This Week in The Life of and Essex Life Magazine!!

Hey Guys, 

How are you all doing this week?

It has been one of those up and down weeks for me, I am looking for a part time job to go alongside my work with the vintage shop and there doesn't seem to be much around at the moment, but I am keeping my chin up as its nearly Christmas and there will be Christmas temps needed I am sure. Also I just checked and the minimum wage is now £6.08 which is a lot compared to what I used to work on - £2.50 an hour!

Anyway, this week I have been moving some bits and pieces around in the shop and have started to make things feel a little bit wintery as it is getting chillier outside. We finally got the heating working as well which is good news all around.

This is the Christmas table which I have made up, I think it looks quite festive...

I have made up a gift bag which I will be offering as gift boxes for Christmas :-) What do you think?








Also, this week I appeared in Essex Life magazine here, this is realllllllllllllyyy exciting for me....

 It is the 60th Anniversary addition this month and so hopefully lots of people buy it. I am only a few pages in but here you go
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I had a massive grin on my face all day because of this so I am really proud of being in the magazine :)

Finally, I had to blog about my amazing bargain buy of the century! I was shopping at George at Asda and came across this bargain dress on the clearance rail, which I tend not to bother with. It is a lovely beige colour with a navy over lace, real lace, not printed as well! And it was £5!!! To confess I am actually between a size 12 and 14 so not 100% sure if this will fit but nevertheless I am really proud of my find.

So what bargains have you found this week?

What has been giving you a smile through all this weather?

xxxxxx

Signing Up for BlogLovin

So I am trying to get some new blog followers and thought I would join Blog Loving so here goes!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4068070/?claim=q854ra89kmh">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

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Happy Autumn Equinox (Mabon)

Autumn is my absolute favourite time of year.

As some of you may or may not know, as you can see I am very into everything vintage. But another big part of my life is my spiritual path which I am on, finding my inner goddess and worshipping many Eartly beings. This isn't in a religious way as I wouldn't consider myself religious but in more of a spiritual way. I just love this part of me equally as much as the vintage side of me as it really connects me to all living beings. I will promise to write more on this over the next few weeks.

Today in the Wicca calender is the Autumn Equinox or Mabon as it was traditionally known. This is the day when the light and dark are at equal lengths and this was celebrated in history traditionally as the end of the summer harvest. This is one of the main Wicca festivals to celebrate the wheel of the year.

The idea of the festival is to give thanks to the summers harvest and mark in some way the change of summer to autumn. Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Mabon, but typically I like to go out for a walk, make a home-made soup and start thinking about how to wrap up warm in preparation for Halloween.

This time of year I like to give thanks to nature for giving us the crop which we have enjoyed during the summer months and I accept that the trees are loosing their leaves in preparation for the winter. The trees are in effect going to lie dormant for the winter months. Another example in nature is how some animals are starting to hibernate, collecting food stores and making up nice warm homes.

I believe that everybody is on their own spiritual path but you can adapt any of my personal rituals to suit your own beliefs :)

Follow my 5 top tips to have a great harvest festival......

1. Find balance in your life again- Summer can often feel a bit go-go-go and when we go back to school/normal life after holiday we can sometimes feel a bit down and out. One thing I really love to do at this time of year is take some time out in nature to re find my balance. Autumn equinox is a great time to do this as the light is balanced, you can meditate or take a few deep breaths out in nature and focus on this point for a while. I love to take the dog out for a walk this time of year, switch off the mobile phones and focus on being still and not worrying about what has or may happen over the coming months. Give thanks to the balance in your life with acknowledging that without darkness they can be no day and visa versa. Count your blessings by writing a list of all you are thankful for. Here is a couple of mine
- My fiancé, for being patient helping me start a business this year.
- My family for being healthy and supportive also
- My one remaining cat for keeping my mum happy
- My own health, no complaints yet

This is a really great way to help say thanks in your life and focus on the rest of the year and what is important.

2. Harvest Festival & Food - Harvest is a great time to give something back, have a look in your local area and community or school to see if they are holding a harvest festival. Give some cans of food to a food bank or think about how you can store some of your lovely food during the cold winter months. I always think as well that this is a good time to say thank you to our farmers for all the hard work they have done. I saw one farmer this week out till 8 o clock in the dark!

