I was rummaging through some pictures that hadn't yet made it onto the blog, and came across these; destined for an outfit post that never materialised. So here they are now!

This is what I decided to wear to this years Brighton Tattoo Convention back in the depths of chilly winter. Not that I'm complaining about the current glorious sunshine and warmth, but I doubt I'll be getting a chance to throw this jacket on again for a while, and it seems a shame to hide it away another 6 months, heh. 

I don't tend to frequent Beyond Retro very often, but popped in to show a family friend's teenage daughter that vintage clothes didn't equate to grandma's clothes and that I wasn't weird for wearing something someone else didn't want. She changed her tune pretty quickly once inside, and I happened to stumble across this jaw dropper of a jacket. Wowser, are those some shoulders or what?! I like to call this one my Cruella Deville jacket.

I also got twiddling with my hair, one does have to make an effort for the Tattoo Convention, and I love the people watching! Looking at these pictures has reminded me that I've gotten lazy with my hair of late and really should start putting a bit more of an effort back into it. I can't even remember how I did this, but I'm sure going to give it another go :)

Outfit details:

Vintage fur Jacket - Beyond Retro, Brighton

Dress - Etsy

Vintage wool Scarf - raided from the Mister's stash

Vintage black velvet Hat - Lewes Flea Market

Sunglasses - Betsy Johnson

Bag - Christmas Present

Yellow Pumps - Primarni

Much love from Brighton,

L.J.

XXX

And now you're back, from outer space...

...however no sad faces being sported here!

I'm back again! I can't believe the last time I popped on here was in April, how time has flown! Hope you've all been well?

So you might have been wondering where I disappeared to after my previous promise of returning. Well, I've been spending a little time really thinking about what it is I want to do, what's important, makes me happy and gives me fulfillment in life. I've realised I've recently been moaning and groaning that I never had enough time to do the things that I'd enjoyed, such as crafting, spending time catching up with friends and family, and making plans for the future. A lot of my time had been wrapped up in work and studying for work, and the dark winter and frightfully chilly miserable spring just wasn't motivating me to do anything other than the essentials. I've finally got a summer break from evening classes, and I'm taking a slightly scary jump into a new job starting a week on Monday (wish me luck!). I finally have the time and freedom again to get creative, which includes a long overdue and missed return to blogging. 

The Mister and I have also just returned from a 3 day holiday along the coast on a little beach just down the road from Bexhill. We've had the most amazing time exploring Hastings and Rye for the first time, and met some lovely people as well as found some amazing beauty spots to take in the views. I feel totally refreshed and recharged, and today's sunshine back in Brighton has just put the cherry on the cake. I feel like a new person. A new person who's been a busy bee crocheting away at a new project. Can you see what it is yet?

For anyone who keeps an eye on my Facebook page, I posted a few pictures up of crochet bits and bobs I've been churning out, including some red roses which I fashioned into a makeshift hair-slide. I got some really lovely feedback off the back of it, and so I thought I'd try my hand at a more finished crochet piece. 

Featuring a green crochet base and two crochet roses in pinks, I added some snowdrops, a little robin (picked up in Hastings!) and a couple of vintage buttons from my stash, I'm rather pleased with this one! What do you think?

I've made a couple of these in different colours with different flowers and bits and bobs from my overflowing hoard of haberdashery. The Mister and I will be holding a stall at the July Johnny loves June Vintage fair in Shoreham on the 21st and I'm hoping to be able to test the water and see if anyone would like to take one home with them. Keeping my fingers crossed, it would be a dream to someday somehow make a living from a hobby! 

So on to today's happenings. The Mister and I decided that 3 rounds of Crazy Golf at the Hastings International Championship Mini Golf course on Thursday wasn't enough, and that we had a score to settle. If you didn't know already, we're a little Crazy Gold mad and play quite a lot! Today's arena: Brighton Adventure Golf on Madeira Drive. Here's me sporting my best golfer's pose:

For any fellow lovers of The Chap Magazine you might recognise the setting from one of their covers. Unfortunately for me, the Mister won this round after I royally ballsed up on the first 2 holes (the course was faster than I thought...my excuse and I'm sticking to it, hehe!), although I did managed to score at least 1 hole-in-one. Next time!!

Outfit:

Flower hair-slide - Made by Me!

Vintage bangle - Roedean Vintage & Collectors Fair

Vintage pale pink knitted top - Charity Shop, Haywards Heath

Vintage pink wool cardi - Lewes Flea Market

High waisted pedal pushers - Rye

Mexican blanket pumps - Primarni

Much love from sunny Brighton,

L.J.

