Lovebirds Vintage: April 2013

Dress - prize from Lady K Loves

Bag and jacket - borrowed from mum | Beret - self-made

Shoes - Deichmann | Gloves - vintage, gift from my grandparents

On Saturday we popped over to Rufford Abbey for the multi-historical re-enactment event. After these photos were taken, the weather took a turn for the worse and it hailed pretty much the whole of the rest of the day. A lot of the re-enactors had closed up their tents and put their things away, and those with big enough tents were allowing others to shelter inside. I was absolutely freezing, though a lovely gent allowed me to share his wool cloak for a while. I didn't ask which time period he was representing, but a lot of the earlier ones seem to wear lovely wool or fur cloaks, which seems sensible in this weather!

Someone I know was considering taking a 1929 Box Brownie to take photos with, so for that reason and since it was multi-historical I decided to put together a 1930s outfit. The hair and beret were inspired by Nabby from This Old Life although in hindsight I think I was wearing the beret a little tooooo sideways.

The beret itself is knitted by me from the 'Versatile Beret' pattern, which I'm pretty sure I found here, via Andi B. Goode. I really enjoyed knitting it - I will definitely knit another (maybe several, I just love berets) and I might even knit a few to gift/sell.

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20s 1920s flapper style via lovebirds vintage

Fringed top - gift from my mum | Skirt - Matalan

Cardigan - don't remember! | Bag - borrowed from mum | Shoes - Deichmann

This was the outfit I wore to work today. I went for a sort of 20s vibe to go with my new shoes; I love them so much!

Due to having a lot of expenses coming up soon (e.g. course fees for my Masters course and a car to travel to my new university!), I don't have any money at the moment for new clothes except for things that I really need. I'm finding it a challenge, but fun, to come up with new ways to wear the same clothes in different outfits, and also new ways to wear old clothes that I had stopped wearing. This skirt, for example, is years old and was almost consigned to a charity shop - I'm so glad I rediscovered it. It also works pretty well as a petticoat under some of my swing dresses, so I'm hoping to get a lot more wear out of it this summer.

Also hallelujah, praise the Lord, I finally worked out how to make my photos a decent size instead of those silly little ones I've been using. I'm tempted to go through all my other blog posts and edit them now!

Does anyone else have any good tips for wearing certain clothes in different ways or making your clothing budget stretch etc? I would love to know!

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This week I visited the Royal Armouries in Leeds with my class at university. I seem to have been visiting a lot of museums and attractions etc recently, but it's something I really enjoy doing. There are a lot of things in Leeds that are well worth visiting (and really good value for money); I've been to the Armoury several times now, and I think it's definitely worth visiting more than once. The museum includes arms, armour, weaponry etc throughout history and from several different cultures. As usual, I took about a million photos; I'm really snap happy recently!

royal armouries leeds knight on horseback via lovebirds vintage

royal armouries leeds via lovebirds vintage

royal armouries leeds battle via lovebirds vintage

royal armouries leeds first world war wwi via lovebirds vintage

royal armouries leeds india hunting elephant tiger colonies via lovebirds vintage

Here is some information adapted from the information board in the above photo:

'...Blake's elephant, charging boldly up to the crouching tiger, he hurriedly fired a right and a left, which wounded the infuriated beast but did not disable him; for the monster bounded on a low bank; and then with a terrific guttural growling noise, he sprang clean to the elephant's forehead, and, with claws and fangs fastening on his head and ears, dragged him to his knees.

[...] My elephant pluckily rushed up, as I brushed past I planted a right-and-left just behind the top of the shoulder-blade; and Blake, who never for a moment lost his presence of mind leaned over the front of the howdah, and almost simultaneously lodged the contents of his second gun in the nape of his neck. The brute relaxed his grip and fell to the ground.'

