Monday 30 April 2012

In the pink

I'm still unsure about pink, especially pastel shades. I can't help but feel a little like my youngest daughter in this outfit. That's probably not a good look on a woman of my advanced age...




But seeing some sunshine at last, after the torrential rain of yesterday, made me want to wear something light and bright and a little bit girly.


It wasn't quite warm enough for bare legs though, and my legs are still in winter mode - the world isn't ready for the sight of them yet.



                     Just checking my petticoat is in place. A girl always needs to check up on her undergarments.


I went to a Jumble Sale preview on Friday night. There was a time, B.C. (Before Children), that a Friday night was always a Big Night Out, but times have changed...

Still, the opportunity to go to a Jumble Sale preview along with the dealers in-the-know was not to be sneezed at. How I got invited to go along is like some bizarre Six Degrees of Separation spoof involving a friend, her sister, and the sister's ex-butcher, but I won't bother you with the details. Suffice to say, I was there in the queue at 9pm outside a Scout hall in a leafy suburb on the outskirts of Sheffield, ready for a rummage.

I did OK. The system seemed a little haphazard; everyone dived in, picked up whatever they wanted, shoved it in bags or boxes which were then left in a pile while you went back to search some more. When you'd done, the man in charge tipped out your items, ran a cursory eye over your selection, and came up with a fairly random figure. Some dealers were haggling; I just paid, without really knowing if he was overcharging me or not. It turned out I paid an average of 35p an item, which is fine with me.

So obviously there is too much to show you everything, I'll pick out the highlights. There was actually some vintage - yay!


                                             Burn, baby, burn - Disco Inferno! 1970s blingy disco frock.



                                       1970s frock, I think it will look fab with tan boots and my green hat.


   
     Another fantastic 1970s dress with a cape front and back. It's too small for me so to Ebay she will go.



 
Aquascutum wool wrapover coat. It's a bit big for me, and I tend to look like a sack of spuds in this style of coat, but Aquascutum? For 35p? It's a shame such a historic firm has just gone out of business. I'll probably store the coat till winter, then Ebay it.



                                                              Love the print on this duvet cover.



                      Who remembers Champion the Wonder Horse? These annuals are from 1957 and 1960.



                                                     No date in this one but oh so 50s. Anyone for tennis?



                                                                               1970s pomander.



This has to be the most curious item I found. I'm not certain, but I think it's an egg (ostrich?)  It's quite big, with a hole in the bottom, and an African village scene painted on it.



                  Goodness knows what to do with it, but who wouldn't want a painted ostrich egg in their home?


Although the egg is the Oddity of the Week item, my Star Find sadly didn't actually end up coming home with me. I spotted a leather hat box/vanity case, possible 1940-50s, lurking under a table and snaffled it, adding it to my pile. A little later, I noticed a woman taking it off my stash and adding it to her's. When I approached her, the hatchet-faced harridan with a Croydon facelift started shouting at me that she'd seen me take it from her pile, and yelled "I'm not arguing with you!" in a really aggressive manner, Err, really?

Short of kicking her in the shins, snatching the case, and running away with it to hide until she had gone back to whatever hellhole she inhabits, there wasn't much I could do. Should I have engaged in some unseemly tug-of-war over it? I am imagining a Melanie cartoon version of this, which is making me chuckle! She was lying - I knew it, and she knew it. But she left with the case. And I was left with my integrity and my dignity intact, but feeling pissed off.

                                                                   What would you have done?

                                                                      Oh well, it's only stuff.


Floral top, pink pleated skirt, petticoat, tights (charity shopped), pearls (jumble sale and gift from darling Miss V), boots (Ebay), knitting bag as handbag (Humpty-flashing Helga)


                                                                  After all, I'm a lady, not a fighter! 
                                                                                       xxxx     




Friday 27 April 2012

Back to my roots

I don't think I will ever live anywhere other than Sheffield. I have been here for 30 years this year. I consider it home, even if I will always be an off-comer to real Sheffield folk.

