Lavender's blue

Ahhh, what a lovely first week of the school holidays; the delight of waking up naturally, rather than at the beep of an alarm, cannot be underestimated.

Small pleasures.

Several bags of clothes have been donated to the nearest charity shop; the kids took a bag each, I was laden with three, and we tottered along the road in a line like Mother Duck with her ducklings, with varying degrees of complaint.

I was too hot, so I complained the most.

I find myself accepting all offers of kids' clothes, and as a result rarely have to buy anything for Owen and Nina (although I do for Claudia, as sadly we don't have a handy teenager passing things on to her).

This is great, of course, but it does mean I end up with far too much, more than they could possibly wear, so a judicious edit was overdue.
 

I really appreciate the circuit of children's clothes which goes on amongst my friends, and the fact that my kids have no problems at all with wearing secondhand clothing. I can't imagine the prohibitive cost of dressing three kids at normal retail prices.

It's always a risk to stop and have a look around the charity shop to which you have just donated...

Especially this particular Barnardo's, where everything is priced at £1.49.

Couldn't resist!

I assumed they were new (there is no label), but underneath they are stamped Made in England. 

Nothing cheap and cheerful is made in England these days, so could they be vintage? It doesn't much matter, I just love them - can't walk far in them, but who cares?

The darker patch on the platform is because I had just sponged off a patch of pink glitter. If that doesn't say 1970s glam rock, I don't know what does.

1970s Debroyal maxi skirt - vintage fair

Top, shoes, bangles, flower, and blue beaded necklace - charity shopped

Turquoise heart necklace - gift

Floral reversible tote bag - made by me

I can't claim that I thought very carefully about the combination of this new-to-me top (yes, also £1.49) and the 1970s maxi skirt, but in the event, I find I like the dainty floral of the top against the bold splashy print of the skirt. 

 

Same colours too.

The cats are loving the warm weather, and have become real outdoor creatures. Jess always was, she roams far and wide (look at her trotting along, so purposeful) but Min and Willow are homebodies and usually like to be in the house. Not any more, they are all out enjoying the sunshine. Charlie likes to stretch out on the table, doing his Dead Cat impression.

 

Tomorrow, I'll be having a browse around the Sheffield Vintage Fair, and I'm also participating in a focus group run by the University of Sheffield and the University of the Arts London about shopping for fashion and purchasing energy . 

Apparently alternative viewpoints are welcome, which is just as well; I know nothing about current fashion, and my purchasing energy is limited, and directed at vintage sellers and charity shops. But I'll let you know how the discussion goes!

Have a great weekend!

Edited to add - I'm taking my hair flower over to Judith's Hat Attack!

xxxx

Don't fix it

Who knew we were actually going to get some warm weather this summer?

As usual, I am caught on the hop with unshaved legs, but that's when maxis come into their own!

I am frequently described as glamorous by other mums and the staff at school; this really couldn't be further than the truth.

Here I am, sporting unshaved, untanned legs; scruffy hair needing a wash, not to mention a root touch-up; ancient clothes, and cheap jewellery.

It's amazing how people are fooled by the sight of a long floaty dress and hair flowers.

This dress is another firm favourite. 

I'm horribly predictable; square neckline, print, angel sleeves, full length.

Who cares? If it ain't broke...

1960-70s cotton maxi dress - community fair

Bangles, sunglasses and hair flowers - charity shopped
1960s Lord Python steel pendant - gift from beautiful Vanessa

Silver/marcasite ring - vintage street market

Mosaic ring - Pia (sale), years ago

I seem to have been busy this week, without necessarily achieving very much.

I spent a whole day sticking labels on work books at school - such a simple task, but soooo time-consuming.

One of the teachers said if I hadn't done it, she would have had to take them home to do in the evenings. Year 1 will have 80 kids starting in September. Three work books each. That's a lot of books.

Anyone who criticizes teachers should spend a few days in their local primary school. The staff I spend time with are incredibly dedicated, hard-working, skilled professionals.

This dress was a 99p find on Ebay.

