The Perfect Birthday Dress - finally revealed!

Hello there lovely readers! I finally have the time to show you my gorgeous Birthday dress, hurray! I really am so happy with how it turned out, I can honestly say I have never been complimented as much as when I was wearing this dress :) But without further ado, here it is in all it's glory!

The completed Birthday dress!

Now I must admit that before I wore this dress out I was a little worried that it would look a bit dowdy, but as soon as I put it on I knew that all was well :) I really love everything about it, the colour, the shape, the style, I couldn't have asked for a better result! It's everything you could want in a Birthday outfit and more in my opinion :)

Please excuse the slightly dopey expression in the above picture, I think I may have been slightly overwhelmed by the cuteness of my outfit! Hee hee!

This beautiful brooch was a Birthday gift from my Sweetheart :)

Now my Birthday actually ends up being a bit of a double celebration as my Sweetheart's Birthday falls just two days after mine, so I thought it would be a bit unfair if I didn't share a shot of him in all his Birthday finery (and the bow tie that was my gift to him!). Plus I think he looks ridiculously handsome... :)

The Birthday Boy

Thank you so much for all your lovely Birthday wishes, I hope you enjoyed all of the Birthday themed posts (if you missed some of them you can find them here) I had such fun writing them all!

I love this picture :)

Have a wonderful weekend my wonderful readers!

Bye for now! 

Birthday Month: The Perfect Dress

You may remember me giving you a hint of my Birthday dress a while back, well it's finished (it has been for a while actually!) and I'm finally going to show it to you before it's big debut on my Birthday tomorrow. Here it is in all it's glory, made from vintage fabric from a vintage pattern, and utterly perfect for me :)

The finished dress!

Now allow me to show you some extreme close ups of some of the many yummy details I added to this dress, I really had so much fun making it!

The top stitched waist band detail

Shoulder detailing, underlining and hand sewn-down interfacings

Hand stitched sleeves (see the tiny stitches?) :)

Vintage style hand made button hole

Hand picked zipper

What do you think? I really hope you like it! I really spent my time making sure that this dress was perfect for me in every way and I've put a lot of hand work into it so I'm so excited to finally be able to wear it! I won't share any pictures of me in it until my actual Birthday, but I will tell you that I'm pairing it with some yummy pink roses for my hair and pink suede stilettos. I'm going to feel so girlie, I can't wait!

A taste of my final look...

Stay tuned for the big reveal of this dress very soon, I'm just so excited to wear it for my Birthday tomorrow!! Eek!

And let me remind you that today is your last chance to enter my Birthday Month Giveaway to win your very own Pin Up Girl made by me, so do check out this post and enter, I'll be picking a winner tomorrow. Good Luck and let the Birthday celebrations commence!

Bye for now my lovelies!

Birthday Month: Perfect Presents - Beautiful on a Budget

Hey there readers, happy weekend to you all, I hope you've all been having fabulous times doing fabulous things. I've had a lovely couple of days, spending lots of time with my loved ones before I head off on the mammoth tour, but I've still had time to write some blog posts!

Today's Birthday Month posts is all about buying beautiful gifts on a budget, so I've gathered up a selection of lovely things that are all available for under £20. Enjoy!

1. Chocolates!

And not just any old chocolates, I'm talking about some seriously yummy fancy chocolates. My personal favourites are pink marc de champagne truffles by Charbonnel et Walker and peppermint creams from Betty's tearoom. These are the chocolates of dreams, perfect for any girlie boudoir :)

2. Music

Music will always make a perfect gift particularly if the artist is utterly divine like Florence and the Machine. I cannot wait to get my hands on her new album as her first is one of my all time favourites. Everyone should own this album :)

3. A bit of red lipstick...

But not just any lipstick, one of the perfectly vintage appropriate shades created by Rockalily. I have read a huge number of online reviews about this lipstick and every single one of them sings it's praises. From it's gorgeous colours, to it's flawless coverage it seems this lipstick can do no wrong, so I'd love to be able to try it out myself. My personal colour of choice would be Rockette Red.

4. A bit of luxury...

If you're looking for a glamourous and classy gift on a budget then look no further than a pair of some of these fully fashioned stockings from What Katie Did. They are quite simply the best stockings that money can buy, so you can really treat yourself but still pay no more than £20! Sounds like a plan to me :)

So there you have it, it's more than possible to be treated like a princess even on a budget, and of course if you have more cash to splash a little collection of some of these lovelies would be perfection!

Happy Weekends to you all :)

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 Don't forget to enter my Birthday Month Giveaway, you have until the end of the month to enter! You could be the proud owner of your very own Pin Up Girl! Check out this post for all the details :)

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Birthday Month: Perfect Presents - Brilliant Books!

Hello there lovely readers, a very happy Friday to you all!

Today's Birthday Month post deals with some of my favourite things in all the world, books! I think that books make gorgeous presents, particularly nice big beautiful ones filled with glossy pictures, so I searched the internet far and wide for my favorites. I have decided not to include novels that I'm longing for because there would be simply too many! Instead I have stuck to general crafting/vintage pretty goodness as I'm sure you'll all like these genres as much as me! So let's get started shall we? :)

1. The Vintage Tea Party Book

The Vintage Tea Party Book

I have mentioned this book previously on this blog and I have to say that the more I find out about it the more I want a copy! It includes everything you could possibly want to know about creating your own vintage tea party, recipes, hairstyling tips, makeup methods, you name it this book has it! Plus the illustrations look absolutely stunning, and the whole style of it is right up my alley. A big thumbs up for this yummy book :)

2. Tea with Bea

Tea with Bea

Now I haven't really heard anything about Tea with Bea, I came across this book whilst searching online and just really liked the look of it. Plus I have tasted Bea's of Bloomsbury cupcakes and they are divine, so any opportunity to make my own would be brilliant! This book contains recipes for a selection of cookies, cakes, tarts and cheesecakes and is stuffed with beautiful pictures, I think it's well worth a look :)

3. Pie Minister

Pie Minister

Anyone who knows me well will know that I adore pies, cannot get enough of them, and I have been searching for a pie recipe book for such a long time, and lo and behold one has been released and it looks amazing! Recipes include chilli con carne pie, I mean, come on! Who wouldn't want to give that a go?! This has the potential to be my favourite recipe book of all time ;)

4. Queen of Crafts

Queen of Crafts

I've heard a lot of buzz about this book, Jazz Domino Holly is definitely a force in the crafting world, having throughly jazzed up the WI in her area, apparently it's now the place to be! This book contains information on pretty much everything a crafty girl could want to know about, knitting, sewing, quilting, baking, preserving and kitchen gardening, it all sounds good to me! I think this book would introduce me to new things, which would be awesome, plus I'm loving the colour scheme :)

5. Embroidered Effects

Embroidered Effects

Well, let's be honest, this book was a complete no brainer for me! After my Pin Up Embroidery adventures I realized I had started an obsession that needed to be fueled, and this book looks perfect. It contains over 30 iron on transfers and loads of ideas for embroidery projects. Plus that fan dancer design on the cover is very me!

6. Underwear, Fashion in Detail

Underwear, Fashion in Detail

This is a book that I have been lusting after for some time, it takes underwear through the ages and takes a really intimate look. The pictures come from the huge V&A collection so you just know it's going to be stuffed with gems. As someone who is obsessed with lingerie and wants to try out making her own at some point I can safely say that this book ticks all my boxes. The amazon description of this book says, 

"From camisoles to corsets, basques to boudoir caps and girdles to garters"

and for me that's like a verse of "My Favourite Things" from the Sound of Music! Big love for this book :)

7. Dior, 60 Years of Style

Dior, 60 Years of Style

Now let me start by saying that the chances of me ever owning this book are slim to none, firstly because it costs an arm and a leg and secondly because of it's the size of a small country so no one seems to stock it! But my goodness it's a beautiful tome. It deals with (roughly) the last 60 years of fashion and progression in the Dior couture house, from one of my all time favourites, the Dior post WWII "New Look", right up to modern day. I think this would be one of those books that you treasure forever and you would love it for a lifetime. Swoon.

