Well now, June certainly got away from me this time! Unlike so many other industries, Winter seems to be my busiest time of the year, running pillar to post trying to fit everything into fifteen plus hour days, seven days a week. So as penance for my appalling absence this month, I’ve set aside the most of July to catch up on all the things I’ve yet to show you, all the articles half written, and all the video tutorials that are awaiting the editing room.

It’s become clear that my usual planning skills, although pretty darn good, just haven’t been up to the task of the last month; so I’ve decided to bring in the big guns and get myself a copy of the new book by fellow blogger Nicole Avery, “Planning with Kids” from the blog – Planning with Kids of course!  I’ve spent so many hours in airport lounges of late, that reading and browsing bookshops has been like a spotters sport. It’s always smile worthy to see a friends name on the shelves.

I love the addition of the little plastic T-Rex on the cover – that’s often how it feels when you have two (or more) small people after your attention all the time.

In order to make sense of the whirlwind of a month I’ve had, I thought I’d do a little mini photo diary for you over the next few days. Partly to remind you what I look like, I’ve been so absent this month; also in part because it all gets so mad at times that I forget what I’ve done from day to day and it’s nice to look back and take a moment for it all the sink in.

So back at the end of May, I headed up to Queensland for the Garterbelts & Gasoline festival. You’ll remember we had a bit of a vintage shopping tour and all kinds of tiara’d shenanigans. That’s where the next six weeks of craziness began…

Because we like to travel in the style we’re accustomed too (nothing to do with how much luggage we have..) we arrived in the stretch limo, champagne in hand. Yes, I know; it already looks like trouble!

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Oh so demure at breakfast as we fortify ourselves for the day ahead… but you wouldn’t believe what some of these ladies could put away!

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This really had to be seen to be believed, but on Miss Nada’s plate is the biggest single scone known to mankind -and she actually did it!

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Miss Nada, Me, Miss Chrissy and Bonnie Rose – hanging out and shopping up a storm in Mt Tambourine.

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Do we have fun? Ummmm… well I can tell you that onlookers certainly do when we hit the streets!

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The festival had a fantastic little art show, the only disappointment for me is that all the pieces I loved weren’t for sale!

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But of course it wouldn’t be a nostalgia event without the Show n Shine part of the weekend. We ladies are all partial to a bit of vintage transport, and spending the afternoon wandering around through all this shiny, shiny eye candy is sometimes more than you can bare. So of course we make sure to take a few snaps of our favourite to add to the wallet as a reminder of why we need to keep on saving out pennies for a few of these beauties of our own!

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Bonnie Rose shows her wild side.

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Harry Deluxe, the indomitable Rockabilly chanteuse, goes with something red hot to match her red hot voice.

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and me, well I was rather partial to this sleek and dangerous number.

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But what about when the lights go down? Silly question – we have a good old knees up!

Candice DeVille, Bonnie Rose & Helen McLean.

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Yes, indeed I do dance; in fact dancing and shopping are currently vying for first place in my list of thing I love to do.

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Bonnie Rose and I propping each other up after a very long weekend.

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And that’s only one weekend in May! As I said, I’ve lots of catching up to do as I get a chance to go through all my images from the last month, so if there’s something you’d particularly like to see, let me know and I’ll see if I can dig something up for you. And thanks for sticking around while I disappeared!

Xxxx!

Let me set the scene for you. After a weeks worth a delightful, sunny, seaside weather; Saturday decided to bucket down in the most unfriendly manner. And with ten girls all ready to hit the stage in their scanties, Saturday’s parade was sadly a wash out and so we all called it a day and went back to get in a bit of a Nana nap. Lucky we did because…

Sunday’s weather wasn’t much better! But determined to give the crowd something to remember, these valiant ladies rallied together to pop on their fancy knickers and set off running to and fro in the pouring rain.

My thanks go to Brett Dolson Photography for these wonderful images of the afternoon. He has a wonderful gallery full of beautiful shots from not only the parade, but the whole Wintersun week – check it out!

Put together by Bonnie Rose Vintage, the show featured highlights from lingerie, swimwear, day and evening wear of the 1940′s and 1950′s. The ladies all did a wonderful job of modelling the garments, many for their very first time, showing grace under pressure and always ready with a smile.

