I 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.

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.

I am now resident in Liverpool... here it is:



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.

I have a garden!

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).

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.

We put up lots of shelves for all our gubbins...

I dyed my hair blue...

I started making 1950s inspired bags, available on my shiny new website alongside all my fancy millinery at www.kalandrajane.com...

We adopted a super cute lazy leopard gecko...

...and I went on loads of adventures in my little orange tent, trading at festivals and weekenders.

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.

New Hair! Adventures in pastels...

I've wanted pastel hair for ages. Lauren over at Bobby Pin Blog 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.

1935 Image via The Vintage Baroness

Here are a few of my hair inspirations ;)

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 Touch of Silver 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.

I decided to go for a mint green shade, primarily because nobody does it and because it's the best colour ever!

This was the first attempt...

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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!

I 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.

This was my first effort, I mixed Directions Bright Daffodil with half a tub of Manic Panic Electric Banana which I had lying around.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Date night outfit, and I really need a haircut!

On Thursday we went out for the evening, for dinner then a film. We went to Dough 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!

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.



I wore my yellow skirt again, it's basically been the basis of my wardrobe since I finished it a couple of weeks ago.


With my cardigan and bag - cardigan is Collectif, bag is Lux De Ville, both from Rockers.



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.



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 Bethany Davies 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 here, so I have no doubt it'll be amazing!

In which I have a fangirl moment over NOFX, and show you my amazing skirt.

I just realised I haven't blogged in nearly a month! I'm sorry, my dears, it's not that I've had nothing to report, I've just not had much motivation, I must have needed a little break but am back now!

Last week we went to see NoFX at the Ritz in Manchester, they were amazing! They have been my favourite band since I was about twelve, I've seen them twice before but they've gotten into the habit of doing crappy metal festival gigs like Download rather than proper tours, so I jumped at the chance to see them in a smaller venue (the Ritz only holds a few hundred at most). This is where I was standing. Support was from Snuff who are still going strong, Paul was more excited to see them than NoFX, being a child of the early nineties punk scene rather than a whippersnapper like myself.

Curse you, Showsec!

Last time I saw NoFX, in 2006 (or maybe it was 2007) they weren't that good, possibly due to their excessive intake of tequila-soaked carrot sticks and cocaine, but this time they were spot on. I got a place right down the front - see those blue, red and white blobs in the bottom left in front of the speaker? That's our friend Paul, my Paul, and my fantastical voluminous beehive hair. The hair that prompted Fat Mike to take a break from playing and singing to compliment me on it and gaze at it in wonder, and which contained such copious levels of backcombed, hairsprayed fuzz that it protected my head like a crash helmet when I got booted by a crowdsurfer.

Here is my plectrum from El Hefe, he was highly amused by my fringe and eyebrows.

Here's my outfit! Teal Me First and the Gimme Gimmes glittery cocktail print shirt which I bought when they toured about four years ago, this is Mike's other band, punk rock cheesy covers supergroup! This has been in my sewing pile ever since, I have only very recently gotten over my deep fear of wearing colours other than black and red on my top half. This was a man's shirt, I took it completely apart and remade it girl-shaped. (Side note: I've just noticed their UK dates for this year are the sodding Reading and Leeds festivals. Honestly, I will be so annoyed if they don't tour outside those dates, Reading and Leeds are total crud, extortionately priced festivals for gap-year students and stupid girls in Wellington boots and floaty hippie dresses, where you are likely to have your tent set on fire by public schoolboy hipsters off their faces on chemical toilet fumes or get hit in the face by a flying bottle of piss.)

Drunken blur action.

 
Yellow tartan skirt with braces! This is actually version two, I made one in September and loved it, but I made it a bit too tight and the loose weave fabric just pulled away at the seams. This is hopefully a more robust version that can accommodate the strain of encasing my gigantic rear. This is probably my favourite thing I have ever made, I have worn it every day since, it needs to go to the dry cleaner - there's only so many times you can air something out before it becomes a bit wrong to continue wearing it.

Sweaty! With Kel :)

New fruit hair tie from Clare at Dolly Cool, it's got an AVOCADO on it! My vegan joy knew no bounds when I saw its avocado goodness, and Clare was lovely enough to let me have it after we did a stall together at Big D's Ink, Iron and Hot Rod Show. This was from vintage fabric that she also made into a fabulous circle skirt!

