Monday 26 April 2010

Bargain Basement Costume & Vintage Finds!

I recently acquired a Jane Austen style ex-bridesmaids dress in blue satin, for 50 pence in my local car boot sale, and the seller threw in the white faux fur stole (brand new with tags on from Debenham's bridal section) for another 50p! The dress is admittedly a tad snug on the bosoms but I think I can let it out slightly with my limited sewing skills.




Another recent bargain basement find was a sweet 60's gold purse in the local bric-a-brac shop - my beloved bought it for me, only £1! I spotted it because it's the exact same fabric of an evening shawl of my mother's.



Will have to keep an eye out for more bargains this weekend, though at a car boot there is certainly a great deal of chaff to sift from the wheat!

Wednesday 21 April 2010

Fleur's Fabulous Frivolous Knickers Give-Away!

Take a look at these beauties on Fleur's page!

I've got my fingers crossed for this one...after being unsuccessful with all my competition entries recently, my long-awaited dress not fitting, and a depleted bank-balance, I'm trying to cheer myself up with the thought that I may get to wear these absolutely drop-dead gorgeous lingerie items from Playful Promises!

Fleur, it was very dangerous of you to introduce me to this lingerie brand...but I'm sure my boyfriend will thank you!

Where have all the seamstresses gone?

The long anticipated 50's style dress I ordered from Australia arrived last week, only for me to find that it was quite a bad fit!

With my birthday only a few weeks away (the event I was intending on wearing it to) coupled with no hope of airmail services in the ash-cloud, I decided I didn't have time to exchange it so I've been on a mission around Cardiff the past few days to find a seamstress. I was really quite sad to find that the two I knew of had both closed down!

I really thought that there had been a resurgence in the make-do-and-mend mentality but obviously I was wrong! I even attended a sewing class myself last year but realised I lacked the expertise with a sewing machine to make it worth my while. Growing up, I never learnt on an electric one - my mother still uses her Grandmother's antique Singer machine, the kind you have to turn the handle with!

It seams (couldn't resist..!) that sewing is alive and well in Paris though judging from this article a friend sent me the other day, let's hope that the trend makes its way over to Wales!

Eventually I did find a seamstress, and although a little pricey they specialise in alterations to wedding gowns and suchlike so I'm confident they'll get it right. I just have to wait patiently now! Will upload a pic when I pick it up!

Wednesday 14 April 2010

Vintage Inspired Shopping on the Web - Favourite Sites!

I spend far too much time looking at these sites, but they stock some truly beautiful items! Have a look yourselves!

Underwear:
Pandora's Choice
What Katie Did

Clothing:
Vivien of Holloway
Big Beautiful Barbara Brown
Tara Starlet
Heyday
Able Grable

Start your wish-lists!

Car Boot Sale Vintage Crockery Sweep

I've been planning ahead this week for my birthday party next month and have decided on a Mad Hatter's Tea Party theme, so a trip to the car boot sale was in order on the weekend. The plan was to source some cheap and cheerful teacups, saucers, plates and teapots that aren't valuable enough for me to be worrying about when everyone's had a few too many Pimms.

This is a picture of my haul - the whole lot for £3!



There's a fair bit of modern, chinese made stuff, and the Duchess 'Tranquility' teacups were made from the late 1940s through to 1999, so I'm guessing they're the later version. This afternoon I decided to take a closer look at what I'd picked up and have realised that among the modern stuff there are a few pieces that are more than likely from someone's vintage kitchen, including a very retro looking opaque Arcoplan 'milk' set of 4 cups and plates with tiny orange and grey flowers. Armed with Miller's pottery and porcelain marks guide and google, I've spent a good few hours trying to decipher backstamps and am no closer to finding out where the handpainted white and gold plates are from, the only clue being a mysterious scripted gold letter 'f' on the back of the largest plate.

As for the teapot, it's from Kernewek, Cornwall, but again I have no idea of the age. I'm off to the library tomorrow to find a bigger book with more marks in it, but if anyone reading this has an in-depth knowledge of how to date china, please get in touch! It's all very exciting and I'm predicting the start of a crockery collection...

Thursday 8 April 2010

Pick Me! Able Grable Competition

I've absolutely fallen in love with the dress in the 'Name a dress competition' on the Able Grable website. I've done an entry and am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that Miss Amanda Lee may pick mine as the winner!

At the moment, any purchase from Able Grable is far beyond my means (only just finished paying off a horrific credit card debt from buying far too many burlesque-related items in a Confessions-Of-A-Shopaholic type spree spanning several years...), so a £50 voucher would be marvellous! And I've already decided I would spend it towards the actual dress being named, as it's absolutely fabulous, and lovely to see an oriental-style dress that doesn't have narrow hips (because I certainly don't!).

So, that's the dress I'm dreaming of this week as I try not to think about where the rockabilly dress is that I ordered from Australia the other week. I hope it turns up soon!
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