It’s likely all this has whetted your appetite for something more, so isn’t it fortunate I have another big show right around the corner?! This SUNDAY 26th JUNE, I’m hosting a traditional 1950′s Salon show at Como House & Gardens as a part of the Mannequin Exhibition. It is set to be a stunning event in the grand ballroom, featuring beautiful garments from both local and international labels including Dior and Le Louvre. The show commences at 3.30pm and tickets include a glass of champagne on arrival, as well as entry to the full exhibition.  I’d suggest you book a ticket immediately as there are only a handful left! Clickety click!

If you follow me on Facebook you’ll have a pretty good idea of where I disappeared to this last week. As usual, I leave town with all the best intentions of blogging while I’m away, then find myself working and or socialising every minute of the day… and night.  The last week in Port Macquarie was no different, with so much to do that I somehow managed to do a whole week on no more than 3 hours sleep each night! Yes, self inflicted torture but what fun!

Having never been to Port Macquarie I didn’t really know what to expect of the town. In fact I had done so little research that it didn’t even occur to me that it would have a beach… duh. And while the weather was wintery as to be expected at this time of year, the entertainment was so hot that we had an unforgettable time.

Getting to Port Macquarie meant a 5 hour layover in Sydney (my bad planning), so I decided to be conscientious and use the time to answer emails while watching the planes taxi off. So I sat by the window, tapping away furiously on the laptop catching up on emails, when an older chap (not elderly by any stretch of the imagination), came and sat beside me. Concentrating, I kept on working away, typing like a demon until about 45 minutes later he interrupts to say, ” My you’re a busy little beaver. Is that work you’re doing there?” Of course I smile and say, “Yes, I’m catching up while I have a chance.” Imagine the stunned expression on my face when he gives me the look one gives a clever child and says, “Now who would give such a pretty girl so much work to do?” Seriously… WTF?! But the lady in me won out over my inner bitch and closed the conversations politely so I could get back to the task at hand.

Being someone who travels to all manner of places, I’m not much fazed by different locations and having to think on the fly; but one thing I always forget is that people aren’t quite used to me.  So stepping off the small propeller plane onto the tarmac in Port Mac with the locals awaiting their loved ones, faces pressed up against the wire fence; my cashmere, full skirts, sequins, dark glasses and hat boxes were quite the sight! This is when you feel a bit like Moses parting the Red Sea… but it is useful for getting to your luggage quickly!

And how beautiful was the first morning…

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Breakfast in the sunshine with the fabulous Miss Chrissy

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I’d like to tell you that each morning was this leisurely experience kicking back in the sun, but generally we were all working so flat out that not much sun (or rain) was seen.  The beauty of mixing pleasure and business on these trips is working with friends, but it does mean that you don’t really get a chance to see all the cars and performances. We spend all day at different ends of town on our various gigs, so of course when the sun goes down…. all bets are off!

My buddy Scotty Baker and I pose for another “Classic 50′s moment snap shot”, of which there were many.

So after a little healthy pizza parlour action for the crew we were sufficiently fortified to hit the town!

A little from my personal party photo album of the week…..

Casual night for kicking up the heels with a bit of Swing dancing.

The fabulous Catherine and Bonnie from Bonnie Rose Vintage

Tara from Lucky Trix, the suave Scotty Baker and Miss Chrissy.

The incredible Heather from Pretty Things Peep Show and Miss Catherine.

yes… the usual suspects.

The Rockabilly Diva Miss Harry Deluxe entertaining us at the after party.

We might possibly be the most glamorous party animals ever.

If you’d like to see even more of our rabble rousing and secret videos, check out my Candice DeVille Faceboook page. Now that I’ve managed a few good nights sleep I’m back on deck and ready to tackle the next project. Stay tuned tomorrow for a look at the big Wintersun 2011 vintage fashion parade in all it’s finery!

Winter in Australia can be really miserable what with the rain, sleet and all round bad weather; especially in Melbourne. But in June, there is one absolute lifesaver of an event that will fix every kind of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Wintersun!!  This fabulous nostalgia festival has been running for the last 24 years and is going from strength to strength.  This year for the first time, it is being held in sunny coastal town of Port Macquarie, where all of my favourite vintage festivities will come together.

