Attack of the pocket sized puppy

Yesterday I told you of how the summer breeze scuppered the outfit pics.

Today it was something else that threw a spanner in the works, a very tiny dog shaped spanner!

There I was leaning against a tree, trying to look all wistful and romantic when out of no where a tiny critter lunged itself onto my lap. I howled like a banshee cause I didn't know what the heck it was at first. The owner laughed her ass off as did I once I realized that I wasn't being attacked by a killer squirrel.

Fun and larks in the park, that's what summer should be all about.

My lovely mum sent me another two of these awesome crochet tops the other day. Another white one and this fabulous green one...

70s floral print maxi skirt labelled Richard Shops (car boot sale), 80s sunnies (eBay), Floppy straw hat (car boot sale), brass bangles, Frocktasia silk headband & horse-brass necklace, 80s Pierre Cardin sandals (charity shop), Crochet top (from mum). 

The park larking continued with much sprightliness after the dog incident. I was spinning so much I made myself dizzy and had to sit down before I fell down.

I love going barefoot in the park, it is one of life's little pleasures :)

A few weeks ago Sam of Tangled Wigs and Natasha came to my house to shoot some pics for a feature in the summer issue of Tangled Magazine. I was chuffed to bits when I was asked to contribute and needless to say I jumped at the chance. The feature was to be about music festival style created with Sam's fabulous wigs and Frocktasia's retro & vintage threads. 

For some one like myself, who hasn't got a wild mane of natural locks, wigs have always been a true blessing. It is impossible for me to grow my hair beyond shoulder length cause it gets all ratty and I end up making it even thinner when I try to brush out the inevitable knots. I can't wear a fringe either cause my hair is too fine and I've got a high forehead, so I just end up looking like Gregor Fisher's The Baldy Man. Thanks to wigs I've been able to wear the hair of my dreams and create looks that would never have been possible otherwise. 

If I was to go to a huge music festival where I couldn't wash my hair for days, I would definitely pack a few wigs. Not only in order to hide my ratty tresses underneath but to be able to rock looks that rival those of the glampers. I'd probably bring a few different styles so that I could channel a different persona each day.

For the feature I styled four quintessential festival-goer looks, Sam styled four stunning Tangled Wigs to team them with and Natasha did a great job modelling.

Here are some of my favourite pics from the day...

Sam has got some awesome wig styling tutorials on her website. Creating a funky up-do like this one is easier than you may think.

80s Stones Tee that I nabbed from my dad many moons ago, Leather cut-offs from a pair of trousers that I bought at a car boot sale for a song, 80s Wrangler boots (vintage dealer friend), 80s silk scarf  & sunnies (car boot sale).

I am hankering for this stunning 'Woman of the Ghetto' wig from the Happy Feelins' Collection.

Stunning Afghan kuchi dress that is currently up for grabs on my rail for £35, coinbelt worn as headdress (car boot sale), 90s crushed velvet boots (charity shop), 70s camera bag (car boot sale).

Dream hair!? 

I'd like one in every colour please :)

90s customized camo jacket currently on my rail for £20, customized cut-offs currently on my rail for £12, 90s buckle boots (charity shop), beaded bralet (market), Handmade African necklace which was a gift from my lovely mum.

Mark kindly lent us his guitar to use as a prop. Come on Natasha give us a song ;)

70s Indian tapestry wrap skirt (car boot sale), Suede fringed bralet (originally Topshop but bought from the car boot sale), 90s necklace (gift from my sister), crochet headband (charity shop in Sweden), Balinese earrings (gift from Vix).

The brilliant new issue of Tangled Magazine has just become available to enjoy on-line so you can pop over and have a wee read of it right now folks.

I was enormously flattered when Sam asked me if I'd like to contribute to the next issue too. I have so many ideas, you would not believe...for me wigs and vintage threads are a match made in heaven.

Today I will leave you with one of my favourite songs by Massive Attack, enjoy ;)

Happy Friday peeps!

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Summertime

What a week it has been, my feet have hardly touched the ground.

Both Mark and I were completely zonked out after last weekend but thankfully managed to grab a reasonably restful Monday before charging full steam ahead into Tuesday.

We still try to squeeze in our daily jaunt to the park cause it lifts the spirit and is a great energy booster.

Fabulous 70s block print maxi frock, 80s sunnies & platform Hawaianas.

After a smashing Sunday at the Dandy pop-up market, I decided to treat myself to something I've been after for ages...

When my mum went to Morocco in the late 70s she brought back one of these fabulous robes and I remember playing dress-up in it as a kid. Sadly it disappeared in one of our many moves and I've been hankering for another one ever since. It is totally trippy hippie and I can't wait to wear it.

Whilst on the subject of hippies, I've decided to go with a "Far Out" theme for my rail at The Sunday Mini Festival next month. I am currently going hole punch bonkers making one-offs to bring along on the day.

Here's a fringe waistcoat that I made from a 90s suede dress...

I met up with Mike who is organizing The Sunday Mini Festival last Wednesday at the Biddle Bros pub in Lower Clapton for an evening of  beer & fabulous singer-songwriter performances by Allegra Shock , Jaime Wyatt , (fellow Swede) Emil Lager and Meg Cavanaugh. Meg is also one of the acts at The Mini Festi  :)

Then on Thursday I had another delightful visit from Jo. She came to try on some frocks for a friend in The States. I'd primed my rail with floaty creations and hippie style dresses galore. I even let Jo try on my favourite ever maxi that I was sent by Helga some years ago, she was smitten :)

I still have another meet-up with Jo before she heads back to the US. We are going for a spot of lunch tomorrow and afterwards Jo is taking me to a "secret location"...I'm very intrigued & excited:)

This was the beautiful view outside my home office window on Thursday evening...