So there you have it, my pick of the beautiful books of the moment, although of course the lovely thing is that beautiful books are produced everyday so there's always something new to enjoy and lust after! What are your thoughts on these books? Have you read any of them? Do you have any beautiful book recommendations that you'd be kind enough to share? If so leave me a comment, I'd love to hear from you! 

Happy Friday to you all, I hope you all have wonderful Weekends :)

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 Don't forget to enter my Birthday Month Giveaway, you have until the end of the month to enter! You could be the proud owner of your very own Pin Up Girl! Check out this post for all the details :)

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Birthday Month: Perfect Presents - Etsy made Easy!

Now I know that there's so much more to a Birthday than presents, but come on, everyone loves presents! I thought that for my next few Birthday month posts I would share a few of my dreams and wishes for my Birthday gifts (although obviously I'm not expecting to get everything I talk about, I'm not that greedy I promise!) because firstly I love finding pretty things and sharing them with you and secondly you might be looking for presents for a friend or loved one and this might help you out. Or you may just see something you fancy and treat yourself, which is always a good thing :)

For the first of my Perfect Presents Posts I thought I would share my favourite etsy stores. I would be happy to receive anything from any of these stores as a Birthday gift, they are stuffed with beautiful things, so I hope you enjoy browsing through them. Believe me, you won't be disappointed!

1. Cassie Stephens - belt maker extraordinaire

Embroidered belt with tea pot buckle, what's not to love?

I already own one of Cassie's belts (a red one with a bunny buckle) and I wear it constantly and whenever I do it is commented upon. This belts are so beautiful and unique, each one being hand made by Cassie herself. Plus she also does custom items so you can work together with her to create something all the more special and completely unique to you. One of these belts really is the perfect gift, I'd love to have another, just look at how beautiful they are!

2. Hello Strumpet - creator of cute and kitsch headwear 

Practically perfect in every way

I love hats and so Hello Strumpet is right up my street! These beautiful little pieces of headwear are chic, unique and oh so classy, and they even make matching collars too if you really want a colour coordinated outfit. They have a great selection to choose from, give them a browse I'm sure you'll love everything in their store!

3. Angela Friedman - for luxurious lingerie

Le swoon, Le sigh!

If, like myself, you have a bit of a lingerie obsession you cannot fail to fall in love with every item for sale in Angela's store. she creates custom lingerie, specializing in corsetry, but also with a selection of simpler items for example the ruffled pants above (which, incidentally, I am in love with!). Any girl would love a gift from this store, and equally it would be a great way to treat yourself, add some glamour to your life :)

4. Purr - purrfect paintings and prints

I love Paris in the Spring time...

Jess Purser, the creator of each of the stunning paintings and prints of Purr is a genius. I adore evrything she does. Each of her pieces is beautiful with a really romantic flair, which I love. They also look so personal, for example the Parisian couple above, aren't they adorable? One of these quirky prints or (if you're lucky!) original paintings would make a beautiful gift, plus if you opt for a print you won't have to break the bank (always a good thing, it leaves more money for cake...)

5. Dear Golden Vintage - the queen of etsy vintage stores 

Cocktail dress of dreams!

I have written about Dear Golden Vintage several times before on this blog, I have been an avid fan of theirs for a long while and I don't plan on stopping any time soon! They are quite simply, in my opinion, the best vintage store on etsy. They always have such a rich selection of items of offer, all from different eras and also catering to a wide range of budgets. Plus they stock some very beautiful high end vintage pieces, just the thing for that special gift (like the cocktail dress above, stunning or what?!) If you haven't checked them out before then what are you waiting for? You'll be hooked I guarantee!

That's it from me for today, but check back for more Birthday Month posts soon, bye for now!

