April 2013 – Vintage Frills

vintagefrills / April 30, 2013

Me Made May

The other day I was reading one of my favourite blogs Ideas and Inspirations, and Grace mentioned that she was taking part in Me Made May. I was intrigued so clicked on her link to So Zo… What do you Know? who is hosting the event. After having a little think about whether I could take on the challenge I’ve decided to give this one a go.

The idea of Me Made May is to wear something you have made or modified every day in May. This prompted me to get out all my unfinished sewing projects with the aim of getting a little head start. About 10 minutes in my sewing machine completely broke! I tried everything but it was completely un useable. I’d been having a few problems with it for a while, so it wasn’t a total surprise. Luckily I decided to buy IKEAs £45 basic sewing machine, and I’m really impressed. As I only really need basic stitches this cheap option is ideal and it is so much better than my £50 John Lewis mini which I was using before. To anyone new to sewing I’d highly recommend it as its pretty small and extremely simple to use. it’s also not a huge investment to a new sewer or someone who doesn’t sew very much.

So with that minor disaster out-of-the-way I’m ready to finish the 4 dresses I’m in the middle of and remodel some vintage dresses which I’ve had in my pile or ages.

As the challenge is 30 days and I’ve not been making clothes for very long I can’t guarantee that I can wear something handmade every day but I’m going to try and do it as many days as I can. There’s a very good chance that every piece of fabric in the house is gong to end up being made into clothes curtains and duvets you are not safe!!!

I’m going to post a bit more about this later or tomorrow, but if you’d lie to take part too you can find out more here.

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vintagefrills / April 26, 2013

The Vintage Frills Wishlist #1

I’ve been a little absent from blogging lately. Although I love writing and sharing on here sometimes stuff just gets in the way. I’ve been busy with the girls and our project to get the garden done has kept us really busy. While I’ve been away from the blog I’ve been thinking more about regular features for the blog. The Vintage Frills Wishlist is a way for me to bring together everything I blog about including vintage fashion, beauty, books, days out and history. At the moment I’m not going to set a particular day for the post I’m just going to try and fit it in every week.

The idea is to create a list of my favourite things and things I would like to buy, do or read.

Fashion – As I have mentioned loads of times before I am in love with the clothing label Love ur Look. Their range is totally vintage themed but designed for modern women. I love the exaggerated details like huge buttons and big collars which really compliment the vibrant fabric prints. I love this Check Print Collar Dress which is £56.50.

Beauty – I’ve heard great things about Soap and Glory Firminator and with summer on its way and the possibility of wearing shorts this is top of my beauty wishlist. All you do is rub it onto your thighs and bum after having a shower and after a few days you should look more toned. I’m always a little sceptical of firming products but the reviews on this one look good so I’ll definitely be giving this one a try.

Books – I am really excited to get my hands on a copy of Sarah Moore’s new book Vintage Home. I loved her first book and I love her unique vintage style. I already own so many vintage home books but this one can’t be missed and I know it’ll inspire lot’s of little projects around the home.

Days Out – With the weather getting nicer I am looking forward to an outing to my favourite place – Claremont Landscape Garden in Esher, Surrey. I love to take the girls there as it’s the most stunning garden and it’s packed with history being attached to the former home of Princess Charlotte.

Home – I love these retro themed storage canisters from Matalan, they remind me of Orla Kiely prints. I’m not sure they would fit with my kitchen but I’d like to use them to store stuff in my utility room. At only £5.00 each you can’t really say no.

Retro Print Ceramic Storage Canister

Ceramic Storage Canister

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vintagefrills / April 19, 2013

My Vintage Holiday Outfits

Isn’t it funny how quickly a holiday feels like a distant memory. I’ve not even been back from Spain a week and I already feel completely back in my everyday routine! The weather here is also pretty cold so my lovely summer dresses are back in the wardrobe waiting for the sun to come out! I was so busy having fun with my girls that I didn’t get too much time for outfit shots but my husband managed to get quick pictures of 3 of my dresses.

This is my lovely 1970s sundress which I got on Ebay for about £10. The fabric is beautifully thick and lined and I love the lovely floral print. The quality of this dress is brilliant and I know it will be one of my favourite summer dresses for years to come.

This 50s style Cath Kidston dress was bought in the sale shop at Gunwharf Quays for about £25 and I love the print which reminds me of pretty vintage table cloths. It’s a little big for me as I got it a few weeks after having Lila, but I like wearing it with a little cardigan and if I get a chance I’m going to try taking it in to make it fit a little better.

At the moment this is my very favourite dress. It an original 1950s handmade dress which I bought on Etsy for around £30 plus postage from America. The price was amazing for a 50s dress which is absolutely fantastic condition. As it’s handmade I know it’s a complete one of a kind and I just love thinking of the woman who made it all that time ago.

When I had my poll a few weeks ago, outfits posts came up as the most wanted feature on the blog. Now I have to confess that as a busy mum of two I don’t always have time to get dressed up in my vintage dresses, however if we do get a summer here I will try a bit harder to wear my dresses more and get some more pictures on the blog.

My husband has been hard at work this week sorting out our very overgrown garden. We moved into this house just over a year ago and did a full renovation. This year it’s all about chopping down years of growth and making the huge garden beautiful for us all to enjoy. So hopefully I will have a nice garden to take my outfit pictures in very soon.

I can’t believe I still haven’t quite finished the dress I was making. All it need now is a hem and the zip to be finished and then it’s ready to be worn. I can’t wait to go out wearing it. I also have enough fabric to make three more so I’ll be getting to work on them soon too.

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vintagefrills / April 18, 2013

Vintage Fill-A-Bag Sales

I’ve been to a few vintage ‘fill a bag sales’ in London over the last few years. Back in 2009 I went to Pick n Mix which was held behind a shop on Bethnall Green Road. I got two £20 bags and filled them to bursting with the most amazing things. I managed to get some stunning 60s evening dresses and some higher end eighties dresses. I was totally spoiled I filled the gaps in the back with silk scarfs including one which on closer inspection at home was a Christian Dior!

My next visit to Pick n Mix a few months later was also petty good, I got some beautiful 60s and 70s pieces and a 1950s prom dress which needed so much repair that I ended up selling it on Ebay as a project for someone else. his was back in the days when I used to sell at vintage fairs most weekends so anything I didn’t decide to keep got sold for a lot more than I paid for it.

Last year I went to pick n Mix’s new home in Dalston and actually left empty-handed there was nothing for me there sadly.

My other fill a bag experiences have all been at The East End Thrift Store in Whitechapel. This large warehouse style shop is housed in an ally off the main road and is a great place to stock up on more recent vintage pieces. It’s another shop I used to go to a lot more when I was selling vintage full-time. In around the 80s and 90s dresses it’s possible to find the odd older gem. Every few months the thrift store would have a fill a bag sale. This is mostly because they buy in vintage by the tonne and have to clear stock quite often. This sale was always a good one for mens shirts and cute 80s sweaters which I love. I never found anything incredible hidden in there but always got a few lovely cheap and cheerful bits.

Recently the thrift store has made fill a bag a permanent feature with two sized bags available at £10 and £20. I paid a little visit there with my husband a few weeks ago and I must say it wasn’t all for me, being 27 I feel a little old to dress in stuff that would look amazing on a 19-year-old east end student, however I did pick up a £20 bag and manged to nearly fill it with a few nice things from the 80s and 90s. as well as a lovely 1960s dress which sadly was much too small for me.

This isn’t everything I picked up as a lot of it is in my clean and repair pile and some of it went on Ebay as the fit wasn’t right for me. I got 15 items in all which for £20 is fantastic.

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I would definitely recommend vintage fill-a-bag sales for picking up little extra bits to add a little vintage to your wardrobe. I have never made it to the vintage kilo sale which runs on a similar principle except you buy by weight, but it is one I’ve heard great things about.

You can visit the East End Thrift Store at Unit 1A Assembly Passage, London, E1 4UT

Visit their website here

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vintagefrills / April 18, 2013

April Empties

I love reading other people’s empties posts, so I’d like to start doing them myself. The basic idea is to write about all the products that you’ve used up in the last month. I’m going to do two posts a month on empties, one on bath and body and one on make-up and hair.

There is nothing I love more than a relaxing bath. In fact my bath is the most expensive thing I’ve bought for my house! It’s huge with whirlpool jets and built-in lighting! It may seem extravagant but it’s my little piece of luxury where I can have a nice soak and read a book. Therefor I love buying products to use in the bath.

This month I have used up or nearly used up the following…

Sainsbury’s Dirty Works Products – If you love the retro styling of retro styled products like soap and glory you’ll love the dirty works range. The products are a little cheaper ranging from about £2.99 to £4.99. I’ve used – All of a Lather Body Wash – Think of England Bath Soak – Buff You Stuff Body Scrub – Sole Sister foot Scrub – Best Foot Forward Foot Butter –

Body Washes – This month I’ve used – Rosebud and Blossom A Bowlful of Blossom Body Wash from Sainsbury’s – Radox Shower Smoothies Soul Soother – Flower Pharm Wild Rose Body Wash from Tesco – These all smell lovely I have the bubble bath to go with them too.

Soap and Glory – Pulp Friction Body Scrub – This is by far the best body scrub I’ve tried in ages. I bought lot’s of Soap and Glory gift sets in the Boots safe after Christmas and this is the first thing I’ve finished.

Good Things – Fresh Start Creamy Cleanser – I picked this up in Boots along with some other products from the range. It’s really gentle on the skin and is great for getting all my make-up off. I also really like the face scrub from this range.

Along Came Betty – Pure Pores 10 Minute Detox Mask – I’ve mentioned this retro themed brand from Tesco before. I love the quality of these products and this mask is one that I will be buying again and again. It goes on like a thick cream with little balls in it. As you rub it in the balls dissolve and you leave it for ten minutes. My skin felt great after using this and you get quite a few applications in one pot.

Boots – Coconut and Almond Leave-In-Conditioner – This products goes everywhere with me. Despite my plans for a cut I still have the very long hair and this is great for spraying on the end to stop them getting dry. I also give my hair a little all over spritz with this each morning. It’s great for keeping hair shiny and preventing frizz. I don’t use it on wet hair I just spray in on my dry hair.

Are there any bath and body products you’ve enjoyed this month?