Copycat - scarf pose

Another Copycat pose for the weekend, I chose this photo because my hair style is similar - mine is real, I have a feeling hers is a wig - watcha think?

Now I don't have a fat neck but this girls neck is as skinny as her arm! 

Don't get me started on how bendy her finger is. It was a hard slog to get the fingers in the right position, the hand origami worked out in the end.

I repinned from Marie-Eve Tremblay's Pinterest board

Going back in time on the Puffing Billy

Last weekend we drove out to Belgrave which is about an hours drive from Melbourne into the Dandenong Ranges. 

Our new years resolution was to go on a day trip at least once a month and so June's trip was to take a ride on the Puffing Billy.

 

 The Puffing Billy is over 100 years old and the railway was built in the early 1900s to help establish and develop rural areas. However these days it is a major tourist attraction and is kept running by over 900 volunteers!

It was so exciting when we arrived; the steam engine's were puffing and the air was full of mist - so romantic.

Travelling over the Monbulk Trestle Bridge was one of my favourite sights.

 

Little Miss A got into the swing of things half way through the trip and sat on the edge of the train like all of the other children and some adults, feeling that cool air on her face and feet (I couldn't feel my toes by the end of our trip, I think it was about 5 degrees up there in the mountains that day).

And the views were amazing!!

I loved our return trip to Emerald, we had a little lunch at a wonderful cafe, Little Miss A had a play in the playground and we were back in Melbourne by mid afternoon which was just long enough for a little ones attention span.

Copycat - cardigan pose

 

I have come back to Pinterest.  I joined a while ago but I couldn't get into it, I'm on Instagram and found it supplied me with enough visual stimulus from the fabulous people I follow.  This week however I came back to the fold when I started searching for 1960's fashion photos - I was thinking of changing my hairstyle.

I love 1960's fashion photography: the poses, the hair, the models, the fashion.  So I thought I would start a regular post - copycat poses, not the exact same clothes obviously that would cost far too much money, but similar stance and feel.

So this first photo I found on Pinterest via Zafirah (a knitting pattern that has since sold).  I was wearing a cardigan today so thought I would go with this fab pose. And it was really hard to put my hips one way, shoulders another and smile in that - not too happy, not too sinister way - I applaud you lady gently caressing a cardigan sleeve while wearing another cardigan.

What do you think?

When a friend comes to town we eat cake

Saturday afternoon after I got a tidy-up hair cut by the best hairdresser in Melbourne (yes, she is! Anyone who can cut a bob as fine as her is up there with the best) I met up with 3 of the finest lassies in Melbourne town.

You may know them as: Miss Fairchild's Charm School, Razzle Dazzle Rose and Bess Georgette or....Jess, Jacinta and Teresa and we were off to the Hopetoun Tea Rooms for tea and cake.  *Jacinta doing the creepy hand on the shoulder trick

The Hopetoun Tea Rooms are one of my favourite places to walk past, I often walk down to the Block Arcade in my lunch hour and gaze out of the corner of my eye at all of the tempting cakes and pasties they have in their window.  The queue's are often long and I know why, it's georgeous interior and food, it's a special place.

 

 Look at these 2 getting ready to enjoy a chat, cake and a cup of tea.

  

It was so lovely to meet up with Teresa again (the last time being the Truly Vintage meet at Trish's shop about a month ago) So after tea and cake we waddled around town and popped into a few shops and then waddled our way home.

Here's to more afternoon teas and more cake and more tea with friends.

Novelty Brooch Friday - second chance in June

 First of all I want to say a big THANK YOU! To everyone who entered Novelty Brooch Friday last week and those of you who missed out last week but are looking forward to entering today and next Friday!!  

Erin and I were so excited with the response and are so looking forward to seeing what you have to show us this Friday.

I wanted to share with you what got me interested in brooches, it was the humble badge, I love badges and would wear them a lot and I have so many I have given Little Miss A the majority of my collection. 

 This is a just a smidgen of the badges I have (the rest are under Little Miss A's bed, she is asleep at the moment and I don't want to wake her)

But it was this Lea Stein brooch from Mr Ed about 9 years ago that I began to collect brooches and love the different designs, shapes and materials.

