Slipper Smart

Those are certainly stylish slippers! I'm in need of a new pair of slippers but I doubt mine will be as cute as any of those. My slippers are always very practical and warm. What sort of slippers do you prefer? Cute slippers or strictly practical? I have a cute knitted pair of "Mary Jane" style slippers for special occasions (I used this free knitting pattern), but everyday slippers tend to be just for warmth and comfort. 

A Vintage Nurse

 My Halloween outfit was thrown together in a hurry. I just spent the night watching movies with Britt and handing out candy, so I decided not to spend any money on a costume. Just dressing as "1950's girl" or "flapper" seemed too much of a cop-out (that's how I dress most days!), so I dressed up as a "vintage nurse". 

The cape and cap are part of a real vintage nurses uniform from the Galt General Hospital. My best guess is that they date from the 1950s/60s. I paired them with a long skirt and white button-up blouse, which was as close to a nurses uniform as I had. It was more Victorian nurse inspired but there was definitely a lack of any historical accuracy (which sort of bothers me but hey, it was a free costume!). 

Pardon the socked feet. As we were just watching movies on the sofa, I wore a pair of comfy knee socks instead of nurse-like footwear. 

Britt only wore part of her costume. She dressed up for work as a fox, but took off the tail before she came over. I helped her make the tail and can attest to it's awesomeness. It was huge!

That's All.

Victorian Fancy Dress ~ Costume Inspiration

While I already have my costume picked out and ready to go, I couldn't help but look at a book of Victorian "fancy dress" costume ideas for next year. Here were a few of my favorites:

No illustration for this one but it sounds wonderful!
It's slightly similar to the pansy costume below:

I think the Magpie is my favourite, but I love the idea of a forget-me-not costume (as it is my favourite flower). I love that you could take a lot of these ideas and easily make them work with a different decade (such as the Pansy costume with a 1950's dress). 

That's All.

Blue, Red, and a Nurses Cape

Outfit details: 1950's dress- Etsy
Red necklace- made by me
Sweater- thrifted
Hair flower- made by me
Shoes- gift

My parents are lucky enough to be away on holiday this week. I'm stuck here but I thought that was no reason I couldn't go out and have at least a little fun too. So I called up Britt and we went to Port Perry for lunch and a bit of shopping. We of course stopped at the yarn store on the way home as well. It was a lovely day, except for a bit of rain/hail at one point.

This late in the season, the air is very chilly and to keep warm I decided to pull out my nurses cape. I bought it last winter but this was my first time actually wearing it out. It is pure wool and very, very warm. If I end up dressing up for Halloween I may be a nurse this year, mainly because I want an excuse to wear the matching nurses cap. I love that the original nurse's name is on the cap and her initials are embroidered inside the cape. I believe it's from either the 1950s or 1960s.

That's All.

PS: It took me ages to come up with a title for this post. I greatly envy bloggers who come up with good blog post titles.

Saving the 1970's

Can you believe my dad wanted to get rid of this sweater?! It's original 1970's tie-dye! I rescued it from a pile of clothes he was donating. He was rather baffled that I would want to keep it, but I think it is such a cute sweater. The browns make the sweater more tame than the bright colours normally associated with tie-dye. I paired it with a wide black belt, my favourite black beret, the same trousers I wear pretty much every day (I really need some new trousers....), and a string of cream pearls. 

And may I just adding photographing indoors is darn tricky! It took my ages of experimenting to find a place to take photos today. It was pouring rain outside and really dark inside. Even with my camera light I was having problems. Ok, my camera light is actually older than this sweater but I still think it should have been a bit easier. If anyone has any tricks for indoor fashion photography I would love to hear them!

That's All.

Upon My Shelves

This was going to be an outfit post. It really was. I had the outfit all picked out and ready to go. An adorable outfit might I add, involving a 1930s dress. But then my friend called with the bad news that she had a cold and couldn't make our knitting night. So no outfit post. I just really hate to "waste" clothes when I'm not going out.

