





I’m aiming to launch in March (oh man that seems so close!) and will of course keep you all informed of my triumphs, tears and tangled wool in the meantime!
Any suggestions or queries are of course welcome!
More soon (I’m very excited about the next post!)
Love Yours Truly, x
These photos were taken on a grey afternoon near Brighton train station. There are quite few murals left over from the recent Whale Fest in Brighton, and this is one of them. Isn’t it lovely?
This hairstyle was a first for me. After creating my little beehive bump, I was at a bit of a loss with what to do with the remaining hair. Perhaps it was a Pattie Boyd influence, but the 60’s style pigtails felt great!
I haven’t worn pigtails in years…Who knows, maybe it’ll be my favourite style of 2013?!
I must add at this point that the conditions in which these photos were taken, was nothing short of gale force winds! Here my dress is having a cheeky Monroe-esque moment…!
Unfortunately these photos are a little dark (I didn’t realise the camera was on a weird setting when I handed it to Joshua – Oops!) but hopefully you can still make out the details!
For my last look I dressed down the frock, with chunky khaki (H&M) socks and tan straps wedges, a huge navy cardigan (recently picked up from Primark) and my favourite vintage silk scarf.
The reason I chose this dress was how easy it is to dress up or down – the neutral colour makes the perfect starting point for any outfit – as you can put any colour on top of it.
I had a lot of fun creating these looks, it certainly was a challenge to find three outfits I was completely happy with.
Hopefully this will post might inspire a resurgence in resurrecting old forgotten party dresses!
Normal blogging shall resume shortly, and I am over-joyed to inform you all that my lovely little flat FINALLY has internet! Woo-hoo! So I can definitely get back to blogging properly now!
Love Yours Truly, x
Mustard is definitely one of my favourite colours, and I couldn’t resist this top when I saw it! I’m wearing it over a nude body suit (heaven forbid my underwear show through!) with a H&M white cardigan, vintage navy school skirt, and my current favourite shoes (originally from Topshop – I found a pair on eBay!)
I’m also sporting some amazing new tights from Primark! They’re fleece-lined, and against the raging sea-winds…So snuggly!
My scottie dog buddy who is kindly accessorising my shirt was a charity shop find in my teen years…He’s so cute, he has survived numerous clear-outs over the years!
Also worth a mention (as I receive numerous emails requesting this!) I haven’t dyed my hair for about ten weeks now…Perhaps longer (I forget!)
After deciding to no longer be a red head, I dyed my hair dark brown and have since then allowed it to fade out to this warm chestnut colour.
Whilst I’ve certainly noticed a difference in my hairs condition, I’m planning to dye it again soon to combat root regrowth!
So for those of you who asked, that’s how I achieved my current colour!
My nail polish is ‘Big Smoke’ from Topshop (a lovely sludgy grey which reminds me of wet clay!) and my lipstick is a blend of Topshops ‘Rio Rio’ and MACs ‘Chilli’
I’m still debating how to best do a make-up post (again, requested often!) but for today I thought I would share one of my favourite ways of blowing money…Magazines!
I have become quite select with my magazine preferences over the years. There was a stage (ok…four or five years!) when I would religiously purchase Vogue, Elle, ID and Glamour every month. However moving house with all those magazines became such a hassle that after a full day going through them all and tearing out pages I liked – I donated the lot to a local schools art department, and my shelves breathed a creaking sigh of relief!
Below I list some current favourites, some of which you have probably heard of, or even collect yourself. I just wanted to explain why I like each publication, and why I would encourage others to try out a copy.
Hopefully amongst that lot you may have found one that you didn’t already know about!
If you do pick up a copy of one of them, I hope you enjoy as much as I do!
More soon,
Love Yours Truly, x
As I probably mention every year – Autumn is my favourite season! I love how the sunlight looks at this time of year, the colours of the dying leaves and the requirement of layering up clothes!
My autumnally-suitable look was based around one of my favourite necklaces!
The hat is from Absolute Vintage – I think it’s a 70’s design though it can be tweaked quite easily to appear much older.
The rest of my outfit consists of high street finds! The H&M mustard cardigan that I love wearing with everything right now! An old Topshop skirt, and Pri- (cough-cough!)-mark t-shirt and thick wool tights.
And here’s a better view of one of my favourite necklaces! An eBay find, I couldn’t resist it’s child-like charm! I mean who wouldn’t want to carry around tributes to their favourite animals?
Right! Now back to the community of sorts! At the Blackbird Tea Rooms (my place of work) we have started The Blackbird Craft Collective!
Held every Wednesday in the beautiful tea rooms we get crafty with knitting, crocheting, sewing and many other types of creative goodness, all whilst enjoying a nice cup of tea and a slice of delicious cake!
We’ve had a couple of sessions so far, and I have to say, with my fledgling crochet skills it’s a lot of fun! The fact you can drop in and out of the conversation (depending on how your work is developing!) and nibble on cake too is perfect!
Emily showing off her first crochet sample! Might have a bit of a way to go on that scarf!
Kate was working on a sock monster!
Deep in concentration!
As I mentioned before, the sessions are held in the tea rooms on Ship Street, every Wednesday from 7pm to normally about 9pm.
This is my calling to all Brighton girls (and boys!) who fancy coming along! We would love to meet you!
And fear not if you haven’t got a crafty skill just yet – Kate, a member of staff at the Blackbird is an incredible knitter and would be more than happy to help guide you in the right direction (as she is with Chloe here!)
You can also use the time to repair any clothes which might need a bit of TLC – let’s face it, we all have some bits like this we never get round to doing!
The girls get stuck in….
So if you are fairly local to Brighton and you would like to join us, then please do!
For a mere £5 you can enjoy tea and cake of your choice, and while away some winter hours making new friends!
I’ve started a facebook group (literally just started!) so if you are interested then please join that, or if you have any questions you can leave them in the comment box below.
I hope to see some of you! The next session (because of Halloween) will be on Wednesday the 7th of November – though I will remind you all nearer to the time!
Hope you’re all very well,
Love Yours Truly, x
My new cigarette pants were a find in the H&M sale (I love the black-on-black texture!)
They aren’t something I would normally have chosen, and Joshua was very surprised when I showed them to him upon arriving home – but hey! Why do we like the things we do eh? No rhyme nor reason!
My princess coat and gold brogues were eBay finds, and the vanity case was from a car boot sale.
The metallic blue and gold crop blazer was originally Topshop (I have the cocktail dress to match!) however I snapped it up for a couple of quid at my favourite car boot sale.
The fur (which I think might be rabbit?) is my first real fur purchase, and something which I admit I deliberated over for a few days.
I guess I reached the conclusion, that I have no qualms against the wearing of vintage fur (something I never minded on others, but I had to cement these opinions to comfortably wear it myself) just the use of fur in modern design. Blindingly obvious stuff eh?
The vintage fur stole, with my late Nannas ring. (I really miss being able to wear nail polish! My job doesn’t allow it!)
The full ensemble…Please note the Heidi braids which I can do at last! (My hair is long enough!) Definitely a new favourite hairstyle…
So what exhibition bought those beautiful twosome down to Brighton?
The fabulous ‘Biba and Beyond‘ at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery!
For those of you who can travel and visit – I highly recommend it! For readers overseas, or too far away I tried to snap what I felt were the best bits, to share with you…
Barbara Hulanicki on Brighton fashions in the 1950s… (Dreamy or what?!)
This killed me…I don’t know how I managed to restrain myself from jumping up and stealing the mannequin!
One of the aspects I loved most about the exhibition was how personal it seemed. A large amount of the clothes were donated by their original owners, and even had photographs to supplement the memories the wearers had of the clothes. One of my personal favourites is below…
Look at all of those prints!
Dotted around the exhibition were quotes of Biba lovers, and their memories of the infamous stores…
I love how tiny and fitted everything is! Made ideally for the young, post-war malnourished teenagers of England!
Barbara on how she fell in love with her store…
Perhaps one of my favourite features of the exhibition was the Biba make up! Anybody who has seen Lisa Eldridge’s incredible Biba make-over videos will understand my fascination with these incredibly coloured cosmetics…
Just look at those vibrant shades! Urgh! Too good!
The final wall of the exhibition…
I really recommend a visit to anyone who can! ‘Biba and Beyond’ runs until April 2013 so more than enough time to plan a day trip to B-town!
More soon, including some exciting news for anyone who is also Brighton-based!
Love Yours Truly, x
This adorable 1950’s coat (which I suspect is actually a children’s design?) was found when Joshua and I ducked in to Beyond Retro to avoid a rain shower and say hello to our friend who works there.
Being forced by adverse weather conditions into a vintage haven was never going to bode well for my poor purse! However as soon as I saw this coat I fell completely in love with it!
It instantly reminded me of the little coat that Jane Banks wears in ‘Mary Poppins’ – and as long-time readers of this blog will know…I love me a bit of Mary Poppins!
The socks I’m wearing were a recent purchase from H&M, my brogues are New Look (I know…I couldn’t believe it either!) a couple of years ago, and my vanity case was from a flea market.
I’m wearing another recent find, a gorgeous deep mustard, real wool scarf which when I bought it from the car boot salesman was declared as ‘Genuine Grandma’…Fantastic!
My little Scottie brooch also seemed like a sensible option on such a tweedy-esque coat!
This week I’ve been trying to shape up my new bedroom to how I want it to be. Whilst the search for certain elements continues (bedside table needed…Gargh!) and I need to figure out how to secure my picture frames on walls which are essentially dust held up by the wall paper, here is my room so far…
I’m so chuffed that my fold-away table is able to be fully extended! It’s become a bit of a dumping ground whilst I figure out the space, but it is also shaping up to be a pretty good workspace!
And I even have room to have my crafty books nearby for easy reference!
My little collection of vintage stuffed friends have found a space to hang out together! The monkey with the cymbals was a present from my sister for my last birthday, and quite frankly there are no words for how crazy I am about him! Did you know Marlene Dietrich had one too?
Another car boot find, this key holder keeps my charm necklaces in order…
A built in wardrobe which I really need to sort out… I must have a clear out soon or that poor rail will snap clean in two!
Above the built in wardrobe my vanity cases fill the space perfectly! (I’m not taking this as a sign to not find any more!)
My new bed frame which was a high street find! Again, some sort of Mary Poppins or ‘Bed Knobs and Broom Sticks’ influence must be there somewhere…
And for a measly 20p…How could I leave a very battered copy of ‘Brighton Rock’…I’ve been on the hunt for a penguin edition for ages!
So there we have it! It needs a lot of work yet I think, but I’m happy with how my little abode is shaping up. It certainly is a very cosy place to while away the hours!
More soon,
Love Yours Truly, x
So there we have it! I’m back!
I’m up to some very exciting adventures with the lovely Kelly Marie of A Harem of Peacocks tomorrow, so no doubt I shall be sharing that with you all soon.
Thank you for your patience!
Love Yours Truly, x
I have heaps more to share with you! But I think I might save it for one incredibly joyful future post!
In the meantime I hope you’re all well, and thank you for all the support and lovely comments you have given in the last few posts, you’ve made this move even happier for me.
Love Yours Truly, x
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I’m wearing it over a vintage nightdress, with some of my regular accessories (THAT vanity case again!) including my late Grandads insignia ring worn as a necklace charm…(Please ignore that fading bruise on my leg…I’m such a clumsy creature!)
I relished the opportunity to wear my hair down on my day off! I’ve been wearing it in creative, vintage inspired styles every day I’ve worked at the tea rooms, so it was a welcome break to just let it hang loose!
I’m currently growing my hair, though I’m not sure how long I’ll let it go…I’m already having pangs for cute crops and sharp bobs!
Beautiful roses which smelt so pretty in the sunshine…
Explosions of colour! From what I gathered, every flower bed had been designed to a different colour scheme…
We then sat and watched some elderly gentlemen playing bowls, it looked so relaxing! Unfortunately I think Josh and I would get too competitive if we played!
We then went to visit a museum, but it was shut! Boo!
However we’re returning for a visit on Monday so I won’t give too much away!
Hope you all have a lovely weekend,
Love Yours Truly, x
Since arriving in Brighton I have been pretty much wearing my hair in this style (or something similar) every day! So fuss free and easy!
Now I know what you may have been wondering, sure – move to Brighton, but what about a job?
Well very fortunately I found that I landed on my feet quite quickly there! I am currently working in the beautiful ‘Blackbird Tea Rooms‘ near Brightons South Lanes.
I thought I would take a couple of snaps to show you all just how lovely this charming establishment is…
Owned by two Antique and Vintage enthusiasts with years of experience in running sales and fairs of the ‘old-fashioned’ variety, the walls of the tea room make for very interesting viewing. I love this shelving unit of old food and tea tins…
The heavenly (dribble) cakes which are made fresh on the premises by our very talented Alberto!
I’m slowly working my way through the lot (so far the Bakewell Tart and Banana Passion Cake have been favourites!)
The more I explore whilst working, the more amazed I am to find that practically everything is antique! Right down to the light switches or tea spoons!
The table dressings are all wonderful, delicate hand-made lace affairs, with fresh flowers held in jam jars or drinking glasses….
Joshua and I getting stuck in to the Banana Passion Cake….Blimey that’s good cake!
Debating another slice perhaps?
And because it’s my favourite, I had to share this framed photo with you! I just love the look on the woman in the foregrounds face, and the girl with the batwing sleeves in the background. Also the couple in the middle about to have a passionate kiss…So much goodness in one photo!
Thank you so much Kelly Marie! You made my potentially rubbish week a little bit sunnier!
And as for you dear readers, all shall be explained in the next post. So HUGE apologies for being a crummy blogger lately, and believe me – it’s going to get much, much better!
Good night!
Love Yours Truly, x