Grey Cardigans and Clouds

I put all the vintage elements in my outfit together and imagine my surprise when I came out looking nothing as so like a hipster!  I don’t know if it was a combination of the wrong undergarments with the tights with my beanie, but there you have it.  A very modern vintage take I feel. 

*shrug* Ohwell.  And it’s pretty much decided me, I need to find another pair of glasses frames!  These ones have been growing on me, but I can tell that they are just not quite the look that I am going for from these pictures. 

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  Yes, I am wearing tiny piggy tails for my hair style.  It helps to tame it as it dries.  : P 

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Cream Bean Beanie  ~  JayJay’s,’09    Grey Knit Cardigan  ~  Big W, ‘08     A Patch of Garden Dress  ~  Etsy     Grey Day Tights  ~  ??    Cushions Comfort Mary Janes  ~  ??   Sling Black Shoulder Bag  ~  Thrifted

Link Love ~ The Story of the ‘Liquid’ Nylon

More fascinating history from the past ~ this time detailing the advent of the famous ‘liquid’ stockings of the WWII 1940’s era.  This in-depth article on Cosmetics and Skin was linked by Penny Dreadful Vintage, and as always, tootle over for the full post.

Cosmetic Stockings

…As silk and nylon stockings vanished from the shelves, women looked to alternatives. Depending on the occasion, what was available, their degree of patriotism and their economic situation, they substituted with stockings made from other fibres, wore socks, covered their legs with trousers, went bare-legged or used leg make-up – also known as cosmetic stockings, liquid stockings, bottled stockings and phantom hose – to give the appearance of stockings…

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 3rd September Ed.

    

    

xox,

bonita

Dancing with Cherry Trees

A picnic lunch at the park, sunshine, pink blossoms and family ~ what a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon!   Our family has a big picnic tradition, Husband and I are always eating out at our local park when the weather is nice, it’s one of our favourite ways to enjoy the outdoors. 

We often prefer a quick grab’n’go lunch, but one of these days I’d love to hunt down a vintage picnic wicker basket set and a blue gingham picnic blanket!  Then we can go all out with the food ~ ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches, fruit slices, fruit cake {a firm favourite of the men} and anything else we can think of!  So dears, what are you favourite picnic foods?  Any particularly tasty recipes you’d like to share?  I am sure we’d all love to hear them!

xox,

bonita

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Lace Ivory Hair Bow  ~  Diva   Reel Red Cardigan  ~  Thrifted   Porcelain Flower Brooch  ~  Thrifted   Fall Fancies Dress  ~  Made by Me, ‘12    Cream Cable Stockings  ~  Target    Berry Well Oxford Pumps  ~  Modcloth

Link Love ~ Design History of the 50’s Wiggle Dress

I really like interesting background articles on my favourite fashion eras, and this post by The Vintage Dancer is no exception.  The thought and detail behind the fashion is so intriguing!  Hop on over for the full article. 

The Subtle Variations of 1950′s Sheath Dresses

 

When you think of dresses in the 1950′s what do you imagine? Most people would think of the classic house wife  dress that Lucile Ball or Mary Tyler Moore wore  in their respective 1950′s TV roles with large, puffy, skirts and snug fitting blouses, paired with cute coordinating accessories and perfectly groomed hair. While this style of dress was certainly popular there is another style, the opposite look of the 1950′s, that has been overlooked until now. Because of TV shows like Mad Men and Pan Am the slim fitting 1950′s style sheath dress is just as popular as its full figured sibling….

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 2nd September Ed.

    

    

xox,

bonita

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

Link Love ~ The history of the circle skirt

I just love finding out about the history and background of designers and creative minds; and this lovely little interview with Juli Lynne Charlot is simply fascinating!  She is the creator of the original circle skirt, and how she started this massive fashion trend is really quite amazing!  Read on at The Vintage Traveler.

Interview with Juli Lynne Charlot

In 1947 two seemingly unrelated events came together to start her career in fashion.  First, fashion changed dramatically with the New Look.  WWII fabric restrictions were lifted and hemlines dropped and skirts got full.

About the same time, Philip Charlot lost his job.  Juli Lynne was a young woman who wanted to be in fashion but she had no money for the new styles.  So she decided to make her own skirt for Christmas that year.  Since she could not sew, she got some felt.  It was the only fabric wide enough to cut a full circle skirt without making seams…

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 1st September Ed.

     

     

xox,

bonita

Wild & Windy Spring Days

It’s the last week of winter here, but honestly spring still seems so far away with all the wet, wild and windy weather!  All the tiny splashes of purple about my feet beg to differ ~ we’ve had our violets blooming in profusion.  I do so adore violets, and I love the fact that we have so many growing around our home that you can actually catch a whiff of their delicate scent as you walk by.

That and the blossoms are coming out everywhere!  Now if only these dark clouds that I’m seeing out the window will blow away, taking their sleet and hail with them….  Mind you, the 2 meters of snow at Perisher is nothing to be sneezed at ~ the hubs and I have been enjoying our season passes this year for sure.

Now, I don’t know if you have at all been curious as to why I seem to have disappeared for so long, but I promise I have a good reason. I just can’t tell you what it is yet.  Hopefully, I’ll be able return to a more regular update schedule in the up coming weeks, and I promise that when I can, I’ll tell all.

xox,

bonita

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Netting Snood  ~  Made by Me, ‘12     Blue Danube Cardigan  ~  Made by Me, ‘12    Cherry Picnic Brooch  ~  Frock It Up Canberra, ‘12   Back in Black Top  ~  Thrifted    Red Rose Belt  ~  Dotti   Seeing Spring Skirt  ~  Thrifted    Black Knee Hi Socks  ~  ??  Can’t remember…   There’s No Place Like Home Heels  ~  Rivers

Link Love ~ How to wear 1940’s Lipstick

Glamour Daze comes out with another handy, era authentic post on “The Lipstick Decade”.  Find out the history and discover how to do the 1940s red lip from this handy guide. 

