Lavender & Twill : 2018

Friday, December 28, 2018

༺ Rose Gold ༻

It has been a very quiet Christmas for the Vear family this year. We weren’t able to fly back home to be with our friends and family ~ and I must say, it really put a damper on the holiday celebrations for me.

So many of my favourite things about Christmas ~ and pretty much all of our holiday traditions centre around being close to, and spending time with, the ones we love. Playing table top games, making gingerbread together, driving around the neighbourhood to see Christmas lights, going to the carols ~ all of that is done with our family…

Not being in Australia for Christmas was hard.

But there were things we got to do and see that we did enjoy, so all was not sad!

There has been giant pink Christmas trees, delicious food for our Christmas dinner, sleepy days at home, Lego building, decorating with carols blasting and the whole family dancing as they put up lights and baubles, plus smiling Thai friends wishing us Merry Christmas, even though they don’t celebrate Christmas ~ and can barely pronounce it!

I also really, really loved the chance to do something different with our tree this year.

Usually I go for a traditional tree, as pine tree-like as a fake tree can look (!) with loads of wooden and folk style decorations. This year I wanted to satisfy my pastel princess and go for a more 1950’s atomic pastel explosion!

We bought a white tree ~ the last one in the store. It was on display, and I waited for half an hour while they found the box out back and packed it up for me!! Absolutely worth it because I love it so much.

Then the girls wanted pink decorations, and I was definitely happy to oblige. There were some “pinker” coloured baubles, more like a bubble gum pink, but I loved this peachy rose gold colour! So much that we got a ton of those, and I accented the peach with ice blue decorations and some yellow gold for nice contrast.

We even found wrapping paper to go all matchy-matchy our pastel aesthetic. Some of it was actual Christmas wrapping paper, and some of it was cupcakes and macaroon paper ~ neither of which where particularly Christmas-y, but you know, matching aesthetic for the win… Haha!

I wore my specially purchased Christmas skirt ~ I knew I wouldn’t be able to make anything for my Christmas ensemble this year, and paired it with a sheer net blouse, bow belt, and hair flowers that I’d found while out shopping in Malaysia, and local Thai markets and shops.

I had saved my Christmas Pavlova Wreath brooch from Fancy Lady Industries especially for the day ~ I knew it was so fun that I just had to wear it. And when I unwrapped a Peppy Chapette Christmas Angel from the bestest Mister ever, it was a pairing made in heaven! My Christmas angel now had a Christmas dessert halo!

Best.

Christmas.

Brooch.

Combo.

….EVER…!!

The tiny roses I clipped in as a band/crown across the top of my head were also a lot of fun, and felt very 1940’s in style to me even though the rest of my outfit was totally more of a 50’s look. I don’t know if it was because of my outfit, but I had a couple of random strangers taking my picture that night when we went to look at Maya’s gigantimungous pink Christmas tree, and even had someone jump next to me as her husband snapped a picture!

So random! But I think because Christmas isn’t celebrated in Asian countries that it is funny to see people dressed up for Christmas! Mind you, my outfit would still be considered “dressed up” in Western countries too, so there’s that.

Having the chance to view the pink tree was really delightful, it felt very Christmasy and festive! I enjoyed it a lot. Plus, dinner was soooo good. We went to The Duke’s, which is an American style Chiang Mai chain restaurant. We like to go there on special occasions, as it’s the perfect place to celebrate. If you can’t celebrate with family and friends you might as well celebrate with a super delicious meal!

So Christmas was really different this year, but it was a good one. As we go into the beginning of 2019, I want to wish you all a joyous holiday season, a belated Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!

xox,

bonita

Friday, November 30, 2018

༺ Teacup Chat with Tanith Rowan Designs ༻

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 talent I see building a corner in the world to showcase their work, and also making it available for others to enjoy. So without further ado, let’s get to know some more about the artist behind Tanith Rowan Designs!

As we found out in the previous post, Tanith Rowan Designs is the work of the talented milliner, Tanith. She’s a hardworking mother of two little ones, who still finds time to pursue her dreams and creative interests. She recently released her own hat pattern, which is super cool and I can’t wait to hear more about her creative background and how she got to where she is now.

