Dolled Up In My Glad Rags

I went to an evening showing of “Oklahoma” at my local theatre a week or so ago, and obviously I dressed up to the nines!  I wasn’t sure about wearing my one-and-only vintage hat, but I am glad I did as it really finished off my outfit.  Plus, I don’t get to wear hats that often, so any chance to pull them out amIright?

Although my sisters think that my hat looks like brains…  Cute brains, but brain nonetheless!  ヽ(≧0≦)ﾉ  I just pretend that I don’t know what they are talking about, even though I kind of have to agree with them!  Ah, the first world troubles ~ when your fashion sense comes across like a cosplay!

Also, I do have to apologize for the lack of smiles.  Apparently I was much more tired than I realized, but hey, that IS kind of what happens when your new baby is kickin’ around with bright blue eye that just. won’t. shut. until 11:00pm or later every night.  (-_-‘)

Speaking of, I have to say adieu and tuck my family into bed.  Goodnight!   ♥ ♥ ♥

xox,

bonita

~ * ♥ * ~ * ♥ * ~ * ♥ * ~
Vintage “brain” Hat  ~  Love Vintage Show, ‘11    Fab Faux Fur Swing Coat  ~  Winter Canberra Vintage Show, ‘12    1940’s Darling Day Dress  ~  Etsy    Black Gloves  ~ Etsy    Cream Cable Stockings  ~  ??Old   Swingin’ Kitten Heels  ~   Thrifted

How to ~ Crochet a 1940’s Snood

For some time now I’ve been eyeing off various gorgeous hairstyles around the place that have involved lovely snoods, but I have hemed and hawed about purchasing one for myself.  Why, the ease alone of popping one on and waltzing out the door for the day is very tempting for a busy vintage mother.  The only problem ~ $16.00 or more seemed like a lot to spend on one snood….

And that was the local ones!  Overseas shipping cost a lot more.   I decided to whip out my Google fingers and see what I could turn up, and et voila!  I present to you the “Perky Snood” pattern.   A vintage 1940’s crochet snood pattern for a medium sized snood. 

~ *  Please click on the photo to download the full pattern  * ~

The pattern is very simple, but calls for a long treble crochet stitch which is rather old fashioned and not used that often these days.  Here are the instructions on how to do it:

Long Treble Crochet (long tr.) -  YO 3 times before inserting the hook into the work, YO and draw through 2 loops on the hook 4 times.

Decreasing Long Treble Crochet (dec. long tr.) - YO 3 times, insert hook in next long tr. and YO. Take off  2 loops 3 times in succession, leaving 2 loops on the hook. YO 3 times, insert hook in work (6 loops on hook), YO, take off 2 loops, 3 times in succession, YO and take off 3 loops at once.

Yarn Over -  YO

Now, I have to warn you that although I found this pattern easy to get the hang of in terms of stitches, it doesn’t seem to be easy to put together the right sized hook and yarn ply to get a large enough snood.  I actually repeated this pattern three times before I finally turned out a snood that was large enough to wear!

So I’ll give you my notes so that you don’t make the same mistakes that I did. 

~ *  Second snood on the left compared with the third snood on the right.  The first one was even smaller, can you believe!  More like a bun net than anything else…  * ~

First I tried using a small 1.50mm hook like I thought the pattern called for, and the yarn to match.  That turned out all wrong ~ it was far too small.  So was the next one, with a larger 4.00mm hook and the yarn to match.  I looked like I was wearing a lunch lady’s hair net rather than a snood!  So then I went back to my original yarn, which was actually 2 ply cotton, with the 4.00mm hook and somehow that worked.

I still think that the pattern ended up a little shorter than what I would have preferred, but in this case that’s ok, because my hair is quite short at the moment and won’t really suit anything longer.  If you want a longer snood, simply add more rows in the middle before you start your decreases and you will be all set!

Last, but not least ~ here’s the finished results in action. 

 

Remember to swatch your work, as the gauge is crucial, and enjoy your snood making ladies!

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~ Pictures are from this outfit post ~  Wet & Windy Spring Days

My spectacles ~ how to find vintage frames to suit you!

