Pretty Vintage

MGMart's fabulous fabric necklace

The obsession with fantastic fabric necklaces continues here at Pretty Vintage, where I'm very pleased to announce that my lovely husband bought me TWO new necklaces for Christmas! (It may have helped that I took them off the display, handed them to him and gave him a knowing look.)

In any case, I love to trawl Etsy looking for more funky accessories that will allow me to walk about town pretending to be a flower garden, and in doing so, I found this beauty from MGMart.

Made from hand-cut satin and tulle, each petal has been individually singed, beaded and hand-sewn into this gorgeous confection! I love the wintery white with gold accents (although it would work perfectly with summery frocks as well), and that the chain can be shortened to vary how the necklace can be styled. If you're feeling the Etsy love, it's available from MGMart's store.

UPDATE: Marianna of MGMart has very kindly contacted me to let me know that she's offering a 15%  discount to Pretty Vintage readers on all of the items in her Etsy shop. Just send her a message on Etsy, letting her know you're a Pretty Vintage reader, and she'll mark the down the price of any items you'd like to purchase! Thank you to Marianna for her generous offer!

Modern Vintage: Ulster Weavers' sweet cat tea cosy

As an ardent fan of anything tea-related, I love nothing more than setting my table on a Saturday morning for bacon and eggs and a steaming pot of freshly brewed tea. Of course, keeping the tea hot is always a challenge, but I found this gorgeous little fellow in the Scottish Highlands who'll do the job for me! I do love the vintage kitchen appeal of a tea cosy!

Made by the Ulster Weavers, a textiles company based in Northern Ireland (who have the approval stamp of the royal family, no less), he's big enough to house my largest tea pot. A lovely quality and in a sweet floral print, he's the newest addition to my "kitchen farm" (I have chickens, ducks and a pig so far) and I know he'll be a delight for years to come. If your farmyard needs a lovely tom, he's available from the Ulster Weavers store.

Modern Vintage: Hell Bunny's Victorian inspired dress

I thought I'd do something a little bit different this New Year's Eve by adding a touch of Victorian to my look. We'll be in Edinburgh (possibly my favourite town EVER) for the Hogmanay celebrations and it's a town that lives and breathes gothic architecture, so I thought this gown would be the perfect accoutrement for dinner at a fabulous gothic-inspired restaurant in a 16th century building!

The dress is made by Hell Bunny, who are fast becoming one of my favourite clothing lines to ogle. Certainly a little 'darker' than I usually wear, but tremendously cool nonetheless, I've also be very impressed the quality of their garments, including their petticoats (I now have a short and a mid-length petticoat from their range). Also offering quite a few rockabilly, 50s-inspired gowns (with a gothic twist, natch), they're certainly worth a look. I picked up my 'La Vintage' gown from Scene Dead's eBay store. Now I just have to cross my fingers that it arrives in time!

Modern Vintage: 'Class' by Jane Beaton

I've been taking full advantage of having spare time up my sleeve this Christmas, by reading some marvellous  vintage / vintage-inspired books, the first of which was Class by Jane Beaton. It was recommended to me quite a few months ago by my gorgeous friend Keris and I am SO glad to finally have read it! (Incidentally, Keris' first novel, Della Says: OMG!, is out in a few months and she gave me her proof copy to read - it was *fabulous*!)

Class centres on Maggie Adair, a Scottish teacher used to rough-and-tumble public schools, who takes a job at a posh boarding school in the south of England. The story  also intertwines a number of 'voices' of other students and teachers at the school, so that you get multiple viewpoints and plots linking in with Maggie's own tale. Sometimes this kind of storyline creates problems, but Jane Beaton handled it beautifully.

It's a story about challenges, fitting in, love, hidden secrets... a grown-up and modern tale, reminiscent of Malory Towers and all those other fabulous boarding school tales I devoured as a youngster (who am I kidding - I still devour them!).

I absolutely loved this book - stayed up way past my bedtime just so I could finish it! If you loved (or love) classic boarding school tales, I suspect you'll thoroughly enjoy this grown-up twist. If you're keen, it's available from Amazon (Class: The Secret Diary of a Teacher in Turmoil) and you can preorder the second book in the series (Rules: Are Made to Be Broken - Further Adventures of a Teacher in Turmoil) as well! Personally, I can't wait!

Vintage Kitchen: Russian doll measuring cups!

One of the best things about holidaying in another country is finding fabulous 'treasures' on one's shopping adventures! Now, being an ardent fan of cooking, I'm always on the look-out for appliances and gadgets that have both form and function for my kitchen, and when I saw these beauties, I couldn't resist.

I've always loved Russian Dolls, and now I have a way to add one to my kitchen that I can both admire AND use! Fitting one inside the other, this set of dolls is made up for 6 measuring cups, just like your standard set of boring measuring cups. Ever so pretty and ever so sweet, they're available from Fred Flare in the USA and Urban Outfitters in the UK.

Leaving on a jet plane...

Well, I don't quite know where the year has gone, but December's arrived and I'm just hours away from embarking on my long-awaited trip to the UK!

I'll be dotting about the planet for a couple of days, with unreliable internet, so I'll be a little sporadic in my posting for the next week or so, however, I have some lovely vintage friends who'll be popping in from time to time to keep you entertained!

Hope you have a wonderful week, and I'll be bringing you all sorts of vintage fun from the UK soon!

Toodle pip!

Modern Vintage: Helene Berman's feathered beret

One of my favourite trends in recent years is the resurgence of hats and fascinators on the high street. There's something terribly elegant about a smartly dressed woman in a hat... it has something of the sublime about it; the icing on the cake, per se! And speaking of icing, isn't this beret fascinator divine?

Made by Pretty Vintage favourite, Helene Berman, it would work beautifully with fashion stylings from the 20s to the 40s. Made from wool felt, it's a classic shape that should suit most faces, and the sweet feather and bow embellishments add a formal touch to what might otherwise be a very plain cake (yes, we're a little bit baking obsessed this week!).

If you're in the mood for a twee (or sweet) addition to your wardrobe - or you just happen to be feeling decidedly French - the beret is available from ASOS.

Etsy Love: Giant bows ahoy at It's Ok My Dear

I find myself feeling increasingly fond of oversized hair accessories of late, and I suspect it's because they add a flair for the theatrical to any outfit. I've also seen quite a few vintage bloggers rocking the style, which has caught my attention, although I suspect that it takes a confident and quirky attitude to avoid looking ridiculous!

One of the loveliest hairbands I've seen is this sweetie by Etsy store It's Ok My Dear. Looking a little bit Minnie Mouse inspired, it adds a nice dramatic twist to the model's monochrome outfit. Handmade from luxurious black silk, it's certainly better quality than the high street versions I've seen!

Perhaps a bit too costumey for some - and probably not something to wear the office - I think it'd be a great and eye-catching accessory for the party rounds this Christmas season. And it's also available in a range of colours, in the event that black doesn't suit!

Pretty Vintages loves Frou Frou Designs

One of my lovely friends, who obviously has a good handle on 'things Erin likes', told me about Sydney-based Frou Frou Designs, who make the most wonderful statement necklaces! With beautiful components and lots of flowers, twirls and swirls, they're the kind of pieces that can turn a Plain Jane outfit into something Va-va-va-voooom! With jewellery to satisfy everything from flapper girls to 50s housewives (not to mention we modern girls!), I am absolutely, unequivocally, crazy in love with their work!

Ooh-La-La Necklace | Sunday Rose Necklace | The Wind And The Willow Necklace

My Grown-Up Christmas Wish List: Monsoon Edition

With Christmas well on its way, I thought it was high time I started browsing my favourite High Street stores for some stocking stuffers (and more substantial gift ideas!). Most are a little vintage-inspired, others are simply too sweet for words, but all are things I'd love to receive (hint, hint...).