Farewell Old Friend

I have been pretty quiet over the past week. This is because life has done that rubbish thing where it throws you a curve ball every once in a while. I have had that worse thing in life happen, death. Fortunately I haven't had much of this happen so far in my life, having only ever been to two funerals. But on Wednesday morning something happened that truly threw my world upside down. 

My cat Tinker, who I have had since I was three years old died. I know many people will probably think 'Oh it's just a cat...' But I believe that animal bereavement is very real and exactly the same as the loss of a human loved one. Others might then think I'm comparing my love for my family as being the same as a love for a cat. Of course it's not the same, but after growing up with something and caring for it everyday, animals do indeed become part of your family. I see my cats as if they are my brothers or children. And I care for them the same amount as I care my for blood brothers and sisters.

 Tinker was one of my three cat children. As I said, I have grown up with him ever since my Dad brought him home one day in a cardboard box, with his head sticking out of the side. I remember that moment, clear as day. I was at play school at the time and fell in love with him instantly. Like all young children, my brother, sister and I all argued over what we were going to call him, then finally settled it by pulling a name out of a hat. Tinkerbell was the winner and it suited him perfectly, until we realised he was a boy...so we just shortened it a little! In time we got another cat to be a friend for Tinks, but sadly Scampi died in a freak tumble dryer accident.

Tommy

Then in 1998 we got Tommy from a cat sanctuary. Tommy and Tinker weren't always friends. Tinker was very dominant and would often take his frustration out on Tommy, when he didn't get his own way. He earned himself the nickname 'Killer Cat' by my parents who thought he was pretty evil. I guess he didn't like adults as he was always lovely to us children!

Toby.

Two years ago we took in another cat, as it had nowhere else to go. Toby was a really boisterous kitten, who the other two hated. So much so, that Tommy moved out into the shed, and Tinker would just attack him every time he came near. Somewhere over time though, the three settled down and became a happy family.

Although Tinker was at times a bully cat, he was also the sweetest most loving animal in the world. He was protective and always there when you were upset. Many times I have cried into his mushy stomach when things got tough. Anyone that knows me, knows first and foremost that my cats are my life. So Tinker dying really has affected the entire family. He was 18 years old, and very ill so we knew it was coming, but it still came as a total blow. I went to work that day and was miserable as sin. I then came home and we buried him in a friends garden. It sort of offered closure. I'm still trying to mentally block it out and pretend nothing has happened.

Apologise for the morbid post, it's not meant to be depressing, more of a blog of remembrance for my dear friend. I've never lost anyone or anything that has been in my life for so long, so it's pretty weird. I hope that this post reaches out to others maybe going through the same thing, or have done in the past.

Have any of you ever lost an animal? How did you feel? Do you see it as being on par with losing a family member?

xxx

Review of Vanitys Vintage.

A few months ago I attended "Hooga Christmas Boutique" which was a rockabilly evening hosted at a local bar in Chelmsford. It was a chance for local rockabilly girls and guys to come together and spend an evening sipping glorious cocktails from teapots and swing dancing! I originally blogged about it here.
Dozens of pop up stalls came along to the event in order to promote themselves and offer their wears! Including Make do and mend, Truly Madly Vintage and Vanitys Vintage.

While there I bought these amazing vintage glasses. I fell in love with them straight away, I couldn't resist!

Since December my beautys have had the occasional outing, as fashion props only. But I finally got off my bum, had my eyes retested and got them prescribed. The fantastic thing about Vanitys Vintage is that apart from sourcing and selling a wide range of stunning vintage glasses, Vicky, the brains behind the business also offers a lens fitting service. For an incredibly reasonable price, Vicky will put in lenses of your choice, once you have emailed her your prescription.

Seeing that we both live in grand ole Essex, Vicky kindly agreed to come and pick up my glasses herself from my home, which was ridiculously kind of her and really helped me lot, as I can't drive! So after taking my printed prescription, and measuring my pupil distance, she whisked them away in order to work her magic. Less than a week later they were ready! I couldn't believe how fast it all was, I was incredibly impressed!

