January Round-Up |2016|

I can't believe it's the end of January already. It has FLOWN by! I'm not sure how much I've actually accomplished really, but I've felt like it's been a reasonably good start to the year! 

I ran on New Year's Day, and have been a couple of times since. I still need to break my new trainers in though...I keep wimping out and using my old ones!! 

I've read five books:

1) Little Women

2) Jane Eyre

3) Sense and Sensibility

4) Throwaway 

5) American Sniper

A slightly odd selection there, but all enjoyable. It was nice to catch up on a few of the classics, some easy reading and I enjoyed reading American Sniper. I borrowed it from the gliding club on a whim. I've never read anything on the Iraq war, and it was interesting to hear about it from someone immersed in the fighting. All you hear otherwise is politics. I enjoy autobiographies. 

I've not sewn anything up yet, but I have purchased all the fabric for my petticoat (see my last blog post for sewing goals), plus the bondaweb for my aeroplane print skirt. 

I've been on quite a few walks which I've loved. Been so lucky with the weather! 

My best bits have been organisation. I've kept a diary every day so far this year, a meal plan and kept the calendar updated. I've also been treating my ear piercings with salt water twice a day as they were constantly being irritated and whenever I wore earrings I could only deal with them for an hour before they hurt too much, so that's been brilliant as they're almost fully healed now. 

I've had dinner out with a friend I've not caught up with enough recently and can't wait for monthly date nights now. 

Plus loads of dancing. Jazz Club and the Jive Club. I had a really amazing time seeing The Jive Aces in Clacton and would love to go and see them again. 

Plus my tax return is all done which makes me a happy bunny, and work has been, on the whole, good this month. Plenty done and plenty to do. 

February Goals?

- Better outfits in general, more planning when I go out. Earrings and accessorise more. 

- Outfit photos. Plus some nice ones for certain things for the blog! 

- More running. At least once a week would be good. 

Did you have a good January? 

Jo :) 

2016 Sewing Projects |Sewing|

I had six projects planned for 2016, but wasn't totally sure on one of them. Then circumstances conspired this January and I have an event at the end of February that I need a couple of things for. So item six was bumped, projects were rearranged and here we are! 

I wanted to set out these items to sew because they've all been on my list of "things I want" for ages. I still want them, so I might as well have a productive year! It doesn't mean I won't sew other things alongside hopefully, just that I want to get these done. Two months for each project, plenty of time to research, buy patterns and materials and sew the items. Which as you'll see are not always in one piece.... 

January February

Petticoat for Laura Ashley dress. 

Airplane prints circle skirt using vintage prints from VintagePleasure on Instagram. 

I want to wear the airplane prints skirt during the day at a conference and the dress in the evening for the dinner dance. My Vivien of Holloway petticoat is just too short for the skirt on the Laura Ashley dress and without spending a crazy amount on a bridal petticoat I'm at a loss. So dress net and ruffles on a handmade petticoat it is!!

The prints I saw on Instagram from ???? and just fell in love with. I'm hoping with some bondaweb they'll make an awesome statement skirt. 

March April

Ultra high waisted pencil skirt with detachable braces. 

From Collectif. 

I've seen similar to what I want all over the place in vintage repro stores, but nothing perfect. I hope I'll be able to recreate the picture in my head in fabric. I'm thinking interesting kick pleat, detailed top band, gorgeous fabric. It might be a bit ambitious!! 

May June

Grey silk cape and circle skirt. 

An old photo. The hat looks almost white here! 

I need to find the perfect fabric for this. I have a gorgeous grey silk pillbox hat with feathers and a veil, but it doesn't really go with anything I own... I want to remedy that and I reckon this could be a very chic outfit. Or total disaster. I've never sewn with silk. 

July August

Blue and white striped robe. 

Underwear and frillies! 

Taking inspiration right off the pattern envelope! It will also be kind of a muslin as I seriously need to do my Godmother's robe as I've had her fabric for literal years and not made it for her. A mixture of fear and laziness I think has held me back!! Terrible goddaughter!! 

Plus if there's time I'd like to play around with underwear and slips etc. Just for fun. It's my birthday month after all. 

September October

Grey woollen suit jacket, pencil skirt and pleated full circle skirt. 

Sorry about the terrible quality, it's the only one I can find!! 

When I saw this photo I completely fell in love with the look, but knew I'd probably never be able to afford a true vintage version as beautiful or even a repro version. Do they exist this gorgeous?

So I know I can sew circle skirts, and pencil skirts. It's just the jacket. So some clothing construction learning might be required. Which will be interesting at least. These two months are Definintely Ambitious. 

November December 

Quilted circle skirt. 

I can't remember where I first saw a quilted circle skirt. It was somewhere in blog land and true vintage. Gorgeous and as usual, way beyond my budget. 

Then Gertie and her fabulous blog popped up again recently with a tutorial for one. Dreams do come true. I'm terrible at actually following directions, so I might not totally stick to her instructions....it's the same basic idea though! Pretty fabrics and toasty legs! 

I hope I do get through them all this year. Fingers crossed. I get way laid easily!! 

What are your projects for this year? 

Jo :) 

New Year Resolutions |2016|

It's that time of year again and I'm sure most people have already written there's up, but here are my resolutions for this year. I think I kept two of last years. Going vegan and running a 5k. Which is pretty good going for me as I'm definitely one for good intentions and no results!

This year I want to:

Go to Paris. 

On my own. I've always wanted to see this city and through one thing and another it's not been possible with another person. So I'm romancing myself by going. I want to be a total tourist and see the sights, and maybe buy some fancy French underwear. I've already been looking at hotels and flights and dates, so I just need to save up some money and this will be a tick by the end of 2016! 

Go solo in a glider. 

Another long term aim of mine. This year will be my year. I've got a savings plan in place for this too and I'm hoping to rejoin my local club halfway through the year. Fingers crossed on this one as I can't imagine being left alone on charge of an aeroplane!! 

Learn German. 

Something else I should've done a long time ago. I'm going to get myself a dictionary and things again and aim for an easy one hour a week. Or perhaps look for a local class. I'd like to learn Italian or French too, but one language is pushing it a bit!! 

Run a 10k charity race. 

Probably the race for life again. I enjoyed it last year. This should really be just "run 10k" as I've never done that before, but it's good to have goals...

And finally I have six sewing projects I would like to complete this year that have been on my Want list for ages. That's a whole other post though, that will appear in due course. It's hopefully not the only sewing I'll do, but it is a guideline! 

Last year I made a list of things I hoped to try and accomplish, which I liked, that weren't really resolutions, but more ongoing challenges. I'm not sure that's really a difference, but maybe there's less pressure on these!! 2016's are:

Swear less (already going badly)

Better organisation (every year!!) 

Writing a daily summary in my diary. 

A whole #366happydays which you can see on my Instagram under #joshappy2016

Healthier eating (also every year...) 

Grow my hair out

Get more flexible for dancing

Learn more about clothing construction 

Sew some lingerie 

Remember birthdays. Seriously I need to work on this one!!! 

Have you made resolutions? Do you keep them? Good luck for 2016!

Jo :)

New Year, Vintage Laura Ashley |Outfit Post|

Hello lovely people! Or potentially just my Mum and Godmother! Thank you for the photos Rose!! It's a whole New Year again, it's a cliché but I have no idea where 2015 wooshed off to. I think I packed a fair bit in last year, and I hope this year will be even busier.

I seem to have started a couple of new traditions last year that I'd like to keep going in the future.

1) A New Years Day run is important. Start as you mean to go on.

2) I cook a spread out three course meal on New Years Eve.

3) I want to see the New Year in wearing a fabulous dress.

I found THE dress a couple of weeks before Christmas when I shouldn't really have been spending any money on anything other than presents, but it had to come home with me.

 

Lurking in the party dress range of a local charity shop (PDSA in Diss if you're nosy) was this stunning vintage Laura Ashley gown. I'm wearing my Vivien of Holloway petticoat underneath, but it's not really long enough!

 

The fabric is heavy and the print is gorgeous. It has glitter in the fabric somehow as it shimmers. A lovely sweetheart, strapless bodice and ballerina length skirt reminiscent of the 50s, even though this is definitely an 80s number.

 

 

I wore it with a yard of hand knotted ring pearls and matching bracelet from Roxana Jems (who'll be opening their doors at some point in2016), vintage lace gloves and my wonderful patent Pleaser stilettos. Although I succumbed to boots and a cardi (and other layers!!) to troop down to the Kelpies at midnight!!

 

 

These photos were taken earlier in the day as I needed a good photo record of just how gorgeous this dress is! It was a fun way to start the New Year!!

 

How was your New Year? Do you dress up or slob out? Both have equal appeal!!

Jo :)