Monday, August 31, 2009

C'mon Spring, Do your Thing...



Found this in a 30's yearbook...cute, huh?
Speaking of bathing suits, I'm looking for a new one this spring/summer...I'm thinking something 50's inspired, or the real thing, if I can a) find it and b)afford it! It also means I have to stop eating so much chocolate...


So it was the first day of spring today and was colder than any day last month! Go figure. On Sunday, we went to a wedding, a teahouse and newfarm park.



Newfarm park, powerhouse theatre inside.



2 Great FJ Holdens from the wedding.



Newfarm Park Gazebo.



Cue happy music...



I made the dress from a 50's pattern last month.



High Tea.


So,we head to Melbourne on Wednesday for job interviews...wish us luck!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Harrisville Cemetry...

Garth and I went for a drive and stumbled upon this old cemetry...



How sweet is the letter? There was a grave totally covered in them, the lady's husband was still alive and had written her a letter every year on the anniversary of her death. Every letter started with the number of days and weeks since her death. I nearly cried. And "Little Harry?" I would have loved to meet him...




Look - you can see my car! I love those hands, there were heaps all over the graveyard, I found a loose pair on the grass. They're now on my kitchen shelf.




My favourite ones are the ones with pictures of the couple on some special day, like their wedding. Look at those two..
Garth hates going to cemetries. He says it's depressing, but I find it so interesing. I guess I don't think about the bodies in the ground, more about the people's lives, names, when they lived...all that stuff. I kind of "shop" for kid's names too..

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Discovery!



I never knew I had this dress! Aren't closet "clean outs" great?

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Raindrops on Roses...

These are a few of my favourite things:
My car: A 1967 VC Valiant.



Thoughtful Presents From Parents - in - Law:

The bunnies were a gift from Adelaide Art Gallery, the robot was from...I forget.



My Laboratory Bottle Collection: Found at various schools, dumps and op shops.



Found Objects: The lightbulb was "borrowed" from my elderly neighbour's shed, the stocking box was on the side of the road and the dove and hands were found in Harrisville Country Cemetry.



My Wedding Dress: Handmade (by me) for the grand total of $60.




ps. If you couldn't tell, I've been experimenting with "vintage" photo techniques in photoshop....let me know what you think. :)

Monday, August 24, 2009

Weekend Catch Up...



So this weekend I wore pretty dresses, ate good food and saw great bands.

I love my glasses, even if the husband says they make me look like a nana.

We took Siggi's Morris Minor 1000, (now named "Eleanor Rigby) into the valley on Friday night to see the Vegas Kings and Undead Apes. Vegas Kings are one of my favourite local bands, and the Undead Apes are a new Brissie band made up of members of Gazoonga Attack, Sekiden, Eat Laser Scumbag and Dick Nasty. They're great, I highly reccomend checking them out.




but alas, back to work today.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Feed Sack Dresses...



So I was looking through ebay and various blogs the other day and came across “feedsack dresses.” For those who don’t know, I’m in Australia, and have never heard of these dresses being made here. So, I did a little research and here’s what I found out...
“Life on America's farms in the 1920s and 1930s meant hard work and frugal habits. Farm families were used to "making do" with what they had, wasting nothing that could be recycled or reused. With feed sacks and flour bags, farmwomen took thriftiness to new heights of creativity, transforming the humble bags into dresses, underwear, towels, curtains, quilts, and other household necessities.

By the 1940s the bag manufacturers were turning out bags in bright colours and printed designs. It was felt that these designs and colours would boost sales, because the woman of the house would always select the brand with the most attractive fabric. During World War II, there was a shortage of cotton fabric for the civilian population, and the recycling of bags became a necessity, encouraged by the government.

After the war, the bags were not only a sign of domestic thrift; they also gave rural women a sense of fashion. National sewing contests were organized as a way for women to show off their skills, and manufacturers to show off their designs. Women frequently sold their surplus bags to others as a way of picking up cash to aid in running the home.”
Pretty interesting. I like the fact that the appearance of something manly or utilitarian became dictated by the women of the time. Maybe the “make do and mend” attitude could benefit us today – after all, we are living in times of “economic uncertainty...”
In other news, I was a model for my hairdresser today – she did a great colour...show you later.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Wednesday In Green..With Tiny Pincurls!



I set my hair last night in the littlest pin curls I've ever done - by winding the sections around a mascara tube. My vintage pincurl clips wouldn't hold, so I reverted to good ol' bobby pins, which were a lot more uncomfy to sleep in. (but still a far cry from the time I tried sleeping in brush rollers!)