I headed north to attend university here in 1982, and never left. Before that, I lived in a small town in rural Buckinghamshire. I cannot imagine being able to afford to live there now, even if I wanted to. Coming to a big city was exciting, daunting, but ultimately where I felt at home. I'm an urban kind of girl.



I wish I could have worn this outfit to my first ever visit to a nightclub. It must have been 1978 or 1979, I was 14 or 15, and the nightclub was called Peaches, in Milton Keynes. That probably tells you all you need to know... Oh the glamour. Studio 54 it was not.



My wardrobe seems to reflect all the styles I wish I'd been able to wear but was either too young, too scared, or too poor to afford. But it shows it's never too late!
  



                     I found this fabulous 1970s lurex angel sleeve top on Ebay for £1.04. Bargain! Isn't it disco-tastic?








I always wanted a faux fur coat when I was young - they seemed so glamorous. My mother's wardrobe - and consequently mine, until I had some money of my own - was all about being sensible, serviceable and straight. Dull. My eldest sister had her fair share of maxis, lurex, platforms and floppy hats in the early 1970s, and I thought she looked great.



                                                      I'm making up for my sartorial deprivation now.


                                                                            You should be dancing, yeah.




                                                                       What you doing on your back?

For the 30+ years it's been since that song came out, I'm sure I've been singing What you doing on your butt? Lyric sites have informed me that is not correct. Who knew? Is it on your back or in the back? Is it saucy? Oh those Bee Gee boys...



                                                        If you're not John Travolta, don't bother asking.


1970s lurex top (Ebay), Fenn Wright Manson silk flares (flea market), beads and bangle (Hottie Helga), trashy pearls, feather headband, 1970s faux fur jacket, sequin beanie (charity shops), 1980s suede bag (won it in a quiz!), disco moves (years of hard work and dedication)

I can't quite remember what hideous concoction I wore to Peaches. I seem to think it involved a pencil skirt and seamed stockings, which doesn't seem very appropriate. I have obviously spent periods of my life dressing quite oddly, but by mistake. Now I do it on purpose and it feels so much better!



This is the label in my top, so I had to choose this song. I may never go back to my roots, but I will always love a bit of disco!


                                              So zip up your boots and have a great weekend, Disco Divas!
                                                                                    xxxx





Tuesday 24 April 2012

I never promised you a rose garden

                                One of the reasons we bought our house, 10 years ago now, was the garden.
 


By many people's standards, it's not very big or anything special. But we live in a smallish terraced house, and many that we looked at had small outdoor spaces. This was the biggest garden we saw attached to a house we could actually afford!



It's a long narrow space, but it has small terraces, lawn, pebbles, stone, decking, trees, flowers, sometimes vegetables and strawberries, and room enough for sitting, playing, barbequeing, socialising, and general pottering.



                                                                          And for posing, of course.




                                          The ornamental cherry tree is a monster, but has beautiful blossom.




                                              The birdbath and the statue were here when we moved in.



                                                                             I'm rather fond of her.


                                                                           Be still my bleeding heart.



                                                                      Jessie loves being out and about.



                                                                                    So do I.



                                                                               This is Willow.





                                                                         The garden makes me happy.





                It may not be Kew Gardens, but I hope you enjoyed the 50p tour, it was at the lovely Ariane's request!



                                                   Wallis maxi dress and cardigan, bangles, hair flower and necklace - all charity shopped.



And for no better reason than my love for old country classics - here you go. Sing along, admire Lynn's magnificent yellow frock, and wonder what the hell the audience are dancing to, cos it sure isn't this song!



Sunday 22 April 2012

On the sunny side

                                           I found this delicious burst of colour in a charity shop this week.

I am loving orange at the moment. The always gorgeous Vintage Bird Girl was kind enough to mention me in this post (I adore her frock), which really tickled me as I was wearing this dress at the time.We were in sync in our choice of bright colour and print!




It's a homemade frock, in very a lightweight synthetic fabric which doesn't half cling... even with a trusty vintage slip underneath. But the colours are oh so gorgeous.




I am having to wear my flat comfy boots at the moment since I stubbed my little toe on the stairs while chasing my Boy, the Seldom Seen Kid.  Since he rarely features in my posts (unlike his Blog Hog sisters), I thought you might like to see The Boy again, just to prove he exists. Here he is looking sinister with his Dad...




 
                                                                            But I digress.

I don't suppose it's broken (the toe, that is) but man, does it hurt, and I can't stuff it into heels at the moment... I am such a clumsy clot. I gave the Boy a damn good tickling by way of punishment.



1970s dress, belt, 1960s scarf clip and bangles (charity shopped), boots and 1970s sunglasses (Ebay), 1960s bag (vintage market), lacy shrug (clothes swap)


                                                                   
                                                                She looks just like me, don't you think?

Can I say a huge thank you to all my delightful followers, old and new, who commented on my last post? I did it as a joke, obviously, and had rather a I'm wearing a wig so no one will recognise me attitude to it. Then a couple of my "real life" friends saw the post and seemed a bit shocked, which somewhat alarmed me...

                                                                   Was it too much? No, surely not!

           I am so relieved that my blogging buddies get the joke, laugh along, and appreciate a bit of dressing up.
                                                                      



                                             So while we're on the subject of orange bri-nylon nightwear...



I bought this fabulous 1960s nightdress off Ebay last year. It was described as a dress, but it is clearly a nightie. Could I wear it in daylight hours as a frock? Would you?

 I went to a jumble sale on Saturday, which wasn't that great, but of course I managed to come home with a few bits and pieces.

                                                                          Look - more orange!


                                                                       1960s scarves, 10p each.



                                                                   1950s brooches, 20p each.
 




            There's more but I've got to cook dinner so I'll show you later. I hope you all had a delightful weekend!
                                                                                 xxx

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Pyjamarama!

Lovely Terri at Rags against the Machine has invited her followers to a Pyjama Party on Friday. Who's going? Come on, it'll be fun, she's got a special Secret Room and everything!

I have never been to one before, is it a uniquely American ritual? Or is it just the name that's unfamiliar? I've had sleepovers for my own kids, but I didn't ever have a whole gang of girls to stay the night when I was growing up.

                                 So my only reference point is Grease. I trust this is historically accurate.


         


                                                                 Fabulous, no? I've been inspired!


           Won't go to bed till I'm legally wed - don't think anyone's asking actually, not with that miserable face.





                                                                       ...I can't, I'm Sandra Dee!


                                           
                                                     I have never seen a Sandra Dee movie. But she is very pretty.



It's a funny thing but playing at being Sandy seems to make me very simpering and po-faced.  It's obviously no fun being a goody-two-shoes.                                                        

                                                                         As for you, Troy Donahue -   

 
                                                                                  

                                                                      I know what you wanna do...

                                                                       

                 I've brought hot chocolate and marshmallows, everyone. What do you mean, where's the booze?


                                                       Hey, I'm Doris Day. I was not brought up that way.


                                                       

                                                                                 I don't drink....

 
   

                                                                                    ...I swear!


                                    Well, maybe just a little nip of gin.  This is a little closer to the real me, ha!                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                           Keep your filthy paws off my silky drawers.                
                                        
                                                                     
                                                                          
                                                                            Elvis, Elvis, let me be!



                                                                       Keep that pelvis far from me. Phwooarr!



                                                       Just keep your cool, now you're starting to drool...




              Costumes - Sandy wears original 1940-50s lawn nightdress (gift from my mum)
                                                       wig (Ebay)
                                                       hairband (borrowed from Littlest)
                                                       basket (charity shop)

                                  Rizzo wears 1960s babydoll nighties (gifts from Hallelujah-it's-Helga)
                                                      wig (Ebay)
                                                      1950s silk scarf (flea market)
                                                      Gin (Gordons, we drank all the Bombay Sapphire...)




                                                                       Oh Sandy, how could you?

 

                                                                                Cheers!
                                                                                   xxx