They see me rollin...they hatin...

So, one of my goals for the holidays/uni break/summer, was to work on victory rolls. I wore them again last week to work (We had another function on. I still need an excuse to whip these babies out). They turned out quite well. I pin curled my hair the night before and wore in in a hairnet in a "snood" style I guess. I like this style. Its out but its in. If you get what I'm saying. Probably not, so ill stop crapping on and show you my damn hair...

Also, this is my sister...she blogs about mum stuff over at http://somummy.blogspot.com/. Her child is the cutest kid ever and I pretty much want to steal her. She is pretty much my favourite person ever (tied with my boyfriend and my mum I guess). She wants Santa to bring her a vacuum cleaner...how freaking sweet is that!

Whats that i hear?? Haven't seen that hat before???
More about that later!

Also, at dancing, there are these two lovely ladies who seem to enjoy my styles a whole lot. So the other day one of them had purchased a dress online. She thought it was my styles and brought it in so I could try it on for sizing...It was pretty darn cute...may have to pop over to the aris allen store they told me about, although holding out will probably be better for my bank account. They specialise in shoes for swing....this could be risky...

Messy hair after work and dancing (plus the nap I threw in between the two)

Hope everyone is enjoying the lead up to Christmas!!

Cheerio lovies!!

The blue skirt

So, my Summer to do list is going OK. I have been working a lot, which is a good thing, because I'm going to Melbourne on Sunday (yay) and as everyone knows, Melbourne rocks as far as shopping goes, so a little extra dosh wont go astray.

I tried Victory rolls for work the other day, my customers (residents? the peeps i make coffee for) frikin loved them! Not to mention the activity lady who was like showing me pictures of The Andrews Sisters and telling me how much it was like them. One lady said it looked like a Geisha hairstyle (????).

Any who, Darling boyfriend told me at like 5pm that his friend from Army and his Lady Love were having more going away drinks before they move to America, and he would come and pick me up at like 7:30. How bloody rude. 2 hours. And I was in the middle of deciding weather or not to add solvy web to a sewing project I'm working on at the moment. Anyway, I chucked some hot rollers in my hair (which didnt work well at all!) and went back to sewing for a bit.

I came up with this...

My blue 50's style circle skirt I got from a vintage fair I went to in Sydney a few months ago, and this cute blouse I picked up at Salvo's Phillip for like $5.

Blouse: Salvo's Phillip
Skirt: Vintage - We love Vintage Fair Sydney
Shoes: Vintage - One Legged Jockey Portsmouth

The Captain and his Lady Love will be missed. One less WAG for our bunch. But one more friend overseas. A couch to sleep on if i ever find myself in a tight spot in Washington DC.

Swing Christmas Party on Thursday. Its a beach theme......what the hell am I going to wear!!!! I don't do beach.

Toodle pip lovelies!

Sam

A wise man once sang

Schools out for summer WOOHOOOO!!!!

Me, really excited!

Last (and only) exam was today. I'm free until February.

So, here is a list of awesome things i will do with my new found Freedom

• Listen to more Alice Cooper, because he rocks.
• Sew. I'm compiling a list and i have a few projects ready to start
• Hang out with my family (probably while listening to Alice, because my family is cool like that)
• Get a visit from the big guy in red. I'm hoping for a billion dollars (baby) so i can go on a vintage spree, and buy a new house to put all my new stuff in. Hey, one can dream big.
• Go on a picnic at least once a week, if not more, preferably to different places
• Rock out at Big Day Out
• Perfect finger waves
• Perfect victory rolls (so much so that they can become a hair staple instead of a special treat hairstyle)
• Read non medical books

So, does anyone else have cool plans for summer?

Glamour Nana

Today I was so looking forward to just coming home and sprawling out on my bed after work.
As i was doing the supper round, i was dreaming of stumbling through the door, making a hot Milo and chilling the flip out. I walked into one lady's room to give her a cup of tea and a bickie, and what did i find, a 94 year old lady with pin curls and a hairnet on. I was so excited. I commented on her pin curls and she said " I may be 94, but i still like to look neat, and ill keep doing this for as long as i can". Well, this lady has pretty much been added to my list of favourite residents, along with the lady who has so many clothes she has clothes racks in her bathroom, the lady who is always grumpy, but perks up when i compliment her on her AMAZING wedding photo, her dress is absolutely stunning; and the Japanese lady who also has a gorgeous wedding photo, and who is the nicest, happiest lady ever.
Anyway, enough rambling about my awesome residents, and too the point. I was inspired by pin curl lady, and decided to come home and curl my hair, and give you a bit of a photo tutorial on how i do it.

This one's for you Glamour Nanna!!!

What you'll need:

• A hair brush
• Clips to hold back excess hair
• Bobby pins or pin curl "terydactyl" looking clips
• A scarf

Its best to start with damp hair. I section it off into 4 parts. The fringe section, the two sides, and the back.