This scene shows a wounded tiger turning and attacking his persuers. The incident is described in a book by Henry Astbury Leveson, one of the most famous English big game hunters of Victorian times. The events described here probably took place during his army service (in the Indian Army).

royal armouries leeds wood carvings second world war wwii via lovebirds vintage

royal armouries leeds guns pistols james bond 007 weapons via lovebirds vintage

royal armouries leeds gun pistol via lovebirds vintage

I did take a lot more photos than these, but unfortunately a lot of the things were displayed in glass cases, and on several of the photos there was a lot of glare from the glass. In addition to what is shown above, there are displays with many more weapons (which would have made great photos had there not been the glass in the way!). There are some more photos on the website, if you would like to see some more, but just as a heads up, I was having difficulty getting the website to work properly (not sure if it's just me...)

Lastly, I have added Tumblr to the list of social networking sites I am currently using. I will be using Tumblr to share photos that I enjoy but which won't be included on this blog (vintage, inspiration, outtakes of my own photos etc). You can find me on Tumblr at www.lovebirdsvintage.tumblr.com and I am also on Facebook, facebook.com/HelenMaeGreen.

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This is part 2 of my photos from Leeds Tropical House. Part 1 is here.

leeds tropical house via lovebirds vintage

This chameleon was one of my favourite things to see.

I went absolutely gaga over the meerkats; they were just adorable.

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Today I visited Leeds Tropical House with my family. It's not too far from where my brother lives, so we were able to visit at the same time as dropping him off for his new term at university. I've been to the tropical house before, but not since I was a lot younger. It's super cheap to get in, so it makes a really great outing; I'll definitely be visiting again if I get the chance.

They have exotic butterflies, birds, reptiles, a nocturnal section with bats and other nocturnal rainforest animals, and even meerkats. Upon arrival my camera immediately steamed up (see above) and required a good wipe over before it would take photos properly.

Thermometer says 40 degrees...

Rows and rows of butterfly chrysalises waiting to hatch

Excuse my reflection in the glass but look at the size of this monster...!

There will be a slightly shorter second part to this, since I just couldn't choose which photos to share. There is so much more to see that I didn't capture in the photos (some animals were too quick to photograph, there was no photography allowed in the nocturnal section etc), but hopefully these photos give you a sense of how interesting it is to visit. I would highly recommend it if you're in the area. It's also suitable (and, I think, free) for children.

See you soon for part 2!

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On Friday I went to see Miss 600 perform in a local theatre. They're a pop-jazz duo (with a full backing band) who's music you may have heard recently on Crufts or on the BBC trailer for "Not Going Out".

miss 600 electroswing via lovebirds vintage

Dress - Hell Bunny | Shoes - Deichmann

Velvet cardigan - Primark | Stockings - What Katie Did

I got all dressed up in my lovely Hell Bunny wiggle dress (last seen at Christmas) and had a great time.

Doesn't the theatre have a beautiful ceiling?

There were also two support acts which we enjoyed very much (Kezia Gill and Ilona).

We were sitting on the balcony, which allowed for a pretty good view for us, but unfortunately made for fairly awful photos of the band! Here are some of the better ones I managed to take:

As you can see, everyone got up and danced towards the end - it was a shame that there wasn't more space to dance properly, but everyone seemed to enjoy it anyway. The pictures don't do any justice to the singer's gorgeous dress - it was an off-white bias cut floor-length silk gown with a little train and a draped neck at the back. I would love a dress like that, not to mention it was a perfect choice to show off her figure.

I would definitely go and see them again if I got the chance. I like all of their songs (and they do some really good covers as well), but here are some of my favourites:

Miss 600 - "Hello"

Miss 600 - "Twist"

Miss 600 - "Fever"

You can find lots of their other songs on Youtube, and they also have a website, Twitter and Facebook.

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This week I was nominated for a Liebster blog award by Emileigh of Flashback Summer. Thank you, Emileigh! I know not everyone enjoys these, but since the questions for this one are different to questions I've answered before, and also I'm a fan of spreading the love, I'm going to answer the questions and pass the award along.

