Monday. Seriously...I Love You

I haven't posted on a Monday in ages, and today I'm not even complaining because I'm on holiday! I was meant to be cleaning the house and packing for a trip away but instead I spent most of the day wandering around town and perusing the second-hand shops.  The 30 minute walk home from town took at least three times as long because I kept popping into shops on the way.  I loved having the time to search through everything properly, and picked up some great finds including a brown leather satchel and vintage style overnight bag! It's been a long time since I had a day with no set plans and it was so relaxing. 

Today was the perfect start to a long-awaited holiday, and with more fun times ahead I'm sure I'll be sharing them soon!

x

Lonely No More

Last Saturday I woke excitedly and dressed up in my red lipstick, seamed stockings and vintage brogues (plus other clothes, obviously). Then as the rest of the city was still waking to a mild spring day, I clip-clipped my way down to the latest Vintage Roundup market.  The weather allowed stalls to spill out of the old Lone Star restaurant and onto the street, creating an excited buzz of activity in a normally quieter part of town.

The volume and variety of goodies got me pretty excited, and it was very tempting just to give up on photographing altogether. The only tragedy of the day - I was having so much fun taking photos and catching up with lovely folk that I didn't do any shopping (I must be coming down with something)! I'm really looking forward to next time when I can focus on buying some treasures to take home.

Click on the photos to go direct to the stallholder's website,  and check out my Facebook page for lots more photos of the day!

x

A Right Royal Roundup

1 & 2 Two Squirrels Vintage/3 Modern Miss/4 Needlebot Crafts/5 Kings Emporium/

6 Needlebot Crafts/7, 8 & 9 Brown Street Bespoke

Yesterday was my first time blogging in a journalistic sense (if journalistic is even a word) and to be honest I was extremely nervous.  I felt like a big faker -  approaching people (eek), asking to take pictures (eeeeek!), saying my blog name out loud (*faints*). I fumbled with my camera and jumbled my words, dropped things and nearly got stuck in a dress, but in the end everyone was so nice that I needn't have worried.  Self-promotion is difficult and I find it a bit cringy, but I couldn't have picked a better place to start.

So much vintage clothing under one roof - I could hardly contain myself! The Vintage Roundup at Queens Bar is one of Dunedin's newest markets and is organised by Tannia Lee, who also has her own fantastic online store called Most Wanted Vintage. The stallholders are vintage collectors who have shops or sell online, and there were also a few crafters. I was lucky enough to be contacted by Tannia to visit and take some photos, and I was so excited to be asked!  I managed to restrain my spending and only buy two pretty dresses, although it was almost too hard to choose from all the treasures on offer.  I met some wonderful, interesting people and had a lovely afternoon chatting with them about beautiful fabrics and how much we love our cats.

The photos in this post are only my favourites from the day, you can view the rest on my Facebook page. To see Tannia's photos, keep an eye on The Vintage Roundup page on Facebook too!  

Something Nice To Look At If, Like Me, You're Feeling Lethargic

I'm a bit poorly today.  I didn't overindulge on the gin too much, but it was definitely a late night and I really need my sleep. Despite a sleep in I'm still a bit jaded and have the shades of a hangover blurring the edges of my senses. Strong sweet coffee and food high in carbs usually help, but for me, looking at pretty things seems to counteract the feeling-sorry-for-self that comes with the morning after.  So today's post is full of things that are just nice to look at. Plus if I do a blog post then I've done at least one productive thing and I don't feel so guilty about lazing around all day.

So settle in by the fire with a cuppa and enjoy my selection of nice things.

This stunning photo project with a beautiful back-story

This Salted Chocolate Caramel Fudge Cake. Oh my.

This delicious ampersand photography project

My talented friend Julia captures exactly how I feel today

This treehouse surrounded by cherry blossom (Photograph copyright Akihisa Masuda)

My friend Heather cooks this dumpling soup to remedy a cold, but it looks so good, I'm sure it could cure a hangover too!

These pictures have definitely helped me feel better, but I'm also super hungry now...I'm off to rustle up something delicious.

Work It

Polka dot dress / Peplum jacket, $28 / Pretty Polly nude pantyhose, $9.33 / T-strap shoes / Cole Haan gloves / Hair bow accessory / Forever 21 

I always try to dress up for work, it makes me feel better about the day ahead and it's really the only creative activity I undertake during the week! 

