Snappy Suspenders

Haven't done an outfit post in long time so I thought I'd show off my new FAVOURITE dance outfit. The suspenders are vintage and are the button-on ones to fit to the buttons that were already on my 1930's style "Cue" skirt that I bought from eBay. Cue have some gorgeous classic vintage designs, especially kick pleat skirts and Jackie O, 60's style swing coats...of which own many, of both :). Only thing is you have to go on eBay as these are all from past seasons...Cue has some gag-worthy 80's and 90's revival thing going on at the moment, blerk, so save your pennies and splurge second hand!

Skirt-Cue (eBay)

Suspenders- Diamond Aps Recycling Boutique-8 Wray Ave Fremantle (it has one shop for men and another for women, beside one another, very cool!)

Shoes- Bleyer dance shoes

Hat- Ashliegh in Wonderland...ofcourse :)

Close up of my hat...

It's navy, red and white...LOVE!



I'm making a Hat

I am making a fabulous hat! I'm making one of those half hat type of things from the 1940's, one that sits to the side of your head not affecting all your pretty curls :)

This is it drying in the pretty sunshine, FINALLY pretty sunshine, it's SO lovely outside!

It kind of looks like a bonnet, but that bit will be cut off.

To make it you use wool felt, except I've had to use wool blend after every 100% wool roll at Spotlight was ruined and they wouldn't sell me any, even to experiment with.

Then you cut two pieces to size, steam them and stretch it over individually, then I've used fabric stiffener to keep the shape. Apparently you can use hot water also, but I want it to dry quicker, in Summer I might try water.

The felt becomes really malleable, it's a strange sensation after working with dry felt for so long. It just does as it's told, it's quite fun. I think I'll be on the search for different shapes now :)

I do hope that the fabric stiffener dries clear, you'd expect it too but it didn't say on the bottle, just that it is good for stiffening bows, which is good coz I've just taught myself how to make these...

These shall decorate my hat! Or hats, should it work...:)

Then for fun I made these...just to learn how to make them...

So my hat is basking in the sunshine right now and hopefully it will be dry soon so I can play with it...

it is to look something along these lines...

image from here

image from here

Well I'm off to go and check...wish me luck!

Hullabaloo!!!

So we've survived our first ever Hullabaloo. For those of you playing at home it is the Lindy Hop exchange for Perth, people for interstate and overseas come to join us in dancing MANIA.

                                   Thursday night was "Western Night" at the Victoria Park Hotel

Say 'Yeeeha!!!' at our officail Hullabaloo 2010 opening dance. The registration desk will be open so come and pick up your passes and shirts. It's a 'Western Night' so think like John Wayne or Cat Ballou, throw on a hat and mosey on down to the Hullabaloo corral and enjoy this goregous 1930's art deco lacale. Drinks on the balcony, take in the breaze and dance the night away to great tunes spun by our selection of DJs. 

 Friday was lunch at Little Creatures....quickly scoffed because Mum and I were busily finishing off my ball dress. Chilli Mussels YUM!!! Best in the city!

Drop in to Little Creatures Brewery in Fremantle for lunch or a few drinks. LCs is a favourite with local and out-of-town dancers during Hullabaloo and so we thought we'd add it to the official schedule so everyone can pop on down. Maybe take your out-of-town guests on a tour around Fremantle...always worth a look.

Friday night was Nautical/Pirate themed after the Mustang at the Perth Dingy Club, there is ME off to the left in the red sailor top and high waisted 30's skirt.

Ahoy there mateys! Plot a course for the Perth Dinghy Club for a night of 'dancing treasure' at this 1903 venue. Located right on the edge of the Swan River you can dance up a storm to our swing DJs inside or out on the balcony above the river. Be it sailor or pirate or nautical goddess of the sea...you are all welcome here aboard HMAS Lindy Hop.

                          Saturday was classes starting at 10 o'clock until 4 in the afternoon....

                                            Then the Hullaballoo Hop at the Perth Town Hall

Get your tickets and come on down to the gorgeous ZPerth Town Hall, built in 1870 right in the centre of the city with a huge wooden dance floor! The Hullabaloo Hop brings you a night of swing dancing, live music, fun and craziness! Cut a rug into the evening to the sounds of awesomely swingin' 17 piece Oz Big Band and be sure to join in on Hullabaloo's cray Jack n Jill contest for a chance to win a Hulla social pass for 2011! 

Then dancing till early morning at the Film Noir Late night Dance...no photos of this one too knackered and was just happily dancing blues and drinking red wine out of a Pringle's cup, classy!!! With no glasses, beats drinking out the bottle!

An all night dance featuring your favourite thing-swing- in two DJd rooms:our Lindy Hop room offering bursts of Balboa beauty, and the other- a blisful Blues room. It's a chance for Hullabaloo hard-core dnacers to swing the night away, chill out or, if your feeling hungry Fast Eddie's is a short walk away and is open 24 hrs. 

Sunday was the Casablanca Hullabaloo Ball...FINALLY got my dress finished, VERY impressed!!! I made the hat too, I'm going to try my hand at making more of these for my store because it was so much fun. 

Take a trip back in time to 1930s Hollywood. When Bette Davis and Jean Harlow captured men's hearts and Errol Flynn and Jimmy Stewart made the ladies swoon. Bogart and Gable were the men of the hour and when Crawford and Garbo were the ladies to be. Featuring on of Perth's premier swingin' groups- Denise Dale and the Speakeasy Six. 

Sunday night 12.30 until 5am Monday morning was Thriller themed...

Just like a Hitchcock movie-it's time tobe thrilled by the sounds of DJs from all over the country. Then join in on our exciting Solo Charleston competition for some fun. Dance early into the morning and relax with friends. The DJs will be playing tunes til the early hours of the morning so fear not if you don't get your fill of dancing at the ball. 

Monday was a Relax and recovery Picnic in Kings Park in which we played giant jenga, and lots of circus tricks.

Enjoy a lazy afternoon picnic to recoup from the previous nights' dancing madness in the relaxing surrounds of Perth's jewel of the city-Kings Park. BYO drinks, food, bocce sets, chairs, blankets etc and chill out with friends.

Monday Night was  a Frankie Manning memorial dance at Kulcha on the coffe strip ing Fremantle...

Our Frankie Manning Memorial Dance. Dedicated to the most beloved Lindy Hopper of all time, who sadly passed away this time last year. Enjoy the last Hullabaloo shindig with a live swing band OTT Chicago Swing and marvel at old dance footage from the 1930's and 40's which will be projected throughout the night. Have a fairwell dance with your friends or just wind down on the balcony. A chance for everyone to hang out under the Hullabaloo banner for the last time and dance a Shim Sham for Frankie.

The most fun and the most hard-core dancing we've ever experienced!!! Can't wait 'till next year!!!

To Market, To Market to buy a Fat Pig....

...home again, home again jiggidy jig! You know the story, but no fat pig this time, just made a nice contribution to the saving account...(and took home a few little treasures)!

This weekend was jam-packed! Saturday was filled with errands, and "have-to's"

We had a list and mentally ticked them off...

Mr in Wonderland's blood test to see why he's in La La Land instead of Wonderland :), Drop off our borrowings from Australia Day, Fill clients orders and drop off, wash car, take bike for service to be sold, clean house...the last one we forfeited to go out to lunch instead, well one must reward a job well done!! In the evening we had such a yummy dinner at Mr in Wonderland's Godparents' house, which is always a bit special! The night began with an unexpected swim when one of the (very large) potplants lining the pool decided to go for a dip itself after a strong breeze!

  

  

  

Sunday was the Retro Market held at Sugar Blue Burlesque  

This is my "sad face" saying goodbye to my treasures...if your a collector you'll feel my pain and not think I'm a nutter :) All these things have stories and were wonderful finds, were the "perfect" find for a particular spot in the house, or something I'd wanted for AGES! But tastes change and our living area got smaller...plus we're saving for our Vintage Garden Party Wedding so all these lovely assets are to be sold off to other admirers...

  

  

1950's and 60's bits and bobs off to market

  

Charlie helping by getting underfoot...

 l

The little stall full of goodies

 

Eating a stash of yummies that Mr in Wonderland brought in for us...

  

Sugar Blue Burlesque Retro Market

The Burlesque Lounge
267 William St, Northbridge 

Shoppers: $3

Stalls: from $30

held once a month see website:

http://www.sugarblueburlesque.com/retromarket.htm

• 1920s to 1980s vintage and recycled clothing, shoes and accessories
• Antiques
• Retro & novelty costumes
• Pinup lingerie
• Frocks and gowns
• Pasties, fascinators and burlesque merchandise
• Sewing and crafting supplies, fabric and feathers
• Swing and rock 'n roll dance gear for men and women
• Dance shoes
• Refreshments, retro cupcakes and more!

  

  

 

Australia Day

Australia Day was a hoot!

This was our little set up, a big umbrella to shade us from the sun, then later from the wind, we marked out our spot with little Aussie flags.

Very Patriotic...Red, white and Blue!!

 

All dressed so summery, in fact all quite vintage-esque...the gals in frocks, AND the guys donned Chesty Bonds and Gingham! We'll forget that back then Bonds T's were probably only undies because they are as casual vintage-esque as the Mr will go :)

We fanned, relaxed, chatted, listened to swing, pity the batteries began to die in our radio because we had planned to have a dance or two when the sun went down.

 Ate SUCH yummy food, on fun 50's plates!

Marinated Mount Barker Free Range chicken drumsticks, pasta salad with plentiful garlic, basil (off my bush at home) and truffle oil from Manjimup WA, and a Mediterranean salad with feta from Margaret River WA. Very patriotic home grown food!

 

Miss Sarj made the most amazing Raspberry Pie with cream, fabulous Red Velvet Lamingtons (you MUST see inside these babies) and Anzac bikkies, OMG Soooooo Yummy!

Look at that vivid red lamington!

 

 

All of our fabulous sewing, making Kanzashi flowers, we lay out pieces of fabric all over the grass at Heathcote to starch them, people must have thought we were mad!

Just like I said it would be, sewing and a glass of red!

 

Folding Funky Fabics

 

• Ferals (the rat bags behind us) :)
• Flags
• Flip flops (for the sake of alliteration, "thongs" otherwise)
• and Flowers
  

Laughing

 

Candy necklaces, sunburn and silliness!

 

Was such a lovely day, great food, great wine, great music, great friends!

 

all ending in FIREWORKS!! Oh and more PIE!

 

Check out more at Sar's Blog, Her Travel Romance!