a-larking in the trees has been fab. With spring finally here I have got some bounce back, just like Dolly here.

Yeah HA!