~ *  Vintage 1950 advertisement for spectacles ~ I quite like pair number 4  * ~

Finding glasses frames that look good, suit your style, and don’t overwhelm your face is difficult at the best of times, but what do you do when you have a very distinct fashion style?   I am currently facing that problem ~ my script has changed {again!… } so I am shopping around for the perfect pair of vintage glasses to suit my look and my face.

The first place I went to look for glasses was Dead Men’s Spexs Vintage Eyewear.  You may have already heard of this site ~ they sell vintage frames that you can fill with your own prescription lenses. 

I couldn’t find a pair that I liked there, but I think that visiting their site is really handy.  You can use a “browse by period” feature to check out what style of frames where popular for the era that you prefer.

Now I tend to prefer to dress either 1940s or 50s, but I soon found out that I don’t really like either of the more common glasses frame styles from back then.  Before the 1950’s everything seems to be pretty much round ~ either thin gold frames, {which I could wear, except that I don’t like gold} or heavy black/tortoiseshell acetate.  Neither of those appeal to me ~ so onto the next era, 1950.

 

~ *  The classic pre-1940s/1940s spectacle shape.  The lenses rims can be gold, silver, tortoiseshell or black as seen here, and the arms can be either the same colour as the rims or a different colour like the picture above.  * ~

Everyone knows the classic 50’s look ~ cat's eye glasses!  I am not a real fan of the extremely pointy kind, although I have seen some vintage ladies looking absolutely fabulous in their sharp cats eye frames.  However, after searching around I decided that a nice deep cats eye frame, preferably two toned {dark on the top and light on the bottom} and in some shade of tortoiseshell or chocolaty brown would probably suit my style and my skin tone. 

So like these:

Or these:

At the end of a long hunt through all of the websites listed below I finally found a pair that I like, so we’ll will have to wait and see how they go when I get them!   I’ll show you the big reveal later…   Happy spectacle wearing!

Tips for purchasing vintage spectacles:

• Figure out which era you wear the most, or that suits your style the best.
• Look for frames that are similar in shape and colour to your favourite vintage pairs ~ you may be able to find a modern look-a-like for less.
• Try on styles at the optometrist to get a sense of what size/shape suits your face.
• If you have a complex script ~ bifocals or trifocals, buy the frames you like and get your optometrist to replace the lenses and don’t forget to ask your optometrist what size you need to get to fit your prescription.
• Shop around! There are many places to buy your perfect pair of frames, so if you can’t find the ‘just right’ pair, keep looking. 

Places to buy vintage eye glass frames:

• Ebay
• Etsy
• Dead Men’s Spex

Places to buy vintage reproduction/modern vintage look-a-likes:

• Bonlook – reproduction vintage glasses
• Zenni Optical – modern, but have some great vintage look-a-likes
  

xox,

bonita

A Step In Time

Back to Black Cloche Hat  ~ gifted from my mother!    Frosty Cardigan   ~  Thrifted   Basic Red Knit Top  ~  too old to remember    Pleats Button Me Up Skirt  ~  Thrifted    Threesome Brooches  ~ Jane flower brooch trio, Acorn & Will    Shutter Knee-Hi  ~  too old to remember   Saddle Shoes  ~  Amazon.com   Azure Atom Bag  ~  Oasap.com

~ * ♥ * ~

It’s interesting to me how I tend to reach for a stronger, bolder colour palette come winter ~ jewel tones like ruby red, or onyx tempered with a touch of pale cream seem to be my favourite mix at the moment. 

However, I really like the pop of blue that my purse provides to offset all the serious red and black, it’s nice and cheery on a cold winter’s day!  You might have seen this purse sneak into my Instagram ~ as I love the style of it.  But there are some downsides, which I am about to warn you of!

Oasap.com Product Review ~ The Three Pin Buckle Detail Makeup Case with Lace Trim to Flap

I am not happy with the quality of this bag. It is advertised as a makeup bag, so that may have something to do with the cheap feel, and the horrid plastic-y smell it had!  I could live with both of those facts, particularly now that the smell has dissipated somewhat, but I am not impressed with how quickly the bag has started to break.  : /   The front strap guards are starting to pull away, they don’t seem to be attached securely.  The worst damage is to the edging ~ the lace scallops around the edge of the bag flap have split and peeled, almost within the first week of carrying it. I had to mend the scallops with super glue and felt to stop them from breaking completely off! 

That’s not good in my books, especially considering that I paid the full $42.00 for the purse as the 20% discount I was supposed to get didn’t apply to the transaction.

I did email Oasap about it, but they basically told me that if I wanted the discount I’d buy something else from them to get it.  Er, no thanks!  If the discount didn’t work the first time, why the heck would I buy something the second time and risk it not working again?  Customer service fail if you ask me.

So long story short, although I love the look of my new bag, I am not sure I would buy it again if I had the choice.  It’s a poor quality make in my opinion, too expensive for what it is and I was less than impressed with the customer service of that site.  Sorry Osasp, but I am not buying from you again!

Have you guys had any experience with Oasap?  Was it good or bad?  Let me know in the comments, I want to be fair about this review.   : )

xox,

bonita

How To ~ Pretty-fy Bobby Pins

Hello my dears! I have another simple DIY tutorial for you that produces some very cute hair accessories so let’s get right to it shall we? 

Supplies needed:

• Clean bobby pins/hair grips ~ preferably new ones
• Pretty nail polishes in your choice of colour{s}  ~  I used Mode Cosmetics – Cool As {this polish had the best results}, Maybelline Express Finish – Passing By Pink, BYS Nail Enamel – 05 Light Purple, N.Y.C. Color – Lemon {this polish was the worst – way too runny, but I did manage to get it to work out in the end.} 
• Some cardboard or paper
  
  
      Step 1:  Arrange your bobby pins on the cardboard and make sure there is paper underneath them to catch any extra spills.
  
      Step 2:  Carefully paint along the top of the individual bobby pins using your nail polish.  Be careful not to put too much polish on the brush or it will puddle over the side of the bobby pins.
  
      Step 3:  Rinse and repeat as often as you like!
  
  Extra Tip:  It is better to use a thicker nail polish for this then a thin one, as you not only get better coverage, but it’s also easier to paint neatly so that you don’t get puddles of excess polish everywhere!
  
      Step 4: Double coat your bobby pins to cover up any see-through spots.  When you are happy with how they look, very carefully move any bobby pins that are sitting in puddles of polish so that they don’t stick when dried and ruin the paint job.

Allow your bobby pins to dry over night and then enjoy wearing your new pretties in your hair!  ᵔᴗᵔ  ~ ♥

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ A Darling 1940’s Head Scarf

There’s another awesome guest post over at The Girl with the Star Spangled Heart ~ this time by Brittany of Va-Voom Vintage.  I adore this precious DIY she has for us, so do stop over and have a look.  : 3   

How to Sew a 1940's Hair Scarf

Hello everyone! This is Brittany from Va-Voom Vintage here, to show you how to sew a 1940's hair scarf.  I am so excited to be a part of the guest blogging series while Stephanie is on vacation!

Many months ago, I found a little pink 40's hair scarf at an antique mall. It's so sweet that I was determined to make a few more in different colors.  I wear my head scarves to keep my hair out of the way while I clean, to protect my pin curls while I sleep and to wear as a fashion accessory.

This is a great project to use some of that scrap fabric in your stash. You can use pieces of vintage sheets, feed sack, table cloths and other household  linens. Today's tutorial uses shirring. Shirring is very easy to do and looks fantastic!…

xox,

bonita

How To ~ Pretty-fy a Hair Comb

This is a super simple tutorial on covering a hair comb with yarn to make it pretty.  It’s very quick to do, but has some lovely results, so let’s get started.

Supplies needed:

• Some pretty yarn
• A hair comb or two
• A darning needle
• Glue {optional}

  Step 1:  Secure the yarn between the first two teeth and leave a tail at the back to wrap around.  

  Step 2:  Turn the comb over, and start wrapping the yarn a ‘fan’ shape ~ laying the strands next to each other* See below.  I found that five wraps was enough for the thickness of my yarn, but you may need to experiment to achieve the coverage you would like.

