On the Buses

I am most definitely a cloud spotter, one of my favourite things to do in the summer is to wander up to the park, sprawl out on the grass and just lay there for hours watching the clouds drift by.

Today we went along to Selfridges to listen to Gavin Pretor-Pinney who is the founder of The Cloud Appreciation Society. 

The hour long talk was both entertaining and enlightening but I would have loved for it to have lasted longer. I think Mr Pretor-Pinney would be the perfect dinner party guest cause he is funny and engaging in equal measures.

The talk was free and if you could guess the different cloud types featured in the presentation, you were given a little badge.

After the talk we browsed the book section of Selfridges but perhaps needless to say we didn't buy anything.

Years of car boot sale buying has made it quite impossible for me to pay more than a fiver for a book, unless I'm buying it straight from the authors website or amazon.

Selfridges' prices are simply not compatible with my thrifty nature but it's nice to have a wee look.

As we were making our way back home we came across two old buses and a whole heap of bus enthusiasts taking pictures of them.

Such a retrotastic backdrop seemed too good to miss out on, so we joined the throng of "bus spotters" and quickly snapped a few pics ourselves :)

H&M tiger stripe coat, vintage 60s Chinese sign print dress, vintage 50s booties, layered tights, self-made necklace, velvet gloves and my Stockholm syndrom wiggy-woo.

I do have a black and white setting on my camera but these pics had the effect added on PicMonkey.

I think B&W is the perfect tool for enhancing the whole retro vibe.

We had to be super quick when taking these photos cause the "bus spotters" weren't really that interested in having a dolly bird in their pics ;)

Hope you have all had a wonderful weekend.

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

Roots & dust rats

Over the past few days the weather has become wonderfully mild and today it was decidedly spring like.

Mark and I went for a long stroll along the nature trail via the pond.

My goose friend was nowhere to be seen, so she has either been picked up by the RSPCA or she was just hiding from us. 

This area is riddled with city foxes that could quite easily make a meal out of a flightless goose, so I'm really hoping nothing bad has happened to her.

I've started preparing for next Saturday's vintage jumble, so far I've only got to the picking out what to bring stage and I've still got heaps to do but I'm really looking forward to hopefully spreading a little bit of vintage joy to the punters :)

Vintage 80s jacket, Warehouse tweed shorts, mesh tank, 90s leotard, lurex cropped jumper, Indian wrap, layered tights, Steve Madden boots & knitted bobble hat

I've been meaning to dye my hair since we got back from holiday in January.

The mousy brown regrowth is evident and there's a good peppering of grey hairs coming through now.

Every time I go to put henna in my hair, I think...

"I really can't be arsed with this now" and end up not doing it.

I'm still very much in my winter lull, where 'mañana mañana' becomes my mantra.

However being sick for a few days also fairly knocked the wind out of my sails.

Hopefully this spell of mild weather will make me feel a bit more motivated to keep up appearances and perhaps even do a bit of urgently needed house cleaning.

Have a fantastic Sunday!

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

Naughty Valentine

Some people follow trends and hanker for the latest lust-have but I tend to intermittently obsess over fabrics.

I bought this 'Miss Jeannie' dress on eBay a few years ago when I had a huge thing for all things lurex.

This fabric certainly isn't everybody's bag with its often quite raspy texture but that is one of the main reasons to why I love it so much...

its raspy and spangly qualities is what does it for me :)

There is also something rather space-age about lurex that really appeals to me.

At the post office earlier the cashier asked me if I was wearing red because of Valentines day...as if!

Roses, chocolates and champagne

 Last table booked down lovers lane

Twice the price, sans ambiance

Will expensive gestures induce romantic trance

A pricey card with a contrived poem 

Because on February 14th you have to show them

Thanks but no thanks, Mr Valentine

I think I'll just choose a different day to express mine

Vintage 20s tux jacket, 60s lurex dress, 90s mesh top, lurex tights, fishnet knee-socks, tartan  print boots, sequin beret & 90s silver sun earrings.
If you do happen to be a fellow lurex lover then I've got a stunning floor-length 90s bodycon dress up for grabs in my eBay auctions, go check it out, it's got more cosmic girl sass than you can shake a stick at ;)

I was in two minds about sharing this next pic but then I thought to myself...

"Jen, since when did you become such a prude"? 

For Valentines day 2001 I wanted surprise Mark with "naughty"card. 

This was back in the days when digital photography was still a bit of a rarity and most people (me included) had to traipse down to snappy-snaps to get their photos developed.

So I took some near naked pics wearing just some self made nipple covers and a barely there thong.

Was I worried about handing my film in?

Thankfully, the local chemist that I used didn't have an in-house lab 

so I was spared any blushes when I went to pick up my little envelope of saucy pics.

I bought some heart shaped stickers placed them strategically and the card was all sorted.

Needless to say my beloved was thrilled ;)

This of course begs the question...

If you were to become famous tomorrow, have you any reason to fear the scandal rags?

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

Voodoo child

Back in the days when I was a mere pocket-sized person, growing up in a small backwater village in the south of Sweden, I roamed free from early morning until dinnertime with very little adult supervision.

My little pals and I would run wild in the local forest, which proved to be the best playground a child could ever wish for.

We climbed trees, splashed around in the stream, built huts and played elaborate games. 

I didn't have many toys but to be fair the ones that I did have mostly gathered dust indoors, I was far more interested in playing games.

We were pirates, spies and troll hunters.

When I was five a playground was built just outside our house and we all thought it was the bees-knees until we realized that we were surrounded by "playground police".

Annoying adults sticking their oar in every five minutes, directing play and making up stupid rules that we had to abide by.

Needless to say we soon abandoned the spanking new playground and went back our beloved forest, where we were left alone to do as we pleased.

These days I still enjoy playing games, dress-up related ones in particular and sometimes when the "playground police" aren't looking I go for a wee spin, spin, spin on the merry-go-round :)

I bought this floral lace dress from a car boot sale ages ago. 

It was a dreary pale blue colour, so I decided to give it a dye-over & revamp.

I began by removing the inside lining and the zipper.

Then I dyed it twice, first with pink and then with purple.

My inspiration for this colour combo was the heather covered hills of the Scottish highlands.

Because the lining has been removed it is pretty see-though, so I prefer to 

team it with my trusty spanx pants and a leotard.

The necklace is also one of my own creations, made from deconstructed necklaces and bits and bobs that I have picked up on my travels.

The coat I'm wearing was bought in the January sale of 2000.

Mark and I spent NYE 1999 at my sisters in Copenhagen and while we were there I spotted this awesome faux-fur tiger stripe coat in H&M.

I fell head over heels with it but at £80 it way way beyond my budget. 

Then in January we moved to Glasgow and I had an interview for a job at the Sauchiehall street centre; t'was a horrible interview with a snooty biatch. 

On my way out I passed H&M and out of the corner of my eye I spotted a tiger striped sleeve sticking out from a rail, I ran up to it and found the coat in my size for £15, not only that I also found a matching mini skirt for a £5.

I didn't get the job but I did get my amazing "rockstar" coat for a mere £15, magic!

H&M coat, revamped lace dress, 90s lace leotard, 80s boots, self-made necklace, 80s deadstock tights, gloves, mohair hat & wiggy-woo

 Goose update: despite my recent bout of something akin to the black death (or maybe it's just the man flu that has jumped sex), I have been making regular trips up to the park to see how our poorly feathered  friend is getting on. The RSPCA has been in contact with me and have asked me to monitor the bird and get in contact if its condition deteriorates.

Here's a little Hendrix to funk up the start of your week...

Thanks for your lovely 'get well' comments peeps, after spending the majority of the weekend in bed, I'm feeling much better now.
Lot's of love,
Jennie
xXx

Pulling a swinging sickie

In all honesty I should be lying in my bed right now with Gino the giraffe, my hot water bottle. 

I woke up yesterday with an extremely debilitating dose of the vileness...

cold as death, woolly headed, sneezy, wheezy and generally frigging sore all over, not to mention looking like a festering meat-bag.

I knew as soon as I got out of bed that I'd be absolutely no use to anybody, so the only sensible thing to do was to neck some night nurse & return to bed.

I'm still feeling pretty rancid today but we managed a quick walk up to the pond to feed the birds.

I thought that as I'd made the elephantine effort to peel myself off the bed, I'd try and cheer up my chops with another one of my loud psychedelic frocks and a bit of slap.

Plastering make-up on a flu bedraggled face is pretty daft I know but I was hoping that it would somehow magically make me look less dead....it didn't bleeding work :(

I also stuck a wiggy-woo on to keep my noggin warm & toasty.

At least the frock looks "fucking blinding" :)

Vintage 60s psychedelic print maxi dress, 70s  cropped suede jacket, 80s leather boots, 80s Kangol beret, wiggy-woo , gloves, pendant necklace  and bangles galore.

When we fed the birds the other day, I spotted a Canada goose that looked rather worse for wear. 

 It seemed to feed alright and it didn't look as if it was in distress but I still took some pics of it & contacted the RSPCA.

I've been a bit worried about the wee feathered fellow, so that's why we went back up to the park today with another baggy of delicious seed mix for the birdies...

Here's the poor wee thing, its wing is damaged and its rear end warps to one side...

I've read about a condition called 'Angel Wing' that is believed to be caused by a substandard diet, high in calories and low in nutrition. 

There's actually a notice up by the pond telling people not to feed the birds stuff like white bread but unfortunately some people still do.

Here are two other birds that were hanging by the pond today...

A pretty mandarin duck and a  handsome grey heron

Right, I can't even focus on the screen anymore, so I guess that's my cue to go back to bed.
Have a superlative Sunday folks!
Lot's of love,
Jennie
xXx

Psychedelic salvo

I bought this dress last summer but this is the first time I've actually worn it.
I really love the psychedelic print but every time I tried it on I would always find fault with the ensemble and the dress would go back on the hanger.
Stupid stuff like the colour of the tights didn't quite match or the shoes looked wrong with it. 
Some days I'm the biggest fusspot about, I race around the house trying to get dressed but everything I put on just feels wrong and the house ends up looking like an explosion in a thrift store.

Strangely today it just all seemed to come together.

I’m sure I’ll be back to my old fusspot self tomorrow, sitting in the hallway in front of my  open wardrobe screaming…

“It’s quarter past nine & I’m still only in my frigging pants, what the Mongolian clusterfeck shall I wear”?!

Repro 60s PVC coat, vintage 60s psychedelic dress, vintage 70s boots, layered tights, necklace that I make myself, a sequin beret and gloves, I was clever enough not to leave them behind this time ;)

Now, I have a question to put to you all...

If you had to choose in-between wearing only plain colours or only loud prints for the rest of your life, what would you choose? 

There is no way I could spend the rest of my life wearing only plain colours, I love my prints too much.

I'm sure you've already seen Vix's post and beheld her in all her "fucking blinding" glory.

We have a lot of bland blokes like the one she describes in her post round these parts too.

Personally I can't think of a less inspiring get-up than a grey jersey tracksuit & I kind of feel sorry for those who choose to solely dwell inside such soul destroying clothes when there is so much variety in the world. 

An infinite pick-and-mix of fabulous styles, colours, textures, prints & fabrics...

I can't for the life of me understand why anyone in the face of such abundance would opt for a grey jersey tracksuit?!

Myself, I'm a self-confessed print addict and I much prefer to live my life swathed in loud colours & larger than life prints.

When I'm done here, I want to be buried in a sequin embellished, psychedelic print coffin with rainbow coloured, crushed velvet lining.

Not that I'm hankering for the grave, far from it!

I feel more full of life today than I did ten years ago and as odd as it may sound, getting older has made me feel younger in many ways, I may not look it but you can't have everything ;)

Now I have some exciting news...

I'll be selling my wonderful vintage threads at the boogaloo at the end of this month :)

Jet-Marie the awesome chick who runs the Can't Buy Me Love vintage jumble sale contacted me the other day to say that she still had a space available for this month....HUZZAH!

So if  you happen to be lurking around in the area of 312 Archway Road, North London on Saturday the 23rd please come and see me.

Affordable vintage clobber, retro tunes, beer and cake...what more can you ask for on a Saturday ;) 

I'll do a couple of posts in the near future to show you some of the stuff I'll be bringing with me on the day.

Here's the flyer that I borrowed off  the 'Cant Buy Me Love' website...

I'm chuffed to bits cause this will be my first ever proper vintage jumble, first of many I hope ;)

The weekend is upon us yet again, hasn't this week just swooshed by?!

Have a fabulous Friday peeps and thanks again for all your wonderful comments, they truly warm the cockles of my wee heart so they do.

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx 

Sweet dreams are made of cheese

Today I've been busy taking product pics for the shop.

It's been absolutely freezing in the flat, so in a fair few of the pics I look decidedly peeved.

Today was also the first time I used my new camera remote control.

Before I had to go back and forth to the camera to press the button in-between every photo, which was a complete pain in the backside plus quite often the camera wouldn't be in focus when I got to my place in front of it, which needless to say was also a huge big pain in the booty region.

Now I can simply press the remote and hey presto...click, click, click!

I'm loving the fact that it's sparing me a whole heap of faffing about but there is one small problem, the concealment of the remote.

It is nigh-on impossible to strike the 'hold your waist' pose, cause you have to use your fingers to press the button.

It does have a timer function, so I suppose I could slip it on the floor after I've pressed and then strike a pose.

So many things to worry about, world poverty, corruption, deforestation and how to look natural when using a bleeding camera remote control.

I can just feel my life spinning into a vacuous abyss of triviality here, och!

Anyway, I'm sure I'll get the hang of it :) 

I messed around with PicMonkey when I was having my hour off in the afternoon and here's the result... 

The three frocks and the tie-dye top are all destined for the shop.

Not sure when cause I've got a fairly jam-packed schedule this week already.

Because it was all work and no play for me today, I just wore a comfy outfit in a style I'd describe as 'tatterdemalian'...

"Tatterdemalion: A person wearing ragged or tattered clothing"...that'll be me then ;)

When I wasn't taking product pics, I changed into my comfy slippers because... 

 - I tend not to wear outdoors footwear indoors.

 - I'd probably fall down and break my neck if I was to race up and down the stairs in these bad boys.

...but perhaps most importantly,  I'm getting to that stage in my life when I'm really starting to appreciate sensible footwear, in particular slippers ;)

I've had two very odd & inexplicable cravings today; at one point I was gagging for a cheese and onion pasty (I'm vegan) & then I was struck by an insane craving for real ale (I knocked the booze on the head over four years ago).

I'm not sure what is going on, maybe it's the cold weather making me want to pig out on cheese and get drunk (sounds like heaven right now).

Watch this space, there may be a "pickled post" in the near future if my craving have their wicked way with me ;)

Thanks for all the lovely comments you've been leaving, you ROCK my little world!

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx