Delightful Day out at the Vintage Starlet Parlour

Want to know where to go to get a gorgeous photo of yourself, fully vintage styled, made up by professionals and expertly posed by the talented Hanson Leatherby? Well, look no further.
Miss Turnstiles is now offering pamper afternoons at the Vintage Patisserie headquarters in Shoreditch.

Miss Turnstiles welcomes you.

I went along to her first one, as I needed some up to date head and shoulder shots for my business cards and website. She offers the full works by placing you in the hands of skilled artists - hair and make up by Lipstick and Curls and nails by Minnie Moons, and you are invited the loan of a vintage outfit (and boy she had some stunning frocks there), so it is a must for any vintage gal. 

Two customers in their loaned outfits

We agreed I would get "done" early as I didn't need an outfit and could do my own make up, so on arrival I was promptly delivered into Nicki's hands for hair grooming. It was lovely to have my hair done by someone else, rather than dealing with it myself. Not that I do badly, but it is a treat to have it outsourced! One can see why the celebrities don't do battle with their own locks if they can help it.

Hanson at work. He happens to be up a ladder, he isn't a giant. And Nicki from Lipstick and curls in the background, who isn't really a midget. Weird location sizing issues reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings type trickery!

Poor Hanson was just about beside himself trying to get me to NOT smile for the photo. It is always funniest when you aren't supposed to laugh isn't it? Well, getting myself (and others) into fits of giggles I must have been his trickiest customer so you can be rest assured that you will find it easier.

Jeni and Hanson in between shoots. Often when we see each other, one of us is normally working, so it was lovely to see Jeni when our "roles" for the day were pretty relaxed. We got Jeni into some hamming it up, and Hanson too.

Jewellery was up for loan or for sale too, thanks to the lovely Nathalie from Passionate about Vintage.

Miss Turnstiles has another similar beauty day coming up, This time themed around the Great Gatsby. The first one, I have just read is sold out ALREADY, so she has offered up another on the 31st May. Pop over here to find out more.

I'll show you my finished Photos once I get them, but until then, I see Jeni has some more pics up on her blog too. 

Shona x

Future Cinema: Casablanca

Hey there! Sorry I've been amiss at my updates, life has been busy! Something pretty cool happened that I have to tell you about though, Mr Heyday and I were invited along to see Casablanca, care of Future Cinema! (Even though I have a blog, I'm pretty small in the scale of things and don't often get invited places, so this was pretty exciting)

The Future Cinema concept is that you as an audience become part of the live acting out of the film and witness the scene as it unfolds around you. I hadn't been to one before and was actually a bit nervous! 

My matching hat and bag finally got an outing - do you like?

 Happy is a big blue suit

Casablanca, in case you don't know the plot, is set in the middle of wartime, in (you guessed it) Casablanca., where everyone is hoping and waiting to get travel documents allowing them to flee to the safety of the States

Casablanca residents being searched and their ID cards checked, done in a  funny way. (But you could also see how it wouldn't be funny in real life - I did NOT want to bump into that official at all)

We received our identification cards and found that we were playing the part of an Italian couple and we both needed to wear a neckerchief to identify ourselves. This posed a few costume changes as it isn't something that either of us wear much of and we had to raid my scarf drawer to find something suitable. Of course it had to match, and be appropriate to the era too. Also Mr Heyday had that problem of what to do with his tie - to tie or not to tie. We settled on a scarf that looked a bit like a dinner suit scarf for him and a flouncy tied number for me. His suit is a zoot suit, clearly, which is more American than European, but Mr was keen to give it an outing (and we knew that not many would be period perfect, let alone location perfect anyway). Wearing a big blue suit meant that he had lots of actors come up and smuggle stuff to him - namely the words of the song we needed to sing.

Heyday Suit jacket worn over a dress, Vintage hat, flouncy scarf

I was initially a bit flummoxed by the dress code - why was I supposed to be in day clothes? I hadn't seen the movie for a long time and forgot that the female characters were all in suits and day dresses throughout the movie. Also it helped that you could then distinguish the actors (in more evening attire) from the other punters.

Ilsa Lund and Victor Laszlo meet Captain Louis Renault

We brainstormed our Italian a little, and I did use it once..."Mozzarella, cappuccino, pizza, Vienna, Bella!" was about my limit with only 2 mins prep! ha ha - a bit lame! It got a laugh though, so that was ok.

The playing out of the film was fun to see, it did though bring home a bit of how it actually was to be living through a war. One of the police forced a man to crawl up and down the steps and the closeness of it was a small shock. It was short and not everyone would have seen it, but I felt I should warn you. I accepted it as part of the drama but I will remember the impact for life - which I am actually grateful for. The surprise and process of registering what was happening made it very real, something I would not have got if it had been played out at a distance on stage or on film. You should also know that I have a "R" rating of about 5 and feel stuff quite deeply. (We have a censored draw of dvd's at home that are not for my entertainment)

According to Wikipedia, the movie itself was made up of a large proportion of European exiles and refugees among the extras, and for them it was quite emotional to be involved. Ironically the German citizens were cast as the Nazis from whom they had fled. That must have been hard.

