Would you buy a used car from this woman?

It's gone all Baltic & dreich again but I'm keeping myself upbeat by looking at old commercials and comedy clips on YouTube. 

I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you :)

I remember being mesmerized by commercials when I was a kid. That was back in the day when you only ever saw them when you went to the movies. 

In Sweden we only had two terrestrial TV channels until 1994.
When I was growing up the programs would usually start at half past five and stop just before midnight. There would only be morning & late night telly at the weekends. 

Towards the end of the 80s commercial TV stations mushroomed when cable & satellite TV appeared on the scene.
When I talk to people in their twenties they find it hard to imagine a time before TV on tap and as for the Internet, how did humanity ever cope without it? 

It is quite amazing and perhaps a little bit scary just how important a tool it has become for most of us in such a short space of time. I know I would struggle to cope without it now. 

As for television, there came a point last year when we decided that our brains were cluttered enough without the constant tsunami of reality TV shows, celebrities acting like desperate attention seeking monkeys and commercials, so the old box was unceremoniously binned.

Do I miss having telly in my life? Not one single bit!

I can still watch comedy, documentaries and nature programs on YouTube, when I feel the need.

I have no interest whatsoever in celebrities or soaps, I'd rather watch paint dry.

How about you?

H&M tiger stripe rockstar coat bought in 2000, amazing vintage 60s psychedelic print dress that was a gift from my sister in Denmark, cropped lurex jumper, 99p stores snood, Repro Victorian lace-up boots, layered tights, velvet gloves, hat, faux-amber pendant & Frocktasia earrings.

 In other news...

Here is my favourite stateside boho babe Reva, sporting a fabulous Indian tunic dress that I sent her because I knew she would totally ROCK IT, as is blatantly obvious from these magnificent pics...

What a Babe!

If you are not following Reva already, then I have to say that you are really missing out big time cause she is a true gem in the blogoshere.

You can keep up with the lovely Reva on...

Her fabulous blog

Bloglovin'

Facebook

Twitter

This one is for you Reva...

and just because you are so AWESOME another one :)

I'll finish off with one of my all time comedy heroes Bill Hicks, enjoy ;)

Hope your weekend has got off to a brilliant start.

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

You make me feel like I am fun again!

Have I told you lately how fabulous you all are and how much I appreciate having you wonderful peeps in my life?

Yes, Jennie stop going on about it or we'll have to make the bucket beside us a permanent feature, K?!

It has to be said though, in the past few months my lust for blogging has returned with a vengeance & a cursory glance at my yearly blog archive spells it out...

...this years post tally is speeding past the previous years at a rate of knots.

I personally put it down to your encouraging continued visits to my little nook of the blogosphere :)

For a long time I isolated myself, I became the silent onlooker to a party that I felt unworthy of part taking in.

I watched you all being fabulous and having fun, interacting with each other and even though I wanted to join in I felt  too craven to do so. 

I felt that through my silence, I'd lost my place in the gang.

Then one day I started taking tentative steps back into the circle and was very happy to find that there were still people there ready to welcome me back with open arms.

Then all of a sudden I felt as if I was fun again!

It was like a flower bomb of colour and warmth had gone off quite unexpectedly.

I started commenting and getting comments in return.

I felt welcomed, encouraged, inspired & enthralled.

I felt like busting open the bags and diving into the drawers to unearth fabulous clobber to wear.

Thank you for rekindling a fire that had all but gone out and thank you for being there for me after my long absence, I guess that is the mark of true friendship, virtual or otherwise.

I just wanted to tell you how much you mean to me...gush over (for now).

Vintage 70s velvet psychedelic print maxi skirt,  60s lace panel top, 70s suede jacket, 50s booties, 60s velvet painters beret, opera gloves, brass bangles & Frocktasia 'Grumpy Suns' earrings.

 Today's tune is 'Lovesong' by The Cure,  enjoy :)

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Choose Life

"Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself.

Choose your future...

Like Renton I choose something else too but thankfully it wasn't heroine.

I choose to chase my dreams :)

Life is sweet when you don't have to jostle for space on the tube at seven in the morning to get to work & then spend your day in a drab-ass uniform, working for a complete bunch of wankfists.