1940′s Make-up – The Lipstick Decade

The 1940′s, despite a world war, saw a huge leap in women’s use of daily cosmetics. If ever there was a decade for lipsticks then this was it.

With more and more women working on the home front and as army nurses, the convenience of the roll up lipstick – rather than a brush and palette, established the lipstick tube, once and for all ,as the main cosmetic accessory to have in your handbag.

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Missing Edition

     

     

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Shirt Dress Buttonhole Placement

This post from Sunni of A Fashionable Stitch is part of her 2-in-1 Shirt/Wrap Dress sew-a-long, and while I am in awe that she’s showing us how to sew two dresses at once, I also love the fantastic tips she’s giving us!  This one in particular is extremely useful, particularly for adverting that dreaded button-up blouse gap-age {ladies, y’all know what I’m talking about!} so do check it out!  ^ u ^

2-in-1 Sewalong: the Shirt Dress Buttonhole Placement

….This is a tip I picked up awhile ago and I’ve been dying to share it. Few people realize that buttonhole placement counteracts gaposis. Actually if you’ve ever made anything that buttons down your front, and you’re a girl – because let’s face it, guys don’t have breasts – then you know about the gaposis. In fact, if you’ve ever tried on anything from the store that buttons down, you definitely know about gaposis. It’s even very possible that a man pointed out to you that your shirt was gaping you-know-where.

Having your buttons in the right place counteracts gaposis, as does a good fit. But if you have a great fit on a garment and you have poor button placement, you’ll have gaposis. Promise…. 

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 4th August Ed.

     

     

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ An Easy Short Hair Up Do

This is the perfect up-do tutorial for a lovely vintage 1940’s inspired hair style that works well with short hair!  I love this look and cannot wait to try it out myself ~ and as always, amble on over to The Freelancer's Fashionblog for the rest of the darling illustrated instructions.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR AN EASY 'DO

…In general, a good tip for a easily achieved fancier-than-it-actually-is look that works for as well long and short hair, is to concentrate on your hair in the front and just gather the hair in the back and cover it with something nice…

In short, it works the following way:

1) style your hair fabulously in the front - rolled bangs, rolls, pin curls, the choice is yours.
If you suck at styling, try to learn at lest one thing that will work for you. You can do it!
2) make a quick and simple bun or chignon in the back and pin well for it to stay
3) cover the hair with lots and lots of decorations. Something simpler like a scarf or bow or one big flowers will be good for everyday wear, while more glittery and colourful flowers puts your head into party mode!

If your hair is super short, roll up or wave it in front and just pin all the rest together in the back and cover it with as many flower pins and -clips as you can fit! You can curl very short hair in the front nicely too, I have done it to ladies, so it's possible. If you can't manage anything, pin smoothly to the side and put in a flower there too. Ta-da, up do feeling achieved!

But now, back to the actual apple-blossom do...

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ 2 ply, 4 ply, Why ply??

I found this post from the Purl bee extremely helpful in understanding why the heck all 4 ply yarns aren’t created equally.  So, for my fellow yarnites {nerds of the hook and needle variety!} who find this kind of thing fascinating, please hop on over for the full run down on all things ply.

2-ply, 4-ply, Why Ply?



Simply put, ply is a measurement we use for yarn, like inches, yards, and meters. Unlike these other units of measurement, however, ply has no standard size.   All of the yarns pictured above are made of a single strand of fiber.  As you can see, they are all very different.  An inch is always an inch, but one ply? That's another story.

There are several factors that determine the character of a single ply of yarn: the fiber, the spinner, and the tension…

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 2nd August Ed.

    

    

xox,

bonita

Spectacular Spectacles or Sad Specs?

Pearl Fascinator Hair Comb  ~   Two Dollar Shop     Blue Danube Cardigan  ~  Me Made, ‘12    Apple Delight Crochet Top  ~  ICE     Vintage Lilly Flower Brooch  ~  Love Vintage Show, ‘11   Swingin’ Circle Skirt  ~  Me Made, ‘11    Cream Cable Stockings  ~  Target    Tenhut Tennis Shoes  ~  Thrifted

~ * ♥ * ~

I finally have my new glasses after a LOT of um-ing and uh-ing over which pair to try out.  The problem is that I am not 100% sold on them.  I think that they tend to overwhelm my face, but I not sure if that is partly due to the fact that I have never worn such large, bold frames before, and therefore are just not used to the look!

Another issues is that the multi-focal script in my new frames isn’t correct for me, so I still have to get another pair of lenses.  So do I buy a new-new pair of frames or just stick with these new ones?   Decisions, decisions…   

I also found out that I really shouldn’t buy vintage glasses with the aim to replace the lenses, as the plastic will most likely be too brittle{boo, hiss!} and may or may not break.  Honestly, if I could find a pair of gorgeous $50.00 & under frames I would probably give it a go anyway, but as it is all the frames I like are $100.00 and over, so that isn’t going to happen.  I just can’t risk that sort of money!

None of that changes the major problem which is having to potentially throw down $800.00 for the lenses I need.  With that in mind, I so have to find a pair of frames that I love! 

I would hate to hate wearing my $800.00 dollar plus glasses just because I didn’t find the right frame! 
: S 

So there you have it, glasses dilemmas of the day.  When I wrote the My spectacles ~ how to find vintage frames to suit you! post, I certainly didn’t think I’d be having this much trouble finding the right pair, but here I am…

xox,

bonita