tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65900560842055536812024-03-05T10:12:35.816+00:00Kalandra Jane - Millinery and Musings!Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-2922854860803771882013-11-21T00:25:00.000+00:002013-11-21T00:31:56.712+00:00I met the Pope of Trash, and made a new sleazy dress for the occasion.Remember <a href="http://kalandrajane.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/dye-dye-my-darling-in-which-i-try-idye.html">this post</a>? The one where I pretty much ended up collapsing to my knees and wailing "WHY GOD? WHYYYY?" at the top of my lungs after royally ballsing up a great many times?<br />
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Well yeah, I tried again. Only this time it worked!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hell yes. That's bright.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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I had a stroke of luck, and the first time I visited the Liverpool branch of <a href="http://www.abakhan.co.uk/">Abakhan Fabrics</a> after moving here, I evidently had a stroke of another kind and bought another piece of the same cursed fabric which had led to the crushing of my dreams a few months before. I used iDye again, and despite the high synthetic content I used the all-purpose dye in bright yellow, and just ran it through a hot wash in my machine.<br />
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Here's the finished article! I added pom-pom trim and black facings to the petal bust and skirt drape as planned, and made a little kitty ears hat to match! I felt very <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_Ivy_%28musician%29">Poison Ivy</a> wearing this! You too can look fabulously feline in a kitty ears hat of your very own at <a href="http://www.kalandrajane.com/">http://www.kalandrajane.com/</a> and if any of you fancy one in the yellow leopard print, I have a little left for custom orders.<br />
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I wore it with my cropped fake leather jacket and some 1950s deadstock vintage black velour killer stiletto heels, and off I trotted with le boyfriend in tow to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000691/">John Waters</a>! The performance was part of Liverpool's 10th Annual <a href="http://www.homotopia.net/festival-item/john-waters-this-filthy-world/#.Uo1NI-JKTqc">Homotopia</a> event - a celebration of all things LGBTQ which even from the limited bits of it I experienced, seems a hell of a lot more inclusive and community-focussed than the commercialised 'pride' events of certain other cities *ahem*.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/theatre/john-waters-provides-warm-engaging-6287848">Liverpool Echo</a> gave the performance a great writeup, and I had such a good time! His Highness was as witty and acerbic as you'd expect him to be in person, keeping everyone enthralled and amused (and feeling a little bit guilty for laughing at some of his more ribald anecdotes), every bit the expert raconteur. <br />
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Then we got to meet him! Squeals of delight! The queue for book signing and photographs was rather long, luckily there were only about 25 people in front of us. Mr. Waters was charming and funny, sent get well wishes to a friend who'd been unable to attend the show due to an operation, signed a book for him, and one for myself of course! He sent me on my way with a fantastically bitchy joke I won't repeat here, and a sly wink!<br />
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PS. I read the whole book the next night, and will certainly be buying his new book when it's out next year!<br />
Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-8731569214934895202013-11-04T20:29:00.001+00:002013-11-04T20:29:18.081+00:00Our gorgeous new family member! (don't worry, it's not about babies.)We adopted a dog! This beautiful girl is Cindy, who joined our household from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DogsTrust?fref=ts">Dogs Trust Merseyside</a> a few weeks ago, and has settled in very well.<br />
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After my little Scamp died in November, Aerospace Boyfriend and I decided to wait a while after moving before we looked for another dog, so that we could be settled in and so I could be ready. <br />
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We went looking for something like a Jack Russell or Staffordshire bull terrier, but as soon as this big gorgeous girl rolled over for us to scratch her tummy I fell in love!<br />
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Unfortunately Cindy was born deaf. Due to this and to her being 30kg of spring-loaded adolescent dog, she spent 13 months of her short life living in kennels. We were prepared to take on the challenge of adopting her and settling her into a proper home, but honestly she's been hardly any trouble at all. The only casualty was my amazing 1950s fawn lamp, she got stuck in our bedroom one afternoon and knocked everything off my dressing table. I was so upset, but I'm over it now our lovely girl is feeling more secure.<br />
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As she's very short coated, my mum has already been knitting for her and I've bought some leopard print waterproof fabric to make her a doggy raincoat for long Winter walks, so stay tuned for some ridiculous pictures of a huge dog in flambuoyant yet functional jackets!Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-7742469883922990812013-09-04T01:49:00.000+01:002013-09-04T23:32:22.498+01:00I moved, and a lot of stuff changed. Hello all. Some of you may have noticed my long absence... well, I'd like to believe I had a few regular readers anyway. <br />
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So why the radio silence? I moved to a new city, moved in with my boyfriend, set up a sewing/millinery workshop at home, got a new website for the business, lost my best friend (she didn't die or anything; she just fell out with me spectacularly), and I had some sort of commitment/quarter life crisis thing. <br />
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I am now resident in Liverpool... here it is:<br />
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<img height="392" src="http://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/liverpool/museum_liverpool_3xn071008_1.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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Except I haven't actually seen that bit yet. That's the city centre waterfront, I live in the suburbs and haven't had much chance to explore yet, despite having been here for a few months. <br />
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I have a garden!<br />
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Complete with punk rawk laundry. It actually looks smaller here; it's about 8x20 metres, it's bloody huge and we have to cut the entire thing with a strimmer (that's a weed whacker, for you Yankee doodlers).<br />
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I'm trying desperately not to become some sort of vapid suburbanite. Our next door neighbour mops and disinfects his patio, he doesn't even have a dog.<br />
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We put up lots of shelves for all our gubbins...<br />
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I dyed my hair blue...<br />
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I started making 1950s inspired bags, available on my shiny new website alongside all my fancy millinery at <a href="http://www.kalandrajane.com">www.kalandrajane.com</a>...<br />
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We adopted a super cute lazy leopard gecko...<br />
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...and I went on loads of adventures in my little orange tent, trading at festivals and weekenders.<br />
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That's a very brief catch up... I've been really busy and it's been kind of hard to keep up with everything without having to think about blogging too! More sewing/website/lizard/Summer fun details to follow soon, ladies and gents. Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-79459348440328563662013-04-11T23:11:00.001+01:002013-04-11T23:13:15.655+01:00Catching up! Sewing news.Hello all,<br />
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I have been super busy these last few weeks, but have still managed to get quite a lot of sewing done, and yet more sewing planned. <br />
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I made the melon dress as promised from my last post, here it is! Excuse my sweaty demeanour - this was at the end of a three-day psychobilly festival and I was a little worse for wear.<br />
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As you can see it's a little... bursty. The lining shrank when I steam ironed it, and I'd stupidly cut it out to my pre- Christmas measurements. I'm about 1" bigger all over now, but as it's such a close-fitting dress to start with, an inch unfortunately makes all the difference. I will be making efforts to rectify this situation over the next couple of months with copious amounts of exercise and salad.<br />
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I also made myself this black and red taffeta sarong dress, you can't see how gorgeous the fabric is here so I will get a better picture this week. The fabric was mainly left over from a commission dress I made for a friend to wear to the launch of the latest in the Style Me Vintage book series, and it's just lovely, so authentically 50s with its tiny flecks of shiny black and red on the black base. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-4sju8TqOFnEhGxMtVJQ0LCcgpIw5GBtEnqjpHsm3dhpPt-rTzLwvcaI5_JJZrpei39-AVOeea_IogtjPPxHH8tp950i80Y-BFDYNTC7XvlIW4alEc5B5FVFRRZRAi2ZgoIze1MoDOI/s1600/taffetadress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-4sju8TqOFnEhGxMtVJQ0LCcgpIw5GBtEnqjpHsm3dhpPt-rTzLwvcaI5_JJZrpei39-AVOeea_IogtjPPxHH8tp950i80Y-BFDYNTC7XvlIW4alEc5B5FVFRRZRAi2ZgoIze1MoDOI/s1600/taffetadress.jpg" /></a></div>
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I also joined the <a href="http://www.sewdirect.com/acatalog/Membership.html">SewToday Club</a> for £7.50 a quarter, for that price you get a magazine every month, any two patterns free when you join, plus 50% off all Butterick, McCall, Vogue and KwikSew patterns. They also regularly have buy 1 get 2 free events for their members, one of which started less than a week after I joined, so I have ordered five patterns so far. <br />
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So far I've been scooping up <a href="http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/">Gertie</a>'s patterns, and I can't wait to get started on them. Here's what I've ordered:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIRYIsI0YYBqOqt40ZltWI-ITumPf4XPCuBRUzC0U5ixgIHprSevlmffAbMd3ZBGUid1qrMQ5TJdsWAhYsFoxhIEETOAkGtpUThjkNwZvOGxrsziuuB2rR1Tn03GSmtBOQKhFUSuuDm0/s1600/B5882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIRYIsI0YYBqOqt40ZltWI-ITumPf4XPCuBRUzC0U5ixgIHprSevlmffAbMd3ZBGUid1qrMQ5TJdsWAhYsFoxhIEETOAkGtpUThjkNwZvOGxrsziuuB2rR1Tn03GSmtBOQKhFUSuuDm0/s400/B5882.jpg" width="378" /></a></div>
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B5882. How could you not?! It's gorgeous... the shelf bust is such a nice feature. Apparently a lot of sewers (as in sow-ers, not suw-ers. Ewww.) are waiting with bated breath for Gertie to do a full bust adjustment for this one, so keep an eye on her blog if you're amply endowed up top. Tits ahoy!<br />
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B5895 - I got two of these, one for me and one for my sister Ginny over at <a href="http://buttons-and-bobbins.blogspot.co.uk/">Buttons and Bobbins</a>. I've got a modern capris pattern but this one looks to have a more vintage-styled higher waist, and the simple retro blouse pattern will be really useful for Summer and would make some super cute Hawaiian print tops.<br />
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B5814 - I wasn't sure about this one, so I looked at some pictures online of other people's dressmaking efforts with it and decided that my misgivings are mainly down to the envelope photo - the dress itself is lovely but the styling isn't quite right, and the model, bless her, isn't really filling out such a bodacious garment. I think once you put someone with some bigger curves in there and add some more vintage accessories this dress will be a killer. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_81PTNrOyMAf0AinFvuHuovPeKXJTXol-Pq3vennoQ9SliA4elaNM90dPg7Hkn6teRz2XnOTBH7p1hmg7XQhUG_gdB0QRM9zg_OjmzyCTIxSGT_kNCAtlG9ROpvQNyHJuhvyocuwnbE/s1600/K3491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_81PTNrOyMAf0AinFvuHuovPeKXJTXol-Pq3vennoQ9SliA4elaNM90dPg7Hkn6teRz2XnOTBH7p1hmg7XQhUG_gdB0QRM9zg_OjmzyCTIxSGT_kNCAtlG9ROpvQNyHJuhvyocuwnbE/s320/K3491.jpg" width="303" /></a></div>
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KwikSew 3491 - This one could look a bit dodgy at first glance, but disregard the hideous violet/greige ensemble the model is wearing, and look at the construction, and you have a perfect little 40s/50s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower_jacket">Ike Jacket</a>, a bit like this one:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyh1HcTo-Rd_RkNZFDgqCWfftMXNWFDam1wsupXzA5RQLEESMGlxdIG2nFJqa3N3OdKQIvBXlNx2FhTYLVilb-uQyaFdLbjk-xLDx15pbaUqeOptOvAWv4OF9TJsg2TtzIp_Ox9PbvLwg/s1600/Hollywood1678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyh1HcTo-Rd_RkNZFDgqCWfftMXNWFDam1wsupXzA5RQLEESMGlxdIG2nFJqa3N3OdKQIvBXlNx2FhTYLVilb-uQyaFdLbjk-xLDx15pbaUqeOptOvAWv4OF9TJsg2TtzIp_Ox9PbvLwg/s1600/Hollywood1678.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via the <a href="http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com/wiki/Hollywood_1678">Vintage Pattern Wikia</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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This 1940s Hollywood pattern was the one that Tasha at <a href="http://blog.bygumbygolly.com/2013/03/my-finished-sew-for-victory-jacket.html">By Gum, By Golly!</a> used in the <a href="http://luckylucille.com/2013/02/sew-for-victory-a-40s-sewalong/">Sew For Victory</a> challenge, and it looks great. I'm more of a 50s than a 40s girl though, so the later style knitted bottom band and zip front of the KwikSew pattern are just fine for me. I'm envisioning it in a yellow and black or red and black extra large check or tartan, and maybe a black twill version with a big back patch design for a more rockabilly look.<br />
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I've also got my beady eye on this brand new release of a 1951 pattern from Butterick, no. 5880. I'm hoping to buy this, Vogue's new mens suit pattern (for Aerospace Boyfriend now he has conferences and stuff to attend, and now Vogue have finally brought out a suit that doesn't look like something out of Miami Vice), and whatever else tickles my fancy before the 3-for-1 offer is up.<br />
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It's just lovely, and a bit easier to wear that my usual boob-bearing, boned, skintight affairs. So just to make sure it's still utterly unsuitable to wear in polite society, I've been utterly stubborn, or perhaps utterly stupid, and decided to attempt the fabric dyeing that failed so comically in my <a href="http://www.kalandrajane.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/dye-dye-my-darling-in-which-i-try-idye.html">last post</a>, and make it from that. I went into my usual fabric shop for trimmings, and lo and behold, sat on top of the bargain basket was another piece of the dreaded white leopard print fabric. I bought a shade lighter of the yellow iDye, and it is running on a 90C cycle in the washing machine RIGHT NOW. I don't know if I even dare look. To be continued...<br />
<br />Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-79857737914289175152013-03-01T01:51:00.000+00:002013-03-01T02:17:31.341+00:00Dye, Dye, My Darling... in which I try iDye and FAIL HORRIBLY.Today was possibly the most disappointing day I have ever had in my years as a dressmaker. My dress didn't even get to be stitched together *sob*. <br />
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Last week I bought these glorious fabrics in the bargain bin at my local fabric shop. When you buy from the baskets, there's usually one piece and you'll never see that fabric again. You want it, you'd better be prepared to impulse buy, and fight a tiny Asian grandmother to get it. <br />
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Fabulous, right? The melon one, you'll be glad to know, is safe. I cut out my dress parts from it, bought some garish yellow trims, and you should be seeing the finished article in a couple of weeks. The leopard one however did not fare so well. I decided that I would make a bright yellow leopard print version of my usual sarong dress pattern, with black trims, black petal bust, and black lining to the draped overskirt. I could see it in my mind; this thing was going to be my new favourite outfit in the world, to be debuted at next week's <a href="http://www.bedlambreakout.com/">Bedlam Breakout</a> psychobilly weekender. I wasn't sure of the fibre content, so I used a Dylon hand dye in sunflower yellow. Trusty old Dylon eh? Nope. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hFcbnv4MyTqRuR1wMg4b0fxOfxBBxdb30pum7FJhLkpy1zT0qozxqPK7ytq3mj_yTHZA1JERzHfMtBTaN7Zr6cGlod5dlf7rKSBoJvAXimrH3Ou1KdYPcqsmWifkm2F9giKyehSgwXA/s1600/blog+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hFcbnv4MyTqRuR1wMg4b0fxOfxBBxdb30pum7FJhLkpy1zT0qozxqPK7ytq3mj_yTHZA1JERzHfMtBTaN7Zr6cGlod5dlf7rKSBoJvAXimrH3Ou1KdYPcqsmWifkm2F9giKyehSgwXA/s400/blog+009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It turned out a colour which I will politely refer to as pale lemon, but would prefer to (rather impolitely) refer to as I-boiled-this-in-a-bucket-of-my-own-piss yellow. Although annoyed at having spent £3.10 to turn my fabric such an insipid shade, I remained upbeat as we could now determine that the fabric had a high synthetic content and would need to be dyed with something suitable for polyester and nylon. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLeUjITG8ew44bqjdQLlYgcx189thUMSwJv1LKSxT2vC86e4YPxEaYHAL24srai4yT4Wp2ZVKXphGVnDazHA0OU4l5h8eDlPWDkEBnQ8aobaEei39IDxjuVbGp2EuwU4PqN_A9e2GDX0/s1600/iDye2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLeUjITG8ew44bqjdQLlYgcx189thUMSwJv1LKSxT2vC86e4YPxEaYHAL24srai4yT4Wp2ZVKXphGVnDazHA0OU4l5h8eDlPWDkEBnQ8aobaEei39IDxjuVbGp2EuwU4PqN_A9e2GDX0/s400/iDye2.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture by <a href="http://dixiediy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/learning-new-skill-or-idye-review.html">Dixie DIY</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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This is what I found. I think it's the only product available on the UK market for home dyeing synthetics, but it looked pretty good anyway. I did some research online as to what other bloggers' colour results had been for each yellow shade, and picked out the yellow iDye Poly and iDye for natural fabrics in 'Golden Yellow', as directed by the packaging in order to colour a cotton-synthetic blend fabric. <br />
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The instructions stated that the iDye Poly, poly colour intensifier, and iDye natural should be chucked into a pot of hot water together to dissolve, the fabric added and brought to the boil, and a US cup of salt added. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZw_1w-WsSRheCNeZZl26VbVYSKKXoCv2YP6BO3t6DK1a4inhzHmzlENGfFIaSxHXZn-BxmaOJp3oe2fchzEvSGLhfTCf8cP5pvIqHjbcl0AjVCdnVOXrCFRbiw9po3NmRitob_qo4yrI/s1600/DSC_3233-1024x680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZw_1w-WsSRheCNeZZl26VbVYSKKXoCv2YP6BO3t6DK1a4inhzHmzlENGfFIaSxHXZn-BxmaOJp3oe2fchzEvSGLhfTCf8cP5pvIqHjbcl0AjVCdnVOXrCFRbiw9po3NmRitob_qo4yrI/s640/DSC_3233-1024x680.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it was supposed to look like. Via <a href="http://livethefancylife.com/diy-dying-curtain-panels-using-idye/">Live the Fancy Life</a></td></tr>
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Problem 1. I didn't own a pot large enough to fit my whole 2.5m of fabric into. I decided to cut out all the parts of my dress, adding an extra 1/4" to each seam allowance to account for any shrinkage, fraying or wonkiness which may occur. The fabric had already been dyed and washed once so shrinking or twisting wasn't likely, but pre-cutting your pieces before dyeing is a risky strategy. It all fit into my largest pot, so I began the dyeing process. <br />
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Problem 2. The instructions said that in order for the dye to bond to the polyester fibres, I needed to keep the mixture at a 'rolling boil' for 30-60 minutes. My pot never came to the boil - it was always on the edge of simmering. This was probably because I was using a stoneware crock pot, not a metal pan, but I'm a woman living alone - I don't own a 12 litre stew vat! Frankly, the fabric looked alarmingly orange as soon as I put it into the dye bath. I thought it would rinse out to yellow, and persevered. Because the mixture never boiled, I left it in just over an hour.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWzD_P-IKNmJrybHbV1Bm9pjg-hkxek2CYvMh2Fb7pinJmM3cYkE1NToxWOHsEw1CE6IutnxOdkywkUH48f8JjT4ADyRUVW_JL99neZcd8p-6VVNcM8W0h6F87oJd_AIAXIi2BS_tWms/s1600/blog+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWzD_P-IKNmJrybHbV1Bm9pjg-hkxek2CYvMh2Fb7pinJmM3cYkE1NToxWOHsEw1CE6IutnxOdkywkUH48f8JjT4ADyRUVW_JL99neZcd8p-6VVNcM8W0h6F87oJd_AIAXIi2BS_tWms/s400/blog+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oranges and lemons... balls. </td></tr>
