What have I been doing

I bought this shirt dress from eracheal on etsy, $18.
Practising eyeshadow looks as I am terrible with makeup, for Halloween.
Contacting people to vote for me at Dandelion Vintage Competiton.
http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/66358?ogn=website&order=recency

Sweets cutting equals better Buying on Etsy

I have finally find my christmas outift it may not be dazzling but it is shiny, if only I had put the cake down, their would of been so much more choice for less money.

Vintage Costume Jewellery: A Passion for Fabulous Fakes Book Review

I have wanted a book on vintage jewellery for ages, but the ones that aren't based on a designer always seem to be more like picture books. The best jewellery books I own are on Jakob Bengel and Van Cleef and Arpels (never released)
This book however is a modern picture book, yes the images are large and bright, but there is little information about their construction and how you could date pieces. From the 1950s the author does included some images of the back the jewellery but as most of the jewellery is signed and premium priced its unliikely to help the humble collector.
Overall I was disappointed, but glad I didn't pay full priced, but now I have looked at it, I dont need it any more. However it did give me an appreciation of the 70s and also to bare in mind that what I think is 50s could be 70s.

Read the reviews here.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1851495118/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img

Swirls Me

Since following Diary of a Vintage Girl I have discovered the power of the Swirl labelled dress. At the minute I am looking for a budget vintage Christmas outfit, but all I can find is nice summer dresses. Then I spotted this swirl dress bloom print dress,on eBay. Okay its summer but wear it with red tights and a yellow cardie and its hello winter! I was so close but I don't have home Internet so I was outbided by a measly $0.49.

Dandelion Vintage Contest

I have just posted my entry for Dandelion Vintage Contest and out of the three selections I choose the spotted chiffon dress. The dotted chiffon number isn't one of my favourite dress but my budget camera just cant pick up details on black and makes my adored horse and carriage print dress look very shiny.
http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/66358/voteable_entries?ogn=website&view_entries=1e

Supermarkets Go All Patisserie

You know I love cake.
Nothing like a piece of good cake and a cup of tea on a rubbish day. Well it seems the Supermarkets too have realised this, and they have up the ante in the cake wars. Now for some strange reason lots of Milkshake places have emerged yet very few contenders to the Gregg's Bakers throne.
Tesco stocks cream Whoopees and Asda has recently jumped on the wagon with its new Indulgent Treat Line.
After my bad experience with stale red velvet cake from Selfridges, I thought I would try some of those Supermarket cake lines.
Desperate for cupcake fix, I tried the red velvet cupcake (£1.75) they looked great but tasted artificial, I then tried the Mississippi Mud Pie Cupcakes, again they looked great had a chocolate taste but that weird artificial sweetness again. I moved onto the loaf cakes, first Banana Chocolate cake loaf (£2.69?), tasted like banana foam sweets, with that weird tasting chocolate coating. I then tried the Lemon Drizzle cake Loaf, surely they could get that right? And they did base was moist with the normal slightly acidic lemon flavoured icing with lemon shavings.


image courtesy of asda magazine

To introduce the new range of indulgent treat Adsa had 25% of single cakes so for £0.60 I tried the Mini Toffee Cake, which was very nice and moist with buttercream icing my favourite. The next day I fancied another cake, the cookies had all gone but why not an iced doughnut, after all most supermarkets fail epically in this. I picked up a lemon glazed doughnut with a lemon curd filling (£0.38) it tastes very similar to a lemon Krispy Creme doughnut and much nicer then the Mini Toffee Cake.
So does not only Asda do the freshest cookies and pastries it does mean little cakes a well. Think I will enjoy my weekly sweet fix so much more.

image courtesy of asda magazine

Halloween Dressing

Are you one of those rare people who love to dress for each Holiday and festivals?
While Planet Claire Vintage on Etsy has created a Halloween LookBook just for you.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/Planetclairevintage

Get a Horrockses inspired Dress

Yes I have been posting a lot due to extreme boredom and the fact that the local library is due to close for the next 4 months. What will I do without my daily 2.5 hrs breaks away from the flat? With no hope of better employment am I to be constantly without hope?

