Thursday, May 29, 2014

༺ The Collegiate ༻

 Antique gold locket, crimson and dandelion yellow leaves | Lavender & Twill

A book is a priceless adventure | Lavender & Twill

Checks, plaid, tweed, houndstooth and more ~ oh my! | Lavender & Twill 
Fallen dreamer | Lavender & Twill

Studious and fun, a cozy winter look | Lavender & Twill 

Have you ever had a new item of clothing that has just waited around in your wardrobe for the right outfit to match it?

This darling cream jacket with café au lait checkered stripe pattern is a tick off my vintage wish list ~ a really, truly Pendleton coat! *squee!*  ヽ“ヽ”(*❤∇❤*)”ノ”ノ 
I purchased this dreamy woolen wrapper from Brittany of Va-VaVoom Vintage during her Instagram Sale; I was so thrilled to receive my new-to-me Pendleton as well as my darling Blue Lolita Dress.

This was a few months ago, however, so my poor jacket has been waiting on the weather to turn chilly enough to sport it, as well as the right outfit to set it off. I’ve tried on several different outfits since I received it in the mail ~ pulling it on, hopefully checking the final effect, then sadly tucking it back in my wardrobe when it wouldn’t work… That is until today!

I went with a simple 1950’s collegiate look, à la Mona Lisa Smile. I recently watched that movie again, and not only enjoyed the film for itself, but also, of course,*el sigh* for the clothes!  All the gorgeous party frocks and pearls were naturally stunning, but I found myself studying the casual wear quite closely.

I was drawn to the simple, stream line coats, or snuggly hand-knit cardigans.  Then there was the pleated or A-line wool skirts. These were paired with bobby {just over your ankle height} socks and loafers or socks and saddle shoes. This vintage university student look is a classic, easy to replicate style, or you can simply draw inspiration for a cozy autumn or winter outfit.

But I can’t forget my most recent find that ticked off another item on my vintage wish list; a glass locket! I spied this sweet necklace on Refuge Heart Vintage’s Etsy shop and was pining, yes, positively pining to purchase it for my collection. There was something so taking about the whimsical antique photos of someone’s little darlings kept safely between glass and suspended from a delicate gold and pearl chain. So my sweet Mister made a very special “Thank You” present of the locket to me, and now it’s my turn to add precious snapshots of my family to the locket to be preserved.

Finally ~ if you made it this far! I really would have preferred to pair this outfit with short socks, but my ankle was strapped up with sports tape {long story short ~ gave myself a Mother’s Day present of a badly sprained ankle} so knee socks it was, simply to hid the mess. Then I trotted off to do my grocery shopping, and the Coffee Cream Pendleton had it’s first outing along with my new-old locket. Yay! Worth the wait. ヾ(^-^)ノ

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Coffee Cream Pendleton | Va-VaVoom Vintage, Instagram Sale
Antique Glass Locket | Refuge Heart Vintage
Black Cable Knit Top | Thrifted
Houndstooth Pleated Skirt | Thrifted
Preppy Check Knee Socks | Old
Mary Jane Flats | Old

༺ ♡ ༻

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Ravelry | BJVear
Twitter | bjvear
Youtube | Bonita Vear

Monday, May 26, 2014

༺ Currently: Upheaval ༻


‘Currently’ posts are a little snapshot of the events that are occurring in my day-to-day life. These episodes feature photos from my Instagram, do come and say “Hi!” if you are around. Also, if you would like to participate in this feature yourself, please feel free! I’d love to read your posts, so don’t forget to leave a link.  ♡

Roses

READING:

The “Emily of New Moon” trilogy by L.M. Montgomery.  I adore her “Anne” books, and the “Emily” books, and will always keep coming back to read these. I have read them since I was a girl, and they never grow old. I adore Anne’s imagination, and Emily’s passion for her writing craft ~ to quote Anne {spelt with an ‘e’} Shirley, if those girls were in the flesh and living next door to me, I feel certain we would be ‘bosom buddies’ for life.