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I rinsed. ORANGE. Not even orangey-yellow, <span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>ORANGE</b></span>. These pictures don't even show the full horror of just how exceedingly jaffa-hued it was. I put it through a normal wash cycle at 40C with an extra rinse. Oompa Loompa. I put it through a 60C intensive wash cycle. Colour of a pornstar's palms. <br />
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I decided it was time for desperate measures. I filled the sink with warm water and added 60ml (1/4cup) of household bleach, followed by the damp fabric pieces. Nothing. I doubled the bleach and agitated it for ten minutes... the water turned yellow but the fabric looked unchanged. I ended up with 300ml of bleach in the sink, and a mild chemical burn on my hands (no, I don't own rubber gloves. If I did they'd no doubt be orange by now). The fabric faded by a couple of shades, so I chucked it into the washing machine, thinking the residual bleach coupled with some heat and agitation would loosen the dye from the fibres. I whacked the temperature up to 90C. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yAxd0QUHT1WwPRxR9MHJ_rSdxb7_RgpfLmm1YuywYgZ0TQ4_jmrA3yorudqPwKDOQ6K858wS8b2Zx7wzacs7MeYIfoFlw3s3ZtxKcfgNrgXqyV9l4d5obDhjOpcf2sp5-5yjOuFgMeg/s1600/blog+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yAxd0QUHT1WwPRxR9MHJ_rSdxb7_RgpfLmm1YuywYgZ0TQ4_jmrA3yorudqPwKDOQ6K858wS8b2Zx7wzacs7MeYIfoFlw3s3ZtxKcfgNrgXqyV9l4d5obDhjOpcf2sp5-5yjOuFgMeg/s640/blog+007.JPG" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who ya gonna call?</td></tr>
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Then this happened. So, yeah, turns out thick bleach foams in hot water. At least I can be sure that my washing machine's innards are utterly germ-free now. <br />
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Finally, I took the fabric out of the washer. It was still sodding orange, but it had definitely become lighter, and would probably be just about acceptable when it dried. Then, ULTIMATE HORROR!<br />
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Yep... the print which had survived four washes, two dyeing attempts, being just under boiling temperature for over an hour, and being soaked in a sink of toilet-strength bleach for half an hour, had given up the ghost and come off in the final wash, turning a vile shade of rusty brown. I was utterly dejected, and my dreams of the perfect dress went up in a puff of smoke. Just as this fabric will be doing when I burn it in the garden tomorrow and dance around nude, wailing at passers-by and smearing myself with its (no doubt bright orange) ashes. <br /><br />By the way, the fabric, multiple dyes, salt, and copious amounts of electricity used cost me about £20. Bargain bin fabric? I think not. <br />
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Fucksticks. Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-17568868158492661492013-02-22T00:52:00.000+00:002013-02-22T01:04:58.740+00:00New Hair! Adventures in pastels...I've wanted <a href="http://kalandrajane.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/current-loves.html">pastel hair</a> for ages. Lauren over at <a href="http://bobbypinblog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Pastel%20Hair">Bobby Pin Blog</a> did a very helpful series on pastel hair colouring, including the shampoo cap method which I had not tried before. Pastel Hair was very de rigeur in both the 30s and 50s, although as with all high-fashion, high-maintenance looks, it was only worn by the very daring.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_f9hw4gBdNIt4IZ5ER7161C0xcw7djcK3aOw4Cn8xS68NF2WHWJH_3gDQDotvAI0jt06z3mHAFFaE39ip_ZMsKq3Pyw-ldjonz9wAqugie1VbNXFJf7s_p1Y8DZgpfRlEgSU30zzu0pU/s1600/coloured+hair+1935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_f9hw4gBdNIt4IZ5ER7161C0xcw7djcK3aOw4Cn8xS68NF2WHWJH_3gDQDotvAI0jt06z3mHAFFaE39ip_ZMsKq3Pyw-ldjonz9wAqugie1VbNXFJf7s_p1Y8DZgpfRlEgSU30zzu0pU/s640/coloured+hair+1935.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1935 Image via <a href="http://www.lettersfromhomefront.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/cheveux-de-couleur.html">The Vintage Baroness</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Here are a few of my hair inspirations ;)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmxGA47EK3a1KcIgXUH7h1Q37OkfEXvPlrDr02V3I_rTy_lYXTD5mcgqP5NX54UzPiY1qFoC8c-8EgTRI_NrEkATSF23pIbuyCZN3ClzzYNKAozgLmwCGTVFqnL4hCVjKw2_hCPsQAA4/s1600/Pastel+Hair.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmxGA47EK3a1KcIgXUH7h1Q37OkfEXvPlrDr02V3I_rTy_lYXTD5mcgqP5NX54UzPiY1qFoC8c-8EgTRI_NrEkATSF23pIbuyCZN3ClzzYNKAozgLmwCGTVFqnL4hCVjKw2_hCPsQAA4/s640/Pastel+Hair.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I've been using purple toner to get my hair platinum blonde for ages, so I did have some idea about how long to leave things on and what could go wrong. In the past I've found that if I used a purple-hued conditioner on my blonde I ended up with grey or blue streaks where parts of my hair were more absorbent, whereas using a shampoo cap with purple in it worked really well. My favourite thing for this is <a href="http://www.touch-of-silver.co.uk/faqs/">Touch of Silver</a> shampoo, just leave it on for a couple of minutes to get platinum blonde on bleached hair, or ten minutes if you want a violet rinse effect like ol' Dame Edna up there. <br />
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I decided to go for a mint green shade, primarily because nobody does it and because it's the best colour ever!<br />
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This was the first attempt...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYnmMNVCBBH4_JoMdnz8zjK2-pxepV1cboPfMIYPe_YZ_sIOWtLk0OnjGIpMK2eLigLnq18LzuezifzOIewp_RaSwfyj_b4D0IpPdwgXcGFDgo2zkDqnqTMz5EAYh_AyzHjT8liKsFZs/s1600/560506_10151286048046440_1752881840_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYnmMNVCBBH4_JoMdnz8zjK2-pxepV1cboPfMIYPe_YZ_sIOWtLk0OnjGIpMK2eLigLnq18LzuezifzOIewp_RaSwfyj_b4D0IpPdwgXcGFDgo2zkDqnqTMz5EAYh_AyzHjT8liKsFZs/s1600/560506_10151286048046440_1752881840_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I'd cut a couple of tiny samples out of my hair after bleaching it, and done a strand test using Directions Apple Green dye mixed with shampoo for one strand and conditioner for another. The test using conditioner looked best, but I was afraid of it looking a little too yellow, like washed out lime, so I ended up using approximately 100ml of conditioner, 1/2tsp. Directions Violet dye (to tone the yellow out) and 1tsp. Directions Apple Green, applied to damp hair after shampooing and combed through for ten minutes. I didn't mind the result but altogether thought it was too pale, and too blue rather than green. <br />
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Here's attempt 2. I was less cautious this time, and decided to apply the mixture to hair that had been shampooed then dried to leave it more absorbent. I used about 150ml of conditioner, about 1/3tsp. Directions Violet, and 1.5tsp. Directions Apple Green. This was the colour of the mixture:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98KCxFVsO2TbRGAwlvf8c7YUh2Bve-tpRjMgOf2SSk6ZMr96xXQM6kjTDEMXUA6_C5pJYrRWpYyp4NwdwboTVzSRlhpm14lY3mcysiuoOmAfpeTsHVDE3P2jEGWO5zKwp3T8PK5wFpvA/s1600/blog+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98KCxFVsO2TbRGAwlvf8c7YUh2Bve-tpRjMgOf2SSk6ZMr96xXQM6kjTDEMXUA6_C5pJYrRWpYyp4NwdwboTVzSRlhpm14lY3mcysiuoOmAfpeTsHVDE3P2jEGWO5zKwp3T8PK5wFpvA/s400/blog+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And here it is slapped onto my head. I used a tinting brush and applied it in small sections from front to back, then worked it through with a wide tooth comb.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEq3VBmXBC5gFXET1IiebfHEm-H24jFpZnLKOy9iKqeUpQXdx5toQqXOegPo3sKZGveTTSdxId2cx1tthYE6OuXvIZ1RnWhcyc0lnb55RzZ0x6RBQ54LAJpjIRJhCrTlhedyy2pk8Tjw/s1600/blog+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEq3VBmXBC5gFXET1IiebfHEm-H24jFpZnLKOy9iKqeUpQXdx5toQqXOegPo3sKZGveTTSdxId2cx1tthYE6OuXvIZ1RnWhcyc0lnb55RzZ0x6RBQ54LAJpjIRJhCrTlhedyy2pk8Tjw/s400/blog+006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Whoops! Try not to splatter it everywhere when combing through. I got it on the wall, carpet, a plant, and all over the back of the sink.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MqCZKEjDjijARzopConyfTxj0oiUzo0VhLTg3K0Q4jb6YFQLFCGjqlFilu6U9cDvGfSLvlxdwUYcnG6VvygF8r_BJq9xGKcNuDPEcDIO5OfWfb4-nkPGA4W5uQ6iZ0dU4r4vL-OdmXk/s1600/blog+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MqCZKEjDjijARzopConyfTxj0oiUzo0VhLTg3K0Q4jb6YFQLFCGjqlFilu6U9cDvGfSLvlxdwUYcnG6VvygF8r_BJq9xGKcNuDPEcDIO5OfWfb4-nkPGA4W5uQ6iZ0dU4r4vL-OdmXk/s400/blog+013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Here's how it came out! I looked crazed or blurry in every single one of these photos. This shade matches my eyebrow pencil a lot better, which in these pictures is Barry M no.20, available online but I *think* it may have been discontinued as it is no longer stocked in the shops. They do a proper mint green but it's very white-based. I'll probaby use it in the corners of my eyes to pick up the hair colour, but as an eyebrow pencil it was too pale and made me look really pink.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpE5WjT2aPmUAKXyyzik2kIGAPGgwNY5oCFTe-0fqNJK2QV-_47Ixmf9UCkCVJhfvW1WzvWW_gzmqiEX2T9AeZOk4X6p_hC1wj3Vmhv3FK7bsy_Fco52AgjpGYSM_UHFil_SNeAxz2SA/s1600/blog+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpE5WjT2aPmUAKXyyzik2kIGAPGgwNY5oCFTe-0fqNJK2QV-_47Ixmf9UCkCVJhfvW1WzvWW_gzmqiEX2T9AeZOk4X6p_hC1wj3Vmhv3FK7bsy_Fco52AgjpGYSM_UHFil_SNeAxz2SA/s640/blog+020.JPG" width="502" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLK1z8VPoOy-aZVN9S-7rAeZbhpPm3p8KUfe8aC5fLJWgFTC3eFjvv-8PhLCe-4efgCcUlAbLc6w3z93zTrCV6mhmdzoSsLkvXSMq_AMw_JDhCUKxnBL1QA6YfzSPH41APhksTNJv1scs/s1600/blog+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLK1z8VPoOy-aZVN9S-7rAeZbhpPm3p8KUfe8aC5fLJWgFTC3eFjvv-8PhLCe-4efgCcUlAbLc6w3z93zTrCV6mhmdzoSsLkvXSMq_AMw_JDhCUKxnBL1QA6YfzSPH41APhksTNJv1scs/s640/blog+022.JPG" width="462" /></a></div><br />
Then, feeling suitably green, I went round to my lovely wife Sera's, and cooked her some delicious vegan burritos! We also got some fancy desserts from M&S, I had a peach Melba jelly (It's vegan!) Yay!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJ8YteEp8O4Xgg7sQ2Kyb6e32CfZXtDIDjDhBxSRV0UPXAK8_7HxZI9ZN5RYjLdiDRFbXlrl5eGmadnIsnuZOCvIt-Z_LqXyjm3F_Enii8qpXfG0QZU11_pVCgORMRRjat6u-5qyWkx4/s1600/17486_10152595668465022_1503869235_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJ8YteEp8O4Xgg7sQ2Kyb6e32CfZXtDIDjDhBxSRV0UPXAK8_7HxZI9ZN5RYjLdiDRFbXlrl5eGmadnIsnuZOCvIt-Z_LqXyjm3F_Enii8qpXfG0QZU11_pVCgORMRRjat6u-5qyWkx4/s1600/17486_10152595668465022_1503869235_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJ1Gle9DCjMBsYNSMp4MgsrQQNY9zaVLivIRe1DgcansdF6ACl-ySvpOYHyyugC7Qo_YeXwFCYJUr1fI-fW9zN-g1-lnjjjkMSDV1QvH-KtrDIVUDmr4LiJpMdO6kZFXMAVqbfsHVD_c/s1600/66925_10152595783985022_1252115426_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJ1Gle9DCjMBsYNSMp4MgsrQQNY9zaVLivIRe1DgcansdF6ACl-ySvpOYHyyugC7Qo_YeXwFCYJUr1fI-fW9zN-g1-lnjjjkMSDV1QvH-KtrDIVUDmr4LiJpMdO6kZFXMAVqbfsHVD_c/s1600/66925_10152595783985022_1252115426_n.jpg" /></a></div>Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-6508231995524489862013-01-22T18:36:00.000+00:002013-01-22T18:37:06.171+00:00Vote for me and my fat bits!Hello my darlings. I've entered a little competition on facebook and would love it if some of you voted for me! It's a contest to win a free photoshoot with the very talented <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eholdenphoto?ref=ts&fref=ts">Ebony Holden Photography</a>. I'm currently in third place, but some of the other girls are proper models with fan pages so I need all the votes I can get! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=516358738405040&set=a.516358691738378.117150.100000927547339&type=3&theater">CLICK HERE</a> then 'like' the picture to vote! Thank you!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuvGFJpgslDS400b_YpYKOodoktYXBhr4dARCXhegADVzMNwNqyLfWz5en9swDzvsJPmUYb5P9AY83jt_qV7l35qwloOCSBT2bCWx_1Nol_CF2swY-iWTGliCe4eCQrEPuPWwxGLbITs/s1600/DSC_8995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuvGFJpgslDS400b_YpYKOodoktYXBhr4dARCXhegADVzMNwNqyLfWz5en9swDzvsJPmUYb5P9AY83jt_qV7l35qwloOCSBT2bCWx_1Nol_CF2swY-iWTGliCe4eCQrEPuPWwxGLbITs/s640/DSC_8995.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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There was a massive furore around the picture earlier this week - some random man felt the need to make derogatory comments about the size of my body, personally I wasn't bothered at all but lots of lovely ladies leapt to my defence - it's nice to know people are willing to stand up to prejudiced idiots. <br />
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Photo by Alt. Studio.Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-71642775658486536002013-01-21T23:07:00.001+00:002013-01-21T23:07:19.019+00:00Reasons to be cheerful...One...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQHRE1RhbnLdcvBMjoOjaEQALnwx0GYS-uzZ-myw7evN8xSdfRJR9M9yCxsnmI2oQLS5X_rqCLk0FiNubRapwFHOT8kmQGvg6L6tHhrvrbV97E0UFNUdD-BraG-xn1pQu7ujCug5PzLs/s1600/king+kurt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQHRE1RhbnLdcvBMjoOjaEQALnwx0GYS-uzZ-myw7evN8xSdfRJR9M9yCxsnmI2oQLS5X_rqCLk0FiNubRapwFHOT8kmQGvg6L6tHhrvrbV97E0UFNUdD-BraG-xn1pQu7ujCug5PzLs/s1600/king+kurt.jpg" /></a> </div><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/290618317726007/?ref=ts&fref=ts">This gig</a> is happening on Saturday, and I can't wait. I'll get to see lots of friends, my ticket and travel are already booked for me and my beautiful wifelet Sera, and it's going to be great. <br />
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Two...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtFlYdjoMHUKb5r9ClUh45GMGzzMkwOSJF3BWL1FYQIppzhHaKsjfpZf9XcmB9WU61Son5Rr7WK6rlanFDGQfk0f20s2jKbMyP2zgiVlZKZxTGHNpyRZkeaq9czOYUltYjKAzy6MJNfk/s1600/553021_10151220646856440_120294434_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtFlYdjoMHUKb5r9ClUh45GMGzzMkwOSJF3BWL1FYQIppzhHaKsjfpZf9XcmB9WU61Son5Rr7WK6rlanFDGQfk0f20s2jKbMyP2zgiVlZKZxTGHNpyRZkeaq9czOYUltYjKAzy6MJNfk/s1600/553021_10151220646856440_120294434_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
This is the dress I'm going to be wearing... it's not quite finished yet, I've got to appliqué the hearts onto the back and add a halter strap and maybe some sort of giant butt bow. This is the most tailored garment I've made in latex, it's from sheet rubber I already had in my stash and has a boned bodice and a zip.<br />
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Three...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFwFoAHUBUTp2OW5P-cqhfrKAAmPIF18-zCa2tGXsjXgdAjyde9TMvF5tgprO-JJL649oohUv4mxmV3O9hAEUFOx3XnNk4pNC8S3CngTNlYsFicTmriBa2qvA7Kndznw5Zyq4tfQ6es0/s1600/155301_10151099117606440_544957768_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFwFoAHUBUTp2OW5P-cqhfrKAAmPIF18-zCa2tGXsjXgdAjyde9TMvF5tgprO-JJL649oohUv4mxmV3O9hAEUFOx3XnNk4pNC8S3CngTNlYsFicTmriBa2qvA7Kndznw5Zyq4tfQ6es0/s400/155301_10151099117606440_544957768_n.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br />
Friendtimes! Some of my friends are putting on the gig, this picture is from the October Halloween special where we saw The Caravans, and was taken just before we got a slightly inappropriate cuddle from Ed Tudor Pole. <br />
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Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-34763130746179000112013-01-21T22:33:00.000+00:002013-01-21T22:33:28.954+00:00Goodbye little Scamp... why I haven't blogged in a while. I don't know if anyone will have really noticed my absence, and some of you are connected to me via facebook and instagram so will already know, but the reason I haven't blogged in so long is because my beautiful Scamp got very poorly toward the end of last year, and died on November 12th.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg589qShyfUQf8-lxUugTcxsnVNUJ6pgT-S43YrjnY7IGc8bx1RoUXBdxE8zP6qQwF5P_GACkksoE-aRN_6gnIvSv__-Z0_wTP_T5mTEwghuXBB7Tghw0aJ5PiZ41WO9QF6WSPf_Pt414/s1600/scamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg589qShyfUQf8-lxUugTcxsnVNUJ6pgT-S43YrjnY7IGc8bx1RoUXBdxE8zP6qQwF5P_GACkksoE-aRN_6gnIvSv__-Z0_wTP_T5mTEwghuXBB7Tghw0aJ5PiZ41WO9QF6WSPf_Pt414/s1600/scamp.jpg" /></a></div>
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I really had no motivation and nothing to write for a long time - first I had a really eventful Summer and just didn't have the time, then as the warmth started to fade away, so did my little chap. We found out that he had very advanced liver disease, he'd been keeping his pain well hidden from us. He went through a couple of months of scans, antibiotic and steroid treatments, and was placed on a special diet food, but he continued to lose weight and become more listless and uncomfortable, until in the end it would have been unkind to prolong his suffering any more. <br />
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My business and personal life have also suffered, hence I'm skint so I've not had any fun purchases to share with you all, and have been under a lot of stress with finances. I'm also currently in the process of finding a new place to live with Paul, in a different city and a better house where I can have a home studio to welcome dressmaking and millinery clients. I'm rebuilding the Kalandra Jane Designs website from scratch (literally - I'm going to be teaching myself to code from the ground up), it's going to be a difficult journey but hopefully things will be progressing soon!<br />
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I'll ease back into blogging gently and hopefully soon it'll once more be a productive creative outlet for me, and a source of interest and entertainment for you. Anyway, I've got a couple of fun things to look forward to in the next couple of weeks and it's my birthday on the 31st, so I promise more cheerful blogging to come!<br />
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<br />Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-60895151884942607602012-10-22T04:47:00.000+01:002012-10-22T05:10:47.665+01:00Winning! Manchester Vintage Awards 2012.I won!!! Thanks so much to all of you who nominated and voted for me. I'm now officially Manchester's Best Vintage-Inspired Designer, for this year anyway! I was also nominated in the Best Vintage Blogger category, but that honour went to the very deserving <a href="http://dormouseandtheteapot.blogspot.co.uk/">Dormouse and the Teapot</a>, who blog in a far more professional manner than I, about lovely vintage events, recipes and other delightful things, rather than the filthy self-indulgent claptrap you'll find on here.<br />
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Here's what I wore: Tiki sarong dress and fascinator by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kalandrajanedesigns?ref=ts&fref=ts">Kalandra Jane Designs</a>, Pleather Jacket by <a href="http://www.very.co.uk/motel-pleather-biker-jacket/1141695679.prd?browseToken=/b/1642/q/motel?totalResults=1">Motel</a>, red hair lily by <a href="http://dollycool.co.uk/">Dolly Cool</a>, my favourite vintage necklace from Paul, badge by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynORuDj0Fq4">Graveyard Johnnys</a> because we are the Poon Club, vintage bakelite bangles from etsy, and pinstriped bangle by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/koolkatart?ref=ts&fref=ts">Kool Kat Art</a>.<br />
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Organised by the lovely <a href="http://www.oldfashionedsusie.com/">Susie</a> from <a href="http://www.vintagemanchester.com/">Vintage Manchester</a>, the glamourous awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 17th October at Matt & Phred's Jazz Club in Manchester's Northern Quarter. We were greeted by the rather delicious <a href-="href-" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6590056084205553681" https:="https:" inupsinpinnies="inupsinpinnies" ref="ts&fref=ts" www.facebook.com="www.facebook.com">Pin-Ups in Pinnies</a> and their equally delicious mini boozy cupcakes, including some amazing tiny vegan mint chocolate ones with glitter, squee! <br />
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Here I am with fellow nominee (and, as far as I'm concerned, the designer with whom I should be sharing the award) Maria from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kittyoharacorsetry">Kitty O'Hara's Corsetry</a>, about to devour what was probably my fourth or fifth mini cake of the night!<br />
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The awards were hosted by my darling friend and singing coach <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vuza5Ke9Rs&feature=related">Kiki DeVille</a>, who treated us to some songs, including an amazingly operatic rendition of 'The Girl in 14G' - look it up! She's the gorgeous femme fatale in front of me in this photo of some of the winners by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JennyMartinPhotographyUK">Jenny Martin Photography</a>, I have no idea why I'm pouting like that! Excessive intake of rum and cake, possibly. <br />