Grateful? You bet!

Sometimes I do have to bite the bullet though, when the bills are dropping through the letterbox like evil cluster bombs...usually at this time of year...stinging water rates & another years worth of painful council tax.

When it comes to working for the man I've always had a guerrilla approach, in and out as quick as you like.

It probably has a lot to do with the sort of soul destroying jobs that litter my past.

The longest I've ever lasted in one place was four and a half years at 'The Lamb & Flag' in Covent Garden. The job itself was as brain-numbing as they come but the people were awesome and the owners relished individuals. You could be yourself and dress the way you liked. 

Unfortunately the pub was sold to a big faceless brewery and that's when I jumped ship. 

The mere thought of working for a big company and having to wear a uniform gives me daymares.

I still know a few publicans in the West End so I may be able to get a wee part-time gig in a pub, as long as it doesn't interfere with my Frocktasia marketeering ;)

Today's ensemble was inspired by licorice allsorts...

Vintage 60s bubblegum pink skirt suit, 70s dagger collar shirt, 80s silk tie, J & M pin-badges, layered tights (sheer black & green nets), 80s boots, 50s crochet beret, gloves & Frocktasia earrings.

I'm currently re-reading Trainspotting in Swedish and I'm finding the translation rather hilarious for want of a better word, talk about lost in translation.

Have an awesome Friday folks, enjoy :)

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Plant loving crackpot

If I were able to have a whole house full of rescue dogs, cats, birds and miscellaneous wildlife I totally would but as things are that is sadly not possible.

There is one thing that we can and do rescue and give a new home to and that is abandoned houseplants.

Mark found this yucca plant in a terrible state a while back. 

The previous owner had kept it in a very small terracotta pot and the plant was completely rootbound inside of it. 

You can see how one of the plant trunks is completely warped & that was wrapped onto the rim of the wee pot.

Instead of repotting the plant they had just put it out with the rubbish as it was dying.

As soon as Mark brought him home, I took a hammer to the pot, liberated Mr. Yucca and re-potted him into a big poundland planter and he has thrived with us ever since.

In fact he has been growing so well that the other day I had to venture up to the nature trail in search of a "crutch" for him.

The warped trunk looked as if it was straining under the weight of his marvelous crown, so I found a perfect stick to support it.

We love our houseplants and like Prince Charles we do talk to them.

 Call me a crackpot if you like but my plants make me very happy and I do like to tell them that :)

Once it gets a bit warmer outside, I shall bring them all out on the balcony to repot them into some fresh soil and bigger pots if needed... 

I call this Yucca plant Odie cause when Mark brought him home he reminded me of the dog from Garfield, all long-necked and lanky. The big pic is Odie today and the one to the right is when he first moved in with us ;)

Question time...

Do you keep houseplants or are you lucky enough to have a garden where you grow things?

Today we had rain & sunshine in the morning, snow & strong winds in the afternoon and to finish off, our little corner of London was treated to a lovely pink sunset.

Today's ensemble:

Vintage 50s jacket, 60s psychedelic floral print mini dress, crushed velvet booties, layered tights (plain red and acid orange fishnets), bangles galore & Frocktasia earrings & horse-brass necklace.

I curled my hair this morning but it started snowing & blowing a gale when we were feeding the birds, so by the time these photos were taken you could hardly tell, och!

It was great reading your comments about 'Lucky Dipping' and eBay purchases. 

I know I'm a nosy parker but I just love reading your wee stories, so thank you for taking the time.

Today's song is by Crowded House, enjoy :)

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Titsicles, winter's back!

What an absolutely freezacious Monday it had been!

Some time ago we set up a bird feeding station on the balcony and earlier today our little feathered friends were sent tumbling when caught by strong and icy cold gusts of wind.

I chopped up a suet & seed ball and stuck in a bowl on the floor, in an attempt to make it slightly easier for them but then it started snowing, och!

I'm chuffed to bits with the amount and variety of birds that are regular visitors now...

blackbird, chaffinch, robin, sparrow, starling, wood pigeon, blue tit and this morning we were even visited by a very inquisitive magpie.

It's lovely to just sit with my cup of coffee, watching the birds pick away at the seed balls outside.

 Yes peeps, it's official, I am a birdwatcher.

We're going through bags of seed every week so it's just as well that you can pick them up from the pound shop. 

I do want to try and make my own seed balls though and I've found a good tutorial on a blog called Dry Seasonings, so I'll give that a bash at the weekend.

Lilo and friends also get their daily visit without fail. 

On a day like today one could be tempted to give the pond a miss but I don't want my angel-winged pretty going hungry especially when it's as Baltic as it has been today.

They were filming something in the park, there were loads of lorries and one of those double decker catering buses parked on the basketball courts. 

I didn't spot anyone famous but I may have done?

 Especially if the celebrity looks like a hairy gaffer, cause there were a fair few of them about.

We were interrupted three times by crew peeps as we were trying to snap the outfit pics. 

I was standing there thinking...

"Excuse me, can you hold on three bleedin' seconds please, I'm getting titsicles standing here!".

'Titsicles' is pretty self explanatory I guess but just in case you are perplexed, it is the word my husband chooses to use for a pair of extremely cold boobies :)

Vintage 60s psychedelic print dress, 90s faux-fur jacket, 80s boots, tights, mohair hat, gloves & Frocktasia earrings & horse brass necklace.

In the pictures above you can see me clocking bearded men just about to walk right in front of the camera... you would have thought being in 'The Biz' they would know bleedin' better but I guess not.

Today's tune is by lovely Leslie's very talented son Erik, enjoy :)

Erik will be playing a six song gig at The Old Queen's Head on Sunday the 24th of March.

Mark and I will be going :)

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Mums are amazing

Last time I wore the dress I am wearing today was on the 18th of May 2010.

Now you're probably thinking that something very special happened on that particular day or that I have a photographic memory but the truth is I cheated.

How?

By looking back in my old style diary ;)

I know I haven't worn it since cause it has been carefully stashed away in a bag of vintage frocks in the loft until yesterday.

This flirty vintage mini frock was a gift from a dear friend that used to live with us, it belonged to her mother who wore it to various dances in Fort William back in the 60s.

This is another one of those frocks that I couldn't possibly bear to part with.

I actually feel as if I'm its safe-keeper rather than owner and I therefore want to keep it pristine should Claire or any of her nieces ever want it back.

I only have a handful of my own mum's garments from the 70s/80s in my wardrobe but they are highly prized possessions indeed. 

There's something really special about wearing them; the feeling is akin to getting a really loving hug just when you need it the most.

I've blogged about my mum's vintage clobber before, you can check the posts out here & here.

My mum is a wonderful & wise woman, she is the kindest and most patient person I know. 

She's been a solid rock for all her six kids throughout our lives and whenever we've fucked up, no matter how many times, she's always been there to bail us out and get us back on track.

When we were on holiday together over Christmas mum was feeling quite overpowered by the heat and even a small physical exertion made her feel almost faint, when they got back to Sweden she went to see her doctor and was diagnosed with an outrageously high blood pressure. 

The doctor even told her that she'd probably had a narrow escape from getting a stroke out in Thailand.

 She's now on pills that are slowly bringing the blood pressure down but most importantly she's lost a bit of weight & knocked booze on the head which is very good. 

You can't tell her to take it easy though, cause she just won't, she makes a workaholic look like an idler. 

She runs her own business, selling mainly kids stuff on Swedish eBay and works on average a ten hour day, I only wish I had inherited her gusto for hardcore toil.

It's not mother's day in Sweden until the last Sunday in May but I'll be sending my beloved mamma lots of positive & loving vibes tomorrow anyway :)

Vintage 60s psychedelic print dress, lurex tights, 80s boots, retro PVC coat, lurex bucket hat & Frocktasia earrings.

Here's the outfit that I wore on the 18th of May 2010...

it's a bit Pippi Longstocking meets the Twilight Saga-esque, not sure if that was what I was aiming for ;)

Hope you will all have a lovely day tomorrow.

If mummy is still around make sure you take the opportunity to reach out and tell her that she's AMAZING!

If mummy lives in your heart, then why not wear something that she used to love in honor of her memory.

