Two Treasures.

On my recent mini-vacation to Kangaroo Valley, Laura, Maria and myself stumbled across the most fabulous vintage store. It is known as Dirty Janes and is in the main drag of Bowral.

To look through the front window one might assume that is is predominately furniture, which the front section of the shop mainly is- exquisite lounges and high-backed arm chairs in plush velvets and seersucker prints. There is also another section which is in an adjoining warehouse which includes a treasure trove of jewelry, china, home-wares, clothing, accessories as well as more bedroom style furniture.

As soon as I walked into the store I spotted a dozen things I felt I needed desperately, unluckily (or luckily), the vehicle we had with us was not a moving van so I selected a stunning lemon-yellow Escada cardigan with beautiful buttons and patted myself on the back for having some restraint.

My restraint only was short lived as I continued to mull over a small genuine snakeskin purse and a 60s pink silk-brocade jacket with matching belt. I rang the store two days later and begged them to post the items for me. They arrived a few days ago and I paraded around the house with them on as I have been unwell and have had no opportunity to really leave the house this week.

Thank you to everyone at Dirty Janes, you made a shopaholic extremely happy! They have truly gone to a good home.

Mini Vac-ay

A couple of weeks ago I went on a mini-break with my lady friends, Laura and Maria. Laura’s mum kindly donated her beautiful little house in Kangaroo Valley to us for the weekend so we played board games and lounged like lizards in the sun.

We swam in the waterhole, made delicious vegetarian foods and did a little vintage shopping. Laura also introduced us to the quaint little function hall that was just a short drive down the street from the house.

It was a truly girlie weekend as we looked through the windows of the hall and planned the details of Laura’s dream wedding which, of course, would not include the presence of succulents and would be a maximum of 90 guests. Suffice it to say we know what is happening on the day we simply need to find a George Clooney, creative type who can intelligently comment on theatre and is turned-on by strong women.

I can’t express how much I appreciated the chance to get out and be still for a few days. I have made it known that I am happy to house sit at any time.

Making a Statement

Amazement

 

// Phillip Lim // Proenza Schouler // Helmut Lang //

pictures from style.com

Private Ritual by Anna Morosini

Shiney New Things

I almost feel guilty about how deliciously lovely these two little things have made me feel this week. The first is a bright blue glitter manicure and pedicure with diamonte jewels. Now, for many sparkles don’t seem appropriate for everyday wear let alone diamontes, and to those people I say “I’m sorry I can’t hear you through all the glitter!!! WOOYAYYY!!!”

Everytime I look down upon them I am reminded of how much I am a drag queen in a woman’s body! ❤

The other is a splendid little package I received yesterday from etsy seller Noble Vintage Town

Obsessing over Red Shoes

The Red Shoes was the most magnificent performance I have seen from any Sydney Festival event so far. Granted my Sydney Festival experiences have only really come to blossom within the last 3 years or so I was pleasantly surprised when I went upon the recommendation of a friend from work. She had insisted that it was a must see for theatre makers so I invited along Amelia and Jess.

After a lovely feast of Lebanese food from the Habibi place in Newtown we slithered down the road in the digusting heat, to Seymour center. The fact that it was Australia Day meant that the performance was quiet and we where shuffled into A reserve after paying for cheap seats!

The performance itself is built on an ensemble format and based on the Hans Christian Anderson fable, The Red Shoes. The tale outlines the story of a young girl who is taken in by a conservative, blind old woman who lavishes her with a new ensemble but insists that she has black shoes. The Shoe Maker, however, has other ideas and creates her a pair of enviable Red Shoes that cause the beautiful young girl to fall into an entranced obsession…

More than anything I think I was impressed with Emma Rice’s Direction. It seemed that every element came together flawlessly from the acting to the set design. There were familiar elements that seemed to resemble drama school exercises; including the way ensemble characters where ustelized for various roles through costuming, props and staging.

The sound was layered with some pre-recorded that was layered at various times by the presence of two musicians dressed in the same derelict wife-beater and Y-fronts ensemble that befit the ensemble. They performed with brass instruments that encouraged the dark circuis stylization and put greater tension on the fact that the narrative was straddling a children’s fable and a very dark tale indeed.

Personally I enjoy any piece of performance that leaves me with a sense of wonderment and the fact that the Red Shoes achieved this through a very tortured and haunting narrative simply worked to impress me further.

If you get the chance do go along! Its only on until the 30th!

http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2011/Theatre/The-Red-Shoes/

Stunning.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/14803194?byline=0

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

How would I begin to make this….

Grace Through Transition

For the last three weeks I have been in the throws of my wonderful new job. I cannot begin to explain exactly how joyus this change has been for me. I have been working at my local cinemas for almost two years now and am oddly grateful for the myriad of testing experiences I have had during this time as it has taught me invaluable lessons both personally and professionally.

Although I will miss some wonderful people and the perks of free movies I am fully embracing the change. I am feeling full of corny metaphors and brimming with almost nearly irritating optimism as, in the first few weeks I have already made some beautiful like-minded friends and am starting to feel confident that i can do the work set out without feeling the need to ask seemingly obvious questions every 2 minutes.

Leading up to this transition I had a reading and a series of comments from some incredibly insightful people who seemed to be more aware of how this change would effect me than I was. Initially I had planned to change jobs, move out and finish uni all within the space of two months or so but I have now come to acknowledge that it all would have been far too much in one fell swoop.

I am aware of how much expectation I placed on myself to have all of this sorted, stamped on comfortable and it’s made me think about the expectation we often place on ourselves to achieve things quickly and to a high standard. I am learning that you should generally choose one when working to enact change- patient and precise or fast and fun.

In the case of work I am opting for patient and precise. I am learning specific strategies that will create a solid base of knowledge that will help me to feel more confident in the future. If I went the fast and fun route with work I would be allowing far too much to wash over my head, leaving me to flap like flounder, if a problem where to arise. That path would be doing myself a injustice as I would only appear incompetent and criticize myself harshly for it.

Suffice it to say I am making sure that I am aiming to remain graceful through this change that is effecting me emotionally, spiritually, financially, and physically (and that is only so far…). I am wearing my labradorite (a great stone to keep with you in time of change), drinking lots of water to make sure I am cleansing my body and my environment, and staying aware of restraining the voice of my harsh inner critique.

In all I am grateful, excited and feeling hopeful about what amazing experiences await my future.