I would love to make some jam or marmalade this winter however my fiance made an amazing butternut squash soup this week.....

The soup was made using a butternut squash, onion, white wine, some herbs and a splash of double cream!

By giving food away or collecting and storing this is a great way to say thanks and give blessings for the food we have enjoyed during the summer, and feels really great too!

3. Start thinking about Halloween - Ok so it is over a month away but I love to think of Halloween early by planning a party or how to decorate the house. One thing I also like to do is pick apples and make a lovely apple crumble yum yum. Apples are also seen as a symbol of divination and goddess power. You can harness this by picking a few apples and preserving them or making some tasty treats :)

4. Clean up and Clear out - Like a spring clean I also love to have a clean up in the Autumn, this is because we need to prepare mentally for the cold months. I actually believe that some of us go into our own sense of hibernation during the winter months and really feel the cold. Dust off the curtains, get out the winter duvet and blankets and clear away the cob webs. I use this time to get rid of summer clothes that I didn't wear and either pack them away or take them down to charity shop. After you have done this light some orange coloured candles for light and warmth.

I think this is also a great ritual to bringing energy back into your home after the end of the summer dip.

5. Feeding wildlife - I haven't actually done much of this lately I am ashamed to say but another idea I have thought of is how to feed wildlife. Perhaps you have some squirrels in your garden or birds you could feed from a feeder. I think this is a great time of year to help out those in nature who need a little helping hand. So why not?

I hope you enjoyed this post and would love any comments, if you would like to read more I found this site particularly helpful - All about Mabon

Whatever you do this weekend I hope it is a happy healthy and balanced one :)

Happy Mabon!

Lots of warm blessings 

Lauren 

xx

Downton Abbey Returns

So Autumn is nearly upon us and that can only mean one thing. The return of the brilliant Downton Abbey written by Julian Fellows. The great thing about Downton is the amazing cast and costume pieces which I personally think have been done to a very high standard. Look at the lovely fashion shot of the sisters in this picture...

Source

During the WWI and the early 20s, the public were encouraged to be patriotic and a way to show this was by their fashion. Women started to wear narrow skirts and even long trousers as fabric became more scarce due to the outbreak of the war. Skirts started to narrow and hemlines started to get shorter to conserve on cloth. This image remained much until the "Swinging Twenties" emerged with the so called Flapper fashion, which has almost became iconic as the fashion of the 20s.

Flapper

You cannot write a 1920s fashion blog without talking about the iconic Flapper dress of the era. The flapper was categorised by a slightly shorter hemline. A boxy un shaped dress which bought the waistline low and often sleeveless arms. Women started to cut their hair short and wore rather ornate head pieces. This look was very masculine and was what they were trying to achieve with the look. Dresses of this style reduced the image of a ladies bust and made the chest flat and silhouette long and shapeless. 

This is the classic Flapper image.

Source

Hats and Headpieces

One thing I have noticed when reading about 1920s fashion is the look of womens hats and headpieces. One iconic hat is the cloche hat, I just love this image of Angelina Jolie in "Changeling".

Source

I got a very similar one from Next recently but I can't seem to find it on the internet :-( Ill take a picture soon and upload it! There are very similar ones on the market this year, if you are looking to buy one I would recommend a colour that blends with the Autumn/Winter trends to see you right through. Either a plum, brown or beige colour is always a winner!

I must source this website as it was full of great facts for this article - fashion-era.com

I did find this cloche one from Accessorize is great!  They actually have lots in at the moment and I am always happy to try new products Accessorize...

 Source

So have you been watching Downton this series and if so what are your opinions on the fashion? 

Lauren xxx

Polishing Silver

Hello lovely followers,

I have this week been preparing bits and pieces for the shop and have been polishing silver to such a level that my Grandma would be proud. I do feel that this is a bit of a tradition polishing silver but I got a lot out of it and thought I would share some of the photos I took with you.

Ewll yuk before pictures of the fish set

Silvo In a can is the best to use - and its also British!

 So I start polishing...

 Spoons before, look at the cloth getting worse

 Spoons after!

 It is a really messy job this, you use the Silvo cloth initially to get off the top layer of dirt and then I used some kitchen roll to get it really shinny.

 This is a better picture I think, they show up more on the purple.

 I just love this amazing dressing table set!

 This cake slice turned out better than I thought.

Et Vois Lais, I am quite proud of the results actually and think that I did an ok job, was worth the elbow grease to get them looking lovely and sparkly and well worth a purchase I think.

All of items for sale can be found at my shop located at Bretts Farm, Essex. Do come and have a look :)

So my question this weekend is, what are your plans this weekend are you going to be doing any late spring cleaning? 

Scarlet aka Lauren :)

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Todays Outfit, for some fun :-)

Hey, 

Well I have been meaning to do a today's outfit post for some time but haven't really found the confidence to actually do it.

However today I thought why not, I'm pretty quiet in the shop today anyway! So here goes.

Picture one is me trying to run for the camera's tricky 3 seconds and picture three does look a bit grumpy, I apologise I will get the hang of this! I also look rather round in the first picture not sure why... I am not the slimmest of people by the way.

I lovee this skirt from Oasis which I bought in the spring time, I had a look on the website but can't seem to find it but they have a great one in yellow for £12 in the sale as well! I think that the midi pleated skirt is still going to be very wearable this season so grab one in the sale now.

The top is from Topshop which again was in the sale early spring, you can get a very similar one here Topshop tie blouse for £32 which I do think is a little bit steep though. My top is cream which against the red works well because sometimes I think that White can be a bit harsh. I love the peter pan collar and tie neckline of this top which is a great contrast with the detail in the skirt.

Ideally shoe wise I should wear heals with this skirt as I am only 5 foot 3 but I am me and can wear flats if I want. These flats are from Dorothy Perkins for £20.

Hope you liked the daily outfit. What are you planning to wear through the Autumn?

xxx

I want those!

Look at these absolute beauties available from Miss L Fire. I came across this site after Twittering all day, and I absolutely love their shoes. I apologise about the blurry photo but if you click the link above this will take you straight to their site. These shoes come in four different colours but I personally love the leopard print and black ones.........

I just love it when you come across one of those companies who specialise in one or two things but those things are so unique and pretty. Unfortunately I can't afford these shoes at the moment :-( but save save save I will! 

So what's your secret find this week and what shoes do you wish could be in your autumn/winter wardrobe?

Scarlet xxxxxxx

House of Fraser new season style

House of Fraser Blog are offering a great opportunity for this Autumn trends for any bloggers. This is a great opportunity to show some of your talent and creative side and create an outfit from the HOF new season collection. So here goes for a going out look.........

1. Karen Millen Mixed Print shift dress.

I picked this dress because I love the take on the monochrome effect and it looks like it has a slight peplum which for us curvy girls is great!

I love the nipped in waist and high neckline which would go great with the Ted Baker collar below. 

2. Ted Baker lace collar, I just love this collar and think it would take you through all of Autumn and Winter

3. This LuLu Guiness bag is oh so cute and a must have for a night out

4. I picked these Mary Portas shoeboots from Clarks which have a nice height heel and keep feet warm. Shoe boots will remain a staple for this Autumn/Winter

5. And finally I picked this absolutely gorgeous peplum jacket from Ted Baker. I just love the lady like look, peplum trend and classic black. All round winner this jacket.

I created this look for a great night time look, following the ever popular lady like mixed with the peplum and monochrome trends for this season. The look is very wearable for all shapes and sizes.

Finally I had to add in this gorgeous vintage style pill box hat from Dickens and Jones just because I love it!

Hope you enjoyed the look book and fingers crossed for my look to be picked by House of Fraser

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This weekend ill be celebrating.... all things British

Whooooooooraaaaaaaaahhhh that time of year has come around again to be celebrating the BBC last night of the Proms in Hyde Park. http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/features/proms-in-the-park

I have been going for the last 3 years with my in laws and we have such a fabulous time every time we go as its a great time to dress up in loads of Union Jack flags and parade around in all our finery.

