My life as a fairy-tale

Images from: 1. Olivia Malone 2. Olivia Malone 3. Romantics 4. Girl Meets NYC 5. crazyfor-you

Merry Christmas everyone! I'm so very excited, because I was lucky enough to receive something I have been craving all year: an overlocker!!! I can't wait to set it up, I can finally lay double-turn hemming every single peice of material to rest.

I've been really inspired by these photos to attempt to make a cape this week. I'm not sure if I want to make it a complete costume peice, or attempt something actually wearable. I have a couple of vintage patterns I was thinking of altering, and I was thinking perhaps a short elbow length hooded cape with front-fastenings to wear over dresses?

Image from: imdb

Where The Wild Things Are has also inspired me to make a cape similar to Max's wolf-suit, in long white and grey patterned fur, with a hood and perhaps some kind of animal ears. My only problem is I'm a little worried about transferring this idea into any kind of wearable garment. But I'm really excited to attempt bringing the cape into my normal wardrobe (despite the fact that its summer and absolutely boiling here in Melbourne), or making it for my next costume party!

Let me know about your lovely Christmas presents or sewing ideas!

xS

Patrick Wolf

Photo from Patrick Wolf Official Site

Ok... so its two in the morning but I cant sleep at all. The reason? I have just (as of an hour ago) come from Patrick Wolf's Melbourne gig at Prince Bandroom as part of his Bachelor tour. And it may actually be the best gig I've been to. EVER. Words cant describe the high I am on right now. Its probably futile to try and convey it through blogging but I need an outlet otherwise I will explode from how incredibly happy I am.

I've loved Patrick Wolf for years. When I heard he was on the line up for Meredith, and I missed out on buying tickets, I was shattered. So I had to make sure I had tickets for his Bachelor tour. But tonight was so amazing I don't think his Meredith performance could have topped it.

Patrick was supported by Jessica Says, who were nice enough in their own way, but didn't do enough for me to heighten the mood. But this was probably because, due to several things that happened today, I was in a terrible mood. But then Patrick came onstage. And I don't think I've been so immediately drawn to a performer as I was to him. And as you can see, he completely turned my night around.

I was lucky enough to have a place saved for me at the front, centre stage, right in front of the microphone. Patrick was literally a couple of centimetres in front of me. Which meant the performance was doubly intense (and also meant audience participation... I held his hand twice... obscure music groupie that I am).

Patrick abandoned his set list during the show, telling us he would play until curfew or as long as we were willing to stay. He seemed genuinely surprised at the end when the bandroom was still packed. There is something in the way he speaks, a kind of shyness, which is incredibly endearing and really helps the audience to connect with him.

I really don't need to explain how amazing the actual music was. This should be self evident.

Patrick had three costume changes, which itself is incredible for a fairly small bandroom gig. Just the idea of going to a Patrick Wolf concert got me so excited I dressed up as well, and I'll outfit post tomorrow.

Anyway, I really don't know what to say. Only that I am definitely planning on going to his Aussie gig next year AND hopefully attempt to see him when I'm in London. He has already made my Christmas Break.

xS

baking baking baking

I believe that this warrants a post, because, yesterday, for the first time in about a year, I actually baked something!! Those of you who know me know that cooking is basically the bane of my existence. The idea of having to cook something every day for the rest of my life actually makes me want to curl up under my bed covers and hide from the world. Unlike me, fortunately, my sister is a cooking addict. So yesterday, she got in a cooking mood, and I was hating the idea of cooking less than usual, and we baked up a storm!

As you can see from the Polaroids, we made pink cupcakes (so so much food dye), and gingerbread cookies, and best of all, a GINGERBREAD HOUSE!!! From scratch! We adapted a gingerbread man recipe and I made the plans for the house and we baked it all and hoped it would work. I like to think my architectural skills are quite commendable.

The house took us all day though. We tripled the original recipe, so you can imagine how much gingerbread we had.

Oh goodness... the butter... we used an entire tub and a half.

But look how pretty it is! Complete with a paved roof, icicles, and flowers and mushrooms growing in the snow outside.

Its too beautiful to eat.

When I have time, have to take some photos of my most recent op-shop purchases (a new Salvos has opened near my house!). But for now, I think I'm just going to admire my gingerbread creation.

xS

Trish Hunter Finds

Yes lovelies, I know its been months and months and months since I last posted anything, but I had to quickly share this super awesome link with you.

I discovered this blog through a fateful article around logies time in the mX (sorry to any non-Aussies who wont understand the references), and it has since become one of my favourite distractions. This girl NEVER stops vintage shopping!!!

Now, Trish Hunter Finds is celebrating the opening of her new online store, filled with lots and lots of reasonably priced vintage goodness (theres a tooled handbag there I particularly have my eye on). You can visit here:



Please visit and give her lots of love, or at least gasp over the amount of things she seems to find on a daily basis.

Now that she's stimulated me to start blogging again, I may have to post some photos of some of my favourite op-shop and market treasures from the last couple of months. Stay tuned!

xS

Rug up and be happy

Hello again loves! Again, I have to apologise about my self-enforced hiatus over the last month, but exams end next week, so hopefully you will be hearing a lot more from me then! I had forced myself not to blog until the end of the exam period, just as I’ve attempted to barricade myself inside the house for the past month, but alas, both of these turned out to be impossible. And being inside the house so long has basically made me a facebook addict, so decided that blogging wouldn’t be so bad either!

Anyway, there’s something about winter, whether it be the cold, the rain, the greenhouse junkie heating or the inability to leave the house most days of the week (which is great if you need to study!) that makes me want to start on some cosy craft project. Every winter I take up knitting again (despite the fact that I can only ever make scarfs and gloves), only to abandon it in the spring. I never seem to have the attention span, or the talent, for long or detailed projects. But if you’re like me, are looking for am easy craft project this winter that doesn’t involve pearling, or are simply cold, slightly poor and in the mood to recycle, this next project should keep you happy!

Ever chucked a woollen jumper in the wash only to discover its shrunk so small you can’t even fit it onto your cat (if you were in the mood to try)? I made these lovely mittens last winter from a jumper that had sadly undergone that transformation. You can also make these by felting a woollen jumper from an op-shop. And best of all, they’re oh so simple to make!

Felted Mittens

You will need:
- An old, shrunken or op shopped jumper (make sure its 100% wool, synthetics wont felt)
- Paper, scissors, pens, pins, needles and thread


Step 1: If your jumper is not pre-shrunk, washing it on a high heat setting should do the trick. You will need to felt it so that the wool will not unravel on cutting. To do this, the jumper should be about half the size after washing. You may need to wash it more than once for this to happen. To test the material, make a cut somewhere on the jumped and test for fraying. If it starts to fray, you may need another wash.

Step 2: Trace around your hands on a piece of paper, leaving about a centimetre around the edge. You will only need one template for each hand, as your jumper has two sides. Cut out both templates.

Step 3: Lay the jumper down in front of you. Using the templates, work out where you are going to cut the mittens from. For mine, I lined the templates up along the bottom edge of the jumper. This way, the pattern around the bottom edge became the wrists of my mittens!

Step 4: Pin the templates to the jumper, making sure you pin right through the front and back of the jumper. As your jumper has a front and back, each template will produce both sides of the mitten.

Step 5: Cut around the templates, then sew around the edges. I hand sewed a running stitch which I left on the outside of the mittens (I think it looks cute like that), but you may like the use a machine or a different stitch. As the wool has been felted you may need a larger needle, as it can sometimes be difficult to cut or sew through.

Try them on, and you’re done!! The only downside to this project is any wasted water if you have to shrink the jumper yourself. Luckily, mine was pre-ruined.

I hope that made sense! If you’re confused, shoot me a comment, and I’ll try my best to help. Otherwise, I’m sure some talented person on the web has thought of this before me, so Google should do the trick.

Hopefully I shall talk to you soon! Stay warm!

xS

These are a few of my favourite things

I'm so sorry I haven't posted in so long lovelies, but work is really getting the better of me. With exams fast approaching I barely have time to breathe! But while I procrastinate over my next writing folio (which I've been doing since the Easter break... its due Monday and I've barely started!) I just had to show you some of the high points of April! My favourite finds of last month! I hope you'll love them as much as I do.



I bought this lovely dress from an op shop for $15. It was a little pricey for me as far as op shops go, and I had to alter it a fair bit (which I think may have been a mistake... I think I took it up too high), but I love it ever so much! The material is so cute! It also looks lovely as a blouse under a high waisted skirt, and I've worn in to work like that a couple of times. I've been aching to wear it more but its been so cold lately...

I found this jumper a couple of weeks ago in some of my grandma's old clothes and I'm utterly obsessed with it. When I showed it to my sister however, she looked at me incredulously and asked, 'Don't you think you're getting a bit too kitsch?'. So I was fairly worried about wearing it out, but when I took it cautiously to uni last week I got a lot of compliments. Some of them may have been sarcastic... but I'm taking them as compliments. I'm so happy to have found it just in time for winter, even if it as a little confusing (see that leopard print on the shoulders? Thats vinyl! On black velvet!).

And lastly, my fabulous skates! (I'm getting better!)

But now, I should probably go back to writing my stupid story... Thanks for all your comments on my poem by the way! I submitted it with another I wrote later which I think works much better (I'm actually kind of proud of it) and I did really well. As well as I could wish for!

xS

Roller Baby

1. weheartit.com 2. Eleanor Hardwicke via weheartit.com

Whenever you have somewhere to go, an empty road, or a temptingly smooth stretch of footpath ahead of you, don't you just wish you had wheels on the bottoms of your shoes, so you could just fly down?

I bought my first pair of roller skates yesterday, from a lovely little second hand store I had never noticed before, and I'm so incredibly excited. I had been pining after such a gratuitous perchase for almost a year, and scouring op shops for relatively inexpensive pairs, but to no avail. I had nearly given up, but these lovelies were just sitting hidden in a corner of the shop, begging me to take them home.

For some reason, roller skates have always reminded me of the Baby-Sitters Club, which my mother never let me read as a kid, and which, thanks to a lovely article in Frankie, I first read on holiday in January, so these last couple of months have been rife with 90's themed discoveries (a decade I generally hate). I spent most of the afternoon today attempting to skate (which is suprisingly difficult), mostly clinging pathetically to the arm of my company. I think he was pretty fed up by the end of it, but it was a lovely day, and all in all we had a lot of fun.

The skates arent your traditional red-and-white-boot type, but are designed to strap onto the bottom of your shoes... so I can take a chance and wear them with flats... or pop them in my bag for the next beautiful open stretch.,..

xS

PS. I'm so sorry I havent updated in so long, I've been so terribly busy, I promise to update more often now I have some more time on my hands.

PPS Happy Easter for Sunday!

Poetry?

'Hide and Seek' by Sarah Hermans

This is something I wrote this morning when I woke up... Its a memory that has been sticking in my mind a fair bit this weekend, and originally I just wrote it down quickly so I wouldn't forget. But when I looked at it this afternoon it seemed to have some sort of rhythm, so, without changing the actual wording, I decided to experiment and see if I could make it a poem. What I want to know is, do you think this is poetry?

.

The Lady Died

Two o’clock that afternoon or perhaps

Two twenty five we played with an old Instamatic

In a man-made Eden surrounded by pavement.

You were Buttercup and a score of Enid

Blyton heroes I was

Jennifer Connelly searching for her brother

Before we realised how inappropriate Jareth was.

Nineties children with an eighties childhood.

A thousand pictures made only with air.

.

The day we drove in and heard the news on

The radio a five year old is caught up in fantasy

But not politically unaware

I hadn’t heard of her until then but

everybody knew.

And next to the slide that was

An entrance to an underground tunnel

A boy told me she had deserved it

Because her name was Di.

My parents made sure I

Never drove without a seatbelt and

I saw my first picture of her

In newsprint that afternoon I read

Sleeping Beauty and she became

Another fairytale.

A real life simple princess.

Unmarred by the unknowns of

Paparazzi and adultery.

Unhappy with palace life because

She had to leave the curtains

Partly open.

The next biggest news to hit the classroom

Was the breakup of the Spice Girls.

___

If not, what could make it a poem?

This weekend also marks the closure of a fair amount of festivals and shows I have been holding out to see, but unfortunately I have been stuck inside revising for mid-semester testing. Last weekend I managed to make the Linden Postcard Show before it closed this week. It made me wish I was not so incredibly broke at the moment.

xS

Inspiration

originally uploaded by margaret durow.

My assessment date is looming and I am in desperate need of inspiration to complete my poetry folio. Everything I've been writing recently feels so derivative....

I am currently listening to a super new (or rather... new for me) album I purchased especially for inspiration, and have tried abstaining from technology, becoming a recluse, and hiding away in dappled, tree-filled corners, but so far my actions have been in vain.

I would be very greatful if anyone could provide me with some inspiration, or share some advice on how to catch some, pin it down, and make it spill its elusive secrets.

xS

Tagged!

Today, I have been tagged my the georgeous Anna of vintageveggie, which is really quite exciting, especially since I was just running out of ways to put off my research task...

I have to find:

1 picture
1 poem
1 song or piece of music
1 phrase of quote
1 item of clothing
1 place
1 disney princess

And then tag 6 more lovely people! So here we go!

Picture:


Cally Orange Chair by Perth photographer Lloyd Hughes, also found on deviantart. I have a polaroid obsession and this picture is one of my favourites.

Poem

I have to find a poem for uni as well... but before I'm tempted to quote some modern free verse, I think I'll share with you one of my favourite poems from childhood. Its To Autumn, by Keats, and I discovered it in the very first poetry anthology I owned, an extraordinarily battered, probably fifth-hand collection for 6-15 year olds. It was my introduction to Keats and I still have it, though the binding's fallen off.

You can read the entire poem here.

Song

Brazillian Sun by Cocorosie. I always put on Cocorosie or Sigur Ros when I'm in a creative mood. They continuously inspire me. Brazillian Sun has nearly no lyrics, but Cocorosie's writing is also amazing and slightly scary. They're lyrics have so many levels you have to listen to them at least three times while they lead you through the difficult labyrinth they have constructed.

Phrase or Quote

'Illusion is the first of all pleasures' - Voltaire

Item of Clothing

Lets just say Cassie's entire wardrobe in Skins...can I make that one item? I covet it all! Specifically her amazing dress from the first episode, and her sailor outfit. I also love the shoes in the Lloyd Hughes photograph as well... (photographs from here)

Place

Pere Lachaise cemetry in Paris. Moliere, Heloise and Abelard, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde are all buried there, among many others. I've always wanted to spend a day there...

And finally...

Disney Princess

Sleeping Beauty...

And I tag: Darjeeling Dreams, Here Comes the Sun, Candy Hearts, naturally nina, the tea drinking english rose and all of my dreams they fall like rain

Phew! Thats a lot of tags!

xS

As long as we have dreams

Photos by Sarah Hermans

This weekend has been so grey and rainy all the happiness seems to have been washed away in the downpour. I've spent most of my spare time traipsing around the extemily wet city in my winter clothes (only recently uncovered from their burial place at the back of my closet), trying to get my spirits up despite the colourlessness and the ill-fortune it seems to bring.

I blame the rain for:

- Making my sewing machine skitz when I was hurriedly trying to alter one of my warm skirts before leaving the house today.

- Filling up my shoes with water as soon as I stepped out into the open (they're so overworn there are holes in the soles).

- The seven years bad luck I have garnered after stepping on, and shattering, a full-length mirror on Saturday night.

All I want to do is curl up in the warmth and safety of my bed and listen to the rain beat against the roof. I love the fuzzy feeling you get when sheltering from a storm. It reminds me of the magic and security of childhood blanket cubby-houses and pillow fortresses.

The lovely Sarah Hermans' photos take me back to just those memories. Don't they just make you want to hide from the rest of the world under your doona?

I think I'll go and do that now! Theres a lovely Pride and Prejudice show on tonight I could forget myself in...

xS

Today

, originally uploaded by fishing guilligan.

Today I watched a dog escape from its owner and chase my train until it became a black spot on the horizon.

Today I read three zines, none of which inspired me, but gave me a new idea on how to use the office photocopier (which hates me).

Today I considered changing my name to Esther (only for a moment).

Today I ate a bowl of ice-cream and drank two cups of coffee simply to have a reason not to leave a busy cafe.

Today I found myself at an unknown train-station, and had a fleeting moment of Fight Club-esque confusion; was I asleep?

xS

Please don't erase this, the rain will do it for you

'It's raining women's voices as if they were dead even in memory,

It's raining you as well, marvelous encounters of my life
Oh little drops, those rearing couds begin to neigh a universe of auricular cities

Listen to the rain while regret and distain weep to an ancient music

Listen to the fetters falling that bind you above and below.'

Guillaume Appolinaire - It Rains, Il Pleut

Images: 1. weheartit.com 2. weheartit.com
3. micmojo 4. weheartit.com

This poem is so lovely it takes my breath away, even in its english translation. To really appreciate it you must see it the way it was originally written. Its a very early peice of concrete poetry, and on the page is almost seems as if the words were droplets of rain, streaming down a window in the middle of a shower.

If anyone knows a better translation I would love to hear it. I copied this one down into my diary a while ago and only came across it again yesterday, so I don't know whose translation it was.

I have to admit, I'm getting quite addicted to blogging. Everytime I discover something beautiful I have to put it up here. I'm already getting behind in uni so I think I might have to tone it down a little.

xS

For the record, today's weather is sunny with occasional lusts after lace

Images from here, weheartit.com and here respectively

For the record, today's weather is sunny with occasional lusts after lace.

I'm beginning to become obsessed with lace. I have so many cuttings in my room. Its so lovely and magical and makes me feel as if I live in a period novel.

Yesterday on my way back to my friend's house we discovered a tree wrapped in doilies tied together with string, so all the branches were completely covered in lace. We looked quite the fool climbing up to get a better look.

The rest of the day was filled with picnics in the park and ice-cream on top of scaffolding, looking over the city.

I hope your weekend was as lovely!

xS

PS. I just finished reading Diary; A Novel by the amazing Chuck Palahniuk (the author of Fight Club. If you haven't read it, pick it up now. Its disturbing but so well written). His structure is incredible. His writing style influenced the title of my post, although my content is far happier than what fills his novels.

Get Shaky

DREAMANDAWAKE.com, originally uploaded by Roberto Rubalcava.

About twenty minutes ago my house completely shook. From what I can tell an earth tremor lasting a couple of seconds went through Metropolitan Melbourne. It was so surreal. I've never felt the earth move before. And in Melbourne. I thought I was imagining it.

From what I've heard I don't think there has been any damage. But its only been about half an hour and to tell you the truth I haven't heard very much. I just thought I should let you know. :)

In other news, I just finished my first week of uni and I'm completely exhausted! I've also decided to force myself to write a short story or creative writing task a week to keep me motivated. I finished my first just before the tremor.

Anyone else in Melbourne feel it?

xS

EDIT: According to this US survey, the tremor measured 4.7 on the Richter scale.

Marie, Marie

Found here

I just finished Annie Leibovitz: At Work today, and I just had to share this photo I hadn't seen before. It was part of Kirsten Dunst's Marie Antoinette shoot, but the dress absolutely takes my breath away. Isn't it amazing? You may need to view a larger size to get the full effect. I also had to crop it a tad. I hate cropping photos, but it was so wide shrinking it anymore lost a lot of the lovely detail. View it from its source. And view it large.

Today I was forced to leave work early due to the storm warning. The weather doesn't seem too bad, though there is something menacing about the light. Kirsten Dunst's dress reminds me of it.

xS

Topsy Turvy - continued...

Just thought I should share with you one of my favourite purchases of yesterday. They were so lovely and only ten dollars! (You may need to click to get a better look, on my computer this view seems very pixelated)

And yes, my grass is very very brown. Its the fault of the heatwave. And Melbourne's water restrictions. Except we never look after the lawn anyway, so they didnt really make any difference.

I've also been working super super hard these holidays at making all kinds of beautiful things for my first collection, She said she'd drain my heart. Today I decided to share some of them with the world. Each piece is made of upcycled bits and pieces designed to breathe life into forgotten objects in a new context. Each also has a little (often dark) story behind it. So, soon they should be available on etsy! Here's a little peek at some of them (sorry about the poor photo quality). I hope you like! Promise you wont tell?

Topsy Turvy

Originally from here

I had the loveliest day today, filled with so much magical shopping wonderful-ness I thought I should share it with all of your before hopping off to bed.

Even though there were things to taint it (ie, my friend completely cancelling on me in favour of sleep, and the incredibly annoying couple on the train who kept giggling and pinching each others faces (I dont get it either...)) today was on the whole filled with so much good luck I simply had to spend all my savings to keep it.

In need of some retail therapy today, my friend and I found a hidden garage sale tucked into a laneway, which was a veritable treasure trove of vintage and retro clothes. And all so cheap it was a steal! Everything there was under ten dollars, those people must have been crazy. I bought so much my shopping bags broke on the way home!

We hit another sale before that too, so all up I bought two pairs of jeans, a lovely black jacket, a top, a dress and a fantastic pair of shoes for $120 all up!

Plus, I finished my Frankie and hoarded the latest issues of Attitude and Vice, which I had not seen such a long time.

Crazy!

I may even need some photos to show you the awesomeness. But for now, I'm going to bed. Maybe tomorrow...

I hope you all had as lovely a day as I did.

xS

Here we go again

, originally uploaded by crunchylashes.

Burnt silver brushed lavender offspring
Sprung from me when first we kissed
You held me quietly a rush purged me of my past
Opened a desert of diamonds vast
Glinting and a tiny chorus of swallows
Swing open the door freed the caged bees and wallows
Swarm geometric patterns on the sun
Eclipse new moon
And tell my werewolf not to run
I tell my werewolf not to run
- Cocorosie, Promise

I start uni next week (like a lot of you Aussies) and I'm absolutely dreading getting back into routine after three months of socialising, reading, crafting and continuous midday coffee catch-ups. I'm so behind, I haven't even bought the absolute truckload of books on my booklist this year.

I think a 7am wake-up might just kill me.

In other news, I am absolutely taken by this lovely sparrow necklace by etsy seller MDsparks. What a beautiful idea!

I want one for my own so terribly!

xS

Heloise and Abelard; the power of letters

“…we are much fonder of the pictures of those we love when they are at a great distance than when they are near us. It seems to me as if the farther they are removed their pictures grow the more finished, and acquire a greater resemblance; or least our imagination, which perpetually figures them to us by the desire we have of seeing them again, makes us think so.


… If a picture, which is but a mute representation of an object, can give such pleasure, what cannot letters inspire?

They have souls;


They can speak


they have in them all that force which expresses the transports of the heart;

they have all the fire of our passions, they can raise them as much as if the person themselves were present;

they have all the tenderness and the delicacy of speech,

and sometimes even a boldness of expression beyond it."

As promised.

Photos are from here, here, here and here. I am so enamoured with all of these photographers. My flickr favourites are filled with them.

I love the art of letter writing with a passion, and I miss it the romance and artistry of constructing something so beautiful out of the written word. This weekend my best friend and I explored a beautiful forgotten little stationary shop in a laneway in the city, and I almost blew my weeks pay buying supplies. There is something so fullfilling in writing a letter; in paper and ink and envelopes stuffed with secrets.

You can read more of H&A's love letters here.

xS

firefly

firefly, originally uploaded by mariehochhaus.

'My tears, which I could not refrain, have blotted half your letter; I wish they had effaced the whole, and that I had returned it to you in that condition; I should then have been satisfied with the little time I kept it; but it was demanded of me too soon.'
- Heloise

My best friend is angry at me and I don't know why. We haven't spoken in three days, which may not seem like an incredible amount of time, but for us it is.

I don't fight with people. So I don't know what to do. I can never manage to be angry at anyone for very long. Grudges are beyond me.

Everytime I think about it I feel like taking some kind of action to end the rift, but as I've done nothing I don't know how I can. I can only wait until he perceives his own absurdity.

The quote is from one of the letters between the famous lovers, Heloise and Abelard, whose tragic romance has always inspired me. Their story has a place in the hearts of many others, including, I beleive, Charlie Kaufman, who has included references to the pair in his screenplays to both 'Being John Malkovich' and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (the name itself taken from the Alexander Pope poem 'Eloisa to Abelard', about the tragedy of their seperation).

Heloise's letters are beautiful, and I think that, to keep me busy, my next post will be inspired by them.

xS