Originally begun as a bit of a Show n Shine type of event, Wintersun has grown and morhphed into the biggest and most lauded nostalgia festival in the country.  Running over ten days (yes that’s 10 big ones), there is everything from cars to pin up girls, markets, vintage fashion fairs, vintage parades, the best swing and rockabilly bands from around the country, dance work shops, fashion and style workshops (that’s me amongst others), and more retro contests and activities than you can handle!

I’m telling you about this now so you can start planning your winter get away and shining your dancing shoes. In fact, let me give you an idea of a common day at Wintersun for me…

9am – breakfast on the balcony, swathed in silk and watching the shiny, souped up classic cars drive by.

10.30am – a bit of a promenade down the street with my vintageous lasses, arm in arm as we head down to the market.

10.45am – pose for photos with cars enroute and eye off the talent.

11.00am – find beautiful vintage frocks at market; squeal with excitement and make deals as to who gets what without loosing an eye.

12.30pm – lunch on the terrace at main street, checking out dapper chaps from behind our sunnies and making plans for the evening.

2pm – Vintage fashion parade – strut some stuff.

4pm – Hanging out en’masse in our apartment, doing each others hair and talking beauty tips (yep, super girly)

5pm – Cocktails and comparison of purchases. More excitement, donning of sequins and a little dancing around the living room.

7pm – Dinner with as many suitably attired people as you can muster, all descending upon a local establishment where Mojitos are on the menu.

8.30pm – Arriving at the first band venue

Until at least midnight – (or 3am for some of us)- Continue to dance until you can’t stand up, laugh, joke, chat and give those vintage frocks the time of their lives.

….. then do it all agin the next day!

So just what is in store this year? Well read on and click through to Wintersun’s VINTAGE ALLEY for information and ticket details for each event.  Be there or be Square!

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Tickets for all Wintersun events can be found here!

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And you know what… you can even apply to be the next Face of Wintersun!

So book your tickets, pack your suitcase and come hang out with me vintage style!

Garterbelts & Gasoline isn’t just all cool cars and red hot bands, it was shopping too!  We’d been anticipating a big day of touring around the mountain for some time, and when we realised it would coincide with the Royal Wedding we thought it only best to add tiaras and sashes to our ensembles.

As you well know, a big day of shopping with around 32 other ladies would require some stamina, and certainly the right outfit, and so I planned to wear something cute and comfortable.  The lovely Em from Miskonduct Klothing sent me this stunning little birdy dress to wear. Handmade in the UK to a 1940′s pattern, it is simply to die for. It is one of those heavy cottons that hardly wrinkles, and is nicely lined in the bodice too; but it is the print that has me all gaga.

Birds and blossoms? Just too, too good!

I did feel a little silly posing around in the ‘bush’ in my tiara, but really, how often does one get a chance to break it out?

Anyway, once we’d finished faffing around with our spangles, we headed off to meet the ladies, get them sashed up and hit the shops!  None of those nasty party buses for us though, Miss Chrissy had organised the Mount Tambourine replica trolley to chauffeur us for the day.

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Very regal don’t you think?

Of course, no ladies day would be complete without kicking off with a High Tea, so we stopped at Felicity’s with her rooms of retro treasures and scones. And boy was I going to need those three espresso’s!

When we got to Amanda Darling’s and Helen’s it was sighs of joy all round as the ladies whipped things off the shelves faster than you can imagine. I was waiting to see if any feathers would fly over fedoras or scratches over sequins.  Luckily, the stunning red sequinned number I was eyeing off went to my friend Bonnie, so I can crash tackle her for that another day if need be.

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I found the cutest little posy of velvet violets to pin to my hat, but if you look closely you’ll see the tubs of tiaras that kept asking for my attention too. In fact, I have trouble shopping in groups as I’m not quite sure where to divide my attention… well that’s the excuse I gave when I put my hand up to go back and visit for a little more shopping the next day!

It was then at Kitty’s Vintage & Kitsch that I scored the most divine red, white and blue plasti-cane bag as well as had the time to try on a dress or too.

It was really the most divine day, like hanging with all your best friends on mass in your own slice of heaven.

Le Sigh…