Wednesday Wonderfuls #28 (I'm coming home!!)

Today is a very happy Wednesday indeed as I shall be heading home to glorious England where I shall be met by my wonderful parents and my perfect Sweetheart (who I haven't seen for three weeks, I can't wait!). As part of the Wednesday Wonderfuls post I thought I would share with you some of the wonderful pictures I have been collecting since I arrived here, a mixture of Linz and Vienna. Seeing them all together like this makes them look so magical, I love it. Enjoy!

But of course I know that your Wednesday would not be complete without some loveliness from the blogosphere, so please feast your eyes on these gorgeous treasures:

• I have been craving home cooking since I've been away so I found this post from the Fashion Freelancer very satisfying, in the most stylish of ways of course :) If you like cherries you'll love these pictures (and here's the recipe for that amazing looking cake)!
• I can't help it, I am LOVING the blog of the Bright Young Twins, they make everything they do look so glamorous, and this recent post of their adventures in Brighton is no exception. I'm loving your work ladies!
• This post about ways to wear leopard print from Tuppence Ha'Penny has got me dreaming of cooler weather so I can dust off my cosy leopard faux fur coat. Plus this post includes some pics of Dita, which is always a plus in my books :)
• This looks like the perfect holiday over at Lady Jardin, a little vintage paradise on the Isle of Wight. It's made me consider taking a trip there!
• I recently discovered a gorgeous baking blog, Katie Cakes, and everything she cooks up makes me so hungry! This lemon meringue ice cream looks delicious, and it's surprising easy to make too.
• The marvelous Brittany of Va Voom Vintage has found some gorgeous free 30s and 40s patterns to share, including some adorable aprons and a travel kit. I want to try them all out, I'm sure you'll love them too :)
• Esme of Esme and the Laneway has done it again with another beautiful outfit post, this time showing off a new-to-her metallic maxi skirt from the 60s. She dresses like a dream, I wish I had her flair!
• Looking for a refreshing summer drink? Look no further than this pineapple grapefruit juice from Tracy at Shutterbean. If it tastes as good as it looks you're in for a treat!
• And finally I discovered another new-to-me blog this week, Strawberry Moth, and I am loving it! I love this vintage lovers guide on how to tie a turban, I can't wait to read more of her posts.

Well that's all for me today lovely readers, I have bags to pack, flights to catch and loved ones to hug and kiss and never let go :)

A very very happy Wednesday to you all!  

Pin Up Embroidery: Girl #5

Pin Up Girl number five is completed! Let me introduce you to Samantha's identical twin, Sarah!

Sarah the Sailor Girl

I have kept her colour scheme very simple, just using black, white and red (the colours used in the original painting this transfer was based in) and I think she actually looks extra cute in her simplicity. I did add in a few special details: she has tiny anchors on her hat and her dress!

Sarah Close Up

So that's five out of eight completed, I'm over half way! I cannot wait to finish the final three so that I can wear the skirt out, it's been so much fun working on it and watching it come together :)

The fifth Pin Up finished, I'm over half way!

I hope you all have a very happy Tuesday!

(P.S. I survived my epic bus journey - just about! - and today is my final performance playing Jeanie in the tour of Hair. It's quite sad, but I can't be too glum as I'm coming home tomorrow, hurrah! Bye for now lovely readers x)

The Little Red Squirrel's Handy Guide to Ridiculously Long Bus Journeys

Hello there lovely readers, I hope you have a very happy Monday in store for you! Because I really don't! Let me fill you in on the details...

Last night was our final show in Linz, it was great fun and we all left the theatre on a high. However, this was not the final of the tour, oh no. Our last show is tomorrow night, but it's not in Linz, in fact it's not in Austria at all, it's in Germany. Bon to be precise. Now I don't know if any of you are hot on geography (goodness knows I'm not!) so if you're unsure of how far this distance is, let me simplify it slightly: it's going to take 12 hours to get there by bus. Yup, you heard me correctly, 12 hours. I don't know who the bright spark was who booked our final venue on this tour, but I'm sure we'd have an interesting conversation if we ever met! :) 

So you might say that I don't really have the best day planned! However, I have endeavored to make the best of this situation by putting together a little survival kit to prevent me from going completely crazy, and I thought I'd share it in this Handy Guide. Now I don't know if any of you are planning 12 hour long bus journeys in the near future (if you are you have my respect!), but I thought this may be relevant to anyone who may be traveling about at the moment, perhaps you're going on holiday, you lucky thing you! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and I really hope it helps me through my upcoming journey...!

The Little Red Squirrel's

Handy Guide

to Ridiculously Long Bus Journeys

Pack yourself a little bag of joy for long journeys. If that bag of joy happens to be a 1960s vanity case, so much the better :)

My survival kit!

1. Pack some Awesome Tunes

Extra points if your iPod case is Cath Kidston :)

A must for long journeys, something to keep your ears happy. I have throughly stocked up my iPod with heaps of yummies, so I will stay mellow for the whole trip. I've got the newest episodes of the Joy the Baker Podcast (I love this, it's so funny!) and also some old episodes of Crafty Pod (I know I'm a bit late to the table, but that doesn't make me enjoy this podcast any less!). In terms of music I shall be chilling out to the dulcet tones of Ella Fitzgerald or having a bop to the Andrews Sisters, these are my go-to happy albums :) I also have a great compilation CD called Music that Inspired Mad Men that I'm really loving at the moment (a gift from my Sweetheart, he knows what I like!). And if you're looking for something to dream away to then you can't go wrong with the Amelie soundtrack :)

2. Reading material (if you can stomach it!)

Books are good :)

I know that some people cannot bear reading on car or bus journeys, but I find that if I only read intermittently I'm fine, so books are a must! I'm currently reading "The Best of Everything" and also "To Die For", both of which I'd highly recommend. I find that time always goes faster when I've got my nose stuck in a good book, which has got to be a plus when you've traveling for 12 hours!

3. Snackage is VERY important

Come to me little bon bons, you know you want to!

There's nothing more miserable than being stuck on a bus on a long journey except for being stuck on a bus on a long journey and feeling hungry, so stock up on those snacks! I have some delicious Hope and Greenwood strawberry bon bons to satisfy my sweet tooth and also lots of fruit and some pringles, happy days. Also bring lots of water, water is good.

4. If you can, get crafty! 

A sneak preview of Pin Up number 5!

Nothing makes me happier or more contented than having a crafty project on the go, so of course I'll be taking my embroidery on the bus and getting down to some work. This project is great because it's small and it fits neatly on my lap. Knitting on circular needles would be great for traveling too as would crochet. I'm just trying to think if my 12 hour journey as 12 hours of pure fun crafty time! :)

5. Dressing to Impress may not be practical...!

Be comfortable! Sitting down for a long period of time means you may be better off without a nipped in waist and full skirt, comfort has to be key. Of course if you can manage to be comfortable and stylish then do it! I'm wearing my floral jersey maxi dress for my mammoth journey, it's cosy but still very pretty. Plus I'm bringing a wooly cardigan to snuggle into if I need to sleep. My hair and make up will follow a similar line, pretty but practical :)

And there you have, my handy little guide to traveling, I just really hope that it helps me get through today! Wish me luck lovely readers!

Bye for now :)

As happy as a flea at a flea market!

Yesterday was my second to last day in Austria and so I decided to spend it doing something I knew I would enjoy, rummaging around the town flea market! The lucky residents of Linz have a huge flea market every Saturday morning (and also a farmer's market on a Friday) and as soon as I found out about it I knew I had to pay it a visit before the end of my trip. I even managed to persuade several of my cast mates that a flea market is worth a trip out, so I felt very pleased with myself and then prayed that the market would deliver on my promises and expectations. I shouldn't have worried!

The bustling market of Linz

The main square was stuffed with stalls and the variety was great, there was definitely something for everyone to be found if you took the time to look. There were some very specific stalls, selling just books or jewelry or paintings, but my favourites were definitely the more "junk" style ones with anything and everything crammed together. It gave me the chance to have a good old rummage which I always love :)

Junk stalls rock my world!

I'm pretty sure that some of my cast mates may have thought me a little strange for how giddy I became at the sight of all the stalls and as I flitted around making sure I gave everything a thorough viewing, but at the same time I think I may have converted a few of them to the joys of the thrifting way of life, so my work here is done!