New Book Crush- Horrockses Fashion

My smile lasted for 3 hours, then I developed an ear infection, so my weekend involved me lying down to stop the ringing, even a stroke of a little kitten couldn't lift me. My lack of overtime has meant I am seriously out if the loop when it has come to Fashion exhibit, I missed the Grace Kelly exhibit by choice.
And The Horrockses exhibit almost went, right under the radar, it being held at the Fashion and Textile Museum my least favourite museum, it always gives me the feeling there too much space and not enough in there, and also its not the easiest of places to get too, which is why, in a toss up I would rather have the book then visit.
However the review from Arts thread blog, seems to make it more and more interesting with each view.
http://blog.artsthread.com/2010/09/horrockses-fashions-off-the-peg-style-in-the-40s-and-50s/
However blog This is Love Forever has kindly included pages from the book.
Museum ticket £6.50 travel £7.30 verus Book £15.64. One or the other, I hate the recession.
http://www.thisisloveforever.com/2010/04/horrockses-fashion-off-the-peg-style-in-the-40s-and-50s.html

I have a smile

I have a smile and it all it took was a chocolate cupcake and a sale on Amazon, so now the long awaited Vintage Costume Jewellery: A Passion for Fabulous Fakes will be on its way to me soon.

Biting the Bullet

If you needed any sign that a town is going down hill, the final arrival of a Cash converters and another Pound store is an indication. Multiple of the same store in a small town, what's up with that?
Trying to create some enthusiasm for the upcoming festivities by looking at the local Poundland who have gone to town, as have the bakers Greggs and the Supermarkets.
Still undecided on whether I will go out for Halloween, on one hand it will be great to catch up with the Bizarre gang on the other hand I am worried, that all I will be thinking about is how I could of spent the money on something else that would last longer, like that X files box set. But then again I will get my hospital results 3 days before the event and they may might just spoil everything.
Yesterday I finally sold something, not on the internet but in the local Cash converters, so I am not in danger of having an account in minus with still 2 weeks to go. Yes I am throughly out of love with this job, the things I am resorted too, redying clothes to make them last, entering competiton and doing the lottery when I find a £1.
In fact I had a depressing conversation with my Aunt about the number of Supermarket and toiletries shops and outlets she goes to keep the monthly shop down. Me being depressed how I have to do this too, and wouldnt it be just nice, not to have to shop for a discount. That and the negatives of having a small dog who acts like a child, sleep deprivation, injuries and the drycleaning bill. That and what I want for Christmas which has now turned to what I need replacing but can't afford.
I feel pride before a fall is coming my way big time, better look now for the deals on chocolate.

In the Heyday - Giveaway

image In the Heydayhttp://www.heydayonline.co.uk

In the Heyday is celebrating reaching 100 followers, about time too!
The giveway is for The Fleur dress seen here http://www.heydayonline.co.uk/default/womens-clothing/womens-dresses/ladies-the-fleur-dress-english-rose.html
The clothes are some of the best reproduction vintage out there and British too!
I have my eye on the lovely skirt above and I am hoping that Granny and Grandad are generous again this christmas and can give me a Christmas cheque to beat the blues.

Pretty for Christmas

Every christmas I buy something Vintage, but this year my budget is really £0, too much expenses and not enough coming in. Yes I have a few things I can use, instead but they need something else to improve the look. The allure of vintage is still strong but with my £25 budget Primark is the only viable option. I must admit I cant wait for the days when Primark and a discount store are the only places I can clothes shop.

I like the modern take on the blue dress and the black dress looks fine for £25, so I will be awaiting their arrival in store. Primark has previous done the 50s dress but they are always wrong, waist too long, skirt not full enough, waist too big, just hope they get these right, a good christmas is counting on it.

Swap It

Do you ever look at those magazine features on Spend or Save and think I can do better, so do I. When I used to work at Topshop I would always buy a copy of the Topshop version and everyone would assume it was from the store. Now since it took 3 months to be eligible for discount and I wasn't working for pocket money this was a necessity. Now sometimes the "Swap It" method works out on simple designed clothes, sometimes it just doesnt look like the real deal.