  The fan shape you are aiming for.

  Step 3:  Thread the yarn through the next space between the comb’s teeth and over lap the strands with the next fan shape.   

  Step 4:  Continue in the same fashion across the top of the comb, until you reach the end.

  Step 5:  Cut the yarn leaving a short tail to secure off.

  Step 6:  You can either glue the tail down, or tie it in a knot around the yarn.  You can do this by threading the tail onto a darning needle, passing behind and around the back of the wrapped yarn. Tie your knot, then thread the remainder of the tail behind your yarn to hide the rest of it.

Et voilà!  You are finished!

Now enjoy your pretty new hair combs! 

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Make Many Dickeys pattern + post

More reformatting!  Instead of going for the “Quick Share” on Fridays I thought I’d call it how it really is:  “Link Love”.  Links that I love - get it?  Anyway today we have a guest post from the amazing Angie of Quality Time on Stephanie’s blog The Girl with the Star Spangled Heart. 

*whew!* Got that all straight?  Anyway, do hop on over an check out both these lovely ladies’ blogs if you haven’t already.  Lots of vintage sewing goodness to be had!

In the mean time…

Make Many Dickeys...a Vintage Pattern

 

Hello Star Spangled Readers!  My name is Angie and I blog over at Quality Time. I was so excited when the very sweet Stephanie asked me to guest post for her here on her blog….

…I've been poring over my recent purchases of vintage sewing and pattern magazines looking for the perfect thing to scan and share with you all here. My own blog is more miscellaneous sewing adventures than vintage clothing adventures, but I do like to combine the two when I can.

This pattern I'm sharing is from a dressmaking booklet from the 1940s.  Some of the pages were missing, but luckily not this cute article about wearing a "dickey", or a "faux" shirt.  (Basically, a dickey is a partial bodice but usually a full collar, to wear under sweaters, cardigans or other garments).
I hope you enjoy the article! …

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ DIY Vinyl Record Purse

For all you handy dandy vintage aficionados out there I have a fantastic tutorial from Charlotte of Tuppence Ha’penny Vintage on how to make your very own vinyl record purse.  It’s such a cute handbag and she even did a vinyl record hat tutorial as well, so if you want a matching hat and purse skedaddle over to her blog and take a look!

How to Make a Vinyl Record Purse

So you've got your record hat, what do you need to complete your outfit? A record handbag, of course!…

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ Homemade 1940s Pillbox Hat

Another fantastic post to share from Blanka of Minor Swing of O'Sullivan's Girl!   Not only does it contain some lovely 1940s hat inspiration pictures, but it also has instructions on making your own ever popular pillbox hat for the handy dandy vintage lady.  I am absolutely filing this in the “Must Do This” list.   

Have a sticky beak over at her blog ~

Homemade pillbox hat

1942 (23th of March) LIFE issue shows hat types which could be easily (more or less) made at home. ….there's also a detailed manual telling you how you can make the gorgeous pillbox no. 12.  Pillbox hats were very popular in 1940s and are significant for this era.

xox,

bonita

Cherished Collections Blog Tour ~ My Mother’s Pearls

Hi everyone! Welcome to Depict This! if you are visiting.  ^ ω ^   I am so pleased to be part of Casey’s Cherished Collections Blog Tour; I am a big fan of Casey’s and I think her tour is a really neat idea.  I have so many collections {no really ~ stamps, teapots, teacups, TEA, vintage doilies, books, plush horses & of course, shoes!} that it’s been pretty hard to decide which one to show you all! 

There have been some really special collections put up already, and I finally made up my mind as to what I would share.  I am happy to present one of my cherished collections featuring all of the pearl accessories & jewellery I have gathered together over the last few years.

~ * ♥ * ~ L to R:  My mother’s bracelet gifted to me when I was quite young; eleven or twelve I think?  A necklace I bought at an antique store.  My mother’s costume pearl necklace.  I can’t remember when she gave it to me, but I think it was the first piece of jewellery she passed onto me. ~ * ♥ * ~

My Mom’s pearl necklace is definitely the first piece in my collection and I have had it for years.  I never wore it when I was younger, so it’s been tucked away in a box gathering dust for the better part of my ownership. Thanks to my recent interest in vintage I dug it out and now I wear it a lot because I love pearls.

