Boudoir Darlings

A few months ago I discovered, and became really interested in 1920s boudoir dolls. I love them because they had such a short run, just though the 20's and 30's, and are so perfectly frivolous!

For any one as late to the pary as me, boudoir dolls came about as part of the many crafts coming into Paris from Russia at that time. Relativly simple cloth bodies, painted faces, and at the time more Russian style costume. They became more and more popular and soon they were being made in fantastic18th century inspired costumes, as fashionable flappers and seedy undesirables. Women would drape them around their bedrooms and personal spaces. They represented the style of the times, and also the fantasies and daydreams of the young women holled up in these rooms. The dolls weren't only restricted to the house, some daring flappers would carry their dolls out for a night on the town. More than just a fashion doll, they were dolls as fashion accessories!

 You can spot them quite often in old movies, and they show up fairly regularly in photos of film stars and flappers through out the 20's and 30's.

I design clothing and accessories for a living, but also make and customize dolls pleasure, so these have so much appeal to me as dolls and as accessories.
 from cute but beat up to "I can't believe it stayed so clean for so long!" Trawling through listings and photos I found myself more and more wanting to make my own so that it could be just as personal as some of the dolls that appeared to be to their owners in the old photos like the one above.

It took a while, but after getting my hands covered in clay, and clothes whited out with dust, I finally managed to steal some time the other day to finish off my first boudoir doll! She looks like a Constance so that's what she's called.

She went from a creepy head on a stick to a (apparently still creepy) well dressed girl, swimming in ruffles, ribbons and art deco styling!

She has a little floss wig, picture dress, and lots of little ribbon trimmings, right down to mini knee level garters!

There's whole line of projects to work on using this doll, and it's got me started making old style dolls which is something I've been wanting to do for a while.

A few things I might do differently next time around, but over all she makes me smile, and a great starting point for bringing yet another new old thing into my life :) More photos over on Dolly Daydream (including the dolly garters!!!) along with a lot of the other dolls I've made and customized over the years.

 

Tropical Fancy

After being faced with jello shots I couldn't enjoy once again at a party over new years I've been back on my vintage housewife jello kick again. This time playing out with making a layered dessert using DIY flavored jelly. The flavor was inspired by sticky rice and mango, and destined to be kicked up a notch with the addition of a coconut rice pudding layer in a future variation. This one how ever takes no time at all and is easier than pie!

Tropical Gelatin Fancy

Ingredients:
Top Layer:

• 1/2 cup mango syrup
• 2/34 cup chopped mango pieces
• 1/2cup Water 
• 1 Envelope Knox plain gelatin 

Bottom Layer:

• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbs sweetened condensed Milk
• 1 Envelope Knox plain gelatin 

Method:

1. Make the bottom creamy layer 1st
2. Sprinkle gelatin over 4tbs water in a small sauce pan and leave for about 5min
3. Heat water in larger saucepan to make a water bath, float the smaller pan of gelatin in the water bath and heat gently till gelatin is fully dissolved. Shake occasionally but do not stir to avoid bubbles.
4. Once gelatin is dissolved mix in your coconut milk and condensed milk along with 1/2 a cup of water and stir gently to combine.
5. Pour mixture into a bowl or mold.
6. Leave to set for approx 30min till set but not firm.
7. Repeat steps 2-4, this time mixing in the mango syrup and water with the gelatin, 
8. Add in the chopped mango to this mixture
9. pour over top of your earlier layer and leave to set for 3 hours

If you're going the easy dessert route then pretty bows like these make a great serving and setting vessel, If you want to be fancier however set it in something flatter so you can turn the set jello out and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter for booze free tiki party jello shots or  tea party treat!

Shifting the Goals

Every year I make the new years resolution to improve my shape, and that means that after every year I haven't really succeeded in that resolution. This year like all the years before I intend to make this new start different, and count!

I'm doing a few things different this time around, 1st of all I'm keeping my gym membership but not making that the main focus of my efforts, and second of all I already started on this journey at the end of last year!

For me if losing weight was a good enough motivation, I'd have done it already. Focusing on weight gives me the promise of a thinner me in the future, but apart from that isn't filled with a lot of enticing promises. This year I'm focusing on dance. I want to get myself on the fast track to earning my point shoes and that is my main goal. I hope to reach the end of the new year stronger, fitter, more graceful, with new skills and accomplishments, and oh yeah, in better shape, but really that's a side effect.

Going to the gym for weight loss has always been a bit of a failing proposition for me because it's not something I enjoy, I can not hate being there, but I never love going. The only result I'm looking for is few inches here and there, and the only progress I can expect is being able to lift more or go faster at the same things. With dance (and in the past martial arts) Every effort I put forward helps gain me a new skill and tool to use creatively, and opens the door to more complex skills and wider possibilities. It's also something where I can see results right away, because I'm not looking at the scale/measuring tape which has a mind all of its own, I can leave each effort, and each week of training with new accomplishments that I can enjoy instantly. And while nothing can take away the joy of completing my first pirouette, in the past my yoyoing weight has always managed to derail my weight loss motivations and made the journey an emotionally fraught one.

I want do be able to do this!

I love my ballet classes, they are a highlight of my week not a chore I have to drag myself to. I want badly to keep up and be a valuable member of the school and can't wait to see what comes next as I move along. Finding a physical activity you love is the very best way to get fit. It makes you want to sneak in practice whenever you can. I practice while I wait for the kettle to boil, stand in a stretch poses while doing certain work tasks or brushing my teeth.


Since shifting my focus this way I've been infinitely more motivated to do even the classic workouts too. I want to go to the gym to get stronger so my body can keep up with my head in ballet class, and I've been able to target specific physical weaknesses and find ways to improve on them to get the the next level. I also have an at home workout plan I've started following for this end....

Start Instantly!

Through the ballet tumblrs etc I follow I ran into Back on Pointe. She's a girl trying to get back into dancing fit form, and has neat monthly calenders you can follow at home, and right this second! I've started  following along with January, and so far its been easy to make time for and feeling the effects each day. She doesn't tell you how to do each exercise, but I've been googling the ones I don't know. There are different options for each daily focus so you can find one that best fits your needs.

Having a defined plan laid out is a help in getting done a useful amount each day, and for the most part all any of it needs is a bit of space to work on. I've been doing a little on a morning as part of my shower, teeth, face routine, and again at night. It's been easy to slip into my routine, and hopefully something I'll be able to see results from since there is nothing to stop me doing it each day (no cost, no commute, and easy to find time for)

So if your previous gym relationship has been as tumultuous as mine perhaps you just need a more creative outlet to get in shape. I swear you'll be amazed at the activities you can find close to your house! Google things you think you might be interested in to find local classes. Look into classes held by local parks an recreation services, adult education programs and rec centers. Even here in the burbs there are a billion Tae Kwon Do schools, my dance school, even a gymnastics school no more than 5 mins from my house!

Most importantly of all don't let fear or embarrassment getting the way of being an adult beginner! Find a way to get active that fits your life, fits your interests and that can become the thing you look most forward to every week. You'll get fit that way without the gloom!

Start Today!

Tip of the mountain

Looking back at my new years resolution list from last year, I was a little sad to see I didn't really hit any of them. Some I came close on, and certainly improved in most areas I wanted to, but nothing to a point I felt I could say "yeah! Tick that off!"

The trouble I always face with new years resoloutions is usually two fold. One is that the 'heck yeah new year!' feeling fades before I can really capitalize on it, and the second is that it's usually a lifestyle/situation issue causing the problems I want to resolve in the first place. That's why I decided before making a long term resolutions this year, I chose a big new years action! I still have long term personal goals, but seeing they are the same this year as the last few, just gonna file them under "life" and channel my beginning of 2013 of January motivation into something I can have finished in the 3 weeks it takes most of us to quit the gym. That action? Reclaiming my basement!

With this new space will come the ability to be more organized (every new years resolution box one), give me the space to work on bigger projects (box 2) and through improved organization give me extra time to exercise more (box3). In short when the clock struck midnight and 2013 rolled in, I was still the same person, in the same place as last year. I'm doing something big to make this year start off in a truly different, and once that domino falls hopefully so will the rest.

I'm also working on the usual "lose weight" "get fitter" resolution  it seems everyone else makes this time of year, and been focusing on weeding out the problems that stumped me last year. But that deserves a post all of its own.

How about you guys? Is there something you can dive right into short term as part of the new year to help set you in stead for the next 11 months?

Quaintrelle Gifting

Quaintrelle do everything in style, even last minute gifting! For anyone looking for a last second holiday gift we have some new designs for patch boxes in at my online store, to go with our popular velvet flocked beauty spots. Little mirrored porcelain boxes with golden hinges just like the antique patch boxes of the 18th century. They were a popular gift in bygone days and make a lovely little gift in these modern times for vintage girls (and dandies too)

Our patches come in a selection of colors, and in a mix of shapes like  rounds, hearts, moons and stars, just like rococo court ladies, 1920's flappers and 1940s trend setters!

I'll be shipping any holiday order for these by noon tomorrow which still leaves time with priority mail.

A Paragon of Teatime Fancy

Assorted Paragon Teacups

I drink a lot of tea, tons of the stuff, decaf or I'd die amounts of it, and when I'm sitting down to a cup properly, I like to drink it in style! Starting with an ironic teacup buy back in high school (Old Country Roses from my days working in a fancy glass and china department) it's built into something a bit more opulent and a straight up obsession.

I've had to slow down acquisitions due to lack of space and fear the collection might get (ok has got) out of hand. I still have a "to get" list though for cups that fill a particular hole in my collection, and cups that are just plain "like woah!". One cup recently ticked from that list was "vintage Paragon teacup".

I love Paragon cups for a few reasons. First, there are so many unique designs, second  vintage flavor, and third and most importantly a lot of their cups were crazy over the top! Gold, gold, cool colors, flowers, more gold, and a lot of the time inside the cup designs. Which is a great opportunity for more gold more flowers and they look smashing shining up through a non milky tea, with of the band of the saucer showing around it like pool of amber awesome (Can you tell I love these things? You should probably just go and add "a vintage paragon teacup" to your list of stuff you need to have too).

So yeah, paragon cup was on my list, and yeah, I'd been hunting, but like I say limited teacup real estate remaining, and so many designs, it was hard to chose just one! Till I ran across this cheeky little thing....

It had all the design elements I wanted from my Paragon cup, bold use of gold, hand painted flowers, in cup designs, cobalt blue (another thing on my "to get" list)  and to top it off it was being sold as a trio! (I found more cool cup and saucer combos than trios, and the fact they didn't often name their patterns makes tracking down a matching side plate tricky) I was already sold on it when I read on to find this pattern is actually a re-production of a design they made for Queen Mary back in 1913. ROYAL TEACUP!  (Royal teacups are a special love of mine and covered by the "like woah!" clause)

According to the Paragon International Collectors Club the Queen Mary Pattern (# 8902) was first designed for a service presented to Queen Mary on a visit to the Paragon (then Star) factory in 1913.  The pattern was then re-issued in the late 20's to the public, with is where mine comes from (the stamp on my set date it to between 1930-1933) 
Turns out I got a pretty good deal on my little set, and that this is one of the few paragon patterns out there that came in a ton of different pieces and is relativly easy to hunt for (Paragon replica queen mary X). For me I don't need extra pieces, just the trio, but for anyone looking to collect a matching set (and who has deep pockets) it's perfectly possible with a little patience to collect a full vintage tea, or even table service fit for a queen!

You might also be used to seeing cups like these pop up on Pinterest, Tumblr etc all the time, now you know they're Paragon china (seems to be nearly always Paragon or Royal Albert in those things). If you're a vintage lover, tea lover, or just plain fan of fancy things I heartily recommend adding one to your wish list, you just have to find the cup that suits you best!

Don't Fear the Flapper (dress)

Queen of curves Marilyn Monroe as Clara Bow

 I decided to face a bit of a vintage fashion fear and obsession head on these past few weeks. That love/fear for me has been the 1920's. I love that period for style and decorative arts. One of my all time favorite designers is Jeanne Lanvin, and even as a period of history, it's fascinating!

As a fashion though it be daunting to wear. It's so counter my usual way of thinking. These were women throwing off the corset and the tyranny of the tiny waist. hemlines rollercoastered, and it really was the decade that set the pace for modern clothing. But me, I'm not all that into modern clothing. I love my corsets because for us they are a choice not a mandate, and my waist is one of the few things about my body I actually feel comfortable with. I know how to handle it and use it to my advantage when dressing. To wear the 20's I'd have to be willing to let my waist go (become invisible not actually physically go), and that scared the heck out of me, but still I recently set said on a voyage of flapper self discovery!

20's dames weren't all ultra skinny, and not necessarily ultra tall, something I always felt a person would need to be to pull the look off. Keeping that in mind I decided to pull my first 1920's dress into my closet and challenge myself to try wearing this decade to see how it felt.

My 1st dress is this one. A dropped waist (scary!) Nile green Charmeuse straight style dress with lace and ribbon roses for accents. When worn I was kind of shocked at first to see a straight figured person looking back at me, but found that the waist kind of reveals itself in movement, and all the motion in the dress has a surprisingly playful feel as a garment in action. The freedom of movement was the nicest part of wearing the 1920's. Though I did still pull on my long girdle to keep my line as smooth as possible it was very freeing to poddle about in.

I'm a pretty full figured gal, and really very short (just 5'0") but the style was more forgiving than I had anticipated, and I'm now largely over my fear of the roaring 20's as a look!

I'm loving my first 20's style flapper dress.  I don't think I'll be hanging up my waist cinchers and petticoats for good (I learned to love my 1920's lips but can't give up on my 1950's hips!), but I do think I'll be bringing more 1920's outfits and looks into rotation from time to time. I hope this helps a few more of you feel confident to give this look we love a try too!