Vintage Decorating Tips

Always match your toilet tissue to your wallpaper.

Smashingbird is One Today!

Today marks one year since I started this blog. It has been a pretty tough couple of years in my personal life. My fella and I have been trying to buy the shop we work in and the process has taken an absolute age, but it seems that in the next couple of weeks we will finally be working for ourselves, *fingers crossed*, posting on this blog has been a welcome break and distraction to all my boring business woes. 

I started Smashingbird as a hobby to post beautiful pics, wish list items and mini reviews of the films and the music I love. I have been overwhelmed by the support and sweetness of the blogging community and appreciate all your lovely comments and visits to my blog sooo much! 

Here is a list of some my favourite posts from the past year

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

Country Girl

I've been a naughty girl!

Jools

There's always time for a bit of Bowie

Anjelica

A big ol' slice of birthday cake and hugs to you all!

Heaven Scent

I have been searching for a new perfume for ages. I don't have a good track record with scents, most smell really chemically like loo cleaner on my skin. The only perfume I usually wear is Secret Wish or Sui Love by Anna Sui, which are both quite sweet fragrances and combined with my weird skin actually smell rather pleasant. But I've been wearing both for years and felt like a change.

For christmas last year I was given a gift box from Space NK filled with smelly loveliness. The main scent was Jasamber, which as you can probably guess from the name was a mixture of jasmine and amber and ooh it was delightful. Now this isn't the first gift box from them I have received a few years ago I had one with another Space NK scent, the name escapes me at the moment but I really loved that one too. After I had run out of it I went to their website for a browse and found that they had discontinued this particular line. So I rather disappointedly went back to my fail safe Anna Sui. Now a few weeks ago I ran out of Jasamber and with credit card in hand I clicked onto www.spacenk.co.uk hoping to treat myself, and would you believe it 'Sorry, there are currently no products available in this category'. Grrr, not again surely! So I contacted customer services asking when they would be getting it back in stock and received a swift reply apologising but "we are very sorry but that line has been discontinued. But if you supply us a mailing address we will send you some samples from our current line of fragrances."  

Now, I half expected this, but I was very intrigued to try the other scents out and just a few days later I received a little package with three sample spritzers of Laughter, Tuberoli and Santalrosa. I loved Santalrosa straight away with hints of lily, rose, sandalwood and vanilla, I tried it out and the delicate sherbetty smell stayed with me all day. Good customer service paid off in this case, I bought myself a lovely big bottle and it's going to be on my birthday & christmas list this year so I can have some stockpiled! 

So please Space NK don't discontinue this one too!

FYI - this is a true endorsement I was so impressed by the customer service and quality of the perfumes I had to share it.

Musical Interlude

Did anyone see the repeats of the Prog night on BBC4 the other day? I'm not the biggest prog fan, but my fella plays piano & organ and is currently quite obsessed, so a little bit is rubbing off on me. I particularly love this 1974 video of a song by Canterbury band Caravan called The Dog The Dog he's at it Again. It's such a sweet dreamy sounding tune, with a quite cheeky very british lyrical edge. I think this is a bit of a theme with them as the album it's from is called Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night, their next offering was called Cunning Stunts. The cheeky things!

On Twitter friday night I was moaning that the beeb haven't repeated the ultimate rock documentary that is ELP on Tour, if you've ever seen this you will know what I am talking about, This is Spinal Tap was obviously very influenced by this. Keith Emerson dressed in leathers riding a motorbike through country fields then taking off in his very own plane is pure awesomeness!

The Shrimp Goes Glam

Jean Shrimpton

Vogue 1973

When these pictures were taken Jean Shrimpton had been modelling in Vogue magazine for over 10 years and she looks just beautiful, I love to see her at this time, I think I prefer it to the classic 60s Bailey images, to me she seems a lot more confident and tres sexy!

I scanned these pictures a while ago and I can't place the issue at the moment but I'm pretty sure these dresses are by Dior. I wish the first one was in colour too, the feathered piece is gorgeous and I'd love to get a better look at it...

* UPDATED * - Just found the issue, I was mistaken, the dresses are Yves Saint Laurent. Pictures by Bailey.

Snowy Stylista

My beautiful big sis has started a blog called Snowy Stylista, at the end of this year she and her husband are leaving dear ol' Blighty for a while and going to start a new life on the piste. She'll be chronicling her plans and preparations and making us all jealous with her fabulous style and new adventures. Do check it out!