Starting with the fringe section. Roll it forward and pin from both sides

Starting at either side of the head, begin to roll small sections of hair towards the head.

Secure at the scalp with a bobby pin or terydactyl pin

Continue rolling until all the hair is curled

This is what is should look like. It doesn't have to be super neat, but all rolls should be fairly even.

Now for the back. I have decided to try rag curling the back. I have trouble curling the back of my hair, and pin curls rarely stay in over night. So ill give this a whirl and let you know how it goes.
Vixen Vintage has an awesome tutorial on rag curling here.

I basically do small rows of about 3 to 5 curls per row

This is what it will look like at the back

And from the front

Now, tie a scarf around your head, covering all the curls, except the front. This should stop them falling out or getting matted.

So, Ill brush it out in the morning and show you how it goes.

Sleep well dolls.

Sam

Maxtreem puffiness

I have an exam on Monday. I should be studying. Instead i sewed on Saturday night (i know, I'm soooo exciting). I haven't finished the dress, but i thought id show off my textiles project from year 12. It was like 3 years ago, but I'm still mighty impressed by my handy work, despite the fact i was up until like 1 am the night before it was due, re-sewing the zipper in as i didn't allow extra room for a zipper when i modified the pattern....

So, without further ado.................

The MTP (Major Textiles Project)

Napoleonic style dress in green satin back shantung

 My heart sank at an exhibition of projects from the previous year when i saw about three other dresses that used the same pattern as mine...

None of them had gotten good marks for their projects...

Train-ie bit

 I got a pretty good mark. Textiles was my best subject!

 I loved the solvy web. Its such a cool technique.


sleeves covered in solvy web. Web created with bits of Satin back shantung, ribbon and lace.

 I hand sewed many of the inside seams and the bodice is completely enclosed.

I got the cream lace at an antiques fair. The whole roll for like $10!! The lady at the stand said that girls should get used to having nice things and she discounted the price for me.

I do hope to actually wear this dress one day. I would have worn it to my formal but it was away for marking.
Maybe to next years Regie birthday......

Shoes! Shoes? Shoes....Shoes!

I like shoes. A simple statement. A common statement amongst women, especially those who have a love of fashion.                        

Jen's shoes    

My like of shoes differs a little to the sky high, platform ankle snappers found today. This is for several reasons

1. I work hard. I'm a waitress and a carer in a nursing home, so I'm on my feet all day most days. When i get home, and on my days off, i like to be comfortable and my poor feet need some soothing after running around all day. So i like shoes that are comfortable and that have enough room for orthotics. I fear that if i don't start looking after my feet now, that ill regret it later. So i try to find shoes that are comfortable and good for my feet but also look awesome too...this can be hard.

Uni Nursing uniform. Comfy shoes and cool hair.

2. I am clumsy. I am so clumsy. I once broke an entire tray (about 20 or so) of glasses because i didn't put in in the slot properly. I regularly spill coffee's when delivering them to tables because i run into the doorway with my arm. Always the coffee arm too!!! I trip over regularly and i once accidentally stabbed myself in the wrist whilst cutting potato's. So, ankle snappers are not good for me. I also like it when a shoe is attached to my foot by a strap or laces, because i also often step in gum or kick shoes off. Don't ask me how. It just happens.

3. I kind of like being short. When i was a kid, my pituitary gland like chucked a little tanty and got greedy with its growth hormone. Basically it was being rude and refused to release growth hormone, so i didn't really grow very much. Being a shortie runs in my family, but it probably wouldn't be cool if i had stayed the same height i was as a 5 year old, which was really small. So i had to take growth hormones for like 7 years. Giving myself nightly injections, which partially contributed to my decision to start nursing. So my pituitary gland and i have reached equilibrium. Ive grown to be a normal sized person and I'm embracing being short. Its who i am. So wearing sky high heels that make me look like skelator just isn't me.

Me and my Sis. We've been Styles since about 1994

 
4. I like practical stuff. "Make do and mend" is one of my favourite slogans and I'm inspired by utility wear of WW11 and the resourcefulness of women during the time. You cant build planes in stilettos!

But.....when we were in the UK, i found the most wonderful shoes ever!!!! They are 1940's brown utility shoes!!! I wear them as much as possible. They aren't too tall and they are surprisingly comfy.

These are my favourite shoe!!!

Awesome shoes in a boat beer garden.
Shoes: Vintage - One legged jockey - Portsmouth England

Do others have just one pair of favourites or are you hard pressed to choose???

Vintage Clothes-splosion!!!!