Isn't she lovely

So.....if you haven't heard about Novelty Brooch Friday let me tell you!......

Erin from The Fawn Times and I met on Instagram through our love of brooches and from there we started posting photos of ourselves on a Friday with a favourite brooch.  With a little prompting from Kirsten from Each To Own we decided to develop the idea and include a giveaway from either a designer of brooches or a seller of vintage brooches and do a little interview and taa! daa! it was born.

This month you can win this little cutie pie fawn brooch, find out more about the lady, behind the brooch, behind the company Each To Own here.

 So to enter the competition just post a picture of yourself on Instagram with your favourite brooch, entries can be submitted on any Friday from now up to and including 21st June with the hash tag #noveltybroochfriday and we will announce the winner (randomly chosen) on Monday 24th June. Open to everyone, you can enter as many times as you like either new or vintage brooches.

Each month Erin and I will take it in turns to showcase those sellers of vintage brooches and designers we admire and love to wear ourselves.

  

*If you are a designer or sell vintage brooches and wish to donate a brooch for an upcoming month and have your shop showcased, please contact me at tunabake@hotmail.com

Getting my raffia on! - the beginning

 I have somehow started a collection, it is just the beginning: raffia and beaded bags from the 1960's.

It started with this red, wooden beaded clutch I bought from Alfie's Market in London about 7 years ago, I needed a bag for my brothers wedding - friends said it reminded them of a taxi drivers beaded car seat, but I like to think of it as my Jaffa bag (you know those Australian sweets - chocolate on the inside and red/orange crunchy shell on the outside)

Then I happened across this large brown raffia bag earlier this year (I love a large bag as I usually have my glasses case, sunglasses, fan (yes I get hot easily) and all manner of 'stuff' to lug around).

Then I found this little cutie on Mothers Day on a day trip to Rosebud.  She is small but so perfectly formed.

 And last week when I was in Sydney I visited the Sydney Antique Centre and my heart skipped a beat - she was the right size, in perfect condition and a wonderful colour - she is my favourite.

Most are made in Japan, well the ones with a label and I know this style of bag was also made in Italy.  I think they are fantastic, such clean lines, great texture and materials and an item that isn't THAT expensive.

Sydney - Art Deco buildings, vintage shopping and work

I have been MIA recently, working in Sydney and had a wonderful time even though the only free time I had was from 3pm every day.  (Unfortunately I forgot my camera so most of these photos are from my phone).

  The view of the city on my walk to work everyday

I have been to Sydney twice before, back in the early 1990s for long weekends (the first was to see Primal Scream in 1992 and the other was to see a Manga exhibition - back in those days not many exciting things happened in my home town so we had to travel 13 hours in a car to see anything decent).

So when my work asked if I was interested in representing them at an education EXPO for 4 days in Sydney I put my hand up ME! ME! PLEEEEAAASE - Woo Hoo!  Work was boring so I won't go into that but at the end of each day I walked everywhere and just loved the architecture of Surrey Hills - the Art Deco buildings were stunning and I almost fell into a few puddles and drains straining my neck looking up at their beauty.

Unfortunately all of the photos I took of the Deco buldings refuse to rotate and so this building was the only one I could post - I'm loving the paint work!

Bec from Black Swans Pond tipped me off as to where the Sydney Antique Centre was and I actually became a little catatonic at the size and brilliance of it all and got a headache - but I powered on through the many stalls and found a few items that I fell in love with.

 Unfortunately this beauty was too expensive - isn't she divine!

I was also just down the road from Crown Street and a little cluster of vintage shops where I happened across a few more beauties at Strawberry Fields Vintage and met by coincidence someone that used to work for Pop Boutique as did I in the UK, how small the world is.  And I got a fab scarf for free just 'cause we knew the same people.

 Lovely scarf I picked up at Strawberry Fields Vintage 

I so wish to go back again but next time for a week, no work, and enjoy it with Mr Ed.

 2 purchases - This hat is pure scultpure and pom pom collar aaahhhh