After a month of illnesses at our place, everyone seems finally to be back on deck. A little tired and worse for wear in some respects, but all the better for the unexpected time together. So with the previously house bound in mind, we headed out the other weekend for Anzac Day on a family picnic.  The weather is just holding off, with sunny days, but chilly winds reminding you to make the most of it while you can.

We packed the basket, filled the thermos with hot tea, grabbed some extra layers to keep warm and a bottle or two of cider to keep the chill at bay. Way back in the day, family picnics were the norm when it came to weekend entertainment. When I was growing up, the whole extended family would meet in a park with baskets and bikes in tow, while Nana filled the blankets with all manner of home made slices, cakes and tea.  I have very strong memories of my Grandmother standing in the middle of the park in her apron, handing out golden Anzac Biscuits from a large tin. Some even had that soft, squishy texture of goodies baked that morning and hastily packed away for the day. I would then spend the day eating egg salad sandwiches under the shade of a large tree, reading with only ants for company until I was compelled to risk the safety of my knees on a little blue bicycle.

These are the sorts of things I’d like for my girls to remember. Not childhood memories filled only with Saturday morning cartoons, but the sorts of adventures they had themselves, exploring, eating, experiencing.

Miss Five in her Tram Conductor’s best

My lovely friend Mistress C.

Outfit Details

Pink Angora Cardigan – Made by Mum circa 1980

Pink knit top – Retrospect’d clothing

High waisted plaid pants – Retrospect’d clothing

Shoes – Keds

Snood – eBay

Flowers – by me

Cherry hairclip worn as brooch – My Little Rockabilly

Bag and scarf – Vintage

When it rains; when the cold bites at you and the wind turns your hair into something that rivals Worzel Gummage’s style; Autumn can get you down. Fashion turns to its regular rotation of burgundy’s, plums and browns; while our living room becomes a hibernation zone.  My Northern hemisphere friends are all presently extolling the virtues of Spring, yet here at home a lot of faces are making a sour move southward.  As for me, I’m taking steps to stop any seasonal jealousy before it begins, heading it off at the pass with a fabulous outfit and a good dose of colour – but not, this time, on me.

My back veranda is rather a shambles most of the time. Covered in toys, sand, puppies and whatever other detritus has collected over the week.  I do try to control it, but in my head this veranda has the makings of a beautiful conservatory area; if only I tried a little harder.  Given that I look out from my kitchen and living room onto this space, I’m trying to make it both better to look at and better to be in. That way on those grey days there is always colour at the window, and on those evenings when an escape is needed I have a ready made place to run to.

As I improve the space and tart her up a bit more I’ll show you the whole area. As for these pansies and planters, they are only a small thing really, but the feeling is so much greater.

I know Mother’s Day is still a little way off, but I was doing some rummaging around today and wanted to share this with you.  When I came across this photo I almost cried. Miss Two now looks almost exactly the way I do in this photo and that makes me fell a thousand things.  Not least is that I am so grateful to have had a well dressed mother who lead by example and taught me about style – not fashion. Who let me explore dress up boxes and wear what I wanted (mostly, although there were a few dodgy teen years there). Who taught me to see the value in a well cut suit, a second hand knit and to create with a needle what my mind would dream.

This photo is the beginning. It is the foundation of a lifetime of joy through style, of understanding balance, colour and harmony. It is one of the best gifts I was ever given.

xxx

Remember that fancy tea party the other week?  Well here are the outfit photos of what I wore.

It is super, super girly and was particularly appropriate for that kind of event; but it was also almost all vintage! Well at least half.

The dress itself I picked up at the last Way We Wear vintage fair here in Melbourne.  I was told at the time that it is an early 1960’s square dancing dress and it was one of a set of three all in different colours.  The seller even had the matching men’s waist coats and ties that would have been worn to dance with their beau. Awww.

It is made of some sort of metallic threaded, synthetic eyelet lace type material with no give at all so I don’t know what it would have been like for dancing!  Underneath is a baby blue tulle petticoat that has its origins in the early 1980’s and is a bit of a rough homemade job. Not to worry though, cause it did the trick and I love the colour – it was also free!

The stockings I found at Myer on sale and are from the Pins collection by Leona Edmiston There are a little too cheer for my liking but the spot pattern was irresistible.

Shoes – well what can I say? These are incredibly awesome “Japan” shoes from Wittner.  They are incredibly comfortable and you can even run in them with no difficulty should the occassion call for it.

*Please note – I am not attempting to do a pidgeon-toed, ingenue blogger stance here; I was just sliding down the hill!!*

Given that the scarf is all scrunched up tied to my bag, I thought I’d spread her out for a proper appreciation shot.

When I saw this hanging on the rack at Circa Vintage, I leapt for it like a rabid scarf hound! I’ve never seen anything like the print before and new it would be the perfect foil to a collection of many plain coloured scarves.  The bag was a bit of a sneaky sale rack find ($10!) at Equip, that cheap little accessory shop, and while I don’t tend towards small bags there are times that they are really the only chic option. That and it was ROSE print!

The right accessories really make or break this dress as I found out a few times when I just couldn’t make it work. Here’s a round up of the rest-

Headband – pinched from Miss Two

Earrings – pearl bows from Equip

Necklace – ‘Love’ on faux pearls from Equip also

Bow Bangle – Friends of Couture

.. and I think that’s everything!

*P.S: You’ll notice a few changes happening around here.  Please bare with me as I get everything finished and the kinks sorted out. *

You’ll remember me slaving away over a new creation here right? Well, here is the final product!

It was the perfect outfit for a summer’s evening dinner with friends.

As I was making the dress I was imagining all the combinations and different ways of wearing it, but one of the problems that always happens here in Melbourne with our unpredictable weather is deciding on short or long sleeves.  Thank goodness for Friends of Couture ;and their brilliant range of cardigans that came to my rescue.  This little darling is called “Daughters of Pleasure” and has the most delightful cotton lace detailing as well as cut amber coloured buttons. They come in a few different colours including greens and pinks, and if you’re quick you can still get your hands on them while they are on sale – reduced to $39.99!

Outfit Details

Dress: Made by me to a vintage pattern in a cotton sateen fabric

Cardigan: “Daughters of Pleasure” by Friends of Couture

Shoes: Grey patent leather bow shoes from Shoo Biz

Earrings: Vintage 1960’s clips on beaded earrings in  sea green shades. (Divine!)

I love this dress pattern so much, and I’m feeling so inspired at the moment that I’ve bought a whole new selection of fabrics to make some different varieties!

Let’s see how it translates into a whole range of looks!