XXX

A very Seventies Sunday Best

The Mister's Mum has just passed on a couple of her 70's dresses to me after a bit of a clear out at home. I don't normally think of wearing 70's bits as I didn't think they were my style, but after being given some, and playing around a little with some other bits in my wardrobe, I've finally managed to find a way of making 70's work for me!

I've teamed it up with a a very wide brimmed fedora hat, a crochet shrug made by moi with a vintage fur collar attached and a chunkywood necklace purchased from a flea market, so date and origin a mystery heh. 

It turned out quite the windy day. Wind + Fedora = chasing after hats through the park. Our neighbours must think we are rather odd, but at least it gives them something to natter about ;) 

Dress - 70's family hand-me-down

Hat - T K Maxx

Shrug - made-by-me!

Vintage Fur Collar - Marina Boot Fair

Necklace - Seaford Flea Market

Boots - T K Maxx

Much Love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxx

The Sunday Best Campaign & Give-Away!

Due to the lovely comments I've been receiving on digging out my Sunday Best, the thought came to me, why don't we try to start our own little campaign to spread the love of Stylish Sundays?

I recently wrote about one of the problems I have with my wardrobe. I keep finding beautiful dresses in flea markets and boot sales, but cannot find an occasion to wear them. Too nice to wear for an everyday normal day, but not quite evening wear. So they started gathering dust at the back of my wardrobe, looking at me longingly, saying 'wear me! wear me!' but I can always think of a reason why they just wouldn't suit. Enough of the excuses I say, they deserve to be worn and seen, and why do I have to have a reason anyway? We all used to get dressed up in our Best for Sundays, every Sunday.



I know I'm not the only one out there. I've had this conversation with the girls many times. These beautiful dresses shouldn't be hidden away any longer. Lets go back to those days gone by when everyone would dust off their best and bust it out for all to see on Sundays.

 So without further ado, for all you lovelies out there who expressed a want to do this yourself, why not spread the love. To mark this grand occasion, I have put together a little campaign poster for you to take away and stick up on your own blog, facebook or whatever tickles your fancy, and see how far we can take this! Let me know if you post up pictures of any of your Sunday Best ventures, as I will be having a monthly round up of anyone who decides to participate.

To get you started, and to also celebrate a personal milestone of 90+ followers, I'm combining the launch with a home-made Give-Away prize!

For your consideration we have 2 prizes up for grabs. I have put together some fascinators which are looking for a new home. Home-crafted and featuring feathers, crochet edging, pom-pom's and flowers, I think these would make the perfect topping to any Sunday Best outfit!

One in Pink:

And one in Green:

And here's me pulling silly faces while showing one off in the patio:

On to the rules of the game. I shall try to keep it quite simple, not done this before! The condition of giving away two are: 0-10 entries = 1, which the winner may choose or 10+ = both, so 2 winners.

Rules:

1. Comment below that you want to take part, and please mention which one you'd prefer!
2. Join me on Facebook HERE

and an optional:

3. If you do join the campaign for Stylish Sundays, please do put the poster up on you blog, and if you do, let me know and you get a 2nd entry to up your chances :)
 

So join me fellow bloggers! Whatever motivates you, lets bring back the wearing of our Sunday Best, and let's see how far we can spread this!

Much Love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxx

A 'Special Occasion' Outift Post

We had a the Mister's niece's Christening to attend a few Saturday's ago, and I finally got to bust out one of my favourite a-little-too-nice-to-wear-on-a-normal-occasion dresses and matching bolero.

Sadly the little shop I purchased it from no longer exists, and I found this on my first and only trip...the little old lady was gone the following weekend! But many long-time vintage lovers in Brighton have informed me that it was Brighton's best kept vintage secret, the tiny shop up on Upper St James St in Kemptown where apparently Kate Moss used to get most of her bits from.

Anyways, I've had this dress since my 21st Birthday, which was um....nearly 3 years ago now, and have only worn this on 3 occasions, my 21st Birthday, my friend's 30th as seen here with me sporting my oh so sexy wrist braces, and for the christening! It even proved to be dog-proof too...pretty and practical? Score!

Me flashing some bling-bling for a change:

And a hat with a GIGANTIC flower set off to one side:

Now to organise some more special occasions as an excuse to get the others out of their plastic covers! I may just decided to go back to what they used to, and wear my best on Sunday's every week, special occasion or not! Anyone care to join me? Liberate those rarely worn lovelies!