The Nazis arrive

Trouble Brews

Mr Heyday had a dance with the blonde, but he can't have been looking at her hair colour as he forgot which one it was!

You can see there was plenty of entertainment. All in all, we really enjoyed it and will thoroughly recommend it. It would be great as a large group or as just a couple. If you have any interest in WWII then you will get even more from it.

We liked the Casablanca but not the Sandy Collins

Some points to note:

• You do need cash for the bar and for the food. The food is quite moderately portioned, so best not to go hungry (we were grateful for half a chocolate bar and a bag of nuts left in my bag from the day before!)
• The cocktail bar (either side of the stage) is different from the main bar (the one with purple lights) and does take card (had we known this, we would have saved our cash for food).
• If you are up for dancing, you will be dancing on carpet (not a deal breaker, but some dancers like to know this).
• You do see the film at the end - we weren't too sure so I was glad to have taken my glasses.
• Do take something to barter with when Ugarte comes around offering to find you transit papers. I had a string of beads stuffed down my bra but promptly forgot and was concentrating so much on his accent I didn't get that he wanted money or similar - ha ha!
• If you gamble at the roulette table you can put something else down as collateral - our table companion put his cufflinks down and won a bar of chocolate, AND got his cufflinks back. (Had we realised this earlier I could have put my beads down, hungry as we were!)
• When you book, you get told you have "booked a table" but when you get in there it is a free for all and you just find a place - or so it seemed. We sat in the front of the stage, near the middle stairs (because we knew we would dance) and had a good view of the proceedings.
• A few were not dressed up at all and it didn't seem to matter - but they did look out of place
• It appeared that many people were told to wear a neckerchief and it never came up in the "play" so I'm not sure that matters either.
• Do take your papers though! You need to provide your fingerprint (scribble on your finger and press) and a photo (some people drew theirs).
• It is warm in there, I was glad to have worn a dress (for dancing in) so I could take my jacket off and cool down. It is, after all, Casablanca.

Moroccan dancers, all female!

It was an amazing day out - something quite extraordinary different. I look forward to seeing what Future Cinema does next! 

Shona x

8 Years ago today I got to be a bride

 8 years ago I was the one in the big poofy dress...

Happy Anniversary Mr Heyday!

Why your resolutions might be failing about now

Right after Christmas and the New Year, when your house is finally cleared of tinsel,we get all encouraged by a new year and the clean slate it seems to bring. We vow that we are going to loose weight, change jobs, quit smoking/drinking/buying new stuff and instead we are going to be godly saints of wholesome amazingness. It feels GOOD.

But we forget that our brains are still foggy from all those chocolates, and while we are restless to get a move on with a NEW LIFE, actually, this is probably the worst time to force a hefty life change on ourselves. The thrill of the season is over, we either have months of bleak Winter ahead or we're on Summer holidays, when we are supposed to be basking in the warmth of the sun.

I find what I need most is less expectation but more routine. I need a bit more of a settled pace, healthy food to straighten out my brain, a bit more sleep. Big expectations that I can't live up to don't help because I just feel let down, and then I get busy with the big stick, some of you will know what I mean, the one that you beat yourself over the head with (metaphorically of course).

In getting back to a routine, I can accommodate simple strategies, such as more water, early nights, clear one thing off the mending pile a day, get out for a walk. It seems a bit simple, and it is, but it does produce results and the difference is I don't heap a heavy load on myself or expect massive rewards. Simple steps and incremental change feels good too.

I may not quite know yet what I want to change. After all, change takes effort and sometimes can be scary.  I find this time of year to be much easier to identify what I DON'T want. This usually brings about an early spring clean and trips to the charity shop. This might seem like just a clear out, but in choosing what can go, you are also mentally choosing what activities you don't need, such as those second hand tap shoes that seemed like a good idea at the time, but that was 8 years ago and you still haven't made a class. Either you find a class and give the shoes a whirl, or let them go and have a bit more space for what you do need.

You are left with things that lift you, or maybe even with mental blank sheet. Either way it clears the decks for new things, people, opportunities, and for authentic goals to appear.

It is not all dull and boring though. This time of year is also great for tidbits of inspiration; museum trips, new films, trying something different, wearing something different. Tiny re-en carnations of who you might want to grown into next. Who knows where it might take you?

So for me the new year, if I was clever and broke it down, would be about the following steps:

1. Noting what I don't want and letting it go

2. Getting back to a routine

3. A bit of new inspiration

4. Rinse and repeat

Then, by the end of January I am usually quite enthused and have some new authentic goals that I want to move towards. And they tend to be smaller, like just month long, or 3 months long. Soon enough that the goal post can be glimpsed from tippy toes as it glistens in the sunlight.

How about yourself, do you have a bit of a theme for this time of year?

