Finding Happiness Through Self Love

Dear Readers,

I interrupt the usual broadcast for something completely different. Self Love. For a while now it's been something on my mind which I wanted to talk to you about because it has become really very important to me. Erich Fromm who was a psychologist and philosopher, amongst other things, explains self love very well as encompassing caring, respecting and taking responsibility for yourself.

For me I have only recently become aware of self love as a concept and it really came at a time when I needed it most. Things haven't been easy for a while and there have been a lot of stressful events in my life. I historically have found stress incredibly difficult to cope with and have coped with it, well, by not coping with it. I have retreated and refused to engage and I feel I have therefore weakened my defences by taking the easy way out. Being aware of this trait within myself I got to a point where I realised that crying and saying "I can't cope" was a sure fire way of not coping and not even trying to so suddenly I decided to change my mindset to "I can cope". I wanted to find ways to make "I can cope" a reality and knew that I couldn't change the stressful events in my life so looked to the other areas where I did have some choice and control.

As a coincidence at the same time as this change in mindset was going on I felt an urge to look into my spirituality and beliefs as due to other events I was interested to find a name and belonging to the way I felt. I stumbled upon Kelly-Ann Maddox's blog The Four Queens and in particular her Self Love Manifesto post and suddenly dots began to join.

For me self love is about being kind to yourself and treating yourself how you would treat a friend so for example when you do something you think of as being wrong instead of saying to yourself "you idiot, why did you do that?!" you would say something supportive and positive. Things still happen that upset me or stress me out but I have decided that I value my health and happiness more than to allow these things to affect me in a negative way so when they do happen I often say to myself "I'm not going to let this get to me; I am worth more than that" and gradually by saying it to myself I am starting to believe. There are still times when naturally things do upset me bit overall I must say that I am already much happier and others have noticed this in me too.

So how does this relate to vintage folks? Well I feel it does in a tenuous way. Vintage has definitely helped me to accept my body, size and shape as I feel there is a great culture of body acceptance within vintage which is something I want to talk about in more depth later on. Wearing vintage also helps me to outwardly express my inner self and when there is no conflict between my outward and inner self it makes me feel so happy. My personal view of my blog has evolved and now I see it as being more of a record of the things and events in my life which make me happy including, but not limited to, vintage.

What are your thoughts on self love? Is it something you have heard of before? What do you do to show yourself a little bit of love? I'm always looking for new ideas to add to my list so that when I've had a bad day I can treat myself with a little kindness.

ttfn!

February Sewing Project 2015

Dear Readers,

For my February sewing project I cheated again and made the full, gathered skirt from Gertie's Blog For Better Sewing. I have wanted a skirt like this for such a long time and suddenly inspiration took me when I saw it again on Pinterest and I was reminded of how much I wanted one. I had a free weekend and some fabric in my stash so there really was only one thing for it!

I'm so pleased with the finished product and feel my sewing skills have really come on leaps and bounds just by following the instructions. A novel idea, I know! I'm most proud of how well the gathering turned out as I sought advice from my Auntie Margaret ages ago about it. On the previous skirt I made I just sort of made it up as I went along and the gathers were very uneven. This time around I remembered to make two rows of running stitches, not one, and I also put pins in at the half and quarter way points so I could match these up to ensure an even amount of fabric all the way along. 

There is more fabric in the skirt than was called for as when I came to cut it out I realised the width of my fabric was only a few more inches than the pattern so I didn't bother cutting it and just used it all. I feel that these extra inches have made a difference and my skirt is extremely full. That said I absolutely love it and it's the first sewing project I have made on my own and I have worn it repeatedly and confidently. I love it in black because then I feel comfortable wearing it to work but I have also dressed it up with my beloved Sophia wedges for a night out. Versatile is this skirt's middle name and I have also worn it with tights, a t-shirt and converse for a relaxed and comfy weekend look.

I'm wearing my "me made" skirt with a Bardot top from Primark and and my Sophia wedges from Rocket Originals. What do you think folks? Have you got any projects in the pipeline? Perhaps you have made this skirt too from Gertie's blog? I'd love to hear from you, drop me a line!

ttfn!

January Sewing Project 2015

Dear Readers,

At the beginning of the year I decided that I would make one dress per month as a sewing challenge to myself. We are now in March and although I have kept up with the challenge of sewing one thing every month I have bent the rules to make it one garment, not just a dress. I realised that jumping up and sewing a dress when I had very little experience in dress making was probably a recipe for stress and tantrums.