P.S. ~ I discovered whilst writing this post that a LOT of L. M. Montgomery’s books are available for free! This is simply epic! Find a copies at Feed Books in the Public Domain section, and at Project Gutenberg Australia by searching for L. M. Montgomery. Alternatively, look for them in the Kindle shop, as I do believe a lot of Public Domain works are available on there.

Paper

WONDERING:

If the house will sell. If the house will sell. If the house will sell.  Yes, it’s kind of a theme around our little blue abode at the moment.

Mint

FEELING THANKFUL:

That my Mister really is the best Mister a gal can have, and I know that his love and support make this journey one that is no less difficult, but something that is worth while despite the hardship.

Bunch

EATING:

Toasties. {aka ~ toasted sandwhiches}

Same filling every time; ham & cheese. I have found a delicious Gluten Free bread available at my local super market, and it is yummy. Plus, toasties are easy to make and are enjoyed by the whole family ~ including Isabelle {she munches on my crusts}. It’s a winner.

Fall

WATCHING:

Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, and Fireman Sam. Joking! {not really…} Actually, the Mister and I are very much enjoying watching 19 Kids and Counting at the moment. We have simple tastes when it comes to the shows we choose to watch, so we don’t ever really get into the popular programs.

Hoby

WORKING ON:

Whipping the house into shape. And that’s about it. I have packed up everything that I could that we didn’t use in day to day life, and with that pile of stuff was my art, crafts, and everything creative supplies! I did leave out a few things so that I wouldn’t go completely mad, and of course, I still have my camera and laptop. But the sale of the house eclipses all and any plans I have, so that’s really been where my energy has been devoted to.

Gels

LOVING:

A tidy house and neat yard {prepping for inspections is stressful, but you do get the nice reward of a pristine, sparkling home to enjoy afterwards!}. A few of my new wardrobe pieces. Cozy fires to snuggle up to. Special mugs for my tea. ❤ Pastel cotton-candy pink, and baby soft mint green. Gold accents. Jelly flats. DIY GEL NAIL POLISH MANICURES!

Bunny

 ATTEMPTING:

To not completely crumble into a smokin’ hot mess of stress with all the upheaval and schedule shuffling, and that thing, you know, where we try to sell our house for a price that is not going to leave us out of pocket. *deep breath

Chandelier

WANTING:

To stop breaking myself and be able to get on with it! I have been struggling a little with  loads of late nights that sap my energy, and a recently sprained ankle that hasn’t helped. I have had a less than stellar run in terms of health recently.  

Leaves

DOING:

Cleaning, and loads of it. Not much else really!

HK

(‘Currently’ post inspired by Danielle of Sometimes Sweet’s feature and Kaelah of Little Chief Honeybee!)

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

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Instagram | missbjvear
Pinterest | bjvear
Ravelry | BJVear
Twitter | bjvear
Youtube | Bonita Vear

Friday, May 23, 2014

༺ Train Stop ༻

 Wool skirts add so much warmth for winter comfort | Lavender & Twill

Ankle boots and canvas satchels smack of 1910s style | Lavender & Twill

Black is practical when traveling | Lavender & Twill

Waiting for the train to pull into the station | Lavender & Twill

Our family went on an outing to ride on a steam train to the Queanbeyan historic train station, and I decided to wear a early 1900’s & 1950’s mash-up inspired outfit to match.

This was for a special event showing off all the antique trains that the local chapter of the  Australian Railway Historical Society have been involved in managing and restoring.

It was a really fun day ~ I had never ridden as a passenger on a steam train, and was in for a shock when I saw how much soot fell from the smoke. It wasn’t quite what I expected; there where tiny flakes of black charcoal everywhere! It was *quite* a dangerous proposition to lean out of the window of the dining car to take photos.  
(´- ヮ ・)

There were a wide variety of engines ~ the one I am standing next to in the third snapshot is the AD60 Class, a heavy goods steam locomotive, and the largest locomotive in the Southern Hemisphere; it was huge! It was 103 feet long, and the back wheels where about as high as I am ~ that’s 5’7”!