Dress & Bolero set - 30a, Upper St James St, Brighton

Hat - Brighton Marina Carboot

Bird Necklace - Brighton Tattoo Convention

Broach - Oxfam, Uckfield

Daisy Chain - Worthing American Car Show

Much Love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxx





VintageBrighton.com's very 1st Birthday

First off:

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO VINTAGE BRIGHTON!!

The beautiful Jo-Ann Fortune, who has been running VintageBrighton's website and spreading her love of all things vintage, organised a Birthday party/Networking event for us fellow lovers of vintage. Held at the Iron Duke in Hove, I knew by reading down the list of names on the invites that it would be a winner, and that I had to be there. 

For those of you who have not come across VintageBrighton's website before, here is what Jo-Ann has to say about it:

'Celebrating the South Coast’s thriving vintage scene, VintageBrighton.com is an essential resource for all vintage-lovers in Brighton and beyond.

As well as a vintage shop directory and vintage events listings, to help you plan shopping trips and fun times, blog posts and features also provide inspiration, information and intrigue on the styles of the past.

Established and managed by Brighton-based journalist, editor and vintage-lover Jo-ann Fortune, VintageBrighton.com is fed by a small team of talented local writers, photographers and other creative types.''

I was glad to see a face I recognised as soon as I walked through the front door. Mat Keller, of Southern Retro fame, introduced me to stunningly beautiful Lauren Early, who, like myself, has sat for Matt before. (Currently in discussions with poor old Matt to have my shoot re done for the website! hehe)

I have to admit I was quite nervous when I turned up, knowing only Mat, and never having actually met Jo-Ann in the flesh before, but everyone I met was truly lovely. Lots of business cards were exchanged, as well as a lot of chit chatting about all things vintage. I definitely picked up quite a lot of helpful hints and tips so thank you ladies and gents!

L-R - (Mr Fortune, the lovely host of the night Jo-Ann Fortune, Lauren Early, Jessie Jumbles and Mat Keller)

To celebrate it's 1st Birthday, there was also a vintage-themed Raffle, with prizes including a £25 voucher to spend at Beyond Retro, a years subscription to Vintage Explorer magazine, and £50 worth of china for hire from locally based Roses All Over, amongst a few other prizes....and lucky me won:

The Mister was actually quite chuffed when I brought them home, he's been flicking through Look and Learn Book for Boys ever since, and I've been having a giggle at the stories in the girls annual too!

Jo-Ann's latest work has been writing features for Vintage Explorer, a new magazine aimed at those with a love of all things Vintage. Because of this, she was given a stash of copies to pass around, and I swiftly bagged my copy up ready to read on the way home. What a treat! 

I have been waiting for a quality vintage magazine (other than the Chap of course ;) ) to come out for god know's how long. Having been a little disappointed in Vintage Life magazine (I'm sorry, but I just can't afford to pay that amount for a magazine, and although it is a very pretty magazine in itself, it doesn't deliver quite what I'm after, and I am always left a feeling a little let down after the initial excitement.), Vintage Explorer does not disappoint! Filled to the brim with interesting and informative articles, featuring local auction details and insights, hints and tips, and one of the best things of all, a full directory of all major vintage events happening across the UK! No longer shall I miss out on an event and only find out about it 3 days later!

Although I was given this copy for free, I will definitely be waiting outside the local newsagent for my next copy as soon as it comes out! It is so nice to finally have a vintage magazine that doesn't just focus on 'the look' but actually goes into the history, the designers, lifestyles, and home furnishings. I think the only thing this magazine might be missing is a Classic Car section, but then that's just me ;)

And if you are now hungry for a copy of your own, and happen to be local, go ask Jo-Ann very nicely, and she MIGHT, MIGHT have a few spare copies knocking around. But if you are interested, let me know and I will try nabbing a few more copies myself to pass on to you all. You too will be addicted real soon!

Actually got my hands on a copy of Vintage Explorer and couldn't wait to get it home for a read...

As this was a Vintage Networking event, I knew others would be making quite an effort, so I managed to find this hat at the Upper Gardener Street Market yesterday for £2!!! It is an original 40s Harrod's hat, and although two of the feathers are looking a little worse for wear, I think it still has quite a bit of life left in it.

I think this is how you are meant to wear this style of hat, but to be honest with you, I'm not 100% certain, so please let me know if it's upside down, back to front, inside out etc. There doesn't seem to be any way of fastening this hat to your head, so I just used 2 bobby pins either side to hold it tight. Tips much appreciated! Should I perhaps sew some elastic into it?!

Much Love from Brighton,

This is what I came home to last night, a full pack at the Den!

L.J.

xxx