Lavender & Twill : 2016

Friday, December 23, 2016

༺ Swan Lake ༻

Please don’t laugh at me, but I have kind of been obsessed with ballerinas and the idea of dancing ballet ever since I was a wee lass. It is the first thing I ever remember really, really, really wanting to do.

I never did get the chance to dance ~ my mother thought my thighs would get fat when I stopped dancing {er, not true I don’t think? Also, why would you stop?} and that my feet would be ruined {true, true, completely true!}. So I was put into gymnastics instead, and for a long while wanted to be a competitive gymnast.

I stopped gymnastics when we moved from Armidale to Canberra, and took up horse riding. {Forever happy I did that! ❤}

However, I have never truly stopped wanting to dance in the bottom of my heart. I sporadically dream I can dance en pointe, effortlessly gliding across light-filled, echoing ball rooms with flying jeté and ceaseless pirouettes.

Then I wake up, and for a moment, I live in the dream ~ only to feel fettered when I remember that my body doesn’t know how to move like that….

Buuuuttttt… Sometimes that secret desire breaks through and I end up dancing around anyway.

I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this {I sure have while editing my blog pictures!}, but pretty much every time I’m doing a photoshoot in flats, the majority of the photo I’m up in demi-pointe, as high up on my tippy toes as I can be. I rarely take the pictures standing normally! Whoops… (=⌒_⌒=)'

This is particularly a problem if I’m wearing a floaty dress as well as flat shoes.

….Even more so if it’s a windy day when I’m wearing said floaty dress…

Which it most definitely was in these pictures!

That combination meant I spent eighty percent of this photoshoot on my toes. And I didn’t even notice!! I think it was pretty appropriate that I was wearing a “Swan Lake” inspired ensemble and even had a swan painted wooden box bag to match!

Anyway, if you recognize this outfit ~ yes, it is the one I was wearing on the day of this year’s AAVGM.

I had parked my car at Sydney University for the day, and when I was walking to the Rock’n’Roll Markets in the morning, I was walking past all these gorgeous buildings! I found the all the old English influence enchanting, and was longing to take some pictures, but I had to keep going.

However, when I was walking back to the car after saying goodbye to everyone, I thought ~ well, why not take some pictures before I hop in the car and drive home? It’s pretty much my only chance to do so ~ and that settled it.

I grabbed the camera and parked myself in front of the Old Lecturer’s Hall to take my pictures before the rain started blowing in. And when I was done, that was finally the end of my epic solo trip to Sydney.

Yes, I drove up by myself and to be honest, it’s been ages since I’ve done a solo long distance trip in the car {though, does my trip to Bowral count? …Nah ~ I think that was a mini warm up…}, and it was certainly was the first time I’ve done any real driving in Sydney. Does having a GPS count as cheating though?!

I couldn’t have done the trip without it; I’m a hopeless navigator and I tend to get a bit stressed when I’m driving in thick traffic in an unknown city! It’s as bad as trying to find a car park in a busy location when you are running late… Ugh.

But I didn’t have to deal with running late at all this trip which was also a high point for me ~ maybe my dreams of one day being perfectly organized and on time are actually possible! And maybe, just maybe, one day I’ll learn to dance for real. (•ᵕ ᴗ ᵕ•)❀

xox,

bonita

Monday, December 19, 2016

༺ WoreSawHaul: AAVGM 2016 Rock’N’Roll ༻

It’s that time of year again ~ the Annual Aussie Vintage Girls Meetup {AAVGM ~ a mouthful I know… :P Here’s last year’s post}!

This time we were at the Rock’n’Roll Markets being held at Sydney University. I thought this worked quite well as it was slightly less crowded than the Round She Goes Markets in Marrickville Town Hall we were at last year. This was mostly because at this particular venue, all the vintage vendors where outside the building and the rockabilly/pinup/retro vendors where all inside with the bands and dance floor upstairs.

We browsed, coffee’d up, shopped, chatted, shopped some more, then decided to go for lunch. So after a short walk and a long {relatively, haha!} photo session, we ended up at a gorgeous café for delicious food and tea. It was such a fabulous day! ✧*｡٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧*｡

But as I have a whole post dedicated to what I wore, let’s skip that bit and head straight to the SawHaul parts…. :P

~ WHAT I SAW ~

~ These gorgeous ladies! L to R: emmaamie, ladylaurabell, awildteaparty, lilajeanvintage, ….& me – lavenderandtwill! Thanks to the lake’s bridge we had a great prop for the camera. Though, as LilaJean pointed out, anyone spectating would have wondered what on earth those nutty ladies where standing there smiling at… Why, a fence post with a camera on it of course!! … As you do. Naturally… ~

~ Sydney University, with loads of lovely architecture; more coming later… ~

~ Park near Sydney University which we walked through to get to lunch; but first! Stop and paparazzi time…!! #bloggerlife #vintagegirlsgoout ~

~ Outside at the Rock’n’Roll Markets ~

~ More park scenes ~

~ Saying goodbye to the girls after lunch; so didn’t want to end the day, but I had to drive back home to Canberra… ~

༺ ♡ ༻

~ WHAT I HAULED ~

Surprisingly not much. There where some decent prices, and pretty vintage {always pretty vintage to drool over… Haha!} but nothing that really caught my eye or struck my fancy. I did pick a couple of things though ~ a wooden découpage handbag from the 70’s, some clip on earrings and the cutest Deer Arrow brooch.

I was really pleased to find the Blue Birds brooch as I’ve been thinking about buying this particular piece for a while. I do love a lot of the Deer Arrow designs, but somehow it took me a long time of thinking before I made the plunge and bought my first brooch. When I found it in person though, I knew I wasn’t walking away without it, and I didn’t!

༺ ♡ ༻

So that was my day out in Sydney with the girls ~ I had such a lovely time, and once again had a lot of fun just chatting and giggling over all the the things that girls do. Our meetup was a bit smaller than originally planned, we were missing some ladies that couldn’t make it, but that’s okay, we will see them next time hopefully. ٩(+๑╹+ꇴ╹)۶

Large or small groups, long or short times ~ hanging out with your friends is always a good thing!!

xox,

bonita

Monday, November 21, 2016

༺ A Royal Treasure Chest ༻

I have seen subscription boxes for food items, cute stuff, stationary, make-up; you name it ~ there’s probably a box out there for it! I always thought this was a lovely idea, I mean, who doesn’t like receiving parcels in your mail box ~ and even better, surprise parcels in your mail box once a month! *.⋆( ˘̴͈́ ॢ꒵ॢ ˘̴͈̀ )⋆.*

However, up until now I haven’t come across a vintage subscription box service, so I am really happy to introduce you to Royal Treasure Chest.

I found this small, family run business on Instagram ~ @royaltreasurechest ~ again {yes, okay ~ I’ll admit it… I AM ~~addicted~~ a wee bit Instagram obsessed…. :P}, and was instantly thrilled to see that finally my vintage subscription box dreams have been made into reality!

When we arranged to do a collaboration, I was so happy that I could experience the surprise mail first hand. You can see the contents of my lovely parcel in the pictures above ~ I received a lace fan, a stunning vintage deadstock floral head scarf {that is waterproof! How awesome!} and an amazing 1950’s double stranded pearl and crystal bead necklace.

These items where hand picked for me according to the three categories I choose when I signed up for the box {Jewellery, Ladies' Accessories, Curios & Knick-knacks}. I also had a pretty yellow tulip handkerchief included as a little extra gift, which I immediately placed in my handbag so I could admire it when I’m sobbing into it at the cinema… {ahaha… No, I’m not joking. I cry over movies. And books. And cute ads, and puppies and kittens and those silly Buzzfeed videos ~ and now I’m just embarrassing myself, aren’t I? Ahem. Anyway, I always carry handkerchiefs in my purse.}

I also really enjoyed the little note that was included to tell me where these vintage treasures originated from ~ Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Denise and Royal had visited a home built in the mid 1800s, where four generations of doctors and their wives had lived. There was a whole attic full of treasures, some of which have found their way into a carefully packed box, across oceans and all the way to Australia!

Being fascinated with history as most collectors are, of course I absolutely love learning the stories of where and when the vintage was found. I think this short account of the items’ background really was the perfect touch to round out a delightful box of treasures.

