Saturday 31 December 2011

So long 2011, and welcome to the new year!!


Oh folks, what a good year 2011 was for us! I can hardly believe this time last year I didn't know so many of you, and hadn't entered the world of vintage as I know it today!
Thank you for journeying along with me, for the advice and support and for the lovely comments along the way!

I'm wishing you all a happy new year today as...
We have plans tonight to have a very lovely evening with family here.


Which I am sure will be very civilised...


but hopfully will end a bit more like this!!!!



I hope you all have a wonderful night tonight and that 2012 brings you all that you wish for!!!


Thursday 22 December 2011

{Catch-Up} Trains, Chains and Mince Pies!!

Sorry for the lack of posting this week, the school holidays are here and I can't get anywhere near the computer!!!


We've been busy little bees though...

 
Christmas shopping in Frome

 Making paper chains
Melting vinyl records

Making Mince Pies
Visiting Local Railway Stations!!


What have you been up to? I hope you are all enjoying the run up to Christmas as much as we are!!

Normal service will be resumed shortly...


Saturday 17 December 2011

Goodies from scarlet vintage

Last week I won a prize in scarlet vintage's Birthday raffle!! My first win even though I enter lots of vintage raffles! I couldn't have been more pleased though .....

 

The packages included 

a lovely rose print scarf ....

oops don't have a piccy for this one yet!!


Very handy for keeping off this wintery chill we're having!

A delicate brooch....


I've earmarked this for an outing to the watercress line on Boxing Day

Leaf Earrings...


Already worn last night!
A necklace....

Perfect match for my cream bangle!


and a couple of Beaded Headbands (that my daughter immediately stole and wore to school)!



Scarlet Vintage is a reletively new find for me and I haven't actually made it into the shop yet, only visited online. So I'll leave you the blurb from their site and give you a proper review when I visit after christmas....

"Hidden behind the hubbub of Milsom Street, you'll find the beautiful cobbled Queen Street, now home to one of Bath's best loved vintage clothing shops, Scarlet Vintage.

Inside this historic Georgian building you'll find a treasure trove of vintage clothes and accessories; how about a tiny vintage 1920's bag that once carried a Charleston girl's lipstick, or a 1970's sequined disco dress lovingly kept for special occasions.

Visiting Scarlet Vintage is a truly indulgent experience, pop along Monday to Saturday 10:30-5:30!"





I hope you've all been enjoying this seasonal weather? We only had quater of an inch of snow yeterday but little ones still managed a tiny snowman!!



Thursday 15 December 2011

{Make do and mend} leaping deer brooch


 

 How do you get over the Wednesday midweek slump?
Recentely I've  been devoting my wednesdays to a bit of Make Do and Mend time!!

I began by signing up for a Bunting Workshop at Millie Moons in Frome. This was just to get me back into the swing of 'making stuff' amazingly I was treated to a one-on-one lesson with the instructor and was amazed to find I went home with something I was extremely proud of and could replicate at home using bits of material from my stash!



Since then I've stuck to the 'do something crafty' on a wednesday and I've been popping around to my mums for a coffee and a sewing lesson. We've taken up hems, fixed holes in school trousers etc, all jobs I've previously dropped off with nanny to fix and collected a week later!! We've even got ambitious and made a vintage style pettycoat for under my gingham dress.

 Look you can just see it under there!!


Yesterday, however, we were both busy so I stayed home. The creative urge still struck me though, so I made this leaping deer brooch in the afternoon! What do you think? I love it,! and I think I've found a new hobby, small, cute and transportable - sounds perfect!

Felt badges we very popular in the 1940s so I'll  have plenty of inspiration.....


Image




Tuesday 13 December 2011

Retro Christmas Tipples

I'm sure I'm not alone on this one but people seem to have special drinks they associate with christmas time! (and if you don't drink stay tuned I have some treats for you too)

From a  mulled wine at the Christmas Nativity, to a Sherry left out for Santa, there seems to be an assortment of nostalgic tipples, here are a few of my favourites....


For me, christmas morning has memories of my mother making snowballs as a pre dinner drink and me sneaking the bubbles and cherry from the top! This tradition has now passed full circle and my daughter now pinches the bubbles from my christmas morning drink!!!

{Snowball Recipe}

Place 2 measures of Advocaat and 1/4 measure of Lime Cordial
into a glass. 
Top up with Lemonade and 
add a glace cherry!!



The next Christmas Tipple for me has to be a local, Babycham! I spent my childhood peering out my window when we went through Shepton Mallet, craning my neck to see the larger than life Babycham deer!


Babycham is a light sparkling Perry and was lauched in 1953. It was also bought in every year by my parents 'especially for guests at christmas'!


Now to start a few traditions of my own.....

Popular in the 50s, I'm looking forward to trying this on a cold Christmas Evening

{Hot Buttered Rum}

Place1 teaspoon of caster sugar in a warmed glass
Add ¼ cup boiling water, ¼ cup dark rum, 1 tablespoon butter
 Sprinkle with nutmeg & serve













{Mulled Ginger Wine}

We're big fans of ginger beer here, so when I saw this on the shelf the other day, I had to pick up a bottle!!
Seems a pretty good candidate for a new xmas drink!






{Non Alcoholic Tipples}

Lots of us don't drink when were at Parties, designated drivers, on meds, children sharing drinks etc so its a great idea to have a few non alcoholic drinks available...

No quite sure how this one came about other than, the children wanted a cocktail on xmas eve....

{Kids Christmas Eve Cocktail}

Add 1 tsp sugar to a tumbler 
Add 2 quarters of lime and muddle
Add 1/2 glass of crushed ice
Top up glass with lemonade
Decorate with loads of umbrellas and gawdy fab decorations!!! 


