My First Sewing Project

...well, since the kite I made in year 6.

I made it with Famie, from the Burda 7494 pattern, in a cotton linen blend.

 
I've already been wearing it to WORK, yes that's right, I can work now.

Irregular Choice

It happens every year. In the summer, I become a hippie who only needs 3 sets of clothes and one set of flip flops. I denounce materialism and scoff at people who go shopping at the weekend. I declare I no longer need 'things' to make me happy and am going to throw away most of my possessions.

Then Autumn sets in, it gets colder, and I remember I wear at least 3 sets of clothes at once outside summertime. You can't do as much stuff outside and eating raw leaves doesn't sound that nice anymore. I start to feel a yearning for cinched wool dresses...

By Christmas I'm wishing I was a millionaire again, like everyone else. I've found so many lovely things I desperately want, as a by-product of shopping for presents and because internet browsing has long replaced slacklining in the garden. 6 months ago all I wanted to look like was healthy and beachy, now I want to look like one of the ladies from Mad Men, with their structured flattering dresses and painted lips.

Happily for me, I have been completely spoilt this Christmas (and birthday of course, got to love having them at the same materialistic time), and am now the proud owner of many yearned-for 'things', including a red leather retro Roberts radio to go with my Mad Men outfits, a posh new stereo for my little car and a whole sewing machine to make my Mad Men outfits with (more on that in another post...). However the finding 'things' exciting doesn't get cured so easily, that takes another couple of months, so please share with my the joy of admiring the shoes from Irregular Choice. If I was indeed a millionaire and my feet agreed with anything other than boots made of duvet I would buy lots of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Vintage Nest

I have mentioned the Vintage Nest before, it being a place with wifi but without crazy library air conditioning and with coffee. Very very good coffee. It's both a veery nice café and a rather good vintage clothes, furniture and other things shop - you get to sit in vintage armchairs and sofas, surrounded by very awesome things, whilst having your very smooth, air-filled coffee and delectable cakes.

That half-a-car used to be in the front window where it looked ridiculously cool. Suppose they got bored of it there after a while. 10 points for anyone who can tell me what it is?

Now I am not usually into clothes that much but there's something about a whole heap of weird and wonderful vintage clothes that whispers to you to go nuts and try some crazy outfits on. I couldn't resist. I now think I finally understand all that ridiculous fashion thing, you know when you see models wearing stuff that looks absolutely terrible and stupid, and you think 'Really?!' - I think maybe the point of it is that it is FUN to look ridiculous and pout like it's totally on purpose.

It never fails to surprise me how unfeminine I can be one minute, and how girlie the next.

P.s. For the record, leather trousers and knitted tops should not exist in Australia, let alone be worn together. I fried in the 10 seconds I was wearing them.

Bargainous Bargains and Walkies

Last night it was Kate's 18th birthday party, we went out for a meal and met her folks and some more of her and Jake's friends, and then came back home and had a few drinks and fishcakes, and eventually someone remembered we had planned to go to a highly anticipated jumble sale early the next morning. We all said we'd still try and go but judging by the empty Jack Daniels bottle I didn't have any high expectations. When we eventually turned in, Zappa went to sleep still half sitting up, and was so still I wondered if he was still alive.

Somehow though he woke up at 6.45 and said 'Are you coming then?' My response was 'Unngggyyerrrghh.' Then lo and behold, Ruth pops her head though the door and sings a loud jumble sale excitedness song. How is everyone doing this? I must be the least alive one in the house!

Slowly though of course everyone started to droop and the hangovers kicked in. Nevertheless, we picked ourselves up some bargainous bargains! Look at the treasure!

We're going to need our own kitchen stuff when we go up to Bellingen and for when we go camping, so we got all this at the jumble ($21.50 total), then went to Vinnie's on the way back, where we got pots and pans ($7.50):

And a wetsuit for me! $10.

And while I was trying the wetsuit on I accidentally tried this dress on and had to get it:

$8. It looks way nicer in real life, it's this lovely turquoise colour with sort of light greeny yellow leafy twiddly patterns on it. It's really light and floaty.

Ooo I want to show you my favourite other Vinnie's bargains from before today too:

$8 - wore it last night

Quite a bit more than $8 but I LOVE it and it's my birthday present and it's from some posh designer, and was probably originally more like $700. Ok it was $55 but it's so NICE and I definitely would have paid more for it in England,

We have worked out that although if you converted the numbers of dollars to pound by the exchange rate you'd be timesing by 2/3, the sort of living equivalent is actually more like 1/2. So that dress is actually more like £27 which it's totally worth.

Can you recognise the spending guilt?!

Anyway I digress. We came back from Vinnie's and Zappa's hangover was in full swing.

Oh yes we got those funky sunnies at the jumble sale too. Zappa has worn them inside all afternoon, including when we watched a film.

Later on we walked to the dam from the house (it's that close - so cool). All of us except Jake.

Woody made a friend, Nelly.

GOOD DAY.

For me, anyway - I hadn't assaulted my liver.

Haha last night we were at the eating out place and the others were talking about what they were drinking, and Lili turned to me and said 'Do you know, Emma, soon we're going to be the only normal ones here.' I mused upon this for a second and then she suddenly cried 'Belly buttons unite!' undoing a button on her dress and displaying said anatomy. I mused further.

Vinnie's and The Tip and a Willy

Today was a highly successful day. Ruth took us to the legendary VINNIE'S!

Vinnie's is a chain of charity shops, called St. Vincent de Paul really, and I think it's kind of the Australian equivalent of the Salvation Army. Except that they are BIG and they have ACTUAL GOOD STUFF in them. Look how big it is!!!

I was in heaven - I really needed more than one long sleeved top and one jumper, and I was really finding the concept of $35 for a rubbish hoodie painful. I got two long sleeved tops, a knitted jumper and a very pink tshirt, all for $15! I feel very satisfied by this.

We were welcomed by this splendid bbq as we walked in, and it was so very bargainous Ruth bought it. And it's currently cooking our dinner. My first Australian bbq!! And it's started raining... It's been gloriously sunny all day though, which has made me so happy. Ahhhhh. Good day.

Then we went to the tip. To find wood to make a proper bed in the van. I haven't shown you the van yet have I...well it's raining, I will do so another day. The tip!

 It's like driving across the surface of Mars in a Mars buggy. I assume moon buggies wouldn't be appropriate on Mars.

We found some wood and they said we couldn't have it. We also found a painting of a duck and this funny rude painting.

We didn't take it home though.

8kg

"(£&(@~$£!!!

You know how I had that whole packing session, and I managed to include a few things I really wanted to take, while keeping it under the weight limit, just? 18kg is what I had.

I was watching Zappa pack just now, and he put a whole climbing rack in (I'm thinking oooo that's heavy), then pretty much all his clothes - ok yes ALL of his clothes (OOOO oh dear he's going to be so upset when he's 3x over the weight limit)...he weighed it:

16kg.

?!

I made him weigh it with two different methods. Definitely 16kg. I could barely lift it. But I was sure I had way less stuff.....a horrible thought hit me. I went and weighed my stuff, boardies and all.

8kg.

EIGHT.

I misread the scales cos they just had lines and I was an idiot!

All that stuff I could have taken! My lovely jacket! My one pair of going out shoes! Screw that I could have taken ALL my shoes!!! I have packed 3 tops, one hoodie, no jumpers, 2 pairs of knickers...

DUHH!

After Zappa and Luke had stopped laughing at me for the 3rd time, Zappa said 'Oo, you can take your rollerblades.'

Brilliant!

I have decided to take the silver linings and run.
a. Rollerblades (best things I've ever bought)
b. I can bring nice things back from Australia
c. I don't have much to lug about
d. I will watch my soul unfurl as it is released from the horrors of materialism and learn to live without so many needless things
e. ...or I can buy more nice things over there.

Packing

8 days to go!

I’m doing a first draft pack, I just really want to see what I can fit into my measly 20kg luggage allowance. (20kg!!! We used to take 32kg each to the Bahamas for 2 weeks!!!)

We’re supposed to be packing basics. Does that mean no hair dryer? Or straighteners?

No jewellery?

Man.

There are some items I would love to have with me but I don’t think I can get away with calling absolute essentials…

My favourite sailingy shorts, Mum's long wafty dress, my boardies, my awesome leather jacket, my favourite heels, my favourite book.

Maybe I could wear them all at once on the plane?

Mm stylish. Who needs comfort? Oh my god look how white my leg is!!! Can’t wait to put that right.

Ok packed the basics, going to weigh it...

OH YAY it's under!

But now I have a moral dilemma. Or rather a prioritising quandry. Zappa wants me to leave space for some of his climbing stuff. So in theory every item I now pack is instead of a bit of metal that could stop him falling a further 4 metres or so.

.......really want to take my straighteners.

And my jacket makes me feel so awesome.

How can you go to Australia without boardies?!

What if someone offers to take me sailing?

That dress is really cool, good for hot Australian days.

The thing is, the plan is to get there and buy our clothes from charity shops. For blokes that's easy cos they just wear assorted oblongs. But for girls it's not that simple! Fair enough pyjamas. And the odd wrap skirt.

Right, adding stuff.

.............oh dear.