Glamourous styling and my clever chap!

A couple of weeks ago we had to go to a fancy event at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, where Aerospace Boyfriend was receiving a prestigious award from the North West Aerospace Alliance. He won the Sir Frank Whittle award, named after the inventor of the jet engine, which is given for the best aerospace engineering project from any North West university. I am very proud of him!


Here he is with some chaps from Project Torpedalo who are going to drive a high-tech pedalo across the Atlantic for charity! Apparently they'll be naked for most of it too due to something called 'salt chafing'... they are braver than I.


...and again looking rather nervous with some executives from Rolls-Royce jet engines, receiving his big cardboard cheque and shiny trophy made from a jet turbine fan blade. I'm not used to seeing him with normal hair and wearing a suit! There was also a very nice three-course meal (they cooked me a special vegan option) and plenty of free-flowing pink champagne! Apparently there exist pictures of us together on his dad's camera (the ones above are stolen from official websites), but they haven't come out very well.


Here is what I wore... my Hawaiian dress, I have probably worn this more than anything else I have made, it's my favourite too. Sorry for the rubbish picture, the lighting in my house is pathetic. The design is modified from Butterick 6582, I lowered the neckline and added the draped and lined front overskirt. I've made several versions of this dress and find it easy to fit and modify. Black lurex knit bolero from Tesco, my Nanna's rhinestone jewellery, and my trusty 1950s green velvet rhinestone stilettos.


My hair and makeup for the evening was done by the fabulous Bethany Jane Davies of The Vintage Beauty Parlour. Her work is fantastic! I asked for a Betty Grable/Lucille Ball inspired updo with classically glamourous neutral 50s makeup and I was thrilled with the results.


I went to her cute little home studio for my styling session (where you will fall in love with Dita, her darling black pug), she also runs a mobile beauty service for bridal or special occasion styling, and a pop-up salon at various vintage events.


Look at my eyebrows! I loved them. I won't be changing from my coloured ones any time soon, but it would be nice to make them up like this for formal occasions or just for a change with a nice outfit.

Rebellion Punk Festival 2011 - (drunken) Pictures!

Last weekend we headed off to sunny Blackpool for our annual holiday to Rebellion Punk Festival (formerly Wasted... and before that it was Holidays in the Sun, I've been going for ten years but this was Paul's 3rd). First, let's get the shopping out of the way!

On the condition that I didn't get anything else all weekend, Paul bought me this Lux De Ville 'Sin City Motor Tote' handbag from my friend Kathy, whose shop Rockers had a stall at the festival. I may just love this thing more than life itself.


Plus it has a leopard satin lining, and room inside for all my gubbins.


We also got a record each, mine is an album of NOFX rarities and Paul's (his first vinyl, aww!) is a Tenpole Tudor album. Pure 80s punk cheese... the singer, Ed Tudor Pole, is a descendant of Henry VIII and used to present The Crystal Maze on TV, he took over from Richard O' Brien of Rocky Horror fame. Best game show ever? Quite possibly... plus they both had fabulous taste in frock coats.


We also found out a local artist has done a painting of us! Her name is Corrine Streetly, this picture of us at the 2009 festival is for sale for £1000... good lord.


A couple of band pics... punk rock Überlord Jello Biafra!!! He was amazing, and his band The Guantanamo School of Medicine were great.


Stza Crack, of Choking Victim and Leftöver Crack... bands I love from my past, definitely not vintage or one for those of you with delicate little ears.


Things got more drunken as the weekend progressed... Paul, Fiona, my Paul.


Me with the paintings of us! I also got the Mad Sin t-shirt, they played on the Friday night and my friend Sally is the bassist's girlfriend and runs the merch stand. This is the first year I've ever been able to squeeze into a girly fit t-shirt... go weight loss!


Here I am posing in our hotel room so you can see my hair (day 3, brushed out my curly set and backcombed it) and makeup.


Here I am with Gemma, she is one of my best friends but we only see each other every few months since she moved away. I miss her.


The Pauls enjoy a lunch break...


Ridiculous posing... our friends Ciana and Steve, Lee and Alessia, myself, and the Pauls.


This is what four days of late nights, cider (that's the fizzy kind with alcohol, America) and a diet of fried potato products will do to you.