{Mock Champagne Punch}

Combine I litre of chilled sparkling water and chilled ginger ale.
Add 3 cups of chilled white grape juice.
Serve immediately in champagne glasses


{Mulled Wine Alternative}
I'm not claiming to have a recipe for this only a tip on what I do... take a normal mulled wine recipe and substitute a red grape shloer or similar for the wine. I've also just warmed up shloer with a mulled wine spice bag in it to infuse flavours, adding sliced clementines!
Quick, easy and infinitely quaffable!


{Christmas Coffees}

Add some christmas flavours to your hot drinks with a teaspoon of syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, caramel, this list is as long as your imagination!!
Spinkle on a festive design to your cappuccinos....

Chin Chin! And remember to drink responsibly!


Monday 12 December 2011

{Inspiration} Tuesday Dance Night - Are you Swinging?



If you're one of my followers over on facebook you'll know Tuesdays are Dance Nights for me and the hubby!!

We signed up a few weeks back for Lindy Hop dance classes with Hoppin Mad in Bath. We've really enjoyed our first few classes, not to mention dressing up for them! To begin with I'd been wearing a skirt and blouse combo in various guises....






Last week though, it seems as though a few of us had had a silent memo to switch to trousers!! Quite a few of the ladies had gone from dresses and skirts to swing pants so here's some inspiration for swing inspired outfits...

 Lets Start with the shoes....

As you can see from the piccy above, I'm a bit partial to the two tone variety!!!

Saddle Shoes
If you're a beginner dancer, flats might be a more sensible option...

WingTip Mary Janes




HeyDay

 These suspender pants are very tempting!

I love these tie tops with the trousers, but just for the next few months I'd go for a jumper instead



And actually, to get me out of the house on those cold January nights, I'd be awfully pleased if Santa brought me a pair of these wool ones!!



I really can't to wait to buy a nice swing dress for the spring, but until them I think Swing trousers should do just fine! 
What about you? What do you like to go dancing in?

*edited to add - we found our classes through the website Are You Dancing if you are in the UK you can search by area for classes and dances near you!

Sunday 11 December 2011

It takes a while to get a 1940s look!!


I'm not quite sure everyone realises how long it takes to pull together a 40s look.
I've read articles that timetable a housewifes beauty routines and these often involve a couple of hours before bedtime plus another in the morning! Now there is no way I ever would have time for all that and I positively salute all those vintage girls who take time to pincurl or set their hair in rollers ever night - I really am a panic at the last minute girl!

However, having an invitation to a christmas luncheon this afternoon I  set out with the very best intentions and did very well!!

I picked out my new Heyday Mary dress and laid it out last night, I  planned the rest of my accessories and set them out too. I even went to bed early like a good little girl!

This morning I  started my hair and makeup routine a couple of hours before we were due to depart. Of course, like clockwork my victory rolls flopped and I had to redo my hair in an elegant sweeping style instead- no worries, this is why I started so early!! All this was made easier as the children were at nanny's on a sleepover.  Taking a break, I rang nanny to see when she'd be dropping them back? 'Quarter to twelve' was the reply! Right, 11:45 that gives us 35 minutes to change the childrens clothes and head back out the door. No problem, I went up to their wardrobes and laid out a choice of outfits for them to change into (aren't I good - still smiling smugly!) The children return informed by nanny 'be quick now! We don't want you to arrive late for the meal', eagerly they run upstairs....

"Muuuumy I can't find my tights!"
"I've put your white socks on the bed"

"But I'll be cold, I want tights!"
"Ok!"
 I run about looking for a pair for her,finally i find tights - unfortunately with holes!!
Hubby runs to drier to retrieve another pair of tights, but they're still wet!
Puts tights on radiator to dry whilst reminding son he needs to apply brylcream to his hands before he rubs it on his hair or he'll end up with white lumpy bits
"but thats how daddy showed me to do it"
run upstairs and show daddy how to apply brylcream, whilst fixing a brooch into my hairsytle as an elegant flourish!
Run backdownstairs, grabbing vintage handbag and gloves!
Check tights are drying - they're dry -yay!!  Give them to daughter and lend her bobbypins so she can do her hair, whilst running out the door

Head out to the car, get in and check clock 12:30 'is that clock right' 'yes!'whoops we're supposed to be there! Drive quickly and arrive at Hotel!

As we are going in, stop and ask hubby to take a photo of me *daggers look*
'what?'
'we're late remember?'
'oh yes'

Finally we find the room where everyone is having pre dinner drinks. We walk through the door and everyone turns to look at us and smiles! Hey, hopefully we did something right!

Surely they must realise, it takes a while to look like this!!!!







Saturday 10 December 2011

A Little Fifties Christmas!!



I started writing this post as a compilation of a few of my favourite Christmas Songs! It soon became pretty obvious they were all hailing from the 1950s, so I thought why stop there? So heres a little bit of inspiration to add some 50s fun to your christmas this year!!

I'll kick off with my favourite christmas songs.....


It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas - Bing Crosby 1951



Baby It's Cold Outside - Dean Martin 1959



Frank Sinatra - Let It Snow, 1950


Now your in the mood it's trime to send out your xmas cards....

from stylised baubles from the V&A


to cute retro kitties found here

sending retro christmas cards can spread the 50s love!!!


Decorate your finest 50s tree
(you are wearing your matching xmas circle skirt aren't you girls?)
Image via JoCo
Don't forget the tags for the presents...







Change into your fantastic Christmas dress 

VivienofHolloway have simply dozens of perfect 50's styled dresses to choose from!!


And don't forget your Apron!!



I'll leave you with this darling little clip of a family's christmas day in the 1950s....


Wishing you all a fabulous Fifties Christmas!!!


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