Here's to all the mums that have been, are and ever will be...you ROCK!

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

I'm with the band

Many moons ago when Mark & I lived in Glasgow, we had a band called 'Gretchen'.

The boys (Mark, Jim, Dave & Allen) and myself practiced every Sunday and gigged regularly for a year at intimate venues like 'Nice N Sleazy' and 'The 13th Note'. 

We never got to the recording stage before splitting up but thankfully Mark bought me a four track recorder, so I do have a whole heap of live demos, from various rehearsal sessions, that I like to dust off and listen to every now and again ;)

The band didn't split up because of artistic differences, it was simply life pulling us all in different directions.

Mark and I moved to London, Jim changed career and relocated and Dave became a father.

Allen is still living the rock and roll dream though, playing bass in Maiden Scotland an Iron Maiden tribute band.

I actually still have both the trousers and the jacket that I'm wearing in these pictures...

The striped cami was my mums from the early 80s, the pink boucle jacket was bought from the Benetton sale in '96 (with some tax rebate money), the mad space boots I bagged in Copenhagen in '99, they were originally priced at over £100 but the zip was "bust" so they had been marked down to a mere £20. I took the boots to a cobblers in Copenhagen and he had them fixed in two minutes flat and didn't even charge me for it. The trousers I bought in the Topshop winter sale in 2000.

I'm amazed at how brand spanking these trousers still look cause I've worn them a lot...

I know that I usually harp on about how modern High Street clothing have no longevity because of  poor quality but I may have to eat my hat about this conjecture, cause in some cases it is obviously not true.

I told you the lurex jumper would get a few more outings this month...

number one and counting ;)

It was so nice outside today I didn't even have to wear a jacket or coat.

The fabulous fuchsia pink felt is by St Saviours Hats, these hats usually retail at over £50.

Needless to say I paid rather less than that, cause I am the original bargain bint ;)

00s Topshop trousers, cropped lurex jumper, vintage 60s psychedelic print shirt, Indian block print silk scarf, St Saviours  felt hat, velvet gloves, mini cross & safety-pin earrings & 80s boots.

Before I sign off I'd also like to tell you that I have made a fabulous new addition to my little gang of  Legendary Frockstars, namely Ariane of Style Sud-Est. 

She always bowls me over with her amazing style! 

If she's unknown to you, go check her out, you won't regret it :) 

I did want to share a song that Mark and I wrote a few years ago but I can't upload it, so here's a tune that we covered back in the gigging days in Glasgow, enjoy :)

Almost weekend again, huzzah!
Lot's of love,
Jennie
xXx

I spy

When I first started blogging back in 2007 on a Swedish fashion blog platform called Modette, my daily blog  post would usually only consist of a picture and a short description of what I was wearing that day.

I blogged on Modette for a year before the site was bought up by a news company that decided that they wanted handpicked & trendy bloggers rather than people like me, so my blog was unceremoniously binned. 

Then I started my first blogspot blog called Calamity Jem's Vintage Vaudeville and although I spent a good few years blogging about charity shop bargains, car boot sale treasures and my daily get-ups (mostly photographed in the same spot on the balcony) I never felt entirely happy with the blog itself.

 So in 2011 I decided I needed a change and Frocktasia was born.

To start off with I had this idea that I wanted to keep my "daily ensembles" in a separate place, however slowly but surely they've crept back in to my regular blog content.

Why?

I love looking at other people's outfits and I love sharing mine, it's as simple as that really :)

Here are my February 2013 outfits...

Have you got a favourite?

I really loved wearing the cropped lurex jumper and I'm sure it'll get a fair few outings this month too :)

Today's ensemble was a bit 'Cold War Spy'...

...mixed with a large dollop of 'Comic Strip Heroine'...

I bought these trippy tie-dye tights from a Swedish High Street store called Indiska in their sale when I was across two years ago. Shortly after I returned home they disappeared without a trace. I found them again the other week whilst going through my stash of vintage bags, they were stuffed inside a very elegant 50s handbag. Very odd but I'm sure that it must have made perfect sense at the time ;)

Vintage 70s leather coat...I do love a good leather coat! I know, I know...not very vegan of me :(
Vintage 80s jumper, satin & lace corset, latex belt by House of Harlot, vintage 80s boots, faux-leather hotpants, opera gloves, Indian sari wrap as scarf & Frocktasia earrings. 

