Frocked Up To See Frankie

Here's the pretty frock I wore to see Frankie Valli on Tuesday night

A quick snap taken on our way back to the car after the show. A three km bushwalk! It was a beautiful moonlit night, so I'm not complaining, but I bet the poor people parked near us, who left their headlights on, had more than a few choice words to say when they arrived back to their car after an esky laden trek through the bush! It would've been a long wait for the RAC, that's for sure!

Anyway, have another look at my lovely vintage frock



I bought "the Juliet" as it's so sweetly named, from Kris at Dear Pearl Vintage. To say I was thrilled with my purchase and the service I received would be a massive understatment. I have been a tad unlucky with the frocks I have bought online so I tend to rummage for them myself, this time (as you can tell) I was not disappointed. Not one iota. This is how Juliet arrived

sweet little hand-made hair clips, a gift from Kris

If you like to dress with a vintage edge Dear Pearl Vintage is well worth a look-see. Kris has lots and lots of gorgeous things to tempt you, and they're not too pricey either.

Kris also has a v.nice blog...anyone who lists Margaret Preston, Florence Broadhurst and Nancy Wake (among others) as Aussie women who inspire her is o.k. by me.

Now, a quick word on Mr Valli...we had an awesome night, Frankie's voice filled the air. Especially when he belted out that falsetto he's famous for. Our possie though, was not the best...this was our view of the stage

!

we're there, somewhere, among all the senior citz!

Here's a review, if you're interested...

x

Tea Towel Tuesday

Tonight Anth and I are going to Kings Park to see Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Frankie Valli have a listen to this. Some of you might remember it from the bar scene in The Deer Hunter (1978) I tried to upload that clip, because it's brilliant, but for some reason I found it impossible...it's really worth checking out though, here's a link to make it easy.   

Anyway this post isn't about Frankie (more on him and the band tomorrow. Or the next day) I mention him to explain why I only have time to post a tt pic and run. I have lots of other important things to do, like washing my hair, mending my frock, painting my nails...you get the picture.

We need to leave early to get a good possie and I've got to get a move on (I'll be in trouble if I'm late. Anth is big on punctuality) so here's today's tea towel, sans words.

I love the shape of those fish, don't you...

x

 p.s. I just had a quick thought, some of you younger chickadees probably know "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" from the Heath Ledger flick 10 Things I Hate About You.

My Top Five Covet List

Pippa from Ouch Flower is holding a blog link up today.
Her idea is to come up with five "things" you'd put in your shopping trolley if money were no object. And it can be anything! House, car, piece of art, etc as long as it has a modernist/retro/vintage vibe.

Hmmmm...just imagine the possibilities...

Anyway, here is my current list (I see it as a fluid thing, constantly changing as I discover more and more lovely, interesting, covetable stuff)

1. The Iwanoff House

here it is in all its concrete glory

designed by Iwan Iwanoff, for his family in 1966

I have written about my love for Iwanoff buildings on this blog before, here and here. This is one of my favourites, what an incredible home it would be to live in and call my own! Sigh. Just one little hitch though...it's not for sale! However, if money were no object I wouldn't let that stop me! I'd march up to that front door, make a wild and crazy offer and Voila! It would be mine!

More info and lovely interior pics here and ten more Iwanoff's to perve at here. Do have a look - they're awesome.

2. A vacation in Palm Springs (can't get more modernist than that!) I'd go in February so I could attend Modernism Week and stay here

Ace Hotel, Palm Springs

3. A Paul Davies painting (this one would be quite nice...)

a snowy Seidler House

4. A Wembley Ware dhufish vase

image via

I have a few smaller pieces, but I have always, always wanted one of these!

5. A little vintage Australian-made caravan like this one:

1965 Globe Trotter (same vintage as me btw)

a cubby house for me to play in and it would make running away easy too!

O.K. that's my list and apart from the Iwanoff, not too pricey either (and even that when it sold last year, wasn't waay out of reach. If I won Lotto i.e.)