Last year it got rather chilly in the evening and rained on us but this year the weather is looking fine :-)

The BBC Proms in the park runs alongside BBC last night of the proms in Albert Hall and this years artists in the park are:-
The gorgeous Alfie Boe and Il Divo

Kylie

Along with the following ones in the evening:-
Björn Again
The Chicago Blues Brothers
The Gypsy Queens (which I am particularly looking forward to)
Cast of Let It Be

Its always a great atmosphere with everyone singing along and drinking and being merry.

I'll write next week about the happenings this year!

Have a great weekend all xxxxxxxxxx

Autumn Styling

I have wanted to do a post for some time on the Autumn style and my love affair with black tights. I know, I know its a terrible habit to break but they provide so much warmth and make my legs look longer! However I vow this autumn to be wearing purple/burgundy as well as brown to add into the mix! So I thought I would try my hand at an autumn look book...








I love this coat which is actually a berry colour from Miss Selfridge at £75. Berry is a great colour for autumn as I find it goes with so many things including black and brown. All round win I say.

These black shoe boots are from Oasis and are £70, ahhhh too dream hey!

Everyone loves a bit of lace but this year I will be mixing lace with a new colour, navy. I did promise myself I wouldn't wear navy since I left my secondary school which had navy uniform but I do feel that the colour is now growing on me, so I will be mixing navy with other colours for my autumn palette.

Dog tooth is never too far away, the print was huge in many vintage eras but it is making a massive come back this Autumn/Winter so get your staples in girls! This dress I love as it has panelling as well! win win situation and is from Red Herring at an absolute bargain of £38.

Finally, I have a love affair as you know with all things lady like and I love this dress from Debenhams! The colour will suit brown/black and berry so the outfit choices are endless!






So what will you be wearing this autumn/winter? I love to hear from you and your style ideas so pop them over to me to share :-D

xxxxxx

Vintage Hair & Make-up Practise

One thing that I offer in my shop is tutorial lessons, either in groups or 1-2-1 sessions of vintage hair and make-up. I can show you how to create a classic vintage look, using various techniques for you to take away and practise on yourself. The good thing about getting a group of friends together is that you can do this in the comfort of your own home and have a natter together about hair and make-up, what more could a girl want from a great evening? 

So this is an up to date picture of me that I will be using as my new blogger profile page, after I went on a vintage themed night myself, which gave me the idea! 

The back of the hair is victory rolled...

At the weekend my lovely sister in law Katie agreed for me to try out her hair and make-up and just look at the result, although not a true vintage style, Katie looks very glowing in deed....

If you would like to enquire about vintage hair and make-up, please message me and I can tailor make a session for you

xxxx

The Shop Now Open!

Well all you lovely vintage followers my shop is now well and truly open and I have been meaning to blog for some time to show you the photos. Please excuse my photography skills aren't the best!

As you can see a lot of work was needed to be done, including all of the paint, woodwork and a good overall clean up

The amazing fiancé helped :)

I decided to paint one wall green which was quite effective...

...And the finished result is as follows....

Above is the seating area, look at the amazing throne, on loan to me by my in laws.

Below is the ladies accessories area...

And this is the kitchen/household items....

All in all the shop took me 2 weeks, which was one week longer than I originally thought, however considering I haven't had any professional training I don't think I did a bad job and the result is really effective. Some of the furniture is on loan from my in laws and they have been amazing lending me some bits. Thankfully my fiance's boss was getting rid of a couple of bits such as the shelves and corner units which I think is very thrifty of me, which is after all what I am all about :-D

Finally, I got to bring in all of the lovely vintage items and use old fashioned luggage labels to design labels for some of the products. I bought a stamp off The English Stamp company and used a mixture of bird and vine stamps to create the vintage effect labelling. I am really proud of the result :-D

This week I have been focusing on advertising, and I am now also blogging for Essex Life which is amazing, and I am so excited about reaching across to everyone in Essex. Watch this space Essex Life Readers!

Also this week I took delivery for my bust and my lovely kraft carrier bags... Again I have used the stamping technique and attached red ribbon to create a really effective bag design which I hope makes shoppers smile.

well guys that's the shop so far and I hope you enjoy, next week look out for the clothes that I will be bringing in to the shop :)

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