Read All About It

After a long day of shooting photos for my portfolio, I don't have all that much to show and tell today. I do however, have a new interview to share with you that appears over at Time Warp Wives. (click to link to read) Here's a little to wet your whistle.

Candice decided to start her blog after a confrontation with a woman at the gym, who verbally attacked her for looking the way she does. “Instead of washed out and haggard, I decided to spread my message of feeling good through daily glamour in a more public forum. I believe that to a great extent you create your own reality and can chose to live in a more beautiful world, even if you do spend most of your time chasing after two small children. ” she added.

Stay tuned tomorrow for all the fun and fashion of The Way We Wear Fair!

Doin It Old School

Last week I was in a bit of a slump, feeling overwhelmed with tasks and making devious plans to organise live in help. Leaning towers of paper were making their descent to the floor, spiders had started to creep into corners and were even spinning webs worthy of photographing. I felt like I had been cleaning continuously since my homecoming from the big trip, but nothing seemed to be changing. I was getting grumpier by the minute until I took a step back and looked at the problem logically. What was the simplest and most effective thing I could change in this equation? My attitude. Often easier said than done, and without the aid of pharmaceuticals, I turned to my other cure all source. The wonderful world of bloggers.

I've been reading some great new blogs recently that have really re focused my attentions towards all the things I've been wanting to achieve at home. For some reason all this talk of economic down turn has me thinking, not of the Great Depression, but more of WW2 home front sentiments. (Perhaps due to anecdotes from that time being relayed to me from various relatives in my formative years.) And so I have sought out inspirations from this era that I can apply to help me solve my domestic predicament.

Meet Marzipan of My 50's Year. A freelance writer and mother who has challenged herself to live as a 1950's housewife for 365 days. Unlike in those T.V specials, this is only Marzipan and not her family taking part in this challenge, and there is no special house or era appropriate props to go with it. As a self professed feminist, Marzipan has an interesting perspective on her challenges and I am hooked on her daily journal.

After reading about her daily cleaning regime, my bi-weekly dust seemed to pale into insignificance, and somehow that spurred me on. I felt the need to not only clean, tidy and purge, but to pretty things up and finish my multitude of projects. So, achieved to the strains of Doris Day, here's what I have been up to this week:

• Finishing my bedroom decorating project - Wallpapering, hanging curtains, hanging pictures, re-upholstering chairs and cleaning out the cupboards for charity.
• Mending: This pile is so large that my children outgrow things before they are fixed, but in the spirit of "Make do and Mend", I have even been altering some of these garments to do a second round.
• Sewing: I have been coveting a great pair of ultra high waisted 1940's style pants for a while. So I dug into the pile of fabric in storage, nutted out a pattern and knocked up a great pair this afternoon. (Pictures will be forthcoming)
• Cooking: Rather than deciding on the dinner menu about 15 minutes before I am due to serve it, I've actually been trying to plan a menu this week. I imagine my 1940's counterpart would be horrified at the lack of forethought that goes into most of my meals, and the subsequent cost and wastage that come from these lackadaisical methods. I've also been introducing three meat free nights a week to add to the challenge.

All this is only the tip of the iceberg, but instead of feeling discouraged, I'm feeling rather self satisfied. Perhaps if I can get on top of just one new thing a week, I may yet reach my organised, highly decorative and serene utopia. I'm even considering tossing the PDA in favour of that old fashioned invention - The Paper Diary - so I can see weeks of planning at a time and joyfully mark things off with a bright pink tick! Now with all that done, where's my G&T?

Daily Outfit - Off to the Ballet

Outfit Details: Dress- Second hand store (1980's), Belt - Kmart, Shoes - Luca & Marc.

This was Sunday's outfit to attend Miss Four's ballet concert. The dress I found at this great store in Houston called Buffalo Exchange. A large recycled clothing store full of all sorts of gems. This little lady set me back all of about $12. It is a rayon 1980's number complete with shoulder pads, and is super comfortable. It was a little chilly so I added a slip underneath. It was then I experienced a problem I haven't had since Sunday School days. The static cling of stockings, slip and dress. Crackly and nasty. I tried my old anti-static trick of putting moisturizer on the stockings, which worked fairly well, but I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to overcome this?

Dress detail - Fine pleated shoulders with killer shoulder pads.

Shoes by Luca & Marc

On the hair front, my hair is now too long to work well in the hot rollers. I can get them in but it takes forever to get them out as they get all tangled and I nearly had to cut them out recently. So I had to come up with a new technique. What you see here is the result of my own version of a pin curl set. It takes almost no time, no special equipment and I love the result. I will be working on a tutorial for this during the week so hopefully I'll have a new video to show you by next week.

Hair detail

Fabulously Busy

I am tired of hearing that people are busy. It's always, "How have you been?", "Busy." Does saying that you are busy make you feel any better, or does it just validate your feeling that you must be an important person as you are busy? Just like answering "fine, or "good." I am so sick of these off pat, thoughtless responses. True, the sales assistant who asks, "How are you today?" is not likely to want to hear all about your bunions or the state of that odd rash, but perhaps we could all do with a change of perspective and a change of attitude.

With all the things we fit into our schedule, even if that is just watching Project Runway, how often do we stop to take stock of our feelings on any given day? It is so easy to be annoyed, hassled and tired. What if we stopped each morning to just reflect on how we feel, and how we would like to feel for the day? I know this all sounds a bit like a dose of positive affirmations, and yes there is a degree of that, but I'm talking about taking a simple approach.

Next time, when someone asks how you are, give them an answer that will make you both feel better. The choice of adjectives is yours. Personally I like to go with Marvelous, Fabulous, Splendid, Top Notch, Stellar, or my personal favorite; Superlative!

With Christmas just around the corner and your schedule likely to be heaving at the seams, I challenge you to not simply just to dress fabulously, but to BE fabulous; and make sure everyone knows it!

Daily Outfit - Picnic in the Park

Today's outfit was especially for a picnic date with some of my fellow vintage enthusiasts. This amazing dress, which I am pegging as early 1950's, is a home made vintage number that I picked up on my recent trip to Houston. The construction is one I haven't seen before. From the front the dress appears to be nipped in at the waist, but the shaping is done by an elastic belt on the inside back of the dress that pulls the sides in. At the back it has these two 'train' like pieces that flow from the shoulders, making it look almost like a cape effect. As one of my lovely friends said, "It is very Hawaiian Honeymoon".

The hat was also one of my Houston purchases and I am so glad I bought it. I hummed and haarrd over it as it was difficult to pack in crushable straw, but I decided to risk it as it was just so fab. I need to make a few small adjustments to it, as it has such a shallow crown size, it is difficult to keep aloft. I tried it today with a hat pin, but to no avail. With such a large brim and small crown, it was making a play for freedom.

But what a lovely day it was. The sun was shining, (although there was doubt of that as it stormed all day yesterday) and the location divine. However, in my rush to get Miss Four out to her ballet concert before I headed off, I forgot the camera! That is just not like me. This ballet business has been much more involved, long winded and demanding than I expected for a Four year old's class. However, I have much to say on that so I'll save it for another day. For today's picnic I even had a date. The Mr. came along and little Miss One too. So we feasted on sandwiches and pretzels,bundt cake and petite fours, and a gin and tonic or two. What a way to spend a Saturday. I hope your's is just as sunny, even if only metaphorically.

Daily Outfit

Outfit Details: Dress- Laura Lee for Top Shop (via Ebay) Shoes - KMart $15 specials ( and oh so comfortable), Necklace - Sanrio Hello Kitty, Diamond and Platinum Earrings - Gift.

Today's outfit had to deal with another 32 degree plus day, while also handling a full schedule of errands. Doctor's visits, lots of driving, tea dates, laundry and even a little gardening. It it was just perfect. After complaining yesterday about my summer shoes situation, these are one of the only two pairs I currently have for summer. I found them at KMart of all places for the low low price of $15! Given, they will probably fall apart before the end of the season, and on close inspection don't look like they cost an awful lot more than that, but for now they are filling a gap.

Tomorrow I am tackling a little more of that ongoing decorating project as my fancy pants wallpaper has just arrived! I can't hardly wait to see how it looks en mass. And then on to spend the evening with abut 150 (!) children while Miss Four rehearses for her weekend ballet recitals. My Things to Do and Places to Be list is hurtling into crazy zone at the moment, so I'm planning to be super organised for the whole party season this year. Well... we'll see.

Would "Hot to Trot" Be Too Cliche?

Today is the second day it has been about 35 degrees C. here. And I am beginning to feel those dramas that always seem to come around my wardrobe in summer time. This year I am well stocked with great little dresses courtesy of my recent trip, but when I decided to head out for a very brief trip this afternoon I discovered one problem. Whilst I have more shoes than you can poke a stick at, I have only two pairs suitable for daily summer wear, (not including the ubiquitous thongs / flip flops)! I have sparkly sandals and stiletto party shoes for sure, but the practical day to day numbers that will see me through swimming lessons, trips to the park and the usual round of chores are sadly lacking.