In my mind, pearls are timeless and classic pieces of jewellery and I love how they make me feel when I put them on.  I always feel elegant and feminine when I wear my pearls ~ like I can take on the world, and then some! There is nothing like feeling pretty and confident at the same time. ^ u ^ ~ ♥

 

~ * ♥ * ~ Picture 1:  Fresh water pearls ~ I bought the necklace in Florence, Italy and the earrings at the Parklea Markets in Sydney.  Picture 2:  Fresh water pearls ~ this tri~strand set necklace, bracelet and earring set was a 2007 Christmas present from my family. ~ * ♥ * ~

Plus, pearls have such an interesting story.  Did you know that saltwater pearls take between 6 to 18 months to develop whereas freshwater pearls can up to 4 to 6 years to grow?  However, saltwater pearls are more expensive than freshwater pearls is that saltwater pearls are grown in oysters and can only grow 1 to 3 pearls at once, but freshwater molluscs can grow up to 20 to 30 pearls in one go. 

 

~ * ♥ * ~ Picture 1:  Freshwater pearl set in a marquise flower; a Valentine's Day present from my darling Husband.  Freshwater pearl set in a fan; bought in Hong Kong. Picture 2:  Some of my favourite costume pearl earrings ~ * ♥ * ~

Saltwater and freshwater pearls also differ in the type of lustre. In appearance freshwater pearls are noted for a softer lustre, a glow that comes from deep within the pearl; whereas saltwater pearls have a more brilliant superficial lustre.

Freshwater pearls tend to be more durable due to thicker nacre{the material pearls are made out of}, which is a good thing as far as I am concerned, because I wear them a lot, but I really would love to be able pass them onto my daughter{if I ever have one!}.  

 

~ * ♥ * ~ Picture 1:  Vintage hair comb bought from Etsy and hair clips from Equip.  Pearl and chain sweater clip made by me.  Picture 2: Glass pearl bracelet made by me and a costume pearl bracelet. 
~ * ♥ * ~

Pearls vary in colour from white to those with a hint of colour, often pink, to brown or black. Each coloration will depend on the type of mollusc and the water where the mollusc lived. Because the nacre is organic, pearls are very sensitive to extreme heat, acids, dryness, humidity and scents.  I don’t put any perfume on my neck when I am wearing my pearls because apparently they can pick that scent up and it isn’t good for them.

 

~ * ♥ * ~ Picture 1:  Pearl and seed bead necklace made by me.  Picture 2: Pearl headbands.  ~ * ♥ * ~

Also, did you know that pearls used to be really popular as an engagement ring jewel until the diamond companies decided to do a huge campaign promoting diamonds as the symbol of forever? 

There is a lot of interesting symbolism and history for pearls.  Pearls are considered to offer the power of love, money, protection, and luck. Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience, and to cement engagements and love relationships.

Early Chinese myths told of pearls falling from the sky when dragons fought while some ancient legends say that pearls were thought to be the tears of the gods.  The Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying{which would be a great reason to put them into an engagement ring!}.

 

~ * ♥ * ~ Picture 1:  Vintage angora collar embellished with pearls; bought off Etsy.  Picture 2:  Vintage gloves embellished with pearls and seed beads; these are my most recent addition to my collection as I thrifted them two weeks ago.  ~ * ♥ * ~

I must say that I can’t really remember when my obsession with pearls started, but I do know that they are my favourite jewel.  Diamonds may be other girls’ best friend, but pearls are mine! 

I hope you enjoyed this guided tour of my collection.  : )

xox,

bonita

Pretty 1940s & 1950s Inspirations

Here are some pictures that have been tucked away in my fashion folder for future reference and inspiration!  I did the ol’ “click&save” so I do not know where some of the pictures came from, but they are not mine and if anyone does know the source, please let me know I will hyperlink to the original. 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the 1940s & 1950s inspiration and the pretty accessories.  Have a great weekend!

xox,

bonita