Pretty Vintage

Pretty Vintage loves Wilton Cupcake Pans

Well, I gave you the day off yesterday with a lovely swoon over 'crazy quilt' items, but we're back to the birthday fun with this fabulous cake tin from Wilton. Usually only available in the USA, one of my darling - and similarly-cupcake-obsessed - friends gave me this wonder for my birthday. What looks like a sweet cupcake is actually a GIANT cupcake shaped cake - the perfect way to spread the cupcake love on special occasions. Also available in a mid-sized cake tin (about halfway between the size of a real cupcake and this large size), this cupcake pan is a bargain $AU39 from Peter's of Kensington.

Modern Vintage: Quilted lovelies from Made And Found in Yorkshire

The lovely Hen from Hen House  recently visited a beautiful gift shop, Reeds, in Pickering, Yorkshire, and I was immediately charmed by her pictures. Luckily for those of us who aren't fortunate enough to be in that neighbourhood (although, I'm going to make it a point to visit there in my UK trip!) they also have an online store with some gorgeous vintage and vintage-inspired gifts that I thought I'd share with you!

I've always been enamoured with the style of quilting above, which my nana refers to as 'crazy quilt'. I actually have some of her bits and pieces from an unfinished quilt, and think I may try my hand at creating a smaller project like these, as a large quilt is likely to lead to carpal tunnel, I'm afraid!

I love the Cath Kidston-esque pin cushions (£5.99) and the vintage quilted tea cosy (£20) featured above is charming; both the perfect accoutrement for a cottage... or for those of you who dream of living in one! If you'd like to take a peek at Reeds' wares, you'll find their website here.

Pretty Vintage LOVES birthdays!

Well, I've had a delightful few days off to celebrate my birthday, but now it's back to business... although I suspect this week will be just a little bit birthday oriented, while I share some of the gorgeous and thoughtful vintage-themed gifts that my family and friends showered upon me. Believe me when I say that I know I am a very lucky girl indeed!

One of my lovely sisters bought me this amazing book, - Jane Austen's Sewing Box - which I am certain will delight those of you who love Jane Austen and/or the lives of Regency women. The book is a wonderful mix of craft projects (Bonnets! Letter cases! Reticules! Tippets!), the history of each craft and the day-to-day articles used by women of the time, tied in to the appearance of each item or craft in one of Austen's novels.

Even if you're not terribly creative, it's a very beautiful book to leaf through, and I'm enjoying reading about the historical context of each item, as well as the illustrations and photographs throughout. Definitely decadent, you can purchase it from several Amazon Marketplace sellers or try ordering it from your local bookstore.

Modern Vintage: Outer Limitz Clothing

I have to thank Fleur de Guerre for this recommendation, and it's certainly a good'un! Outer Limitz Clothing are a British-based company who create ever so pretty 1950s vintage pin-up and glamour-inspired Hawaiian dresses, custom dresses, accessories and some extra fabulous 50s playsuits, among other things.

I am particularly enamoured with this pretty little polkadot number, which would be lovely to wear to the beach. Of course, it's only for sunning and not for swimming, but I don't think that's a great loss!

For those of you who aren't experiencing the early Australian summer, there are plenty of treats to see you through a very colourful winter - just pair pretty frocks with a vintage coat, and make sure your parties are indoors!

Outer Limitz don't currently have a store, however, they regularly make appearances at weekender events and offer some items online. Check them out at their website here.

Pretty Vintage loves Snow White make-up tutorials!

When I saw this clip, I knew I had to share it with my Pretty Vintage friends! This is a "how to" on transforming yourself into a classic Snow White for Halloween (or every day, if I had my way) and it's really lovely. Michelle Phan is soft and sweet and knocks the look out of the park. I'm particularly enamoured with her Disney eyes (including contacts - she takes this seriously!!) and eyelashes... I'll be investing in some false eyelashes for my next glamorous do after seeing this, in any case! If you fancy morphing into a vintage Disney heroine, it's all here...

Modern Vintage: Victorian dollhouse kit

I love it when modern technology - in this case, laser cutting - is fused with vintage pleasure! This dollhouse is quirky and gorgeous and tremendously fabulous; it's exactly the kind of dollhouse I would have loved as a little girl (and the not-so-little girl I am now, at that!).

In a style that would not look out of place on Victorian-styled Main Street at Disneyland, you can love it as it is, or customise it by painting or staining the wood. It comes in a kit, which will satisfy the crafty nature of vintage lovers, and it sure to garner compliments and sighs of happiness once complete!

I love it down to its french doors, lattice work, turrets, internal staircase and Victorian lamp post... and it's big enough to fit miniature furniture too!

I think it would make a really unusual and beautiful Christmas gift. What do you think?

The dollhouse is available from Etsy store, Victorian Dollhouse.

Modern Vintage: Wheels & Dollbaby 'Gramercy' dress

The weeks are madly flying by lately - I'm not quite sure how nine days passed without my waxing lyrical about lovely vintage things. Perhaps it was the weekend convention to attend, the glamourous Arabian Nights ball (I went as a harem girl) and work-work-work. Whatever the reason, it's good to be back!

Speaking of time travelling faster than a speeding bullet, it's only eight weeks until Christmas and nine 'til New Year's Eve (eek!) and I've yet to find a dress even remotely gorgeous enough to wear to the fancy shindigs I'll be attending in the UK, although this one's definitely on the short list!

Made by Wheels & Dollbaby, the bodice is made from luxurious velvet, trimmed with soft leopard print faux fur and diamante trim. Now, admittedly, faux fur on a dress usually wouldn't be my first port of call, but this really is a gorgeous, vintage bombshell kind of frock!

Unfortunately, pretty dress = pretty price, but if you have a few hundred quid to spare, you can pick 'Gramercy' up at ASOS.

Vintage Pick of the Week: 50s day dress from Clevernettle

Not only is she one of my favourite bloggers, for her fabulous style, she also has quite a knack for finding fantastic vintage items that I swoon and sigh over on a regular basis. This week, Anja has listed my favourite yet - this spectacular handmade 1950s 'day dress', which is the perfect party dress, in my opinion.

Made from silky fabric, that drapes beautifully, the nipped waist and pleating create a fabulously flattering shape, and the just-below-the-knee hem is sweet and feminine. I can imagine a young woman in the 1950s piecing this frock together and spending hours on the sewing machine creating this beauty; then garnering compliments when she wears it to a social dance, spring fair or Christmas party.

Lovely, lovely, lovely!

Unfortunately for me, it's a a size Small (36" bust), but I thought this dress deserved to go to a Pretty Vintage reader! If you happen to purchase it, please send pics, so I can live vicariously?

It's available from Clevernettle's Etsy store.

Pretty Vintage loves David James Photography

I've featured quite a few photographs taken by my husband over the past few months, and I'm VERY pleased to tell you that he now has his very own blog, featuring some of his gorgeous creative efforts, including this incredible sunrise shot of a vintage train station in rural Queensland that he took on our camping trip last weekend! You can also check out his Flickr stream here. In the coming months, you can expect plenty of glorious sunrises and sunsets, but also... castles and vintage homes in the UK! He's an extraordinary talent, and well worth following!

Modern Vintage: Emma Bridgewater's polkadot Aga

The Aga stove is a bit of a British institution, first indroduced to Old Blighty in 1929. It was a technological marvel of its time, cutting out a lot of the hard work of cooking for the women of the day; in fact, the creator of the original Aga - Dr Gustaf Dalen - was inspired to create a stove capable of "every culinary technique" because his wife was so exhausted by cooking tasks!

Nowadays, they're seen as a little less eco-friendly (although they can be used as a stove and central heating unit) and they're an absolute gem of vintage decor loveliness for your kitchen. This particular version is a twist on the classic Aga, with the delightful polkadot design , which was created by British homewares designer, Emma Bridgewater. Feminine and just a little bit of fun, I'd love to have one of these in my kitchen!

[Thanks to Keris for alerting me to its existence!]