So what I need are some comfortable (don't shoot me), well styled, goes with almost everything and very cool shoes. (Imelda please feel free to send your recommendations my way). I have been trawling my favorite shoe sites finding many many pretty things which are all on sale thanks to the different seasons in different hemispheres lark. But pretty doesn't meet all my requirements this time. However I don't believe that comfort and glamour must be mutually exclusive, so I am on a mission to track down my summer time saviour.

Vixen by Kumfs

I am told these aren't the best fitting shoes, but I'll be trying to track down a pair to try on tomorrow. I'm hoping that they have a bit more of a vintage look than orthopedic look in actuality. But so far, these are the only pair on my radar. So can any of my Australian readers help me with the perfect suggestion? Given the state of our dollar at the moment I'll probably stick to shopping locally, but still, perfection knows no bounds.

Style Icon - Jennifer Connelly

Way back when, when I had a passion for fashion but the only "fashion" magazine available for girls my age was Dolly; and teen celebrity culture was an unheard of phenomenon in the way it is today, I found one of my formative style icons in my favorite film. The pubescent Jennifer Connelly in the Jim Henson fantasy, Labyrinth. I must have watched this film every Sunday afternoon for almost a year I loved it so much. And while the film appealed to me on so many different levels (I'll leave that for another day), it was Connelly and her character that sparked my imagination.

Not having the disposable cash of teens today (and yes I had to walk a mile in the snow to the mall) or the cheap fashion selections, I always had to create my outfits from what I already had in my wardrobe, things pinched from mum or miscellanea from the dress up box. So with a pair of jeans I had, a Pirate style shirt loaned from mum and a vest pinched from one of Dad's old suits, I styled myself into quite a passable imitation of Ms. Connelly. And I loved it. The moment I put on that outfit, I could inhabit her character in much the same way as an actor on the stage, except to me, it was real. I was suddenly so much more romantic, floating around looking wistfully into the distance and trying to find old first editions novels to pose strategically with. But it was more than just a girl playing dress ups, it was a fashion epiphany. Clothes were not merely something to have for "good" or "everyday", clothes had a secret language. A language that held the power to tell the world who I really was. (In this case a raven haired, goblin charming adventuress). And the rest for me was, as the say, history.

But not only did Jennifer Connelly play a staring role in my introduction to the power of fashion, she went on to become a style icon in her own right. Given, she flys under the radar when it comes to celebs that court the front covers of checkout magazines, but if I know my readers you'll agree that this only adds to her charm. When it comes to the red carpet, Jennifer isn't afraid of a statement piece. Case in point, her sculptural floral dress from the Balenciaga S/S 08 collection. (Seen out on the town just prior to being seen as part of the advertising campaign) Unlike many a celeb, Jennifer inhabits the clothes as an extension of her personality rather than coming off like an uncomfortable clothes horse with a stylist on her last pay cheque.

In Balenciaga

Photo Getty Images

For me the most inspiring elements of her style is the way she always looks lady like, but never dowdy or overly conservative. She mixes it up, takes risks and carries it of with a strong sense of self assurance. As a mother of two, I'm sure it would be easy for her to scrub up for these big events and then let it all go when out of the spotlight. But once again, contrary to many a candid celeb shot, this example of Ms. Connelly out for coffee with her two boys, shows me that she just GETS it. It's jeans, it's a t-shirt, it's a pony tail - but it works!

Photo by Flynet

So all I can say is, "You remind me of a Babe."

Dog Day Afternoon

No fancy outfits today, just a standard jeans and T-shirt combo to handle the rigors of playing cleaner, chauffeur and nurse to my beautiful puppy.

Meet Bosco, my seven year old Maltese Shitzu cross. Poor Bosco spent the day at the vet having ten (!) teeth extracted and a a mystery lump removed. Bosco was my first baby, and yes I did used to dress him. He still has a natty little sailors costume somewhere, and has been known to wear racing silks on Melbourne Cup Day. These days his fashionable escapades play second fiddle to dressing two girls, but I still think he's the best puppy in the world. Sadly, he has also gone blind prematurely, which means that he often head butts the furniture and can't find his way out of the door. But he is the most well behaved, lovable dog. He's never chewed a thing, doesn't bark and always keeps you warm. So today he is due some extra pampering as he licks his wounds.

