Pimp my cabinet.

 

Remember my little blue friend that I liberated from a Vinnies' charity shop.

 

 

So sad. So lonely. So blue.

Well, he has finally had a little makeover with a bit of paint to add some zing....

 

 

 

 and ta dah!

 Park your peepers on him now.

 

 

Let me tell you, I couldn't be happier. Or prouder.

I spent most a public holiday weekend pimping him out (and perhaps getting a bit high from the enamel paint fumes - damn that stuff is whack!)

Although the cabinet has flaws (yes little bug that has somehow become entombed in the surface  I'm talking to you!), but all of the imperfections give it charm and character. And I'd rather drink the paint than do more coats to fix any of the issues, so full of "character" it is.

 

 

And can I rave about the colour.

Oooohhhh, I jut adore it!

It is so energising; so fresh. It just pops like crazy against our newly painted white walls.

Now before you go thinking I'm a crack DIY'er with all my skill and expertise and many hours of prepping, cleaning and painting this bad boy, I did call a furniture spray company just to enquire about the price of spraying before I had tackled my lovely.

Are you sitting down?

They quoted almost $900 freaking dollars.

How crazy is that? (That's a whole lot of vintage frocks and hand bags let me tell you!)

So that makes me appreciate my lovingly hand painted turquoise cabinet even more - bugs, brush hairs, streaks and all!

 

 

 

I added some pretty glass handles because a girl has to have some bling and my husband put a new shelf in and drilled some holes in the back for all those messy cords.

And we finally have enough room to store our record collection!

I now have to pull my finger out and get started on the cool shelves I want to hang above my great new TV cabinet. When is the next long week end?

Has any one attempted any cool DIY projects lately?

 

 

 

 

 

 



All I want for Christmas is a pygmy marmoset, and other tales from the Mogo Zoo.

 

I'm still laid low with a sinus infection and feeling very sorry for myself.

 (I'm like a demanding, whiny child when I'm sick - good times for all around me I'm sure!)

So why not  cheer myself up and play catch up on my final holiday snaps.

Whilst on holidays it was my sons 7th birthday and luckily we were told of an amazing zoo just a little road trip away in Mogo. And you know how excited I am by zoo's!

 

Whilst Mogo Zoo is fairly small compared to its big city counterparts, it is a lovely day out and visitors can interact with many of the animals with feeding sessions and are able to get up close and personal with lots of the zoo's beautiful beasts.

 

 

I could have spent all day being entertained by this little guy. He was a real daredevil with his death defying aerial manoeuvres.

 

 

Some of the cuties had me itching to give them a cuddle, like this adorable pygmy marmoset. Look at that little face! And I could have fit five in my hand bag (not that I had any thoughts of smuggling exotic animals out in my bag. None. OK, maybe I did).

 

Some of the animals were a lot cuddlier and sweeter than others.

 

 

 

And some I was happy viewing from afar.

 

 

We did have the opportunity to listen to an amazing talk about some of the beautiful white lions and watch them have a snack of chicken necks. Learning about the breeding program and the lions lifestyle was just fascinating. And watching them interact with the keeper, who obviously adored them was magical.

 

 

You really don't realise how HUGE they are until they are up close.

My daughter was however a bit disappointed that none of them roared and kept loudly asking during the presentation for them to say "Raaahhh" to her.

There were also some tears when she realised that she couldn't have a ride on the giraffes or zebras. Those zoo's can be such party poopers!

 

 

Feeding the deer was a much more appropriate activity for the kids and they loved the chance to pat those pretty faces.

 

 

OK, so I loved it too!

 

 

Something I probably didn't need to discover was that if any of the deer have untimely accidents or die of natural causes they are....ahem....."donated" to the lions. As the lions are so special the poor old dead deer become a vital part of their diet. So that just made me feed the deer more. Eat up and enjoy fellas whilst you can!

But I think the coolest part of Mogo zoo was Monkey Island.

 

 

Yes, some of the lucky primates had their own little island paradise.

And you could visit them in a little row boat!

 

 

This was as close as we got to Monkey Island though because there was some monkey unrest and domestic disputes going on and those monkeys were LOUD!

We all had a fantastic time and I think the zoo helped make my sons birthday a very special one that he won't soon forget.

Has anyone else ever been to Mogo Zoo?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A vintage frock and newly arrived goodies!

 

I spent yesterday doing a bit of this and that.

The weather was beautiful and sunny, and the op shops were calling my name with their beguiling siren song.

I was hunting down a few items from my "stuff to look out for". I always have a long list of beauties I'm on the hunt for and at the moment it is a purple cardigan, black belt, a vintage crystal bowl to keep hair accessories in, a candy pink hand bag, a taxidermied three toed tree sloth, and if I am particularly lucky, a mauve unicorn with a rainbow hued horn.

The list tends to get a bit more obscure as it goes on, but I am happiest when I am on the hunt, tracking down unnecessary necessities. 

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, as I really don't think we have the room for a unicorn at the moment), I didn't find anything on my list, but I did discover some cool old records.

 

 

I wore my recently remodelled  "Alcorso" vintage frock and am just loving the amazing black and white geometric pattern and beautiful orange and red roses.

 

 

I think it was the pussy bow at the neck that really  won me over though.

(Tee hee hee - pussy bow!)

 

 

 

I teamed my dress with my new to me vintage red capelet that was a recent etsy purchase.

 

 

And the best accessory in the world, Little Miss.

She just loves photo bombing my outfit shots!

 

 

These bad boys arrived in the mail last week from an eBay purchase and I was sooo excited to see that they are the "Graceland" brand, just like my op shopped green t-bars.

Isn't it wonderful when you fall in love with something on line, purchase it and find that when it arrives it is even better than anticipated!

 

 

I love having little friends for my new items. Now both Graceland lovelies can happily snuggle in my wardrobe and catch up on all the important shoe gossip.

 

And now I write this from my bed (yes, I haven taken to my bed) as I have finally caught the awful lurgy that has been doing the rounds in my wee clan. My body had fought so valiantly (I like to imagine a little Wonder Woman zapping at all the bugs inside me) but alas the flu now has me in its snotty, achy, broken glass in my throat grasp.

And now I think a nanna nap awaits.

Bye!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The dress that changed my life.

 

 

It sounds terribly dramatic doesn't it?

I can hear a gravelly voiced announcer intone, "It was the dress that changed her life!"

Dum dum dah!

So dramatic, but also so true.

 

When I ponder my vintage journey I realise that I have always loved the music, the style and especially the fashions of days gone by.

When everyone was listening to Bros in their faded ripped jeans I was bopping away to the Beatles and Elvis (unfortunately still in ripped jeans) and was dreaming of living in different times.

 I'd yearn to live the lives of yesteryear  literature heroines like Anne of Green Gables or Elizabeth Bennet.

I had always had that unsettling feeling that I didn't quite belong in this day and age.

I used to dread looking in my wardrobe. I hated myself in the jeans I felt I had to wear because everyone else was. I despised how I looked and felt that there was nothing that suited me in the myriad of chain stores out there.

Whilst I had always loved the fashions of my vintage icons (Audrey! Marilyn! Judy!) and would watch classic movies over and over just to glimpse the divine frocks and hats, I never even entertained the thought that I could emulate those screen goddesses and wear those fashions.

How could I? Sportsgirl doesn't sell frothy prom style 50's gowns! Never spotted an adorable wiggle dress in Portmans. And to my young and naive self those chain stores really were my only avenue of fashion self expression

Then I discovered this dress.

 

 

 

 

 

Just a vintage reproduction of a 50's style frock you may say, but the purchase of this dress was like an epiphany. I had never realised that there were labels like this "Black Roses" that made repro clothes (you have to remember that this was before the Internet was an everyday shopping tool - yes I am that old!) and in styles that I had long coveted and adored.

I began hunting down similar reproduction clothing,  but my poor young self could never afford such expensive luxuries. $150 for a dress? Are you barking mad?

And then I began to op shop and it dawned on me that I could perhaps unearth some frocks that looked pretty damn close to those lovely concoctions in my classic movies that were originals, not just repro's. I could also op shop outfits that had a vintage feel even if they weren't true vintage.

I began to go to rockabilly gigs and burlesque shows and the Internet began to become a vital mode of research in my vintage awakening. The more I immersed myself in this new lifestyle, the more I experimented with these new (old) fashions the more I began to feel like ME. I suddenly experienced the feeling of having my insides match my outsides. And it felt freaking AMAZING!

I feel great in vintage! I love the styles of the 40's, 50's and 60's and when I wear them, I feel beautiful. It is that simple!