Made from a lightweight cotton voile fabric, it's a bit see-through but a vintage slip sorts that out.

The seller bought in in the late 1960s in London, and wrote in her listing that it has been a happy dress and she wanted it to go to a good home.

It is; it has.

It has a big turn-up on the hem, which I'm going to let down when I get round to it, to make it a better length on me.

Otherwise; neckline, sleeves, print; yes yes yes.

Told you - predictable.

Eldest had a transition day at secondary school this week, and loved it.
Littlest ran her heart out at sports day.
Seldom Seen has been loaned a suit for the Black Tie do in August, and wants to wear a bow tie, to be like James Bond.


But enough about those pesky kids - let me show you the real star of this family's show.

Jess.

 

Contender for The Most Beautiful Cat in the World?

 

I think so.

Minnie and Charlie, rocking the monochrome.

Three guesses what happened a few seconds after I took the photo bottom left. One look at Charlie's evil face is all you need.

And here is sweetheart Wills, the shy one.

Car boot tomorrow morning, barbeque with friends in the evening, seeing Thea Gilmore on Sunday.

What's happening where you are this weekend?

 xxxx

I haven't got a stitch to wear

My week has continued to be fairly quiet, but that's no bad thing - from this weekend on, the pace hots up and I need to build myself up to it!

Eldest has her Y6 residential in Scarborough next week; five days away with school friends and teachers, she can't wait. 

My charity shopping this week has been limited to picking bits and pieces up for her, including two pairs of unworn shoes (Rocket Dog and Kurt Geiger, no less), a total of £8 for both.

On my chazzing travels, I often see designer and expensive brands - they usually aren't my cup of tea, but if you want Monsoon, Reiss, Karen Millen, Jigsaw, Ted Baker, etc, you can certainly find them among the tatty Primark and New Look.

 

It's my birthday next week, but we are going out for a celebratory family meal tomorrow, since Eldest will be away (and obviously doesn't want to miss out.)

 

On Saturday it's our local festival, including a car boot, followed by another annual tradition - Park Night!

 

My mates Trace and Sue always celebrate the summer solstice with a few drinks sitting on the hill in our local park. There is a magnificent view of the city from there. It will be my first year in attendance, but I am reliably informed it's a very civilised affair, no Special Brew, Thunderbird or White Lightning, since we are Ladies.

If it rains, we will be in Trace's kitchen instead...

 

I know - it's a glamorous life I lead, rummaging at a car boot, mooching around a little local festival, then drinking in the park.

 

However, in August, I will be attending a truly glamorous event, and need your advice/suggestions, ladies. 

 

My sister is hosting a joint party for my brother-in-law's 60th and my niece's 21st birthday. It will be A Very Posh Do, and the dress code is Black Tie. 

 

I have never been to a Black Tie event before, and don't know what to wear. I have dresses galore, of course, but they aren't really evening wear - or are they? Do the men have to wear dinner jackets or is a decent suit OK? 

This dress, for example - would this do?

Yeah, I know I wore it today to go to Chesterfield and do the school run - why not wear a gorgeous midnight blue 1970s evening dress to do those things?

But is it Black Tie?

I'm about to be 49 - why don't I know this stuff?

 

Help!

 

 

 

1970s Shubette maxi dress - vintage fair

Bangles - charity shopped

Peacock pendant - vintage street market

Turquoise/silver mosaic ring - Pia jewellery (sale, old)

1960-70s stainless steel/blue ring - charity shopped this week (£1.50)

 

 

 

 

Just giving you an idea of how it might look in action on the dance floor...

Apart from planning my weekend activities, dealing with stray greyhounds, bee gazing, and developing a bad case of wardrobe angst, this week brought a delightful surprise in the form of gifts from lovely Jo, who blogs at Joyatri.

 

A fabulous woven belt, a good read, and Men in Crimplene - perfect!

Thank you, Jo - I hope we can get together during your next stay in the UK.

 

You may make your own jokes about my retro bush.

(Oh dear, there go the search term stats again...)

 

And I look forward to hearing your thoughts, experiences and advice on Posh Dressing.

xxxxx