Inspiration folder to share.....

I have a folder on my desktop where I put all of my inspiration.  Strangely enough, I call it my "inspiration folder"!  I just want to share a few of my images to give you a feel of what inspires me, what makes me buy what I buy and do what I do.

Just a snippet from my folder.  I will share more, I promise!

Have a great day.
MSMxx

1960s Lace Top

I was having a scout round etsy tonight and came across this top from etsy seller Clever Nettle.  It immediately caught my eye as I have the very same top in my wardrobe (bought on ebay!).  How strange that she is selling in from Portland, Oregon and I bought it from an ebay seller in Manchester, UK!

I really love it.  My top needs a little bit a sewing tlc and is a great top on.  Perfect with jeans, or worn beautifully by this model in Clever Nettle's photography.

(Photography courtesy of Clever Nettle)

You can follow the Clever Nettle blog here - it is a really lovely read, with great photography and regular shop updates.

MSMxx

Whisky Galore!

This week has been a good week.  The days have flown by and I think that it is because I was looking forward to hosting two parties on Saturday.  The first party for my daughter's birthday with her friends.  We went to a craft studio and it was lots of fun!  That was the easy party as all I had to do was food, cake and party bags - which is also something I totally enjoy - especially for girls.

The second party took somewhat more organisation.  We were hosting a Burn's Supper for 10 people.  What a laugh!  Obviously whisky played a major part of the evening.  The only thing it wasn't in was the starter, which was cock a leekie soup.  Whisky cocktails (whisky macs), whisky sauce with the haggis, whisky in the cranachan and a malt to round the meal off.  Good job I like whisky!!

and you can see here that the malt whisky is no more........ delicious!

this was the table towards the end of the night.......

After the big clear up after the night before this morning, I felt I deserved a bit of retail therapy.  Shopping I hear you say, is that allowed during my year of sustainable style?  Yes, as it was charity shop shopping. Some of the charity shops nearby are open on a Sunday which I did not know!  Result.  

The first shop I went into I found this lovely tunic.  You may remember in a previous post I mentioned that I was looking for something with a peter pan collar?  Well I found this tunic by Edith & Ella.  Now I hadn't heard of that brand before and have done a bit of research and it is by a designer from Copenhagen and tops like this retail for £100+.  This one cost me £12 - I am delighted.

Excuse the creases in this shot.  I tried it on here before I popped it in the washing machine.

I also managed to pick up a long black lace dress which is totally frumpy just now but I have plans for it!!  My husband and I are going to a wedding next month so that it my next project - de-frumping an old lady dress.......I think I may have quite a job on my hands!

MSMxx

Michelle Williams - Love Her Style!

Michelle Williams has come a long way since Dawson's Creek!  I really love the look and style that she seems to have perfected over the past few years.  Her pixie crop is bold, and her clothes are classic with a vintage feel.

Here are some of my favourite looks of hers.

Today, Michelle is my stylish muse!

MSMxx

Busy busy week - travel, birthday and parties.....

Well this week has been a bit mad to say the least.  I have spent four days doing a bit of work in Cyprus (picked a cold and rainy week to go out unfortunately) and managed to spend a bit of time wandering and looking at what Cyprus has to offer.  I tried to find a thrift shop that I had been recommended but much to my disappointment, couldn't find it.  Probably because most of Cyprus appears to be closed during January as it is so quiet.

Got back on Tuesday night and had only a couple of hours to prepare for my daughter's 6th birthday on Wednesday - I can't quite believe that she is now six.  Here is a funny wee snap of her, managed to take it just as the balloon covered her face!  She is smiling like a cheshire cat behind it which makes it even more funny to me!

We marked her birthday in style and was celebrating her cousins birthday today!  And, yet another birthday tale - we are off to a 40th birthday party tonight with some friends.  Really looking forward to it but am having a lack of inspiration of what I am going to wear.  To top it all I saw a PERFECT dress in the shops today - it was so totally me, and had to be dragged away by my husband sprouting what my goal for this year is - sustainable syle ie not buying any NEW clothes!!  I am now on a hunt for something similar to thrift - navy blue scooter style dress with a peter pan collar which is piped in brown.    Needle in a haystack, me thinks!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

MSMxx

Wooden '60s Canisters - Super Lovely!

I am totally in love with these wooden canisters - I am not even sure the age of them - 1960's I think.  They are in perfect condition and are so well made.

I bought them in a charity shop in Edinburgh's city centre - I paid £6 for them.  A bargain I think as I love them so much.

What do you think?

I love it when you feel like you were in the shop at just the right time to buy something that is totally you!

MSMxx

G-Plan for F-ree

I love mid-century furniture and when I saw on our local free-cycle that someone was giving away a 7 foot G-Plan sideboard, I jumped at it.  I managed to get this beauty into the boot of my car (with lots of it still sticking out the back!!) and brought it home.

It has sat in my garage for a few months until I decided what I wanted to do with it, and this weekend I dusted it down and brought it into my lounge.

I want my home to be a real eclectic mix of modern and vintage and am delighted with how this unit sits in with my existing furniture in my lounge.

Here is an image of it using my favourite app for my i-Phone just now, Hipsomatic.  It gives it a real retro feel.

MSMxx

1960s shift dress....and it fits like a glove!

The dress that I have been wearing today is a 1960s shift dress which was purchased on eBay.  The dress cost next to nothing and I was unsure of the size, but to my surprise when it arrived it fitted perfectly. Totally perfectly - there was nothing I could do to improve this one (except wash it three times, it smelt of genuine "vintage"!!).

I just added a long sleeved black top (it is far too cold in Scotland just now to go without, some black opaque tights, my favourite black patent leather shoe/boots and some wooden jewellery (both bracelets are handmade and bought at a craft fair, and I up-cycled the necklace).

Here is me in my finest 1960s glory..........  I don't normally wear baby blue, but will do more often now........ I love it!

MSMxx

Pinafore - no longer a bore!!

This pinafore was totally boring when I bought it.  It came with a job lot of vintage clothes that I won on eBay last year.  It looks like something a Granny would wear so of course I had to do something about that.

Here is it before.....

To start with I chopped off the bottom as I wanted it to be much shorter........

Next it was time to bring it in under my arms as it was quite big for me - so I pinned it and then set to work on my trusty old Singer.......

I then added a purple balloon sleeved blouse from my wardrobe (from GAP), some opaque tights and my grey boots.  Voila - good enough to wear anywhere.....

MSMxx

Re-vamped Dress for New Year's

This dress started it's life like this.....

It is a super plain full length dress from Monsoon which I bought for a few pounds on eBay last year.

I chopped the bottom of it off to look like this........

Then made a couple of darts in the front to give it a bit more shape....... (please ignore the deodorant marks - I had to try the dress on a few times to get the darts in the correct positions!!)

Then I used some lovely lace that my sister-in-law gave me and added a lace collar.......

And, this was the final result.  I teamed it up with a pair of my favourite brown boots, all ready to celebrate bringing in 2011!

Happy New Year to you all.  I hope that 2011 brings you all your wishes.

MSMx