DUSKY LEDOUX

It's been a while...

2011-06-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll,

Firstly, thank you for still reading this blog. I really appreciate each person that visits this little place in the WWW and those that take the time to leave lovely comments.

I just wanted to let you know that I am now blogging under a different name, in a different place. 

Dusky is at rest for now - although I do have plans for future adventures with this place.

You can find me blogging under my real name, Sophie Little, HERE.

Much love,

Sophie

xxxxxx

Work Clothes and B R O T H E R S

2010-11-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

I made it to day two of caring about what I wear to work.

This was such a feat this morning, that I've been treating myself all day long to tons of sugary treats.

I'm about to venture out of the house to a mammoth 6 hour practice tonight with my new band

B R O T H E R S

You can check out our crazy songs HERE.

Tomorrow morning I'm becoming a market stall holder for work!

Starting at 6am and standing in the cold until the afternoon, giving out information about the history of the high street.

Everything I wear tomorrow will be thermal and unattractive for sure.

So take a glance at what I wore today instead:

I heart my mittens on string.

LOVE LOVE

xxxxxx

Work Clothes

2010-11-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

I’m really struggling to come to terms with the concept of work clothes. 

When I was a student getting dressed was easy-peasy. Sometimes I didn’t even get dressed – I’d just wear nighties and watch films all day. I was living the cliché and loving it.

Now that I’ve graduated (see HERE) and I’m working two very different jobs, playing in two bands and presenting two radio shows - picking outfits has become a total chore. 

I don’t have any rules or guidelines to follow and that makes things EVEN HARDER because I’m constantly trying to assess what it acceptable and what is not acceptable in the work place. 

Most of my dresses and skirts only just cover my bee-hind and I’m pretty sure that’s not ok. 

I wish I could wear nighties everywhere.

The stress of thinking about appropriateness means most days I wear plain clothes and no make up. This makes me feel rubbish and slightly sad. BOO HOO.

So I’m turning over a new leaf. From now on I shall stop wallowing in confusion. I will be dauntless in my clothing choices. 

Here is today’s attempt at:

a)    Dressing for work at the BBC  

b) Avoiding a Dana Scully skirt-suit

What do you wear to work? 

LOVE

xxx

BE THRIFTY

2010-07-02T05:11:00.000-07:00

I'm sooo all about being thrifty at the moment.

I have to be - I'm in the process of making the biggest purchase of my life to date (details to follow when everything is actually set in stone).

It's mega exciting, but admittedly, my lack of golden nuggets has been draining my fun a bit!

Whenever I have to tighten the old purse strings, I turn to my bible - The Thrift Book by India Knight.

I've posted about it before because it is just exceptionally motivational.

She writes intelligently about simple thrift on a range of topics - from food, to beauty, to clothes and beyond.

It's amazing. Enough said. Invest in a copy, or borrow it from the library and read it cover to cover. I insist!

So, my point, is that when faced with the cold and boring reality of keine Geld, make something out of nothing.

This is literally the culmination of aging scraps I found in my cupboard/fridge and a basic recipe with improvised extras

TRANSFORMED...

...INTO:

Caramelised onion, mustard and thyme scones, topped with crunchy sunflower seeds and Red Leicester

Served with butter, boyfriend and a best friend for a night in swapping football stickers (which were given to me in the first place... so it was super super free!). A happy alternative to wallowing in moneyless self-pity.

I'm not going to lie. Knowing that there are so many things I have been eyeballing for eternity in the summer sales at LouLou Loves You, Agent Provocateur, Vivienne Westwood and Topshop (to name just 1%), is SLOWLY CRUSHING MY SOUL.

My lack of will power means that browsing them is unfortunately a daily occurance, but my new, tight fisted mind set just makes it is a fruitless, frigid activity that leaves me sad, lonely, and all the more frustrated.

Don't even get me started on festivals, holidays and summer nights out.

However, somewhere deep in my mind, I believe that it can actually be more fun, having no money. Seriously.

It makes me appreciate everything single thing I am already lucky enough to have.

Saving money might not be sexy to most people, but a rancid turn off for me is having stuff you can't even recall buying two days after tapping in your 4 digit pin.

Food is just the beginning in my path to saving millions ... I'll show you more soon!

LOVELOVELOVE

OUTFIT POST: BBC TV Show Filming!

2010-05-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

First of all, Hello to my new readers/followers/tweeters! You are by default (and from the depths of my haaart) my new BFFs.

Secondly: Sorry for the poor quality photos this time - they're all phone pictures! 

Now, Let's get down to business:

This is, at the crux of it, an outfit post.

However, you may remember me telling you about an online T.V. show that I am presenting for BBC Norfolk Introducing. Well, we filmed the studio links for the second episode yesterday - and I can show you some sneak preview pictures!

I co-present the programme with the beautiful Greg Hackett (from the just as aesthetically pleasing and totally awesome band - The Loyal Few)

Isn't he sharp?

Here is what I wore:

Dress: Zara

Faux leather Jacket: H&M

Tights: Primark

Shoes: Office

Bag: One of a kind baby

There are some really exciting features on this episode that I can't wait to tell you about!

We're so lucky in Norfolk to have such diverse and supportive music scenes! 

It makes me really proud.

After a fun afternoon of filming, I headed to an evening of art and disco as my band mate and besto, Maxie Gedge, had her work in an exhibition:

Even the Spice Girls were diggin' the smoke machine:

I hope all you Brit's have a decadent Bank Holiday Weekend! I'm spending mine viewing houses (a whole other EXCITING story...), BBQ-ing, Family-ing, Working and hopefully sewing...

LOVE LOVE LOVE

xxxxx

DIY NAIL ART - Gem Fatale!

2010-05-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

I'm here to tell you a thing or two about:

NAIL ART.

Well, actually, I say nothing in  this arena with any competence - I can't touch my cuticles because both  their name and their existence makes me feel sick, and I have not once  worn fake nails. 

However, I like painting, and more than that, if I have  spent hours on a piece of art, I sure as hell want to see it 24/7 and  have it handy to brag to brag about too.

So when one of my favourite people ever, Gem Fatale, showed us how to do DIY leopard print nailz (WAH style) REAAALLY easily (with the result being little masterpieces on each finger) I wept a single tear of sheer happiness. 

A tribute to her amazing blog post was the amount of people who emailed her their own DIY pictures (myself included) - and I don't know about the other DIYers, but the whole tutorial got me a little obsessed and carried away...

First of all, watch Gem's tutorial:

HERE!

  

This was my first attempt:

An improved version can be seen in this becrazed picture taken a few days later: 

(Yes, that is a zombie tooth)

Then came the Monet inspired period:

Followed by another Gem influenced piece:

Gem's:

Image: Gemfatale.co.uk 

My Tribute:

This weekend, I attempted candy stripes. I instantly realised that I had become too cocky because every line ended up wonky. So instead, I am calling this - the blue zebra:

You must have a go at this! It's amazing how many people start to notice your nails!

 Also, Gem's blog is amazing - but you don't need me to tell you that - so go read her latest post!

I'm off for a pizza! Trying to decide what to wear (you know - for the inevitable hot cheese spill).

What other designs could I try?

LOVEloveLOVE

xxxxx

DIY FRIDAY - Hair Flower Clip tutorial

2010-05-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

I would pretend that my disappearance from this blog has been   because I am so much more important and busy than any other blogger   (including you) and that I couldn't possible manage to write a blog   every now and then because unlike you, I actually have a life, and   stuff to do, and did I mention how important I am?

But that, my beautiful friends, would be telling LIES.

I actually   have been very busy, but who isn't? 

This isn't a rhetorical question.

 I   actually do not know anybody who isn't busy, do you?

I did   decide to take a elongated break from blogging to coincide with the last   month of my degree (which is now finished - WOO)  because my  fragile mental state could not handle thinking about much  else.
I feel 100 times more inspired and motivated now, FOR LIFE.
So lets get it on.

*********************************************************************************

DIY FRIDAY

DIY Hair Flowers

Wearing flowers in your hair is not a new concept -and of course neither are faux-flower accessories. My problem is that I am a bad parent to my accessories (or any of my other possessions smaller than hand), and their cost does not sit comfortably with my negligence.

This tutorial is really cheap and allows for ultimate customisation. WIN WIN.

First off, If you need some inspiration, you MUST stop off at these two ports of call:

Loulou Loves You's new line of flower head pieces are to die for (if you have the money, I URGE you to spend it this way)
South Pacific - WATCH IT AND LOVE IT.

You will need:

Some fake flowers (usually cheap - I got mine from Dunelm Mill - £1.40ish for a whole stalk of these ones below)
Very Strong Glue (Mine was £1.99 from B&Q)
Felt (a similar colour to your flowers)
Hair slide clips (any kind you like - these ones below are just my personal favourite and are beautifully cheap at £5.40 for 72, yes, 72. From SALLY)

1. Cut or carefully pull the flowers and leaves off of the fake flower stalk (you can buy these from home department stores - they come both big and small - so go NUTS)

2. Cut a small circle of felt and place it inbetween the clip

3. Arrange the flowers and leaves as you might like them on the clip (try to think of how it will sit in your hair)

4. One by one, carefully glue each flower onto the clip - catching any 'loose' glue with the felt. The trick to this step is to do it slowly - wait until your glue is tacky rather than wet and then hold each flower in place as it dries.

5. Wait for your clip to dry completely

(5.a. Trim the felt back a little if it is obvious! Also - If like me - Your felt is a different colour from your flower or leaf - colour it in with either felt tip or ink or water based paint - and 'fix' it with some hairspray)

6. Wear!

*********************************************************************************

I swear, they are like pringles. 

Once you pop and all of that.

I keep making sordid little trips to garden centres and splurging on 'hair flowers'.

Are you a hair flower kind of person? How do you wear yours? 

I'll show you mine if you show me yours! 

LOVELOVELOVE

xxx

p.s. Thank you for sticking around and reading this after such a long break - You are my everything!

NEW T.V. Show / BROWNIES recording / DUSKY shop

2010-03-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

Just another quicky... 

As always, many things have prevented me from my bloggy wog, and this upsets me. 

I'm in the studio this week recording with the band at the legendary Leeders Farm studio with David Pye himself - one of the leading men in beard owning.
 We're getting 4 new tracks down before our beautiful drummer/best friend Mike moves away to Leeds next week, to pursue another drumming role with Dinosaur Pile Up. BOO HOO. 

On the bright side, we have a new song called 'Tropical Linda'. Need I say more?

I am also coming towards the end of uni too.. so things are intense as ever! However, as promised, it's not much longer to wait until my new Dusky shop item is up for sale - but for now, it is STILL possible to buy a tooth necklace - but be quick if you want one - because when they are gone they are gone!

I've also been making TONS of new DIY experiments that i need to share with you. To tide you over, my new online T.V. show is finally available online! It's only the pilot (we've already recorded the second episode) - and for some reason, i am talking like an animal in heat - apparently my nervous defense involves sex eyes and shoulder dancing.

Watch it here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/norfolk/hi/people_and_places/music/newsid_8595000/8595462.stm

Hope yaaa'll well!

Tell me something new?

LOVE LOVE 

50% necklace discount and pictures/YeahYeahYeahs and The Brownies Live Video!!

2010-03-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

Bonjour! 

I'm working super hard on the next creation to go into the Dusky Shop. It's sexy, and I love it.

However, this also means that there are only TEN days left to scoop one of the remaining Gross Tooth Necklaces:

When they are gone, they are gone, and I shan't be making more!

If you are skint, then get a load of this baby:

For the first 3 people to click on my shiny new EMAIL ME button to the left, I will send you a MASSIVE 50% discount code, PLUS free shipping.

Sit on my lap and call me Santa huh?

Now, if you want to see how amazing you might look in a a GTN (gross tooth necklace), check out the marvelous Gem Fatale in her  gore-tastic necklace:

 She was also spotted at London fashion week by BOOHOO.com, wearing her necky:

Basically, i think i might be in love with her.. her cat, and her blog.

In other news:

I had an operation yesterday - only a minor thing - but i got put under general anesthetic and have only been able to sleep for 4 hours since! 

I woke up at 6 this morning, wide awake designing a dress in my head and making a mental list of things i want to buy. So at a slightly more reasonable hour, I called my beautiful mama and went for an early morning stroll around Norwich with her.

Somehow, within the space of 10 minutes, I managed to buy 2 blazers, a faux-leather jacket, a skull t-shirt, a ruffle dress, some patent court shoes and book myself a hair cut. 

I don't buy stuff often, and had no idea it could be this easy. And it was so cheap - All the jackets were from H&M who have a £10 off jackets offer at the moment, which made the blazers £5 a pop. 

Sweet as a nut. 

I'm never shopping after 10am ever again.

Predictably though, I crashed around mid afternoon and haven't done a whole lot since bar eating and watching DVDs.

 So instead of a fashion show for your viewing pleasure, I thought I would show you one of the many videos popping up on facebook and youtube of our recent Brownies gigs.

We hardly ever do covers, but my beloved sister Charley, recorded this special one-off beast at our Record Label NRONE's 5th Birthday party gig at Norwich Arts Centre. 

We played Yeah Yeah Yeah's -Date With the Night. 

Screechy, messy, fuck yeah. 

I'm so tired, that I'm watching the Hills. 

It's the only thing that keeps me angry enough to stay awake until a proper bed time.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

xxxx

P.s. Make sure you listen to my BBC Norfolk Introducing show tomorrow night for news of the new T.V. show and to hear the Kabeedies take over the air waves! Ohhhhh..

T.V. Show / New Top

2010-03-02T15:20:00.000-08:00

Well hello. 

Two love bites of information for you: 

One.

I have a new T.V. show coming out at the end of this week. It's a BBC Norfolk Introducing production, presented by myself and my lovely co-presenter Greg, showcasing lots of little sessions/music videos/interviews/features with the best up and coming bands across the region but also elsewhere! 

I finished filming for the pilot episode tonight, and it looks amazing!

If should be available to watch online at the weekend! 

Two.

New top. New top. 

This is what I wore today. 

(Now, after 4 hours of recording, and one massive indian meal with Lee, you might notice that the twinkle has left my eye, and i am, to say the very least, a tad bloated).

(Lets play a game... it's called spot the crap in the background. 10 points for each item spotted) 

Anyway, to cut a long story short - filming had some rather specific clothing dos and donts - and my wardrobe was just one HUGE dont. 

So after two panic attacks and pissing a few people off yesterday, i settled with a lace body from topshop. 

But, it was not meant to be. My torso must be abnormally long, because there was a serious camel toe situation to deal with when i tried it on.

Today however, on a little trip to take back the evil lace body, i stumbled across this top in Miss Selfridge - a shop I never go in to - and I immediately fell in love. 

What do you think?

One last thing. I have started a facebook group for Dusky Ledoux.

I'm going to endeavour to make it something different from this and my twitter - a place to see caasssual photos and talk to like-minded people... YEAH?

Love Love Love

xxxx

SWAMPED: Fever Fever

2010-02-18T15:00:00.001-08:00

This is just a quicky. The good kind of quicky that leaves you wanting more, not the bad kind that happens by accident.

I have a shitting ton of Uni work and god knows what else dominating my time over the next couple of days, so i thought i would leave you with a little musical inspiration.

Fever Fever are one of my favourite bands around.

I shan't waste any space describing just how great their new tracks are, you should just head here to listen for yourself. If you only listen to one track, let it be MONSTER.

I played it on last weeks BBC intro Show (which you can listen to here still until tomorrow), and have not stopped playing it over and over in my little jukebox head since. 

Whaddyathink? 

I've added some more photos to the SHOP 

LOVE

xx

NEW SHOP OPEN: come and take a look!

2010-02-15T01:47:00.000-08:00

I can now reveal what i have been working on:

My new Shop!

Now, its pretty basic, BUT - It's not like a normal shop.

There will only be one item available at a time - and this will change like clockwork every month (or in the case that the item sells out).

Fun huh? 

Every design will be either an item of clothing or an accessory, but you won't know what is coming next (unless i drop a clue somewhere on my blog).

All of the designs are going to be made on a strictly limited run, and are, of course, made with my own little hands using the finest materials i can source! 

So, What do you think of the first design? Too gross to wear? A candid reality of life as the tooth fairy?

I hope so.

Check back soon for a picture heavy post about how to wear your necklace!

LOVE

xxxxxxx

New polka-square dress + R.I.P. + The NEWS!

2010-02-11T15:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, so. I promised to tell you something fun today. 

You may have noticed a new tab to the left... Shop? Shop what? It links nowhere?

This weekend, i will be launching a shop. 

But what kind of shop? What will i sell?

WELL. I shall keep that under wraps for just a few more hours. Sozza! I hope this isn't so annoying that you won't even come back to see...  BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE FUN I PROMISE!

To bridge the gap, I have to show you my new dress.
It's a beaut. 

I saw it on Gem's amazing blog months ago now, from when she went to a preview of H! by Henry Holland - his line for Debenhams. And i fell in love. With a dress? Yes. A polka-square dress.

It's a little shorter than i expected, and a much breezier fabric. Also the (fantastic) box pleat at the front provides a gal with a lot of material hanging around, and i found when walking today i had an awkward dress-inbetween-my-thighs situation every 5 seconds. 

So i am deffo not wearing it again without a slip of some kind.

It's my favourite dress in ages. 

Be quiet and show me a picture already!

I have a reaaally important day tomorrow -  

Record label (NRONE)'s 5th Birthday Party gig!

I'm not only playing it... but also reporting from it for the BBC in a radio car! 

(Everything will be ok if i don't swear.. )

LOVE LLLLOOOVEE LOVE

XXX

P.S.

I don't think i could write a post today without mentioning the sad death of Alexander McQueen. There are thousands of words all across the internet about this tragedy and what an amazing man he was, but what sticks out to me is that he was just 40, and should have lived a lot longer - and it saddens me to think that mental health is still so overlooked. 

New DIY tote bag: PVC, SLOGANS and SELF INDULGENCE

2010-02-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

BONJOUR.

Sorry about the silence. It has purpose this time. All will become clear very soon.

For now though, I thought I would share with you my Wednesday afternoon procrastination project.

Now, I am not usually one for slogans. 

I hopped on the Nu-Rave band wagon when i was 18, and bought a 'Drop beats not bombs' t-shirt in neon pink. I only ever wore it once to a Hadouken gig, and gave up on it soon after (and Nu Rave...).

If i were to wear a slogan these days, it would have to be something self indulgent.

Queue this:

"Oh no she diii'n"

I'm not even sure how i pulled the creepy heroin-addict face above.

Anyway, yes, yes i did. I made a tote with my name on it. Well, not really my name, but my blog name. Is that worse?

What is more.. it wasn't a two minute project. Oh no. That would have left time for uni work. 

I decided to cut the individual letters out of a remnant of PVC fabric my sister used in textiles at school (where she made, without doubt, the most horrendous PVC handbag that has ever existed).

I then fabric glued them onto my tote, and straight stitched the edging of every letter in place.

Painstakingly cool.

Moving on.

I have something very exciting to share with you tomorrow. For real.

Until then, lets get our social networking on! 

Please feel to use this post to leave your blog addresses, twitter pages, facebook groups, bloglovin pages ANYTHING. I want to get to know you better! 

On a similar note, i have a new email address, so if you want to get in contact/send me abuse, direct it HERE! 

Until tomorrow... 

LOVE LOVE LOVE

XX

GIG face: Vivian Girls, Twee Off!

2010-01-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been a bit of a musical extravaganza. Uh-huh.

Saturday night was Twee off at Norwich Arts Centre.

It's a bi-monthly privilege for all residents of the Eastern regions, or those open to travel.

Luckily, my hombres know where it's at.

My band played the last one, along with one of my favourite bands of all time : Future of the Left. A band louder than fuck, and amazing. Just amazing. Even this little digressing trip down memory lane is giving me sexy shivers.

SO, this time around, the headliners were Vivian Girls - an NYC band who seem cute, popular with the people, and very NYC.

Opening the night were Norwich band Follow your Heart. If you have even the smallest soft spot for the Beach Boys you might like them.

Strangely soft rock and harmonies seemed to be the general theme for Twee Off on Saturday, a night renown for heaaavvvyy sounds.

Both bands were all about dreamy, creamy sounds that i can imagine listening to in a field on a sunny day, slightly inebriated to the point of elation about life.

Photo by Maxie G

Not usually my cup of tea (milk and one sugar please), but pretty fun.
The bassist, through her enchanting sway, took me to a place where there was free love 70's style.

The highlight of their set was a harmonised vocal number performed by all three girls, a la:

Photo by Maxie G

Although enjoyable, i didn't quite see the total hype about this band. What i took away from the gig was that some musicians just can't look happy on stage, as well as an overwhelming desire that has developed to eat sausages and pancakes in a hip New York cafe with these girls, chit-chatting about tattoos.

Have you heard of either of these bands? What do you think of them?

LOVE LOVE LOVE
xx

P.s. I tried this new thing with my hair. Seamy.

P.P.S.

Follow my blog with bloglovin

NEUE KLEIDUNG JAAAAA?

2010-01-22T06:04:00.000-08:00

I always thought that most people suffered from DIY syndrome, but apparently not. 

I get this drug like kick from making my own things. Knowing that i am the reason that something exists gets me so high to the point where i end up feeling narcissistic about being such an amazing narcissist. 
It's grotesque, and i fear having children for the same reason.

The worst thing about DIY syndrome is that you tend to over-estimate your skills and all objects transform into some kind of challenge to make...

This is my newest creation from my brain issue.

I call it, Dress.

Is there anything you think you could easily make, but never do?

LOVEEE

xxx

p.s.

My darling bum-buddy Maxie Gedge, the brains behind GRAVY zine, and long-time Brownie is opening her week long exhibition at STEW in Norwich tonight.

" A schizophrenic presentation/documentation of Norwich music, linking visuals and noise. Featuring work by: Dan Tombs, Jamie John Chopping, Mark Jennings, Maxie Gedge, Iain Ross, Nathan Pounds, Andi Sapey, Fliss, and more!
Plus an extensive and brilliant array of posters and zines from Norwich present and Norwich past. "

 Come and abuse the free alcohol and food and watch some amazing bands like Bearsuit and Fever Fever. 

p.p.s.

The second best thing would be to listen to my BBC Introducing radio show at 7pm tonight, HERE!

OUTfit

2010-01-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

I'm not a natural outfit poster (if there is such a thing). But i got all inspired when i found this t-shirt at the bottom of my drawer today, that i bought when i lived in London, and totally forgot i possessed.

Anyway, I went on a dinner date with my Mr this evening to Wagamamas.
I had the gorgeous sweet potato in breadcrumbs with sticky rice and curry sauce. Cream!
I really could eat the whole thing again right now. It was gorge.

And this is what i wore, whilst fumbling with chopsticks and chowing down.

What did you wear today?
Link me!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

xxx

P.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLEY!!!

Yes Please

2010-01-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

Blah blah my new shoes blah blah

They smell like tasty rubber.

Now that that is over with, i was hoping to show you the dress i made my sister for her birthday (tomorrow), but i finished it just in the nick of time to give it to her yesterday, with no time for photos to spare! DUH! What a jeb.
The good news, is that i am making myself something identical-ish, but in a different colour combination.
Which i will document to death-death.

All i offer is this:

My sewing dungeon.
Actually, I spent today with my mama buying things to make it a more functional and comfortable place to sew.

Including amongst other things:
A desk tidy
A bin
A small sleeve ironing board

Oh god i live a fast and exciting life.

But, I also bought this:

OOOHHHHH PLUMAGE!

I can't wait to show you what its for!

Whats new with everyone?
What are your plans for January?
I need updating!

LOVE LOVE LOVE
xxxx

Quicky Biccy

2010-01-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

I am just popping in, before an epic 'look what i have made' post shortly to follow this week, just to say...

Look. what. i. bought.:

From here!

The downside?

I am now very skint and I cannot actually walk in heels (seriously).

The end.
Love Love Love
xxx

Brag Slag

2009-12-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

I'm a disgusting person - ONE blog per month?
Let me swiftly ignore this fact, and bombard you with pictures.

But first, did you have a nice Christmas? I certainly did.

I baked, hung out with my besties, sister and mr, played some gigs, made some things, received some amazing presents, spent a fortune, ate a lump sum, freaked out with uni work and other life-orientated happenings.

December started with my first blogging event, hosted by Tampax. Yes Tampax. The tampon company. It was awesome.

A swishing party to be precise to launch their new product, Tampax pearl (which may i add, and note that i am not endorsed by Tampax in any way, are the best tampons as far as tampons go - no word of a lie - try them and you will see what i mean).
A swishing party i learned, basically means you take clothes you dont want, and swap them with ones you do.
Wow!

However, with my one of my besties Karin in tow, and a stop off at Wagamamas preceded by a whole bottle of wine, we arrived a little late, and the pickings were slim!
I did manage to bag a cute dress, which i gave to my sister, and a long sleeved pink jersey body suit, which i am sure i will find some use for. Karin bagged some beauties too!

It is such a good idea, that i am thinking of pinching the idea, and doing something similar in Norwich, minus the Tampons (or not?).

Since the night was a blogger night, i ended up meeting the lovely lady who's blog i never fail to read with a tea in my hand,
MJ of Dreamingspiresandoldcartyres.blogspot.com.

Her blog is awesome, and what i like best, is that she is a DIY queen! She makes lots of things (see below).
She was lufferly, just as easily pleased with the free drink and cupcakes as Karin and I, and from Hull - where half of my family reside. I was chuffed.

Pictures from MJ's Blog

So, after stocking up on enough tampon samples to last me at least 6 periods, and countless other December happenings that i should have blogged about but didn't, we arrived at Christmas.
Oh Crimbo, i love you.

And Mr Ledoux, how i love you, for getting me this rad vintage ring (and tons of other amazo gifts).

Although i would love to be a brag-slag and post a picture of every gift i got this year (because i really, really was spoiled by everyone i know), i shall hold back.

I will note however, these two handmade beauts that my sister bestowed me.

Mr Bowie, the pom-pom owl, and a cupcake pin holder that attaches to your wrist, your sewing machine, your table, your cat, etc.
What is more, cuppers matches some slippers i got from Santa!

Both Charley (sissy) and I have been getting our making on.

I drafted a pattern for an over-sized attachable collar, and made it in a silky satin with red lace edging. One side is a creamy white, and the other, a charcoal black with charcoal ties to make a bow at the front (this needs a little tweaking, as the weight of them at the moment sort of distorts the shape and hang of the collar - smaller ties need attaching instead!).
It also needs pressing, hense the creasy-ness.
This is a gift for one of my besties Vicky.
Which has still not been given.

I have also been making my own buttons, to adorn some cushions i have been knitting. They are oversized (sense a pattern yet?) hearts! More to come on these beauties soon.

I am also in the midst of the biggest knitting project i will probably ever undertake - a massive heavy black basket weave throw for a king-sized bed.
If this ever gets done, i will celebrate extravagantly.

Speaking of which, have an AMAZING New Years Eve tonight!
I am spending mine celebrating Mike Sheils' (Sheilsy-baby's) 21st birthday.
Here is a pretty picture of him (bottom):

I've been surrounded by the best people in 2009! Met lots of new ones, and have had so much fun.
Thanks to everyone who has commented on this little blog this year, it makes me tres happy!

Expect much more on this site very soon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Love Love Love

Dusky
xxx

P.s. Rhonda, if you would like me to make you some cushions drop me another comment with your email babe!

Tattoo + Illustration = AMAZING GIG

2009-12-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

Just a quicky.
I got a new tattoo at the weekend.
My sister and i had a pact for some time to get each others name tattooed. I want to say that it was in some sort of ironic way, but really, we are just totally in love with each other.

However, she got hers done months back, on what i presume was a whim, and miles away from me.. NOT how i invisaged our romantic escapade Charley.

So i punished her for a few months, denying all knowledge of a pact, and even vowing never to get a tattoo again.
But this weekend, WINK, mine and Lee's amazing tattoo-man, scarred my foot for life with his amazing needle skillz.

Gemma Correll, one of my favourite illustrators of all time, designed my tattoo for me, because she is so lovely.
Here was my shitty sketch of what i wanted (position-wise):

This is what it transformed into:

She also designed our band's two singles from our debut album:

You can these pictures and browse more of her fantastic work here!

AND her popular flickr group 'what i wore today', along with her favourite selection from the flickr group on this blog.

Mademoiselle Robot wrote a great post about the group on her blog.

In conclusion, that was the story of my weekend.

Oh... plus the most AMAZING GIG EVER on Saturday night. If you EVER get the chance to see Future Of The Left play, do not pass it up. Or i will have to kill you!

LOVE love,

Dusky
xxxxx

Thank you cards (+ tutorial)

2009-11-26T05:40:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while!
Coincidently, its Thanksgiving! Thank you... Thanksgiving.. HA!
I don't really understand that much about Thanksgiving traditions, i don't know if you give cards?
I just don't know!

WHAT I DO KNOW... is that i had the most amazing birthday ever, and have a lot to be thankful for in terms of fun times and amazing gifts.

I have to admit, i have NEVER sent Thank You cards before. Some people do it after every birthday and Christmas, but i am not one of these people!

It's not that I'm an ungrateful bi-hatch, it's just i have a lotta family, and never get around to it!

Actually... maybe i am a bi-hatch.

This year, however, i am a fully fledged 21 year old swan.

Time to grow up and get posting!

There are so many down sides to buying cards in my eyes.. they are so over-priced, unimaginative, impersonal and usually wet and crap.

On the other hand, i LOVE receiving any kind of card. They're quick, simple, avoid hassle and generally look the part.

It's obviously another 'DIY' complex I'm harbouring.

I'm going to make some similar Christmas cards using my* stampy method. I love it's effect, it's not always precise, so each card is a little bit different - personalisation SOLVED!

So, i leave you with this, my tutorial.

It is so simple a gerbil could work it out..

but if you somehow still manage to get stuck (perhaps we are soul mates?), then just ask.

You won't get stuck.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

xxx

(*I learnt to print in playschool using potatoes.. hehe)

♥ Mini Tutorial ♥

Cut yourself some equal rectangles, out of thin cardboard (the size you want the cards - duh), fold each in half, put to one side.
From a sheet of soft foam (the kind found in a kids craft aisle), cut out 9 shapes (of your choice) of similar sizes (but not identical), I chose HEARTS!
Similarly, cut out the letters that spell out your message.
On two separate pieces of thick cardboard-box-type-cardboard (cut to the size of your cards), arrange and stick down (with double sided sticky tape, or good glue - not pritt stick) your shapes on one, and letters on the other.
WARNING - make sure that you stick the letters/words down back to front... think about it logically!
Trim closely to the boarder of your stampies, in order to make STAMPING easier!
Paint your shape Stampy with whatever paint you like (i used acrylic because it showed up best on my black card- but ink or even watercolour will work on lighter coloured card)
STAMP your shape Stampy on the card, go on... STAMP! You will need to re-paint they stampy after each stamp!
Leave to Dry!
Repeat with your wordy Stampy, but in a different colour!
Leave to dry again!
For the centre of your card, stick a smaller square of white, or contrasting paper down to write your message - i also cut mine out with a wavvy cutter for added cuteness.

LAZY TIP - Use tin foil instead of a palette for paint, and save on washing up! WOO

OUTFIT + MOUSTACHE

2009-11-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

SHOES - OFFICE, TSHIRT - TOPSHOP, TROUSERS - UNKNOWN, CARDIGAN - H&M, NECKLACES (if you can see them) - UNKNOWN.

This is what i wore yesterday.
Taken 5 minutes after i was supposed to be at uni, on my dada's swish SLR. (I want one so much now!)

I hate taking these sorts of photos, the generic:

"Oh, what's that on the floor?"
 and 
"Is someone calling me from the other room?"

expressions are all i can muster without cringing myself to death..

If i could draw, i would totally do a Gemma Correll and post on her amaze flickr group.

COAT - NEXT (I think), KILLER MOUSTACHE - GOOD GENES.

The coat was a birthday present from my sister.

I might start a collection of coats..
and become the ultimate coat lady of many colours (with lots of bags and cats).

Like Joseph but sexier with multiple coats and less musical.

In cold weather (which is 90% of the year in my world) i never take my coat off anyway.. so it makes sense?

Does anyone have any ideas to kick start my plan?

LOVE
xx

YUM

2009-11-19T06:26:00.001-08:00

I really don't intend this to become some sort of food blog, i promise. However, i love making food. In fact, I love food full stop.

I finished some overdue uni work, and decided to treat myself to a day of festivities and cooking.

Yes, festivities.

If you ask me: November is the heavy petting before the foreplay of December, followed by the climax that is Christmas.

If you like Christmas, start now and make it last longer!
If Lee would let me, my Christmas tree would have gone up by now.

Autumn, Winter and Christmas make me want to cook loads of really gluttonous things to stuff everybody's faces with (especially my own).

For example,

Chestnut soup with bacon crumble:

PEEL, CHOP, FRY, STIR, SIMMER, EAT, YUM.

Done. I ate this on my lap with a glass of milk. Two days consecutively.

Second item on to-do list:
Can you guess what it is?

It reminds me of the guy who lives on my fridge:

He would totally chow down on a slice of my...

OH YEAH.

I certainly did, as did my Monsieur, in front of (you guessed it) the X files.
We are on series 5, and until we complete series 9, and both films, my life is officially on hold.

Does anyone want to come over for dinner?
I have so much to spare.. and our freezer is full!

What kinda stuff do you indulge in at this time of year?

LLOOOVVEEE
xxx

Change!

2009-11-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Isn't change a bitch. It happens so fast.

So many things have changed since I last blogged (which was sometime in the stone age).

Numero Uno:

Nathan left the Brownies. We’ve been a fivesome for five years of our young lives, and being a foursome will take a long time to get used to! 

Wrapping our heads around it has been hard, but to ease the blow we have Paul ‘the legend’ Dewbery standing in with us until we find a permanent replacement.

Number TWO! 

I am a radio presenter. Yes indeed. I have tried and dabbled with it on occasions this year, and it has turned into something more permanent.

I co-present on BBC Radio Norfolk for their Introducing show, which airs on Friday nights from 7pm till 8pm! 

Tune in, or listen back at any time by clicking on the icon on the left hand side of this blog, to hear the sounds that make the music scene in the East of England so amazing.

Drei Drei Drei:

My hair is a shade or 5 darker than last time, and I am addicted to Wii Fit. The latter, I assume, can only be a good thing. 

Wow. I’m running dry on my changes list already. Perhaps not that much has actually changed.. which is weird, because life feels a world away from what it was a month ago! I love it.

I also have 101 different little projects simultaneously being completed at present.. and it will be my job to document these on my precious little bloggy-woggy.

Starting with this:

Whats that?

 You don’t know what it is?

 Um.. are you stupid?

 Can you not see?…

 Actually.. ok it’s understandable. It was an experiment. 

It came straight from out of my head, through my fingers, and into a pair of knitting needles as thick as a dog’s leg.

I call it: Stage one of a knitted crop top.

Once tweaked and completed, it will be made out of a much lighter, more indulgent 100% pure silk yarn. It will be part of a sexy, lighter-than-a-feather-brushing-past-you-in-a-cool-breeze underwear set.

Note that I use the term ‘Underwear’ loosely here, as the set will offer no support to any part of one’s body whatsoever. Perhaps it is better described as an enticing house-wear ensemble or perhaps as the pawn in a tease game with your lover? 

All I know, is that it will feel as though angels are licking your skin... and that is all that matters to me.

By the by, the looker in the picture is my new BFF, and my pride and joy, Ursula. 

She was a birthday gift from my mama and papa. 

Unlike most dress forms, Ursula has a crotch, and can wear panties.  

You go girl. 

IN OTHER NEWS:

So, until next time (which will be much sooner than the gaping hole that has been the time between now and my last post).

LOVE LOVE LOVE 

xxxxx

Winner!

2009-10-12T01:39:00.000-07:00

DIGITAL MISFIT is the winner of my Birthday giveaway! 

Happy Birthday DM!
I shall drop you an email!

Thanks to everyone else that entered! I shall stage some other kind of competition soon enough.. they get me all excited.

I played two gigs this weekend, Bristol and Newport. Both were pretty awesome, and the latter ended in what can only be described at the funnest, most drunken dancing ever. I did not imagine i would ever say this (the word itself makes me sick a little in my mouth), but i moshed so much that i think i gave myself whip lash (no, really!).
I need some tips from Andrew WK.

So i spent last night in PJs feeling sorry for myself, home alone with Boo (seeing as Mr Ledoux is away touring), painting my nails, writing some lyrics, and eating stew under a duvet, watching Peter Andre on TV.
If you are finding this hard to believe, or just have no imagination, here is a picture of said event:

LOVELOVELOVE

xxxx

Ode to a birthday.

2009-10-09T03:51:00.000-07:00

I had such an amazing birthday. It truly was the best birthday of all time!
The bad news?
I literally took no photos. Zero. I was too busy having a good time, but regret not taking just a little snap or two now!
I am in the middle of rallying together friends who may have a couple of kodak moments from the night... Mainly because i was dressed as a native American, and we all looked cool.
Here is a small sample:

Photo by the beautiful FLOB!

Enter my birthday GIVEAWAY!

I may be 21 and a week now, but you still have time to celebrate like it's your birthday!

I am off on mini-tour this weekend, Bristol tonight, and Newport tomorrow!

When i am back.. i have some bloggy fun planned.
Also, the winner of the competition will be announced!

LOVELOVELOVE

xxxxxxx

Birthday GIVEAWAY!

2009-10-01T12:02:00.001-07:00

So... I TURN 21 ON SATURDAY!

For some reason, i am much more excited than any other year!

To celebrate, i thought i would host a little giveaway a-la-blog!

The gift?

Well, there are two:

"Statement" mittens! It's getting chilly where i am, and i can feel Autumn settling in. So what better way to keep your little fingies warm than inside a pair of 100%-softer-than-anything-ever-cotton mittens, with some big crazy bows? Hand knitted by moi, in front of the X files.

AND

All-purpose apron! This apron is also a Dusky creation. Lovingly hand made with a beautiful eyelet trim! You can wear it when doing all important domestic chores, or as some kind of ironic feminist attire!

(Both will come beautifully wrapped with a little birthday card from me!)

If these one of a kind hand-made prizes take your fancy, there are many ways to enter:

Re-post this competition on your blog!

Join this blog as a google user on the left hand side of this page

Follow me on Twitter

Tweet this competition

Email me to join my mailing list

Do as many or as few as you desire!

You will get one entry for doing one of the above,

and two extra entries for every extra one you do!

Make sure you leave a comment telling me what you have done!

I shall close the competition at 6pm GMT on Sunday 11th October, draw a name from entries in a hat, and will announce the winner shortly afterwards! 

Goodluck and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

LOVEloveLOVE

xxXxx

FESTIVAL, HOLIDAY, BOOTS, BIRTHDAY, COMPETITION

2009-09-22T03:08:00.001-07:00

I played Offset festival a couple of weeks ago, and spent the rest of the weekend watching some awesome bands.
Drummer BF got to meet his heros Future of the Left, and i got some pretty funny snaps of it. I have never seen him so giddy when we were watching their set from the backstage area.

From Offset, we headed down pretty much as south as you can get in Great Britain, to Cornwall - ST IVES for a short break. I really cannot stress how scenic Cornwall is. I had never been before, and it is just the best place to relax!

We stayed in a little cottage on the harbour front, and that was our base from which we did so many fun things... including:

Hiking on cliffs, boat trips to seal island, crab fishing, Eating at Rick Steins Cafe in Padstow, seeing the fat tame seals every night in the harbour, talking philosophy in the pitch black at the end of the pier at night, eating tons of ice creams/seafood/yummy stuff, visiting the Cath Kidston shop, looking around the St Ives Museum at all of the old vintage collections, craft stalls...

I could get even more indulgent in this list but will refrain!

My dream boots came a couple of days ago.. after a legacy of internet searching!
Office had taken them off their website almost straight after i looked at them. So i emailed them, and they told me that there were literally only a couple of pairs left, linked me to a special page.. and WHAM!
My size! I couldn't believe it! My clown sized feet saved the day! It was one of the few times where i have been eternally grateful to have UK size 8 tootsies.
If fate exists, that was it.

So i have been strutting around in new boots ever since (my feet are suffering slightly - they aren't fully worn in yet - but it's so worth it). I shall share some outfit posts this week to show you just how much use these beauties are getting (and therefore how their use really does justify the money spent on them..;) )

I started my final year of Uni yesterday, and it looks really great this term. Strangely, i am only on campus one day a week, and this will leave me with a lot of time that requires much self-motivation! Oh no...
I have a lot of questions about what i am going to do after this degree. So many things play around in my mind daily... doing an Masters, becoming a teacher, starting a business, getting a full time job, taking a gap year... The sick thing is that i really need to decide very soon.. but these thoughts change so rapidly that i am worried i may choose wrong! Has anyone else ever had this kind of dilemma?

Another final note! - I turn 21 on the 3rd of October, and am organizing a themed party to celebrate my official adulthood! Most people i have contact with in blog world are so many thousands of miles away, but if anyone wants to come or finds themselves in Norwich that weekend, i extend the invitation to you!

So, never to let anyone feel left out in celebrations, i have decided to host a birthday competition on my blog beginning this weekend! Details will be posted very soon :)

Tell me something fun!

LOVELOVELOVE
xxx

Holidays

2009-09-10T03:28:00.001-07:00

Ok, so i stupidly left no time to post a little something letting blog-world know that i am going on holiday from the 5th September.

It being the 10th of September i thought i would let you know (better late than never!) that today is my last day of holidaying.

So, me and my Mr spent Saturday at Offset Festival. I played early in the day, and we spent the rest of the day watching bands. A short 7 hour trip on Sunday and we were at our holiday destination... St Ives in Cornwall! Where we have been relaxing ever since!

On to my next train of thought... What fashion magazines do you read regularly (if any) ?

I have never been one to stick to one publication... and i only buy sporadically. So i really have a very shallow understanding of fashion mags in general.

I picked up Harpers Bazaar during the week... and quite enjoyed it (i also dont know if there is a differenence in issues between UK and US). I mean... the pages felt nicer than most... and their collages are really well put together but thats about as much as i can determine!

Am i embarrassingly misguided?

I need some help.. I almost subscribed.. but i thought i would put it to you knowledgable people before i commit to something that may actually be inferior!

What do you think is the best fashion magazine out there?

LOVE LOVE LOVE

xxx

P.s. I'll be back online on Saturday to catch up on your beautiful blogs and reply to emails properly!

THREE THINGS

2009-09-03T10:56:00.001-07:00

Ok, Three things:

ONE

I cannot stop thinking about how much i want these two items:

TWO

I ate the greenest mushy peas the other night with ketchup, and having been craving more ever since

THREE

The Brownies video for our up and coming single 'Dance Romance' has finally been unleashed into the inter-web.

Upon reflection, i much prefer my hair darker.

Is there anything you can't stop thinking about at the moment?

LOVE
xxx

P.s. Thank you so much to everyone who has left me comments. I love interaction!

BRODY

2009-09-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

My band mates went to Reading festival this weekend and got to meet Brody Dalle (of Distillers and more recently Spinerrette fame... plus she is married to the dreamboat that is Josh Homme).
Brody has probably been my idol since my pre-teen years.. she is a large part of the reason that i started to sing in bands. My hombres picked up an autograph for me.. (and managed to get their mugs in NME at the same time!)
It has got to be the best thing next to meeting her.

Who is your idol?
xx

Mademoiselle Paris

2009-08-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have spent the past week designing and making something to enter into Mademoiselle Robot's competition to win tickets to Paris!

I wanted to make a playsuit, and had to enter an image that represented Parisian style.. So i thought i would combine the two!

The play suit is made with a semi-stretchy cotton.. and feels comfy enough to wear in bed at night, but also supportive enough to wear out and about!

The back and legs of the play suit are inspired by the flair that french knickers have... because they are so sexy, flattering and sweet looking!

It took a lot longer than anything else i have made.. I don't have a dress form, so i had to be my own! I also did not use any patterns, and did no pattern drafting as such. It was a kind of free-style sewing.. hehe. Hardly technical, but lets me be optimally creative. Just remembering to use the bias of the fabric is important for me.

As i mentioned in my last post, i made tons of bias tape to finish all the showing seams of the play suit, and it really brought all of the carefully arranged stripes together, and ensured it hung perfectly.

Excuse my cheesecake poses. I modeled it with daytime and nighttime looks in mind!

I cannot wait to make another one... Next time something with a Peter pan collar!

LOVE
xx

Uh Uh UH

2009-08-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

Mustard Cushion

2009-08-24T03:21:00.000-07:00

I made this cushion one afternoon a while back, after playing with a strip of fabric. I had been thinking about making a cushion out of velvet, but for the texture of this cushion i had designed in my head, it had to be felt.

I love felt. It reminds me of being really young and making pictures out of felt shapes on some kind of 'sticky' backing.

The other great thing about it is that the edges don't need finishing, and it's easily manipulated. Score!

I couldn't make up my mind about adding some kind of contrasting edge, but decided on a black one. Which worked great! It frames the whole thing, matches my furniture, and gave me a place to hide a zip.

Boo was feeling far from camera shy! It turned into her own personal photo shoot!

LOVE
xxxx

Let's make things..

2009-08-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

This summer i have spent my free time creating things, and improving bits of our flat.

I really enjoy having somewhere peaceful and calm to come back to. Space is a necessity to accommodate my ridiculous amount of belongings, but we still have enough left over so i have somewhere to make new things, send letters, and type with my clunky typewriter.

When we moved in, we bought an extendable table for dining at, and put it in the living room. I love eating meals at a table, but it has never been that practical to do so. There is always a mountain of stuff parked on top of it, and the sofa is sat a few metres away mocking our attempt at pulling the table out. So we always dine with food on our coffee table. It's comfy too.

So, our extendable(yet never extended) table became my sewing desk, and our old bed side table became an extension of it... and before long i had my own craft suite taking up a whole wall in our living room.

Then i saw this via Casey's blog. It is so beautiful! I was so immediately inspired by it, and had to sort out my desk.

I think one of the prettiest and most practical things about that gorgeous craft spot was the place to hang tools/chalkboard. If anything frustrates me when making things or sewing, it is not being able to find something that i know i have within a 1 metre radius. Even more frustrating is having a great idea, and not being able to jot it down. So i knew i had to have something similar.

I bought some MDF and nabbed some chalkboard paint from downstairs, and made two lovely long and narrow boards. One for the kitchen, as a weekly meal planner, and one for my craft table. 

I had already dedicated the wall behind my desk as being a wall to eventually be completely covered by frames with my favourite images in them.
You can see an early picture of this on one of my first posts here.
I had to do a bit of arranging to get them to accommodate their new wall friend.

My whole project took me less than half a day, and has already made a world of difference to our living space. Just looking at it makes me feel super organised.

So here it is. My re-vamped, re-worked work space.

I cant wait to take it for a trial run!

Where do you make things?

LOVE

xxxxxxx

Berry good..

2009-08-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend just gone playing gigs. Two in one day actually.

One was spent in Halesworth, at 'Gig in the park', the other that night in Diss. It was a bit surreal, but fun all the same.

Sunday morning i was wide eyed and awake, and wanted to spend the day doing something fun. I had been meaning to go fruit picking for a couple of weeks, and couldn't get the thought of raspberries out of my head! It had to be done!

So, i enrolled my sister onto the mission and we set off in search of a pick-your-own-fruit farm.

I thought there would be a plentitude in Norfolk. I was wrong.

After 25 minutes of driving, my little car was gasping for more petrol, and i asked for some directions at the station. We got back on the road with our vague directions, and low and behold a few minutes later... we found one!

Not only did this place have all the pick-your-own fruit on EARTH, it had tons of little chicks cheeping around the driveway and around all of the fruit rows.

Armed with a bucket of raspberries, we headed home.

I smothered mine with yogurt. I dont know what Charley did to hers.

Things i have done this week:

Had a band photoshoot in the woods,

Made a cushion,

Sent some letters,

De-cluttered my clothes (see ebay link soon!),

Drawn lots of underwear designs.

What have you done this week?

LOVEEE

xxxx

P.S. Norwich was named as one of NME's future 50 last week. The only location mentioned! Check it out here. I am second from the right!

Album Reviews

2009-07-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

A little about recent band happenings.
I may spread this out a bit over the next two days.
There is a back log.

All recent endeavors have been in the name of this little beauty:

Our Album "OURKNIFE YOURBACK", sat proudly on the shelves of HMV and other record stores alike. Produced by Subways producer Jon Grey, and the famous Andy Gill from Gang of Four (see below)

I cannot tell you how excited this makes me. Lame as it may sound, i used to fantasize about being in a band with an album in HMV when i was a pre-teen.

More excitingly than this, it has been well received, more than any of us could have predicted or hoped. We are but one band, on our small independent record label, and we are being reviewed alongside both massively famous well established artists, and mercury nominated breakthrough acts. If it all ended now i would still be freakin' happy.

So here are the most notable write ups to date:

Q Magazine

NME

Artrocker

Ok, so i may as well have just looked in a mirror and pleasured myself.. But really. I had to write this all somewhere!
On a more light hearted note, here is an interview we did a few months back for Plan B magazine:

(You may need to head to Flickr to enlarge this little beast!)

So, head here for more Brownie info and to buy merch. Yummy. I hope you are all well. I have crafty things to share with you.
Until next time!
xxxx

BACK!

2009-07-22T02:43:00.000-07:00

It has been well over a month since my last post. So much has happened. Although i have been reading my blog reader religiously, I just haven't felt like posting! I have decided that from now on, i am not going to think as much, and just post instead.

Highlights of what has happened:

The band finished the tour and officially released our album! This incurred rave reviews from some amazing magazines! We also played one of top UK festivals this weekend for Radio One DJ Huw Stephens.. AND IT WAS AWESOME!(an entire post on this later)

I have been knitting and sewing like crazy. Cushions, birthday presents.. etc. (note also the gorgeous 40s scarf i picked up on tour travels below). I even reworked a vintage dress that i wore for aforementioned festival!

My lovely friend Karin from London came to stay for a weekend, and i found out that she also has a blog! You may need to learn Swedish, or just look at the pretty pictures. We had such a fun weekend of shopping, walking and drinking around Norwich!

My gorgeous man had his 30th Birthday this weekend also! We had a gorgeous party round his mama's house, and i bought him some old spice!

I passed my year at Uni! One left to go... who knows what i will be doing this time next year.

I have many fun things planned to share with you all very soon!
Hope you are well!
xx

ON THE ROAD

2009-06-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

HELLO!

Exams have finished, life is good, and i am on the road.
The band and i have been traveling up the country for 3 days now on tour, and i have a couple of things to show you that may be of interest!

We played a gig in Sowerby Bridge, a small town near Halifax on the first day away, and it was by far the hilliest place we have played a gig. I couldn't actually comprehend how they travel out of their homes in winter. There were a few moments to snap some quick pictures whilst we loaded Glenda (the van).

We stayed at the promoters house that night, which was rammed full of amazing vintage furniture and quirky finds. I took soooo many photos it was hard to choose which to use, so i narrowed it down to just a couple!

The girlfriend of the promoter found all of her treasure at local second hand shops, and said that no body in the area appreciated such things. This made me think... you could apply the rules of a 'booze-cruise' to vintage finds. A thrifty road trip? This sounds like a plan for after tour!

Hopefully once we reach Scotland, i will have enough daily internet access for some substantial posts! My time so far has been spent knitting like crazy. I have almost run out of yarn, so must find somewhere in Edinburgh to replenish supplies!

What have you done this weekend?

LOVE
xxx

Beautiful Sunday

2009-05-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

This shall be my last post until sometime after Thursday, when tour officially starts! I still have two exams to go this week, and things are a bit intense with revision and getting my stuff together!
I had a lovely Saturday. We got up extra early to cram in all that needed to be, including buying the BF a new drum kit, food shopping for tour supplies, and a quick in and out to the marvel that is clutter city.
Clutter City is a bi-monthly craft fair held at the legendary Norwich Arts Centre, where a lot of amazing Norwich gigs are played! Held on a Saturday, the auditorium, entrance hall and bar are transformed into a stunning display of DIY craft stalls, from small ventures in buisness, to hosting some larger ones! Its a hotbed of young creative talent.

We got there just as it opened this time, and whilst we avoided the crowd, i think we missed out a couple of stalls that had not yet been fully set up. As expected, there was so much to look at, but with revision and other errands looming, we had a quick wizz around. Notably, Lady Luck Rules Ok had a stall there this time. I am familiar with their products because my sister is a bit of an addict, and had bought me a gorgeous personalised necklace from them for Christmas.

We also stopped and had a chat to our friend Amy, who always graces the fair with her beautiful hair accessories stall! I bought a gorgeous flower clip from her (see below) and took a cheeky picture of her and her stall (also see below). I'm dying to ask her to whip up a vintage inspired hair style with my bonnet. For now, i will have to deal with un-brushed sunday hair (once again, see below).
Check out her website: Flamingo Amy

Saturday night we played a gig for FEVER FEVER's single launch at the Crypt in Take 5 (a building hundreds of years old built upon a plague pit! Goth attack). What a great night! So much dancing, lots of people, and they even made party bags for all who attended (i scored a Frank Sinatra cassette tape in mine)!
Here is Ellie from Fever Fever looking a bit cool:

Today is Sunday, the sun is still shining and i have lost count of the amount of people biking, laughing and frollicking in the beautiful rays outside of the window. I am sat indoors zoning in and out of revision mode.
Not all is bad though, my wonderful boyfriend's Grandma sent him home with a box of thank-you chocolates for taking in  one of her skirts for her, and i am presently sat with them and a nice cup of English Breakfast, skimming over moral philosophy.

I can't wait for this exam period to be over. Roll on freedom.
See you on the road lovers!

LOVE LOVE xxx

Knitty bits

2009-05-30T04:46:00.000-07:00

So, soon to appear should be my second knitting tutorial! Until then, take a look at what i have been making (in between revision sessions of course)!

Ok, so this is the second of these hats i have made now (amazingly, both out of the same ball of yarn, with some still left over)! The first looked good too, but i felt the knit was a little loose looking, and it was a large baggy hat.

This time, i still wanted it to be big enough to fit any head and accommodate a whole head of hair, but just to look a little more intricate! So i used a smaller sized needle, and followed the same pattern. The rib was the most challenging bit, but i think i have got garter stitch down now!
The model is my lovely sissy Charley!

You may have seen the pink baby booties i made on a previous post of mine. I bought the same yarn (Debbie Bliss, pure cotton) but in a pale blue colour to make lovely drummer Boyfriend's friend some baby boots and matching mittens for her new born!

As you may be able to tell from the picture, i still need to sew them up and thread ribbon around the tops, and i have also started to knit a little baby version of the hat above!

The nicest thing about these, is how luxuriously soft they are! 100% cotton feels so soft, just right for a baby!

The last thing i will share with you is a pattern that i scored at a charity shop amongst a box of vintage knitting patterns. I was so tempted to buy them all, or at least most of them (they were very very cheap at 40p a go!) however, i probably wouldn't get round to making lots of sweaters and jumpers just yet, and by the looks of the shop they weren't going anywhere anytime soon!

So here it is:

I absolutely love the idea of wearing a pill box hat. The pattern gives you the option to make a hard shell one, or a soft one - see below - both of which are very appealing!

For me though, it has to be the turban. It is something i can see myself wearing (sometime after the summer heat wave) with many of my outfits!

This pattern caught my eye because i am a beginner knitter (and have not attempted any items of clothing yet), and is something i can try over again without going insane if the first attempt doesn't quite work out.

I bought some fuzzy-esque yarn to knit a couple with today, in an off white colour. If it does prove to be a good pattern, i shall opt for something a little more luxurious (perhaps a fuzzy cashmere!)

So, for now, watch this space!

Tomorrow's post contains craft fair fun, and flowers for your hair!

LOVE LOVE LOVE
xxxxx

Charity shop shopping shop

2009-05-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

I have been cruising the charity shops around and about Norwich, and have picked up a handful of things. Two of them i am particularly chuffed with.
One of which is this suitcase! I'm not sure how old it is, but judging by the straps, not that old. It's perfect for taking on tour, being just big enough for all of my outfits and equipment, but not too heavy and bulky to lug to each venue and digs.
I love the battered looking faux leather. For £4, i couldn't go wrong!

My other favourite find has been this bed spread. I bought it thinking of the material that i could transform into some lovely garment, but have grown attached to it as bedding!
It actually reminds me a bit of some Cath Kidson stuff, but the pleats make it feel a little set back in time, which i love, and at £2.50 it was definately the right price! With a good wash i will be happily snuggling under this floral wonder for some time to come!

Have you bought anything special from a charity shop (or thrift store) recently?

LOVE
xxx

Cake and stuff

2009-05-29T15:04:00.001-07:00

I have been absent for a number of days now. Sadly still in the middle of exams, but filling my spare time with knitting, loved ones, and reading all of your blog posts!

So, this week(amongst other things) i have: 

Made a Victoria sponge cake and heart shaped scones
Knitted to my hearts content alongside with my new knitting buddy
Had a gorgeous BBQ round lovely boyfriend's mama's house with the family.
Been charity shop shopping

See following posts for more info on these topics!

I have two more exams left, and then head off on tour for a couple of weeks, so will be travel-blogging!

What kind of a week have you had? What was the highlight?
LOVE
xxxxxx

Knitting Tutorial Number One: Casting on!

2009-05-21T03:41:00.000-07:00

Well HELLO!

I have decided to do a couple of video tutorials about the basics on knitting, in anticipation for knitting a cardigan on tour! As i mentioned in my previous post, i did indeed knit a hat this week, pictures coming soon (as at present my creation has been misplaced).

These tutorials will be guiding the knitting novice (much like myself!) through the basic and necessary steps required to knit anything you want! They are quite crude, and are my first attempts at anything like this! It is just under 10 minutes long (i suppose pretty lengthly for Youtube!) but i have tried to omit any kind of confusion by taking things slowly!

So, in tutorial number one, we are looking at how to 'Cast on'. All you need is some yarn, and a pair of knitting needles!

Stay tuned for a post about what types of needles and yarn to use! The second knitting tutorial will also be coming very soon!

Hope you are all ok!
A big thank you to and i-loooveee-you to my man for holding the camera so still and being so patient.

Also, check out Casey's tutorial for a 50's style fake bang do! I was inspired to do my hair from this!

LOVE LOVE LOVE
xxxxxxxxx

Get Knitting

2009-05-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

I strongly believe in work incentives. If you have something to work towards, it makes everything seem worth while.

I planned to buy myself a little something to reward myself for completing my exams this year. Although i haven't finished them yet, the first half of my little incentive arrived from Amazon last week. It is a book by Aneeta Patel called Knitty Gritty.
It is an instructional knitting book with lots of patterns and ideas to accompany your learning!

Although my mum had taught me to knit years ago (and i had successfully knitted a couple of very large scarfs), i had never attempted to cast on or off, and only had experience of garter stitch. So my mission over the summer was to brush up on my knitting skills, and put my vintage knitting patterns to g ood use.

As i mentioned, i have not finished my exams yet, i am only a third through, but i allowed myself a day of rest, and i just couldn't help but get the second half of my incentive,  a roll of bamboo knitting needles from John Lewis.

These feel gorgeous, and at £14 are pretty reasonable. I have only ever been used to metal needles before, and i don't think i will be going back, at least not for a while.
So, with my book and needles (and some gorgeous 100% cotton yarn) to hand, and a practice square later, i gave my first pattern a go: Baby Boots.

Yes, i have no children, and i do not plan to have any in the near future, what is more, i know no babies, or any pregnant women. So, having made these gorgeous super cute little boots, they will be lying redundant in a drawer somewhere for an undisclosed length of time. What a shame! But i loved making them.

I couldn't find a single length of ribbon to w eave around the tops of them like i had intended, so will have to pick up some white-ish stuff when i next hunt for sewing bargains.

My next knitting plan is to knit a hat, and eventually, to start on a cardigan when i go on tour (the day after my last exam!), this should make the 3 weeks of traveling in a  van fly by!

My much mentioned, lovely-drummer-boyfriend bought me the most gorgeous pair of embroidery scissors yesterday. I has mentioned their existence the day before, and the thoughtful thing bought them for me as a suprise on his lunch break at work.

The are in the shape of a stork! Nifty? Hell yeah! Their primary use will be to hang on a gorgeous piece of ribbon around my neck whilst i sew. I can never find my fabric scissors when i need them to chop little threads and what not!

Although my new book is awesome, i thought that a couple of the instructional pictures were a little complicated, and i have envisaged a great way of drawing them more simply, which i want to get down on paper and put on here (or youtube) as a tutorial for beginner knitters. What do you think? If i can learn to knit, its pre tty much certain that any one else can.

Oh one last thing, i nabbed these gems at a charity shop yesterday for £1.50 for all three bits. There are hundreds and hundreds of 80's knit patterns in two (almost record like) boxes and a massive instructional binder folder.
So if you are longing to look like you belong in ' Saved by the Bell' then please do not hesitate to borrow some patterns!

I am playing the Great Escape in Brighton tommorow, so i will see what i can find there to share with you!
I hope you are all happy and well!
Lots of Love
xxxxxxxx

48 hours

2009-05-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

It has been a painfully long time since my last post. I hope this never has to happen again! I am right in the middle of exams at the moment, and finding the time to write something good just couldn't happen! So far, 2 down, 4 to go!
My family and i had booked last weekend together for a while, and it was the first time in 4 years that we had a holiday together. It was not abroad, but to Centre Parcs, one of my favourite places of all time.
We had been on many weekend breaks there when i was much younger, with our family friends (who also came this weekend). Being surrounded by trees and squirrels, away from cars and city life was beautiful (even if this experience was shared with a thousand others!). I made lots of use of my Pashley Bike (borrowed from my mum), but stupidly forgot to take a picture of it. That in itself is a beauty! Maybe i will post this later.
Other highlights included: Seeing ducklings everywhere, bombing down the rapids over and over, the wave machine, swimming in general, feeding squirrels, the arcade, and our big barbeque.

My lovely-drummer-boyfriend, and my sister's drummer-boyfriend came along, and although i and said lovely-drummer-boyfriend arrived late on the Friday (after watching drummer-boyfriend playing a gig with Cage the Elephant), and left a night early (so i could actually revise at home, instead of finding excuses not to at Centre Parcs), the weekend was perfect.

For some reason, i only took a handful of pictures. I think i was too busy enjoying myself to remember to click!

Love Love Love
xxxxx

Books!

2009-05-04T23:42:00.000-07:00

I always find that when i really need to do something, and I am really pushed for time, i find something else to do that does not need to be done.

My first exam starts on Monday, and i think it would be fair to say I'm less than prepared for it.

I have mountains of handouts and books to read in a short number of days (not to mention i am away at the weekend), but my eyes keep fixing upon my book shelf looking for other potential reads. I don't even do this when i am not revising!

So i though today's post might help my little brain out with this. I thought i would share with you some of the best books on my shelf.

1. The Thrift Book - by India Knight
(Published by the Penguin Group) £5.19 new from Amazon

This has to be one of my favourite books of all time. It is literally jam packed with inspiration, and the feeling it leaves you with afterwards is something that has never happened to me with any other book.

The cover art hints to the topics covered inside. It is basically a how-to book on making the very most of every £ (or $ or another currency) you spend in beautiful and inventive ways. I think the wealthiest readers would reconsider how they spend their money, not just for finances sake, but for the sake of your conscience.

The topics covered are: Food (she gives numerous amazing, cheap recipes), clothes, crafts, community, having fun, beauty, holidays (a great idea here about house swapping), home and money (where she breaks down information about finance into understandable little chunks).

One of the best things about this book is the amount of website referrals she gives you. There are tons and tons, from make up to gardening, to holidaying to weddings and more. Although this is definitely written with the Englishman in mind, it would be just as useful to say, someone in America, as the websites are often American anyway, or ship there.

The only thing i felt that wasn't quite relevant to me, was the bits about children, and marriage. Overall, there isn't a lot of this in the book, and it does not take for granted that these two subjects apply to you (which is good!), and in fact, i found that the ideas for children were quite appropriate to things i would try for myself anyway.

I am pining to re-read this book, and i suggest that if you haven't already read it to rent it from the Library, or buy a second hand edition from Amazon! It is definitely worth the investment.

2. The Book of the Home
published by Meritshield Ltd 1981.

Continuing with the lifestyle theme, i give you this! This is a book given to me by my boyfriend's wonderful mum. I confess having not read the whole thing yet, but flicking through it is fantastic in itself!

It has tons and tons of pictures of "how to decorate your home" accompanied by lots of early 80's pictures of 'modern' homes. Best of all, it has loads of recipes, and "hundreds of helpful hints" (see below)

I just love the look of the pages in this book, and i am constantly on the look out at car boot sales and charity shops for similar books, as they provide lots of inspiration!

3. The Girl's Story Book
The Capella Press 1936.

I love old books and the way they smell. This is a book i found in a vintage book shop in Edinburgh. It was surrounded by lots of books from the 1800's, and although i was tempted to get something philosophy related, the likely hood of actually reading something that i feared breaking upon opening meant i opted for something a little newer, and a little sweeter.

I confess, once more, that this is another book that i have not read cover to cover, but just looking at the illustrations inside is enough for me!

I think it is hard to beat the beauty of vintage books!

4. Start and Run your own shop. Val Clark
published by How To Books Ltd. £22.98 Amazon

I don't want to seem obsessed with books that tell me what to do, but this one deserves a mention. I have conquered a third of this beast, picking it up from time to time to add a little more.

I dream of running my own shop one day. I'm still not sure what kind of shop, but i have plenty of ideas. Something to do with sewing i hope. This book just feeds my dream. It makes it seem so possible, and breaks down the seemingly most complicated parts of this process into something that anyone could understand.

It's well written, and very well presented, and keeps me reading every time!

5. Invisible Monsters - Chuck Palahniuk
from £2.75 on Amazon

The first adult fiction on this list. My favourite author, and the writer of Fight Club, i think you would probably love or hate this book. He writes at a relatively fast pace, but in a really weird way (if you have seen Fight Club the film, you will have an understanding of what i mean). I think it is brilliant.

This book is about a catwalk model disfigured by a motor accident. I wont reveal anymore, you MUST read it. Just when you think you know something, the rug gets pulled from under your feet.
This book really evaluates beauty if you ask me.

So, i have shared with you some of my favourite reads. Do you have any you think i should read?
Love Love Love xxx

Ealing Studios

2009-05-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

As predicted, Ealing Film Studios were amazing. I had such a fun weekend. Having never shot a video before, this had to be the ultimate first video experience. The majority of the weekend was spent being caked in the face, punched and thrown around by people dressed as animals, whilst trying my hardest to continue miming words in front of a camera. The crude picture collages show snippets of what went on. Can you spot the vintage 'Dansette' record player? And the vintage keys? Hehe. These were the property of another group moving in upstairs from us. It reminded me of my last post here!

Something felt quite good about having a chocolate eclair smushed into my face (see above). I don't know if this is wrong or right! What do you think?
On a small break, i managed to have a sneak about the place. It was much bigger than i imagined, and our studio was tiny in comparison to the monstrously huge studio 2 that i stumbled across. I'm pretty sure this is where the feature films are made. Imagine the biggest warehouse you have seen, and times it by a thousand! Sadly, when i went back to take some cheeky photo's on day two it was closed off.

Fake blood followed the cake, and this in itself was a treat. The ever so talented set designer/pink elephant Tim made two different kinds! One runny and squirty, and one thick, congealed, and not unlike how i imagine brains. The latter was easier to clean off of skin than the first!
Also, i did not end up wearing my planned outfit in the end! The director Tom cast his vote and i ended up wearing a sweet looking Reko dress with a bird/heart print!

I would love to reveal more, but i will leave it at this for now. The single is not released until October, so it is a long wait until the video is unleashed onto the internet!
I have had an amazing weekend, and made a list of things that i want to post over the next few months. This will be the last of the band orientated posts for quite a while. Video tutorials and blogging was something that crept into my list. Any suggestions on what you would like to see?
I have a ton of work to do for my impending exams this week, but will try to update as regularly as i have been!
Lots of Love!
xx

Music to my ears

2009-05-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

A thrifty Anecdote.
My gorgeous vintage record player. I found this beauty on a community website called Gumtree for £10! I gave it a good clean, and found that ascetically, it was in near perfect condition ( bar the front 'bush' strip being missing'), but it didn't run smoothly. This just would not do. My plastic sounds had remained ornaments, unplayed since i packed my awkward modern deck away into the attic when we moved.
My friends made me aware that there is this fantastic shop in our lovely city of Norwich called 'The vintage TV and Wireless shop', only open on Saturdays, but with a workshop just outside of the city. I took my little gem as soon as i could, and they couldn't do enough to help! The place is set out to be what felt like a 50's living room, filled with stunning televisions, radios and record players from various decades. What a dream! A week later i picked her up and low and behold, she ran like a well oiled machine, and my strip had been replaced. It cost me next to nothing, and she has a full year guarantee.

This is a post that i questioned writing! A large part of my time is consumed by singing in a band called the Brownies, I'll spare the details but you can catch us here. I thought about writing this blog with no mention of this, perhaps as an escapism, but i cannot escape the fact that it is a massive part of my life these days, so like today, i will occasionally update you with what is happening.
We played a gig on Wednesday night with a band called Innerpartysystem from America. To be honest, i had never heard of them before (I'm sure this was a mutual feeling), but it was a great night! I took much joy in standing at the merch stand after we played (something i have never done before) and talking to people that enjoyed the gig, whilst watching the other bands entertain.
Yesterday i took myself shopping to find an outfit suitable for a video shoot we are filming on Saturday in London. It had to look smoking but have no emotional attachments to me (hence the new purchase), because lets just say, its going to get bloody. The most exciting thing about it is that we are filming it at Ealing studios, probably the most famous British film studios and definately the oldest. Films that have been shot there include: Star Wars, Batman, Shaun of the Dead and more recently the sequeal to the Decent. But more interestingly for me, it was home to most of the films that made early British cinema between 1930 and 1959. I will definately be treading on sacred ground. If you want more of an overview, head to wikipedia and learn!
Below is the outfit i plan to wear! It is a little simple, but I decided that this is probably a bit more timeless, which will reduce any embarrassment in 10 years time. I shall take some more interesting shots of it in action at the weekend!


Skirt and top both £7.99 from H&M.

We recorded our album over the past year (out on NRONE records) with a couple of really amazing producers; Andy Gill (Guitarist in Gang of Four, and producer of, among others, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Futureheads), and Jon Gray (producer of The Subways). Although majorly stressful at times, it was probably one of the best experiences of my life so far! If you want to read more, or hear some of the songs, head here. Otherwise, here are a couple of pictures of the album itself, and a previously released single (only posted because it is a pretty blue one):

'Cougar' is the first single off of our album, to be released next week. The artwork is by a fantastic local artist called Gemma Correll, who does the cutest looking illustrations. Check out her website!

Finally, our official release date for said album entitled OURKNIFE YOURBACK is in June. Which means that the advertising campaign is already underway! I though i would add a little image from Uncut Magazine, with our full page add inside! It's the little things that make it all feel worthwhile!

That is definately a weight off my chest!

I will post some pictures of the historic Ealing Studios after my visit there this weekend! I invested in a rather good digital camera today (as you can probably decifer from the pictures, i have not yet read the settings manual). So will try to take some more inspiring and better focused photographs for you to enjoy!

One last thing, if you do read any of my posts, don't be shy about leaving comments! I'd love to meet new people, and I'd love to hear what you think!

Love xx

Sewing Sewing Sewing

2009-04-29T02:56:00.000-07:00

It seems like i am cataloging rather than blogging right now! I am having much fun in doing so though. So today, i thought i would post a couple of sewing related pictures. My lovely boyfriend bought me a sewing machine for my 20th birthday in October. It is gorgeous. If our flat was burning down, i would probably grab that, my 1963 Playboy feat. Jayne Mansfield (what a hottie) and Boobalicious (the cat), and run like the wind. It has so many neat features, and still feels well oiled and brand spanking new. I love it.

All i want to do all day long is hunch over it and make clothes, repair clothes, customise, make soft furnishings etc etc etc. But alas, Band commitments and my degree prevent this from being such a regular thing. I do take comfort in dreaming that perhaps one day i may have my very own sewing room in a large house! Now that is living the dream.
So, less talk more photos. These are a small selection of recent-ish projects that i have completed:

Below, is a spur of the moment cushion i concocted entirely out of scrap fabric that has been festering in one of my sewing boxes. My sister donated the cushion inside, which was looking rather worn and tired, so i gave it a new lease of life by ripping it apart and stuffing it full of new padding. It was more than happy after it's little operation. I had been thinking about making a cushion for our nautical themed bathroom for a couple of weeks, and decided that an anchor motif would be relevant and simple!

Sometime last year i decided to make lots and lots of aprons from this pattern:

View 2 is the apron referred to here! I think my intention was to sell them (amongst other things) at a couple of local craft fairs, and maybe on Etsy or Ebay. My time management skills got the better of me and at present they lie sad and lonely in a case underneath my bed. There are lots of different colours and patterns, and most of them are one of a kind, having just bought one metre at a time of some fabrics which caught my eye! My mum had given me some fabric that were once cushions which she had sewn for her house with my dad when they were first married. I used this material (having to sew a couple of scraps together to fit the pattern!) to make one of the aprons, and decided to keep that one for myself. It is probably my favourite to look at, and also has a little bit of a sentimental value too! I like the idea of recycling fabric like this.

My favourite and most used sewing creation over the past few months has been a babydoll nighty that i made (also from a vintage pattern). I chose some sweet looking checked silk cotton from the fabric shop in town, and some of my favourite frilly edging and away i went! There are pattern pieces for some large knickers to match, but for now i am pretty comfy with just my babydoll! The thing that is so nice about it, is that is has sooo much material that just cascades from the shoulders down, that i can toss and turn however i wish, and will not get caught up in it!

The hanger in these photos is also a recent-ish creation of mine. I made it to go with a fancy dress french maid outfit that i have. You may be able to see the buttons that i covered with silk at the ends too.

I feel like i have saturated this post with photos! But i will leave one more. This is a recent pattern that i bought off of Ebay for pennies. I am hoping to make the coat on it in time for the end of summer (That should be long enough!!!). Im not sure what fabric to do it in yet, but it will definately be a medium brown, probably a wool of some sort!
This was fun!
Until tommorow!

xxx

House

2009-04-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

Today i thought i would post a couple of pictures of my latest big bargain find. I have always wanted a dolls house, but have been so restricted by the extortionate prices for even the most simplistic catalogue houses! I have dreamed of something a little bit different from the norm, and something less "flat-pack" looking. I had been looking on ebay for yonks and kept seeing the same old styles until i saw it. Yes it. My house! I think i was almost as excited about bidding for it as i would be for a real house.

Unusually, this house is made primarily from solid pine and MDF, it weighs the same as a large chest of draws! It is truly one of a kind, having been commissioned by a local carpenter by the previous owner, who constructed the entire thing based on a picture of a victorian dolls house. It is so beautiful. The front opens up revealing 4 rooms and two hallways with stairs, and the attic also opens at the top to show two more rooms there too! It is all wired up and ready to be decorated, although i have noted a few bits and bobs that i want to tidy up structurally before i do this (for example, fixing an invisible latch to the front, and tiling the roof and porch).

Our kittie Boo decided she had to be in this picture, and when this arrived she proved that the rooms inside are big enough for her to hide in.
The most satisfying part of this purchase, was that it cost me £77. Shipping it across England would have cost me at least this and more, but my wonderful boyfriend arranged a courier through his work, and they very kindly delivered it free of charge. I do love a good bargain. I can't wait to make little bits and pieces for this. Although, let it be known, dolls house dolls are a little too creepy for my liking. I think this will be a people-less house. I may stretch to a couple of cats. Which reminds me, i did see a miniature tortoise on ebay which would look great in the little garden area!
I will be posting more pictures of this once i have done a little to it! I think i have decided on decorating it in a 50's kind of theme. I had even considered a modern finish, but i think this might look a bit boring, and Victorian decor is just not my thing!
However, until my dreaded exams are far in the past, and the manic tour with the band is finished, i will not let myself do anything to this! It would be far too easy to procrastinate with my much more pressing issues!
More pictures of other finds tomorrow!
Thanks for reading! xx

Bits and Pieces

2009-04-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

Since my first rather dull post, i have been very excited about writing and adding more to this blog of mine. I keep walking around my cluttered flat noting things that would be fun to include and write about. My only problem being that i have no camera, except the little one on my phone! Nevertheless, I have added a couple of pictures of recent finds of mine. On the left, a small white vase with a cute scalloped edge, found in a charity shop for 70p!

Another find in my new favourite charity shop were two frames, 50p each, one white and gold and the other a dark brown wood effect, both to be filled with sexy bright pictures and hung on my wall of treasures (see below).

I have been on the look out for a wall mounted magazine rack for our nautical themed bathroom for a while now, something in a dark battered up old wood - not unlikely to be found in an old library or similar. But alas, car boot after car boot, charity shop after charity shop and ebay till my eyes hurt and still, no luck. However, i have found this cute little rack to bridge the gap between now and the ideal (which now looks as though i may need to make it myself). This was also a lucky find at the British Red Cross, and for £1 i could do nothing but celebrate (see stitchcraft magazine, an ebay bargain).

Thats all for today, i will be posting many of my other vintage-esque finds over the next week or two, and will also share with you a couple of my recent sewing projects that have reached completion over the last couple of weeks (including an anchor cushion, and a 50's babydoll nightdress!).
Adios! xxx

Started

2009-04-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

I have decided to debut. Instead of waiting to sort out images, a theme, a banner and a direction for my blog, i thought better of it and have decided to just write. I still intend to cover these visual and structural details as soon as time permits me. Whats important right now is getting down all of the ideas swimming around in my head!

My name is not Dusky Ledoux, but it is the name of my blog. Having been inspired by other beautiful and entertaining blogs on vintage fashion and lifestyle, i have decided to contribute to this genre via own little URL. This being my intention, i must add that i, like most, live a very modern lifestyle, and sticking to vintage in a literal sense will be restricting for me. I'm going to think of this as a place to publish my ideas, crafts, daily adventures and finds in a way that is intwined with the past, but married to today. That is what is fun about vintage to me.

My next posts will be a lot less philosophical than this, and hopefully visual too!

Contact

2008-01-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

For all questions, concerns and enquiries please email Sophie here:

DuskyLedouxBlog@googlemail.com