What a weekend!!! Well just Sunday really. I worked on Saturday, providing coffee and awesome food for the residents of Goodwin Village.
Sunday. Well, i have been looking forward to this sunday for ohhh, about a month?! This weekend was the bi-anual (?)"The way we wear" vintage clothing fair at Albert Hall in Canberra. Needless to say, i went a little crazy, but i didnt blow my budget so i will be able to pay rent this month.
There was a fantastic turnout of vintage and antique clothing dealers and i could have walked out with about a billion dollars worth of clothes had my budget permitted, but becuase im a poor uni student, i had to choose wisley, which i think i did.


This wonderful 50's day dress is too small!!! But i couldnt leave it there. Thinking of taking it to a seamstress to see if its possible to take it out. Wouldnt want to ruin this one!



How awesome is the print!!



Sarah at MisfitsVintage sold me this cute head piece




Awesome 40's suit



Without suit jacket

A pincurl set i did earlier this week. Just thought id throw that in...

Anyway, I must stop procrastonating and study. I have 1 exam this semester and i think i need to get about 100% to pass the unit, so to the books!!!!
Ta Ta for now!!

Back to the Future Rocks!!!!

So, my darling boyfriend is slogging it out on night shift tonight, which means i must choose a movie to watch. I could of course do uni work, but that would be sensible, so ill pick a movie instead.
Ive been watching heaps of period films of late. My current favourite has to be "A league of their own". Its about women's baseball during the second world war. Not only does this movie feature girls kicking ass in sport, overcoming personal challenges, all the while missing their beloved husbands, sweethearts and brothers who are off war-ing it up; it features some simply fabulous costumes. I guess it inspired my latest addition to day wear, being white socks with brogue's and dresses/skirts. Love's it.....



Anywho, I'm thinking tonight will be Back to the Future. The Back to the Future trilogy is simply something of cinematic genius. I love it. Ive loved it for years. Here's why:

• Time travel. Time travel is one of my personal goals for the next 10 years. I would like to travel through different era's (preferably in a delorian), collecting inspiration and tools to carry out the rest of my life as a vintage wearing babe with ease. I may need to add a trailer to said time traveling delorian so i can fit all the stuff ill bring back. Going to Europe with only one suitcase was bad enough, not doing history with only the passenger seat of a delorian to bring back my wears.

• The wild west: Most people who know me are aware of my obsessive passion for history. I spent many of my childhood years trying to imitate the life of Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie (the books, not the TV show), complete with costume and my own house on the prairie (a cubby house in the paddock behind our house). So, my original obsession with Back to the Future started with BTTF part three. This is the episode where Doc Brown is transported back to the wild west. I loved Clara Clayton's costumes, her house and her telescope, and the fact that you could see corset strings under some of her costumes. I guess this fed my obsession with undergarments worn through out history, but more on that later.

• The 1950's: this one is a more recent obsession. Ive always loved clothing from different eras, but only more recently, in the past couple of years, have i honed into the decades that i like the most, and what i can incorporate into my daily wardrobe without looking too much like a crazy lady (i don't know how well bustles and bonnets would go down at the local westfield). Back to the Future parts 1 and 2 give a good insight into the 1950's. Casual day wear for school or the local milk bar, as well as formal wear for the enchantment under the sea dance, provide inspiration for the vintage enthusiast.

• Marty Mcfly: He's such a dream boat. Need i say more.

Anyway, ill stop crapping on about the movie and actually go watch in now.

Ta ta amigos

Hello Interweb!!!

Hello Interweb!

So, this is my first attempt at blogging. I wont pretend that I'm overly interesting or super cool, but lately I've been reading a lot of blogs about people who love vintage, who dress vintage every day, people who just generally love old stuff. I have always felt that i was born into the wrong era. I love old stuff. Its as simple as that. I love old clothes, old books, old houses, old trees, old movies, old music, old hairstyles. The list goes on. Up until a few months ago, i always felt i was alone in this passion for all things "olden days". It was only when i started searching for 1940's hairstyles that i came across several blogs belonging to gals who shared the same passions as me. Finally!!! I'm not alone!!!! So, i thought i would maybe try and contribute to the community i have discovered by blogging about my adventures in a modern world as an olden days gal.

 

A bit about me:

• I'm 21 years old
• I'm studying Nursing at Uni

Me, about to rock out to Alice Cooper, with victory rolls, at Sonisphere.

• I have an awesome boyfriend who is generally just awesome
• I have a cool family that lives all over the place
• I don't have a tattoo
• I love dressing in vintage and vintage inspired clothing
• I love spending way too much time on my hair
• I recently started swing dancing and it is soooo much fun
• I'm quite clumsy. I try to avoid wearing white, as i spill anything and everything on myself
• Despite being quite girly, i love camping and fishing and driving really big vehicles
• I think you cant take yourself too seriously. Try to enjoy what your doing. Try not to get too upset if things don't work out

 

So, I will attempt to entertain people of the Internet with whats happening about the place. alternatively, you may use this blog as a tool to overcome insomnia, i wont be offended, i like helping people.

 

Cheerio for now,

 

Sam