Going to bed with Keith

1967

If you haven't bought his autobiography which came out earlier this year, then please do so on this recommendation - it's fantastic. So far I have missed two stops on the bus I was so engrossed reading it, and it's my new bed time read hence the title of this blog post. I don't want the book to end, so I'll just take my time...

Goldielocks, Rapunzel aint got nothin' on her

Marianne, may I please have your hair?

Riding pretty, flying around on a bicycle made for thought

I want to ride my bike, all carefree yet deep in thought...I need a beautiful old bike in my life in 2011. Lovely Bridget! x

Love is real, real is love

Love is real, real is love,
Love is feeling, feeling love,
Love is wanting to be loved.
Love is touch, touch is love,
Love is reaching, reaching love,
Love is asking to be loved.
Love is you,
You and me,
Love is knowing,
We can be.
Love is free, free is love,
Love is living, living love,
Love is needing to be loved.

As is life!

If you're bored with life, if you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals. -Lou Holtz

Snow day, duvet day, hat season!

I patiently awaiting the postman to deliver the newest addition to my family of hats...a beauty from the 1960s of course. Brown faux fur beehive hat with string under the chin and pom poms!

Other than that days have been spent working evenings dancing to northern soul with suited and booted mods, and pretty 60s girls. Sleepless nights have been had...trying to decide where to go in life.

Do I?

a) open a shop (I have no funds, but little debt) which will open late have a jukebox and records playing, selling tea, coffee and serving the healthiest vegetarian food in the day and selling beautiful vintage pieces and interesting books. A twist on the 60s late night mod coffee bars.

b) begin a fully funded ( 3 year!) social work degree

c) study nutrition (4 year) degree

d) study TEFL (teach English as a foreign language) and go travelling the world, and save money by working in Asia

e) continue in the city I'm in making jewellery, selling on vintage fairs and paying the bills by doing part time office work (I dislike traditional office work, dislike probably not a strong enough word) and continue with my counselling qualification

I am the most indecisive person I know. Any action is better than none, and today is a Snow Day! I can't get to work...so let the action begin! now to decide?!!

Porcelain Doll Vintage Store - opened today!

Hello all,

Now it's far from perfect but if I wait for perfect I will never get it started so - here goes! Here's the link to the very beginnings of my online vintage store. I need to improve the photography and update with a lot more stock yet - but thought you may like a sneak preview...it's very basic but I will continue to work on it so it will be looking prettier soon!

In the mean time please leave comments or ask any questions about the few items that are currently on there! Oh and 10% off if you're a reader of this blog! ;-)

xxx

It aint' what you do but the way that you do it...

Understated elegance. Grace by name, oh so graceful by nature.

Ode to the humble Pyjamas (in times of illness)

What do you wear when you have the flu? you need to keep extra warm but also need to feel nice, ok pyjamas are a good choice! I'm a big fan of 1950s style pyjamas floral ones, and crisp looking cotton striped ones - like from the colgate adverts! Not exactly sexy but oh so cosy who wants to go to bed being cold in a flimsy silk negligee?? Brrrr not in British winters, thanks!

Once upon a time whilst still a student I nipped to the shops in my pyjamas but not now! I desperately want some vegan chocolate ice-cream to soothe my throat, that I can eat in bed...but I'm still sat in my pyjamas...

I dream of Jeannie's dresses part two

Ok they are a little cutesy for my taste, but even so - such a sweet 60s look! Like a little 60s Barbie Doll.

Walk the plank, oo-argh me hearties and all that gibberish!

Ok, we had a housewarming party this weekend, at my friends who happens to have a bar in her new house, how cool? yes it's in the basement! Randomly she and her flatmate have named it Fillipes'. No reason. No reason needed, haha.

Only the coolest bar in town, I'll have you know! The theme for the party was pirates - Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow unfortunately could not attend. However giggles were had by all!

My outfit was quite rubbish haha last minute rush - I have my eye patch round my neck, see?! if it wasn't for that I didn't really much look like a pirate...! Hehe.

My head scarf is knitted and about 35 years old, it was my nana's cute huh? must wear more often...it's the perfect shape to tie round your head...really nicely knitted!

Little Ol' Tea Drinker me...

I'm trying to take some time out. I'm trying to stop chasing excitement quite as much, as it's tiring! Ha,ha maybe a sign of age? I'm trying to cut back on the shopping, make time to breathe and enjoy the simple things.