Fashion Forerstry

Fashion forestry is having her first giveaway in Association with Bohemian Bisoux Vintage

$50 is at stake!

I must admit I dream about vintage quite alot, I only have 3 different dreams that have evolved over time. I dream about two separate vintage shops, when I was younger around 10yrs these dreams were very evolved and included towns. The oldest recurring dream involved reaching the second floor of a shopping centre, walking through a ladies department floor to reach the attic. The vintage shop is in the attic, when I first walking in there are always petticoats hanging from the celling, the clothes are grouped together by era, I am always looking for a frothy 50s dress.
The other dream is from my teenage years and is when I was able to start buying vintage. I have travelled by train or coach to another town for this shop, I have to take the right walkway on the right street to get to the shop. If I miss it I either end up walking the market or get to the outskirts where the church is and I am lost. As I get older I find myself more and more reaching the church. I think its a metaphor for my life, good intentions and all but still not achieving my goals.

Some of my Favourties from the store

High Society- Perfect Wedding Dress Moment

Can you spare a dime?

Three times this week I have been asked this week for money. Just because I have some income doesnt mean its spare, usual if I have anything spare its because I havn't been paying enough out. The first time this week was the RSPCA a animal charity asking me for £7 a month, now I have £10 left in my account of my actual salary why? I bought a pair of shoes for work as the ones I bought 3 months from the seconds shop, have fallen apart and it was cheaper to buy a new pair. I bought another pair for my mother as she was complaining that she didnt have flat shoes (xmas present) spent £7 on chinese as upset as a housmate had left the toilet very messy and left it. Spent money £6 re dye my work gear, as I dont want to have to replace my skirt and trousers for a job like this. But the real reason I am broke is because I in a 5 week month and technical I am short of my salary of about a week, and I didnt realise how much the essentials cost and what was an essential to me. I didnt realise how depressing and costly living in a dirty flat would be, I now have developed allegies itchy skin blocked nose (a blessing) My careful food budget has gone up as I am spending more money on air freshners and cleaning products.(A) I live with a stankey person (B)My room is a sauna so my vintage clothes and cheap leather shoes have low level smell. Didnt realise how depressing shopping for bargins would be and there are alot less of them avaiable. I have developed an expensive chocolate pick me up habit, that also comes out of the food budget.
The second request for money was for the work Christmas Party, £10 deposit and apparently more to be paid later, now I only have £10 left of my actual wage left and the thought I have to pay out more in December for a work Christmas party when its another 5 week month is not happening. When people see me working in my job, they sometimes say, "that must be a good job." I feel like saying no its not as its only part-time and I dont live at home. I thought I would get part time retail work as I have lots of expereince but I havnt had any interviews, only the two interviews I had for housing roles, weridly. The third request was from a homeless person, now down to my £6, after runing out of toothpaste, pasta, bread and mints, I said no. I hate the way being on a low salary has made me mean,I no longer put a washing up liquid out as no ones puts into a household fund. Actually the reason is I bought a brand from a different supermarket and its lower quality. I have stopped contacting my old firends as really they always wanted me to come down to my old town and drink in the pub which was boring then and still is now, as none of us lead interesting lives and half are continously unemployed, the conversation is limited. Cant wait to March as its usually after I have been somewhere 11 months that I get another job, just in time for my Bank to call in my overdraft. One step forward half a step back the story of my life.

Taste sometimes changes with Age

As I got older my food tastes have changed, I like beetroot, dont mind porridage but do I still hate Dominos pizza? A new store had just opened and for a £1 why not? Happpy to note they have someone who makes the pizza bases but I only saw her make one during the 15 minutes I was there and it was extra large size.
The sauce is dodgy tastes like really cheap pasta sauce without the sweetness, cheese very plastic, the only good thing was the crust.

Tatler fashion fix

Last week I picked up a copy of September issue of Tatler at the local market and was a bit miffed that I had seen fabrics similair in Dave Horatha and Co. When I when I went to Shephards Bush Market, I find a shop that looked straight out from "Are you been Served?" I had picked up two more patterns (sale) and was looking for some suiting fabric, spent ages deciding on the colours, in all I bought 10metres of fabric and 4 metres of lining for £16.00