Hello Tanith, welcome to Teacup Chats! We can’t wait to learn more about you. So let’s jump right in! What first drew you to creating hats, as millinery seems to be sort of a forgotten skill these days?

I've always loved making things and I sort of stumbled onto hats as I was dabbling in historical costuming. I was just playing around at first, but the more I started to learn, the more I really loved the process and wanted to make more hats. The millinery world is quite active in Australia thanks to the races so I was lucky to be able to take a lot of workshops and keep learning all the time.

How do you go about finding the inspiration and the patterns for your creations or do you make them up yourself?

Inspiration is very easy to find! With vintage books, films, magazines and genuine vintage hats, I will never run out of ideas. I love curling up with a book and sketchbook and drawing up possibilities. I've had good training in pattern drafting so when a pattern is required for a hat I start from scratch, but a lot of hat shaping is free form or on blocks. Sometimes the fun is in the challenge of working out how to make the sketch a reality.

How do you figure out techniques to create vintage styled hats ~ is it easy to replicate them by pictures and visual details?

It's usually not tricky to work out how to make a hat look right for a vintage style, but some of them can be very perplexing and I'm left wondering how on Earth they've done it! I read vintage millinery books and magazines to learn more traditional techniques. The ones from the 1940s and on are easy enough to understand as the terminology and materials haven't changed a lot, but they are harder to interpret the further back you go.

{Those with sharp eye might be able to recognise the beginnings of the beautiful straw boater from this post! It’s so fascinating to see the process of creating something like that.}

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.

What is your favourite thing to do beside create your delightful hats?

I love all kinds of making really. I do a bit of sewing for myself and the kids, I'm learning how to knit, and I like cooking and gardening too.

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

1. I wanted to be a zoo keeper and did my school work experience at the zoo

2. Plucking my eyebrows or pulling my hair makes me sneeze (anyone else afflicted with this??)

3. I listen to Christmas music at any time of year (just a little)

4. I genuinely enjoy solving mathematical problems

5. I was once at a meeting where a man in a business suit was hit with faeces (see point 1)

Oh! Christmas music! I totally agree Tanith! Sometimes I just want to sing along to a carol, and some of my favourite lullabies to sing to my children are carols. I think being in a Christmas choir helped a lot with my love of all Christmas music.

Thank you to Tanith 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 Tanith on Instagram and Etsy.

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻
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Monday, November 12, 2018

༺ Within A Dream ༻

They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes,
Within a dream.

Ernest Dowson - 'Vitae Summa Brevis'

If there was a soundtrack to these pictures it would be ‘The Silk Road’ and ‘Alba’ by The Sidh. But even though I am sure I could have music playing along thanks to the technical genius of The Mister, there’s no way I’d subject you to that horrible moment when a website randomly starts blaring out music and scares the heck out of you! Haha!

However, the celtic inspired tracks do meld beautifully with the magic of this amazing winding road into the sunset…

I finally found my golden hour, the treasure of light and location that transports you to a distant world when you find a place that feels like you stepped into a dream.

Where the misty beams of glittering light transform the deeply overgrown road into a place of wonder, a scene from a fairy tale…

But the reality of it was that I had to be so careful not to twist an ankle as I trotted down the rutted track as fast as humanly possible over terribly uneven ground, in heels no less, to beat my camera timer! Haha! Whew, I was “glistening” by the time I finished that shoot, that’s for sure. Romanticism has it’s place but nothing beats a cool lime popsicle from the restaurant next door after an hour of shooting in tropical heat!

Still, I was so thrilled to be able to shoot at a dream location with a dream dress and a dream chapeau.

It’s such a fantastic moment when unicorns land on your doorstep!

This Tatyana Flower Cart Dress is one that I immediately loved when it came out years ago. But I also had to admire it from afar as it was way out of my budget. Fast forward several years and it pops up in a BSS at a decent price AND in my size!

It was meant to be!

