Showing posts with label taxidermy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taxidermy. Show all posts

Sunday, 13 January 2013

Christmas and New Year....festive time photos!

Happy New Year!

.....I'm not even going to mention the long blogging absence-shaped elephant in the room....ahem....

I hope all you lovely people enjoyed an amazing festive period, and are enjoying the beginning of this brand spanking new year!

I just thought I'd do a post rounding up how I spent my time over Christmas and New Years! As I'm cramming them all into one post, be warned, it is picture heavy indeed!

Just before Christmas I popped to my Mums local charity shops and picked up this amazing collection of vintage decorations!

A snap of a dressed down Christmas Eve (daytime) outfit...
A newly purchased 1940's silk blouse: £8, secondhand/collectors emporium.
Green and black silk headscarf: bought many moons ago from goodness knows where!
Green plastic beads: charity shop.
1940's repro trousers: Heyday.

A few Christmas snaps, including a photo of me and my chums at our traditional Christmas Eve gathering, and my little sister's adorable letter to Santa.

Christmas morning arrived and I awoke at the ungodly hour of 6am.....
Santa hadn't even delivered my stocking yet. I closed my eyes and TRIED to get back to sleep, but to absolutely no avail. So instead I (im)patiently awaited footsteps outside my door and a reasonable hour. But the moment I heard a rustle outside the door, I leaped up, harassed a very grumpy boyfriend to wake up, then plonked our stockings on our feet and commenced stocking opening in a frenzy of paper!

Then, we went downstairs and popped the tv on (a Christmas edition of Horrible Histories) and eagerly awaited the parents coming downstairs!


And then came PRESENTS! And boy did my nearest and dearest do well, as usual....

A flying V ukelele! This is my second ukelele, so I really should learn to play them.

A selection of my execellent presents....including a matching lurex bag and compact once belonging to my Step Mums grandmother, a black velvet dressmakers dummy, antique sewing scissors, a gold tea set, a book by Jon Ronson and taxidermy!

 After tearing through copious amount of wrapping paper to reveal many a fabulous present, we rushed off upstairs to get dressed before the arrival of family for more present opening and breakfast and booze.

This is my chosen Chirstmas outfit. Because if you can't wear red and green on Chrsitmas Day, when can you? 
Green plastic beads: charity shop.
Green cardigan: Primark.
Red 1940's dress: a birthday present from my Mum and Aunts, from Mishka Vintage.
Green belt: H&M

I wore my hair on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in a fine hairnet hand-beaded with gold beads, over a curl set, and lots of festive hair flowers.
Hair net and hair flowers: by me (Rosie Alia Designs)

This was my Dad's chosen outfit. The monkey mask was worn to answer the door to the rest of the family, obviously.

Later on, after an amazing dinner, me and Mr Mike drove over to my Mum's to spend the rest of Christmas Day with the rest of my family.

This included even more present opening, and even more food....along with a one AM game of Just Dance with my little sister and cousin.

 
More lovely presents, including matching handkerchief and glove boxes, a tiny set of amazing vintage nativity figurines, a stocking made by my 10 year old sister....

...and this beauty! A 1930's toaster, which my Mum got my Grandad to rewire so I can actually use it. *Swoon*

  
Me and Mike got to sleep in my Mum's lovely Shepherds Hut on Christmas Day which is always exciting.


We then did LOTS of travelling, heading up to Mr Mike's family in Lincolnshire for Christmas number 3, then back to our London flat for 2 days, then I hopped back on a train to Norwich to spend New Years back with my family.

My NYE outfit. I was particularly chuffed with my hair.
Cath Kidston tea dress: charity shop.
Plastic bead necklace: charity shop.
Red patent shoes: M&S sale, £9.
Festive hair flowers, again by me.

I went with my family to their friend's house for a party, where we ate copious amounts of wine-spiked cheese fondue, drank very odd shots of all types, and I played a 5 hour Monopoly game with the kids!

Congratulations dear readers, if you have in fact made it this far. 
I did warn you it would be picture heavy!

I hope you all had a fabulous time too!

Pip pip x

Saturday, 23 April 2011

Home sweet home...

Well hello there lovely people!

I do hope you are all having a lovely easter weekend! I took the rare opportunity for a few days off to come home and have some lovely easter family and friend times.

Last night my dear friend Jo stayed over and this morning we woke up to this event going on in the garden...



This is apparently world war II, according to my dad who was very excited about his new garden soldiers!

We then set off for the Antiques and Collectors Fair at the Royal Norfolk Showground, where we had bacon sarnies, met some nice people, and bought plenty! I'm yet to get some photos as most of the purchases are out in the car at present.
But, I adopted a new piece of taxidermy from the fair, and am looking to name him. He is already like a child to me, so of course I need to name him as soon as possible!

Any ideas?

This is what I wore today, for visiting the fair and having an adventure.

TU dress: £1, carboot.
1940's bolero: £1.30 (+£2.50 p+p), ebay.
Hush Puppies sandals: 50p, carboot.
Macrame bag: £7.50, vintage/antiques shop.

And I'll leave you with a picture of me and my chum in front of her amazingly pink  house!


Pip pip! xx

Sunday, 6 February 2011

Stylish Blogger Award for moi?

 Well, it's been a busy week and my internet disappeared for a few days so I've been rather poor with my blogging, but after recieving another wee award nomination, I have finally gotten around to doing this....

The lovely ladies at The Butterfly Balcony, Land Girl 1980, Missy VintageNifty, Thrifty Retro MamaMiss P..., Tea and Crumpets Vintage and Miss B's Daydreams (please drop by their fabulous blogs if you have not already, though I'm sure you all have!) have all nominated me for a stylish blogger award, oh my!  How kind!






So, as is traditional, here are the 7 things about me...


1. I have 4 tattoos. Above is my cotton reel (the photo is from when it had just been done, so please excuse the transferpaper border), done by a very talented family friend for me. She even made the centre of the flower a button...how thoughtful!



2. I have two siblings... my brother is three years younger than me and above is a photo of him, me and my nan, from my grandad's birthday lunch.


I also have a little sister who is 15 years younger than me! She is 8 and has grown up so much every time I see her!


3.  I did an internship with the fabulous menswear designer James Long during my second year at uni, working on his collection for LFW AW09 (see some of my work with him here) and from that, I got the wonderful opportunity to work on some jackets for Take That to wear on their "Circus" tour! I helped hand sew on metallic trimmings and vintage madallions to the silver blazers, and you can the end result above...vaguely!

4. I am a hoarder....massively. I like things, and as a result, I own a lot. I end up with quite a lot of accidental collections of things I like. Such as 3 dressmakers dummies, 3 typewriters, 3 full size sewing machines and 4 vintage mini sewing machines/childs ones, and at least 7 vintage suitcases!


5. I love taxidermy. This is somewhat controversial, I know, but alas, I just cannot help it! My parents have a fantastic collection, all very old and bought from carboots and auctions etc. My step-mum made me this fabulous lady (above) a home- Mrs. Squirrel had a room with wallpaper and a mirror on the wall, and she is wearing a rather fancy feather hat, with pearls and jewelled bracelets on, and a glass of gin unsteady in her hand! I love her, and she is one of the most beautiful things I own! I do hope this doesn't offend anyone, I feel that having old taxidermy that is now often unloved and tatty, is taking something that is old and looking after it and admiring it!


6.  I am a big fan of moustaches! I see it as the most stylish of male facial accessories, and love a good twiddly one. I even did a menswear project for my degree where I designed a collection of clothes with detailing inspired by moustaches!

7. I want a cat. My dad and step-mum have three, and they are lovely. Mouse is my favourite, she is black with white boots and is tiny-sized. I have this vision of me in the future with my own little shop, where I sit and make things and my cat comes with me and she or he would wear little bows and jumpers and would be my companion!

Now, here are some great blogs you should go visit...


Pip pip! xx