The set held REALLY well, very bouncy and is still going strong. I quite like it. I didn't follow any real pattern, except for rolling the front ones towards my face and the rest of the "up."

I wore my green and white 50's daydress, which I got from a thrift store in Warwick - I walked in just as they were closing and saw a whole "block" of vintage prints in the dresses rack. I didn't even look at the sizes, because the lady at the counter was giving me the evil eye. I just scooped them all up and paid my $33 for the ... 11 dresses! Value!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Tattoos for Victory...

I visited the library yesterday and borrow a vintage tattoo book. I've always wanted to get a tattoo, but the husband doesn't like them - our deal is if he buys a motorbike, I get a tattoo!



It was an interesting read, but the actual artwork was quite terrible. It seems when tattooing begun, anyone could just buy a macine and set up shop - scary! I'd love a tattoo, but can't really decide on what to get. I do know that it'd have to be one of this lady's designs though...

Monday, August 17, 2009

New Sewing Project...

I've been meaning to tackle this dress for months now, but have only just plucked up the courage to start. It's the first "unmarked" pattern I've tried, so today I ironed all the pieces flat and hung them up (out of the way of No Tail, our cat who has a fetish for tissue paper.)I'm not too sure of the exact year, I'm guessing 30's, but if anyone has a better guess, let me know. I'm still deciding on the right fabric.



Wish me luck!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

30's?

I remembered this dress this afternoon...after seeing Public Enemies (especially Billie's coatchecking uniform) I'm all interested in 30's style again.

The Other Rosie



I love old war propaganda images. I know the wars were horrible, but some pretty great posters came out of them. Check out these girls!I'd want to join the WAC if I'd look that good!

Lazy Sundays..

I'm going to try and improve my photoshop skills with a weekly collage. Here is the first.

Today we went out for breakfast, I wore my 50's "dotty" dress. I still need to find a blue cardigan to match it, but never mind. Then we came home and watched "How to Marry a Millionare." Lauren Bacall's hair is perfect and Marilyn looks so cute in her cats eye glasses. I think most people remember her as a sex symbol, but she had great comic talent - she steals the scene for most of the film. If you haven't seen it, rent it asap!

We are going to Melbourne on the 2nd of September for a few days. Garth has a job interview at a Hot Rod shop there and if he gets it, we're moving in January. I'm soooo excited! I know it sounds cliche, but I do feel Melbourne has more of a "creative" vibe. Plus, our super friend Sandra is moving there from Iceland, so we'll have a buddy in our new city. I just have to decide what to do down there...
work tomorrow..boo hoo.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Outfit Post..

Today Garth and I worked on the car, primed and painted it and now it's ready for painting. I also did a heap of boring cleaning. We also did a bit of shopping, but I didn't buy anything. I'm trying to save up - we're going to America in 4 weeks!
Here's what I wore today..sorry about the blurry photo, I was in a rush and didn't have time for a better one.

It's a 40's day dress with the best print. I'm finding myself drawn to browns, mustards and other "neutral" colours. Solanah posted a while back about favourite colors, and people being drawn to certain colours on certain days, but when I think about it, I've liked these colours for the last year or so!

Siggi's first night out.

My sister in law turned 18 today, so Garth and I took her out to the valley for a few drinks and a few bands...




I wore a 60's handmade cocktail dress and my new suspender belt. I now know why girls had better posture in the 50s - the boning really makes you sit up straight!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Mail!



Look what arrived! Two dead stock perfect 50's suspender belts. Still with tags. I love ebay some days. They'll be perfect to hold up my fully fashioned nylons that arrived in the post a few weeks back. Until now, I've been using a "modern" retro styled belt, but it doesn't give the "support" that I'm after.

If you're wondering how the roller set turned out, here's a pic. It's not the best as I rushed getting ready and had to blow dry (shudder) some bits. I think I prefer pincurls.



We saw Public Enemies last night and now I'm all inspired to buy 30's hats. Billie Frechette was Dillinger's girlfriend and whoever did the costuming did a great job. It wasn't too "overdone" if you know what I mean.



How great is this dress? I'm yet to tackle making one with little cap sleeves like this, but this dress sure made me want to try!


Off to put in some pin curls..

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Hair cut and Set with Sponge Rollers.



Today we worked on Blake's car (HT Holden) I got a haircut and we went to see Public Enemies (again) with Jake. I tried a different set in my hair after the cut, I'll post a picture tomorrow if it works out!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

"So I said..."

Hi all. Thanks for visiting. If you like pincurls, fingerwaves, pleats, terylene, bows, hot rods, kustoms, animals wearing pants, chocolate, wes anderson or anything related to these, stay tuned.