The rules that came attached to this one are slightly different to the rules I've seen before:

1. Post 11 things about yourself
2. Answer the 11 questions created by the person who nominated you
3. Create 11 questions of your own to ask the bloggers you decide to nominate
4. Choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate and link to them on their blog post
5. The nominated bloggers must be notified of their award!

6. No tag backs!

So firstly for the 11 things about myself:

1. I have one brother who is two years younger than me.
2. I am a hoarder of stuff. I find it really hard to throw things away if I think they still have life in them, even if I don't need them any more. I have to try and be really strict with myself so I don't end up buried in junk.
3. I think I feel the most comfortable in myself now than I have ever felt.
4. I have never been on a plane.
5. I can never leave my iPod on shuffle at parties; I like all kinds of music so you're likely to get something that kills the mood entirely - or worse still, an audiobook or a recording of one of my university lectures.
6. I am a reader. I have books stacked everywhere at the moment as I've run out of space in the book case.
7. As you may have guessed from all my moaning about the cold weather recently, my favourite time of year is summer.
8. I used to work in a hotel. I would never work in a hotel again.
9. I am addicted to Solitaire. I have it on my phone, iPod and iPad, and I will play it in any available free moment.
10. My favourite holiday ever was to Scotland.
11. My biggest addiction at the moment it Midget Gems. I go mad for them!

(source)

And the 11 questions asked by Emileigh:

1. Most beautiful thing you've ever seen?

- Ok, I have literally been thinking about this for about 2 days and I have no idea how to go about answering this question! (we're off to a good start then...) I have seen lots of beautiful things in my life, but I don't think I could choose just one. I love flowers and sunsets and beautiful dresses.. life is beautiful!

2. If you could add one item to your wardrobe (money is no object!) what would it be and why?

- Right now, a fur coat. Instant glamour and nice and warm for this awful cold weather we're having.

3. Top three places you'd love to visit?

- The last time I answered a similar question, I said that I'm not a big traveller but that I was considering doing a Masters degree in America. Since then, I've found one in the UK that I'm pretty sure I want to do, so I probably won't be going to America after all.

4. Favorite kind of cookie?

- Oatmeal.

5. Favorite song?

- It changes all the time, I'm far too indecisive to have one all-time favourite. Favourite of the week is Pompeii by Bastille.

6. If you could play any instrument masterfully, what would it be and why?

- I would love to be able to play the clarinet again, if my wrist problem ever gets better. I have always wanted to be able to play the piano really well, though.

7. Sweet or unsweet tea?

- Unsweet!

8. Favorite holiday to celebrate?

- There isn't one I can think of that stands out over all the others. I was at home for this last Christmas, but before that for a couple of years I worked most of the days throughout the Christmas holiday.

9. Favorite tattoo idea?

- I don't currently want any tattoos myself, but I often really like them on other people. I love really colourful sleeve tattoos.

10. Strangest/most random thing you like?

- Probably insects. A lot of people can't really understand what would appeal to me about them but I just find them fascinating!

11. What would your dream kitchen look like?

- Probably a little farmhouse-style kitchen.

Now the 11 questions for my nominees to answer:

1. What's your favourite food?
2. Who is your biggest inspiration in life?
3. What is your favourite alternative fashion style other than vintage?
4. Tea or coffee?
5. Sweet or savoury?
6. Spend or save?
7. What's your favourite book?
8. Favourite celebrity, past or present?
9. How did you get into blogging?
10. Do you think you will continue blogging in the future?
11. Can you recommend a blog for me to read and/or a vintage store for me to check out?

And finally the 11 people who I'd like to nominate. For the most part I have no idea whether these people have less than 200 followers or not, but I've just tried to choose 11 people that I have not nominated in the past.

Demi Lauren
Haute Rockabilly Fashionista
Vintage Lovin' Gal
Evie's Tearoom
My Last Dollar Dress
Victory Rolls and Roses
Stories Read Aloud
Veronica Vintage
The Forties Floozy
stories read aloud
Cheeky Vintage Chick
Comrade Von Pussycat

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