Books - if only I could read German!

One of many beautiful paintings

Stacks of buttons and beads, swoon!

I spy fabric...

General nick nack-ery :)

Who wouldn't love a place where you can pick up
a crystal decanter and a violin at the same time?!

And now for the exciting bit, my purchases! I'm sure you will remember me bemoaning my lack of wiggle room when it comes to my baggage allowance - curse you Ryan air! - but that didn't stop me getting some treats. First up these beautiful brooches, I just fell in love with the little fly (I have named him Archibald) and the little acorns were too adorable to leave behind :)

Beautiful brooches!

And of course I couldn't go past a button stall without buying some buttons! Take a look:

Beautiful buttons!

And finally I picked up this gorgeous vintage buckle at the end of the market, just as everyone was packing up, so I got it for a song :) I'm dreaming of the outfits that I can make around it...

Beautiful buckle!

I'm a very satisfied flea market rummager right now :) Have you found anything fabulous through rummaging recently? I'd love to hear about it if you have!

I hope you've all had marvelous Weekends, check back for some new posts soon!

My Vintage Hair Diary - Mini Hair Adventure #3

** I'm going to apologise in advance for the quality of the photos in this post, it was so grey and rainy this morning when I took these that I had to rely on hotel style artificial lighting - not good! Plus I'm using my camera phone, I need a new camera pretty badly! Anyways, sorry for my photos :( **

It's time for the third installment of my Mini hair adventures, exciting I know :) This is actually quite an interesting one as it took a few twists and turns in development.

I woke up this morning with the intension of sporting this lovely "do" from the Freelancer's Fashion Blog, the eternal roll. Pretty isn't it? I have tried this style before with some success so I thought it would be fun to give it another go. However, I had terrible trouble rolling my hair the whole way around my head, it just wasn't happening. My arms got tired, my hair started to poff and I was feeling generally grumpy. I felt like giving up, just tying my hair and back and leaving it whilst having a bit of a sulk (hopefully I'm not the only one who sometimes develops this kind of a reaction to my hair!), but I didn't. Instead I decided to wing it, and I created my own little hairdo! So this is my kind of half-version of the eternal roll, I must admit I am a bit proud of myself!

I did this hairdo myself don't you know ;)

Basically I kept one side of my hair rolled up, then I took the hair from the other side of my parting, rolled this up onto the other side of my head before taking the loose end of hair and rolling them up together at the back to finish (hopefully that has made some sense to some of you!). It's definitely a bit of a half eternal roll, and I think it looks rather good. I like the fact that using two rolls instead of one I've created a bit of a quiff at the front of my hair :)

The "do" from one side

The "do" from the other side - complete with quiff!

Here are a few shots of the back of my head to help you see exactly what I've done, taken with the help of one of my cast mates (who seemed a bit bemused when I asked them to take pictures of the back of my head, but was very helpful nonetheless!).

Rolled up hair

A slight side shot of the rolled hair :)

Once again this is a style that works with my natural hair, just combed out a bit to make it smoother, which is always a plus - the less heat used on curly hair the better, heat = frizz! And yes I know this is probably a style that has been created many times by others but this is the first time I have endeavored to create a vintage look without the use of some kind of tutorial or guide, so please forgive me for feeling a bit smug right now! 

My creation, happy days!

I think that this style is really cute, it would be even cuter with a flower or a bow on the side but unfortunately all my lovelies of this kind are at home *sob sob*. On a more happy note, however, I will be home in four days so hurrah! I hope you've enjoyed this Mini Hair Adventure, sorry if you're now finding them a bit tedious, I must admit I've become a bit addicted!

Have a wonderful Weekend my wonderful readers, I hope you treat yourselves and do something fancy with your hair :)

My Vintage Hair Diary - Mini Hair Adventure #2

Welcome to the second of my Mini Hair Adventures, the first one seemed to be a real hit with you all, so I decided to do another right away, plus I really am enjoying making my hair look purdy (plus it's started to rain everyday in Austria so there's not much to do other than stay at the hotel and play with my hair...!). Today is another of Casey's hair tutorials - I do love them because they always look so sweet and are easy to follow :) - it's very cute and simple...

Casey's 40s braided headband style

More fancy hair!

This is a variation on the way I usually wear my hair (the way I have worn it in almost every outfit post I have ever done! heehee!) and my basic look is wearing my hair loose with the front sections twisted and pinned against my head for a 40s look. This tutorial uses that same style but adds two little braids, each starting just under the ears, which are then crossed and pinned at the top of the head to form a little braided headband. I don't know what you think but I think this look is really damn adorable!

The "do" from one side

The "do" from t'other side

From the pictures above it's very difficult to see the cute criss-crossing braids, so I tried to take some close ups of these details for you, but I'm afraid when it's just me and my camera phone taking pictures the quality isn't amazing. Plus I was taking pictures of my head which wasn't the easiest thing in the world! Where's my Sweetheart, the master of my blog photography, when I need him? :) Anyways, here's the best I could come up with for close ups of the braids...

Can you spy a little braid there?

Another little hidden braid!

Cute huh? Again this is another great style that I can use on my natural curly hair - no straightening needed, hurrah! - and it's a nice twist on the basic style I use regularly. It's really good for spring/summer because the braids pull the main body of my hair band away from my face which keeps me nice and cool. When I try this look again (which I'm sure I will soon, it's pretty!) I'm going to try slightly bigger braids as these smaller ones get a bit hidden in my curls.

I like this pretty summer look

So there you have it, another new vintage inspired hair do! I am really enjoying these Mini Hair Adventures, it's so nice to have something fancy to do with my hair that doesn't take forever and is suitable for everyday :) Have any of you tried this look for yourselves? I'd love to hear about it if you have! Plus if you have any fabulous hair tutorials that you use all the time please let me know about them, I'd love to give them a go!

Bye for now, lovely readers, I hope you have a very happy Friday!

My Vintage Hair Diary - Mini Hair Adventure #1

Hello there and welcome back to my Vintage Hair Diary! You may or may not remember that I started this diary back in May, trying to find the perfect way to set my hair. Now one of the downsides of touring is that I am unable to cart all my hair products and tools around with me so I have been unable to continue with my hair experiments for some time now, boo! It's sad not having pretty vintage hair, especially when you read blogs that seem to be full of gorgeous girls with luscious locks! Well, I was getting fed up with having between-shows hair - a very sad look to be sure! - so I decided that I would experiment with some different vintage styles for the rest of my time in Austria, and so my Mini Hair Adventures were born!

I have been searching the blogosphere, youtube and the general internet for tutorials on how to create pretty vintage hairstyles, and I'm so excited to try them out! I've found some really lovely ones that actually look surprisingly easy, so we'll see what happens... But without further ado let me share with you my first Mini Hair Adventure:

Casey's Pretty Summer Ponytail

Ooo, fancy no? :)

This tutorial from the lovely Casey of Elegant Musings is brilliant, it involves a little pomp at the front of the hair then a high pony tail with a fancy hair wrapped hair band (unfortunately you can't see this detail in my pictures, but believe me, it's there and it's fancy!). All in all it creates a lovely 50s esque summery style, and I like it :)

One side of the "do"

The other side of the "do"

One of the best things about things about this hair style is that it looks great with my natural curly hair! Usually I need to straighten the front of my hair to give it a smooth finish (the front of my hair gets quite a few little fly aways if I don't do this!) but this style doesn't seem affected by that, which is great for a non-time consuming look. I do wish I had had some pomade with me to make the sides really sleek, but other than that I really like this look. It's nice to have a 50s look as I usually wear my hair in 40s inspired ways, after all variety is the spice of life :) 

50s hair is fun!

I completed my 50s summer look with a yummy tiki print dress (a gift from my Sweetheart, he's so good to me!) and some great lucite clip on earrings. Plus this new do gave me a reason to prance around in my new sunglasses (a gift from one of my fabulous cast mates, thanks Kam!) which is always a plus!

Awesome sunglasses, happy days!

I hope you've enjoyed this first of my Mini Hair Adventures, do give Casey's tutorial a go, it's brilliant. I have lots of other tutorials in the pipeline to try out so watch this space for more yummy hair goodness :)


Bye for now!

Wednesday Wonderfuls #27

Happiness is a simple sundae :)

I will be flying home a week today, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't very excited! I have loved being in Linz and doing the show, I very close to my cast mates and we've been very lucky with the weather and everything, but I'm very much a home-is-where-the-heart-is kind of gal :) 

I have found the last few days away a little bit difficult, my lovely parents have flown back home which is sad, and I feel that I've been away from my Sweetheart for much too long, so I decided a little pick me up was in order. And I rediscovered the classic hot caramel sundae from McDonalds! Do you remember those?? These are the treats of my childhood, long before the invention of the McFlurry, and I would always get the hot fudge version when I was younger, but now it's the caramel that really floats my boat :) It was very comforting tucking into a sweet snack that reminded me so much of home, sometimes it's the small things that really help you feel happy. Anyways, allow me to bring you as much midweek joy as that little sundae (for the fine price of only 1 euro!) brought me, here are some gorgeous links for your gorgeous selves! Enjoy :)

• On the subject of pick me ups I really enjoyed this post from Lauren at Tea and Crumpets about reasons to be cheerful. Sometimes when you're feeling a bit low or blue you really just need to give yourself a little shake and move on. Thanks Lauren for helping me to feel cheerful this week!
• This post from Colette Patterns about pin tucks has got me longing once more for my sewing machine, pin tucks are such a pretty detail, I can't wait to try them out myself!
• This week Quincy of Q's Daydream has been rocking my world once more, this time with a beautiful Parisian inspired playsuit. I have always been intimidated by cropped tops of any kind, but this outfit (the top paired with a high waisted skirt) is so flattering it may tempt me to give such tops a go myself...
• And whilst we're on the subject of cropped tops, Casey also shared one (made from the same pattern as Quincy's I believe, great minds think alike!) which is equally beautiful, in polka dots. Paired with high waisted shorts it looks just perfect :)
• Some more sewing admiration from me, this time for this adorable romper over at A Fashionable Stitch. I love the candy strips, and yet again I have been shown that a style I thought may not work can be very flattering, stylish and fun when done well. And in this case it was done superbly!
• Land Girl 1980 has given us more tips on setting hair, this time using perming rods to great effect. This post has made me long for my own Vintage Hair Diary adventures (sadly stunted since I've been away!) so I decided to do a mini adventure myself for the rest of my stay in Austria. Watch this space, more updates soon!
• Is anyone else completely in love with Casey's new series, Cherished Collections? She has posted about many of her own collections and has invited other bloggers to write about theirs. As a bit of a hoarder myself I find looking through other people's collections of nick nacks fascinating, so I've been loving this series so far. Check it out, I'm sure you'll love it too!
• And to finish I'm going to leave you with two inspiration-type posts from two fabulous bloggers. Firstly this Sunday Pulp post from Tea for Two and then this gorgeous set of Tim Walker photos over at Harem of Peacocks. Give them a gander, I'm sure you won't be disappointed! 

Now wasn't that wonderful? :) Have a fabulous rest of the week my lovely readers, join me again for more posts soon!

Pin Up Embroidery: Girl #4

I'm halfway through my Pin Ups! Woohoo! I really have started to get a great turn over with these lovely ladies, I think perhaps it's because I'm throwing myself into crafting to try and forget about being homesick... 

Anyway, here she is, number four, Tara the Trapeze Artist!

Tara the Trapeze Artist

This Pin Up's name came from the detail that I added to her bodice. I started adding swirls and whirls to make her look a little more interesting, and the more I added the more she looked like a show girl to me! I like to think of her flying through the air on the trapeze, covered in sequins, multicoloured petticoats rustling :) I also gave her lacy stocking tops to match her bodice, I think they look pretty adorable!

Tara, Close Up 1 

Tara, Close Up 2

I really like how Tara has turned out, I just used the split stitch for her outlines, but when it came to the detailing I just worked by eye without preplanning, which was very different for me and also very satisfying. The more of these Pin Ups I complete the more I become confident in my stitching abilities, it's a great feeling!

Pin Up number four done! Halfway through!

Only four more of these ladies left now, I want to try and make each one better than the last. Hopefully it won't be long now before I have a glorious skirt to wear! How exciting :)

Bye for now my lovely readers, and a very happy Tuesday to you all!