This darling image via Flickr

Here’s a special post dedicated to all you wonderful vintage mummies out there. Especially those of you who, like me, are in the midst of school holidays and the challenges that brings.  There are always loads of general holiday activities for kids at these times, but I thought I’d share with you some of the activities I’ve organised for my girls that have a bit of a vintage bent.

You can scale the complexity of these options up or down depending on the age range of your own mini me’s.

The Art Gallery -

Most cities have art galleries with free or cheap entry for children. Do a little research into which exhibitions are currently showing and pick the one the most sparks your imagination. Spend some time a day or two before hand planning out your art gallery adventure together. Look at some of the images online and plan some thematic outfits for them, because after all, you won’t get away with dressing them like 19th century urchins or mini Monets very often.

Pack snacks, drinks, drawing pads and crayons. Then when you break for lunch, let them start drawing their own versions of the art they’ve seen.  Give them a wall at home to tack their new art works to and invite some friends or family around for their gallery show.

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High Tea -

Yes, there are venues that are running High Tea specifically for children, but you may not want to go to that expense. Hosting your own proper High Tea party, even if it’s just the two of you, can be a blast.  Break out a cute cloth, the cake stands and make up your own finger sandwiches – even if they do contain Nutella. But most importantly, dress for tea.

Here’s where party dresses, petticoats, tiaras and reams of faux pearls come into their own.  Add in a few nome de plumes, creative back stories (‘I was a Baroness, I just gave up my title.’) and you’ve got yourself one memory worthy of the Lifetime Chanel.

Treasure Hunting -

No complicated maps involved in these hunts.  Just a child sized handbag (or backpack), a little pocket money, a calculator (for mum/dad) and a list of the four top op shops or thrift stores in your town. Okay, I’ll admit this one is a little sneaky as it means you can do your own treasure hunting while they do theirs, but that’s half the fun.

Giving a child a small amount of money, freedom of choice and the chance to start learning about their finite resources, is fun and educational. (Gulp) This is one activity that helps to shape the vintage treasure hunters of tomorrow.

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Sewing-

Yes this may be too advanced for the very young, but there is a way to start developing those important sewing skills.  Choose an image that appeals to your child, and find a line drawing version somewhere online. Google Images is fantastic for finding basic clipart for these sorts of projects. Print out and paste this onto some card.  Following the lines, use a hole punch or skewer to perforate holes along the lines, keeping some space to make sure it doesn’t tear.  Giving kids a needle at this point might not be the best choice, but there’s another good option. An elastic threader! The ‘point’ is actually a dull ball so it doesn’t prick, but it has an eye opening at the other end.  Using different coloured wool, they can then start to ‘sew’ along the outline of their pictures. And there you go – basic sewing skills are born.

Flower Pressing -

We’re going a bit Victorian here as far as activities go, but this is one activity that just keeps on giving. You’ve got the flower picking (great for a bit of alone time for you), the identifying (thank you Google), the pressing and drying (under all those encyclopaedias they’re unlikely to use thanks to the same Google), then the craft activities that come from there. Turning the flowers into gift cards, book marks, decoupage; you name it! It doesn’t have to be fancy, just a bit of craft glue and clear sticking plastic (or ‘contact’ as we call it here), and let them go wild.  It’s far less messy than glitter and they’ll learn even more along the way. Another fun fact to add into this activity is finding out what each flower means, the old language of love. Does your flower mean friendship, passion or parental sanity?

These are only a few of the activities in store for my girls this school holidays. And the best bit about these activities is that it gives them even more fodder for their imagination. Basically, think outside the square, think like a child, and think about how much fun things can be if you see everything as a new adventure.

What other activities can you add to the list? Share it is the comments.

*A blast from the past post*

Okay, maybe spark plugs are not what I can help you with, but the question remains; are you ready for Winter?  At the beginning of each new season, the magazines are full of tips of which boot / glove/ dress you need to survive the season. But one of the things I almost never read about is how to make the most of the wardrobe you have from last year!  So instead of giving you a bunch of advice on how to spend your money, today I’m looking at some of the key ways to ready your wardrobe for winter without spending a cent.

Autumn is the perfect time to start preparing and planning for the cold rainy days ahead. We get the odd cold day, but there is still enough sun to fool us into thinking that winter is still far away – until we’re caught out.

1. Boots & Shoes

If you’ve bought well in previous seasons you should already have at least one decent pair of winter shoes. Now is the time to make sure that they are up to another round of keeping you dry warm and stylish.

Check each pair for strained seams, check the soles for wear and check the join where the upper meets the lower.  If any of these areas is looking worse for wear make sure to take them to your nearest cobbler and have the small inexpensive repairs done. A little bit of sealant may mean the difference between wet or dry.

If the soles are worn or just looking a bit slick, have them replaced with a textured rubber to stop the potential for bruised butts and egos!

The upper should always be polished or nourished, depending on the finish.  Rather than carrying loads of different coloured polishes, I rely on “Zanolin”. It is a clear leather moisturizer that you can use on shoes, bags, seats etc.. It is one of my secret weapons in bringing vintage pieces back to life and will give your shoes a new suppleness and glow.