What I'd really like at the moment is someone to do all the prep work for our kitchen reno (we've decided to make do and mend) I have been patching and sanding all weekend and (to put it nicely) I'm over it!

Click to see what lists other (much more interesting people than me!) have put together. Great blogs too btw.

Pippa
Dana
Donna
 and
Stacey

x

  

Vintage Teatowel Tuesday

I thought this tea towel was Italian...

My Italian teacher was obviously on the money when she wrote "Kylie does not have a natural aptitude for languages" on my report card in Year 8 because this tea towel hails from Wales (absolutely brilliant at poetry though, as you can surely tell!)

Croeso o Gymru means Welcome to Wales. It would read Benvenuti in Italia, if it was Italian. Stupida! 

I made the mistake because I bought it from a little old Italian lady, with a pile of others that were made in Italia. I should've had an inkling it was Welsh because the lady depicted on it is wearing traditional Welsh national dress (and I'm sure I had a Welsh dolly in my Dolls of the World collection when I was little...)

Can anyone explain the significance of the spinning wheel?

Lots of famous people were born in Wales: Laura Ashley, Roald Dahl, Tom Jones, Lakota and even the Super Furry Animals(!), but my favourite Welsh person is the one and only Dame Shirley Bassey who was born in Cardiff in 1937.

Here's a gorgeous pic of a young Shirley

image via

Beautiful, but with Shirley it's all about the voice. I especially love her Bond theme songs (because I'm crazy about old James Bond movies) so I'll end with this

Crank up the volume!

***

A quick aside...

Check these out

gorgeous flower pin cushion

These are handmade by Sarah from scraps of fabric. I think they'd make a sweet pressie for a sewing friend, don't you? If you'd like to know how to make your own, Sarah has put together a nifty little tutorial on her blog. It's very easy to follow. Sarah's a teacher so she's good at stuff like that. Click here to check it out. Sarah's blog is lovely too btw.

p.s. great craft-it-forward idea if you're stuck...

and you can check out Tammi's c.i.f. here (it's a nice one)    

dining room inspiration...

I love everything about this dining room. It appeared on the cover of March/April Vogue Living Australia way back in 2006 and I have been carting it around with me ever since. When I bought this issue we were still living in our gorgeous modernist home in the hills of Perth. I had no idea at the time that we would sell (sniff) this house and buy our current funny little shop/house closer to the big smoke. Our new house reminds me very much of Paul Hecker's cottage in Daylesford and this photo (and the others in the article) give me hope that a house built in the early 1920's can successfully pull off a modern uncluttered look and that although we live in a cottage, it doesn't have to look cottagey.

We expected our renos to be in full swing by now, but nothing could be further from the truth. Can someone please tell me why something as architecturally simple as a big(ish) white, light, clean box should be so bl**** expensive? The quote we received on Friday was shocking! 

even though we'd given up some of the features we really wanted (polished concrete floors for example)

So it's back to the drawing board for us I'm afraid (not that we actually left the drawing board in the first place)

This week we are going to check out some prefab options available in Perth, something a bit like this

image Nordic Homes

Which would involve demolishing half a century of (extremely ugly and badly built additions - as much as I love the 70's you should see the addition that was cobbled together back then!) hoisting the prefab in place, and making some sort of connection from the original house to the new. It could work and it might look quite nice.

Having said this prefabs aren't as inexpensive as you might think, so I'm not holding my breath or getting excited about this option...yet.

Anyway back to Paul Hecker's lovely cottage. I'm no interior designer, but how's this for a start...

they almost mimic Paul's beautiful Royal Copenhagen faience plates, don't you think? A tip shop version anyway. Just need one more...I don't like even numbers...actually make that two more, I'm not really keen on that light brown one hmmm....

And although I know this has nothing to do with the price of eggs (or renos!) a quick c.i.f. memo to end:

I am happy to say I have five lovely people to join in. Thanks girls. Please don't forget to send me your waist measurement, colour preference and address.

