Glorious Colour

I'm on a bit of an all out colour binge at the moment. Maybe it's the sunshine or maybe it's just the increasing amount of beige I see every day but I really feel the need to stack beads, colours, textures and go for it full whack. This ensemble in constructed from various items from my mum's studio. The jacket is hand embroidered by her and lined with a gorgeous floral fabric she got in Istanbul. The pom pom bracelets have recently been added to our Etsy shop, they come in a whole variety of colours and are so jolly to wear, they brighten my mood instantly. I've always been a big fan of colour, I find it very hard to imagine not getting up and putting on something bright. One of my all time heroes is Kaffe Fassett (a fellow colour enthusiast). I saw his exhibition Life in Colour at the FTM last year and it was so beautiful. I met him too which was quite the dream, I left feeling like I'd visited another world! I recently found that his programme Glorious Colour is available to watch on 4oD, it's so inspiring; I definitely recommend it.  I'm just plotting now how I can get to his latest exhibition at The American Museum in Bath! 

I've had a very inspiring week, I've had so many ideas for new pictures and projects so I'm sure you'll all be seeing some of them soon! 

I hope you are all well and thank you so much for all the lovely birthday wishes on my last post, they really made me smile. 

Outfit Details

 Embroidered jacket- Penny MacBeth

Turquoise dress edged with red pom poms- Penny MacBeth

Pom Pom bangles- Mrs MacBeth's

Various beads- charity shops

Floral Headdress- Mrs MacBeth's

All artwork by Penny MacBeth (similar shrines are available here)

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Time for Tea

My birthday is coming (on Monday!) I'll be 24 but that doesn't mean I've grown up! Here I am having a teddy bear's picnic with the oldest bear I have had the pleasure of meeting. His name is King Edward VII and he belonged to my Granny. He is very well behaved for a bear; he has excellent table manners- no paws in honey pots here! The dolly belonged to my Great Auntie, who I spoke about in the last post. She has the loveliest matching outfit, I really wish it was full size! All the flowers are from my mama's garden which is currently in full bloom and looks so beautiful.

I'll be celebrating my birthday on Sunday with a 1920s tea party (populated by humans not bears!) It's been such gorgeous weather here this last week so I really hope the sun sticks around. We will be tucking into cucumber sandwiches and Dill Gin Rickey's (recipe here) and hopefully a slice of cake or two. I'll be sure to take some pictures to show you all.  

I hope you all have beautiful weekends and get to enjoy the sunshine as much as possible. 

Details

1930s mint green and pink ex theatre dress- Vintage sale

Headdress- Mrs MacBeth's Department Store

Teacups & teapot- belonged to my great aunt

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Costume Dolls

You might recognise this wonderful embroidered top from the header of my blog. It's part of a 5 part set that my mum and I purchased from Port Eliot Festival two years ago, it was hidden away at the back of a vintage tent and we couldn't quite believe the price tag; £15!

I was very interested by the beautiful colour combination and embroidery. So, in order to try unearth it's origins, I turned to my late (and Great) Auntie's costume doll collection. She had a big collection of dolls, including the costume dollies which my mum has conveniently just unearthed from boxes and put on shelves in her home. They are a much under appreciated item, I am forever seeing them at car boot sales in £1 boxes or sitting unloved on charity shop shelves. Not by me though! They are so useful for researching costumes and embroidery techniques from across the globe, as well as being beautiful items in their own right! I used them in combination with a brilliant book I purchased about costume dolls and discovered that the set is Portuguese! 

Look, here is my Portuguese dolly counterpart:

and a Lady dancing in the traditional Portuguese costume:

Source: 1

Today I decided to pair the waistcoat from the set with another folk costume which also belonged to my Great Auntie. It's actually a children's costume, although I think she used it to dress her dollies! The backdrop is a painting by my mum Penny MacBeth (you can see her paintings here)

I hope you've all enjoyed the sunshine finally popping out (I know I have!) Lets hope it's here to stay. 

Linking my folk costume to Visible Monday

Outfit Details

1920s silk children's folk costume, skirt, apron, waistcoat and belt (worn as a headdress)

Portuguese embroidered waistcoat 

Embroidered necklace- Penny MacBeth

Pom Pom headdress worn as a belt- Penny MacBeth

Various bangles- vintage & Penny MacBeth

Broderie Anglaise white shirt

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In Bloom

The best part of having a new home is that everyone who visits seem to bring delightful blooms! I've received several bunches of flowers this week and these are my favourites; some gorgeous Stocks and Sweet Williams. I love having flowers around the house, the smell and colours never fail to lighten my mood (even when it's drizzling outside!)

I've recently dug out all my favourite pink silk dresses and jackets. They didn't get a lot of wear in London as I was always a little worried for them on the tube (it's so grubby!) Cornwall is a much friendlier environment for them. This little satin bed jacket is so sweet, it was a christmas present from my mum and it again came from our local Oxfam.

Today I've spent the day baking banana loaf which is my new favourite, it's so easy, super quick and is nearly healthy (hah!) I've also been sorting my various bits of china. I have been collecting fruit and vegetable pieces for a long time but only recently have I branched out into raspberry tarts!

I was SO excited when I found this dish at car boot a few weeks ago, it was very hard to contain myself. I thought they were going to charge me lots of money for it because I was jumping around and smiling like a loon. Anyway I asked how much they wanted and guess what? They only wanted 50p!!! It's definitely one of my best purchases ever, I have for some reason always loved raspberry tarts. We used to grew raspberries when I was small and my mum used to make the most delicious raspberry tarts in the summertime. I have very fond memories of my brother and I picking them for her and eating quite few at the same time!

I hope you've all had wonderful weekends.

Linking my raspberry tart to Share-in-Style

Outfit Details

1930s pink satin bed bed jacket, trimmed in blue satin- Oxfam

Floral Headdress- Penny MacBeth

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Ode to Dog

I recently purchased this sweet little doggy pyjama case from a car boot for £4. I leapt on him with such glee that I think the man selling it thought I was a little bonkers (not that I mind that). Anyway I initially thought I might sell him and took to calling him Dog so as not to get attached. This however failed miserably and he has lived on my bed for over a week, slowly becoming a fixture. 

Here is my ode to dog in the form of photographs inspired by one of my all time favourite paintings 

Lady with an Ermine

With a heavy dose of Hungarian folk dress mixed in for good measure

Sources: 1, 2

Outfit Details

French silk headscarf, originally my great Aunt's

Floral Headdress by Penny MacBeth, based on a traditional Hungarian design.

1970s Broderie Anglaise bed coat via a charity shop

Embroidered necklace with a detachable painted eye brooch by Penny MacBeth

1930s dog pyjama case, via a car boot

The Lost Explorer

These images are inspired by a Technicolour version of Tim Walker's film The Lost Explorer which I saw at a screening at Somerset House last year. It was played alongside The African Queen, a Technicolour masterpiece starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. I think viewing the films one after the other has mixed them in my mind forever more and these pictures represent the amalgamation of the two. I've always quite fancied the idea of being a great explorer; getting lost for months at time and discovering rare blooms and strange animals. 

My dress is a Liberty print dress made in the 70s by a really great boutique called Origin, my mum found it in our local Oxfam. The print is Icanthe Tana Lawn, it's so lovely and reminds me of all the exotic plants one might find in the jungle. 

 The African Queen



The Lost Explorer

                     

Sources: 1, 2

Linking to Second Hand First at The Citizen Rosebud

Outfit Details

1970s Icanthe Tana Lawn Liberty dress made by Origin via oxfam

1970s cotton scarf via a car boot

1909 silver bracelet made by Smith & Pepper Ltd, originally my grandmas

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A Pre-Raphaelite Dream

Today I'm living in a Pre-Raphaelite dream. The glorious Turkish coat I'm wearing is one of my favourite items in my wardrobe it was a gift from my mother two birthdays ago and it truly is a dream to wear. It sadly went terribly mouldy in my last flat however in a sort of devil may care way I threw it in the washing machine and it came out perfectly! Phew! 

This collection of photographs were inspired by the wonderful work of Julia Margaret Cameron, in particular these two

and this wonderful photograph by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson 

Images Sources: 1,2,3

They were also in part influenced by Leighton House which was the painter Frederic Leighton's home. Its truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited and if you haven't been (or heard of it) I can't recommend it highly enough.  Below is the Arab Hall which is my favourite room, it takes my breath away every time I visit. I always want to sit on the little seats by the windows however, they are cordoned off and have pine cones on to deter people like me!

I hope you enjoyed this foray in to my current mood. 

I will unveil more pieces from my wardrobe soon, I've found so many lovely things whilst unpacking!

Outfit Details

Antique Turkish coat from Istanbul

Embroidered hat by Penny MacBeth

Paisley head scarf from a charity shop

Paisley shirt Gap via a charity shop

Hand necklace from a charity shop

Bangles gifts from various friends

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