And the noise! Oh, boy ~ could those machines ever toot, hoot, and whistle! We all went half deaf, but it was such fun for the little ones {challenging to snap outfit shots with all the crowd though}.  If you ever get the chance to ride a steam train, do try it ~ it’s a fabulous day out. ヾ(^∇^) ❤


AD60_Class_Locomotive ༺  An AD60 in action  ༻

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Cream Lacy Knit Beret | JayJays, Old
Cream Angora Cardigan | Thrifted
Black Peasant Style Knit Top | Old
Tan & Canvas Satchel Purse | E-Spirit, Old
Green & Black Wool Skirt | Osasp, Sold Out ~ Similar Here
Taupe Ankle Booties | Kmart

༺ ♡ ༻

Find me:

Instagram | missbjvear
Pinterest | bjvear
Ravelry | BJVear
Twitter | bjvear
Youtube | Bonita Vear

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

༺ Blue Lolita ༻


Demure styles can still be a lot of fun to wear, accessorize and enjoy the flounce of your skirts | Lavender & Twill

1950s fashion ~ blue lolita look | Lavender & Twill

Black accents make a striking statement | Lavender & Twill

A neat purse adds a finishing touch | Lavender & Twill

Co-orrdinate your shoes, purse, belt, gloves and hat to pull your outfit together perfectly | Lavender & Twill

Summer dresses can be taken into autumn and winter with a darker set of accessories | Lavender & Twill

Blue Lolita, the name of my new~to~me, fabulous vintage frock. I adore the use of boarder print for the button placket, and the azure shade is practically perfect.  Of course, the 1950’s fit and flair is just right with my lace-trimmed petticoat for a peek of scalloped, white eyelet deliciousness around the hem.  (⁎^ᴗ^⁎) ❤

But I can’t waffle on about a dress now can I?

Life has been so wonderfully busy recently ~ when The Mister and I decided to put our little blue house up for sale, that was just the beginning! And while I am awfully excited for the changes and the path this step will start us on, part of me is quite nervous and a bit sad to be leaving our home and all the happy memories.

I’m not always so good at letting go of things that I get attached to ~ the blue facade of our house, and the blue picket fence that surrounds our garden. The poplar trees that stand guard over the railway tracks behind our house, how they turn golden in the morning and evening light, and glow with the brilliant yellow of fall colour.

The leafy green trees beside the river that we walk under, as we amble home on a family stroll around the neighbourhood. The old, historical houses that I love to admire ~ including this lovely biscuit and duck-egg blue one behind our block that is earmarked for restoration {and also featured in a few of my outfit posts (♡ ◠‿◠)}.

The water tower that I see from my bed when the curtains are drawn back. The creaky floorboards that show the stories of our family life in the pattern of wear upon them. The spaces that I lovingly decorated, and hunted down special treasures for ~ the best pieces appearing by fortuitous accident! The fiery-sunset miniature roses that burst into bloom on the bush outside my bedroom window each spring.

The big backyard that my son loves to run around in. He says to me “I have a good idea, do you want to go abenturing with me? It’s a lovely day for an abenture! Please come play with me,” while looking up at me with cherub dimples and sparkling baby-blue eyes. The sandpit that my daughter will totter over to on wobbly legs, squealing with excitement. Beaming with a big toothy grin on her face, and her own set of darling dimples, she joins her older brother joyfully digging and tossing sand everywhere!

We brought both our children as newborns home to this house. They have spent the first years of their life here, and it was the first place our family called home.

We actually dreamed that we’d raise our family here, in the country-like community with lovely, towering green trees and the best parks our young tribe could ask for.

But the thing is, while we both love the beauty of the surroundings and community we are in, this is just one page in the whole wide book of the world and we don’t want to just read one page ~ we want to taste, explore and absorb the entire encyclopedia of international experiences.