I'm enjoying making my jewellery without any pressure. I'm enjoying cups of fruit and herbal tea, on a Sunday in the cosiest little teashop ever. While I'm watching my pennies I'm staying in the city I live, most weekends -and I feel I'm rediscovering it all over again, almost - with fresh eyes.

Everyday I'm writing a fresh to-do list. I've finally realised life is about experiences, people you meet and what you create with them. Life is short - duh of course it is!

Getting lost helps you find the things you're looking for, that's why I can't wait to go travelling once more. Next post will be my hit-list of countries.

I'm making porridge shortly for breakfast, it's raining outside - yet I might still go for that jog - or maybe not?

Life at the moment is tea drinking, reading good books, dancing with friends for hours at weekends until our feet ache and living ever day whilst noticing every moment. I hope to make some candles in vintage tea cups in the next few weeks...

The music I'm listening to so much at the moment is soul...sweet, sweet soul - going back to my mod roots ;-)

Hardly rock n roll but I'm enjoying this stillness.

Little ol' tea drinker me x

My mum met the legend Jimi Hendrix, and all I got was the story

Jimi Hendrix amazing artist, gentle, gentle soul...softly spoken - or so my mum tells me, who met him in the mid sixties and sat on a bench talking to him for a good while - I love the story, I'm terribly jealous of her for getting to meet him - but in the nicest possible way of course! ;-)

R.I.P Jimi. And can you believe the photographic evidence of my mum and Jimi sat on that bench together got lost in a record sleeve that my dad lent to a friend in the late 1970s. Fail!

I think he's beautiful....and someone somewhere has a random picture of Jimi with a blonde, young woman with a beehive looking a little similar to me, and on that day next to that fine young man, likely to be looking very SMUG. Where are you photo? x

Porcelain Doll Vintage playlist

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

style vs fashion

Ok, if I can't get Jane Bikin's legs I'll make do with a bag like hers in this photo...

Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are.
Quentin Crisp

Fashion can be bought.
Style one must possess.
Edna Woolman Chase

It's easy to see which is the winner. I don't like being told what to do by anybody (is this a Capricorn thing?) so there's no way I am being dictated the latest fashions. Of course one can't help be influenced slightly, merely picking up a magazine or watching a film, or strolling down your local high street.

One of my favourite books on style is The Cheap Date Guide to Style, I can't recommend it enough! It's experimental and fun, and focuses on clothing and accessories being a source of experimental pleasure!

So let's start each day like a child sifting through a dressing up box! So next time I get cross at myself for having schizophrenic dress tendencies I will just kindly remind myself, it's meant to be fun...Mondays when I dress like a mod, Thursdays as if I have just come back from Woodstock and Saturdays when I'm dressed like a swirly psyche mod, and Sundays when I look like a indie kid. Dressing up becomes so much more when you absorb your inspiration from literature, art, music and history! It becomes so much more fun and more a part of you, an extension of your personality! Is this sounding pretentious?! I hope not!

Enjoy and have fun in that dressing up box!

PS what's happened to the good old British jumble sale?!!

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes (style queen)

Like the song, like the girl...

What a wonderful film, Almost Famous. It's 1973, I'm a groupie and my name is Penny Lane.

Ted Hughes, my favourite poem - possibly of all time I introduce to you 'Lovesong'

Lovesong
He loved her and she loved him.
His kisses sucked out her whole past and future or tried to
He had no other appetite
She bit him she gnawed him she sucked
She wanted him complete inside her
Safe and sure forever and ever
Their little cries fluttered into the curtains

Her eyes wanted nothing to get away
Her looks nailed down his hands his wrists his elbows
He gripped her hard so that life
Should not drag her from that moment
He wanted all future to cease
He wanted to topple with his arms round her
Off that moment's brink and into nothing
Or everlasting or whatever there was

Her embrace was an immense press
To print him into her bones
His smiles were the garrets of a fairy palace
Where the real world would never come
Her smiles were spider bites
So he would lie still till she felt hungry
His words were occupying armies
Her laughs were an assassin's attempts
His looks were bullets daggers of revenge
His glances were ghosts in the corner with horrible secrets
His whispers were whips and jackboots
Her kisses were lawyers steadily writing
His caresses were the last hooks of a castaway
Her love-tricks were the grinding of locks
And their deep cries crawled over the floors
Like an animal dragging a great trap
His promises were the surgeon's gag
Her promises took the top off his skull
She would get a brooch made of it
His vows pulled out all her sinews
He showed her how to make a love-knot
Her vows put his eyes in formalin
At the back of her secret drawer
Their screams stuck in the wall

Their heads fell apart into sleep like the two halves
Of a lopped melon, but love is hard to stop

In their entwined sleep they exchanged arms and legs
In their dreams their brains took each other hostage

In the morning they wore each other's face

Ted Hughes

Crush...check out that beard!

I would love to see Mr Devendra Banhart play live and his deliciously melodic, child-like hippy folk songs that sound like sunshine!

And he's mighty easy on the eye too! Don't you agree? Sigh, more men need long hair and facial hair, circa '67-'72. Though I do have plenty o' crushes on the more clean cut mod boy.

But basically you got to love a dandy, right girls? Just as long as he doesn't spend more time using the bathroom mirror then you!

;-)

X

365 days without shopping? and Cameo Ladies.

Could you do it? would you struggle?!

I'm attempting to cut down on my shopping, but unlikely to be able to go cold turkey...I'll try and keep you updated with how it's going. Main reason being...I'm going to be a student again next year as I'm doing a teach English as a foreign language course, travel a bit (OK a lot!) Asia etc and then hopefully settle in Berlin! Berlin is amazing! Anyhow...saving the pennies must commence!

My weekends are becoming less busy, typical! just as the weather gets bad here, i.e meaning it is no longer car booting season so now I have the time to peruse them they're not here! But hey I guess those of you in America are ok, what with estate sales (...I'm jealous) trust us Brits to do this kind of selling in a muddy field from the back of our cars at stupid'otime in the morning it's not a winter pastime is it really?! We need to keep the great car boot still, but estate sales are needed!!

I do love them though, car boots.

I'm hoping to do another vintage sale on December 5th - I thrifted the most lovely 1970s cameo necklaces, what do you think? they are deadstock from 1977....
What do you think? I love cameos...the chain is gold plated and sooo long, I think it's gorgeous!

Celia and Ossie Dream Team!

I have just bought this dress it's for Topshop by Celia Birtwell and from their instore range from a couple of years ago -the cut and style it is a little reminiscent of the work of my favourite fashion dream team Ossie and Celia!

Ossie Clark for those who don't know was one of the most influential designers of the 60s and 70s and Celia Birtwell was his wife and together they created some of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen!

Ossie was the self proclaimed 'Master Cutter' and boy was he that and Celia's beautiful prints made their designs out of this world! A winning combination if ever there was one! For more info on this amazing partnership click here

I must write more about the duo but for now here's my Topshop, Celia Birtwell dress - if only it was an Ossie original but it's lovely all the same, don't you think?

I dream of Jeannie's dresses!

Oh I used to love the re-runs of this programme when I was a kid....yes re-runs! I'm not that old...whatever happened to 1960s repeats on TV it hardly ever happens! Such a shame.

And isn't Jeannie lovely....I dream of her outfits and that dreamy hair! such a lovely 1960s style she has!

If could spend one day doing anything...and then continue in that way forever...

How would you spend that day?

Me, I'm not sure other than it would revolve around music and things of beauty and period history. Vague, huh?

My favourite 60s hat!

Leopard print beehive hat...

First love, last love, musical crush - happy birthday, war is over...

Just a quick one....I adore John Lennon though I only know him as a memory, having died before I was born, RIP John, on today, the day that would've seen you turning 70 years old.

Happy Birthday and god bless...and of course thank you for the legacy you left behind. x

Im a sucker for stripes (oh and Lennon)

one of my dream men, oh Mr Lennon!

Ballet pumps and classic stripes were made for one another, right?

Marilyn as a natural blonde...I love her hair colour here!

I do love a bit of fancy dressing but seriously my heart lies with the classics, the well fitting good quality basics...like the striped t-shirt, sigh...perfect on boys and girls!

I'm wearing a lovely striped t-shirt today! get your stripes on! Surely these stripes are enough to inspire?!!!

With leggings or skinny dark jeans and classic ballet pumps and boys with navy pea coats, slim jeans and Chelsea boots - such a perfect outfit based around STRIPES on your chest! :-) stripey, stripey, stripey, stripey....................STRIPES! x

No hot water!

Argh it's getting cold here in Nottingham - and we have no hot water, what happened there then? Ha, no idea! My flatmate tried to have a shower yesterday morning and zilch, nuttin'! Oh dear - Landlord should be coming over today to get it fixed- till then I'm showering at the gym - hahaha at least it means I'm going to the gym more regularly!

Today is my last day at my office job, and from tomorrow onwards I will be working full time in the community and at projects supporting women fleeing domestic abuse, it's a great job! I wish such a service wasn't needed but as it is, it is an honour doing this work and working with such strong incredible ladies, colleagues included...!

EBay addiction, not particularly waning! I am currently waiting for a three quarter sleeve woollen topshop coat, it's navy and very simple and classic - I love the idea of the 3/4 sleeves as I plan to wear it with my long 1950s navy leather gloves...

Hats, and gloves maketh a lady....I do love the idea of hats and gloves in a 'sunday best' kind've of way - so very, very ladylike!

The topshop coat, it's nothing especially exciting just a good simple, classic winter coat, hope it arrives soon! How fun is it getting little/big parcels in the post?! very :-)

I'm also on the look out when I have more pennies for a darling little wicker basket a'la Little Red Riding Hood - just be handy, and look cute when buying food from the market and greengrocers! I used to have one for cookery at school...but no idea where it went!

This weekends plans are jewellery making and reading some good books, as I am pretty broke! I say weekend...but I only have one day free this week, not working Sunday!

Oh it does feel like Friday today...wishful thinking maybe? as it was the last day of my job this week, yesterday I got given the most beautiful bunch of flowers from my office HUGE, I could barely walk with them or be seen behind them....hehehe very sweet of them.


Ok, have a lovely weekend all....X ps this weeks soundtrack to my life has been Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen - just suits this colder weather, dont you think?!! x

Anarchy in the UK, rebellion in your heart

Ever feel misunderstood? ever feel like you're constantly trying to fit in with society -everyone else is happily conforming it seems, when you're kicking free and rebelling against all that they passively accept - square peg round hole, sound familiar...?

'Rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive!'

Marianne Faithfull

Keep on, keeping on you are a free spirit, carve that niche and be who you are, the only thing that is holding you back is you, rebellion is fun, so stick your fingers up to the norm and make your own life, OK?

Just call me second hand sue!

I hardly ever buy any new clothes, apart from the basics like underwear (of course its all new!), bretton t-shirts, striped t-shirts, cardigans, a good pair of well fitting skinny black jeans, and of course tights and socks - other than those and a few other essentials - nearly all of my clothes are vintage or secondhand!

And how much more interesting does that make my shopping, very! :-) and Im recycling and not falling into the usual capitalist consumer pattern that I so try to avoid ( I am pretty anti-capitalist yet still get sucked in by pretty things and clever advertising, goddamit! :-D).

And of course I feel justified in the fact I can get twice as much for my money hehe why pay full price for anything?! and the money goes to a person, or charity not a greedy corporation, saying that though I still succumb occassionally to the highstreet - the style hypocrite I am!

Here are two of my latest Ebay purchases! I fancied looking a bit more 70s over the winter hence the 70s vintage boots, and the 1960s necklace well its just lovely and will look great with a little psych mini dress!

these boots were made for walking...

Have a lovely day all! Im off to the doctors booh! then off to the office job (double booh!)

xxxx

DJ sets...

For those that don't know hehe all 22 of my readers ;-) hehehe I DJ sixties music - a lot of psych, some pop, a lot of garage punk, a sprinkling of ska and reggae, a large dollop of hammond instrumentals, some soul, northern soul and plenty of furious rhythm and blues! I love it! I put on one of my sixties dress and I transport back in time! So much fun!

...and I would love some vintage headphones similar to these! :-)

Now, I still don't even have an official DJ name, I know, I know how shocking!! hehe ;-)

As the gigs I do become more frequent (I hope!) I must get this sorted, ideas have been Miss Papershaker (after a 60s night I used to run of the same name) or Suzie Cream Cheese ( after a wonderful psych song title) or Beat Girl...hmmmm. Any ideas? x

Life - perfect words...

I heart vintage Biba

Here are some lovelies for you to have a look at from Biba in it's glory days! Swoon...look at the cuffs and drape sleeves on some of these dresses, oh my....

The lovely Lily Allen in vintage Biba - did you know she's now opened up her own vintage store too?!