And if you are interested in signing up for your own monthly box of vintage treasures from Royal Treasure Chest, I am so pleased to be able to offer you all a discount code! Enter “Lavender25” for 25% off your first two months of subscribing ~ can you say perfect Christmas present much?
☆(*ゝω・*）

I hope you enjoyed this peek at a my box ~ did you have a favourite item? I can’t decide between the deadstock scarf and the necklace… I really do need something to save my curls when it rains though, and now I have the perfect thing!

xox,

bonita

Disclosure | This post was created in collaboration with Royal Treasure Chest, and the items I have received were gifted to me, but all opinions expressed are my own. (✿◠‿◠)

Saturday, November 12, 2016

༺ Teacup Chat with Chatterblossom ༻

The “Teacup Chat” series on Lavender & Twill is a short and sweet spot where we take a glimpse behind the scenes of a brand’s creative process. I am very inspired by all the creative talents I see finding a way to showcase their work. I think it’s fantastic to be able to pursue something you love, and have others love it too.

As we found out in the last post on Lavender & Twill, Chatterblossom is a lovely Etsy shop where Jamie hand crafts and sells stunning, one-of-a-kind floral hair pieces and fascinators using mainly reclaimed vintage millinery supply and trimmings.

So without further ado, let’s get to know some more about the artist we have featured here today!

Hello Jamie, and welcome to our teacup chat! Thank you for spending sometime with us today so we can get to know little more about you and your business. What first drew you into creating your hair flowers and fascinators?

About 5 years ago, I worked on a small organic farm where we grew vegetables and flowers and I fell in love with all things floral. I made the bouquets for our farmer’s market each week and loved seeing peoples’ faces when they decided to purchase a bouquet I’d made to decorate their home. Cut flowers are amazing, but also a luxury for most people. And we really relish in it when we can have something so fleetingly beautiful around us for even a few days.

When I moved to another home in another state, I missed working with flowers and I wanted a way to work with them again. My love of vintage and flowers intersected when I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. I found a swing dancing community here and many of them wear vintage or vintage inspired clothing and flowers in their hair, so I started making some hair clips to suit their/my needs.

Then I got a tip from a random stranger about a warehouse full of deadstock vintage flowers right in the heart of Raleigh! So I purchased as much as I could and my venture began in earnest!

Is it tricky to restore the vintage millinery flowers? Have you ever had any past the point of no return? What happened to/with them?

Most of the millinery flowers I find or purchase are new old stock or deadstock, which means they’ve never been used. Almost all of my flowers were found in their original boxes with tags, so they just need some freshening up (with steam and shaping, etc.).

I do sometimes purchase or find millinery flowers in worse condition, but I typically try to get pristine examples if possible.

The flowers that have seen better days I’ll usually use in conjunction with flowers in better condition as a cluster, so they get a second life but aren’t necessarily the star of the show. Or I’ll keep them for myself as I don’t typically mind flawed beauties. They’re just as pretty!

It’s been very interesting to find out more about your business, but we’d also love to know a little more about the creative mind behind these beautiful pieces. Every vintage lady I know seems to have their own unique style ~ if you were to describe your personal vintage look, how might you do that?

I think the best way to describe my personal style is “fluid” or “chameleon-esque”. I really enjoy trying to wear things that I’ve been personally told I can’t wear or that seem challenging to put together in a way that “works”.

I enjoy wearing hyper-feminine to androgynous to typically masculine looks. I love both light-filled, floral frills and dark, earthy subtleties and mixing them is even more fun. I don’t worry about “period appropriateness” or wearing only one era as a rule, etc. I love mixing and matching to produce something all my own.

What is the one vintage thing you can’t live without (red lipstick, novelty prints, hats, etc)?

This is a very tough question! Because I change my look so often, I want to say…my vintage 1950s butterfly bullet bra. Ha! It is a softer pointed shape and I have never found a more perfect bra. It suits nearly every outfit I wear it with and it makes me stand different in my clothes.

So I guess it is an unseen thing I can’t live without. I’m going to be one sad cookie when that bra dies.

And finally, what are three quirky things about you that not everyone might know about?

- My first job was as a roller-skating drive-in restaurant waitress and they only played music from the 1950s, so maybe the vintage vibe snuck in early.

- I’m extremely introverted but most people would never guess it because I’m a bit “chameleon-esque” in my personality as well and can morph to suit my situation when necessary.

- When I’m not in vintage attire, I’m typically in hole-y sweatpants and raggedy t-shirts.

Haha, I’m so with you on that last one Jamie! It’s nice to be comfortable if you are not dressed up. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of gal myself. ;)

Thank you to Jamie for sharing her time with us, it was wonderful to have the chance to learn more about her and her inspiring creative work! And if you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out Jamie on Instagram and Etsy.

