Thriftastic & Sew~sations

Today was the DH’s birthday so I put together the sponge cake {yes, I baked another one} with Blackberry jam this time, because that is his favourite jam.  We had lunch with his family which was lovely. 

I also went to Revolve and did some serious thrifting ~ more on that later, as well as starting my very first sewing project!!  After that rather busy day, DH and I went to the cinema to celebrate.   We saw Toy Story 3 and it was good!   Not a bad sequel and better than number 2 as well.   Good fun.

Sooo, where to start? 

Well, the cake went down well ~ thankfully.  I think he liked it, but I want to make a chocolate cake as well for Sunday lunch with my family.   My family tend to celebrate birthdays over a few days ~ sometimes with three or four different things on different days just to enjoy the birthday that the fun that it brings.

Ok.  And Revolve.  Now, for a bit of a back story.    I found a new craft idea that I am dying to try out, so I went to Revolve with the purpose of buying men’s shirts.  I am not going to tell you anything more about the craft project.  You are just going to have to wait and see.

Anyway, because this is Revolve I didn’t end up with just men’s shirts.  Oh no.  This is my floor at the moment.

    Actually, that’s only the beginning…. 

I found way too many cool things to put them all up, but I will post some more pictures when I get the chance.  In the mean time, here’s a few more quick shots.

      

My sewing project is going really well so far.  Firstly, my Guru and I decided to do the panda pants instead of the skirt as they are actually far more easier to start with than the wool skirt I am planning.  And they are designed to be around the house wear so it’s a great starting point to gain some confidence as it’s not like they have to be perfect {just comfy} for lounging around in!

So this afternoon I cut, serged {zig-zag stitched the raw edge as the fabric is flannelette which will fray if not ‘treated’} and attached the pocket to each leg.  It doesn’t sound like much, but it took me a couple of hours to get that far.  I was actually quite happy with my first efforts.  Even though my cutting was terrible to start with, it did get better {straight and on the edge of the pattern thank you!} and I managed to sew the pockets on without supervision as my awesome instructor had an appointment to keep and said “Go for it!”.  So I did.  And I don’t think there were any disasters!  Although we will have to wait for her inspection. 

Photo time!

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am dead tired as it is now 11:41pm, which is hours past my bedtime, and it’s happened for the umpteenth night in a row.   *dies*  Goodnight.

xox,

b.

Experimentation!

I sketched the lines of this picture a while ago, but today I decided to colour it.  The main reason for that is that I was browsing through more fashion blogs ~ just clicking and following links that interested me and I found a picture that made me go ~ “Huh.” 

It was a simple line art that was coloured in a really nice pastel palette.  I looked at it and went “That style of colouring really suits the type of sketches I’ve been doing lately ~ I wonder how it would look if I tried something like that?”

And this is the result :

~  “Curls”  ~

So my next question after completing it was ~ I wonder if anyone would buy this picture on Etsy?  I have a hard time knowing if my work is good enough to sell and if it is, how much to price it at.  I don’t want to overcharge ~ I personally hate it when you find something you like, but it’s ridiculously expensive.  But at the same time, I don’t want to under value my work and the time and effort that goes into it.  Not forgetting materials either!

It’s more than a bit of a quandary.   And I don’t have a ready answer for this one I am afraid.

Anyway, I haven’t forgotten about posting the inspiration.   I found the inspiration picture when I was looking at Fallie’s Scrapbook.   Can I just say that I am in awe of this child?  She’s thirteen and has some seriously awesome photographs of her outfits {she looks like a model in an editorial spread in just about every photo of her.  I don’t know if she takes the photos herself or gets help, but either way they look fantastic.  And she does really good art work in Photoshop.  I’d love to be able to do graphic art as well as her.  And she’s thirteen!!  Can I die now?  Some one kill me please…..}

 

It isn’t Fallie’s work, just a picture she posted.  I used the pastel colour palette idea.  Other than that ~ it’s not really the same at all!  Of course, I did the line art before I saw this picture or I might have tried something a little different in execution of the pencil technique for my piece.  The subject would have been the same though.  I am quite fond of this little nymph and her expression.  I won’t point out the flaws I can see ~  I don’t want you to see them too {!!} but I hope you enjoy the picture.

Oooh, and tell me if you would be interested in purchasing a print of this ~ or what price you think that  it would be reasonable to sell it at.  I need help!

xox,

b.