To find our new ‘abenture’ we have to say goodbye to the pleasures of this page and turn to the next chapter…  ❤

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Lacy Crochet Collar | Made by Me, 2010
Blue Lolita 50’s Frock | Va-VaVoom Vintage, Instagram Sale
Black Sash Cummberband | Old of Mine
Black Wristlet Gloves | eBay
Cream Carved Rose Bracelets | Old, Equip
Doctor’s Purse | eBay
Eyelet Petticoat | Thrifted
Mary-Jane Heels | Thrifted

༺ ♡ ༻

Find me:

Instagram | missbjvear
Pinterest | bjvear
Ravelry | BJVear
Twitter | bjvear
Youtube | Bonita Vear

Monday, May 12, 2014

༺ How To Throw A Successful Garage Sale ༻


Last weekend I threw my first ever garage sale, and I rather like to think it was a success. The first day was wonderfully busy, the second dismally slow, but thankfully we got rid of at least 2/3 of the goods we had out for sale. Plus, we made just over $1,100.00 from our sales! Yay!!

So here’s my little list of tips and hints ~ things I learnt for next time.  Hopefully they might help you if you decide to throw a sale yourself.

How To Throw A Successful Garage Sale | Lavender & Twill

Tips On How To Throw A Garage Sale

Marketing:

      Put up signs! Lots of signs!

      It’s best if you can post signs on main traffic thorough ways to “divert” traffic to your sale. Don’t forget to add signs at crossroads and T junctions to point the way so that people don’t get confused as to which way to go. The signs can just be cardboard and marker, that is usually sufficient. You can also print out A4 posters to hang on community notice boards and local shop windows.

      ~ Make clear signs

      Remember that these signs are probably going to be mostly read by drivers, so they must be clear and concise. Use extra thick text, a super fat marker or paint, and keep the message short and simple so that it’s easy to take in. On my main signs I just put:
      Garage Sale
      Address
      Date/Days
      (when it was being held)
      Time (if it fits and you want too)

      On my directing signs I wrote:
      Garage Sale
      This Way  --->
        (giant arrow pointing in the left/right direction to my house)

      ~ Check the signs

      If you are going to hold the sale over two days, make sure to go check your signs are still up and pointing the right way. We had quite a few of our signs spin around in the wind, and one had fallen down. It could be a good thing to check them after the first day to make sure your signs are still effective.

      ~ Use balloons

      These will catch the eyes of people driving by. You don’t need to put them up at every sign, just the main ones and at your venue.

      ~ Online ads

      Advertise with your local notice boards; Craigslist if you are in the US ~ Gumtree and All Classifieds if you are in Australia like me. Don’t forget to see if there is a garage sale register you can sign up with {Gazzasgaragesales.com.au for us Aussies!}, and Facebook can be a great way to bring over your friends. You could also Tweet the details of your sale at your local Council; we didn’t do this, but I wish I had!

      Preparation:

      ~  Pick your dates

      Try to avoid public holidays, because everyone goes away, and keep an eye on the weather.  I started going through my house, shed and garage three weeks before our chosen weekend gathering up stuff to sell.  We also decided to host the sale on a Friday and Saturday. It was a bold move ~ I wasn’t sure that anyone would come, but as I said before, we did the majority of our sales on the Friday, and hardly any on the Saturday, so there you are!

      ~  Stockpile your goods

      Put everything you want to sell in the one room so that it’s easy to lay out when you are ready to sell. Try to keep small things together in boxes so that they don’t get scattered everywhere. Remember ~ anything and everything can be put out for sale! I sold a lot of stuff I didn’t think I would ~ I had a box of overflowing office supplies that pretty much all went to my surprise.

      I even sold a canvas I’d painted when a lady saw it sitting out for the rubbish bin.  She loved it, and gave me twice as much as the asking price for it when she wanted to know how much it was.  That was easily the highlight of my garage sale I can tell you!

      ~ Pricing

      Think about what you want to sell your items for. You have to forget about how much you paid for them originally and think about how much they are worth right now, as they are. Also, if you think you have some valuable items, do some research and price them accordingly.  Plus, don’t forget that sometimes a little cash for an item is better than having to take it to the tip. So don’t hesitate to go low to sell out!

      ~  Clean up

      Clean up any goods that are dirty or dusty, and clean up your venue so that it’s easy to lay out your stuff.  Also remember to put away anything that’s not for sale. It’s easier than have to tag it all “Not for Sale”.

      Also, consider what you will do with your leftover items. You are not going to sell everything, and if you have furniture leftover you might need to organize a trailer to haul the stuff away. You can take the goods to your local recycling centre, to a charity shop, or to the tip.

      ~ Invite your neighbours

      See if your neighbours, or your family and friends want to join in the fun! The more the merrier! You may want to think about how you will organize the items, or split the proceeds however, as you will want to make sure everyone gets their fair profit from their item sales.

      ~ Petty Cash

      Go to your bank and withdraw enough Petty Cash to get you through the day. You will need notes ~ mostly 20s, 10s, and 5s and of course gold coins and silver change. Make sure your record how much you have of what so that you can know how much profit you make! I carried my petty cash in a handbag that closed up so that no-one could dip into it.

      Day Before:

      ~  Put up all your signs and make sure they won’t slip or fall. Packaging tape works quite well here.  It’s also a good idea to place the signs further back from corners or traffic lights so that people driving by have enough time to read the sign and change direction if they are not already coming your way.

      ~  Put out your larger pieces to sell ~ furniture, hardware, etc, around the edge of your venue so that they are easy to see and then organise your smaller pieces in the middle. On a table is best, but if you don’t have one available, a groundsheet is a good idea so that things are easy to see and won’t get grubby. Don’t forget to cover anything that shouldn’t get damp with a tarp if you are leaving it out over night.

      ~ Arrange your goods.  Try to group similar goods together; electronics, knick-knacks, china, household goods, books, etc. It’s also best to hang clothes up so that they are easy to browse through. Put small valuable items out close to you. We had an HTC Legend mobile phone for sale ~ only $10.00, but somebody decided that they didn’t want to pay even that and stole it, which I found a bit upsetting!

      ~  Price tag.  You may or may not want to go through and price tag your goods.  I did, and I found it helpful, but in some cases it’s easier just to put a sign on the larger items, or a notice on a box, such as “$1.00 each item” etc. If you do price tag, remember that you might have to lower the prices towards the end of your sale so that you can sell. The more you sell the better ~ after all, that means less to clean up when you are done, and more cash in your pocket.

      ~ Make arrangements for pets. You don’t want dogs running around amongst your customers, so either keep them inside, or perhaps send them to a friend’s house for the day. Babysitting might also be necessary depending on the ages of your children.

      On The Day:

      ~  Get up EARLY! You can put out a big “OPEN” sign next to all your “Garage Sale HERE” signs! Hang up your balloons and any signs you might need to point people around the back if you are holding the garage out in your back yard. However, it is probably better to hold it out the front it you can.

      ~ Expect early buyers; I think most of these are dealers usually; they may show up before you are ready to open, so be prepared and don’t let them fluster you as they race around picking out the best stuff you have for sale and trying to get as cheap as humanly possible.

      ~ Keep your house locked. You don’t want people randomly wandering around inside your home!

      ~ Be ready to negotiate ~ my favourite line was “What are you prepared to pay for it?” That way you can hopefully start some haggling.

      ~  Keep arranging your goods about so that there are no ‘empty’ spaces and everything is clearly on display.

      ~  Be friendly, but let buyers have the space to browse and take their time.

      ~  Lastly, enjoy yourself! It can get hectic, boring, disappointing, and exciting all in the same day, so have fun with it.  : )

      Afterwards:

      ~ Take down all your signs; you can get fined in Australia for littering if you leave them up.

      ~ Take away your leftover items.

      ~ Count your cash and see how much money you made!

      So that’s what I learned about hosting a garage sale. It was definitely worth all the work ~ we cleared out a lot of stuff from our house, and it’s great to be free of all the clutter.

      If you have any tips, or your own garage sale stories to add, please do comment!

      xox,

      bonita

      ༺ ♡ ༻

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