What is your view on outfit posts, do you love them or loathe them?

How many pics of the same outfit do you think is overkill in an outfit post?

I'll leave you with a wee ditty by Norwegian singer songwriter Mikhael Paskalev, 

enjoy :)

Lot's of love,
Jennie
xXx

The Day I became a Dandy Lion

Yesterday Mark and I primed our bags with vintage goodies and made the trip to The Dandy Lion 'Ladyfolk' Market at the Oxford in Kentish Town.

I was so impressed with the pub, it is the perfect setting for a craft/vintage market. We were given a cracking pitch and were set up a whole lot quicker this week, I've been practicing at home you see ;)

We had such a wonderful day and I was so inspired by all the fabulously creative sellers there.

I'd like to introduce you to some of them because quite frankly I think they ROCK!

First off is the lovely Camilla, she is a fellow creative Swede living in London... 

She makes brilliant 'bookish necklaces' and super funky vinyl record bookends.

I am going to link all the wonderful sellers (when possible) so that you can check them out for yourself, should something catch your eye.

Camilla has got an ETSY shop and sells her fabulous and very affordable wares to all over the world.

The second seller I would like to give a shout out to is Amanda, she makes gorgeous handmade cards & funky wee gifts. She doesn't have an on-line shop as yet but she's got a Facebook page, The Prettiest Thing...

Julia of Collar Me Happy makes stunning bespoke and ready to wear collars...

 I fell in love with a few but I am still on a "buying ban"...och!

I think that's what they call "being good", alas not much fun when faced with so much awesomeness...

Astrid Vaswani was there with her gorgeous daughter Jessica (out best customer) selling a wonderful array of funky jewelry.

Annemarie is behind She's Got it Made and she makes fabulous cushions,  cats and owls from groovy vintage fabrics.

Claire's stall Bright River was selling an array of fabulous cards and prints including some drawn from her mothers artwork.

The creative genius behind Words & Roses is called Luisa Cotardo and she makes some very romantic and stunning rose themed items...

Julia of Jamilicious were there to tempt everybody with handmade preserves and sweets.

The fabulous ceramic pots and ornaments are handmade by SuzanArt. 

Fellow first timer Lydia's Lockets sold beautiful handmade jewelry and I was lucky enough to win one of her lovely necklaces in the tombola, needless to say I was chuffed to bits, it's gorgeous! 

 When we first arrived in the morning I was quite nervous but after being beamed a fantastically warm and friendly smile by Mark of Gorgeous Jewellery I just knew it was going to be a fabulous day.

We had the tremendous pleasure of meeting Mark's very lovely wife Sue later on, she is the 'creative genius' in this fabulous team.

I didn't catch the name of the lovely chap that was in charge of the tombola but he did a sterling job at beaming out positivity too, what a fabulous bunch of people :)

 Shonel of Poetic Solace makes some seriously funky jewellery, she will be trading at the Craft Jam Fair in Kingly Court, Carnaby Street here in London next Saturday, if you pop along have a look out for Camilla of 'Mind The Book' too.

Bestitched  make fun and quirky framed cross stitch and they also sell funky cards and labels/tags, they have a bigcartel shop.

I hope I haven't missed anybody out and if I have, I apologize profusely...

I'll get you next month ;)

There is one seller that I haven't mentioned though...

the remarkable woman that made all of this possible and what a darling marvel of a woman she is!

 Leslie puts her heart and soul into organizing The Dandy Lion Market and she does a BRILLIANT job!

I've only known this woman for a week but it feels like we've been pals forever, I think Leslie is amazing!

So a big thanks to the woman that made it all happen, to the inspirational & talented sellers that were there on the day and of course to the lovely customers that came through the doors :)

Both Mark and I had such a fantastic day and we can't wait for the next market....

Frocktasia has finally grown a pair of wings and it is wonderful!

A few pints and some cracking company marked the end of  a perfect day :)

Loved every single minute of it!

Hope you have all had an equally fabulous weekend.

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx