What I wore

Hi Everyone, I want to quickly post a few outfit photos from work this week:

Lemon Cream Pie: Cream polyester dress from Paperbag Princess $2, worn with vintage/thrifted necklace, earrings and bracelet.  Yellow bracelet, shoes and flower all retail. 

Vintage polyester dress from Toffs worn with Made By Me obi, Melissa shoes, thrifted bracelets and neckace,. 

Diane Freis dress found on the $3 rack at Toffs - based on my research I think this is from the 1980s.  Worn with orange Atmosphere cardigan from Hospice Shop, thrifted belt and necklace.  Earrings and shoes both retail.

1980s (??) geometric patterned polyester dress with pleat skirt from St V de P, thrifted belt and bead necklace, Bambi necklace, a gift from The Cuckoo's Nest, Melissa shoes. 

It has to be a short post today because I need to limit my typing - I managed to sprain both my left shoulder and left elbow in the last week of the school holidays.  I knew I had "tweaked" something but thought it was improving.  Eventually, at the end of this last  week I had to go to the doctors.  The cure is rest  (not hanging out the washing or trying to finish sewing a UFO) so I that's what I am going to do.

Hope you are all having a great weekend, 

Penny-Rose xx 

Return to work outfit and thoughts of Marlon Brando

Well I went back to work today....somewhat reluctantly.  It was nice to dress-up and wear a dress again.  

 

Vintage polyester dress of indeterminate age, bought off Trademe, worn with military belt from the Hospice Shop and blue beads from the Presbyterian Support Shop.  The blue plastic shoes, head band and ring are all retail. 

A week or so ago my family and I visited the Otago Museum to see an exhibition called Revolution....it was about motorcycles.  Although I did not linger over each exhibit like many of the (predominantly) male patrons, I did appreciate the design and styling of many of the bikes.  When I saw there was a photo opportunity I cajoled my 12 yo to take a photo of me:

Not exactly the Wild One!  Wearing a vintage cotton skirt from Savemart in Blenheim, and leather jacket from the Salvation Army shop, worn with retail hat, tights and plastic boots.

I had not considered actually sitting on a bike - if I had maybe I would have worn jeans!  As it happens the Wild One is a film on my "must watch" list for this year. I really like being able to interact with exhibits in galleries and museums, it makes the experience much more enjoyable.  Part of me wants to go back and have my photo taken again wearing something completely different!  What would you wear??  Leave a comment and let me know.

Hope you all have  a good week!

xx Penny-Rose 

Frock on Friday - the first for 2014, and UFO sighting confirmed.

So here we are in 2014 and it's time for a Frock on Friday post.  

Lady Lichfield polyester sun dress (yes Made in New Zealand) Toffs ($2), vintage knitted bag with plastic handles (also from Toffs $2) worn with cardigan from the Hospice Shop, selection of bangles (blue and orange thrifted) the yellow one is from Lovisa, and orange plastic shoes from Rubi.
Due to the less than ideal weather there were few photo opportunities this week (ie we went nowhere interesting and when we did it was grey and gloomy).  However, when a ray of sun penetrated the grey I bribed  my 12 yo accomplice to take a snap of me beside some new Dunedin Street Art (the payment was a book from an amazing second hand book store which deserves a post all of its own.)

Bottom left: 1980s homemade cotton skirt found at Presbyterian Support Shop, with thrifted tee shirt and belt, plastic shoes from Rubi.

We also discovered a really cool electric stair chair (the real name of such a contraption escapes me) which stated "Unless you are old or infirm do not use this chair).  Next time I go there I will take a walking stick just so I can ride the chair and pretend to be old and/or infirm.

Over the last couple of days, while 12 yo has been watching movies and drawing and chatting to her friend who came over I have put the time to good use.  I decided to resurrect a few sewing projects from the Unfinished Sewing Object pile. 

First, I put elastic in the pink pyjama shorts I made more than a year ago and used cheap nasty ribbon to hold them up.  This was my priority task as I had been procrastinating on inserting elastic for about a year.  Then, inspired, and with the warm summer nights in mind, I decided to make another pair using a remnant of crafting cotton from my stash.  (I did bind the centre seam for comfort and I know the stripes don't match up but it is bed wear after all).  With my confidence increasing I retried the purple homemade top.  I bound the arm holes with bias binding and as it is now sleeveless it actually fits me.  I was originally attracted to the unusual print showing a man with a horse in a forest, and I am ashamed to say it has been languishing *unworn* in the UFO pile since I bought it from the St V de P.  Now it is a perfectly presentable top for wearing in bed with the shorts!  Finally, the green cotton (on right) was once a dress for day wear, but after several failed attempts at converting it to a top with sleeves made from an off cut from the hem I had vanquished it to the UFO pile in frustration.  Now it is completed and sleeveless and ready for nightwear.

Now all I need is some hot, sultry Dunedin nights so I can wear them!! 

I really should not complain about the weather when I see on the news the floods in the UK and Polar Vortex across the states.  Is it too much though to ask for some summery weather before I return to the dreaded "W" place?  Hope you are all keeping warm and dry!

Penny-Rose xx 

Things I hope to keep in mind in 2014

I don't make New Years Resolutions as such - I do make resolutions but more when the mood takes me rather than at the point when one year ends and another begins.  Neither do I like to spend too much time dwelling on the past.  But I do like to have some quiet reflective time, and that tends to be around Christmas and the New Year.  


Here are some thoughts:


1.  On a grey day wear bright coloured clothes and take time to enjoy a flower, or wear one in your hair.  Don't get enshrouded by grey feelings: stand tall and be strong.

 Pink linen mix dress and designer handbag (Toffs $2 eacg) worn with Italian designer tights (toes cut out to allow my legs to fit in, from St V de P), black boots (Hospice Shop) and black leather jacket (Sally Army).  

Historic Iona Church, Port Chalmers, shrouded in mist and scaffolding awaiting essential earthquake strengthening.   

Dahlia, free from St V de P. Blooming madly in my garden.

2. Take time to look at the little things.  We were all once small - a seed, an egg, a germ of an idea, a hope, a wish, a dream.  Look at where we have come from and where we are going.  Find a place that suits you well - shade if you are a hydrangea, sun if a succulent.  Become part of a community - a town or on-line and enjoy the sense of belonging.

 Close-ups of flowers.  Large scale mural on building behind Iona Church, Port Chalmers, showing the town.

 #3.  Put things in perspective.  Family.  Home.  Heart.  From a height or distance even the biggest things can look small.   Close up, huge things can be overwhelming.  Take heart in the support and strength of friends and family, like shrubs in a garden, the hull of a ship or the foundations of a house. 

From the look-out at Lady Thorn Rhododendron Dell, two cruise ships, and my modest ex-State House home. 

# 4.  Take a road you have not travelled on recently and enjoy the journey.  Leave home in the rain and search for the sun.  If you find more rain, then delight in the clouds and the air. 

 Clouds and landscape seen from Ettrick, Central Otago.  Beaumont Bridge.  Beaumont main street - daring to wear turquoise and yellow vintage sundress from Restore with sandshoes and an op shopped cardigan.

and finally, be true to yourself.  

 Vintage polyester muu-muu like dress from St V de P. 

Cardigan, blue beads and pearl drops all thrifted.

Pearl choker, belonged to by Grandma.

Thank-you to all my lovely supporters and followers, for the comments and the inspiration, the laughs and the confidence.  Hope you all have a happy and healthy 2014.

Penny-Rose xxx