Laptop Combustion

Ooh it's good to be back!

Please excuse the long absence, my laptop decided a couple of weeks ago to set it's self on fire (yes, fire), and I had to get it fixed. The folks at my local computer store are lovely people, but seemed to have forgotten my laptop until I called in to ask about it  - suffice to say it was ready the next day.

Anyway, I'll be back in a few days with some more posts, starting with one about vintage fringes. See you then :)

The Ghost and Mrs Muir

I spent the afternoon - after some fairly depressing vaccinations - watching the 1947 classic 'The Ghost and Mrs Muir'. Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney in the same film? My idea of perfection! And, the patriotic gal that I am, I naturally adore it's English coastal setting, with the crashing waves beating at the shore; something very close to my heart as a seaside girl.

What I love about films like this - made in Hollywood's golden age, but set earlier - is that they combine the styles so beautifully. Just as we do in films today (see Pride and Prejudice for one!), our representation of past fashion is tinted through what is currently in vogue. The fitted 40's silhouette can be seen easily in the early 20th century dresses of the eponymous Mrs Muir.

But even without the luscious styling, I really think this is a movie everyone should see. The end, when (spoiler alert!) Captain Gregg and Lucy stare into each other's eyes, take each other's hands and walk off into the mist is one of the most beautiful and moving scenes in film. If you pay attention, you can spot the young Natalie Wood, and George Sanders as the creepy paramour is not to be missed!

A Good Book And A Cup Of Tea

Phew! I’ve been so busy lately… in fact, I’ve found that with all the planning I’ve been doing, I’ve been giving myself no time to relax. It’s as if I’m always at work, or thinking about the future, and I’m not living in the ‘now’. One of my (many) faults that I set my expectations for the future too high, so high that I’m constantly being disappointed when it becomes the present. So, I’ve decided to set aside some more time for me right now, and I think the simplest way to do that is with some simple reading time.
After a visit to my local library (which is conveniently directly opposite to where I work) I came away with some very good books – many of which I have studied at school before, and I relish the opportunity to read them without overanalysing every word. At about 9 at night I’ll sit and read for an hour, tucked up in bed with a cup of tea. It may sound rather pathetic, but it makes me feel brilliant, and I recommend it to anyone.

On Ebay This Week .1

Some great vintage pieces going up this week, but I'm having a bit of a clearout so there's a lot of other stuff that will be going up in the next few days as well. Here are a few available at the moment:

Vintage 50s Pink Shift Dress 10-12                                 

Vintage Thorens Music Box

Vintage Cameo Brooch
                          

   Love Heart Necklace

Eva Ibbotson Book Boxset

And coming soon:

Next Grey Zipper Design Dress Size 8T

Green Patterned Smock Dress Size 10

Sponge Rollers Tutorial

I've seen a few tutorials around for hot rollers and pin curls, but not so many for sponge roller sets, which is what I use on my hair most of the time; so I've taken the plunge and done a quick tutorial so you can see my process. These kind of curls tend to be quite loose, yet durable, so they're very wearable in places where full vintage style isn't really appropriate/socially acceptable! They also mean, like pin curls, that you can save a lot of time in the morning by just popping them in before you go to bed. They take about 5 minutes once you have the hang of them and are about as comfortable as pincurls to sleep in.

So, here goes! (Apologies for the slightly blurry photos)

Step one.

Brush your hair thouroughly - the smoother your hair, the smoother the curl will be. Then take a small section and brush it out again.

Step two.

Take your roller - with the catch open - and start to wrap your hair around it from the very ends, rolling it inwards. Make sure these ends are tucked in to the curl rather than sticking out the side, or you will end up with randoms flicks here and there.

Step three.

Roll the hair upwards around the roller until you reach the roots. If you want to look more like Lauren Baccall than Bonnie Tyler, than I suggest placing the rollers closer at the bottom, and wrapping the hair more loosely towards the top of the roll. Then snap the catch closed over the top of the hair.

Step four.

To achieve the iconic wave across the eyes of the 40's starlets, simply take the front section of hair and roll it up and away from your face.

Now, I have a fringe, or bangs as they say across the pond, so this can prove quite difficult. To get as close as I can to this wave, I can only give fellow fringe wearers the following tips:

• Put a pinch of mousse in to hold all the strands together and make it easier to roll.
• I grab a small longer section from either side and the back to add a bit of length. This means you don't get a fringe with one big kink in it.
• I roll it slightly at an angle, so the curl will go to one side of my face.
• Make sure that each layer and strand of the fringe is wrapped in to the roll. It can take a few attempts, but it is possible to style it to the side if you so wish.

Step five.

Leave them in for at least 3 hours. I tend to sleep on mine, as I'm more likely to use hot rollers if I'm going out. However you can put them in the morning and wrap a headscarf around them until the afternoon. Remember though, if you do sleep on them, the sponge material can be quite rough on the hair when the latter's also rubbing against a pillow, so I recommend wrapping it in a soft scarf first to protect your locks. 

Then gently comb through and bam! 40s curls.

The Art of Letter Writing

Whatever happened to the art of letter writing? There is something about putting pen to paper that just can't be replicated on a computer; something that inspires you to spill your heart out on the page, use ridiculously elaborate prose, and sign off with something poetic, like 'eternally thine, Hannah'.
I have a friend living in France at the moment, where she's teaching English in a small rural village just outside Nantes. She's asked everyone to write rather than email, and I understand the appeal; the immediacy of the internet might mean that you get quicker answers, but it doesn't inspire the almost poetic analysis of your correspondent's experiences that writing a letter does.
When I think about the great literature of our time, I don't think of someone sat at a lap top, but someone sat at a desk with some thick paper and a good pen (or a quill, come to think of it). So perhaps this generation needs to revive good-old snail mail?

Some Quick Repairs..

While perusing the sales racks after work today, I stumbled upon this little thing above. I always find it difficult to find clothes in my size in high street shops, let alone during the sales, so I was slightly disappointed to see the 'fault' label on it. Upon further inspection I discovered that the only fault was a missing button and some undone stitching... yay! Now I'm no sewing expert, but I could even see the holes from the machine stiching for me to follow.


This top, I have to say, is one of those rare purchases where the poor value for money is outweighed by the sheer prettyness.