I have battled many body image demons, and although I haven't won (do we ever?) the style of the dresses I love flatter my curves and never do I get so many compliments on my clothing as when I am wearing vintage or vintage style.

So this little frock with it's cool skull and rose pattern, is where it all began for me; the beginning of the long journey of discovering who I really was. The journey is, of course, still underway, but bloody hell I am enjoying it! (And I now NEVER wear jeans!)

I wore my epiphany dress to the wedding I recently attended (yes, skulls for a wedding - I was warding off bad energy!) with my Martin Moddel fur capelet and op shopped bag, belt and shoes and I danced the night away, petticoat swirling and swishing to the terrible 80's and 90's dance music that is traditional at weddings and I had a blast!

 

Do you have clothing that has changed your life?

 

 

 



Lets raise a glass on ANZAC Day!

Image found here

 

It is ANZAC Day here in Australia, which is our day to commemorate the storming of the beaches at Gallipoli in 1915 and a day to pay our respects to all those brave people who fought and are currently fighting for our country.

 

Image found here

 

I've mentioned before that I work in aged care, and I'm lucky enough to organise special events such as ANZAC Day services, which we actually held yesterday as today is a public holiday here in Oz.

I was so moved and inspired by the many memories and stories that my residents shared with us and despite being horrendously traumatic these brave people who served as infantry, in the navy, in the air force and in the AWAS, were able to express their memories with dignity, eloquence and often with humour (as befits the Aussie spirit!).

 

Image found here

 

 I heard tales of shattering loss, tales of amazing courage. I heard of tales that belong in history books so that everyone can read and understand the sacrifices made for the wonderful country we Aussies live in.

The brave and wonderful gentlemen and ladies that I'm blessed to know and work with served because they wanted to fight for Australia and our way of life.

But the people left behind; the mothers who said goodbye forever to beloved children; wives and girlfriends never to see their sweethearts return; family; friends, they also experienced such grief and hardship, so for all those touched by war, and those who fought (cheers to my brother who served in East Timor) and those who are currently fighting (my best wishes to Matt in Afghanistan), I salute you, and raise a glass for your courage and sacrifice.

 

Image found here

 

 

I will never forget looking out at all of the residents who normally are bent and weary by age, standing tall and proud as the anthem played, medals shining on their breast and the love for their country clearly shining on their faces.

 

 

 

 

 

 



A butterfly dress and a perfect country idyll.

 

I have to get it all out of my system.

I need to purge all of my holiday out of my system in a gigantic explosion of photos and memories so I can move on.

(Or maybe that now I'm back at work I just need to remember those carefree sun filled days with no worries and my little clan around me all day long.)

And, of course I have to show off one of my sweet mending projects from a few weeks ago.

Now I'd love for everyone to think that I'm some kind of creative magician that whipped this one up using some old scraps of hankies, table cloths and shopping bags (kind of like a sewing Macguyver!), but alas, this one was just a mere hemming of an op shop bargain.

It's cute isn't it, with its pretty pastel butterflies and flowers dancing across the expanse of black.

 

 

And of course I was drawn to its fitted bodice and waist and full flowy skirt.

So why not share my new to me dress worn on it's maiden voyage in the beautiful little village of Tilba.

I've raved about Bermagui but honestly this little pocket of tranquillity is pure nirvana.

 

 

We wandered and admired the lovely old shops and gardens.

 

 

 

 

I was striking some very odd poses. (There were attack butterflies lurking in those beautiful gardens ready to strike and I'd just had a swat at one ferocious beast. It must have been attracted to those butterflies on my dress!)

Of course we sampled some divine cheeses, cakes and even braved the lolly shop.

 

 

 

Look at how happy those little faces are!

Of course we all walked away with some sugary goodies for later (although my selection of fudge didn't last too far into the car ride home!)

 

 

Is there a more picturesque spot to eat our morning tea?

 

 

Little Miss wasn't fussed about the beautiful picnic spot as she had more important things on her mind!

 

 

The fella knows how to enjoy a good custard tart. That's my boy!

 

 

Even the church in Tilba is adorable!

 

 

A perfect day!

 

Whew, I've realised I can't possibly fit everything in so sorry people, but one more holiday post, this time from Mogo Zoo. (As if I could resist a visit to a zoo!)