Grandma's Dressing Table Set

Hello again!

Today I thought I'd share with you something I love, but unfortunately don't really get a lot of use out of.

When my grandma passed away, a number of years ago now, I inherited a few bits from her. Some more sentimental than others. This is one of the sentimental things.

All the pretty things.

It's a gorgeous dressing table set. I'm guessing thirties or forties although I really know very little about it.
I don't use the brushes really. I worry about the bristles all coming out!

I use the mirror a lot, it's perfect for seeing the back of my head when I do up dos. Or even just to make sure my curls are OK.

I used to use the powder when I was little for fun! I love the smell of it though.

Just that little thing takes me back to sitting in my grandma's bedroom with her, playing with the set on her dressing table. Which was glass topped and had loads of family photos underneath, peeking out at you from behind all the beautiful things.

Jo :-)

Swagbucks and Retro Shaving

Slightly different kind of blog post today! Shaving and overlapping into an eco friendly kind of place!

I think a lot of people wear vintage and make their own things not only out of a love for the way things look and the chance to be individual, but also because it's a bit more world friendly. We're re-using and recycling things, wearing clothing that's lasted 60 years not six months and that was probably produced in our own countries. Although that's really another post in itself!

Anyway. I found Swagbucks (that's a referral link, if you sign up through it I get a few more Swagbucks!)through The Frugal Girl and one of her fabulous blog posts. I've been using it on and off for about six months or so and a month ago I saved up enough to get a £5 Amazon. Thee good things about it is that you can use it instead of your normal search engine and you don't have to do anything special or extra to get your points. I have the toolbar on my laptop and that's a point a day every time I go on the Internet! Not too shabby!

So, I hear you asking, what did I buy with my totally free and awesome £5 amazon voucher? I purchased myself a Shaving Factory Double Edge Safety Razor with 100 Double Edge Razor Blades. All in a nice little blue box. It's definitely at the cheaper end of the market (and there's a beautiful razor on Amazon, but it was £45!) at £14.90, £9.90 with my voucher! I didn' think this price was too bad, considering a decent disposable razor will set you back at least a fiver for you to just throw it away again. However I didn't want to spend masses in case I hate it, slice my legs open repeatedly or just plain don't get on with it!

Photo from Amazon seller here.

 There's a few reasons for wanting a razor like this. One is purely and shallowly aesthetics! It's going to look much prettier sitting on my bath than a lump of blue plastic! With a little dish for it and it's sleek chrominess (may not actually be in the dictionary...) I feel my bath time will ooze elegance!!! The second is monetary, I really resent parting with a fair bit of cash each month to buy something I know I will have to replace. The third and biggest reason is the eco friendly one. All those disposable razors end up in landfill, not so much rotting away, but sitting in the earth for hundreds of years. I try to recycle what I can and re-use where possible, and this seems the best way to do it for shaving! The blades will last a good while if cared for properly (wipe clean and a bit of oil) and when they're finished with they can be recycled with your tins! The same for the handle eventually (many many years down the line I hope!).




Photo from Amazon seller here.

  So that's going to be the subject of my first bloggy review when it turns up! A way to glam up your bathroom, save your pennies and save the planet all in one fell swoop!

Jo :-)

P.S. Disclaimer.... just using this razor will not save the planet immediately, we have a long way to go! Every little helps though!

Cherries and Stripes

Just made a typo in the title which would have led to this being called Sherries and Stripes, which may have been more interesting and definitely more drunken..... hmmm.

This is the first circle skirt I made!

Casually leaning on the bicycle....

The fabric and pattern (not totally full circle, but nearly) were presents from my Godmother last Christmas and it took the lure of Jazz to get me round to making it! I was so pleased with it. I think I spent a good ten minutes just marvelling at the fact that I put a zip in and it WORKED!!

I wore this to Jazz with a black top and a butterfly clasp belt, but I quite like it with these stripes just for fun!

I like how the stripes are horizontal at the back of the top and vertical at the front where it drapes. It's such a comfy top, I always feel very summery wearing it! Either that or just like a deck chair....

Loads of fabric!

It uses up so much fabric to make this skirt, I was a little bit shocked by how expensive it was to make when I did the Strawberry Fields one. I've got my eye on some beautiful fabric on eBay that's black with gold jazz instruments and musical notes on it. It's gorgeous and would be great for Jazz (obviously!) but it's £12.99 a metre plus postage. I need three metres and twenty centimetres.... So it'll be a save up and see job I think!

Jo :-)

Workday Outfit

The self time makes me laugh! Also I'm sure the neighbours are wondering why the flash keeps going off in my kitchen!

So, today's outfit is the basics of what I wear everyday to work. There's a vest and thick tights layered under there! I think with one jumper this is still fairly vintage looking, but the number I end up putting on for work takes it more into the realms of "I feel like the Michelin Man!" so I've not pictured that!

Feeling sailor chic!

I love these tops from Primark. They're cheap (a staple of tops in my work wardrobe) thin enough to layer well and fairly good looking. They'll be good light long sleeved tops when it gets a bit warmer too.