Edited Notes:  Turns out Fallie does have her older sister to help her take the photos, but considering that Fallie’s poses are more model-eske  than Anni’s {Find Anni’s blog at Style Hurricane} I am thinking that she comes up with them herself.   o___O  

Frustrations

I wanted to start on my crochet collar last night, only to have bunch of obstacles effectively manage to stop me.  When I read the pattern and checked it against the guide to crochet abbreviations I have, I realised that either the pattern was in US crochet-speak and my guide was in UK (thus, Australian) crochet-speak, or visa versa.  Whatever the case was, I had to find the crochet terms translator on Google, add the terminology in and re-print my guide, which had been sourced off different parts of the web. 

So that took a while.  Plus there was the fact that the computer I was using {we are house sitting, so we only have the owner’s computer hooked up to a printer} positively refused to co-operate.  Isn’t it just the most annoying thing ever when technology just won’t work?   It wouldn’t print properly.  I suppose I could have written the instructions and the pattern out by hand, but talk about taking a donkey’s ages….

Which was the main problem with the computer I was using.  It was as slow as golden syrup at Antarctica.   Then it froze, and I had to restart it, and it was still slow, but finally managed to print the papers off.  But by that stage it had taken me an hour to get 7 pieces of paper printed and I was so tired from wrestling with the thing {funny how you can get tired without doing all that much!} that I just decided to take the easy route and work on my afghan which was almost finished rather than to tackle a new pattern.

So DH played Super Mario Bros, and I finished the afghan and have started the final touch ~ double crocheting  the edge.  I shall put up photos when it is done.  It is not very pretty as this is my first crochet project ever, beside the nominal square to learn the stitches.  I did take a break from it whilst I was overseas.  I actually crocheted another, much smaller afghan when I was in Scotland, and I did a neck scarf as well which I gave to one of the girls over there.

So I have actually completed other crochet projects, but this is just the first one I started.  I used the odds and ends balls of acrylic {yuck, I know} wool that were floating about our house, which also means that it’s all sorts of weird colours without a theme.  I don’t usually do such hodge-podge jobs, but again, beginner’s project. 

I didn’t think much about it when I started it two years ago.  I certainly didn’t think that I’d still be going on it. But I took lots of breaks, and it’s one of those nice projects to come back too.  You don’t have to think about how to do it after not working on it for six months, you still know what you were doing.  You can just pick it up and go.  And because of that, I think I will start crocheting another afghan, but this time with proper wool and in the same ply and with a colour scheme!

Sorry about the lack of photos this post if you wanted them.  I just thought that as I have been liberally sprinkling this blog with a lot of pictures that I would hold off on the images and give you a non-pictorial post.  Or does that make things too boring?  Would just one photo help make all this text a little more interesting?

Oh, and in the end, my pattern was in US crochet terms and I had the UK guide.  Just in case you were curious. ; )

xox,

b.

P.S ~ I found the greater part of my crochet abbreviations guide on this fantastic website ~ Antique Crochet Patterns.  It is a really great crochet resource; plus free vintage crochet patterns?  Who can find fault with that??  If you like crochet and are interested in vintage/old fashioned pieces, I can really recommend this site.  Go ahead!  Check it out.

P.S. 2 ~  Sorry, I know I said “no images” but I guess I couldn’t help myself.  I didn’t want this great link to be lost in a ream of text.  My bad.  Perhaps I will be able to manage a “no images” post another time.

The Happy Days Dress ~ Outfit Four

I. Love. This. Dress.   I didn’t try it on when I bought it, I just knew somehow that it would look good.  So I took it home and the first I time I saw it on me, I knew this dress and I were kindred spirits.  Ever had a piece of clothing that you put on and it just makes you so unreasonably, ecstatically happy for no apparent reason at all?  Well, that’s how I feel wearing this dress!  I have had to restrain myself from pulling it out of the closet and wearing it every day this week…  =.=’

It’s RTW so that would be crime in many vintage fashion ladies’ books, but I’m not sorry, or repentant.   I liked this dress too much not to take it home with me  and it turns out I was right!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My DH took the photos this time ~ he’s got a good eye behind the camera and gets some nice shots.  That’s his leg in left hand corner of the ‘shoe shot’.  So who knows?  If he is agreeable I might have two photographers to help me.  Although DH doesn’t help me with the poses like Jay does ~ I have to think of them all on my lonesome. 

Cardigan ~ SES

Dress ~ SES                  

Skirt under dress ~ Tightrope {yes, the black band with the lace at the bottom is actually the skirt I wore for the ‘Alice"’ outfit, but inside out.   I don’t like my dresses or skirts to be much above the knee.}

Tights ~ SES

Shoes ~ Thrifted {$5.00, how awesome is that??  I love these shoes, and it’s another case of restraining myself not over kill with them.}

Accessories ~ Rose earrings    {Diva}

                             Belt  {Ice}

                            Ring with brooch on top  {Diva}

Does anyone else find it really awkward to pose when someone else is there with you?   I can do poses easily by myself… Maybe I need a remote for my new camera so I can snap away! 

Mind you, in some respects it’d be easier just to get over the awkwardness and deal with having someone else there.  Because that way I don’t have to take a million shots just to find a few good ones.

Hmm.  Dilemma.  The other thing is that I do like to direct the shots ~ the angle of the background, the amount of zoom and all of that.  It’s hard to do that when you are not the one taking the photo!  Maybe I need to try both ways?  Maybe I’ll try the remote when I get my new camera.  Maybe.  I might be too lazy to both with it when I have got willing helpers.  : ) 

xox,

b.

Spotlight ho!

Fabric shopping - *wheee*!  I’ve been hanging out to start my sewing project; I sorted out what pattern I want to use and I was only needing to buy the fabric and trim.  Of course that required an expedition to the largest {?} fabric/craft supplies store just outside of Canberra.    So when I say expedition, it really was!  My awesome and lovely sister~in~law kindly consented to be my sewing guru, and guide me in the mysterious ways of all things sewing.

We arrived at Spotlight just after 2:oopm, and didn’t leave until 5:3opm ~ when the store shut! So {or sew… Haha, lame pun intended.} my haul ended up being rather large to say the least.  I won’t list everything ~ but I got photos! 

     

The material ~ I bought 10 meters {yes, 10 meters!} of the ivory jacquard because it was $2.00 a meter!  That’s insanely cheap for a nice heavy cotton.  I plan to make a dress, jacket and skirt out of the stuff if I have enough. {The jacquard’s the roll at the back.}  The grey wool was the most expensive at $29.99 a meter {Ouch!!} but I wanted a nice warm skirt for winter, and with my guru guiding me through the sewing process I am hoping it will turn out nicely {even though this is my first project!!  *meep*} and then it will be worth it.

The floral sateen was another sale yardage ~ $2.00 a meter, so I bought three meters.  I plan to make a fully reversible knee-length dirndl skirt out of that one.  The nautical print muslin was a bit of a surprise to me.  One, it’s the middle of winter in Australia so buying muslin is more than a bit silly, I’m not going to be able to sew it  for a while either, so it won’t be ready for summer…  Two, it’s a nautical print.  I must confess I have long professed a dislike to the ‘sailor’ style.  It looks great on some people, and I’ve often thought that a sailor romper is pretty darn cute.  But it’s just not my style.  I never wear much blue, and I dislike pretty much ALL of the modern RTW nautical styled stuff you find in the shops.   It’s yuck.

So when I spotted this I was all, “Oh, this is cute, but I’d never use it.”  Then, the fabric spoke to me.  O.O   Oh yes it did.  It went ~ “You know that I’d make the cutest shirt dress for wearing to the beach and around the house in summer right?  A little something casual and fun to slip on!”  and I went ~ “Ah!  So true!!  Must. Have. Cute. Octopi. Dress!!!!”  And that was it.  I was done like dinner.  ><   So now I have a totally awesome muslin print to make up. I even have the pattern for it!  I bought it off Etsy last night {much to DH’s dismay as I rake up more damage on the card…  : S }.

Lastly, the panda print is a flannel, and as I never wear pyjama's to bed {just to clarify I usually wear an old t-shirt}, but love to lounge around the house in pjs I’m going to make a pair of pants from this so I can stop stealing DH’s camo. pants.

   

I also bought some fantastic vintage styled buttons for the peter~pan type collars I want to crochet.  I’ve been on the look out for really-truly vintage buttons, but haven’t found any so far.  *sad face*  : (   But these are lovely, and I think that they will look great.

The other fabric is for waist band and collar details on distant dresses that I have ideas for {another pattern coming for that one too ~ what? You think that I could restrain myself and only buy one pattern on Etsy when the store was having a 15% discount?}

The mushroom print however, will line the pockets of my grey wool skirt.  Because I am like that.  I like my clothes to look chic and elegant {for the most part ~ I do have some cutesy jewellery and things} but the idea of having fun prints to line my pockets is too much to resist.  It’s going to be awesome!

    

I’m doing up a variation on view 2 ~ which is the view to the far right, and my modifications will probably make it look so far removed from the original, as you can probably see from the sketch.  I’ve taken elements from each pattern variation and combined it into one.  It’s going to be knee length as well.  I already have one wrap skirt that is mid-calf length, so I don’t need another. :3  This is going to be soooo much fun!  I will keep you posted.

xox,

b.

Let them eat cake ~

Mmmm….   Cake.  It all started yesterday afternoon.  I was cleaning up and decided instead of stripping the chicken carcass for the dog I would make stock with it and cook soup for dinner.  {Because that is sooo much easier than pulling bits of chicken off the bone.  I wonder how my mind can be so illogical sometimes…..}

Ooh!  I forgot!  I haven’t introduced my family yet!  DH and I have a mini family consisting of two children ~

an 8-almost-9-year old Siberian husky, Amabelle,

and a 10 year old Standard bred gelding, Copper.

  

Anyway, back to the story!  I’d gone for a ride on Copper ~ a quick warm up in the arena and then a lovely trail ride with my Dad on Rusty {our other horse} and Amabelle.  When I came back I somehow managed to get all ambitious.  Not only was I going to make my own soup {without a recipe no less} I was going to bake a cake.   Now, for all the accomplished cooks out there that doesn’t sound like such a big deal.  But this is me in the kitchen ~

Yes, that is a plate of burnt food….    My poor husband hasn’t starved yet, but we have had more ready-made meals {such as pizza, pies and chips!} than I’d care to admit.   I’m just not the greatest at culinary stuff.  So when I say that dinner and a cake is ambitious for me, I mean it. Things started off reasonably well, I tried a Walnut cake, but the thing is I made it with coconut flour.  It was a bit of an experiment to say the least.  Cake mixed, tinned and ovened; it was all good so far.  Now it was vegetable time.

I got the piles of veggies chopped {DH likes his soup to be chewy.  >  >} and all was going relatively well until I went to ice the cake.  It had come out the oven, cooled for fifteen minutes or so, but when I put it on the rack, it broke in half.  And I was all ~ “Uh-oh, this doesn’t look good at all…”   Then I tried a crumb of the cake and it was GROSS!!  As in, “Eww ~ what is that?!??” gross.  I chucked it in the bin.  And panicked.  I promised cake!! {Ok, more like bribed cake in return for DH doing the dishes.  Well, the dishes were done and there was no cake to be seen…}

I flipped through the DH’s family recipes we’d been given as a wedding present but all of them took too long ~  I had twenty minutes until DH came home for tea and I wanted the cake in the oven before that.  Plus, I wasn’t sure we had all the ingredients.  Okay, back to cake book with the failed walnut recipe.  The only thing that looked reasonably easy was the sponge cake.  Although I had heard that they could be difficult… 

I gave it a wack anyway and to my surprise, it was a success!!  I’ve never been able to cook well under pressure, so I was amazed when it turned out so well.  So happy!!!  Now for the photos to show off my purty cake.

    

       

    

Yes, it tastes great!!!  One cake, two people:  yummmm……

I will never be a master chef, but one day I hope I can cook a proper meal {at least two courses} without getting flustered or burning the food, or having to throw  mistakes out.  One of these days!

xox,

b.

Alice ~ Outfit Three

  Sorry about the horrid indoor shots ~ unfortunately I got this cute outfit together for a night with my girls. 

It was too dark outside, hence the bad indoor lighting. 

Once again my awesome sister Jay took the photos and helped direct me into the best poses. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my “Alice” outfit (duh factor as that’s the blog title, but anywho!) I call it that because although it’s not the original blue and white deal, I still have a lot of the major elements from an Alice in Wonderland look.  The bow headband, stripy socks, and checks.  Other than that, the major variation would be the fact that I’m wearing a skirt, top and vest rather than a dress and no apron.  Eh.  Maybe more loosely Alice than what I thought….  Ohwell.  That’s my inspiration so I’m sticking to it.

                                

 

Accessories  ~  Hair bow, Bracelet & Earrings   {Diva}             Skirt  ~  Tightrope

Scarf  ~  A  two dollar junk shop                                                          Lacy Tights  ~  Kmart 

Top ~ Tightrope                                                                                         Socks  ~  My sister’s and *sad face* she wants them back….  :’(

Ankle Boots  ~  Parklea Markets {Sydney} vendor.  Best bargain ever at $30.00!  I snapped them up straight away.

Vest  ~  Cotton On {more than a couple of seasons ago ~ I’ve had that vest for years!}  

 

I love the monochrome look – most of my wardrobe is in shades of black ~ black through grey to white.  I do have a few bright colour pieces; mostly purple if it’s a solid colour.  I’ll also do checks/tartan or florals.  But I always mix it up with something black.  I guess you can definitely say black is my signature colour.  I love it because it’s so versatile, and it makes even the most girly of styles {think lace, ruffles and bows…  Lots of bows}   look chic, I would even go as far as to say elegant and sophisticated.  Black is just the timeless classic in my opinion. 

I also feel that you just can’t go wrong with black – no matter the era or style the garment comes from.  If  it is cut right for your shape, if it is still in good condition and if it is black ~ you can wear it anywhere, anytime, anyplace.  Oh, although I suppose weddings are the exception.  As much as I adore the colour, I still know that it isn’t really appropriate for a wedding.

I know that a lot of modern stylists may say otherwise, but I just think it’s a bit tasteless to turn up in black at a wedding.  Small doses – think trim or a bit of black in a print is okay to me, but that’s as far as I’d ever go. 

xoxo,

b.

P.s.  ~  I know you can’t tell, but my nails were a totally gorgeous pastel shade of pink.  I don’t really wear pink as a clothes colour but I will wear it on my nails!

~ Wrapt ~ Inspiration

I love this blog – the clothes, the quirk, the beautiful backgrounds… One day (as my DH witnessed) I announced that  I want to go to Alaska, rent a boat and spend a week on one of their beautiful glacial lakes in the middle of a mellow Alaskan summer (ooo!  Doesn’t that phase just sound delightful?  “Alaskan summer”…)  and you can blame Elizabeth from Delightfully Tacky.   Oh yeah, and I’m really beginning to like Winnebagoes thanks to her as well!

Recently she did a post that featured not only the cutest boots, but a fake tattoo she drew on her arm .  You might ask what that has got to do with anything around here, but I was inspired.  I took two of the elements from her tattoo and drew a picture around them. 
I called it Wrapt ~






If you want to know what  the original looked like, here it is:
      
      

Even better, check out Delightfully Tacky’s blog and see for yourself!  You won’t be disappointed I promise.
In passing, I think that I will continue this trend of not just posting the ‘inspiration’ like I know a lot of bloggers do, or just the finished results (there will be enough of that in my studio galleries once it is up and running) but do both together.  I always like to know the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff, so maybe you will too.
Another project I’m totally keen to start as soon as I get myself some wool is this super cute collar ~



I want to make it in white, black, red and purple (if it turns out well).  And once I’ve done those, I might even try felting it.  Although that will shrink it, so I’ve got to figure out how to make it bigger so that it won’t choke me once I’ve shrunk it in the washing machine.  (It’s a felting technique I learnt off The Crimson Owl, another great blog to check out)   I think it’ll be fantastic to trim boring tops with.  I want to figure out a way to clip it on so I can change the collars around as I please.  I’m a big fan of be able to style a piece of clothing with different accessories rather than making the changes permanent.  That way you can have a much bigger wardrobe just by switching the accessories and creating a completely different look for the garment each time. 
Finally; to finish off another uber long post – sorry people,  I just want to announce some seriously exciting news……   (Wait for it) ……………..

I just brought my new camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   *big squee*  It’s a Cannon 55oD Digital SLR.  I originally wanted the 50D, but for twice the price and the only difference being the 6.8 fps and the alloy body – both of which I can live without, so I decided it’s not worth it.  Especially when JB Hi-Fi were having a fantastic sale on the 55oD.  I got the camera body and twin lenses (one is 18mm to 55mm and the other 55mm to 200mm – both with a manual zoom and anti-shake features) as well as a Polaroid filter, a 16GB memory card (wish it was bigger, because I’ll capturing with RAW files, but that’ll have to do) and a two year extended warranty for cheaper than the 50D camera body alone!!  How sweet is that?!?

