Blog Love: Va-Voom Vintage

If you aren't already reading Brittany's fun blog, Va-Voom Vintage, you should be!  Especially now that she's hosting a GIVEAWAY (you know I love those!).  Look at these prizes - a vintage purse, a vintage lipstick case with a NEW red lippie in it, vintage containers refilled with beautiful loose eyeshadow, an eyeliner and a lovely compact ready to fill with your powder.  What a lovely and generous giveaway - everything that get's a vintage loving gal happy!


So you know the drill, go on over, leave Brittany a comment and be sure to tell her Inky sent ya ;)

I'm A Hooker!

Yes, that's true.  Sometimes I cheat on my knitting with my first love -- crocheting!  haha, dirty minds, you thought I meant something else?

In my crazed sickness the last few weeks I did have moments of complete boredom (good grief there's crap on TV during the day - thank goodness for my DVR).  I was looking for some cute snoods to make and came across the lovely website Annalaia.com, where I found this beautiful snood pattern, available as a PDF file.  I purchased it in the evening and I received an e-mail from the very pleasant Anna, with the pattern attached, the next morning.

In a few days I was busy hooking up this project in Ecru/Gold metallic Knit-Cro-Sheen crochet thread (I used just about all of three balls) and a size E hook.  I did make minor mods by leaving off the beads and I crocheted two cords to tie it to the top of my head instead of one.  The pattern was straightforward and very easy to read and understand.  I think even a beginner with a few projects under their belt could make this.

I haven't worn it yet and I'm not sure how will it will work with my hair, but it definitely will require that I put my hair in an invisible hairnet first to keep it under control within the snood (a great tip if you have lots of layers or are using a hairpiece to fill out your snood).  Once I feel (and look) more human, then I'll give it a whirl and model it for you all.

Cooties Galore!

Yes, it's been quite a few weeks here at Casa de Inky.  First I get a cold (AGAIN! my third this winter).  Every single freaking time I'm around kids or crowds I get sick.  I have no immunity to humans. 

During this illness I get a lump in my right armpit (don't freak out, I am prone to cysts and this one is recurring).  It came back worse than before in less than 24 hours - a big ping pong ball sized thing that I had to have drained.  The aftercare is a huge hassle and uncomfortable and let's just leave it at that. 

Then Mr. Inky catches my plague and now he's been sick for a week.  Whatever is going around this time is very strong and very persistent.  I am still not feeling well, cough and runny nose, but some improvement daily.  I see the doc again on Monday for some further treatment on the cyst issue. 

Then on top of that Aunt Flo comes with such a murderous vengeance in the middle of all this fun and frivolity.  So I want to know why I can't feel like this when I have my period - the ads promised I would!!

Instead I feel (and look) like this, dammit.

Blog Love: Livin' Vintage

Guys and Gals - time for another dose of Blog Lovin!!

Emily at Livin' Vintage is hosting a great blog giveaway - a copy of Blueprints of Fashion and a beautiful 40's dress pattern.  Please take a minute, go say hey, tell her Inky sent ya and ENTER THE DARNED CONTEST!!  whew, i love contests!!

Snoody Goodness!

Hey kids, it really pays to enter blog contests!! 

Remember the blog lovin' for Miss Cherry Bubbles over at Past Life??  Well, I was the very lucky winner of the Victory On The Home Front contest!!  Woohoooo!!!

 

The cookbook is both wonderful and a little frightening with the questionable food photo styling common to all 40's and 50's cookbooks - I'll definitely be trying a few recipes though!

I love the Knitting for Defense book and already see a few things Mr. Inky will like and the Make and Mend booklet is just fantastic!  I've wanted that booklet for a long time and it has really wonderful information in it - including a snood pattern I already picked up some yarn for!

The coolest things are always handmade and Cherry included a beautiful bright red snood that matches my hair perfectly!!  Here I am wearing the snood and trying out my new frames.  I hadn't worn a snood yet with rolled bangs.  I really like the way it turned out.  How cool is it that the red matches so well!!  Thanks so much, Cherry Bubbles!!

By the way, thank you all for the feedback on the frames and Shuron.  I really hope those of you looking for new frames for yourself will check out Shuron, they really are wonderful to deal with and make a quality product.




I had my eye appointment on Friday and come to find out that a previous solution to my vision problems of one very nearsighted right eye and one moderately farsighted left eye that battle for control and cause dizzyness and blurred vision is still the best solution - to wear one right contact lens and use reading glasses for computer, reading and needlework needs. 

So the Nusir Royale's become reading glasses - I need to make or get a funky little chain to wear them 'round my neck!

My fantastic optometrist, Dr. Graham at Envision Optometry, is a real gem.  Not only super thorough but get this - I was looking for new sunglasses.  I don't like modern frames with all their logo branding.  I commented that they should carry more vintage style frames.  I had seen three pair in a display but they were all very small 50's era frames - not good for my face.  The assistant says....oh, we have more.  Suddenly she starts pulling out tray after tray after tray of vintage specs!!!  It was the MOTHERLOAD!!

There were 40's era through 70's era frames for men, women and children.  It turns out Dr. Graham's Dad was an optometrist and this was his old stock, and some old family frames as well.  I narrowed it down to five or six choices for new sunglasses ;)  That remains just a tease - I'll post a picture when I get them back next Friday!!

Uh Oh, Now She's Gone And Ruined Everything!*

Is it true that men don't make passes at girls who wear glasses? 'Cuz I'm getting me some new lenses (it's okay - I don't want anyone making passes at me anyway!)

*(title nabbed from this cute little video about a "scientific approach" to choosing frame shapes)





I actually got my first pair when I was about 12 or 13, so it's actually nothing new.  I've worn them off and on my entire life, including dabbling in contacts now and then.  I have 20/20 vision in my left eye, but I am extremely nearsighted in my right eye, basically giving me a natural bifocal vision.  Alas, the DMV thinks I need to see out of both eyes and well, that big birthday coming up is also expressing itself in a drastic vision change over the last year.  I find myself squinting more often to see, or closing my right eye.  I'm also wearing my drug store readers to sew and knit more often than not.

So, being the vain gal that I am, I started pondering glasses and frames.  I really don't look good in cat-eye frames, and I was hesitant to purchase real vintage frames without being able to try them on.  My hubby loves his Shuron Ronsir Zyl's so much that I decided to give some of the Ladies styles of Shuron's a whirl.

The Shuron Company is an absolute pleasure to deal with.  This was our second and third purchases from them (hubby got new Zyl's for this year) and they way they process orders is you pay for one frame w/shipping, and they send you several colors/styles/sizes to try.  After you are done you simply send back what you do not want to keep and your bill is adjusted if necessary.  I provided them with my existing frame sizes and they sent me a sampling of seven frames to try.  Prices are very good as well, mine were $110 (plus $12.95 Fed Ex shipping) and hubby's were $95.  

Though I wanted to model all of them for you - only one frame stood out as the clear winner in my book (all were the same shape, just different colors or sizes).  I've chosen the Shuron Nusir Royale in pewter with silver metal.  I'l be seeing the eye doc on Friday for an exam and getting the prescription filled - in the meantime here are the frames and I'll model them after they are made up.








By the way, Shuron also fills prescriptions, but I have not used this service and cannot comment on it, as they are not covered by our vision insurance.  I can't recommend them enough for their frames, quality and outstanding customer service.  If you aren't lucky enough to have a local vision office that carries Shuron, contact Tony Rivers and he'll hook you up! 

DISCLAIMER:  I was not contacted, reimbursed or paid by Shuron for this review - all products were purchased directly by me.