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I was so shocked to win, especially seeing as I was up against <a href="http://www.limb-clothing.com/">Limb</a>, who while based locally, are a large, nationally distributed dress company, whereas Maria and I are both sole traders working from our homes.<br />
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After gracelessly flailing my way onto the stage and nervously mumbling through the world's most garbled and incomprehensible impromptu thank-you speech, I decided it was time to get even more garbled and incomprehensible by partaking of the official tipple of the evening, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Oldjspicedrum?ref=ts&fref=ts">Old J Spiced Rum</a>. Blended in Manchester, this stuff tastes exactly like Sailor Jerry did before they messed with the recipe and ruined it - so if you miss your old sailor buddy, this newly-launched rum is the booze for you!<br />
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Following the presentations, a gorgeous performance by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/suzie.sequin">Suzie Sequin</a> as Marilyn Monroe, and some schmoozing, myself and fellow award-winners <a href="http://bethanyjanedavies.com/">Bethany Davies</a> (Best Vintage Beauty), Matt & Annabel AKA <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vintage78dj?ref=ts&fref=ts">Vintage 78 DJs</a> (Best Vintage DJs), Fiona of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rose-and-Lee-Vintage-Living/211931658837188?ref=ts&fref=ts">Rose & Lee Vintage Living</a> (Best Vintage Homeware), and a few others all headed off to the local tiki bar for celebratory cocktails! As you can see from the picture above, we probably didn't need them, but there was much celebrating to be done!<br />
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Annabel is wearing a dress, bolero and hat all made by me. Keep an eye out for more details on the launch of the Kalandra Jane Designs made-to-measure clothing range, coming soon!<br />
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Here's me in my natural inebriated state, knockers askew, posing in front of the mirror with my glorious little glass trophy at 4am. I had a fabulous night out and am so proud to have been given an award for my work. I never expected such recognition from customers, friends, fans, and blog readers when I started my little millinery venture. <br />
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So, thank you to every single one of you, I sincerely appreciate every single word of support I've ever been given, all the models, photographers, promoters and businesses that have generously helped me along with cross-promotion, and every person who has ever bought a hat from me, facilitating my dream of being an impoverished yet decadent artiste rather than getting a real job. (That's a hell of a lot more coherent than my acceptance speech was, and this time I'm not turning bright red, or knocking over the award and almost breaking it because I'm shaking from shock!)<br />
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<br />Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-25397868793626917932012-10-19T02:35:00.000+01:002012-10-19T02:35:50.525+01:00I dyed my hair a ridiculous colour!I did this a few weeks ago, and some of you may already have seen it if you follow me on Instagram or facebook, but here it is; I dyed my hair yellow! I'd been blonde for five years and fancied a change, and wanted something a bit unusual colour-wise. <br />
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This was my first effort, I mixed Directions Bright Daffodil with half a tub of Manic Panic Electric Banana which I had lying around. <br />
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I underestimated the ultraviolet power of the Manic Panic! So it looked quite greenish and glowed under UV light. I'm not opposed to green, it's my favourite colour and I had green hair for years, hence my eyebrows, but it wasn't the colour I was going for really. <br />
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The colour washed out as soon as I went swimming, meaning I'm going to have to dye it weekly, every time I swim! But this was the second attempt at the yellow, this time without the UV dye in it. I just used Directions Bright Daffodil and mixed in a tiny bit of orange to make it more of a sunshine yellow. <br />
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Also with giant pink glitter lips, fruity necklace, and huge hair flower, which made Paul say it was 'like going out with a drag queen'. Thanks for that, lover. Not that I care, I bloody love a good drag queen. <br />
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And again, wearing the aeroplanes dress I made, and my necklace from the estate of Lana Turner (to the wedding of the gorgeous lady who gave it to me!) In all these pictures I've also aded a tiny line of yellow to my eyebrows and the inner corners of my eyes, to make the hair colour tie in more with my face.<br />
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Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-24429948161162214232012-10-17T02:49:00.000+01:002012-10-17T02:49:09.905+01:00What I did on my Summer Holidays: Kustom Kulture Blastoff!Brought to you via the lazy magic of Instagram pictures. I use Instagram pretty much every day now as my phone camera is a lot more reliable than my actual camera which eats batteries and doesn't like picking up bright colours. If you're on Instagram, follow me: @kalandrajane<br />
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A few weeks ago <a href="http://dollycoolclare.blogspot.co.uk/">Clare</a>, <a href="http://www.bethanyjanedavies.com/">Bethany</a> and I packed up our little stalls and headed off to the arse end of nowhere (a.k.a. Spalding, Lincolnshire) for the 3rd Kustom Kulture Blastoff.<br />
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I managed to put up my 'vintage' (ahem hem) bright orange boyscout tent in what was possibly record time before it started raining. We lived in our tents for the weekend, and I didn't always look this well put together! Thank you Clare for waking me up with a delicious brew each day and putting up with my terrible morning moods (ie. grumpy hangovers)!<br />
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I didn't sell that much, and it was all a bit quieter than expected really. I spent most of my profits on feeding myself over the weekend, and on a couple of treats. I got a new wallet from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.hotrockinbelle.com">Hot Rockin' Belle</a> (who will soon be stocking my hats!) to replace my decrepit Bettie Page one, and a very reasonably priced new bangle from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/koolkatart?ref=ts&fref=ts">Kool Kat</a> pinstriping, I also got a super cool hip flask from him but I forgot to photograph it.<br />
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It was dark and freezing at night in our tents, and the organisers wanted to charge the traders extra to get into the evening entertainment, so we spent most of our time gossiping over jugs of sickly cocktails at Frankie and Benny's, which was the only eating establishment within walking distance.<br />
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We got free cocktails at the bar because the new barman didn't know what he was doing! Hurrahs!<br />
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Helium was sucked from balloons! (Especially hilarious when you are full of terrible gin cocktails).<br />
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Ice cream sundaes were eaten sexily!<br />
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Upon returning from the restaurant we snuggled down for girly wine time in my tent, but not before wandering into a Si Cranstoun performance which was full of dodgy old blokes who had just come for the evening gig, jiving to music so clean and sanitised it made me want to punch someone in the face then smear my body with their spurting nose blood just to dirty myself back up a bit. <br />
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The fantastic <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vincerayandtheboneshakers?ref=ts&fref=ts">Vince Ray and the Boneshakers</a> had been booked and would have saved our starving musical souls, but they sadly had to pull out at short notice. Needless to say, we were unimpressed by the "rockin'" Michael Bublé soundalike, and I think that considering it's supposed to be a Kustom Kulture event, they should look into booking some acts and having some DJs that play something with a bit of an edge. The daytime event was full of tattooed hot rodders, vintage lovers and psychobillies, all of whom ended up in the pub with us both nights because the evening entertainment was, shall we say, not their cup of tea.<br />
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Anyway! Beth and I wandered out on the Sunday for a bit of ridiculous car show posing, as is traditional at these events. I made the top and lime green leopard capris, unfortunately I was feeling pretty bloated and grim this day, hence my slouchy, rotund appearance.<br />
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Finally it was time to leave, so Clare and I trundled off through the cabbage fields and into the sunset. On our way home we stopped in at the <a href="http://www.okdiners.com/">OK Diner</a> at Carlton on the A1, and were really glad we did!<br />
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O, shining beacon of delight!<br />
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Clare had a lovely veggie burrito with Mexican rice!<br />
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I had a spicy beanburger with curly fries and guacamole! Our waitress was an absolute star, running back and forth getting me ingredients lists and checking things were vegan for me. It was a lovely surprise to be able to actually get a decent vegan meal at a roadside restaurant, I just wish there was an OK Diner closer to where I live! <br />
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I also got an amazing pink double hair lily, which Paul says makes me look like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodrell_Bank_Observatory">Jodrell Bank</a>. All in all I had a really good weekend, despite not having made huge profits and having been forced to listen to the Big Bopper over and over again until I wanted to stab myself in the ears, I loved spending time with two of my favourite ladies, making some new contacts and getting to gab over cocktails!<br />
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Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-80020227853810512082012-10-03T01:38:00.001+01:002012-10-03T01:40:59.641+01:00Another Ukulele Video! Ring of FireNow that I've gotten over my initial fear of looking stupid on the internet (I do it every day in real life, why should it be any different online?), I'm comfortable enough to start posting my progress with playing the ukulele on here. <br />
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I've moved on a bit from my <a href="http://www.kalandrajane.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/in-which-i-embarass-myself-by-singing.html">first video</a>, this one shows a bit more technique when it comes to strumming, and I'm hoping to lean to regulate my breathing better and project my voice more. I'm having singing lessons from my gorgeous friend, star of stage and screen Kiki DeVille, and slowly I'm gaining more confidence and technique, but obviously I have a very long way to go!<br />
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This is from a week or two ago anyway, since then I've been working more on developing my strumming rhythms (ooh err, missus), so the next video I make should be better. I'm pleased with my progress anyway, and soon I will be getting a brand new fancy banjolele!<br />
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Come to me, my pretty... <br />
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Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-52377725228003550182012-10-02T04:01:00.000+01:002012-10-02T15:33:17.832+01:00New Tattoo!A few weeks ago I travelled to Birmingham on a sweaty coach to pay a visit to award-winning tattoo studio <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Modern-Body-Art/128471967171932?ref=ts&fref=ts">Modern Body Art</a> and to my good friend, the gorgeous and talented <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RachelJamieBaldwin?ref=ts&fref=ts">Rachel Jamie Baldwin</a>. There I spent about five hours under the needle, getting inked with this amazing pirate lobster!<br />
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I've been slow to heal with this one as I've been run ragged over the past month and not looking after myself as well as I should have been, but despite a tiny bit of dryness Captain Squeezy is now fully healed and looking amazing, I love him! I allowed Rachel free reign over the design, having known her so long and always adored her work. It was drawn to match the colours and nautical theme of the <a href="http://kalandrajane.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/outfit-post-new-tattoo.html">Octopus Tattoo</a> she did on me while she was an apprentice in Manchester. <br />
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By the way, that weird pink triangle was a blister I got from stupidly wearing new shoes a couple of days before I was due to be tattooed, thankfully it's now completely disappeared. <br />
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Tragically, Rachel lost her mum to cancer a few months ago, and ever since she has been working tirelessly to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. She's holding a tattooing for charity event on the 19th January, with some absolutely top-notch artists taking part, so if you are in the Birmingham area or fancy travelling to support a good cause and have an amazing piece of high-quality tattoo work done, please check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/264617610324843/">facebook event</a>.<br />
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You can see more of Rachel's beautiful tattoos on her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RachelJamieBaldwin?ref=ts&fref=ts">facebook page</a> and <a href="http://racheljamiebaldwin.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>, you can also buy gorgeous limited edition prints of her paintings in her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/rachelmccarthy1">etsy</a> shop. Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-20846834944812358312012-10-02T03:19:00.000+01:002012-10-02T04:37:19.612+01:00What I did on my Summer Holidays - Rebellion Punk FestivalSo it seems that once again, I have fallen victim to that old devil, blog neglect! So here's the first in a series of recap posts of some of the fun stuff I did over the last couple of months! I'm going to write a few now then release them over this week to ease me back into regular writing.<br />
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During the first week of August we went off to Blackpool for <a href="http://www.rebellionfestivals.com/">Rebellion Festival</a>! This is our Summer holiday every year, as unlike me, Aerospace Boyfriend doesn't get much time off to go to gigs during term time, so for him it's one big catch up.<br />
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Outfit, Day 1! I made the fascinator, necklace, bracelet and capri pants! This was my first foray into trouser-making and I have to say, I have no idea why I was always so nervous of it. They're easy! I bought a really basic capris pattern and have adjusted it to my measurements, it's proving invaluable. The pattern is <a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b5614-products-13755.php?page_id=368">Butterick 5614</a> and despite the mumsy-looking envelope photos, this is the perfect pattern for vintage-styled bad girl capris! The shoes are by <a href="http://www.melshoes.com/">Melissa</a> and are so ridiculously comfortable and flexible that I can now wear heels for an entire festival.<br />
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Much horseplay was had by Areospace Boyfriend and our darling friends, possibly encouraged by the excessive consumption of Guinness and cider...<br />
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One of the absolute highlights of the festival for me was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hillbillymoonexplosion">The Hillbilly Moon Explosion</a>, they're one of my favourite bands at the moment and absolutely amazing live. Emanuela's coy stage presence and sweet, jazzy voice coupled with Oliver's rock 'n' roll showboating and the band's all-round passion made for a fantastic show, their songs are like beautiful lullabies interspersed with butt-shaking badass rockabilly rhythms and definitely worth checking out!<br />
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On the Friday night we saw <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kingkurtofficial?ref=ts&fref=ts">King Kurt</a>! These boys never fail to put on a great show! Thankfully the eggs, Marmite, jam etc. that their performances are notorious for were left at home, and the only antiquing we received was a light sprinkling of flour from a jubilant audience member. Some filthy comments from singer and reknowned pervert Smeggy even managed to get psychobilly-shunning Aerospace Boyfriend giggling and enjoying the scene's messiest stalwarts and we both had a great time. <br />
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Outfit, day 2: jeans, top and jacket all modified by me in various ways over the years, chopped up/dyed/embellished etc! The big mirror in the hallway of our hotel was perfect for taking ridiculously vain pictures of myself posing before we set out each day to watch the bands. I had pictures of days 3 and 4 but I appear to have lost them in a haze of whiskey and disorganisation.<br />
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The big headliners of the festival were Rancid and Social Distortion... I've loved both these bands for years, especially Rancid, but frankly the less said about them the better. I don't know whether the sound engineers were incompetent or whether it's just impossible to get a good result from hundreds of decibels bouncing around an arched, high-ceilinged, tunnel-shaped Victorian Ballroom covered in twiddly Rococo bits, but the sound in there was so bad that I could barely distinguish some of my favourite songs until they were almost over, which was really disappointing.<br />
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On a much more positive note, for me a huge highlight of the festival was having some brilliant aftershow gigs to go to, presented by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/110383102330052/?ref=ts&fref=ts">Misery of Sound</a>. Organiser Andy worked really hard to put some brilliant psychobilly and horrorpunk bands on and did really well! I missed the first one featuring <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vincerayandtheboneshakers?ref=ts&fref=ts">Vince Ray and the Boneshakers</a>, but the next two with Th'Loveless Bastards (featuring members of Mad Sin and The Hyperjax, keep an ear out for them!), <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/118032564074/?ref=ts&fref=ts">Luna Vegas</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/graveyardjohnnysUK?ref=ts&fref=ts">Graveyard Johnnys</a> were absolutely storming, hence there aren't many pictures from these nights because everyone was either too drunk or too busy having fun!<br />
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I'll get moaned at for this by Aerospace Boyfriend who does not appreciate me taking a little of my love and giving it to other boys, but you need to watch this... my darling Welsh friends and favourite little rockstars, the Graveyard Johnnys:<br />
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If you're in Europe they'll soon be on tour, keep an eye on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/graveyardjohnnysUK?ref=ts&fref=ts">facebook</a> page, go and support them because they're lovely boys!<br />
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I also made two amazing new friends from Sweden and Holland Respectively, Marie-Louise and Ivo! These guys made my weekend and I hope to see them at the festival again next year, maybe sooner!<br />
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Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-55506931886808523622012-09-30T23:09:00.002+01:002012-10-01T03:34:49.666+01:00Please vote for me in the Vintage Awards - LAST DAY!I've been nominated as a finalist in the Vintage Manchester Awards! You don't need to be from the area to vote and no registration is needed, so please, please go and vote for me in the 'Best Vintage Inpired Designer' and 'Best Vintage Blog' categories! I really appreciate all the support my blog readers and Kalandra Jane Designs customers have given me since I started my little venture!<br />
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Vote here: <a href="http://www.vintagemanchester.com/best-of-2012-awards/">http://www.vintagemanchester.com/best-of-2012-awards/</a><br />
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If you fancy you could also vote for my friends <a href="http://www.bethanyjanedavies.com/">Bethany Jane Davies</a>, <a href="http://www.vintagetwists.co.uk/shop/">Vintage Twists</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rose-and-Lee-Vintage-Living/211931658837188?ref=ts&fref=ts">Rose and Lee Vintage Living</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carnival-Divine/219397799501?ref=ts&fref=ts">Carnival Divine burlesque</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/vintage78dj?ref=ts&fref=ts">Vintage 78 DJs</a>, or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/84665410616/?ref=ts&fref=ts">Mikey Wong</a>, they've all been supporters of my business over the last couple of years and are all very deserving of recognition! Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-47209247500704721812012-08-21T01:21:00.001+01:002012-08-21T01:21:03.415+01:00In which I embarass myself by singing in front of you all. Well, this has received a reasonable reaction on my facebook, so I may as well show it to my lovely followers too. Just for god's sake nobody upload it to youtube, and don't watch it if you're a musician.<br />
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I have really wanted a banjolele for ages, but they're very expensive
and the only one in the family is an heirloom on Paul's side so is going
nowhere. My stepdad runs a music shop so I can get a banjolele, but
figured I should learn on something cheap before spending a lot of money
on an instrument - I have a tendency to pick things up and make a good
start, then abandon them. <br />
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So I bought the cheapest ukulele possible, and taught myself to play six
chords on it in two hours this evening. My fingers hurt. I've also
never sung in my life, not even in front of my boyfriend of
four-and-a-half years, so I'm jumping in at the deep end here. Hopefully
I'll get better at both singing and playing over the next few months. <br /><br />Enough stalling anyway... here you go, Astro Zombies by The Misfits.<br />
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<br />Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-60959501410456683052012-08-20T00:04:00.000+01:002012-08-20T00:07:00.930+01:00Summer Updates! Hello my darlings. It seems it's been a month since I last wrote a blog post - this is because I have spent the entire time either working or being drunk at festivals! I'm utterly exhausted. <br />
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I'll write a different post every day about all the stuff I've been doing, there's so much to cover. I'll start over a month ago, when <a href="http://dollycoolclare.blogspot.co.uk/">Clare</a> (from whom I have stolen a couple of these pictures) and I did a stall at the <a href="http://www.tattooteaparty.com/">Bolton Tattoo Bazaar</a> (they also run the Manchester Tattoo Tea party). <br />
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Here's our stall! I was just helping really so had a space for my hats on the end. <br />
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I saw my gorgeous friend Kitten! I'm wearing a dress I made and a lovely flower by Dolly Cool. <br />
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One of my hats graced the cover of <a href="http://www.tattoorevolutionmagazine.com/default.asp">Tattoo Revolution Magazine</a>, on the beautiful head of my good friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RachelJamieBaldwin">Rachel Baldwin</a>. She's pictured in her wedding gown, and the hat I made for her Las Vegas wedding! She married fellow amazing Tattooist <a href="https://www.facebook.com/baldwintattoo">Nick Baldwin</a>, and their gorgeous work along with pictures of the ceremony were featured in the magazine. I'm so proud of her, she's been through a lot recently but shows such strength and puts so much love into her art. I'm also wearing new glasses! You can't see how beautifully green they are here, I'll get a better picture of them in all their Dame Edna glory. <br />
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I got new business cards! With my face on, because I'm vain, and my <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/KalandraJane">Twitter</a>, facebook and blogspot address because I'm trying not to be such a huge technophobe. Please follow me!<br />
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I bought new eyeball colours for my <a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200808749837">Psychobilly Mini Top Hats</a>! Also a marvellous <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hillbillymoonexplosion">Hillbilly Moon Explosion</a> vinyl EP, but more about them in a post later this week!<br />
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That'll do for today, I need to ease myself back into blogging after such a long break! Coming up during the rest of this week: great bands you should know and love, fun at festivals, lots of pictures of me looking ridiculous and/or drunk, amazing leopard print capri pants sewing, vintage knitting, Aerospace Boyfriend's graduation! <br />
<br />Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-89807615743648466452012-07-18T00:56:00.000+01:002012-07-18T02:51:45.941+01:00New Hair and Th'Legendary Shack Shakers!<br />
I finally got a haircut! It only took me a year and three months. I went to my friend <a href="http://www.bethanyjanedavies.com/">Bethany Davies</a>, vintage make up and hair artist extraordinaire, who runs mobile beauty services, pop-up salons and has a gorgeous little salon in her home too. Here I am ready for Th'Legendary Shack Shakers / Dirt Daubers gig on Sunday. <br />
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Here's what I wore - my tiki dress and bolero, which I made a couple of months ago after planning it for over a year. It's already a bit too big for me, bah! (But also yay for bodily shrinkage!)<br />
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I don't know what that blur is on my mirror, it's been there forever, I can't tell whether it's hairspray which I've managed to miss while cleaning (OK, so I don't clean often), or whether the silvering is starting to deteriorate, it's a pretty old mirror. Also I really need to get a backdrop or something, I'm sure you're all sick of seeing the craphole that is my bedroom. <br />
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Even though I saw them a couple of months ago in Liverpool, I just had to go to see <a href="http://www.theshackshakers.com/">Th'Legendary Shack Shakers</a> again, they never fail to put on a great show. <br />
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Supporting were the <a href="http://thedirtdaubers.net/">Dirt Daubers</a>, the rather more traditional side project from Shack Shakers singer, raconteur, lowbrow artist and all round mountain music impresario <a href="http://www.jdwilkes.com/">Col. JD Wilkes</a>, his wife Jessica and bassist Mark Robertson. I particularly liked their rendition of the old Appalachian murder ballad <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_cwpACgVPY">Down in the Willow Garden</a>, and of course I can never resist a band with a banjo and a washboard. <br />
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They also had girls' t-shirts in different sizes! I almost burst with joy, despite them not having any vinyl records. It really annoys me how on the rare occasion that bands produce ladies' t-shirts, they are almost always 'one size', and that size is TINY. The lovely Shack Shakers had three ladies' designs from s-xl, so I bought two. Admittedly they had run out of xl in one of them, obviously because it is super cool and everybody wants one, so here I am after wriggling into a slightly scandalous large. <br />
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Here I am with my darling friend Natalie outside the venue, it was all finished and we were out by 10.45pm! We are old ladies, evidently. Best dressed old ladies in the nursing home, though. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQ346iecMutC5UBrNGdte48o7_AeqfVXoqXIJ49T29y7eHwn2rvZMeJZhxnmHyi1B3yLCuUw4tmOToPCqaj6FkaHVyGX2xe2bIamNSnu7sON7h1nqjPcBijWN3Heryy-fFeOzKLivCpc/s1600/blog+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQ346iecMutC5UBrNGdte48o7_AeqfVXoqXIJ49T29y7eHwn2rvZMeJZhxnmHyi1B3yLCuUw4tmOToPCqaj6FkaHVyGX2xe2bIamNSnu7sON7h1nqjPcBijWN3Heryy-fFeOzKLivCpc/s640/blog+051.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-61861832920937738262012-07-17T00:41:00.000+01:002012-07-17T00:41:40.678+01:00Creepy Crab Lamp!My boyfriend's grandparents have recently moved, and from the clearout they have given us a few pieces. There's a wardrobe and small dressing table for when we move house in a few months, and this lamp!<br />
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It's a 1960s piece and has a load of marine detritus set in lucite - it's really hefty, it'd be the perfect weapon should I ever be the victim of home invaders. Apparently it used to terrify my boyfriend as a child. Well, despite it not being very vegan, it has now found a loving home with me! I love my creepy crabs, forever sealed in plastic as they eat their dinner of seaweed. My own grandparents had a paperweight the same, it now lives in my dad's bathroom. How I wish the little crablings could meet!<br />
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I added the shade, it's a vintage spun fibreglass one which cost me £3 for a pair from a vintage rummage sale, its partner is on the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/kalandrajane.blogspot.com/2011/09/mid-century-geisha-lamp-restoration.html">mid-century geisha lamp</a> which I restored, you can see her peeping out at the back.Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-273198542043929612012-07-11T01:21:00.000+01:002012-07-11T01:21:35.472+01:00Sewing - finished aeroplanes halter dress!Today I finished this dress. It's for Paul's graduation next week, he is being awarded his masters degree in Aerospace Engineering, so I thought I would make an appropriate outfit! <br />
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This is just a sneaky peek, there will also be a bolero, hat and shoes for you to see, which I will post pictures of after the occasion. The pattern was modified from the <a href="http://www.scissorhappy.com/catalog/item/1744458/1174446.htm">ScissorHappy Sarong Dress</a>, but frankly it's nothing like the original now - I added the circle skirt instead of a sarong skirt, the halter strap is of my own design, and I also worked out how to create petal busts, all on my own! Squee! The fabric is a soft twill, American Folk Fabrics 'Flying High' from 1995 which I scored on etsy. <br />
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Here's a glimpse of another one I did with a petal bust, my squid dress! Which is now known as the dangerous squid dress, due to its effect on certain males last weekend. I've used this pattern so much since I bought it, and taught myself how to make lots of modifications, I'm now on my fifth creation from it! Who knew boning and petal busts were so easy?Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-57823330422344975822012-07-04T02:22:00.000+01:002012-07-04T02:22:54.731+01:00Finally venturing out of the techno-closet.<br />
So, after much cajoling by other small business owners and bloggers, I have joined twitter. You can find me under <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/KalandraJane">@KalandraJane</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Moma via <a href="http://dvice.com/archives/2010/08/image-of-the-da-11.php">DVice</a></td></tr>
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I am going to attempt to keep this thing semi-professional as the purpose of it is to gain wider exposure for my business, but I expect that all sorts of things will make it onto there depending on my productivity/creativity/unbridled rage levels. I will of course still be posting here, and will tweet about new blog entries. <br />
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Come and see me!<br />
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<br />Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-8912467525859093182012-07-02T23:16:00.001+01:002012-07-02T23:16:25.963+01:00Afternoon tea! Bistro 1847, ManchesterLast week I was invited for afternoon tea by the lovely Susan of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.oldfashionedsusie.com">Old Fashioned Susie</a> and the <a href="http://www.vintagemanchester.com/">Vintage Manchester</a> blog. It was a balmy day, and it was lovely to retreat to the cool and calm atmosphere of <a href="http://www.bistro1847.co.uk/">Bistro 1847</a>, Manchester city centre's vegetarian restaurant. I love this place so had high expectations - I went for their Christmas menu, again for my birthday, and for Valentine's too!<br />
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We had the vegan option for our afternoon tea, as I am vegan and Susan avoids dairy. A vegetarian option is also available, which comes with clotted cream for the scones and different sandwich fillings. The meal was lovely! Here is Susan with the spread, we were provided with a refreshing glass of Pimms each, a large pot of tea, and an array of tempting sandwiches, cakes and scones. <br />
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The sandwiches were served on a light rustic ciabatta style bread, and consisted of pesto with tomato, avocado with olive salsa, and a scrumptious paté which I think was white bean with sundried tomato. Cakes included a sticky marmalade cake, tart rhubarb cake, some little pastries which were a bit like palmiers, and a tasty walnut confection. The scones were light and served with a raspberry preserve absolutely bursting with flavour.<br />
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Here I am about to devour the last sandwich - luckily the one where I had it halfway into my mouth, chewing away like a beast, was deleted. <br />
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I loved this afternoon tea, it made me feel very fancy indeed! Hopefully I'll be able to go again soon for a special treat. Thank you Sue! xxxKallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-77443884168621099712012-06-26T01:48:00.000+01:002012-07-04T03:25:10.013+01:00Date night outfit, and I really need a haircut!On Thursday we went out for the evening, for dinner then a film. We went to <a href="http://www.doughpizzakitchen.co.uk/">Dough</a> which I cannot recommend highly enough; their modern twist on Italian fare is fantastic, with unusual but delicious pizza toppings a speciality. They also do vegan and gluten free options, and vegan desserts! <br />
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I had a gorgeous garlic portobello mushroom with vegan Worcestershire sauce and rocket, the veg deluxe pizza, and a vegan pear and chocolate torte for dessert. Paul had the antipasti followed by goat's cheese salad with beetroot and smoked salmon.<br />
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I wore my yellow skirt again, it's basically been the basis of my wardrobe since I finished it a couple of weeks ago.<br />
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With my cardigan and bag - cardigan is Collectif, bag is Lux De Ville, both from <a href="http://www.rockersengland.co.uk/">Rockers</a>.<br />
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A quick hairstyle was needed, so I used hot rollers. I liked the bouncy curls, and my fringe came out EXCELLENT, for once! This is how ridiculously long my hair is now though, I haven't had it cut since last April. My local hairdresser went out of business last month after sixty-odd years in the same shop - the chap who cut my hair had been there since the seventies, and his teacher for years before that - I feel partially responsible, for not giving them my business often enough and instead making do with stupid long ratty hair. <br />
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This is what it looked like after about six hours, with only mild exposure to damp air. Terrible. I have booked in with the gorgeous <a href="http://www.bethanyjanedavies.com/">Bethany Davies</a> of The Vintage Beauty Parlour on Thursday for a cut, she did my hair in a Betty Grable inspired style for my boyfriend's award presentation <a href="http://kalandrajane.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/glamourous-styling-and-my-clever-chap.html">here</a>, so I have no doubt it'll be amazing! <br />
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<br />Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590056084205553681.post-25198561914345807802012-06-23T03:40:00.000+01:002012-06-23T03:44:32.519+01:00Art Deco Beauty: Stockport PlazaNot far from Manchester lies <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockport">Stockport</a>, a town with excellent charity shops, a history of hatmaking (which will be explored in a future post once I finally visit the museum), wartime air raid tunnels, and a fabulous theatre; The Plaza. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The theatre shortly after it opened in 1932</td></tr>
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The Plaza was built as a performance theatre and 'super cinema' in 1932, erected at the cusp of the arrival of talking pictures, and decorated lavishly in ostentatious art deco style. My mum lived in Stockport in the 1970s, but alas by then the Plaza was a run-down bingo hall, a decayed ruin of its former self. In 2000 a trust was set up to buy the cinema back from the leisure company who had allowed it to fall into disrepair and who had ripped out some of the beautiful original features, and after just six months' intensive restoration the Plaza was back in business and back to its full 1930s splendour. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Compton Organ</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Thankfully, even in the bingo hall days, the Compton theatre organ survived relatively unscathed, and is in full working order today. The glass panels light up in a myriad of colours all around it, and the organ has no electrical amplification - its enormous sound is produced solely by pipes and valves, disguised behind one of the filigree panels in the wall to the side of the stage.<br />
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Prior to every film shown at the Plaza there is an organ recital of classic tunes from the 1920s-50s, it's marvellous to hear them, and to watch the old ladies in the crowd singing along.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lloyd Loom furniture in the tearoom</td></tr>
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One casualty was the Plaza tearoom's furniture, which was lost. Luckily, it was all made by the fabulous <a href="http://www.lloydloom.com/projects/14-stockport-plaza">Lloyd Loom</a>, who are still going strong after nearly a century. They traced and recreated the original designs and colour scheme, so well in fact that when we visited the tearoom I thought the furniture was all original; it was perfect, down to the tiny vintage brass labels on the back of each Lloyd Loom chair. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stage panorama copyright Njo LEDs Ltd.</td></tr>
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In the early days the theatre was lit by 'Holophane' colour-changing prismatic lighs, during the restoration the beautiful rainbow colours were put back into place using modern LED technology. The colour changing light show is captivating, bathing every gilded surface and really showing off every little feature of the interior.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture copyright Stockport Plaza</td></tr>
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The exterior. The Plaza was built into a solid sandstone rock face, as were many other buildings along the same street, including the WWII Stockport tunnels air raid shelters which I visited recently and will cover in another post. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture Copyright Stockport Plaza</td></tr>
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Recently I visited the Plaza to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655442/">The Artist</a> and, rather aptly, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050985/">The Smallest Show on Earth</a>, a British comedy from 1957 starring Peter Sellers, in which a run-down 'fleapit' of a cinema is restored to its silent-era glory. It was lovely to see these films in such an appropriate vintage setting. You also get a film before every feature screening, such as a Laurel and Hardy or <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0516001/">Harold Lloyd</a> comedy short, and a vintage newsreel! For the traditionalists among you there is also the national anthem at the end of each film, along with a kitsch Technicolor reel of the Queen trooping the colour in the 1950s. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture by Steve Rogers, on our outing to see The Artist</td></tr>
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The Plaza runs films, plays, dance and variety performances all year round and you can find more information on their <a href="http://www.stockportplaza.co.uk/index.php">website</a>.You can find even more stunning photos of the Plaza <a href="http://www.360spin.co.uk/stockportplaza/index.htm">here</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4194792286/">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stage panorama copyright Njo LEDs Ltd.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />Kallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09092876456911223989noreply@blogger.com1