Just in the same way this darling hat dropped into my lap…

Some months ago, I saw a notice pop up in my Instagram feed that Tanith, a talented and lovely friend of mine, was giving away some of her old millenary work for the cost of postage. I don’t think I breathed a single second when I posted to put my hand up for this amazing raspberry pink straw boater hat with cherries!

You see, I remembered this hat!

Tanith had posted about this particular boater when she’d made it, and I completely adored it back then. I gasped aloud when I first saw this delightful confection. That’s how much it spoke to me, I felt like it had been made from the stuff of my dreams!

I have always told myself that one day I’d save enough to purchase one of her amazing pieces, but I thought there was no way that the cherry & raspberry boater would still be around because it was {is} STUNNING and I’d just have to accept it would be snatched up in a heartbeat!

And honestly, I have no idea how this one wasn’t whisked off immediately, but I’m so grateful because it’s allowed me to own this dreamy chapeau and I couldn’t be happier!

Tanith’s work is so impeccable. I love the way she’s paired the pink straw with red cherries, and the how the rim of the hat has straw that goes inwards rather than it being simply coiled around in a circle. It’s those little details ~ such as a tea rose pink satin lining and loops for bobby pins to secure your hat to your head that make this such a special piece.

Of course, it came carefully packaged in it’s own hat box, and that is so great for storing your hats away from the evils of dust and sun fade. I have footage of me unboxing the package in my Instagram stories, so feel free to check it out if you want to see it in live action!

I’m sure it will be back on the blog as well, as I’ll have to force myself not to want to wear it constantly. And if you want to see more of her awesome work, she has Instagram, a blog and an Etsy shop so be sure to check those out!

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻
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Tuesday, October 16, 2018

༺ Versailles Roses ༻

Tropical vintage spring with Hell Bunny | Lavender & Twill

In case you couldn’t tell, this is one of those posts where I had a lot of trouble whittling down the amount of photos to put in… I know. I know. I didn’t do a very good job… Ooops!

Also, sorry not sorry for the second Hell Bunny post in a row. I just had to share this lovely skirt. It just arrived in the mail the other day, and I couldn’t wait to wear it as it matched perfectly with my new handbag and Lyn Around handbag charm.

I really love how the charm reminds me of gumnut leaves and gum blossoms, I have been missing Australian spring with the wattle and gumtrees in bloom!

And even though this isn’t the most vintage-styled outfit ever, I still really love it. The tee is so soft and silky to the touch, it’s a great top to wear out and about. Comfortable, but looks nice at the same time! And the colour palette of this ensemble is so my aesthetic, even with the tiny touch of black accent.

The Parisian print with the pink roses matched so well with my Peppy Chapette mirrored swallow brooch, and when I paired my mint Miss L Fire Juarez Heels, it was just perfect.

I love to have soft tones everywhere, so I end up falling for anything in baby pink, baby blue, mint or white. Throw in some gold accents, and I would happily live forever in a Marie Antionette, Rocco inspired house.

And while this spot I found to shoot at isn’t quite as extravagant as Palace Versailles, I was thrilled to find this gorgeous location that is only 15 minutes away from us! It’s a very cute, whimsical restaurant that is called the Floating Restaurant. It’s kind of a jetty over a miniature lake {or a large pond?}, and there’s a playground for children, all these lovely flower arches, and so much space!

When I arrived there was no-one around at all, so I asked the owner if I could shoot some photos and they were happy to let me which was so great.

I really want to go back and explore more in that area as there seems like there was a lot of amazing places to photograph. I love exploring, and it’s great to find reliable shoot locations close by to our house finally! There’s a whole city, but it’s not always practical to drive 30 – 40 minutes for a shoot when you have to run out quickly while the children are napping!

Anyway, it’s my birthday today and isn’t weird how birthdays make you want to think and reflect deeply on passing time?

I guess it’s natural to start pondering the year that’s gone by, and to contemplate the path you are on. I’m beyond glad that we’ve been able to start this adventure ~ despite all the challenges and difficulties. First we’ve been able to enjoy living overseas, and now the opportunity to begin our own business. I have been really loving working on Teacup Girl. Even all the business side of it is really fun to me! It’s something I enjoy ~ although the art & design is my favourite for sure.

