Atomic Print Curtains

Yesterday I had a 'Mental Health Day' & chucked a sickie. I did have to go to the Doc so it wasn't completely lying.  Later in the arvo I decided that I would finally sew some new curtains for my Institute D'Beaute room.

I've had this repro barkcloth material forever (I think Michael & I bought it from a shop in LA called Golyester a million years ago). I had bought the UV backing stuff last week.

"Pfft!" I thought foolishly "How hard can sewing rod pocket drapes be?"

Well, very hard actually. It sucked. I will never attempt it again.

Pain. In. The.Arse.

After grunting & cursing for about 3 hours they were finally finished... sort of. Do not look too closely at the pics. Yes it kinda of does look like I've just thrown two bits of fabric over the windows as they weren't wide enough to have the nice scrunchy effect at the top.

I am glad to have finally done something with the material though.

And I have enough left to make maybe one throw cushion cover. I think they look ok over my new 1950s chest of drawers I got from Vinnies last week ($25 thank you) and complement Mr Toilet Roll Holder Wrestler Man.

I think if I want funky curtains done again I'll pay the professionals.

Sunday morning The Big Fella & I got up fairly early & hi-tailed it into the city to The Pig N Whistle to watch UFC Rio. Because we got there early we scored a major hollywood park & a great seat in a booth.
Very quickly the PNW filled up with punters eager to watch the fights. The fight was being held in Brazil so there were quite a number of Brisbane Brazilians in the crowd which was great as it added to the atmosphere.  It is a great atmosphere at PNW to watch UFC though the food prices are pretty crazy.
Finally it ramped up to the main event which was Anderson Silva Vs Yushin Okami.
As usual Anderson Silva was a freaking machine & whipped Yushin's arse.

We then packed up & went to The Crown Hotel at Lutwhyche to see West Texas Crude & Dan & The Dualtones.  Because UFC finished early we got to the pub early only to find that they too had screened the UFC fight! We could have just gone there! Oh well we'll know for next time. We quickly secured a table.

The rest is a bit of a blur to me because the place quickly filled up with other like minded rockers looking for some kicks on a Sunday arvo.  The terrible two-some of Mz Karie & Mz Lisa turned up & the bevvies started flowing to celebrate Mz K's birthday & well to celebrate kicking up our heels on a Sunday arvo.

The Big Fella settled in with Mr Hill & set about designing something that was either some sort of evil vehicle of mass destuction OR a mean looking soap box racer.

I left them to it & by now being very very merry (read: pissed as a newt) set about launching myself at unsuspecting men to dance. Thankfully Mz Sheri Bomb was willing to donate her poor man to my dancing cause. Wowzers that man can dance.Woohoooo!  Mr Swing-a-Billy Ray was next in my radar & I had a few spins with him too.

By now the sounds of the band & the way too many chardys had me bopping away like a lunatic.

Finally, The Big Fella suggested it was time to go home. Good Idea. I was getting messy. Maybe next time I might try to have some waters inbetween wines. *face palm*

Thanks to Lori Lee for putting on ANOTHER awesome gig.

AND from checking out her website http://www.robot.com.au/ there is going to be heaps more gigs to go to before the year is out.

Yep I could get used to this Sunday arvo gig bizzo.

(Note: I swear I wasn't checking out your arse Lori. I was checking out your Levis!)

PS: I was also excited because I got to wear my new frock from Etsy. I didn't get a good photo of me in it so here is a pic of it. Super cute Egyptian print cotton dress with funky pockets & neck detailing.

Click-Clack Retro Garage Sale

Friday night after stopping in to see my other man (Dan Murphy) I headed home to don the tracky-daks & sew up a frenzy again. Tonight's creation was a direct rip off of a fabulous Vivien of Holloway gypsy top.

I think it turned out pretty good.

To buy Vivian of Holloway's top go to

:http://www.vivienofholloway.com/en/category/gypsy-top-1/

Saturday morning I left The Big Fella snoring in bed & scadaddled off to see Mz Karie at the Click-Clack Lounge Retro Garage Sale.

Mz K was racing around like a busy little bee selling her funky kitsch retro shabby-chic wares.
I was very very happy because I FINALLY got an anodised planter (I've been searching forever). I'm thinking I might put a bromeliad in it.I also scored a very cute (I don't care what you say Lisa) poodle tray & a rather kitsch retro Japanese framed photo for our kinda asian themed office at home.
I also ducked next door to Atomic Martini to visit lucious Lisa. As always I wanted to buy everything in site but alas I am too povo at the moment. It was also great to catch up with the Hill family who bought up a storm at both places. Mr Hill is a wonderful husband who is so understanding of a woman's need to buy yet another handbag & earrings because you can never have too many of either.

HAPPY TIMES INDEED!

Sunday arvo I whipped up another gypsy top from cute as strawberry material. I will post pics soon.
Me thinks I need to find another sewing project now. Hmmmmm what can I make now?
I think I might try to find a pattern for tea-timer blouses. They are my everyday wear in spring/summer.
Reproduction Alfred Shaheen frocks must be a bit further down the track.
PS:  My birthday is coming up & I think I need an overlocker. hint hint.

and Sew On and Sew On....

Ekka show holiday yesterday. Woohoooo! I slept in to the ungodly hour of 9am! Wow I must have been tired. 
I decided to try my hand at sewing a Gypsy top. I have a big box of various fabrics that I have bought over the years. The other day I was rummaging through  it & came across some bandana print fabric that I bought a million years ago & put it away.
"This would make a fabbo peasant style cowgirl top!" I thought.
So on Tuesday off I waddled to Lincraft to flick through the pattern books. I finally came across one that was suitable (read: one that a one-armed preschooler with tourettes could sew).

Sewing projects get me really excited. Last Christmas break I found an A-line skirt pattern suitable for sewing idiots like me & I went crazy & sewed about 6 skirts in 4 days! So I got myself all set up in the dining room. It was also my first time doing elastic. Fast forward about 2 1/2 hours & wallah!
I've got myself a great cowdee top for the next hillbilly knees-up! Yeeharr.
I was quite chuffed and well super excited. I quickly jumped into the hot rod (1996 Nissan Pathfinder) & zoomed to Spotlight. OMG OMG O.M.G. I could have gone crazzzzzyyyy. So many AMAZING fabrics.
I should have taken photos. I started getting a bit overwelmed so I quickly grabbed 2 fabrics to make another two of these tops. One is a navy & whitle polka dot & one is the most adorable white with strawberry print. *Squeals !*
I've already started on the polka dot one. It's going to be a bit fancy with some ric-rac.
Yep I've got the sewing buzzzzzz............

Cocktail Party Joan Holloway Style

Saturday night saw me brave the Centenary Highway & the Ipswich Motorway with the insane race car drivers doing about 150km/hr. Scary. I was headed to my sister in-law's 30th birthday cocktail party.

I decided to do more of a Sixties cocktail Mad Men attire.

Thankfully all I had to do was to hop online to YouTube & followed the instruction of the super stylin'
Super Kawaii Mama 

I followed the links to Mz Candice Deville's

How to create a Mad Men style - Joan Holloway inspired hair do.  

http://youtu.be/Xpa9Y-WWXmM

I think if my hair was a bit longer it would have looked a bit better but all in all I was happy with the result.

I donned my green cocktail frock & was ready. It was a wonderful night

The Jewel Yellow sparkles & Mojitos went down a treat indeed served up by my brother Jeffrey the sauve bar tender for the night.

I quite liked my hair & makeup done a bit different for a change.

Oh Mz Deville I'm ready for my close-up

xoxoxooxxo

Greazefest 2011 - Sunday

After opting out of wearing a frock (chaffing issues) I settled on a tea-timer 3/4 capri combo with ballet flats. All about the comfort. I had checked the BOM & saw that there was no rain on the radar so I found my parasol in the back of the cupboard & coated myself in factor 40 sunscreen.

We arrived around 11am. We did a quick stroll around the outer perimeter of cars & checked out some of the stalls. I'm not a fan of all the hair-bow, betty boop, polka dot Kustom Kulture stuff so there wasn't much of interest to me in the stalls. I did stop at Bernie Cowpunkabilly though & drooled over his AWESOME stock of vintage & repro western wear. Just gorgeous.
We also stopped at Kitty's Vintage Kitsch stand. She had incredible lucite handbags, cute ornaments & well... I could have just bought everything in her stall. I will definately we going to see her shop at Mt Tamborine as soon as possible.

As we wandered back toward the shade we stumbled across two of my favourite vintage muses. The adorable Mz Lisa from Atomic-Martini-Vintage and Mz Karie from The-Click-Clack-Lounge.

These may be two of my favourite people in the universe. Not only are they stylish within an inch of their lives but they are also funny as a fit and boy do they know how to party! I wanted to stay with them & partake in a few hundred UDLs of GTs but alas my duties called.

After about an hour of wandering outside I was starting to feel very hot & thirsty for a cool ale so we headed inside to the coolness of the indoor stage area.  As per last night, the drinking, chatting began with only slightly less groping. I got to see my friend Mel with my beautiful little girl Malena which was awesome.

The first band we got to see was Pat Capocci. He was fantastic & really high energy rockabilly. He was a definate hit with the dancers too.

It was then time for TBF & I to put on our Merch Wench hats for The Rechords. Mr Tyron's new band.

I may be biased but I reckon they were fan-friggin-tastic. I just love their harmonies & their hillbilly, western Swing sound. TBF & I enjoyed merching for them because we were out of the sun away from the crowds but in a prime stage viewing area! Score!

It was also great to catch up with the my fellow blogger in crime the gorgeous Sheri Bomb. I just LOVE LOVE reading her blog page & all of her hi-jinx.  http://www.sheribombs.blogspot.com/
She's really making a name for herself as an awesome writer/promoter. I was super impressed with her business card too.
I have named us Queens of the Blog Age. :)

After The Rechords, Rusty Pinto came on & gave another high energy fantastic set.

By this time it was nearly 5 o'clock & we were frankly dead on our feet. The two Fourex Golds were like a sleeping tablet. I STILL didn't get to have a dance OR see the car show.

THANK GOD I had put on my slow cooker with a yummo lamb & barley casserole so we didn't have to worry about cooking dinner!

We lapsed happily into a coma dreaming of vintage caravans, tattoos & strange stuffed weasel fox things.

 A BIG BIG CONGRATULATIONS AND WELL-DONE TO LORI LEE FOR ANOTHER AWESOME GREAZEFEST.



Greazefest 2011 - Saturday night.

Another awesome Greazefest done. I'm been hitting the Greazefest for too many years to count and am amazed at how big it has gotten. I remember when it was at the Fishbowl in Redcliffe & there was about 20 cars and 300 people. Now it's THOUSANDS of people & HUNDREDS of cars!

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After spending the day on Saturday ric-racking my skirt to wear TBF & I trundled off to the Rocklea Showgrounds for some Rockabilly tunes and good times.

Luckily as soon as we entered we found Brenton & Katrina & scored a good pozzy. As well as being super gorgeous these two are amazingly funny & well, just plain old nice. My sides were aching from their tales of the 'interesting' things that one of their dachshund dogs gets up to.

Oh the visuals!

TBF kept them company while I floozied it up with all the grouse people I haven't seen in forever.

I got to meet some new people as well when a beau-ti-ful young lady called Chelsea joined us. Again stunning and super funny. What I first noticed was her funky hair piece which had a mouse head on it!

It is from How Meow Jewellery.  

Chelsea had bought along two dates. Her boyfriend and Mr Foxy-Loxy.

Mr Foxy-Loxy was a bit hit with everybody and was a very handsome devil.

I also got to meet a lovely lass (who I can't remember her name) My friend Liz told me that I look just like her & we could be sisters!  We both have big blue eyes & blonde hair so I guess we look a bit alike.

In amongst the chatting, laughing, drinking & groping we did get to hear some great music. I really loved Scotty Baker's set. Handsome lovely friendly fella who is also awesome on the guitar & singing.

The band after Scotty (I didn't catch their name) I didn't really like. They weren't rockabilly and were more pub rock. So I tuned out while they were on & focused on more drinking & groping.

I also just liked sitting down & crowed watching. There were some absolutely AMAZING vintage frocks on display not to mention alot of guys wearing my favourite brand of men's shirt - Sun Surf.

Last up was James Intveld. James is more of a country sound than rockabilly which I don't mind at all.

I saw him play about 8 years ago in a little pub in Austin Tx. He was great then & is still good now.

His is also a mega spunk. DJ Ray grabbed me for my only dance of the night. We lindy-hopped which made me super happy BUT I hadn't done the swirl test on my skirt & on my first spin it twirled up around my ears almost flashing the crowd with my highly unattractive knee-length gut-sucker-inerer undies. Oh the horror!

At around midnight, TBF & I agreed it was time to hit the road for the hour long journey back to The Cliff.

It was a great night with fantasic people. 

I'm very fortunate that I have such cool lovely and down-right funny friends.