So now I finally have my own camera again.   I did have a point and shoot Olympus MJU for few years.  It was a good camera, but it broke and this is better by far!  The only downside is that I have got to wait at least a week for the camera to come, but once it does – expect an onslaught of photographs, because I am going to have sooo much fun with this bad boy. 

Bye for now, not forever ~
b.

Feature ~ Words of Wisdom

some days…

[ click for a larger view. ]

… it’s just nice to pull out my colored pencils and outlining markers. Go through all the images on my computer and just sketch.

Creativity is a funny creature. Sometimes it likes to play nice and give you oh-so-many lovely ideas and motivations. Other times it goes to hibernate and hangs a big ol’ “do not disturb” sign on it’s door. This year has been a huge growing period for me in understanding how my creativity works, that it sometimes goes into remission and that it’s okay to give it a rest to recharge. For long periods of time I’ve been uninspired by my ideas. I’m grateful to my sister especially (who is another creative soul) for encouraging me to keep doing things, even though I felt the ideas were sub-par. Not to let it go completely, but to gently cultivate it even though there wasn’t much to cultivate.

It actually wasn’t until quite recently that things started to feel less forced and more like the way I remember them. I finally finished the sketchbook I started in January (I usually go through 2-3 big sketchbooks a year). I had been picking out sewing projects that inspired me and also were useful to fill gaps in my wardrobe. I gave myself “permission” to just create something if it caught my eye (and I had the time to do so). Even seemingly mundane, daily tasks like doing my hair or makeup I tried to view through the lens of being creative in a small way. Infusing that sense of wonder and excitement back into the littlest things was important.

[ click for a larger view. ]

I know many others go through dry periods too (whether or not you are “creative” in the art sense, or your talents lie in another area!). We all hit bumps in life that throw us a bit harder than we expected and sometimes it isn’t as easy as getting back up right away and dusting ourselves off. Sometimes you just need to lie still and heal a bit. I’ve come to realize that that’s okay and not to censure myself for feeling any less than 100% creative. But to enjoy and be thankful for it when it’s there.

Have you ever been through a “creative dry spell”?

~ Hooo boy, have I ever!  The reason I’m re-posting this post I found on Casey’s Elegant Musings is because I do find that I go through long creative ‘dry’ spells and it frustrates the heck out of me.  I hate it when you sit down with a pencil and paper and find that the ideas just won’t come…   You prod, you probe and you try desperately to seek out that elusive being known as “Inspiration” ~ but alas, if you push too hard it flies away faster than you can chase it and your left sitting in the dirt otherwise known as writer’s block (or artist’s blank). 

I have heard the theory that if you refuse to succumb to the dreaded block (in whatever form it may appear – sewers know it as ‘losing the sewing mojo’) and keep on pressing on, eventually you’ll get into the habit of just working through it and then it won’t bother you any more.  I’ve also heard that changing projects is a good idea as well.  This is the first time I’ve ever heard of someone saying “Just let it be.” 

To be sure, Casey isn’t saying to drop it altogether, but rather to gently work on what you can, and if you can’t do much, not to see it as the end of the world.  I really like this point of view.   ~ I’ve come to realize that that’s okay and not to censure myself for feeling any less than 100% creative. But to enjoy and be thankful for it when it’s there. ~  The main reason I like it so much is that I’m always beating myself up for not being 1oo% creative all the time!!  But just like I’m slowly accepting the fact that I am never going to be able to focus on just one particular medium to express my artistic creativity through, I guess I can learn to accept the fact that neither am I going to be able to burn the flame of inspiration all the time.

And this is why it is important to be connected into a community of like-minded people.  They can help you realize things that may take you years to learn on your own.

I can be a Michelangelo-type artist, but more importantly, I don’t have to be producing stuff all the time.  I can let the creative juices simmer away.  Maybe if I learn to let them rest I can create better end results with my projects!  In the mean time, I can not be afraid of producing mediocre works.  Somewhere along the line I have gotten the idea that each piece should be a master piece or it’s not worth it.  Rather, I think I want to start thinking of the average pieces as practising the lessons.   The results may not be the best, and I may never show them to anyone, I may even just screw them up and throw them out.  But at least it’s practise!

Thank you Casey for helping me work another knotty problem out.

xox,

b.

