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Recently I have been knitting a couple of things in my spare time which I hope to be able to finish and add to my wardrobe in the not-too-distant future. I have made a start on a cardigan for Knit For Victory (at the time of writing I haven't got around to adding any photos to the Flikr group but at least I've done some actual knitting).

Knit for Victory: a 1940s-inspired knit-along

I'm using a pattern belonging to my mum which I believe is from the 1980s but which has a classic feel which I think will work well for a 1940s look. So far I've only done some of the back of the cardigan. I'm a slow knitter and I really don't have much time for knitting at the moment what with all my university coursework, but I'm plodding ahead.



 I've been following the instructions for a 34" bust,which should be the right size for me, but it looks like it's going to come out too big. If it is too big though, I'll probably just knit another one in a different colour and a smaller size. I'm very short of knitwear at the moment so it'll be useful either way. I have already knitted a beret in the same colour wool which will make a lovely matching set once I've finished the cardigan.

 I have also been working on knitting the 3 Hour Sweater, which has taken me far longer than 3 hours. It is a relatively simple pattern but I have found it very difficult knitting on such large needles. I've finished everything except the sleeves, which have been put on hold for now until I've finished my Knit for Victory cardigan.


The colour looks quite a bright blue in the photo but is paler in person. It's very lightweight but it still feels like a winter knit to me. I also have a beret knitted up in the same colour to this, so I will have two nice matching sets by the time I have finished!

I actually think that I've chosen the wrong yarn for this pattern, which has resulted in it being much lighter weight and harder to knit than it probably should have been, but I live and learn. When I finally get it finished I might give it another go in the proper wool, which hopefully will result it in taking the 3 hours to knit that it's supposed to take. You can find the pattern here. The pattern I have used for both the berets is the Versatile Beret pattern which can be found here. I have worn the blue beret a couple of times in photos which have a appeared on the blog, most recently here.

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Recently Joanna of Dividing Vintage Moments invited her readers to write about ten items that inspire their vintage journey, as part of a lovely giveaway which you can enter up until December 4th.

I have written a couple of times before about things which inspire me and give me new ideas in all things vintage since unlike a lot of other vintage wearers, I haven't been dressing in vintage clothing for many years. With that in mind, here are ten of the things which inspire my own vintage journey:

[x]

Life Magazine
I love seeing pictures from old copies of Life magazine - the beautiful photographs of celebrities and models really capture the glamour and stunning fashion of the time. If I feel in need of hair or fashion inspiration from celebrities of yesteryear, Life Magazine always has something to offer.

[From this post]


The Vintage Scene
Although I enjoy looking to celebrities for fashion inspiration, I also like to see how vintage fashion is being worn by those in the here and now. I've found that the vintage scene is a great source of inspiration, whether it's fellow bloggers, people on Youtube, or those out and about at events etc. 

1950s green and pink plaid dress from OldThimble on Etsy

Plaid
Plaid has featured highly on my blog in the past, most recently for the plaid link-up I hosted with Jamie. I really enjoy the pattern and I have begun to amass quite a collection of garments featuring this lovely design.


1940s wide brim straw hat from PoppycockVintage on Etsy

Hats
I really love a good hat. I'm starting to build up a bit of a collection of vintage hats as well as the large amount of modern ones I already own, many of which I haven't yet photographed. I like the versatility of a good hat - it finishes off an outfit, hides a bad hair day, keeps you warm or keeps the sun off... 
There is everything to love about hats.

 70s dark blue suede t-bar shoes from Mammaschest on Etsy 

T-Bar Shoes
T-bar shoes are so utterly elegant and feminine. I currently only own one pair of modern t-bars but I'd love to  buy a few more pairs. For me these inspire many outfits from different decades from the 1920s to the 1980s and they're still stylish today. 

[via]

Dresses
Obviously vintage outfits can be constructed from separates and include trousers or a skirt, but I usually feel the most 'vintage' when I'm wearing a dress. 

[x]

Summer
It sounds silly but I am always more inspired to dress in vintage in summer than in winter. I find it much easier to put outfits together when I don't have to worry about layering and trying to keep warm. Unfortunately my winter vintage wardrobe is woefully lacking despite my efforts to try and expand it, so for the moment I will continue to feel more excited about vintage during the summer.

[From this post]

Seamed stockings
I wear seamed stockings a lot, and even if I don't get a photo of them as part of my outfit posts they're almost always there. They are another one of those things that really help to finish off an outfit and make it feel more vintage. 

[From this post, photo by Jeff] 

Red Lipstick
I actually wear red lipstick comparatively little but it does make me feel confident and pretty. If I'm having an off-day, red lipstick can be the first step towards feeling better. Sometimes if I'm having a red lipstick day, I'm more inclined to put more effort into my outfit to match.

[Art by Jackie Boyd]

Compliments
I'm sure most everyone enjoys being complimented from time to time but I think there's something special about being complimented on your vintage outfit. Sometimes wearing vintage can be hard as it's unusual and attracts a lot of attention which can sometimes be negative, but having an older person tell you that they had a dress just like that in the 1950s or that you look just like their mother used to look - to me that's especially lovely and makes me want to put even more effort into dressing vintage. I'm fortunate enough never to have received any especially negative comments when wearing vintage, but I'm often surprised by the amount of people who take the time to pass on positive comments. It makes it all the more worthwhile. 


