And the winner is.....

Brittany_Va-VoomVintage!! I stole a picture of you from your blog, I hope you don't mind

Congratulations, whoo hoo!!

Please contact fiona@heydayonline.co.uk for your voucher code and we hope you enjoy spending it.

Thanks so much to everyone taking part in the competition and good luck next time.

I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and an amazing New Year, see you all in 2012.....

2011 Christmas gift voucher give away!

We are in the countdown to Christmas now - my gosh it rolls around fast doesn't it? Still, not fast enough as I am quite capable of eating all the almond icing before it gets on the cake.  Hmmmm...

Stephanie Valentine, Winner of the 2010 WWII re-enactors magazine Pin-Up Competition, photographed by Tony Nylons

As this years Christmas treat I have decided we are going to give away a £25 discount voucher to one lucky reader. £25 because Christmas falls on the 25th of course!
A voucher (which will be in the from of a code for online shopping) seems most fair in that it is international (unlike last year's plank of wood) and also unisex (just LIKE last years plank of wood). 
We are going to finish the competition at Midnight Sat 17th December BST. The code itself will be valid for a whole 3 months, so there is no rush.

The competition rules are straight forward and offer three chances to get involved...

• For one entry, leave me a comment below. 
• For another entry, you can retweet my give away.
• For a third entry, post about the giveaway on your own blog!  Three chances! Whooopee!

Please take careful note that each time you enter you must leave a separate comment. Don't leave me one comment saying you've done all three things, as it will only be counted once! 

If you commenting to say you've retweeted or blogged, please post the link.

The competition will close THIS Saturday 17th December 2010 at Midnight BST

This is me

Today it was unseasonably warm. As in, too hot to get dressed. I'm wondering if our upstairs neighbours forgot to turn their heating off and we were the happy beneficiaries while they went to work. It was also gloriously sunny.
Because I had my hair in curlers I wasn't planning on leaving the house, so it was the perfect day for a last-unexpected-summer-dress-mostly-inside-anyway day. 

(I'm deliberately looking to the side because I am terrible at looking into bright sunlight)

So here is just me, without make-up and my hair in curlers. If I don't expect to meet anyone I let my face breathe, even though it makes me feel quite naked. Typically and ironically, not one but TWO people dropped in on me to see me like this today! Grrrr!

I don't really like to share me un-done, it is a bit uncomfortable to be honest. But I think it is important to let you know that some days are not altogether glamorous at Heyday Headquarters. 

This is a one off Fleur dress just made for me. I collect simple "not too poofy" petticoats anywhere I can find them to co-ordinate with my Fleurs. This one was actually an old Monsoon skirt from a charity shop that I took up. It's silk so feels LUSH.

No outfit post from me would be complete without the SHOES now would it? I picked these up from the charity shop for a tenner yesterday. (Anyone else notice that charity shop shoes have really gone up in price over the last couple of years?) They are unworn Clarks and I know I get on well with them so that is ok. The style is "bombay lights" and they currently come in black, navy and burgundy. (They also come in flats, worn here). From the front they look quite authentic enough, and the heel is a good shape, but I wish they would cover the heel in the same leather, because they would then be 89% vintage looking rather than 73% vintage looking, if you get what I mean.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a good weekend - be it glamorous or just comfy. 

See what happens when I look straight at the sun?

My most beloved vintage possession

Today I thought I would tell you about my most beloved vintage possession. My knees. While the rest of me will be turning 40 next year, my knees are going to be 198. I swear my mum picked them up cheap second-hand.

Earlier this year my dodgy knees took a sudden turn for the worst, and I was off to see the surgeon. Both of them (knees, that is, not surgeons) were diagnosed with mild arthritis. Yick. In fact Double Yick. So dancing was been off the agenda for most of the year. Stairs, curbs, hills and wheelchair access slopes were all mountainous. It was depressing. I felt ALL of my 198 knee years.

During the year I've put on a bit of weight. BUT, I don't care...

Because, through lots and lots and lots and lots and still lots more BORING physio exercises aided by hours of Poirot, (thank-you Agatha Christie) I have been cleared of needing any kind of intervention, because my little knee caps are now going where they are supposed to go and not whipping off around the side of my leg-bone. (Ok, so I also don't care about technical terms today). If I look after them they should last me for another 198 years.

Today my elderly knees and I had a little celebration in that I pulled out a pair of heels that haven't seen any use.  Yes I KNOW you have seen me in heels in outfit posts, but that was mainly cos I missed them, so would put them on for a wee bit and for the photo.

But today I WORE heels. 

Thank you Miss L Fire for designing something worth all those painful lunges and leg lifts.

Hurrah!! I kiss my knees!! Smooch!!

(And please, if you have a bit of you that is feeling a little bit more vintage than the rest of you, go get it looked at, it might take far less work to make it right if you don't leave it like I did)

The last time I saw Paris

Hello!

I've had a bit of a horrible cold so please excuse the gap in posts. It is nearly all gone now thank goodness.

I have to update you on my recent trip to Paris! We got a cheap deal on the Eurostar and just went for the weekend, starting out really early on Saturday morning. There is a bonus when you have been to a place already, that you no longer need to do all the tourist things.  Here's a quick round up in pictures.

Lego Christmas tree at St.Pancras Station. It was really a bit too early to be enthused with anything, but this made me stop in my tracks! It must have taken hours.

Outside the Rex theatre. Retro Chick has been there recently too.

Buying macaroons from a beautiful bakery

My really really old bag. I don't know HOW old. Definately older than my normal time period of 30s-50s, anyone with any ideas? I bought it in Texas. The seller told me it was French so it was neat to give it a trip home. It's been around the world and back!

Shopping at the markets. Meet Lili who sells buttons and beads, lace, braiding and all things embellished. Her shop sucked me in, filled as it is with such wonders ( her stand is Marché Vernaison, Stand 6 - Allée 1).  While really chatty, and keen for me to blog about her, she got all shy and hid behind lace when the camera came out! She has a website that includes a bit of the history of the markets (I use Google translate).

Dribbled over French magazines from the 1930s and large posters just down the way from Lili's shop. Paul also got all bashful when it came to taking a photo. He has a GORGEOUS website so you can dribble yourself now.

Listening to Gypsy Jazz music and drinking mulled wine. This café was practically in the market area so it was like being in heaven (no room for dancing though) for both of us. I did leave hubby there while I went back for a second quick scout.

I'll leave you with the vintage flowers I bought from Lili which will someday to find themselves onto a hat. That vintage postcard is her business card - with the shop details stamped on the back - pretty eh?

Autumn arrives with a thud

Hello my lovelies

If you are here in the UK then you know all about Autumn arriving. It seemed to arrive yesterday, without proper ceremony, after teasing us in the lurking-days-of-summer-ish-ness weeks we have had. It has put my normal wardrobe rotation and organisation in a bit of a delay. It has been so mild that I was still swanning about in a long cotton house dress some days, so it didn't make sense to dig out ALL the warmer things.  (Solanah, from Vixen Vintage, by the way, is the Queen of Wardrobe Rotation [HRHoWR]. Go here for some inspiration)

So already my day is revolving around when to turn to gas fire on. I find myself doing bargaining with myself, like: "not until after tea", "not until I have a proper jumper on at least", "I can't justify it today" and also regularly... "I wish we had a cat to accessorise the fireplace with". It is clear that it really is time to bring out the woollen heavyweights.  This is my favourite sweater dress. It is warm and toasty and green.

I know it looks like I am deliberately holding my stomach in, but in truth I was trying to show you my bracelet

The left collar needs a brooch because, despite many a wet-towel iron it is determined to pop up a bit. This mustard enamel brooch I think is from the 30s. The bracelet is 50s or 60s.

And my leopard print shoes. These were the bargain of the century, a few years ago at the Brighton Jukebox fair. £10! If I had known they would prove to be so comfy I would have brought more, but, you know how it is with cheap shoes, they can be expensive if they are uncomfortable.

I hope you all have a good warm weekend!

Shona

Me Tarzan, you Jane

Quite a lot of you know that I'm a Kiwi living in the UK. To try and blend in a little I don't say "mate" so much now and I have learnt to use the alternative, British words for things. "Flip flops" instead of "Jandals", and "Wellington Boots" instead of "Gum Boots". I try not to ever say "pin" or "pen" because it just gets TOO hard.

I still have my accent, and it gets stronger immediately after speaking to a fellow countryman. Anyway, so... the point is...when I told my lovely friend Jenny that I was wearing a Tartan dress she was wondering what on earth I was going to turn up in - hearing "Tarzan" instead.

Ever since every "tartan" item I have is now a "Tarzan" one. Jenny and I know what we mean!

Anyway now I have a new alternative word, albeit more American I believe. This is one of my PLAID skirts. I love it. It's pleated. It is REVERSIBLE!

My all-seeing googley eye dog is coming along for the day

And here is my lippy - It is Red Hot Red from Rockalilly.  I love it! lots of red lippys make my lips crack and peel in a horrible fashion, which, really, isn't the look I am going for. But not this one. YEAH! There are some new limited edition shades in store there now so I might include one on my Christmas wish list. 

See ya Mate!

Cardigan - Custom Clothes

Skirt - vintage, probably 70s or 80s, ebay

Shoes - Clarks

earrings and brooch - vintage