With the colder weather approaching I think we are all drawn to darker colours, especially in Dunedin. Lately I've been craving some bright wardrobe additions to keep the summer lingering in my life as long as possible.  

I love blue but it's not really a colour that suits me which is why these accessories are perfect. I also love the colour combination of the red and blushing cream, it reminds me of strawberry ripple icecream and hazy sunsets...ah, I'll miss you fondly, summer. x

 

Autumn Wish List

 

There is no denying it, summer has said goodbye and crisp clear autumn mornings followed by drizzly days are becoming more common. It's a little sad, but kind of nice too. As it gets colder we start wrapping up in cosy clothes, cooking comfort food and - my favourite - curling up in front of a glowing fire while the rain pours outside. I definitely prefer to stay at home over going out, so I secretly look forward to hibernation and going early to bed with a good book...boring for some but bliss for me.

I thought I'd welcome autumn with the above collection of pretty things that remind me of clear days and little creatures flustering their way through crunchy leaves.  I am in love with the deer picture, I wish it came in giant size.  The colour of the scarf just makes me think of fiery bright autumn leaves and the scalloping just takes it over the edge - so pretty. Click on the pictures to go directly to their stockists. 

Vintage Re-revival

Well obviously I let my wee blog go a bit...nearly a full year since my last post and I'm slightly ashamed.  But not really because it's mine and I can do what I like.  Blogging obviously went way down in my list of priorities, but I really miss doing creative things so I'm excited to get started up again (hopefully this time for good)! Plus winter is on its way here so I'll be hibernating a lot and will need something to do...

It's time for a new start so I've refreshed my blog design and I've got some great ideas for regular posts and features, plus a new outlook on blogging that includes using it as an outlet for honest opinions and creative inspirations. Hope you can join me! x

PS You can actually buy this awesome (and so applicable to me it's scary) card here.

Ooh, Thrifty

I've decided to do monthly features to keep me posting regularly, and this is my very first one!  Ooh Thrifty will showcase my most recent vintage finds, which means I have to go opshopping at least once a month.  Luckily this isn't a hard task for me at all...

This month is the perfect time to start, because yesterday I went to a big second-hand fabric sale that happens once a year. I've never heard of it until this year, even though I've been in Dunedin for 9 years...I must have been living under a rock! 

When I first walked in the door I felt like Homer Simpson freaking out before he sinks his whole head into a giant sundae.  The entire hall was filled with tables piled high with bundles of fabrics, plus there were vintage fabrics on racks, rolls of fabric, scraps for super cheap and a whole other room with patterns, buttons and zips. I nearly lost concentration with the excitement of it all.  But instead I just put my head down and got in the zone, thankfully even though there were hundreds of people I managed to to avoid any paisley-related confrontations with like-minded crafters...

I came home super happy with all my finds, I managed to filter out all the "maybes" and probably saved myself a good $50 and a whole lot of buyer's remorse!  I really love my whole fabric collection now, and hopefully I've got enough to last me until next year. I can't wait!

SUNday

The most fun part of DIY - smashing stuff down

Another vintage wallpaper discovery...

Found inside the wall!

Finished fence - yay!

Oh I love you too, garden!

Our own lettuce, mint, AND tomatoes...I'm so proud!

Wow. This weekend has just been amazing. The weather was not only gorgeous but WARM as well, and it's brought out the best of everyone in our household! We've been very productive - smashing things down, building more things, doing washing, gardening, drinking lots of wine with lovely girlfriends (that was me) and trying out new recipes to create delicious food using produce from our garden.  I even managed to sneak in a laze on the couch with Food TV - bliss.

There's a lot to be said for being incredibly but pleasantly tired, and knowing you've made the most of your precious weekend time.  Can't wait for next weekend....Easter, 4 days off!  Fingers crossed the weather will be just as stunning.

Embracing Autumn

 There's no denying it any longer, the weather in Dunedin has definitely turned.  While we did get a few sun-soaked days, the overall temperature has really dropped and it feels like winter is stalking us, slowly getting closer and closer.

But as I've mentioned in earlier posts, I love using cold weather as an excuse to get cosy, and when it comes to clothes it's no different!  Over the past week or so I've had made a few sneaky purchases that have got me excited about layering up in colours that remind me of slowly transforming leaves and crackling toasty fires.  It's all about embracing the changes.  

Next purchase I'm considering...a onesie. Thoughts?