The big CSSA reveal ~ my first circle skirt!

   ~ * ♥ * ~   

It took longer than I had hoped, but I have finally finished my very first circle skirt!  Yay!  *does a dance*
 \ ^ U ^ / 

There were some tears along the way ~ I had to restart the waist band about five times and on the last time I accidentally ended up making a small hole in the fabric which I then had to mend with an iron on patch before I could finish sewing the waistband down. : /  I wasn’t very happy about that!

Also the crinoline gave me a bit of a headache ~ I couldn’t find a pattern to make one the way I wanted too, so I ended up winging it!  It worked out ok; and I rather like what I did with it ~ it was just wrestling with the yards of tulle that had me hopping mad every so often.  ; P

This embroidered patch pocket took me all week to do, but it was fun, although it was a bit tricky.  I didn’t have an embroidery hoop {which I will buy for next time!} and I could have used a stiffening spray, but I found out about it too late.  Still, it worked reasonably well, and I like the pattern I came up with.  I just freehanded it with tailor's chalk onto the fabric and it turned out ok.  My favourite is the poppy~type flower that I used split stitch & french knots for. 



Aaaand here we have the reverse side in action! 

Outfit One:   Fascinator  ~  Me~Made    Shirt  ~  Thrifted  Belt  ~  Valley Girl  Gloves  ~  Love Vintage Clothes Show   Circle Skirt  ~  Me~Made  Shoes  ~  Thrifted

Outfit Two:   1950s Hat  ~  Love Vintage Clothes Show    Floral Top  ~  Thrifted   Belt  ~  JayJay’s  

Circle Skirt  ~  Me~Made   Gloves  ~  Thrifted   Shoes  ~  FSW

~ * ♥ * ~

~ Project Details ~

Year: 1950s
Pattern: Tea length self drafted full circle skirt ~ 28” from waist to hem
Fabric: I have no idea how much fabric I used, but I thrifted two sheets {for $5.00 ea}and when I cut my skirt{s} out I had leftovers!
Notions: One zipper {$1.00}, three buttons {$4.00}, white & black lace {$10.00}.
Time to complete: Aggess…. If I had to guesstimate; probably about 10?  Way too long for such an easy project…  But that’s ok, with practise I’ll get faster.
Make/Wear again? Yes!!  I want one in wool, one in corduroy, one in a floral print, one in a boarder print…  I love circle skirts.  ^ ω ^
Total Cost:  $25.00 

xox,

bonita

What I’ve found ~ Catwalk Fairy Thrift Haul

Yeah, I know, I know ~ random title, but I couldn’t think of anything better! > . <

~ ♥ ~  This is the only vintage piece I picked up this time, but that’s okay.  And I do like the puppy; isn’t he cute?  ~ ♥ ~

So that’s my latest thrift haul.  I can’t wait to style up some of the clothes for outfit shoots ~ it will be fun.     ᵔᴗᵔ 

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ Catalog Sunday

More lovely inspiration pictures to drool over from Shelly of New Vintage Lady ~ please enjoy!  : )

Catalog Sunday

xox,

bonita

Love Vintage ~ why yes, I do!

So my mystery event on Saturday, in case you haven’t already guessed, was the Love Vintage Clothing Show & Sale at Canterbury Racecourse in Sydney.   It was fun, it was huge and I ended up with total sensory overload!! 

Of course, there are pictures, so let me show you ~ 

 

Isn’t this tapestry handbag simply darling?  And I just adore the Lucite handle, it felt so nice to the touch.   There was soooo much to look at in the stalls, but of course there was also a lot of amazing outfits around!  My sister helped me spot some darling vintage ladies and I manage to bolster my nerve and ask if I could take photos…  Everyone was really sweet and said yes, but unfortunately I lost some of the pictures! 

My camera malfunctioned and about half of the photos of the gorgeous ladies simply vanished… *sadface* : (   I am terribly sorry if your photo is missing.  I feel awful, but I suppose these things happen.  

 

~  Bella looked super in her fur stole and hat although I don’t know how she managed to stand the heat! 

~  Polly Polka Dot looked so cute in her blue gingham frock and no wonder; she works a pin up model. 

I loved this toy sewing machine ~ how gorgeous is it?  Plus, it totally looked liked it worked!  The sweet little plaid~clad bears were hard to pass by as well. 

 

~  Tara’s blue floral print frock was simply stunning, and I loved her accessories!  A lady always needs a good pair of gloves; although I was too hot in mine, so I took them off.  Her mother, Julie, also looked amazing her suit and cats-eyes sunglasses.  Very elegant! 

~  Caterina’s navy circle skirt looked so comfortable but pretty and it had pockets!  *win*  Plus, the red striped top looked great, and don’t you love her matching navy clutch?  

There was so much beautiful pearl jewellery available; trust me, I was drooling over the lot of it….  All out of my price range though.  *sigh* 

As were the frocks as well I am afraid!  Lots of looking, but no taking home.  Not this time anyway – but if I do go next year it will be with a well armed pocketbook!!! 

This dress was an amazing confection of tulle and lace ~ I thought it was very pretty, although not quite my style as I don’t like to wear strapless.  The colour was gorgeous though!

The lace collar on the far left!!  So pretty and such a lot of detail!!!  I actually saw quite a few collars from the 1930s which I thought was pretty amazing.  ᵔᴗᵔ

So many fantastic hats!  I wanted to take home any one of the dozens, but alas, they were out of my reach again.  Next year I kept telling myself!  I did however, manage to score one deal that I thought was super… 

But that will have to wait until my next post.  I haven’t included all of the pictures because there were too many, so I shall do a part two later on this week. 

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ Belt Up

What can I say?  Charlotte of Tuppence Ha’penny Vintage has come up with another really useful post in the form of ads for vintage belts.  Who knew that bow belts and leopard prints where perfectly vintage?!  I sure didn’t so, check out these awesome illustrations… 

Belt Up

I am, as you may have noticed, a big fan of belts. They can often be had for small money in charity shops, and are a great way to add interest and ring the changes in an outfit. Happily, interesting belts are also perfectly vintage, as these scans (mainly from the Sears catalogue) show. I love seeing the variety of belts available through the years!

xox,

bonita

Blue Bird Sky ~ Outfit Forty Seven

Barrette  ~  Equip   Flower Hair Clips  ~  Woolworths   Peal Earrings  ~  Christmas Present ‘07  
Cream top ~  I have no idea; it’s too old!   Twiggy Bird Broach  ~ Acorn & Will   Belt  ~  Dotti   Blue skirt  ~  Thrifted    Crinoline  ~  Some online shop I’ve forgotten  Stockings  ~  Woolworths   Socks  ~  Best&Less   Shoes  ~  Thrifted

~ * ♥ * ~

I think I’ve found a new favourite photo taking spot ~ I love this old building and the tree and the fence!  Mind you, the entire time I was taking these photos there was a magpie swooping me.  I had to hold a stick above my head when I wanted to check the photos! 

I am sure I looked so silly, but gee, those birds are so unnerving when they are dive-bombing you ~ all you hear is a swish, a click of a beak, and they are gone. Some of them will even make contact with your head; and you never know if that time will be it!  O __ o 

Still, it had to be done, even with the bothersome bird and passers-by staring. 

It would be nice to have my business cards all ready though ~ then if anyone comes up and asks me what I am doing I can hand them a card rather than trying to awkwardly explain it.  To be sure, no one has actually done that yet, but I would still feel more prepared in the mean time.   I wish I had a nice quiet wood nearby, but I guess I have to do what I have to do…   Whether I feel like an idiot or not? 

What say you: hide in my backyard or brave the wild world??   : D

xox,

bonita

CSSA ~ Pixies and Zippers and Buttons; oh my!

…And the best piece of advice given when he asked how to become a film maker? Make films. This is exactly what I tell people who ask how to become photographers: take pictures. Want to become a chef? Cook food. A doctor? Start operating on people…wait…scratch that…  ~  Elizabeth Halford

Oh, and if I want to learn how to be a seamstress?   I should start sewing.   And on Thursday that’s exactly what I did! 

Seriously, I am surprised at how well I got on.  I am way behind with the sew~along but on Thursday afternoon I was poking about aimlessly, ignoring the housework {I know, I know ~ bad Bonita!! > x < } and I thought that I would either study for my coaching course or tackle my very first zipper….

Anywho, the zipper won out and this is the result ~

 

I still find it hard to believe that that is actually my own sewing ninja skillz and not the magical pixie that lives under the tea kettle {because pixies, the sensible fairy creatures that they are, subsist on tea} that got that zip into place.  I know my fear of sewing zips is slightly irrational, but it’s there none the less. 

Of course, it isn’t a perfect job and if I could go back and make a few tweaks I probably would, but for my first go, as well as doing it all on my lonesome, I am really quite chuffed! 

I continued on the sewing spree and hemmed the cut I made in the underlining to allow the zip to open up fully.  I am planning to make my skirt fully reversible {yay! Two for the price of one!}, so I sewed on some buttons Friday night.  Three pearly rose buttons to be exact.  : )

So this is what the lining will look like when it is reversed ~

  

 

Those neat little loops?  They are ridiculously easy to do, and the tutorial for making the thread cord is here. 

All in all, it’s good progress for me, so I am happy with how things are going.  I plan to put on the waistband very soon ~ and I shall let you know how that goes.  I am freaking out a little over the thought of having to sew in two pieces of fabric and get the gathers even at the same time ~ I only hope that it turn out to be as simple as the zipper, but I guess we will see!

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

*sqeee!*

Okay; this is sooo cute!!  Kaelah from Little Chief Honeybee shared this video on her blog and I couldn’t help but to pass it on.  It’s gorgeous ~ see for yourself!

xox,

bonita

A modern take on 1950s vintage housekeeping

I’ve been busy on Pinterest, pining away at ideas to help me keep my house tidy and organized; just the way I like it.  I have been falling down on the job this week I am afraid; it seems that when I go out, like to get my hair cut, or for Theodore’s immunisations, it takes all day and by the time I get back home I am too exhausted to start the housework! : /

But I suppose it cannot be helped, I just have to try and catch up or ignore it and live with it until next week.  Which method to you prefer?  I once read a book on organization that said that you should leave the weekly jobs if you don’t get them done on the day they are scheduled for or you will forever be playing catch up.  I suppose that is good advice if you really don’t have time to spare, but I find that if I just stop mucking around on the computer for a while I can often catch up on yesterday’s chores if I didn’t manage to get them done the day before. 

If you are interested in the weekly chore system I use, here are two chore charts that are currently hanging on my wall ~

 

They are both available for download here if you would like to use them yourselves.  Obviously there are personal things that you may want to change around, but I often find it helps to have some sort of starting point! 

I actually started with the traditional “Wash on Monday” nursery rhyme to create my weekly chore list ~ it was really useful to pin down what chores I need to think about doing once a week.  

Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Mend on Wednesday,
Churn on Thursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday.

And as for leaving the washing until later on in the week?  Well ~

They that wash on Monday
Have all week to dry;
They that wash on Tuesday
Are not much awry;
They that wash on Wednesday
Are not so much to blame;
They that wash on Thursday
Wash for shame;
They that wash on Friday
Wash in need;
And they that wash
on Saturday?
Dirty they are indeed!

 

Lol; so what does that mean that sometimes I wash on Sunday?  I don’t even want to think about it! 
> o <

Anyway, on a more serious note I find this statement to be very wise and true for my personal experiences regarding housekeeping:

...Our foremothers found, as others have, that having a certain day to do certain chores goes a long way to getting everything done. I have tried all manner of organizational tips and tricks for having a good schedule and always failed in the execution because of being overwhelmed. However, having one priority per day helped me get that priority done.

Not only will this work for your housekeeping, but for your business or home school as well. A priority-based schedule may work better for larger families and for ladies like me who just can’t cope with a stringent, minute-by-minute schedule…

So don’t think that you have to eke out your hours and organize your time by the second to get your house work done; I have found that with a simple routine it really is quite easy to accomplish a lot of work.  Now if only I could manage to apply those principles to my coaching studies and my sewing!  Oh well.  One step at a time I guess!

xox,

bonita

Beach Blonde ~ Outfit Forty Six

Flower Hair Clip  ~  Equip   Hazy Daisy Earrings & Broach  ~  Acorn & Will   Rose Bracelet  ~  Equip   Vintage 50s{?} Dress  ~  Thrifted     Petticoat  ~  Thrifted

~ * ♥ * ~

So this is obviously what I wore when we went on our Coastal Road Trip not last weekend but the weekend before that. 

I really have no idea if this dress is from the fifties, or maybe the early to mid sixties, but there are a few things that make me believe that it could be actually vintage and not just 70s~does~50s or something of the like.

The first thing is the self~fabric belt that matches the dress, and the twisted thread belt loops that you find in a lot of older dresses.  Plus, the shoulder gathers and yoke seem to me to be a very 1940s style, and add a skirt cut on the bias and I am fairly certain I could date this dress as early 50s; a bit before the new look style really took off.   However, I cannot really be 100% sure ~ do you have any better ideas what era it’s from? 

Whatever the case, I do like this dress.  The cotton/poly blend fabric is really nice and floaty, but I think I might take in in under the arms though.  The bodice is just tad to loose and bulky looking for my taste.  It makes me feel like the dress does nothing for my figure, and naturally I don’t want that!

I do love the soft ivory~blonde yellow colour though, which actually surprises me because I didn’t think that I would be all that keen on it when I first thrifted the dress.  It’s crazy, but my wardrobe has evolved so much since I started blogging.  I always used to go for black, grey or red, but now I am branching out with a veritable rainbow of colours! 

I still have a particular style; rich, deep jewel tones or soft, baby pastels are my favourite shades, but any colour seems to go these days ~ everything except orange…. I still don’t think I will ever like that hue unlike my adoration for pink!  I never thought I’d see the day when my wardrobe would be mostly a variety of colour with a healthy, but definitely minority, section of black/grey.  It just goes to show that anything is possible! ; P

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ Sesame Street does “G” as in…

…This calls for more glitter!! > U <

…Glee Club!  Or in this case ~ the “G” Club. > 3 <

I don’t know how many of you watch the show, I myself have only seen the first season and I must confess I find the program a little silly; I mean, do they really have to keep on making clichéd, stupid mistakes over and over again?  

That being said, somehow the whole thing is still rather addictive and I love the music!  I did find this spoof really amusing, so watch and enjoy.  ᵔᴗᵔ

xox,

bonita

Konad Nail Art Tutorial

 

Pretty nails! > w <

~ * ♥ * ~  The finished manicure  ~ * ♥ * ~

Polish Details:  N.Y.C. Color in Redhead 

Top Tip:  Use a top coat over the Konad to make the nail art last longer.  You want to be super careful applying a top coat though, because it is very easy to smear the designs.  I find if you use a big blob of top coat and only stroke over each part of the nail once, the designs stay reasonably intact.  My favourite top coat is Sally Hansen’s Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat.  You can buy it at supermarkets, pharmacies, or online here.   

I have listed everything I used in the video for easy reference.  You can find everything you need regarding the stamping kit at wowsocool.com. A basic starter kit would involve:

~  a stamper and scraper {which you can buy together}; make sure you get the double sided stamper kit as the smaller side can be really useful for transferring smaller designs with precision.  
~  a stamping/design plate
~  a Konad polish

Other useful tools:

~  Nail polish remover
~  Cotton pads for removing nail polish
~  Paper towel, newspaper, anything that can get messy and protect the surface you are working on

I hope the tutorial explains the technique of stamping nail art clearly for you.  If you have any further questions please feel free to put them as a comment or email me bonita{at}bdotdepictions.com.  > ω <

xox,

bonita

P.S. ~ I have a dressage and show jumping competition on Sunday, so I shall be away this weekend.  However, I hope you have a good one, and I shall be back on Tuesday with a thrift haul vlog! : D