On Friday I took some pictures of the geese. This is The Grey family, look how big Baby Grey is now...

There are two pairs of Canada geese, both with two young ones each. The goslings are loosing their down now and two of them are starting to look more like the adults. They are still adorably cute though...

Friday was also Summer Solstice or Midsummer as it is more commonly referred to in Sweden. It is much more of a big deal over in Scandinavia and people like to really celebrate it. I marked the day by wearing this very colourful and summery frock that I wore to my sixth form college graduation back in '92.

It had been raining in the morning and there were lots of snails that had been and still were trailing across the graveled path. I saved a couple by airlifting them to safety and putting them down in the high grass ;)

Happy Midsummer :)

Barbara our friend from Berlin came back from her shiatsu course in Wales and we had a lovely night in with veggie fajitas, red wine & a bunch of old photographs :)

The midsummer moon was magical...

Then along came Saturday and another eagerly anticipated colab with Tangled Wigs.
Sam has just launched her fabulous new Happy Feelin's Collection and a new issue of Tangled Magazine is in the making. Sam brought along four absolutely stunning wigs and I'd put together four festival inspired outfits for the photo shoot. Beautiful Natasha did a grand job modelling  and Sam & I shared the camera responsibility. The pics came out brilliantly and I can't wait to see them in the magazine. I had a wonderful time and I absolutely adore working with these fabulous gals :)

After waving Barbara off, I spent the afternoon editing pics. Mark had a boys night out planned with two of his best friends and headed out late afternoon. The three of them came back to the house around 9pm, laden with pizza and beer. We stuffed our faces before heading to the local watering hole for a quick one and then ended the evening by having a wee drinking session in the house before crashing.

I was incredibly happy that unlike last Sunday we could just kick back in the house all day and that is exactly what we've been doing. Mark and I perched ourselves on the sofa, "watched" a couple of DVDs and lazed the day away, blooming marvelous :)

So tomorrow I'm meeting up with lovely Jo and then I have to crack on with preparing my rail for the forthcoming Dandy Lion Market and organizing & promoting the vintage market for The Mini Festival...no rest for those who want things to be wicked ;)

To sing us out here's Janis, enjoy ;)

Hope you are all doing grand?!

loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Apocalyptic Ragamuffin

It's been ages since I dropped a blog in the sphere, so here it goes ;)

For the past month I've been having a massive clear-out, I've sold a couple of huge job lots on eBay, taken umpteen bags to the local charity shops & another umpteen to the recycling bank. 

Even though at least seven massive bags (too heavy for one person to lift, unless you happen to be He-Man or Pippi Longstockings) containing hundreds of items of clothing have left the house, I look around and hardly notice the difference.

It's a bit disheartening at times but at least it's all moving in the right direction, albeit at a snails pace.

All this hoarding I've been doing over the past  ten years has made me "materially obese" and I've got some serious slimming down to do and just like weight-loss it is a painstaking and slow moving process that takes a whole lot of effort but it is my intention to Feng-frigging-shui the whole lot.

This year has been a year of great change for me, maybe not ostensibly but in a way of revelations and personal realizations. 

I have become much more in-tune with myself, slain some debilitating demons and finally feel as if I'm travelling down the right path.

Where to?!

It's not so much an actual destination as it is a general goal, the name of the game is to free myself from the albatross that's been hanging round my neck for all these years and once I've done that, once I am freed from the chains of possessions, things that I own that in reality own me, I'm going to go where the wind takes me.

As I watch 'Why Poverty' on the BBC iPlayer, I know in my heart that the wind is destined to blow me in the direction of those who struggle to survive. I want to help, really help, not just by sending a token sum a month to some charity and hope that the money is spent where it is most needed and doesn't simply melt away in the administration & bureaucracy of it all. I want to be there, get my hands dirty, help people face-to-face. That is the path I see myself travelling down. 

Being livid about the injustices of the world, frothing at the mouth over the wrongs done by the sociopaths that lord over us and raving on about the strip-mining, dismantling and all-out destruction of the planet by cold fish companies isn't doing it for me anymore...anger on its own is not enough!

Anger without action feels utterly impotent.

So I've chosen a path of action, positive action.

Right that was the serious bit, now for something with a slightly lighter in mood :)

  I was clearing out my hard drive the other day and came across folder upon folder of old daily outfit pics that have been taken over the past five years.

I thought it would be fun to do a little roundup of some of them, a crazy cluster of outfits that I felt feel into the same style category.

A strong style inspiration for me has always been sci-fi movies and comicbooks. 

As you can probably gauge from the vast picture medley below I'm really drawn to the  warrior princess, comicbook heroine, sci-fi apocalyptic ragamuffin aesthetic.

Here are a few of my favourite style inspirations...

Aeryn Sun (Farscape), Lara Croft (Tomb Raider), Pris (Bladerunner), Barbarella, Modesty Blaise, Chiana (Farscape), Xena: Warrior Princess, Catwoman (Batman), Tank Girl, Aunty Entity (Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome)

...and here follows a rather extensive medley of past outfit pics in the apocalyptic ragamuffin vein, hope you enjoy ;)

I don't take daily outfit pics that often now, I got a bit fed up with it to be truthful especially with having to take pics for the shop etc, maybe one day my gusto for it will return, who knows?

I still go bonkers in the boudoir & play dress-up on occasion, so don't fret I haven't been abducted by the sweatpants and fleece brigade just yet ;)

Although I am perhaps just a bit too keen on wearing my trusty old "swamp jumper"...
it's bloody cold around here, that's my excuse and I'm sticking too it! 

Hope everyone is doing grand out there?!
Have a fabulous weekend whatever you get up to.
Lot's of love,
Jennie
xXx