Here's the skirt I made for Claire

and check out the pretty skirt Lea made for her little girl here. It's gorgeous Lea.

enjoy the rest of your weekend x

I'm off to the airport to pick up my husband. Yay! I've got his nurse's uniform ready - I've got the flu and need some tlc.

Not Skirting Around The Issue At Hand

At the risk of flogging a dead horse skirt, here's a quick update on my Craft it Forward situation.

As I type this I've only had one taker. Lovely Tammi from little poppa.  This is your skirt Tammi. I know how much you love yellow so I'm crossing my fingers that you like what I came up with. I used a pretty vintage hanky to make the pocket

and I think it's very sweet.

I know some of you were concerned that your bottoms might be too big for a pillowslip skirt but there is actually plenty of fabric in one pillowslip to cover even the most luscious of bottoms. Honestly. So don't let that stop you.

this one is a goodbye pressie for a girl I work with

(she's off to the mines - everybody in the West seems to be heading North these days...)

pretty little cross-stitch doiley pocket

They are a tad on the short side, but that's where tights come in handy. Right. 

The finished length actually depends on the size of the pillowlip and not all vintage 'slips are the same size. Some are bigger than others. If you're tall and want to keep your privates private (and let's face it who wouldn't!) I can use a bigger pillowslip or add an extra piece of fabric. Easy.

this was a lovely pillowslip (it looks like it was screen-printed) and I think it makes an even lovelier skirt...

And remember if one of these little skirts isn't for you there's always the kiddo option...I've got some lovely Holly Hobbie pillowslips which would make the sweetest little skirts...oh and one made of flanelette, pink with deers, which would look very cute on a little girl with chubby legs, just learning to walk...

this one is for a little girl mad about ballet

I

hope

she likes it 

Lastly I want to mention that there's no hurry to repay your c.i.f. debt. It's taken me more than four months, probably five, to get to this point. If you want to play along do it when the time is right for you. No biggie (I have never used this expression before, but it sums it up perfectly...)

this one's for my A (you know, my ardent feminist) she chose the 'slip and it's my favourite so far. It's quite faded and I really like that...

how gorgeous is this old doiley...

I am not a crafty person and this is not a crafty blog. You all know how easy these skirts are right? What I'm trying to say is your c.i.f. thingy doesn't need to be fancy or elaborate...it can be anything as long as you make it yourself.

O.k. I've done the hard sell, I'll leave it with you...there are four skirts available, please give it some thought.

more details here

Sorry. All skirted out.

Thanks Kel, Claire, Mel and Bron. Yay!

x

Oh and a quick but heartfelt thank you to Tam and Loo for the lovely "ladies" they sent me

my little bookcase is groaning! last count 63 lovelies (a group of ladybirds is called a loveliness btw. perfect. thanks Tam)

Vintage Tea Towel Tuesday

Today's tea towel is all about flowers, but thankfully it's nothing like last week's bad 80's country cottage number. This one's a decade older, and it shows (in a good way) The phrase "Flower Power" fits it to a t.    

an Aerolyn design

pure linen

made in Poland

It's loud and proud, a bit like the hippies who protested against the Vietnam War in the late 60's and early 70's.

(I know I'm drawing a long bow here but I've got to pad this post out...somehow!)

Ever wondered where the term "Flower Power" came from? These pics will give you an idea...

Jane Rose Kasmir faces-off against soldiers October 1967

image source

George Harris sticks carnations in gun barrels during an anti-war demonstration at the Pentagon in 1967. Photo by Bernie Boston. Image source 

It would be quite at home in Alice's kitchen (if her bench tops weren't red)

don't you think?

image source

And besides all that, it also has a pretty crocheted edging.

Bonus!

x

I Don't Know Whether to Laugh or Cry

You probably know that yesterday was International Women's Day. My daughter attends an all-girls school and every year to celebrate and honour exceptional women, one of the students creates an artwork which the school turns into a postcard.

The idea is for the girls to send the card to a special woman in their life who has "influenced and shaped you into the magnificent young woman you are!"

Here's the card:

and here's what my daughter wrote on the back of hers:

I'm sure this isn't quite the message the school was hoping for!

As I said I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Or be really, really cross. What would you do?

Tonight she and I are going to have a little chat about women like:

Emmeline Pankhurst 

Vida Goldstein

Edith Cowan 

May Holman

and all of the strong, resourceful, determined women in her own family...and that's just for starters!

p.s. it's not too late to put your name down for a vintage pillow slip skirt. Just click here 

    

On Monday I ran up (I like saying that) one of Sophies pillowslip skirts. It was a sinch - even for a sewing hack like me.

This one's for Em to thank her for the vintage Ladybirds she gave me.

I hope you like it Em. Tights will be de rigueur I'm afraid. It's terribly short. Far too short for someone like me who's short skirt wearing days are long gone.

sweet little vintage doiley pocket

Now I'm wondering if you'd like one too?

I have a mountain of pretty vintage pillowslips and a Craft it Forward debt which is long overdue... 

If you (or a little girl you know) would like a skirt like Em's, and you're willing to play Craft it Forward please send me a note. Include your favourite colour, fitted waist measurement and address and I will whip (oooh I like saying that too!) one up for you. Open to the first five people, anywhere who comment on this post.

btw, I have some really lovely flanelette pillowslips, soft and cosy, perfect for wearing in Winter. Let me know in your comment if you'd prefer yours to be made with flanelette.

Now before you hit the comment button, I'd better fill you in on what you need to do to C.I.F.

you must post what I send you on your own blog and pass it on (send something to the first five people to comment and so on...it can be anything, as long as it is handmade by YOU)

I will confirm my five c.i.f. people in my next post.

Here's my next sewing project(s)

a tad(!)ambitious, but I'm determined.

(just a few vintage pillowslips I could use to make your skirt btw)

Now please don't leave me hanging here girls...

x

Tardy Tea Towel Tuesday

Today's t.t. is a day late because when I got home from work yesterday (38 degrees c, no air conditioning!) blogging was the last thing on my mind. Autumn? Yeah right!

I was going to give it a miss this week, because (in my opinion) this tt is particularly uninspiring (so much so that it keeps getting shifted to the bottom of the pile) Then I decided if I don't get it out there, that's where it will stay...languishing at the bottom of a pile of much smarter tts forever...poor old thing!

And anyway, this year I've decided to post my tea towels as I come across them...so here she is. Taa - Daa! It's finally her turn to shine!

I'm not even sure if it's vintage...I've actually got a suspicion it's a vintage wannabe and not the real Mc Coy. Maybe that's why I don't like it, hmmmm?

I found it at a garage sale with three or four much older "proper" vintage ones. I know its got a bit of age, I'm just not sure how much. What do you think?

I've always loved their little faces

In the language of flowers, pansies mean loving thoughts.

It's funny, because even though I love flowers (and there are lots of pretty flowers on this tt, including a few of my favourites) it just doesn't grab me. Unlike last week's, which I adored (slightly o.t.t. here) Maybe the flowers on this one are just too pretty...

shyness

Actually, I think it might be that garden bed in the middle that completely wrecks it for me, it would've been much nicer without it (and those big letters spelling out GARDEN BED! it could've done without those too)

patriotism

Nasturtiums are one of my favourite flowers. I love the colours and the way their leaves "catch" a single raindrop and hold it there glistening like a little jewel.

O.K. I've given this t.t. her five minutes of fame, and I don't think I'll put her back in the pile after all...I've got other plans in store for her (devious hand rubbing, maniacal grin) she's going straight in the third drawer down where she'll be used to dry the dishes!

N.B. you do know don't you, that in our house, this is not an honour?

your presence soothes me

x