But wow… What a collection of flowers! I hope you enjoyed this peek behind the scenes as much as I have. (❛▿❛✿)੭

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

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Tuesday, November 8, 2016

༺ Raspberry Romance & Birthday Blossoms ༻

It’s been a while since my birthday, but we had a lovely day out, and I had a very special blossom in my hair to celebrate!

On Instagram I have been following Jamie of Chatterblossom for quite a long time, admiring her gorgeous handmade hair flowers as well as her impeccable, elegant styling. Much to my joy we connected via email a little while ago, and I was excited to have the chance to work out a two-part feature with Chatterblossom to share on Lavender & Twill. Yay! So be on the look out for part two ~ coming soon!

Firstly though, isn’t this lovely vintage cabbage rose just the prettiest thing? You already know how I’m into anything floral, and I just adore the dainty effect this hair flower adds to my ensemble.

When I was browsing through the Chatterblossom Etsy shop it sooo was hard to know which flower to pick there are so many unique and gorgeous pieces! I also thought that Chatterblossom’s Flower of the Month Club sounds like the perfect Christmas present ~ wouldn’t it be such a fabulous surprise to receive a flower in the mail once a month! And that way you don’t have to agonise over picking just one… (•́⌄ - ́๑)

It was interesting to note that Jamie uses reclaimed vintage trims to create her one-of-kind pieces. I find it brings such a nice look to the finished clip, as there is just a certain style to original vintage that you really can’t replicate.

When my Raspberry Romance clip arrived I was super happy to find that this pretty rose not only filled a vacant gap in my hair flower collection {can you believe didn’t have any red flowers?}, it also happened to be the perfect match for my vintage Swirl dress.

My poor dress which is a bit worse for wear ~ yes, somebody hacked the hemline shorter at one point {whyyy….! (TT ^ TT)}. It also has a few stains and holes, but it’s such a fun frock with the little red and white daisies embroidered on the bodice. I also have a thing for gathered necklines, so yep. She’s a beauty even if she’s a little wounded.

Then I had to wear my red Lola Von Rose purse to match all the red accents. It seems so strange to me how long I managed to live without a red handbag, and completely crazy now that I have one! I find that it gives me a totally different approach to the way that I accessorize, and it is a wonderful compliment the classic red lip and nail combination, so I am all about that!

Now that I have shown you the details of this stunning, one-of-a-kind Chatterblossom flower, I want to share about a little feature I’m starting up on Lavender & Twill ~ Teacup Chats. Short, sweet and fun interviews with our brand owners!

As an artist and an aspiring entrepreneur, I am absolutely fascinated to learn about the workings of small businesses, and I thought that perhaps you might like to read about them too. With that in mind, in the the next post we will get to meet Jamie herself and find out a bit more about the creative process of Chatterblossom. {*hint* Her flower collection is ah-mazing, and I was astonished to see it! (○ _ ○)!}

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

༺ Stitching Stories: Corbett Tulips ༻

You know, sometimes having too much to say can almost be as bad as not having anything to say at all… Where do I even being? At the beginning? Haha, that seems about right! But be warned ~ the beginning of this story literally started months ago… It’s a long one, so you might want to fetch a snack and a cup of tea. I’ll wait.

Ready?

My friend Tanith {Tanith Rowan Designs} and I have been trying to meet up since the start of this year. We picked Bowral as a nice “right-in-the-middle-for-the-both-of-us” spot and made plans, but between sick children, rain, cars breaking down, and goodness knows what else, six or so months later and we said we are doing this no matter what, and guess what… We did it! ╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑ ˂ᵒ͜͡ᵏᵎ⁾✩

I drove up to meet her by myself {the traffic was horrendous} so I was very glad to arrive and have lunch and tea at a cute little Alice in Wonderland themed café. Tanith and I both agreed that their Sweet Potato chips where the way to go!

We had a little wander around the town after lunch, and while we were both disappointed to find that the fascinating antiques shop we were planning to explore had shut, there was still a nice little fabric shop with all sorts of gorgeous silks, lush velvets, and buttons ~ vintage buttons!

Then we made our way to Corbett Gardens. I’d driven past it when I was hopelessly scouting around for a parking spot {main street was MUCH too busy} ~ and we thought it might be nice to take a proper look.

And even though it was freezing and the weather was miserable, I must say, the garden was certainly worth the time!