So there you have 10 of my vintage inspirations. It's a hard choice and I'm sure if you asked me again this time next year then my answers would have changed. You can see Joanna's choices here.

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Don't forget you can also join me on Facebook, Bloglovin' and Tumblr.  


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Cardigan -  Tesco | T-shirt - Primark | Skirt - Matalan
Tights - Primark | Shoes - Tesco 

On Thursday the week before last I had to go to a postgraduate skills workshop at university. This sort of outfit is fairly typical of what I wear when I have to go to something where something more vintage wouldn't necessarily be appropriate, but where I still want to remain looking somewhat 'retro' and feel comfortable with what I'm wearing. 

I've started to wear my wooly tights again since the weather is getting cold. The ones I'm wearing here are an oatmeal colour but mostly come out looking white on photos. They're very useful for the Autumn/Winter though. 

Sadly my tripod died a long overdue and fairly final death when I was taking these photos; it used to be my dad's and is around 25 years old so I reckon it's done pretty well. I will see if I can manage with it until Christmas (it still stands upright at least although it's permanently wonky and the threads have gone in enough screws that both of the handles have now fallen off it). I'm hoping to buy a DSLR in the Christmas sales so I will probably pick up a new tripod at the same time. Not long to wait now :)



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Thank you to everyone who participated in the plaid fashion link-up I co-hosted this week with Jamie of Chatterblossom! I was so pleased to see people joining in and showing off their lovely checks, tartans and ginghams.

As promised, here are a few of my favourite outfits that were shared during the linkup:


Dividing Vintage Moments: A Tartan Adventure

I really love the accessories with this outfit, and it seems so cosy for Autumn or Winter days. 


Boyer Family Singers: What I Made // Chambray Perfection

The simple sweetness and elegant lines of this dress are just my style. And it's handmade - I wish I had that kind of skill.


Patti Cake: Fringing Out

Love the boots, love the plaid with the boots. Love. Super cute.


Lladybird: Completed: The Zinnia Skirt

This is another handmade piece, so I'm feeling more sewing envy. I really like the length of the skirt and the skater style. 



It was a super hard choice but I had to limit myself! I also tried to pick different entries to the ones that Jamie chose, so you can go and check out her favourites here.

I enjoyed hosting the link-up so much that I might even make it a more regular thing - what do you think?

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If you enjoy Lovebirds Vintage and would like to join me elsewhere, don't forget you can also follow me on Facebook, Tumblr and Bloglovin'.
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[via]

Although there isn't much by way of vintage shopping where I live, there are two vintage shops in town that I am aware of and that I visit when I can. One of these shops is the lovely Sheena Holland Vintage which opened up about two years ago. The shop sells a lot of vintage and antique jewellery as well as handmade hats and fascinators, shoes, homewares and clothing. 

I popped in a few weeks ago with my brother and a friend and got chatting with the owner who was kind enough to allow me to come back and take some photos of the shop.









I picked up a couple of pretty things while I was there which will be appearing in future outfit posts, I'm sure. 

Thank you to Sheena for letting me take photos of her beautiful shop. You can find her on Facebook here and you can browse/shop online on her website.

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The plaid link-up is still up and running - have you shared your outfits yet? I'll be picking some favourites to showcase on Thursday so join in while you can!

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[via]

If you've visited my blog before, you may have noticed that I really enjoy clothes with a nice plaid pattern, or 'check', as I generally call it. Tartan and gingham are good in my book too - there's something so sweet and timeless about the pattern that really draws me in.


Recently I noticed that Jamie from Chatterblossom and I seem to share a love for this particular pattern. Anyone would think we were trying to outdo each other as to who can own the most...
I suggested that we run some kind of event to share our favourite pattern with everyone, so we put our heads together and decided to do a fashion link-up so we can see what lovely plaid items everyone else owns as well.


Doesn't Jamie look just gorgeous? I'm so jealous of this dress!

We'd love it if you would like to join in our link-up, all you have to do is take a look at the following rules:

  1. Any outfits featuring plaid are allowed, vintage or not
  2. You must be following both Lovebirds Vintage and Chatterblossom
  3. If you are not a blogger but would still like to participate, send your photo to helenmaegreen [at] gmail [dot] com and I will add it for you
  4. The link-up will be open for a week to give everyone time to join in
Last but not least, Jamie and I will each be selecting our favourite outfits to showcase in a special post in the week following the link-up. 

If you would like to check out my other posts featuring plaid, you can do so here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 




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For my Hallowe'en costume this year I decided on a character from one of my favourite television programmes, can you guess who?

Although we don't really celebrate Hallowe'en here in the same way that it's celebrated in America, it has gained a certain level of popularity and I have been to parties and events in costume for the last few years running. I'm not very bothered about Hallowe'en myself but I do really enjoy making costumes for things, so any excuse to dress up is one I'm going to take.

Keeping my hair long enough to plait for this outfit has been killing me. I like the look of it long but it's a nightmare to style; my hair becomes very unmanageable when it gets any length to it. It's still not the ideal length for the costume and obviously it isn't black but I didn't want to get a wig. Maybe another year.


Dress - Pop Boutique | Tights - Primark | Shoes - Deichmann
Photo by Stacey



On Thursday this week I am co-hosting a plaid-themed fashion link-up, so get your best plaid outfits ready and come and join in!
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