In the woods

I'm on holiday...Finally I get to have a break from work and laze about, I so need the rest! And lots of walks and fresh air, like today, only more, a lot more. It was quite a warm afternoon so I didn't take a coat, but put on several layers, which was fine, except they made my waist disappear. Better than suffering from cold though, is the bane of my existence!

This was such a delightful little spot by the fence gone green, caressed by the shy sun of early spring!

The colors in the photos came out great, though I did manage to ruin most of them with a face that looked as if smothered in oil. 

As you can see I have replaced the buttons on the knitted suit posted earlier, and I am quite happy with the result. The buttons and buckle were not a set but the color matches pretty well and it's a lovely egg yolk, darker than in the pics bellow. 

The belt was made with a different type of buckle in mind, so I had to improvise (it actually closes with a button underneath, and the yellow buckle is sewn on just for show). If I am to use this buckle the way it's meant to, I shall need a shorter belt, but I don't think it's that bad like this.

It was a bit of a job trying to shake of all the bits of moss that had completely covered the lower part of my skirt. But a good picture requires some sacrifice :) Earlier on we had met a lady on the path with her two Jack Russells that ran towards me to say hi, and I gave them each a bit of a scratch behind the ears. She kept saying: "they are the jumpy kind..."; well of course they are, all dogs like a good jump, but I think she was worried they might have jumped on me and added some mud to my outfit. The trouble with me is I dress nicely and then I forget and want to climb trees and  jump in puddles...

This time I have paired my ensemble with the 30's Jacoll suede hat shown here, and a recently purchased vintage bag which is a bit battered but lovely nonetheless. The brown of the gauntlet gloves doesn't match very well, yet I felt quite put together and very Miss Lemon in this outfit. Except for the shoes of course, but not even I was going to go as far as wearing my vintage shoes up a muddy path...

Knit fashions

It's fair to say I'm partial to knits: I grew up in them, lucky to have a mother who's been knitting tirelessly for me all my life. I wore knits as a baby, as a toddler, I had knitted trousers, jackets, blouses and skirts in primary school, secondary school and so on. To a certain extent it was due to how poor we were. There was very little money around, but my grand parents had sheep, so wool was plentiful. My grandmother could, and still can, process the wool through all stages, from the raw material to the finished garment. She did just that, and my mum knitted away...And she still does, bless her soul, and makes the most wonderful things for me. 

It goes to show you are never really poor when you have a skill. What fantastic women they are, I have for them the humblest admiration, and I wish to I reach a stage in my life when I shall be worthy of their generous gifts to me.

Mother knitted this green ensemble based on the the catalog pic shown above - no pattern, no nothing, just my measurements to go by - and at long distance! I tried it on when it was all done and ready to wear.

Thank you mum!

I have been wearing it today with my Poetic Licence faux snakeskin shoes (I love this brand for vintage inspired cute footwear) and a 30's knitted bag. I was wondering about this style bag - were they meant for summer rather than being an all season thing? In which case, oops, I got it wrong again.

Also, I am not very confident about the purple touch. First of all, I am not quite sure the color suits me (although I must have thought so when I bought the beret and the scarf).
Secondly, the green and purple combination has an 80's vibe to it, so I guess my question is:  was this at all done in the 30's?

This is where some color catalogs would come in handy. I know I keep saying this, but I have made the first step, I've finally acquired a copy of the 30's Everyday Fashions,  so I'm not that bad. Eventually I will squeeze enough money for a catalog too. Perhaps they come with a crash course on grace, it surely won't go amiss when posing.

The jacket needs some proper buttons, as the ones I've put on, although vintage, are more of the 60's or later kind, and don't really do that much for the outfit. What I need is a buckle and buttons set, and I have spent ages on line and at fairs trying to find some pretty ones, but it's quite hard as I need a set of 10 large to keep in with the photo. But for now I've sewn on the ones I had, otherwise it will be spring by the time I get to wear this at all. 

And when you have such loveliness, spring can actually wait. Or, at the very least, what's left of winter is so much more bearable, when one is cocooned in the warm embrace of a thing made with love.

Bride in my bedroom

Details at deliadelia on etsy

Now I know the title of this might sound rather dubious, but that's what I've been playing at in this dress while trying to take some photographs for my etsy shop.
Alas, when I got married it was all rather too quick a register office affair, and what I wore didn't measure up against many of the more common species of wedding dresses, let alone a vintage beauty like this one.
I have since wished, and longed, and planned for a proper wedding, but that dream hasn't come true. It doesn't stop me though from parading around the bedroom in beautiful 1930s dresses and imagining how wonderful things could have been.
Or, more to the point, what a fantastic wedding a girl out there could have, swinging at the arm of a charming gentleman, or swipping everybody off their feet at a garden party...What do you think?

Exotic drama queen

Egyptian style deco necklace from firelightanitques ebay, now sold;
Gold compact from shakespeare86 ebay;
Gold shoes, adelinesattic, etsy, now sold;
Black perfume bottle, etsy, sources not noted for the rest.