2. Woolens

At the end of last summer you should have washed and packed away your woolens, giving yourself more wardrobe space and protecting them from moths.  Now is the time, while we still have a few warm days, to get them out and get them freshly washed.  Use an eco friendly, eucalyptus bashed wool wash  or alternatively if you don’t have that on hand, a gentle shampoo with a few drops of eucalyptus oil will do the trick.  Make sure that you always hand wash woolens (even if they are acrylic I still recommend it), squeezing as much water you can from them, then drying flat on white towels to help them keep their shape.

Once they are washed and ready, check each one over for any repairs by holding them up in the sun and looking for holes that aren’t a part of the knit.  If you don’t know how to darn, now is the time to learn.  It may look or sound complicated, but it is quick, easy and can save you a small fortune.

Image by Yecatsml via Flickr

3. Gloves.

These guys take a beating each season, yet are so often forgotten when it comes to maintenance. Just like your sweaters, knitted gloves should be hand washed and repaired where needed.  But knitted gloves are also a quick and easy piece to fancy up with whatever your current obsession is.  All you need is a wool needle, things like beads, coloured wool or felt to sew on your own embellishments that are easily changed and removed with each year.

Leather gloves shouldn’t be washed but conditioned with “Zanolin”. Because these gloves are often lined, humidity can be a problem in keeping them fresh and clean.  I save those little packets of Silica that come in lots of products and keep them in the fingers when I store them.  If they get wet, dry the outsides then turn them inside out to air dry, but NEVER put them in front of a heat source or they’ll dry out and crack up.

4. Bags.

You don’t need the latest IT bag each winter,all you really need is a little care, attention and creativity. As far as care goes, the same advice applies here to leather bags as it does to shoes. Check seams, linings, hardware and leather condition.  Cobblers can also fix seams, hardware and split zippers on these.  When it comes to looks you can quickly change the look of your bag depending out your outfit. One of the things I like to do is to use big square head scarves looped and tied around the handle, choosing the scarf to match the outfit.  Then you’ll also have it on hand for rain, wind or any other of winter’s natural hair enemies.

The other one is using key chain clips. There are loads of commerically available charms, but I like to make my own; cannibalising old jewelery, kids toys or even bits of fabric to make over sized bows.

5. Create a uniform.

Now that you’ve made sure that all the critical winter pieces are in good working order, the other thing you’ll need to get you through the season is a uniform. A go to outfit that you can pull on in the dark, in a hurry or when getting dressed is an Everest of a task.  What your uniform is will depend entirely on your own style, but whatever it is make it easy.

The trick is to pull together pieces that are basic, simple, comfortable but in luxe fabrics that can be dressed up quickly with good accessories.  For me, my go to outfit is a long black cashmere dress. It wasn’t cheap, but it was a great investment. I’ve been wearing it each winter for the last six years and it never fails to impress. It feels like wearing pajamas, but throw on some sparkly earrings and you can head out to dinner.  A long, soft scarf and some boots, and it becomes perfect for the school run.

Your uniform should consist of as few actual clothing pieces as possible, relying on accessories to change it up. Choosing neutral colours is the obvious way to go, but you could always go with something like a dark plum in place of black, even chocolate or navy.

Think differently this Winter and rediscover the hidden potential in your wardrobe.

Remember, style isn’t about what you spend but how you wear it!

If there is one thing I love more than finding really cool stuff, that is making it.  There is such a greater sense of achievement knowing that you have made or customised something that no-one else will have. Something that reflects just the perfect vibe you felt at the time and that makes you smile each time you use it.

I haven’t bought a new purse in the longest time. Notice I use the term new, as buying vintage bags and purses is almost an addiction. My current set up is a full silver glo-mesh set, complete with change purse and key wallet. And while these are beautiful and going very well with every vintage outfit in my wardrobe, I do, (like every girl) want to keep my options open.

While I was shopping in Singapore I found so many cute purse sets, but I just couldn’t bring myself to buy one knowing that I had at least two at home that had been relegated to the back of the draw; shabby with over use. So when I came home and my girls wanted to have a crafting day with mama, I knew it was the perfect chance to break out the glue gun and get deco’ing!

Here is my okay, but somewhat tired purse before the deco madness.

Several years old, this Olga Burg purse is nice but just didn’t really have enough personality. So I set to work pulling out my “Great Big Box of Crafty Stuff”, and waited to see where the inspiration took me.

Always make sure you position your bits and pieces until you get the layout and balance just right. That way you know what needs to be added or taken away before you go crazy with the glue gun.

After a surprisingly short time and not one burt finger ( that had to be avoided at least once!), I’d managed to put together something quite cute and a totally re-invisaged version of my purse.

I thought about making this into a tutorial, but it is so painfully simple that it just seemed redundant.  But in case you want one, here it is:

* Take one purse
* Glue cool stuff that you like on it
* Fill with money
* Shop

* Take compliments on your seriously awesome, fully customised new accessory.

It may not be to everyone’s taste, but I hope it inspires you to make something special just for yourself. You may have already been hotly crafting up cool new things for this season. If you have make sure to leave me a comment with a link to where we can all see them too! If you haven’t been indulging your creative self lately, what would you like to make?

So, as it turns out I’m not the only lass with a famous blonde curl at the front of my hair. My twin of the tresses is about to hit Australian shores in March and rock (abilly) the socks off this country! Imelda May kicks of her national tour on the 2nd of March in Byron Bay before bringing her sound to a venue near you.

Here’s what’s been said in her press release…

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Chart topping Irish Songstress and Rockabilly Queen, IMELDA MAY is coming to Australia.

Since being handpicked as a virtual unknown by Jools Holland to perform on his show in 2008 Imelda May’s career has gone into overdrive.   Signing to Universal Music, the sultry songstress has dominated the Irish album charts.  Her stunning number one double platinum selling debut “Love Tattoo” has remained in the top 12 for 29 weeks, with hit singles Johnnys Got a Boom Boom and Big Bad Handsome Man attracting massive airplay.

Mayhem her brand new Album debuted at Number one in the Irish Charts and landed top 20 in the UK. Not only that, Imelda is the first Irish female solo artist to top the charts with an album of original material in a staggering 14 years.  And it doesn’t stop here.

Awards have flooded in for Imelda, including  ‘Rising Star of 2009′ by Hello magazine, ‘Jazz Artist of 2009′ by The Times and ‘The Next Big Thing’ by The Daily Mail and the coveted Meteor for Best Irish Female 09.

2010 got off to an auspicious start when Imelda accepted an offer from Jeff Beck to perform with him at the Grammys. This was followed in April by a two-night support slot in London with one of her idols, Wanda Jackson.

This year Imelda performed at Glastonbury, T In The Park, Womad and Ireland’s Electric Picnic as well as touring the UK in May and September. She also has three songs – including the legendary “Johnny Gotta Boom Boom”, and forthcoming single “Mayhem” featuring on the soundtrack to the new “Wild Target” film starring Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt and Rupert Everett.

“The problem with an artist like Imelda May is that she’s so good, it makes a critical review almost impossible to write; her performance is flawless.” Clash Magazine”

This is where you are right to start getting excited. Want to sample a bit more? You can have a listen and get your free download of her new track Sneaky Freak here.

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And here’s the good news for you - you can WIN a Double Pass to the Australian performance of your choice!!!!

How to enter –

• Share a Shout Out of your favourite Super Kawaii Mama post with your friends.

You can do this on Facebok, Twitter, your own blog, a forum… anywhere that gives you a URL of your Shout Out that you can paste into your comment entry. Yes, you can provide a screen capture for your entry if you can’t provide a URL.

• Leave me a comment on this post that includes the URL to your shout out.

(Please state if you are over 18 years of age as this is an 18+ event only. Read the terms and conditions for more)

• Entries close at midnight EST FEBRUARY 27th (to give the winner time to plan their big night out)
• The WINNER will be chosen by random number generator according to the order your entry is posted in the comments. So the more times you Share a Shout Out and leave another URL to each one, the more chances you have of winning!!
• AND there is also a FANTASTIC runners up prize…..

A personally autographed copy of Imelda May’s latest Album!

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Terms & Conditions-

Entries are open to anyone living in Australia and able to redem their prize during the available Australian concert dates.

Super Kawaii Mama reserves the right to redraw a contest winner, should the first drawn winner not be able to accept the prize for any reason.

Please note: The concerts are OVER 18+ events. In the event that the winner is UNDER 18, the Runner’s Up prize will be allocated to this individual and the draw will be conducted again for a 1st prize winner of legal age.

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All tour dates, venues and ticket details are available on the official website here.

This week the big Ultimate Rock n Roll Jam Session you’ve heard me talk so much about, kicks off in Melbourne!  So as you can imagine I am running around like a crazy person for the next few weeks.  There is always so much to do, but oh so much fun to be had; and I want you to come and have some fun with me! The show officially opens this Thursday night and runs right through until Sunday 19th December, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get down. However…

This Friday 10th, (and next on the 17th) is 50′s Friday!! A chance to break out your fancy frocks, shine up your cars and come and enter the Best Dressed contest!  This isn’t just one for the ladies, but one for boys, girls, and cool cats of all varieties.  So come down to the Comedy Theatre and join me for a night of fun. Tickets are available now at Ticketmaster, BUT for one lucky reader and their partner I have a DOUBLE PASS to 50′s Friday for you! All you have to do is leave me a comment in the next 24 hours telling me why you have to be there, and the best answer as chosen by me will win that double pass!

If you’re extra clever you may just be able to snag another double pass for the winning Tweeter. Just tweet out a link to this post and the winner will be chosen by random number draw by 8.30am tomorrow! You can follow The Ultimate Rock n Roll Jam Session on Twitter here and add the hash tag #turrjs to your tweet so you make sure I can see you.

Right, well I’m off to start fancying up some special girls for Friday night’s secret fun!