Operation 2012

Whilst a new year is pretty much the same as any new day, it always feels like a good point for a fresh start.

To blast this year off right, I'm writing down a few things I want to do more of this year to push myself and challenge myself with for a successful, fulfilling 2012!

1. Shameless Self promotion. I have a hard time putting myself forward, but this year I'm going to work harder at promoting myself and my label. I'm starting the year with another bit in Vogue (UK) so that's going to be my starting point!
2. Keep up with blog and zine sites. I have so many things I'd love to share, and so many planned articles from last year that never got written. I hope to try and find more time to work at keeping Quaintrelle Life, Dolly Datdream and even Kanzahicore updated and fun to Visit.
3. Make something crazy. I want to finally invest in an insanely extravagant show piece. I've had ideas for years but always been shy of investing the insane time and capital needed to bring such a project to life.
4. Be more social. I can be a bit of a work hermit online and in person, I'm going to take more time to be a social butterfly and better enjoy the wonderful people and opportunities I have around me. ( all work and no play and all that jazz)
5. More lingerie. I love exquisite underwear, lounge wear, corsets, petticoats, etc... This year I'm going to explore these much deeper and get further in touch with my decadent lacy side!
6. Get fitter. I let a lot slide this past year, but I hope a positive start this year will help me get back on the wagon and take better care of myself. I fell better when I do and it gives me more energy for the things in life I don't neglect.

Every day is a good day to make a resolution, and start making a positive change. We can take a look at ourselves at any point and decide on changes to make our lives more the way we want them to be. I know I'll be finding new resolutions and challenges to take on every day of year, but for right now these are a few of the things I'd like to see and do for myself to make 2012 a collection of days I can look back on happily come 2013 :).

Decadence or Everyday?

Lately I've been wondering how much extra time/work does living fancy really take? So far the answer seems to be not much more!

Very often on my busiest days it's hard to find a moment to just relax and enjoy something fancy. Once I get into my work the most I can usually muster is a 10min lunch break and then my head is back down in whatever project is on the books that day till the rush to the post office with orders before it closes. Today I decided to enjoy my breakfast quaintrelle style, and see how it impacted my day.

This morning the usual bowl of cereal and mug of tea (from a tea bag) and quick half watched segment of morning TV was replaced with a pastry picked up last night, pot of good quality loose leaf tea and a book (work related but I love my work!).

The tea took the same amount of time to brew, it cooled quicker in the cup so I was drinking that before I would have hit the usual mug, the pastry could (and tomorrow will) be replaced with some granola and yogurt for the same amount of time.

Over all my quaintrelle breakfast took the same amount of time, only rather than trying to race past it to get cracking on what was next, I actually really enjoyed every second of it!

Even now as I contemplate doing the same thing tomorrow a little part of my brain is saying "decadence! You can't do all this every day!" Even though I just proved to myself it took no extra time or work. It's funny how we (or at least I) are hard coded into thinking anything fancy is time consuming or more work than the regular grind. The truth is it doesn't have to be, and usually isn't, plus this morning I'm feeling pretty good about the day ahead! It's amazing what a little bit of nice china and a teapot can do.

Quaintrelle Life

A lot of people here might not know, but the Quaintrelle Life blog is actually part of a bigger Quaintrelle Life e-zine! Started up in 2008 under the original name Fancy Girl. Covering anachronistic fashions, crafts and lifestyle.

Things got a little quiet on the main site, but 2011 is the year of the quaintrelle and I'll be updating each month with at least one new feature, and making it a higher priority again.

The first new article of the year just went up today! The subject is vanity sets! I hope this months article will have enough tips and advice to get everyone started a vintage, or even antique vanity set of  their own!

February and March's articles are already in development, so it's looking like a promising start!

Lipstick Holder!

In my current search for all things vanity lately, I ran into the concept of the lipstick holder! These pretty little vanity table pieces come in all shapes, sizes and materials, and are a great way for a gal to organize her lipstick collection (and what quaintrelle doesn't need a bit of that?)

I' had been looking around to see what kind of styles they came in, and was just about sold on a gold bar affair with cupids on it (understated I know) when an even more unusual one turned up in the shape of a tulip. I put it on the back-burner looking for what else might be out there when along came a second one, this time a little shinier than the 1st. I opened the page and found this super glitzy tulip lipstick holder used to belong to non other than Hollywood legend Lana Turner! I'll admit I wasn't quite ready to drop the $130 for the Lana Turner estate lipstick holder, but did get lucky enough to snag one exactly the same, just showing it's age a little more, for a song.

The 2nd one I jumped on is currently sitting on my vanity with my favorite 3 lipsticks in it for easy use! I love the style and it really is a great way to keep those tubes in check! Plus it's kinda nice to know that once upon a time a Hollywood great was pulling her lipsticks out of a holder just like it.

I'm still looking to add a few more to my vanity collection, so I'm sure there'll be more on here later. The thing I love about this one though is that the tulips are kind of flexible, so they can hold the newer larger lipsticks as well as the good old fashioned Besame style smalls these things were originally designed to hold. I'll let you know how any future holders take to my bigger lipsticks when I get them!

Vintage Vanity

1940's ad currently on ebay

I love vintage style, and love a bit of vintage lifestyle too! A while back I fell in love with the idea of owning a vintage dresser set. There's something so glamorous and appealing about the idea of a lady picking up pretty matching beauty tools at a beautiful vanity table getting ready on a morning or, for an evening out (even if the reality has always been a million miles away from a Jean Harlow boudoir scene)

These days of course it's all high tech curling irons, throw away plastic combs, and hair brushes that look like they were developed by NASA. I love how the new stuff works, but miss how the old stuff must have felt. I was lucky enough a bit back though, to find a practically unused (maybe even unused) set, with  all it's pieces, even in it's original box from the 1940's!

Some items have been ready to go from the start, things like trays, pots and mirrors which just needed a bit of a clean, other things like the manicure set and brush need a little TLC before they are going to be usable again. The plan is to fix them up so that they can get a new lease of life all over again!

My vanity set!

 I hope I can bring things like the nail file back up to working condition, but in the mean time I'm pretty happy checking the back of my hair styles with the pearly pink mirror, and pulling bobby pins and cosmetics from the various pots, boxes and trays!

(have a spare $4,400? you could pick up a set that belonged to Ms Harlow over on Ruby Lane )

Hand in Glove

Summers round DC are hot, like "this is your brain on drugs" hot, and this Summer has been especially hot. I have to admit when it comes to quaintrelle elegance 100°F temperatures don't lend themselves well to the snappiest of styles. The good news is the recent cooler days have put me in a mind for Autumn, which brings me to a recent style obsession of mine, gloves! For centuries no well dressed lady was stepping out without a pair of crisp clean coordinating gloves!


I've started building up a wardrobe of gloves recently. The goal is to have the perfect pair for every occasion and every dress! My trip to Nashville a couple of weeks back started me off with a few treasures! A superb ceder wood glove box with a kind of art deco feel (hand made by a Mennonite community close my in laws house), an early 1960's corsage (ok not gloves, but put it on the right wrist band and it's working with the gloves!) and 2 pairs of 50's gloves. The short beige ones are a super soft faux leather, and the longer pair go right up to the elbow with little claw set rhinestones. I've added to these my sweet little Dents crochet gloves. The goal is to start wearing them as a wardrobe staple in daily life. they look great, and so far are fun to collect!