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush

If you are in the UK and have access to TCM tomorrow tonight (16/3/10) tune in at 11.05pm because they are showing the cult 1967 classic Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush, starring Barry Evans, Judy Geeson and the ever fab Adrienne Posta. It's a really fun film and has just fantastic 60s fashions and a soundtrack by the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic.

This is a rare event indeed I don't know when it was last shown on TV, as this is only available on pretty poor bootleg dvd's, one of which I purchased a few years ago and watched his film for the first and only time, it never played again, hiss! Rumour has it that BFI Flipside are going to release this later this year but it is getting held up with copyright issues, so catch this while you can.

Pics from here & here

My first award!

A huge thank you to Ms Arscott for my first blog award! If you haven't checked out her blog make sure you pop by, it's just fab and she posts the loveliest pics.

To Accept this Award I have to:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Copy the award and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you.
4. Tell seven things about yourself.
5. Nominate seven bloggers, if you choose.
6. Post links to the seven blogs if you do choose to nominate others.

Here we go...

1. I don't own a pair of jeans, I think it's been about 15 years since I've worn them.
2. I have a gap in my teeth which I hate, so hardly ever smile in pics.
3. I have never seen Star Wars.
4. I didn't learn to drive until I was 26, but passed first time in less than six months.
5. I wish I had smaller boobs!
6. I want to learn to ballroom dance.
7. I'd love to be able to make my own clothes.

And the seven bloggers I pass on this award to are:

Child of the Moon

Dolly Rocker Girl

Lost Muse

Miss Peelpants

Sharon Rose

Laurakitty

Shrimpton Couture

The bird is the word

I have quite an unreasonable fear of birds, when my fella and I lived in London a few years ago I was about to go out to work and opened my front door and in there in the hallway was like a hundred pigeons (ok ok it was more like 3) but needless to say I freaked out.

Now I really had to go out and I'm rather ashamed to say after hysterically phoning my fella and unsuccessfully attempting to convince him to come home from work and rescue me, I ended up having to throw my keys two stories down in to the street to my landlord (a rather elderly gentleman) who came and shooed the little buggers away. If a pigeon is hopping along minding his own business and happens to cross my path, I am the mad girl who stops dead or if it flies by me I will flinch and squeal, it's quite ridiculous. I think it's the flappy wings ugh *shudders*.

Besides the dreaded pidge I do find birds really rather beautiful. My favourite is the peacock, the males proud display of his stunning plumage in iridescent blues and greens, and the virginal white female are just stunning. The peacock feather has been used throughout the ages in fart and fashion, most successfully in my opinion in the edwardian and art nouveau periods. I hope you enjoy this little selection of vintage peacock themed items.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Fantasy Bidding

Kerry Taylor Auctions is having another sale on March 16th. This sale has a selection of "celebrity" items donated with all proceeds going to benefit Age Concern & Help The Aged, both very deserved charities in my book, but I'm not really bothered about Kate's hand me downs, it's the rest of the sale which really interests me. This sale as always has a stunning selection from antique through to modern garments. Not too much 60's & 70's boutique era this time, although there is a ton of Bill Gibb items. The real stars are the lots from the 20's - 40's. Check out my favourite picks below and click each title to check the original listing.

30's Summer Gowns

Pretty, pretty, pretty. Want.

Zandra Rhodes Purple Crepe Dress

You can't go wrong with a bit of Zandra, this purple is so striking.

70's Pop Art Guinness Jacket

Love this jacket, fun early 70s pop art clothing.

Selection of Givenchy 60's Outfits

I always have a bit of a soft spot for 60s Givenchy, it is soo chic and wearable, the mustard dress is my fave.

30's & 40's Crepe Gowns

I just want to dive into this rack of crepe-y loveliness.

Foale & Tuffin Trouser Suit

Rare as hen's teeth, Foale & Tuffin stuff hardly ever comes up for sale, and due to the recent show and book, I bet this will fetch a good price. Love the print.

Bill Gibb Bee Brooches

How cute are these, estimated at £60-80, and at a fraction of the price of a bit of Gibb clothing.

Dandie Fashions 60's Jacket

Well I love a bit of vintage menswear, and good labelled items are very hard to come by, this mid 60s Dandie Fashions jacket is such a perfect example of Swinging London and super, super rare.

Selection of 30's Daywear

The gingham dress really shows where Ossie got his inspiration from, and it is so wearable today.

Ossie Clark Cuddly Dress

Love the colour of this, and of course the stunningly sexy cut. A classic.