Whenever my dogs have some sort of treatment, be it surgical or otherwise, I always want to make their space a little nicer for them when they arrive home. I buy the fancy kind of dog biscuits, wash and plump the beds (with lots of fabric softener to make them smell great) and add a little touch of comfort. And given Bosco's ordeal today, I got him a little buddy. A little stuffed puppy to cuddle and call his own. Oh so cute!

Miniature Schnauzer From The Dog

Get well soon Bosco. xx

It's All Wrong

I've spent this weekend feeling very creative. As I've wandered around my favorite photo sites, new craft blogs and the pages of other artistic individuals, I've felt moved to create. I always seem to have some project or other on the go, but sometimes I want to expand my repertoire and make something new. But I am foiled.

Foiled by my own fear of failure and paralyzed with inaction. The thought process goes something like this. " Oh my what a delightful necklace that is. I'll bet I could whip one of those up myself." Which then moves to; " All I need to do is pop out for a few supplies, but then I'm trying not to spend money, so I'll make do with what I have." As I start to sketch up ideas, the pencil just doesn't seem to be doing its interpretative duty of the images in my head. "Never mind, I'll just go with the flow and it is bound to be a masterpiece." I pull out all my tools and look at the pile of notions in front of me, and while they look lovely, nothing is jumping of the table saying wear me. As I am twisting the first piece of wire I start to think, " I really don't need another necklace, I mean really when the hell am I going to wear this creation I have too many already." Now that's not right. I should be fantasizing about just how much more attractive this necklace is going to make me. How the subtle way I've added a little charm here and there will increase my wit at parties. But somehow, it is still just a pile of stuff that is not looking any more animated than when I started.

So like the trooper I am, I decided to quit and make some coffee instead. And then I broke a nail.. Bugger.

Inspiration

from Krisatomic
A fashion stylist who is very handy with a camera. This shot is of a Luella necklace - the source of my current pain. (I don't know if she took this shot herself, but either way...)

The Devil of Detail

Highlighting my eclectic (okay, eccentric) sense of style, I have today come across the work of a very talented gentleman, whom I should like to ask to decorate my library. Mr Douglas Little of D.L & Co. Heralded as a "Modern Alchemist", Mr Little is a master of sensory pleasure and indulgence. Unencumbered by tight budgets and bottom lines, D.L has been free to style his creations as works of art from start to finish. His candles are hand milled with soy, maple and palm waxes, enabling them to burn with more purity and strength of fragrance. It is said that his candles are so soft and silky, that some customers have even been known to rub the wax into their skin as a solid perfume.

Initially famous for this range of candles with their unique and archaic fragrances, D.L&Co. is now sought after by some of the biggest names in the fashion business for his superior styling and decorating skills. Recently his work has been featured in House and Garden, with those vignettes then being re-created as windows for Bergdorf Goodmans, and I am in awe at the fantastic world he has created.

A selection of the images from the Gothic Splendor feature House & Garden November 2006

The re-created vignettes from the H&G images. Created by D.L & Co. for Bergdorf Goodman's. Click here to see more images and a Making Of featurette.

To my eyes, his products seem superior in every sense of the word. Not resorting to time worn marketing techniques of particular fonts or colour schemes to convey exclusivity, D.L has instead created a range of products that truly are exclusive. From the care and detail of the outer packaging to the museum worthy perfume vials, there is not one piece of these creations that would be leaving the house in the recycling. I think rather, that should I be so fortunate to be gifted with the fragrance below, it would instantly become one of my heirloom items.

Gingembre Candle

White chocolate death

An Invitation from D.L & Co.
"Within the dim, opulent parlors of D.L&Co. Detail, Craft and Imagination are all greeted with a tender, reverent embrace, and are coridally introduced to their lusty suitors. Obscure botanica, Victorian Surrealism and Ancient Charm; the fruits of their languid union are found here. We humbly invite you to lose yourselves in their subtle yet vitiginous splendor."

A man after my own heart Douglas Little is truly transforming the mundane into the magnificent.



*UPDATE* I've done a little sleuthing and if you are looking to make any of these magnificent pieces your own you can shop HERE for USA or HERE for Australia.



All images are courtesy of D.L & Co.
I have not be paid or solicited in any way to write this piece, I just love Mr Little's work. Should the good people at D.L& Co. see fit to bestow me with one of their magnificent pieces, it would be gratefully accepted. ;)