Yes, I casually lean against this wall all the time....

The jeans I purchased at a charity shop yonks ago. They were too long for me so I was going to hem them but I turned them up and liked them that way, so that way they stayed. There's only a couple of stitches so if I ever want to wear them with heels I can let them down again.

Posing. Yes it looks ridiculous, but I may have got carried away!

I love my work boots. I used to wear walking boots for comfort but a) they don't look even slightly retro and b) they offered my poor toes no protection at all! These have steel toe caps and steel soles. Ain't nowt getting through there. No matter how many lead weights/spanners/trailers/random heavy objects I drop. Yes, I'm that clumsy!

Anyways, that's me. Normally. Sometimes with curled hair, sometimes with a scarf, mostly with grubby hands and broken nails and an unidentifiable splodge of something somewhere on my personage!

Jo :-)

Finished Spring Circle Skirt

And here, for your perusal, is the finished article!

Photo by the miracles of self timers! Not included, plenty of shots of me walking back towards the camera looking confused!

Complete with (mostly) level hem. Waistband and button that actually works!



Perfect for twirling!


Complete with smug face!

Smug face not included with pattern purchase.

 As you can see it's perfect for dancing and I'm intending to wear it to Jazz tonight. I'm having so much fun at The Colchester Jazz Club. It's the best way to spend a Sunday evening!

I might have to go on my own this week. Always daunting. Wish me luck :-)

Outfit consists of:
Completely scruffy hair and no make-up, I might update instagram with the finished look before I go out!
Top: Papaya via Charity Shop in Tiptree (Bragainous £2.50!)
Skirt: Made by me using a Project Runway pattern.
Petticoat: Vivien of Holloway
Shoes: Chairty Shop Bargain (see the trend here....)

Jo :-)

New shoes?

Just a couple of quick things today....

One, I found a fabulous pair of lace up brogue high heels in black leather in a charity shop in Diss the other day for £1.95. If you follow my instagram (@ofavintageair), hopefully you'll see them soon!

Such a bargain. I've had some real brilliant finds in Diss. My favourite being a duck egg blue 50s swing coat. For £7.99. Crazy. It's got a couple of little holes in it, but mostly it's in great condition.



At the Shuttleworth Uncovered day last year. And blimey it was cold!

 Plus all of my smart hats have been charity shop finds. With feathers, and nets, and ribbon! My favourite!

Talking of finds, those of you who follow my instagram may have seen the pair of Miss L Fire shoes I found the other day. Beautiful wedges, if only they were my size! As such they're a EU36 (UK size 3) and perfect for summer. I've listed them on eBay, follow my link here. I hope someone gets a bargain. I'd love a pair of Miss L Fire shoes, but charity shop finds are all I have at the mo!

I can very much recommend the Red Cross charity shop in Diss. Their clothes and shoes are all a set price, so you can get an absolute steal sometimes. I pop in as often as I can!

Jo :-)

Spring Circle Skirt

This isn't vintage as such, but it is a very vintage look! Especially teamed with my wonderful petticoat from Vivien of Holloway. Oh how I love that shop!

This is my second (ever!) handmade garment. The first was a cherry print skirt that I Love so, so much. I've had the fabric since Christmas but starting going to Colchester Jazz club on a Sunday evening really spurred me into making something with it.

It's a lovely simple little pattern, although I've changed the length to work with the petticoat and I seem to keep changing the waistband fastenings about! It's brilliantly full, but not quite full circle which allows a tiny bit of (mostly in my head I think) modesty when spinning about on the dance floor being twirled by some wonderfully chivalrous gents!

I just thought I'd share a few photos of it's construction and all along the way!

Cutting my pattern pieces is always scary! I hate cutting into my beautiful long swathe of fabric and constantly worry I'm going to do it wrong. Any long time sewists out there? Does this ever go away?!

Then I stitch my side seams together. You'll have to excuse the horrifically modern, absolutely tiny but awesome sewing machine I'm using. It was a Christmas present to ease me into sewing. Hopefully one or other of my old singer's will be up and running soon!

Then I insert my zip which wasn't as fiddly as I thought. Cue lots of doing and undoing as I marvel at the fact I put something together that works. This means excitement!!

Then there's some interfacing and faffing about with the waistband, hopefully long enough this time to incorporate a sensible button. There's a picture of the cherry print skirt I'm not showing you!

And that's all folks. I'd like to say it's completely finished and I got to wear it to Jazz on Sunday night, but unfortunately being a total plonker I forgot to buy the appropriate thread for the sewing machine and spent most of my sewing re threading the thing as it broke time after time after time...... I finally ran out of time and had to improvise with a whole different outfit!

There's about a third of the hem left to do, and now my vintage electric singer is installed in the corner of the living room (not it's permanent place, when the study/office/sewing room/hideaway is decorated she will live in there) hopefully it'll take all of, oh five seconds to finish.

Seriously. Half horse power motor on the thing. It's somewhat scary!!

Once it's finished I'll be sure to put a picture up!

Jo :-)