Lady in red and lady luck.

Image from Debra Lynn Mejia's etsy store.

I consider myself to be a lucky person.

I have soooooo much to feel thankful for. I adore my life and know that I am blessed .

But I am not lucky in the respect that I win things.

The best I can boast is a  $14 win at lotto, or a meat tray won at the local pub. I am definitely not one of those naturally fortunate people that have money and prizes raining down on them.

(In my family we call people like that, "tinny" and shake our heads and lift our eyes to the heavens when speaking of those "tinny" ones as if they are some strange other worldly creatures.)

So you can imagine my utter delight when I discovered I had won a giveaway from the gorgeous Jessica at Chronically Vintage (her knowledge on vintage is only surpassed by how truly lovely she is!).

Me? Won! What the?

I was lucky enough to win a beautiful illustration from the very talented Debra Lynn Mejia and chose the "Lady in Red -Lola" water colour knowing that it would have the perfect spot in my daughters room to hang.

Isn't it perfect?

My daughter adores her new picture and I love how the red in the painting plays off the red of the wall.

The illustration is beautifully done and Lola is a vision in her amazing red dress with her rolled hair and cats eye liner.

 A HUGE thank you to both Jessica and Debra for their generosity. 

Maybe I am luckier than I thought. I may just have to go buy another tattslotto ticket right now!

A dash of mustard

I have been a little obsessed with mustard lately.

Not the spice, although  a good creamy mustard sauce is pretty fantastic.

No, I'm talking about the colour. Not quite yellow. Not quite tan. Somewhere in between.

I have been adding a dash of mustard to lots of other outfits lately, like this op shopped floral frock.

I have also been trying mustard with colours like red, cobalt, green and black. Mustard just gives some colours a zing and some kick.

Whilst I have some spiffy mustard accessories to spruce up an outfit, like this over sized plastic link necklace, pleather belt and little bag, my taste for mustard was not sated and I wanted more. MORE!

So you can imagine how chuffed I was when a pair of adorable mustardy tan  heels practically leaped from the shelves on a op shop jaunt last week. And to discover a vintage mustard bag and brooch in the same week was the icing on the cake. 

Huzzah for mustardy goodies!

I really love mustard with black!

Of course I had to pop on my marvellous mustard for my lunch out last Sunday. My me-made Nana curtain skirt from this post so long ago, has always been too large around the waist (shoddy workmanship!), but on this occasion it worked perfectly to fit in my big lunch!

This neck lace has really been getting a work out lately!

Isn't the brooch cute? I have no idea what stone that is - any clues?
I have some amazing mustard fabric that is dying to be made into a dress, and I recently found a fab 60's frock with big splatters of mustard and red on a black background, so I am pretty sure my obsession shows no signs of waning.
Do you ever get obsessed with a colour?

An ode to cardigans

Dear cardigans, oh how I have missed you during the scorching days of summer!

I would glance longingly at you whilst I baked and wilted and I wondered if I would ever need or know your snuggly warm embrace again.

But hurrah, for we have been reunited again recently and the weather has allowed me to bask in your loveliness and feel comforted and safe once more.

It has truly been wonderful to have some milder weather, let me tell you. Cardigans, tights and slightly heavier dresses have been unearthed and allowed out to play. Yay for cardigan weather!!!

Yay for completely impractical  handbags too! Come on, we all need some sparkles to gives us a lift sometimes, and I thought the pretty pearl and beaded op shopped cardigan would love to have a stunning vintage blingy handbag to be friends with.

I have always steered clear of white or cream (possibly due to my innate messiness and tendency to spill everything down my front!), but have found a few lighter shades that seem to go with just about everything.

Who would have thought I would be seen in beige, but I think the pretty pinks picked up this outfit.

And the fabulous hand bag that I rediscovered at the back of the wardrobe and seems to go perfectly with this skirt.

 Silly faces and some crazy poses with the Little Miss helped pick up the outfit as well. That never fails to add a little zing to an ensemble!

Oh, hello Little Miss!
Hope everyone has had a lovely relaxing weekend. We have been hanging about doing housey stuff (there always seems to be something that needs repairing!), walking the dog, and am just about to embark on a long leisurely lunch at the local pub. If only the weekend could be a bit longer!

Out, damned spot!

And why do I look so damned smug?

Because I am extremely impressed that I managed to remove this.

Can you see that gross stain that sat taunting me on my new-to-me op shopped frock? 

Yep, yuck, I know.

And I normally steer clear of any stained clothes, but this dress totally spoke to me. Hell, it sang in sultry tones and I just had to have her despite her terrible coffee stain. But victory was mine because after a good soak and two washes the stain was gone and those beautiful shades were unblemished once more. Huzzah for Exit soap! No props for the unfeeling op shop worker who would not reduce the price of the dress though!

So my beautiful frock and I spent a perfect Sunday of the long weekend, having a fun BBQ with the in laws, and I somehow managed to keep my pretty frock with nary a spot or stain. Very clever of me, who somehow attracts every piece of food to her chest and lap, especially when said food is coated in a gooey, drippy sauce.

The in laws recently moved in to their newly built house in the country and their garden boasts some beautiful spots to relax already.

The kidlets adore their grand parents and playing all sorts of games with them that usually involve making lots of mess.

And now let me show off the dress again!

Such perfect shades of pink, mauve and aqua, make it a favourite already.

And it wouldn't be me if I didn't tell you that it made me insanely happy to match one of my other newly op shopped acquisitions.

I bought this bag in a fit of "my-3-year-old-is-about-to-have-a-tantrum-and-I-must-exit-the-shop-pronto", and I bought it because I loved the colour but thought it was an el-cheapo modern version, only to be very happily surprised to find it a high quality vintage.

I also found this darling recently. I'm not exactly sure if she is a vase and don't want  to test her ability at holding water but she is doing a grand job of wearing some fake flowers as a stunning headpiece.

Hope everyone is having a terrific weekend!

Getting my fat on at Fat Bobs

I apologise  for being absent lately.

I am tardy with reading blogs, commenting and responding. I am terribly tardy with clothes washing, grocery shopping and cleaning but that doesn't seem to matter as much.

But I have actually, finally, belatedly, done some homework. Huzzah! Yay! Go me! I'm not finished or even close to be honest, but I am giving it a red hot go. I have battled the evil procrastination monster, given it a swift bitch slap to the head and told it to bugger off!

And whilst I was feeling virtuous, responsible and rather grown up (not my normal state of being let me assure you!), I did something else......I joined the gym!

Which is definitely something else I have been putting off for ages.

Now, I haven't quite become one of those people that "enjoy" exercise yet. I mean, come on, how can a person enjoy having a sweaty crotch, beetroot red face, and feeling as if I am about to simultaneously pass out and throw up. Who wants to feel humiliated and mildly retarded because they can't coordinate their limbs like everyone else. Not pleasant. Not fun. Not enjoyable.

But I cracked a smile during Zumba the other day and didn't want to throw myself in front of a car at the thought of returning to the treadmill. So that is progress, right?

After all that huffy puffy, the last thing you'd expect for me to do would be to hit up a burger joint last weekend, but that is exactly what my little clan did. (And that is why I need to go the gym!).

We had heard wonderful reviews about Fat Bobs and it really didn't disappoint.

Check out this bad boy!

Crunchy, sweet onion rings so good I could marry one.

I was really jealous of my sons lime spider and burger as the kids buns tasted like toasted do nut. 

Heavenly tasting but terribly wicked on the weight!

It wasn't the cheapest burger I have ever had but it was really yummy and the restaurant itself was filled with the most amazing memorabilia and vintage signage.

And now after that splurge it is back to the treadmill. Arrgghhh!

How do you feel about exercise? Do you despise it or love it?

Any tips on getting fit? (besides not going to burger joints!)

The powers of attraction

Please forgive my thrown-together-going-to-the-market ensemble.

I am definitely not sold on this outfit but have been dying to wear this newly op shopped 70's skirt with its gorgeous colours, but with its slightly too big waist and my laziness to put a few darts in, it has languished on my sewing pile. (I like to call the sewing pile the "mountain of misery"!)

I also haven't found just the right shade of pink top to pair it with (I know, I know, but these are the things that keep me up at night!)

But I threw caution to the wind, threw on the skirt anyway for a spot of treasure hunting at the local market.

And after scoring some vintage purple gloves for $3 (I am aiming to own a pair of gloves in every shade!), I encountered the phenomena I have spoken about on this blog before.

Colour attracting colour.

 It just keeps happening to me!

I discovered a lovely stall with a girl clearing out some vintage bits and bobs (alas, all the clothing was waaaayy too small for this curvy lass!) and lo and behold, two stunning vintage head pieces in the exact shades I was wearing. Fate! Perfect match! Meant to be!

Aren't they just divine? And do you see how beautifully the colours marry?

Does the universe do this "colour attracting colour" thing with anyone else?

Go on, wrack your brain and try to remember if, whilst out thrifting/op shopping/marketing, the clothes you are wearing determines the goodies that you find. Hmmmmm?

Now, it is definitely not an isolated incident. Two weeks ago I was all decorated with red accessories, when my hand magically stopped rifling through the clothes rack at the Salvo's, to alight upon one of the most stunning, the most bargainous red Stop Staring dress that ever was.

I think it was one of my proudest moments when I swapped my $13 for that beauty and then found it on line for almost $200. On sale!

Wearing this.

Found this!

Isn't she amazing? I can't wait to wear her but feel she deserves a special night out (and she also needs some bloody good underwear to keep my curves under control!).

Please tell me if you have experienced these powers of colour attraction, or break it to me gently if I may just be imagining it!

PS - A big thank you to Sacramento for your lovely shout out!