We talk about it a lot ~ what we want to achieve with Teacup Girl, what direction the business should go in ~ and I have sooo many ideas outside of brooches that I have to save to do some R&D with.

It’s so exciting, and I really can’t wait to see where the next year takes us!

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻
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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

༺ Western Rose ༻

I took these photos, oh, roughly over a month ago?

But I didn’t post them and it was a whole thing....

I don’t know why now, but I was convinced that they needed to be reshot. I think I did have trouble with the lighting being so varied throughout the shoot. But when I came back and re-edited them for a second time, I was like ~ okay, but why did I hate these again?

I’m guessing it’s because they are so dark and saturated? Being a total pastel princess this style and mood is really not my aesthetic, but I can’t seem to avoid it. Especially as the following two shoots I did after this one came out nearly exactly the same despite the time and location changes!

I think I am so used to golden hour being the last hour of sunlight that I’m not taking into account the mountains and the clouds they catch at the top. They block out a lot of the late afternoon light, and I really have to adjust for this by shooting at 3:30pm, not 5pm.

But blah-blah, I’m rabbiting on about photography again, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to hear my agonising over blog photos!

Can we just talk about how Hell Bunny has been absolutely crushing the vintage reproduction game recently? I think I just about died when I saw this year’s summer offerings, and although it took me the whole of summer I picked up my four favourite skirts and this dress… This dress!!

I bought the skirt in this print as soon as I saw it because I knew it was something I just had to have in my wardrobe. Then I saw how amazing this dress looks on a variety of body shapes, and it became a must-have. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend $90.00 to buy it. Then it was almost sold out everywhere in my size, and I just had to bite the bullet and go for it!

I think I might have even grabbed the last one…

I’m sooo glad I did however, as I just love this dress so much. The shape is so flattering for my shoulders, and I really love how the straps sit further in on the décolletage like true vintage tends to do. I feel like a million bucks when I wear it which is always such a good sign.

You can expect to see a lot more of Hell Bunny on the blog in upcoming posts. I’m sorry it’s going to be late and out of season for all the Northern hemisphere, but I have to roll with it, living in the tropics as we do!

Sometimes I’m sad that we miss autumn with its cozy knits, and crunchy, glorious foliage, but I really don’t miss layers and layers of clothing. When we had spent much longer in Australia than we meant to at the beginning of the year, I was already so glad to get back to sundress and light cardigans after only a couple of weeks of really cold weather!

Plus, all of these gorgeous prints from my current favourite repro brand definite deserve some time in the spotlight.

And speaking of spotlight, I am obsessed with the Starstruck Flexiclogs I’m wearing with this outfit. They are such an awesome pair of reproduction vintage sandals, and I’m planning to do more of a featured post about them later on as this small brand really deserves some love. I think their design is so fab, and I want to share more about them!

They go so perfectly with my bamboo purse {yes, I have two of these ~ one in pink and one in white!}, and just fit really well with that “vintage on vacation” vibe that I am all about these days! My style is far more relaxed and chill than it used to be and while I do miss the process of putting together full outfits at times, there’s no denying that this is the best way to continue to stick with vintage style in the tropics.

If you have an Hell Bunny summer dress recommendations, let me know what they are! I swear I’ve seen them all as I keep going back to see what else they have, but you never know ~ I might find the next perfect one for me…

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Pink Peony Hair Flower | Dollar Shop
Harlequin & Roses 50s Dress | Hell Bunny
Pink Bamboo Purse | AliExpress
Flexible Wedge Sandal | Starstruck Clothing

༺ ♡ ༻
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Friday, December 28, 2018

༺ Rose Gold ༻

Friday, November 30, 2018

༺ Teacup Chat with Tanith Rowan Designs ༻

Monday, November 12, 2018

༺ Within A Dream ༻

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

༺ Versailles Roses ༻

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

༺ Western Rose ༻