The pictures in this post have been bought to you by two calendars that are fun and inspiring to me. The first is Kitten von Mew's calendar and you can purchase it here. You can see how very good it is since I have taken photos of it and blown it up and it still looks great! That is thanks to Kitten and Candee Photography.
The funny quotable inspirations is a "Love every Minute" calendar from The Bright Side.

Shona x

Shoe Pimps are Us

A lot of you liked my festive shoe clips, but just because the festive fun is over doesn't mean we need to stop decorating ourselves. Sometimes it is essential just to get through these long last days of winter, or for those of you in the southern hemisphere (*waves hello at friends and family*), you can jazz up your plain summer sandals.

I trashed two ponytail elastics to get to the leopard print plastic bow. One came apart quite easily, the other broke and had to be glued back together - never mind though, it can't be seen in the final result.

The bow now needs a new centre part. The original plastic one would make the bow too high on the shoe clip, and possibly a bit wobbly too. Luckily I had some plain black grosgrain ribbon on hand. A colour like red or turquoise would work well too if you knew what you wanted to match it too. 

The trusty hot melt glue gun (how I love thee!) makes short work of attaching the ribbon. I glued it to the back of the bow, wrapped it around twice for a wee bit of padding, then glued the tail down at the back again. 

The shoe clip (I purchased mine on ebay) glues on easily too. Be careful to let them dry while open or you might end up with a clip glued shut. 

And Tah-dah! It's like having new shoes!

These last ones have got to be my favourite. These shoes have always needed something extra and now I know what.

How are your shoes? Could some of them do with some pimping?

Shona x

P.S for those of you who are in the southern hemisphere, we have a 15% discount code for you. Check out our Facebook page for details.

T'was the season to be Jolly!

...Cept I wasn't much. Christmas had me a bit bogged down with a head cold which seemed to get progressively worse. We had a very quiet Christmas planned and I was grateful for that on the day. 

Still I did wear two different outfits

This dress seems a bit unlikely for Christmas, until one sees that it has pine cones on it!

Here's those holly leaves again

Our two trees. The little one in the foreground (table top sized) was made by my clever Mother-in-law. It lights up and looks gloriously cartoonish - a bit Dr Seuss like in fact.

Tinkerbell atop the tree. She isn't really a Christmas decoration...in fact you can see the rubber band strapping her legs to the star for some stability, poor girl. We needed a decent fairy and she's already wearing green so she got the part

lots of our other "statues" had got in on the dressing up act too

The second outfit of the day was warmer. The earrings and brooch were a gift from Mr Heyday and there's the Christmas Bauble decorations, just two of them, since I wasn't up to doing the elaborate do I had first imagined. Still, I'll pack them away and they'll come back out next year.

One did make it onto the cake though (unworn and clean, don't worry!).

I think it makes my overflowed icing look quite wonderful, and goes with the tree, don't you agree?

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas

Shona x

P.S. Do follow us on Facebook or our newsletter by joining up on my website, as we will be announcing our New Years Day sale

How to make Bauble Hair

Hello! We are on the Christmas countdown now. Not long to go! I like Christmas. I think it is fun, but only once you've got ALL THE THINGS done. Up until then the stress is a bit pants. We've had a very laid back  season so far, but I've seen all types of bad manners due to stress on the high street. I'm staying out of it now until the sales hit.

I had so many ideas for Christmas themed outfits to wear to dances and to show you but a big ole lurgy hit me Friday afternoon so I've ended up staying in. Boo. It was my own fault - it happened when I thought to myself "ohh maybe I can spare a few days and just chill out". It is always when the respite comes that the bug arrives on your doorstep to stay eh?

Nevertheless, I have remade my Christmas Bauble ears from Disneyland into something less Mickey and more...err, Shoney. I thought you might like to make your own so here's what I did...

1. Hunted down rubber bands, hair clips and sorted the baubles into piles so that I didn't have two of one colour on a clip. I thought I would do 3 on a clip but that looked a bit limp, so it was groups of 5 and 4 in the end. BTW, that is my festive table cloth this year. Cool huh? I like it so much it will have to come back out at Easter.

2. Cut the rubber bands to end up with a "string" of rubber. I found this really easy to work with as the stretch makes it easy to tie the band tight enough so the baubles bunch up. Plus, they are free in the UK since the postman uses them all the time and walks them right to your door. Thread the rubber band through the clip.

3. Thread the balls onto the band too. At this stage I decided a green bow would be a nice finishing touch, as well as to fill in the gaps between the baubles. I tucked the ribbon in so that I could tie it neatly after the whole thing was secure. Tie the rubber tight using a reef knot, tie the bow using a bow.

4. This is how it looks so far. While the green ribbon adds a touch of class (as you know, I'm ALL about class. ha ha, wink, wink), it just needs something else. Cue curling ribbon applied with unabashed abandon.

5. The end result! I plan to nestle these among a fancy curled up-do, but we'll see what happens on Christmas Day and how I feel. At worst I can roll my hair up and let these do all the talking.

Sending you warm festive cheer

Shona x