Bloglovin’ – your friendly blog management service

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Yeh, boring post, but I need it for the widget.
b.

It’s a Tartan Treat – Outfit 2

Sooo.  Blog spamming.  I’m sorry to all those out there (if anyone cares) but like all things new and shiny (for me anyway) I have a compulsive urge to play with it…   Hence the two-in-a-day posting.  My deepest apologies.  Although, to be frank, I am not altogether that sorry because I am still doing it anyway!

I was going to try and save some of the photos I’ve taken for a ‘rainy’ day, but I figure if I use them all up that will only encourage me to style more outfits (or to be more precise, take more photos of the outfits I’ve styled!).

Therefore, without further ado, etc, etc, I present to you Tartan Treats. 

            

                                         

 

                                     

 

 

 

 

 

                                                      

       

 

                                                                                                                       

 

 

 

Accessories ~ Red hair bow {Best&Less}                 Skirt ~ Thrifted 

                              Pocket watch {Hong Kong}             Stockings ~ Valley Girl         

Top ~ Purchased in Scotland                                        Shoes ~ New Look (UK)                           

Vest ~ SES                                     

                                                                                                 

Photos were taken by my darling sister again!

I wore this outfit to the movies when my DH and I went to see Prince of Persia; The Sands of Time at the cinema.   I was pleasantly surprised by this film – I wasn’t sure if it would be a fail.  I always get  bit scared picking the movie because I feel that if it sucks than I’m the one to blame because of my poor taste!  It doesn’t help that my taste in movies is at best, eclectic, and at worse, childish.

But this one was a success in my mind – we both enjoyed it, plus it was a pretty good flick on the whole.  A decent plotline, not too predictable, too full of  plot holes, or lazy (ie: tons of CG scenes.  Clash of the Titans much?) script writing.  

I won’t ruin it for those that haven’t seen it, but if you like a bit of a trill, feel good action movie with a touch of drama tossed in, I’d recommend this one.  For all the being based on a PC game stigma,  it was still good.  I’m going to add it to my collection when it comes out.

Adieu,

b.                                                                                                                       

First Fashion Outfit – Librarian Blues

Ok, I must admit that I quite nervous about posting this.  One, because if any of my friends and family see this, I will die of mortification.  Just die I tell you!

Two, because I’ve never done this before and let’s face it, like all mortals on this earth I’m afraid of looking silly.  There.  I said it.   I’m afraid of your opinion peoples!  So please be kind… And if not kind, at least constructive.   >.> 

*deep breath*  Here goes.  My first foray into the world of fashion blogging.  VINTAGE fashion blogging!

           

  

     

            

Accessories ~ Hair bow  { Target}    

                             Bracelet     {Diva}          

Top ~ Thrifted    

Skirt ~ Thrifted                                         

Shoes ~ Payless

Vest ~ Brought it in Scotland, at Debenhams (I think!)       

  Suspenders ~ JayJays (an Australian retailer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

And photos courtesy of my gorgeous little sister.  Love you Jay!

 

So I hope you like.   Don’t kill me if you don’t please!  

And for the record – yes, it is winter in Australia, and yes, it was cold outside when we took the photos.  

 

Bye for now,

b.

Hello to the Blogsphere! (And we start anew)

Okay, so I must admit I am a fairly old hand at this game.  I have had a blog since the 9th of March, 2005 (although the archives may lie; I still don’t know how I managed to repeat the same post three times or get it posted in 1990!  O.O  The web is apparently not infallible.)

But here’s the thing.  It’s time for a renovation.  It would appear that my lingering attraction for all things vintage and classic has blossomed into a full blown love affair.   My tendre  is inescapable.  So I have bowed to the inevitable.  (Don’t tell the DH* – he’ll get jealous.  ; P)

Please be patient, I will explain what this has got to do with my blog.  I promise. 
It all started with a little website called MLIA.  Don’t ask me how I started reading it, for I’m sure I cannot recollect.  The point is that I did.  Then, I saw this lovely (not flashy, over bright, or hideously intrusive), tasteful advertisement (I know, that phrase seems like an oxymoron, but it tisn’t apparently.  Yes, I am aware that I use parentheses too often.   I will try to cure myself of this habit.) for a online shop called ‘Addiction’ or, How-to-spend-all-of-your-wages-in-one-hit.   Otherwise known as Modcloth.  

Once I had perused and sighed over all the gorgeous items for sale, made my wish list, and filled up my shopping cart, I clicked on the blog link wondering what I might find.   Then of course, after back-reading all of the posts (I am obsessive to the point of compulsive when it comes to back-reading) , I found, after wading through quite a lot of stuff that wasn’t to taste (my taste naturally – probably it’s quite to yours!) an awesome and inspiring blog  - The Clothes Horse.

And that’s it.  I was hooked. Vintage!  But even better – vintage you can wear and other people out in the wide world web can appreciate!!   I love clothes, (And shoes.  And hats.   And handbags.  And gloves.  And well, you get the picture!) and I love creating exciting and different ensembles with whatever random articles happen to be in my wardrobe at the time.  To me it’s just another way of expressing my creativity and letting loose that artistic touch that bubbles over and affects everything that I do – a touch that sometimes it runs rampant: probably more often than I would care to admit! 

Naturally, one thing leads to another and before you know it I’ve succumbed to the lure of ‘fashion blogging’ or more precisely, ‘vintage fashion blogging’.  And now I want to embark on creating (or recreating) my blog as a hybrid studio-vintage blog – please note I do not say fashion blog.  There is a reason for this.  One, I don’t just want to limit myself to blogging about my outfits.  As much as I respect other bloggers for sticking to the one topic, I never really have been one for following the convention of having one and only one passion (see previous post – Sickness…) .  Let’s face it, I’d get far to bored!

Two, there’s something else ah cookin’ in the b. realm.  And that would be the seismic activity related to the latest launch of another series of ongoing projects in an entirely new genre.  (oh yes, DH, I do blame you!)  Sewing.  And not just any type of sewing.  VINTAGE sewing.  Yes.  The capitals are entirely necessary. 
All those cute dresses on Modcloth? I am now endeavouring to replicate their gorgeous garments and acquire the near-forgotten art of home haute couture.  There will be tears, tearing, and topstitching.   To say the least. 

But now before I bore you all to death, I just want to wrap this epically long post up.
So, Insanity has been renamed, reURLed, and revamped.  It only exists in the form of all the back posts I am leaving***.  Which is fine with me.  I want my preloved blog to turn into a reloved blog (just like a preloved dress gets reloved).  One, because I couldn’t even dream of deleting all that data (It’d be like burning a book and anyone who knows me would know that I would have be so close to dead before I’d do that; and if I had to I would cry.  Even over those random statistic books libraries always have.)**.  And two, because I will still continue to post posts along a similar vein as the previous posts, only now there will be even more topics to choose from and hopefully less boring “I’m bored/sick/stressed” posts.  

Old posts combined with new-old vintage, sewing and studio thoughts?

Ah, it is a whole new world…  

xox,

b.

*Dear Husband

**I will cure myself of parentheses.  One of these days!

*** Actually, as of the 01-11-2011 I've archived all those post as they are no longer even remotely relevant to Depict This!.

Obsession

It's not healthy. I know it's not, but I just can't help it!!

Like all arty-types (I'm sure I'm not alone in this) when I find something that particularly appeals to my imagination, I end up immersing myself in it to the point of obsession. As in I spend hours looking at it, reading it - googling it to find more... But this time - this one's going to be a lingering. I can just tell.

Ever had a moment when you've looked at something and realised that you like it so much that it is now going to be incorporated into your life? And even more, because of that something you are actually witnessing a life-style change?

Most of the time I think we don't really notice the changes in our life, our attitudes or mindset. Most of the time it's so subtle and I suppose that's why we look back on our lives and go "Gee, since when did I grow up?"

I find it interesting how we notice life moving on all around us, but seem to be completely oblivious to how much we are moving on too, even though we are always commenting on how time flies!

It's almost like everything in our world is constantly changing, yet we feel that we remain the constant. That is, until the moment when you wake up and wonder how it is you made it to the place you are at.

Monumental moments are the ones that you witness, but more than that, are aware of the changes those moments are instigating.

It is weird when they occur, but I'm sure I'm not the only one to experience such times. I guess it's all part of the catalyst of change.


b.

Appendix and Apples

Most of you are probably aware that three weeks ago I have had my 'angry' appendix chopped out (along with a boat-load of pain) and have spent the last while recovering. What has apples got to do with it? Nothing much. I just ate a lot of stewed apples as that was about all I could keep down.

Lovely eh?

b.