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 Don't forget to enter my Birthday Month Giveaway, you have until the end of the month to enter! You could be the proud owner of your very own Pin Up Girl! Check out this post for all the details :)

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Birthday Month: The Perfect Cake

Welcome to the first of my Birthday themed posts for this my Birthday month. This post is all about one of my favourite things: Cake! Anyone who knows me well would tell you that I love cake at the best of times, but a special cake just for you to celebrate your very existance? Well, let's be honest, you can't get much better than that! :) 

Now there are several options you can take with Birthday cake goodness, you can buy some cakey yumminess from some fabulous bakery (personal favourites of mine would be Hummingbird Bakery, Sweet Couture, Primrose Bakery or Laduree if you're feeling fancy!) and that's a brilliant foolproof plan, but I also love the thought of homemade treats for someone's special day. After all, you can bake some extra love in too :) heehee

So in honour of my birthday month I have found a couple of fabulous recipes for amazing cakey goodness. First up is this Rainbow Cake from Ms Marmite Lover's Underground Restaurant, aka the author of Supper Club. If you don't follow her blog you really should, she is uber talented in the kitchen and she's always posting brilliant recipes that not only look like they'd taste amazing, they're really different and exotic. Anyways, how cool does this cake look??

Colourful or what? :)

I think this is a great twist on the traditional vanilla sponge Birthday cake, plus it's fun and silly which is surely the type of thing you'd want on your Birthday (at least it's the type of thing I'd want on mine!)

So do you like chocolate cake? How about peanut butter cookie dough? And what are your thoughts on marshmallows? All sounding delicious to you? Well how about taking all of those yummy things and combining them?? If you're still conscious after the thought of that taste explosion, take a look at this recipe from the amazing Joy the Baker (another incredible food blogger who I am constantly posting about in my Wednesday Wonderfuls). If these don't make your heart flutter you're a stronger person than me!

Le Swoon, Le Sigh

These little mouthfuls of amazingness would be perfect for a Birthday because of their sheer bizarre decadence! Plus they'd be great for someone who can't manage a huge slice of Birthday cake (if such a person exists, I personally find it hard to believe...), and they're so unique, who else would be chowing down on these beauties on their Birthday? :) 

And finally if you're looking for something completely different why don't you try this glamourous and impressive looking Double Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova, not a Birthday cake as such, but still completely beautiful and over the top, perfect for a Birthday :) This recipe was found on the blog What Katie Ate, a fabulous Australian food blog, well worth a look, covering everything from baking to beverages.

Is your mouth watering too?

I hope you've enjoyed these cake recipes, I know that I'm going to want to try one or maybe a couple of these for my Birthday, I'm particularly leaning towards the cupcakes, they just look so ridiculously good! Anyway, watch this space, there will be cake :)

Let me leave you with some gorgeous cake inspiration. These pictures are guaranteed to get you in the mood for baking. Either that or make you incredibly hungry!

Source

Source

(I'm not sure what the source of this picture is,
if it's yours let me know so I can credit you!)

See you again soon lovely readers!

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 Don't forget to enter my Birthday Month Giveaway, you have until the end of the month to enter! You could be the proud owner of your very own Pin Up Girl! Check out this post for all the details :)

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The First Day of September...

The first day of September is the start of many things, it's the first day of autumn, the days are starting to get shorter, soon all those Summer holiday kids will be back in school, but it's also the start of my Birthday month! 

I've decided to make the most out of my birthday this year by writing some birthday themed posts which I shall be sharing with you throughout this month. But of course what would a birthday be without presents? Which brings me to some exciting news for all of you lovely readers: I'm having a giveaway! This giveaway is of course for my birthday but it's also to celebrate my blog passing 100 followers, I cannot believe 124 of you beautiful people now follow me, it's very humbling and it brightens up my day :)

So what is it that I'm giving away? Well I loved that so many of you were so very complimentary about my Pin Up Skirt so I have decided that for my giveaway I'll be embroidering one of you your very own Pin Up Girl (Thank you Emma for the idea!)! 

You could have your very own Pin Up!

I'll stitch this little beauty onto a square of fabric for you and then you can do with her what you will, maybe add her to an outfit, or a bag, or just keep her for decoration. And what do you have to do to get your hands on this little beauty? It's very simple:

1. Be a follower of this blog
2. Comment on this post telling me what your perfect birthday present would be (maybe you'll give me some ideas! :) )
3. For an extra entry follow me on facebook or twitter or post about this giveaway on your blog (just leave another comment on this post to let me know and I'll give you an extra entry!) This means you can have up to 4 entries for this giveaway :)

This giveaway will close on my birthday, Friday September 30th, when I shall be announcing the winner, so when I get my pressies you may get one of your own! 

So what are you waiting for readers? Get entering! 

Bye for now :)