Rock-a-hula Baby

    

Have you seen darling Vix's post, where she challenges those of us experiencing what seems to be an endless winter to throw off the woollies, the fur and the boots, and wear something inappropriate?

My lovely friend Tania and my favourite supermodel Tamera have both done it.

So have I!

OK, so I didn't follow the instruction about floatiness, but I thought a vintage Hawaiian frock would flick a cheeky two-fingered salute to the wintry conditions which have continued to engulf the UK.

And I can tell you that leopard print faux suede t-bars were definitely inappropriate footwear, my feet got soaked in the snow. How I suffer, just for you.

Flowers and feathers? Yep, and not a woolly hat in sight. 

Ooh, a little bit of sunshine? Yes please!

Love the scooped back of this dress and the extra fabric in the pleat detail.

And because it seemed like a good enough way to spend Good Friday, I had a play around with my hair (I have limited skills in this area) and the new effects on PicMonkey (easier to manage than hair).

It's my natural radiance.

Littlest liked it, so she got the same treatment!

Don't let the angelic look fool you. She can be a holy terror. 

 

No doubt my mother would say the same of me.

1950-60s Hawaiian dress (flea market, worth every penny of the £1.70 I paid for it)

Shoes, feather fascinator, wool shawl, 1950s carpet bag, 1980s cats' eye sunglasses - Ebay

Bangles - charity shopped

Tights and chartreuse flower - retail

Orange flower - gift from fabulous Melanie Coconut

The camellia has buds, and the mini daffs are surviving the snow.

Spring will come. Eventually.

I am fondly imagining that I look a wee bit like the beautiful Brodie of Camelias and Crinolines in these photos. 

Maybe Brodie's mum...

Or older sister, let's settle on that.

Anyway, she's gorgeous and she sews like a dream and you should check out her blog if you haven't already.

Now banish the winter blues with a burst of hula-ing Hawaiian fun from Elvis.

Go on, really move the grass around!

   xxxx

        

   

Weird weather, Mary Poppins, and the Perfect Man

Hot and sunny yesterday; humid, thundery and wet today.

The British summer continues on its unpredictable course, making the decision of what to wear each day just a little more challenging.

There's a short sleeve maxi dress under there, and I started out with my trusty denim jacket on top, but I found this little Gap jacket on a stall at Chesterfield flea market this morning, and rather liked the Victorian riding outfit vibe.

I have been on the lookout for ever for a vintage carpet bag I could afford. Today was the day!

Love! Handmade carpet deliciousness with a gold frame, cute clasp, and bamboo handle. 

At £15, it was more than I usually pay for anything, but the stall holder reduced it from £20, and it's less than I have seen them for elsewhere. 

These photos were taken at around 11.30am. You'd never know it, it looks so dark and dingy.

I feel a bit like Mary Poppins today, with my umbrella and carpet bag.

I love the original Mary Shepard illustations. And the books are so much better than the Disney film.

I was out last night at our local pub quiz, doing badly as usual.

I've mentioned before that we bring our own prizes to share among our team, since we are clearly never going to win the jackpot...

I won...

... this fabulous 1970s cocktails book, just the thing to inspire me to fill my 1970s glasses.

I donated, but managed to win back (the rules are complex, I won't bore you)... 

If any of you single gals out there would like an Instant Inflatable Perfect Man, just let me know! I've got to warn you though, he's a little on the short side...

I love the Please keep packaging for future reference instruction. 

So if it turns out he does go to the pub and plans stuff without you, and gets drunk, and he stops cuddling and understanding you, you can presumably get a divorce refund.

Other scores of the week (to add further credence to Vix's assertion in her recent post that there are still bargains and vintage goodies to be found in British charity shops;

1950s Peggy Page polka dot dress (£5) and Liberty print cotton tiered gypsy skirt (£3.25)

And one other find...

The lovely Vintage Bird Girl featured her collection of these plastic-covered card sewn boxes (what a thoroughly inelegant description, she calls them hanky boxes) in this post, and I commented at the time that I had never seen one before. Then what do you know, I stumbled across this in a charity shop. 

It's so true, you never know what you're going to find next, just keep looking and prepare to be surprised. 

A motto for life perhaps!

Now the sun is shining again, the hem of my dress is drying, and Four Seasons in One Day is playing on my internal jukebox.

      xxxxx