Five Pound Glamour

Last weekend was my first night away from The Tiny Overlord*. Wah! She's growing up.

However it does represent a milestone in terms of life: a year of trying to balance a baby and work has changed into balancing a little girl and work. And as such, although it is busier in some ways, it is easier in others - she doesn't need mummeh milk in the night anymore, which means parenting can be shared more flexibly.

I'm hoping this will enable me to get back into vintage and thus blogging more regularly. This first night out was a 20s-30s themed night at Harry's Bar in Frinton. It was really nice to catch up with an old friend, get thoroughly impressed/envious of her cottage home and chill by the seaside.

I wore a skirt and top which both together cost just £5! I bought it on Everything Five Pounds, a site I have blogged about before - it's brilliant because it sells old stock from well known shops (so not throwaway stuff, decent clothing) at just £5. The outfit - originally by Boohoo - is a gun metal lace with a pretty scalloped edge. It's lined throughout - it's very fitted and the skirt is nice and long, with a cropped top. This means it is easily adapted for a range of vintage inspired looks; by pulling up the skirt, you get a 60s-does-20s vibe with no midriff on show, or you can wear it as a crop top and maxi for a 90s style --yes I know that's far too young to count as retro-- or indeed break the items up (the skirt is a perfect 50s wiggle with a blouse, and the crop top would go well with velvet flares). It's practical too - machine washable at 30. I can foresee using this outfit a lot, from formal to relaxed nights out. Or rather, using it a bit because I'm hardly a party animal these days. Given that, I might team the skirt with smart knits for work and church!

The thing with bargains is, they aren't really bargains unless they are of good quality and wearable. This outfit ticked both boxes and I'm really pleased with it. Have you had any bargains recently?


*Did. Not. Care. Waved me a cheery hello like I'd popped out to Tesco.

Hello Again!

Well I'm back blogging after a bit of a break. I can't promise posts will be daily - or even weekly, but I'm going to do my best to continue in the shoddy vein of stingy lifestyle that you know and love*.

Don't worry. I'm not going to start a "mummy blog". I could tell you (in a simpering tone) that this is because I can't write with the sharp good humour of Eeh Bah Mum or Hurrah For Gin but actually it is because this would mean starting from scratch and thinking up new ideas with my brain and shiz and I can't be doing with that. You know me, I sat slack jawed in front of cartoons from long before sleep deprivation kicked in.

So it's gonna be the same old, same old. Only with added fascination for the toilet and changing facilities on days out.

To whit - the toilets are the only down side to my recent favourite picnic spot: Brent Lodge Park. This park, owned by Ealing council, is a fantastic free day out with or without the overlords. Great for a picnic and with the kinds of views you just wouldn't believe from London, it's the epitome of a great freebee.

First off there's a zoo. Yep. An actual small zoo, One which does proper rare breed protection (of small animals, rare farm animals and birds) - and it's free. They fundraise via a small butterfly house and a bouncy castle. If I was some kind of proper blogger I would have a photo of an endangered crane or giant rabbit (yes, these exist and they do exactly what it says on the tin). Somehow I've managed not to take a single photo with an actual animal in it, so you'll just have to take my word for it. Honestly, swear down there is a little zoo.

There's also a maze. Which I got a photo of!

In addition, the cafe is excellent. They do the usual light snacks and coffee and more complex meals such as pasta dishes. However I would bring a picnic if I were you: one side of the park drops off towards the River Brent and golf course, giving the impression of being in a country meadow (with benches and plenty of space to spread out). The other benefits from an amazing view of one of Brunel's historical Viaducts. If you walk under this and across a further meadow, you get to a pub of the same name. Just saying. It's a summer afternoon in the bag.

There are two well equipped playgrounds and basketball courts in the recreation ground area of the park.

The main entrance to the park is an easy walk from Hanwell overground station - if you're up for major house envy! It's a beautifully picturesque neck of the woods. There's also a small car park and street parking (keep an eye out for where you're actually allowed to park though).

Oh, and the toilets and changing? Fecking rank. Accessible luckily, but made of that bobbly 80s metal and dubiously stained. Hover and bring your own tissue and hand gel - if you've got a nappy to change, it's time to use that travel changing mat on the grass. Because y'know... park toilets. Tis the way of the world.

Anyhoo, this is the bit where I ask everyone to comment and tweet and such like. So do tell. What's your most 'value added' local park?

*Thank you. Thank you Motorola for your gift of video baby monitors, AKA 2 hours of freedom between 8pm and 10pm.

Look What I Made...

This might explain the lack of posts.

:)

Will be back soon ... as soon as little bean is big enough for trips beyond Costas and the local mum and baby club. So please don't delete me from your blog roll ...

This was when she was box fresh, She's loud and a bit
bigger a month on!

I'm still here! Rambling...

I'm still here! Still alive and kicking. It's just this old blog that's gone all droopy and wilted like a neglected houseplant at the back of an office. Interesting metaphor, given the reason for my absence has been the fact that I myself have been droopy, wilted and at the back of an office. I'm a curriculum developer. That means I figure out how to fit all the things kiddliwinks in my school need to learn into the school year. Now, as you'd expect, usually the National Curriculum and exam contents are published the year before so I can set it all up. Which I do, over the summer holidays. But oh no, this government like to make major changes saaay ... over the weekend in the middle of term time. Requiring an extra fortnight's work to be done on top of my term time workload, quickly, without error or teething room. Irritating. Not going to bore you with some political rant but suffice to say it has, as they write in management documents "impacted upon my work life balance" (and I've had to do things twice, down to someone else's fickleness. A pet hate of mine).

So, I have done nothing of any interest to anyone since early September. Honestly, the highlight of my month has been finding a runner bean cutter at a boot sale and being able to trim vegetables more neatly. Sad!

Anyway, if you want to be more interesting than me at the moment (and trust me, that is very easy. You could be a potato, or a neatly machine cut runner bean, and be more interesting) here are some of my favourite blogs, they actually post stuff (!!) and don't abandon y'all for months at a time. You all know my usual list of vintage reads (they're linked down the side of my page, innit), but these are some more eclectic choices:

A Thrifty Mrs - currently my go-to lifestyle blog. Realistic, thrifty, witty. Also, she has a tiny little miniature doggy and basically when I'm not being all cynical and Lahndan I secretly click and go "aww look at the ikkle puppy!!" before normal service is resumed.

One Nail To Rule Them All - If I wasn't a rambly slightly vintage type blogger I'd blog nails. But not as well as this site. A-maz-ing and UK based so you don't love a colour then find you have to pay for postage from the US...

All The Dresses - a new project from Gemma of Retrochick. Just loads and loads of dresses. All the dresses, indeed. AAALLL OFFF THEEMMMMM!

Do you follow blogs of the same genre, and if so what? Or do you have a more eclectic reading list..?

My Youtube Channel

Howdy folks! Hope you're enjoying ekeng out the last few weeks of summer. If you shun the sun like a mysterious vampyre, delicate flower or erm like, a worm or something you might enjoy going on Youtube. Even if you enjoy the sun, Youtube waits faithfully for those rainy weekends or days when you're on your own in the office.

Why not watch my most recent attempt at a video? As with this here blog, I can't always guarantee focused content (Vintage? Beauty? Creepy? WTF?) but the general theme is nosing around my stuff. Don't worry, burglars wouldn't want my stuff. I don't even want some of my stuff (see freaky musical box for details) but it's there for your viewing pleasure.

Nose Through My Nail Art Stuff!

Yes, I know green isn't a primary colour. Sue me.

And heyyy, subscribe while you're at it! I haven't got a cute or funny kitten but I do have a purple Hello Kitty onesie so a cute cat video isn't out of the question. Although I would also need beer to do that. Lots of beer.

Classic Creepy Music Box Video

Actual Vintage-Educational-Type Video! Wonders never cease...

Poundland Haul

Sorry I've been away. I've been quite poorly recently unfortunately.

Never mind. Local Poundlands had a chance to re-stock. Here's a V-log about my latest Poundland and 99p Stores haul...

 Enjoy! And if you do YouTube, subscribe to my channel as I am planning to do more video stuff in future. Just don't expect expert camera action, it's gonna be more You've Been Framed than BAFTA material.

Hickory Vintage ... A Vintage Fashion Film

I was recently sent this fabulous film by Hickory Vintage. With a tense, atmospheric thriller feel, it showcases their garments fantastically, covering four eras - the 40s, 50s, 60s & 70s and the 80s. There are some wonderful scenes and superb looks - check it out...

I think my favourite look it the 80s one - it's so striking with the make-up and oversized hat providing maximum impact!

Directed by Lauren Midwinter, this video overtook Prada in its first week on Youtube. Not bad for a vintage video in the world of mainstream fashion!

If this has piqued your interest in Hickory Vintage, do check out their blog and store. There's lovely stuff to be found...

60s Dress £14

70s Hawaiin Top £6

70s Grecian Maxi £14

WooOOoo January

Hello again! No, I have not gone into hibernation, I've just been busy. Really busy with boring stuff and things. The twofold result has been that (a) I haven't had time to blog and (b) I haven't had time to do anything worth writing about. Unless you are particularly interested in enhanced exam analysis or the cost of tree surgeons in West London. No, I didn't think so. But I have prevailed, and I am back, and I do hope to be blogging regularly now - maybe not actually often, or making any sense, but regularly.

Grand Union Canal houseboats in the snow.

So. January. What's that all about then? Not getting paid for ages, tax returns and feeling a bit bloated and unhealthy. Mmm not a fan. Neither do I do resolutions, I find them a bit reactive, like "Oh, there's this thing I'm failing at, and I know it all year but once a year I'll go and fix it in a manic way that stresses me out, then give up." Yeah, I know not everyone is as cynical or obsessively weird as me. The do it all the time or don't do it at all thing is, after all, what has caused me to be too busy to blog (or do any other hobbies) over Christmas.

October Outfit

It's Ethical Fashion Bloggers' monthly challenge this week, which is useful seeing as I just about manage to post an actual outfit post about once a month and that if you're lucky. I'm the worst vintage blogger ever, it's like "hmm, I have all these vintage clothes and mid-century items in my house... hmm, I write this blog ... if only there were some way of combining these things. If only!?!"

I take 50 photos, always, always I look angry in them-
I tried to soften my face, it blurred. Damn you Pixlr.

TK Maxx Review & Apology

Ah, sorry. I have been remiss in my blogging again. This time my measly excuse is my bad back; I've got some issues with sciatica. Which might not appear to affect blogging, but when you consider the extra half hour it takes to do anything when you walk like a tortoise, add the inability to wear nice shoes and the fact I have to keep warm and stay indoors... you end up with nothing to blog. Bah.

Anyway, I did indeed venture out at the weekend and had a snoop at the new Greenford TK Maxx store. As an avid bargain hunter and reader of Fashion Pearls Of Wisdom I have always rated TK Maxx because you can find properly made, quality items at the same price as the high street. In fact, bar some favourite shops (such as River Island) I would say I prefer it to the high street.

Why I Dress Like An Explosion In A Charity Shop

First off, apologies for the lack of posts recently. It's the two most hectic weeks of the year for my day job. No time for blogging, all energies must be reserved for paperwork and fine toothed combing of the paperwork of others.

I have been distant.

I have been reading blogs however, especially some interesting ones about 'why I dress this way' (or 'why wear vintage?') from some fab bloggers:
Retro Chick
Suzie Q for Retro Chick
Tuppence Ha'penny
Vintage Secret

Queen For The Day

As it's Shakespeare's birthday, so here's some education for you regarding my name. Perdita is a character in his masterpiece of tragi-comedy 'A Winter's Tale'. It's my favourite play because of the fascinating structural balances and paradoxical elements within the narrative. Also someone gets eaten by a bear. Anyway, Perdita (whose name means 'lost') is left in the woods to die when the king, her dad, gets all paranoid and thinks he's killed her mum, in a posh Jeremy Kyle style scenario. Perdita is discovered by some farmers and grows up assuming she is an everyday Joe Blogs kinda girl. This means she cannot marry her oh-so-posh beaux, boo hoo. But wait! It turns out to be OK; not only is Perdita really a princess but her mum has been alive and well and living in secret all these years. Hurrah. Up until now the only part of this tale with any kind of metaphorical value to my life is the everything about me seems completely normal except my posh other half bit. Sadly.

Pensive Princess

Appropriately enough, it is today that in spite of having been granted the nick-name of 'Comrade' by him indoors (for my love of functional millinery, khaki and slightly lefty politics) my royal heritage has at last been recognised. I have been crowned Queen Of Vintage 92! Representing the 70s, of course.

To be honest I cannot quite believe it, all the other Queens are so fabulous and well respected. Do check out the site whatever your interest in Vintage is (fashion, homeware, thrift or crafting), it has inspiring folk and top tips.

Wonderful 50s Book & 1st Youtube Video

Check me out, my first Youtube video!


I found this wonderful book from Life Magazine in a bag of old recipe books purchased for 20p at a boot sale. It's got some amazing insights into the 50s Hollywood-luxe lifestyle, as well as some fabulous recipes. And the outfits are to die for...

Please excuse my hideous Lahndan accent.

Ethical Fashion Bloggers

I've just joined Ethical Fashion Bloggers. Very kind of them, I'm pretty thrifty and sometimes ethical... but 'fashion' is a bit of a stretch hahaha.

One of the reasons I'm so excited about the community is their fun challenges. I'm always up for a challenge and sharing fun style. Unfortunately, although this month has a fabulous competition, I just didn't seem to have my fashion-blog mojo on. I'm not one of those people who blogs every outfit, because a lot of my outfits look similar to each other and frankly, I'd rather go for quality and variety than outfits everyday.

So I decided to dress back up in my favourite vintage outfit of late, the one I wore to the launch of Style Me Vintage: Clothes. There are a few reasons why I love this outfit and feel it represents an ethical choice.

Win A Cami Set With Emerald Angel!

I have been a terrible blogger of late, no posts for a week waah! I have no excuse bar having no life at the moment and thus nothing really to share, how terribly boring. Luckily I stumbled across something lovely at Vintage Passions Just Like Mine; a contest from Emerald Angel we can all enter! WooHoo! Oh, and of course the prize is pretty lush. A cute girdle and cami set in retro style, with darling kitsch designs- perfect for anyone from a saucy chapette to a rockabilly girl - and these are made to order, so it's definitely a top prize.

Cute Camis and girdles

Of course, my fave's the animal print!

To enter the competition, you need to visit them at their Facebook (linked here) and follow their instructions. This includes including the instructions when you re-blog or FB share...which I shall do now below:

"Here it is what you've all been waiting for! A chance to win one of my new Girdles and matching bra/cami tops! 

So all you have to do is Like my FB page if you haven't already and then publicly share/repost the photo of the set from my FB page you would like to win. Easy! (ensure you keep all description text)

For each time you share the photo you will get 1 entry in the draw. So keep sharing daily if you wish and you will have more chance of winning!

You can also gain extra entries by reblogging on Tumblr if you have an account there too. My Blog: http://emeraldangeluk.tumblr.com/ Remember to let me know if you have a different name on Tumblr than Facebook.

Or by blogging about it in your own blog. (Remember to send me a link)

Competition closes on 4th April, winner will be notified soon after. Girdle & Cami Top will be made in your custom size.

Where you can find out more details or buy these: http://www.emeraldangel.co.uk/hoisery-lingerie.html"

Well good luck, people. I would like to say I hope you win, but I'm kinda hoping I win! If I don't, however, I'd prefer it if one of my lovely followers did. 

Women Who Read

Yesterday was World Book Day - a day beloved by kids and geeks of all ages. Lovely, lovely books, to be celebrated, shared and enjoyed. T'interweb was awash with it! I expected to write quite a light hearted account of my adventures in a blue wig touting a battered copy of The Tempest to teenagers, however (and feel free to skip off now if it's not your thing) instead I've landed myself with an opinion piece. Oops.

You see, This post has been flying around Facebook and Twitter. I'm a woman who reads, and writes. A lot. A woman who reads and writes for a living, for a hobby, and to relax. A woman who has worked damned hard for qualifications, for performance, for publication. Who feels to the very marrow of my bones that words, and access to words, are a basic human right.

The thing is, I just couldn't relate to this post at all - as a reader or a (married- so presumably OK at the whole boy-girl malarky) woman. I won't go into endless depths here, but I guess at it's crux is the idea that a (quiet, slightly dowdy) bright woman is a boon to a less-than-great partner because she can forgive, support and sort said partner out. No need for self-reflection or tough love. Indeed, if she reads, she'll internalise your faults as part of some romantic narrative. A kind of non-threatening intelligence of the ilk that stereotypes women but also perhaps patronises men. At the end, fair enough, there's a whiff of 'and don't you treat her badly' thinking- but that conclusion doesn't marry up with the indie-girl-sighing-into-her-coffee stuff throughout the main body of the piece.

Instead of dissecting it, I vented in the form of a response...

Project Perfect

There's been a lot of talk about the language we use to describe ourselves (and others, in some cases, unfortunately) out there in blogland recently. Who knows why, with LFW, the annual January health kicks, the 'gap' trend and so forth... it's been in focus. Which is a good thing; the online community need to find a way to use language to describe things as they are, but bearing others' (and our own) emotions in mind. I'm never one for sugar coating things, but I hate unkindness. Treating people kindly and fairly, through deed, representation and language is trickier than it seems - and treating ourselves kindly and fairly can be even harder.
It happens at an early age and it isn't just with looks - when my kids (the ones I work with, I don't have 25 kids) are reviewing their work, they have to write down three things that went well, and three things to improve. Guess which three they struggle the most with? Even the brightest and most diligent - well, usually, especially the most diligent. Perhaps we confuse hard-earned pride with arrogance, I don't know.

Flaws And All has started a new type of blog post - Project Perfect - to get a bit of this no-nonsense positivity out there into blogland. I think it's a great idea. She basically asks us to post a picture of ourselves we really like. Then, three things we're not so happy with about ourselves but with a twist, how might other people like that feature? And then the tricky part: three things we do like about ourselves. Right, best get on it.

So here is a picture of myself that I like. I like it because of the colours and the style - it reflects the kind of look I enjoy wearing. My hair is perfectly balanced between natural and styled, and falling over one half of my face (which I like) and as a consequence I don't look like The Moon off The Mighty Boosh.

Right- now three things I don't like:

1) I have a round, fat, gormless face no matter how skinny I get. I even have a double chin. On the upside, it does seem like this trait means that I still get asked for ID in Tescos sometimes. Other people might think I'm friendly and approachable (like the opposite of a posh model face) I suppose.

2) My knees look like baby knees, ugh, and they bend backwards a bit. I want knobbly knees. But as I tend to wear maxis and trousers, no-one's the wiser. To be honest I don't think other people would even notice my knees. They are quite good for scaring small kids at parties when they bend backwards!

3) I have hideous dark shadows under my (hooded) eyes and look terrible without make up. The only possible use these have is that if they look really bad, my husband and my mum tend to make me tea and look after me as it means I'm a bit run down. And I'm pretty good at recommending make-up skills and products to friends, which is useful for them.

Now three liked things:

1) I have an ample bosom, but not so big they're unmanageable. Yeah I am that shallow.

2) My eyes change colour depending on how rested and hydrated I am. I come with a free lightshow, how cool is that?

3) My hands are long and elegant and my nails grow easily. Gels or acrylics, you say? Pah. These are all natural baby.

Excuse the messy varnish.

If you'd like to join in with Project Perfect, pop along to Flaws and All to find out more!

One Of Those Nosey Tag Things...

Oh yes. Jason over at Jason Shaw's Seafront Diary tagged me in the latest bloggers' tagging game. Here's How it works:

First, you paste in these instructions (or type them in if you use blogger and it messes up):
1) You must post 11 random things about yourself;
2) Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post;
3) Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer;
4) Go to their blog and tell them you've tagged them;
5) No stuff about 'you're tagged if you're reading this' - legitimately tag people.

I would say, if you want to ignore that last one and dive in, feel free. Likewise of course if (when you've read my tawdry answers) you've been tagged and refuse to do it point blank, refuse away! Not everyone's as daft as me.

ZOMG! A More Exciting-Than-Usual Monday...

Mondays eh? What to do... scrape the ice of the car (if you have a car), get to work, drink bad coffee, work, coffee, bang head on desk, meeting, home, spag bol, TV, brush teeth, zzzz.

But this Monday was different. This Monday was glitzy. Thanks to ReeRee of Rockalily Lipsticks and ZoZo of The London Lipgloss. I eschewed my spag bol and TV for a tube uptown, glamour, meeting lovely bloggers and three cheeky glasses of Merlot.

Hair!

I love 'how-tos' on Youtube and while away many an hour planning make-up, nail and hair looks online. I find the videos easier to follow than books or magazines and the variety endless. Styles vary from the homespun to the really advanced, and it's good to see that industry professionals are recognising this trend and putting useful tutorials online - sometimes, when I buy a new product, I really do need a 'how to' to use it. At other times, I might be stuck in a styling rut and different angles on a favourite style are what I crave.

Quiff = recent tutorial find.