I didn’t even mind so much about missing the antiques shop {But only because I’m planning to go back..! I do really want to see inside ~ it’s an old ‘shops within a building’ historic site and the whole thing has been converted to into an antique shop and café which I think is just marvellous} ~ all those beautiful flowers where so delightful!

The Corbett Gardens are a veritable tulip wonderland, and so excellently designed. There were two rotundas, one small one nestled under a cherry tree, and one large one surrounded by all the flower beds ~ which were these fantastic terrace gardens. They looked like blooming layer cakes, or colourful pyramids, but the great thing about them was that it was so much easier to take photos of the flowers with all the height to the flower beds! Which of course, made it blogger heaven… Haha! (*≧ꇴ≦)

And best of all, I totally blended right in because everyone else was taking loads of selfies with the flowers too… :P

Now onto what I wore ~ this is a Stitching Stories post after all!

I had started this Simplicity 3688 skirt to go with a matching Simplicity 1940’s pattern of a bolero jacket last year. I had to put it aside to work on something else ~ my Christmas blouse I think? Anyway, I knew I could finish this skirt to wear out, but I needed a top to go with it.

I’d seen Christina of Gussets and Godet’s blog post where she wrote about the 1940's wrap top she had made and I really wanted to make it so I thought ~ why not? And went for it!

It’s a super easy pattern to make up and works beautifully, but I must say that my photographs are not the best example of how well it can work, and yes, I’ll tell you why….

Story time…. Again! Still have that tea? Or do you need another cup by now?

I had parked the car before meeting Tanith, I needed to change from my driving shoes ~ flats, to my co-coordinating with my ensemble shoes ~ heels. As I was bending over to buckle my shoe I heard something pop… “Uh-oh… But what could it be?” I thought. “Anyway I’m running late, must ignore it for now.” Then I buckled the other shoe, heard some more popping and nothing else. Quick check, couldn’t see anything wrong, “Well okay then, we must be alright…”

Fast forward to me messing about with my blouse while taking photos ~ “Why is this thing floating about everywhere!? I know it’s windy, but yeesh, it doesn’t want to stay tucked properly!” Fiddle, fiddle, fuss, fuss… Tuck it in and smile for the camera!

Fast forward again ~ I’d finished taking the photos, Tanith had had to leave before then, and now it was my turn to drive home. I hopped in the car, but before I started off I wanted to shed some of the constricting elements of my outfit for a more comfortable trip home. As I took off my blouse to change it for a knit top, I realized that the back tie was dangling by one strap ~ *ding!* “Oooooh! That’s why the dang thing wouldn’t stay tucked in properly!” … And also why it looks a bit poufy and weird in some of the pictures. It’s not solely the wind and the rain blowing right down one sleeve and out the other!

The moral to this story is ~ sew straps that take a lot of strain more securely next time. And maybe pay attention to any popping noises you might hear… (๑˃́ε˂̀๑ )

~ Project Details ~

Year: 1940’s
Pattern: Simplicity 3688 Retro Release & a 1940’s wrap top tutorial
Fabric: Mint pinwale corduroy and rose print poly-cotton fabric
Notions: One grey zip and a silver button
Time to complete: Two hours-ish for the wrap blouse, and I’m not sure, maybe that for finishing up the skirt? I had to hem it, insert the zip, put on the waist band, and do the button and button hole
Make again? I do like the 40s skirt pattern, it’s a good basic, but it’s not a pattern I really love so I don’t know if I will make it again. I will see. But the wrap top ~ this is not going to be the only version of this, for sure! I am itching to try it out in a crepe or silk, and a jersey knit, and… I foresee a few variations on this pattern. I like it a lot. It’s easy to make, easy to wear, and it’s just brilliant!
Wear again? Yes, once I mend the blouse… And re-enforce those strap seams!
Total Cost: I’m not sure, because I can’t remember the price on any of it, but I know it probably was under or around $20.00 for the skirt and blouse.

xox,
bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Pages

Friday, December 23, 2016

༺ Swan Lake ༻

Monday, December 19, 2016

༺ WoreSawHaul: AAVGM 2016 Rock’N’Roll ༻

Monday, November 21, 2016

༺ A Royal Treasure Chest ༻

Saturday, November 12, 2016

༺ Teacup Chat with Chatterblossom ༻

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

༺ Raspberry Romance & Birthday Blossoms ༻

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

༺ Stitching Stories: Corbett Tulips ༻