So my first project was something I have made once before and that's a pencil skirt. I really wanted a black pencil skirt that I could wear with anything and everything and that will have a vintage feel when I am in the office. While I am so extremely proud of myself for having made the skirt and make it to the highest finish I have ever managed to achieve I still don't feel like it's really what I was looking for. I think this is a combination of two things. Firstly due to my inexperience I think I chose a fabric which wasn't totally right for a pencil skirt. Plus even though I measured myself and cut my pattern out to the measurements my final garment was still pretty baggy on me and did not evoke the wiggle skirts that beautiful ladies from the fifties wore.

In fact I feel rather frumpy in it. Because of this reason I have decided to alter it to fit me and then take it apart so that I can use that as my pattern when making pencil skirts in the future. I am sad that after all of that work I will be taking my skirt apart but I love pencil skirts so if it means that I will have some more garments that I will actually wear and feel good in then I think it is worth it.

However, I am not deterred and plan on making many more pencil skirts in the future until I perfect it and get that ever so wiggley fit I desire. I already have plans to make the skirt in a teal colour and will hopefully make the capris trousers from the same pattern later this month.

Are any of you out there seamstresses? Have you had similar experiences with patterns? I would love to find out your experiences in sewing.

ttfn!

Post Script.
Skirt pattern - Simplicity 4047
Fabric - Fabric Corner, Lincoln
Jumper - Primark
Shoes - Clarkes
Earrings - Twinwood Festival

Sophia Shoes from Rocket Originals

Dear Readers,

I have been dreaming about the Sophia wedges from Rocket Originals for some time and last month I decided to treat myself so I bought them. At £80 it was a pretty big spend for me but they were so worth it. They really are so well made and the workmanship on them definitely justifies the cost. I'm still in winter mode so wearing thick black tights all the time and you know I think they look really cute together. The black underneath the white leather really shows up the cut outs. They are a bit higher than I am generally used to so I've got a good totter going on when I walk. I'm still breaking them in but I have a feeling that once I'm used to them they are going to be so comfortable.

What do you think? I already have my eye on another pair; I think this could be the start of a very beautiful friendship. And by beautiful I mean expensive. And by friendship I mean addiction!

ttfn!

My Birthday - Dreaming Of Kate

Dear Readers,

I think I have mentioned this before but I am a massive Kate Bush fan! I think she's just wonderful and I listened to her a lot in my late teens. When she did her live performances I was gutted that I wasn't able to get tickets as I was at work when the tickets went on sale and they sold really quickly; I also couldn't afford it at the time. On our way walking past the Lincoln Theatre Royal a few weeks ago I noticed that there was a Kate Bush tribute performance playing there the weekend before my birthday. I was very excited about this and pestered Indi until he bought me tickets for my birthday!

It was such a wonderful show and they did so well in capturing everything I love about Kate. There was about a million costume changes and the singer must be one fit and healthy lady because she didn't stop dancing all the way through. She also had Kate's mannerisms down to a fine art! They played all of the songs I love and when they started playing Running Up That Hill there was a little hiss of excitement from me and a few others I was sat near. As we age our voices change and the range we can achieve changes too. I was told that when Kate Bush did her live performances that she didn't sing the classic songs like Wuthering Heights. So going to see a tribute act means that you get to see these songs you love performed live and done to a very high standard. I also like that you can meet the performers afterwards as the are always in the lobby when you leave the theatre. More places should do this and then I won't have to stand outside in the cold for ages!!

Anyway it was a wonderful evening and I loved dressing up "Kate Bush inspired" in a very romantic blouse and tousled hair. This wasn't the end of my birthday fun though as the following weekend Indi had also booked a table for us and my parents at one of my favourite places, The Iron Horse Ranch House. It was a great evening but unfortunately I didn't get any photos as I was too busy having fun!

How do you like to celebrate your birthday? Is it a quiet affair or a big bash? I like to do smaller things rather than have a big party but I do enjoy getting my money's worth and it was great having three birthdays this year!

ttfn!