So after cheekily persuading my sisters boyfriend to go and collect them from Vicky's husband, I finally had my babys back! And as if the amazing service I had already received wasn't enough, Vanitys Vintage really earned themselves brownie points by going one step further with the packaging. I expected to just get my glasses back, in their case with my lovely new lenses fitted. Instead this is what I received.

 Both cases were beautifully wrapped in black tissue paper with ribbons tied round them. Also included were two business leaflets, and business cards, and inside the case, my glasses, prescription and old lenses.

I cannot express how lovely it is to be able to see again with my new specs, something you totally take for granted, when you don't have glasses! ( I lost my last ones, as I'm useless.) I must admit I've literally worn my glasses every single day since, even though I only need them for things like driving, watching tv and computers. I've had lots of lovely compliments too which is ace!

Me being part of the vintage specs gang!

So, if you ever fancy buying your own vintage reading glasses or sunglasses, I cannot recommend Vanitys Vintage any higher. Find the website here

Buying from them really has been an absolute pleasure, and something I am bound to do again. I even have my eyes on another pair! Every single part of the process has been handled with the highest level of customer service possible, and has made me a very happy bunny!

Now I have found that once you go vintage, you never go back ;)

Gypsy xxx

My names Carly, and I'm a hair dye addict.

So, I'm one of those people who always dye their hair. The kind other people look at and moan 'Eurgghhh I bet your hair is in awful condition...' I know some of you will probably be shocked to read this, but I have been dying my hair for TEN YEARS.  Yep, way back when I was a wee pup in primary school.
Now that has been said, no my hair is not dead ;) and yes, I really did start dying my hair in junior school!

I am the daughter of a hair dye addict, so it wasn't really a big deal when I first bleached all my hair at 10 years old. I think I wanted to have hair like Britney or something. I kept this awful yellow blonde style for two years until I went to secondary school and started dying it a ginger blonde! 

I've had many a hair makeover in my time and literally have had every colour under the sun. Maybe it's because I'm a twin, and desperately don't want to look alike? Mainly though, I have black hair, but felt like a change the other day and have dyed it all a bright orange.

So while my hair is recovering from two bleach jobs, I thought I would delve into some images of my hair story ;) Apologise in advance for the emo-esque pictures!  

 

This is the current colour, photo doesn't show just how orange and bright it is.

I'm lucky as I have never had a hair disaster or anything majorly bad happen! And as I said before, my hair isn’t that bad condition wise, due to me always getting bored of the length and lopping it off! I must say though, that I have literally only been light again for about four days and already want to change it! Must resist temptation!

Have any of you ever had any hair disasters yourself? Or dyed your own hair some of the many colours of the rainbow? I'd love to know and see pictures! =)

xxx

My style inspirations.

I find that in this day and age everyone seems to be talking bout fashion trends and style crushes. While I don't buy them myself, I often read fashion magazines at work, and learn all about whats hot on the high street, or which models and celebrities everyone wishes they could dress like. Now I don't personally buy into trends or pay any attention to what is in at the moment, be it style of music, art or celeb culture. But I do find it interesting to see who people admire and look up to fashion wise. I thought about who my style crushes were, who I look up to, and realised you would never see a picture of these people in magazines. Whats more, I realised a lot of them are actually men! So I thought I would share with you, which people influence my dress sense and why.

 Bettie Page - Bettie was just so beautiful in every way. I can't remember how I first found out about her, but as soon as I did, I wanted to be just like her. She really was the queen of the pin ups and fetish modelling. She inspired me to copy her fringe, and I have kept my 'Bettie Bangs' for years. One day I hope to grow my hair as long as hers, and leave it curly. She represents power, and I love that about her. I like to think I sometimes portray Bettie swagger.




 William Francis - I have been absolutely obsessed about everything concerning this man since I first laid eyes on him in 2006. Lead singer of my favourite band Aiden, Wil has undergone many different fashion phases through the years. He started off as goth, with long hair and lots of white make up (which I totally copied) then moved onto Morrissey lookalike with quiff and beads.

 His most recent look and my favourite is what I would describe as 'Victorian Gent' In this look he tends to sport lamb chops or a moustache and wears lots of waistcoats and suit trousers. The feel is that of a gentleman in society who has a sadistic side. What a love about this style is the old fashioned edge and accents of Steampunk style, because deep down I wish I wore my corsets everyday!