Instead I tidied up my room and closet a bit. And by "a bit" I mean I did a total overhaul of my closet and reorganized everything. It's not quite done yet but I will try to get pictures when finished. As I was puttering about my room I realized I had never shared any pictures of "the cube". The cube is a bookshelf in my room that holds many of my favourite treasures. Although truth be told, I like to place little "treasures" everywhere (hence the reason my other bookshelves are cluttered with old photos, dried leaves, knick-knacks, and the occasional pinecone).

So without further ado, upon my shelves there is:

A bunch of antique books, a candle snuffer, a doily that belonged to my great grandmother,  a plate that also belonged to her, and a teacup that my grandmother was given as a wedding present in the 1940s. 

More antique books (including "The Sheik" whose story line I absolutely hate but I bought for it's cultural significance), a vintage curling iron, my favourite antique photo (there is just something in her eyes I find haunting), and a pair of bookends that were also given to my grandmother as a wedding gift

This is the "pink shelf". There's a few newer books, a glass hand-painted egg (given to me as a child as a souvenir from one of my grandmothers many trips), an antique teacup, and an antique tea pot I rescued from the cottage. 

Most of the tea-wear on this shelf is modern except for the vintage cow creamer. If you are familiar with the Jeeves and Wooster stories you will know why I desperately wanted a cow creamer. Alas he is not silver, but he matches my teapot.

More books (a mix of old and new), two vintage teacups I received as gifts, and one modern one in a 1930s pattern (that's the one with the pinecone in it. See? Random pinecones).

I actually have no idea what is in the jewelry boxes. I should probably open them sometime and find out...  I really love the little sailor bird. I wanted him for ages and finally treated myself as a graduation gift to myself.

Isn't he too cute?!

More books (yes, yes I have a wee bit of a book addiction), another antique teacup, a vintage pair of evening gloves, an antique bottle found during renovations (with a dried peony from our garden), and a picture of a women who is somehow related to me. She may be my great-great grandmother but I'm not entirely sure. The photo is still in it's original frame.

Thifted cat, antique teacup (also from my grandmother), a few antique books, another teapot, and some fancy sugar cubes.

The bottom shelves hold little of interest (mainly hat boxes), except this one which stores my vintage galoshes, a teapot (gift from Britt) which sits upon a beautiful purple/grey rock slice, and a book about the Art Deco movement.

So there we have it. An in-depth look at some of my shelves. I hope that wasn't too boring. I know I always enjoy looking into peoples personal spaces. Rooms say a lot about the people that inhabit them. Do you have a spot where you display your treasures?

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.
That's All.

Hair Tutorial and a Phonograph Fashions October Update

I've been a busy beaver adding new items to the shop. Here is a little preview of a few of the new garments:

This darling dress is on sale due to a small flaw in the back neck. This means it is quite a
 bargain at the moment! Of course if you want a "perfect" one I am more than willing to accept custom orders.

This beautiful top would be perfect for the holiday season. It is both elegant and comfortable. 

I think of this style as 1930's does Victorian, as I borrowed elements from both decades. 

Perfect for the vintage girl in winter, this flannel slip has been made from a vintage sheet. I have enough
materials to custom make you one in any size you want. Wait time for a custom order is less than 2 weeks.
I also have some cream material if you would prefer a different colour.

I now offer direct checkout as well, which means you can use Etsy giftcards in my shop or pay without having to use paypal.

I didn't have time for a "proper" youtube video this month so I left the camera on while I did Britt's hair for the photoshoot. Please try to ignore me in the background. I was in "photographer mode" which means no makeup and really old, unflattering clothes that I didn't care about getting mud on (one of the hazards of an outdoor photoshoot). I thought her hair turned out really cute but Britt wasn't a big fan. Oh well, you can't please everyone.



That's All.

Knitted Coats and Skirts (1917)

I love the coats! They look so cosy. I may have to see if I can find a similar knitting pattern...