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

Whoop-sie Daisy!

When announcing the winner of the Daisy Chain Fleur dress it looked like I stuffed up and this upset a few people. I can understand that, especially when such a nice dress is at stake!

On investigation, it seems that the Random Number Generator image does a crazy malfunction when you copy it from the website to the blog. It puts the numbers back to their default setting of 1 and 100. So even if it had landed on 306 it would have looked like it the entered numbers were 1 and 100 (see, told you it was crazy)
Here look at this, when I chose 1-500:

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:427Powered by RANDOM.ORG

So the good news is to all of you that had were crossing your fingers and rubbing your rusty trusty horseshoes, you WERE in the draw properly and fairly. It was only that the winning number happened to fall under 100 that it looked like there was a real error.

I am really sorry that it happened that way. I hope we can still continue on together, after all, I'll be planning something for Christmas next (and no, it won't be a plank of wood like last year, as fun as that was!)

Shona

Daisy Chain Fleur dress WINNER!

Hello!

What a pleasant thing to do on a wet and grey Tuesday morning! Yes, my first job today is to announce our Daisy Chain Fleur dress winner.  You all left such nice comments that it was a shame I couldn't give something to each of you. I do love getting comments - it makes me feel like I am not talking to myself!
And now, on with the main event...Drum roll please

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: 

Result:

59Powered by RANDOM.ORG

So that lands on Lindsay Lane of http://petticoatsandpinup.blogspot.com/

Lindsay - have a look at our sizing charts and send us an email at shop@heydayonline.co.uk with your size and address and we'll get that off in the post to you.

We will of course do another giveaway when we reach 500 so do keep watching this space

Have a happy day

Shona

PS: I have just set up a sale on the Fleur dresses - all of them are now £60 for a limited time. Go get em!

Butterfly dress

Hello my lovelies!

I am thrilled so many of you are entering into our competition. It is lovely hearing all your comments. If you haven't entered yet then please do so! It closes on Monday evening. Good luck!

The week is whipping by so fast and this weekend will too as on Sunday we are trading at the Northern Military Expo in Newark. Do pop along and say Hi if you are around there.

Since the weather is really starting to turn, I took the opportunity to wear a dress today because soon it will be to chilly to wear. It hasn't had an outing yet and I had already planned the whole outfit for an event we did about a month ago and it seems a shame not to wear it.

I think it is late 30s to early 40s, as it features full sleeves at the cuff and a hook and eye closure at the side. It could equally be later, especially since it is home-made, so it could be an eclectic mix of what our mystery seamstress had on hand at the time. Pattern + fabric + collar but no zip. Zips were hard to get in the war years. Or maybe a zip was too hard for her (remember they had just come in domestically) and she knew her stuff when it came to a hook and eye placket so stuck to that. That is one of the things I love about vintage, is the sleuthing part of it.

In a moment of MASSIVE accessorising ability, I pinned a Cath Kidston hair clip to the strap of one shoe. Ahhh the stylish-ness off it!  In fact it lasted very well and I will use that trick again - I quite like a bit of modern whimsy. (The shoes are from good ole Clarks by the way).

I took fabric from the hem and made a belt, and this buckle from my stash was begging to be married to the dress. Good match eh? The buckle might be older than the dress, but the colour and butterfly-like shape was just too perfect. And since it is home-made, our mystery seamstress could have had a stash of buckles just like mine...or maybe hers was a just a wee bit smaller...(a-hem)...

Two little crocheted butterflies also were at home here worn as scatter pins. They are cooler in the pair rather than just one don't you think?
I best leave you and get myself organised for a big day here tomorrow so toodle pip till Tuesday when I'll announce the winner of the Fleur dress! 
Have a good weekend.

Shona