 Amanda Palmer- Amanda Palmer is the lead singer of The Dresden Dolls and someone else I look up to. Her style is very mish match, think underbust corsets, bras, stockings and band shirts. She doesn't follow any fashion rules or abide by what is expected of a woman. He has shaved eyebrows, which she draws on everyday in squiggles,  she doesn't shave her armpits or legs and generally loves to prance around naked. On occasion she also dresses as a mime or as an eight foot bride. Her style is very androgynous and unique. I adore her bravery and the fact she doesn't care if you think she is pretty or not. Since discovering her, I have become braver and less concerned about what is expected of me in society. One day I will be as wild as she is!

Dita Von Teese- Miss Teese was my first real introduction to the world of rockabilly. Everything about her oozes sex appeal and glamour.  Because of her I really started to experiment to see what I could do with my black hair and discovered the beauty of a wiggle dress! She also got me into corsets, pale skin and red lipstick.

 Morrissey- As stated before, I said I liked the look of Mozza on William Francis, beside that though, there are plenty of other reasons I love Morrisseys style. His fashion choices typically represented Britain's bored jobless youth in the 80's. Although I wasn't even born back then, he kind of became the face of an indie kid in the 80's. His look showed his geeky side and conveyed his awkwardness and angst at growing up in a world of punk and with people who didn't understand him. Morrissey loved pop music and soul singers like Dusty Springfield and Sandie Shaw which distinguished him from his peers. He become famous for his quiff and lack of 'sex' or masculinity. I love him as he wasn't afraid to wear blouses or flowers and still to this day, does not care what people think of him. I think he is a good poster boy for the 'Be who you want to be' campaign.

 Last but not least is Ronnie Radke formally of Escape The Fate and now of Falling in Reverse. Radke's style is very feminine but at the same time, very typical rockstar. He wears eyeliner, women's scarves, tailored coats and dandy boots. His hair is also amazing. I try and mimic his style quite a lot! All I have to do is spike my layers up, don black jeans, cowboyesque boots and a scarf and then I'm good to go!

So what I have learned this evening is I like my men to look like women, and my women to look androgynous! So all in all, my style is all about looking full out glam and womanly or looking like a pretty guy or victorian!

Who inspires you and your style? I'd love to know.

xxx
  

Truly Madly Vintage.

I've been a bit of a busy bee recently! What with working my normal day job, Wonderful Women meetings in London and business planning. But I did spare one day to model for a photo shoot with vintage clothing shop Truly Madly Vintage. =) Sadly their store in Chelmsford Town has closed down after three years, and rather than quit the business they have chosen to open up their shop online. For the launch of their new website, they wanted two models, both a man and woman to represent either the female clothing or male clothing on their homepage. The photographer for the day was my good friend Louise Thomas - Find her blog here. As well as being the photographer she was also the stylist for the shoot. There wasn't really a brief at all for the shoot, other than the clothes worn had to be from Truly Madly Vintage and the hair had to be subtle. Even though they only wanted one female model, both me and my twin sister Chelsea Watson modelled for them and then they were going to choose the best picture, and whoever was successful would be the new model. Both me and my sister did our make up ourselves. I have never modelled before so the shoot was pretty interesting and awful at the same time! It took a few hours to do, but after the long drive home we decided to treat ourselves to a nice little shop up ;)

I haven't received the pictures back yet from the shoot, but I'm eager to see how awful / funny they are!

 These are the only images I have from the shoot.

Miss Chelsea Watson wearing TMV, Rockalily Lipstick in ZOMG and my glasses from Vanitys Vintage

Me wearing TMV, Rockalily Lipstick in ZOMG, hair bow from Little Miss Delicious and my glasses again. I look strange as my eyebrows are so light!

 Sadly for me, I wasn't chosen. I lost out to my sister. Sibling rivalry or what! I'm okay about it though, as my pictures were nowhere near as nice as hers. And I look strangely really young, which is weird. But here is the finished website Truly Madly Vintage. They have some lovely items and really are darlings! Please help them out by buying stuff :)

Gypsy xxx