My Birthday - JD McPherson

Dear Readers,

It's my birthday tomorrow! It's very exciting, not because it's a particularly special birthday, but because I just like it. I don't mind getting older but it does freak me out a bit when I look back at how long ago it was since I left school. Since my birthday has fallen midweek I have done the only sensible thing and had celebrations on both the weekend before and the weekend after. Well to be precise I am doing a grand total of three things for my birthday this year, just because I can!

On Thursday I went to visit my sister, Jessica, in London as I tend not to get to see her for my birthday. We had arranged to goo and see JD McPherson too and my present from my Mum was my train fares so it was a nice little low cost trip. I have been wanting to see JD McPherson for over a year now, since the last time he toured England, so jumped at the chance of both visiting my sister and seeing him play at the same time. It was actually my Mum who first suggested his music to me and the rhythm and blues / rock and roll feel to his music does not disappoint. What I really love about it is the the kind of mutant blues under current there is to his music and I also feel that it is not too niche that it discourages a wide range of people from enjoying his style; in fact at the gig there was a really wide range of folks there.

Recently I have lost a little bit of weight, though I don't know why because I haven't been trying. But it's nice all the same as I am now able to wear some things in my wardrobe that haven't properly fitted me for a while. I was really pleased with my outfit which I wore both to travel down to London and also to see JD McPherson. The blouse was given to me by a friend and even though it didn't fit me very well I couldn't bear to let go of it as the print and style is so pretty. In fact I like it so much that when I saw a dress on ebay in the same print and style I had to snap it up! So I'm so happy to be able to wear it again and really pleased I didn't get rid of it when it didn't fit me. There are benefits to being such a hoarder!

Blouse - from a friend but originally H&M

Jeans - Freddies of Pinewood

Cardigan - New Look

Pumps - New Look

And finally I just had to include this picture because, you know, my milkshake brings all the cats to the yard, and they're like... "I'm lactose intolerant, why would you do this to me?"

ttfn

Woodhall Spa in the Winter Sun

Dear Readers,

We didn't really have much planned for this weekend and had thought we would get those jobs done that we have been putting off such as giving the car a little service and tidying the front of the house up. When we woke up this morning the sun was streaming in through the window and I knew I had to do more than odd jobs today or it would feel like such a waste. We decided to pop over to Woodhall Spa as is our go to option for Sunday outings and we visit regularly. It's such a pretty place to have a stroll around and even though it's a small town there's still a number of nice little shops and places to look around.

We decided to head over to the Petwood Hotel as we have it in mind as a venue for the wedding. There was a large marque erected to the side of the building which we assumed must have been put up for a wedding or other event. In the shade it was so cold yet when standing in the sun if felt almost like a spring day and the Petwood hotel looked beautiful in the bright, clear light.

If you follow my Twitter you may have noticed that I have been watching Father Brown lately on BBC1 and I think it has been influencing my style. My dress was recently bought from a company called Lady Vintage and at only £15 it pretty much had to be bought. The fabric is a little thin but it's better with a slip underneath and even though it is probably more of a summer dress I'm really enjoying wearing something more colourful than just black or grey. I wore it with some thicker tights and my little pumps to try and be a little warmer. My cardigan was a bargain too from British Hearts Foundation only yesterday.

From the Petwood we walked to the High Street and I particularly wanted to visit a book shop. It's called The Book Fayre and as you walk in you are greeted by the smell of printed paper and fresh coffee. There are large windows all along the front so thee place feels bright and spacious even though they have managed to get so much in there. It's a cafe as well as book shop and also stocks a lot of really nice gift items too. As you walk through there's a decent range of new books to browse and also tables dotted to sit with your coffee. Through the back is my favourite part though; a second hand book treasure trove. Every time I have been there I have found something I just had to buy like the collection of Marguerite Pattern war time cookery books and the vintage needlework book. This time I got my hot little hands on the Wartime Farm book in hardback and very good condition. I love the Wartime Farm series and last Christmas I even made the Mock Turkey recipe that was shown on the show only I adapted it to make it vegetarian.

From the Book Fayre we popped next door to have some lunch at the Lancaster Inn. We decided to sit in the front to eat as in there too it was bright and airy. Lunch was lovely and the service was really friendly too so I'm sure we will be heading back there at some point. After lunch we were too full for dessert which was a shame as there were some very tempting but we still needed something sweet so we stopped off at the sweet shop before heading home. What have you done with your Sunday? Was it action packed or nice and relaxed? Whatever you have done today I hope you had a lovely time.

ttfn