Friday, December 10, 2010

Christmas Party Time ..... Mini Project


Hi there and welcome,

It's almost Christmas and there are lots of parties/events for people to attend so l have raided the vintage wardrobe and put a few ideas together, clothing should be fun to wear and as individual as you are. It's nice to mix and match a bit of old and new, all you need is some confidence and a smile to pull it off.
Also l wanted to share another mini project with you. Recently l cleaned out my linen closet and threw out all my dodgy doona covers which left a total of 2 that were usable. Searching ebay for a new one l found a beautiful cover in hot pink and cream that would match my room perfectly, a few days later the package arrived and it was barely through the door and l was tearing at the paper like a 5 year old. (l have no life).
Well....... what a disappointment, instead of pink and cream, it was purple and yellow. Of course no use complaining and sending it back, because the sellers stated that the colours might look different than what was shown, advice l chose to ignore thinking ....how different can it be?......... (Lots apparently).




Anyway how to the solve doona problem. (Still very usable but doesn't match). When cleaning out that linen closet l realised l had a crocheted bedspread that l hadn't used for ages as it had yellowed with age, l'd thought of bleaching it, but really wanted some colour.
l had a tin of Paris Pink (Dylon) dye so l made this up and popped it in a bath filled to a third with hot water and a tablespoon of salt. Once the colour was in the bath l realised it was more apricot than pink, so l filled a jug with boiling water and added half a bottle of pink food colouring and a dozen tea bags with another tablespoon of salt (to help it set), l let this stew for about 15 minutes then added the mix to the bath. After mixing it well, l let it soak most of the day (agitating it occasionally). Then hung it out to dry, no rinsing or spinning. Problem solved, now you can't see the doona.

The first image is not the actual bedspread as l forgot to take a before photo, but it just gives you an idea of the raw colour before hand.
In the next photo you may be able to see how much the colour is fading as it's drying, if l had rinsed it as well it would have been a lot paler.
On the bed it you can see it goes with the wall colour nicely.


The tulle skirt is matched with a vintage angora cardigan (from the 80's), which has plastic and diamante buttons, as well as appliqued flowers with pearl and diamante beading. A little beaded bag is just the right size for your phone and lippy.




This blue lace dress is probably 50's it has a flared bias cut skirt with tulle underskirt. It is teamed with a modern scarf at the waist and velvet flower. Vintage shoes (complete with wool pom poms) and bag complete the look.




Here l have shown an old lace blouse (left) and lace/nylon skirts which date around the late 50's early 60's. They have easy to wear elasticised waists, (necessary at Christmas time). They are tiered and worn just above the knee.The one on the far right is covered in diamantes - the metal casings they sit in, are so old they have oxidised but this definately does not detract from it's old worlde charm.


Here is an old nightie and negligee set (50's) that has diamante and pearl detail at the shoulders. The set is floor length and would make an elegant addition to the Summer holiday wardrobe.



Happy holiday season
til next time,

Sincerely Bron.

1 comment:

  1. Oh how beautiful everything looks and it's such fun to learn about the history behind the items as well. The crochet bedspread! It just looks gorgeous and how interesting to hear about the cocktail of formula which enabled it to breathe in new life. It brings such a happy and elegant look to the bedroom
    Oh and I must also add you are very, very funny! I've been laughing out loud the whole time. I love that too. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete