Neon Pink Obsession

It seems that I am having a neon pink obsession...
I thought I would do a frame for instagram (@twineysworkshop) on neon pink, so I walked around the house and collected all the neon pink accessories, clothing, stationery & hair clips I could find...oh my gosh! I didn't quite realize that I liked pink so much and I certainly didn't realize that I had so much of it until I took the photos...

Neon pink has slowly taken over my life.

Easy to do with my daughters clothes and hair clips because with her big blue eyes, that hot pink really suits her...but my stationery and accessories seem to have been taken over too!! Maybe its been a summer colour for me! As I sit here in my office, I am staring at a neon pink photo frame, that I clearly forgot to include in my photo frenzy.

May be it is time to withdrawal with some of this seasons up and coming colours, like rust orange, blue, purple...
I'll let you know through Winter how that goes....

Enjoy the pics...

True Vintage

We are on the Gold Coast in Queensland for a short getaway this week. It's so nice to have a change of scenery & go to the beach. Our little one can't get enough of the sea & the sand.

I've been coming here every year since I was a kid, so it feels like my second home. I know my way around & what's new & what's old.

So with my afternoon off today, I headed straight to the Gold Coasts hidden gem, Arkive, a True Vintage store hidden upstairs in the Centre Arcade (the arcade next to sportsgirl) I remember visiting it last year but didn't get a chance to have a good look. This visit I did and it was such fun.

They have a great collection of men's shirts, surfers shorts, tees & knits - all of which are unisex. They also have some great dresses, short sleeve silk tops & bags for the girls.

I had a great chat with Jake, the owner. No wonder the vintage stock is first class he worked in vintage clothing stores & learnt his trade in Shoreditch, East London where all the cool kids hang out (I did a year in London & loved this area for its always buzzing vibe). Shoreditch is vintage heaven (think Kate Moss & Pete Doherty) and Jake (who is English) & his wife Angie (a former employee of rokit 5 - the UK's largest vintage clothing company) have brought a piece of this vintage heaven to the Gold Coast.

A lot of their pieces come from the UK & Paris & some from the US. Prices are really reasonable & there is heaps to choose from.

I love the anticipation of vintage shopping, the feeling that you may strike gold, and if you do knowing that no one else will have it on this season!!!

Well, I did strike gold! I found this purple checked 3/4 sleeve dress for $55. Teamed with black leggings, a beaded belt & ankle boots it will be perfect this winter. I'll post a pic of me in it when the weather turns cold!

So, if you're not on or visiting the Gold Coast, rest assure you can still hunt virtually... head to instagram & their Facebook page where they have an abundance of great pics of clothing & accessories that you can buy & will ship worldwide!

Soon, you can also buy from their website: www.arkivevintage.com

Facebook.com/arkivevintage
Instagram @arkivevintage
Twitter @arkivevintage

Oh and when you're done browsing Arkive Vintage you can pop next door for a drink & a bite at black coffee lyrics - an equally cool coffee shop!

And finally, if you're in to vintage clothes & wonder about the lives the dresses had before you get them, then check out the fiction book 'The Secret Lives of Dresses' by Erin McKean. A fun, light read which will only encourage your vintage clothes shopping...by the author of the popular blog www.dressaday.com

Birthday Weekend Away

What a fun filled weekend!

It started with a beautiful afternoon wedding of my gorgeous friend in the city...I had such a chuckle that I got a mention in her wedding speech AND an applause from the room for encouraging & persuading the bride some 3 1/2 years ago to go on RSVP & pushing her to keep on keeping on with her hunt when she was exhausted with the process...

The weekend then continued with a night away with the hubby at the Westin (our first ever night away from our daughter!). The staff at the Westin couldn't be sweeter with the cutest note & bottle of champas upon arrival to our room. The room had great views of the city & the colourful yarn bombing below the hotel.Which of course I photographed up close. It was also great to be overlooking my fav city building - the Nicholson building. So much to explore in the Nicholson building!

Delicious dinner at Izakaya Den which included sipping from some very Kawaii cups & dipping sweet bread into Salted Caramel fondue! The night concluded with a good laugh at a street performer playing some tunes in a costume!

The next day - my birthday - and even The Age magazine was celebrating for me by penning an article all about craft.

We headed on over to China Town for the Chinese New Year celebrations & saw the dragon up close & personal. I snapped a pic of these funky & colourful high tops from the always on trend shoe shop Miss Louise.

Then off to see my little girl & family & eat lots of cake (of course the kitschiest of kitsch ice cream cake was ordered for me!)

It was one busy & fun birthday weekend.

Marie Antoinette high tea

Today I celebrated my most elegant of friends Hens Day.

I organised the soirée & of course it needed style, grace & poise...just like her!

So, before i describe the day & its trimmings, I'll fill you in about the beautiful bride to be...

She loves the bygone era (circa 1930); plush, velvety furnishings, is the best gift wrapper I have ever known, loves ribbons & pearls, has immaculate taste, attention to detail & loves nothing better than a cup of tea in delicate china & a decadent bite size cake.

So, of course I had to make the day as special & elegant as I could.

My mind was awash with a Marie Antoinette style afternoon tea.

I searched etsy for a suitable invite & found the perfect one from 'Through the looking glass'
It turned out perfectly!

I then turned my attention to the venue. With lots of great high teas in Melbourne it was hard to choose.
Mámor Chocolate and High Tea & Szalón felt like the perfect spot. Old Europe meets high tea. Chosen of course for its lavish furnishings.


Now onto the trimmings for the day.
A hens day bonbonierre.
I baked cookies in the shape of a wedding dress & made them look special with white fondant & pearl white dust to give them a pearlescent shine.

Of course packaging is important. So I tied the cookies up with satin ribbon & to keep on theme I added a Marie Antoinette tag and attached an English Breakfast tea bag which I covered with a tea quote paper which had beautiful vintage silhouettes of 2 girls having tea on them. The wrapper was actually suppose to be a tea coaster, but I shrunk the design & turned them into tea bag wrappers.

The tag & "wrapper" was found on etsy at MaBellePapeterie.

The location was just perfect for the bride to be. Located in Collingwood, Mámor is lavishly furnished and upholstered with antique chairs and divans, chandeliers bespeckled of crystals, plush velvet pillows, silver accessories sparkling to the glint, and traditional cutlery and crockery. Tea settings are antique and imperial, with gold and silver, and with rich tablecloths the bride to be was in tea heaven.

We dined on scones & jam, Hungarian treats & decadent sweets served in goblets. Washed down with a lovely pot of tea.

A Very Marie Antoinette afternoon it was

Mexican fiesta at Mamasita

Date night tonight was spent at the always buzzing, Mamasita. Melbournes 'it' Mexican restaurant in the CBD...

We had some yum dishes, topped off with a sweet corn & caramel popcorn ice cream! Very unique!

Great vibe & fun restaurant. Made even more fun with my beautiful hubby who always spoils me rotten

Xx